Since its birth three decades ago, Hip Hop has become the most popular musical genre in America. However, Hip Hop composers who use digital sampling are rarely taken seriously by mainstream commentators, and the diverse, yet tight-knit, community of Hip Hop producers is often overlooked by those who study Hip Hop…

Emile YX? “Jansen” of Black Noise, African Hip Hop Indaba, African Battle Cry and Heal the Hood Project, has just completed his second book, My Hip Hop is African and Proud.

We are pleased to advise that the South African Music Industry Directory 2004/5 edition is now available. The price is R90.00 incl. VAT and is available from The MIDI Trust and certain Exclusive Book stores nationwide. Read on for details.

Are we currently losing too many young people to drugs, violence, and sexually transmitted diseases? Studies show that 2.5 million children under the age of 15 are living with HIV and 3,643 children under the age of 19 died of gun related injuries in 2000. We at Shaft Entertainment feel these rates are extremely alarming which is why we, in collaboration with our newest artist, Paris Diamond, have created a valuable tool to help children make the right decisions. Shaft Entertainment as well as Paris Diamond, want to change the negative perception people have of hip-hop music. We are one of the few record labels showing that there is positivity in hip-hop.

Today, Hip-Hop culture dictates trends in everything from fashion and advertising to literature, film and theatre. In the 70s, gifted youth with a lot of imagination forged a new style of music from spare parts. Emceeing was a product of pure streetwise ingenuity, extracting rhythms and melodies from existing records and mixing them up with searing poetry chronicling life as they experienced it. Some emcees spread positive messages and lessons from their hearts while others rhyme about money, sex and drugs, incorporating the good and bad times that surround their existence.

The World Of DJ’s and the Turntable Culture by Todd Souvignier is a hands-on field guide to the art, science and history of DJ’ing. The book takes readers behind the wheels of steel and teaches them about the tools, techniques and traditions of a professional DJ.

Black literati had best take note right here and right now. There’s a new writer on the block and he’s coming real, he’s coming hard and he’s coming strong. His name is Relentless Aaron, and let the name be your first forewarning. He is relentless in his mission to take the literary world by storm.

Oliver Wang went out and got a whole lot of writers to look at some of the most important hip hop albums in history. We recently received a copy of this book to see whether this would be a worthy addition to your book collection. Read on.