What should I give my son for his 12th birthday?

He likes hip hop and wants his own studio but i have no idea! Pleez help!

When did you start listening to hip hop?

Me at 8 so basically 2000 and you?

Why do hip-hop stars were all the jewelry? Why do they want to wear more chains than their ancestors?

Don’t get me wrong, slavery was horrible and I hope there is a special place in Heaven for ending slavery in America and these clowns put chains back on?!

What on Earth are they thinking?

when are rappers going to stop promoting violence in hip hop?

don’t you think it gives other races a reason to hate us when we perpetuate our own stereotypes,and also when we are so quick to play the race card? it makes us look stupid to even to support these rappers,your thoughts?

A young sparrow is trapped in my courtyard. Do I do anything or wait for her to grow up a little more?

This immature bird (probably female by markings, young but not a baby) has shown up in my all cement courtyard at work. There is some lawn furniture for shade. Some older birds (parents?) have been hanging around chirpping at her. I keep water and seeds out there for her. She can fly. She flies about 20-30 feet, but doesn’t get much elevation. Do I have her moved out or just wait for her to fly out on her own?

What are the best songs by Naughty By Nature?

Im 13 and I hate the rap of my own generation. And I like artists like Eminem, Dr dre, 2pac, etc. And I like Naughty by Nature but I don’t really know a lot of their songs. So, what are some good ones?

Home grown Hops for Homebrewed beer?

I bought myself some hop rhizomes from my local homebrew store and I’m getting ready to plant them. My question is the trellis that I need to build – how tall do I really need to go? I’ve read that commercial growers let the vines go 25+ feet. I can’t realistically do that in my back yard. My idea of going the Lowes and getting a 16 ft 4X4 (w/ 2 feet in the ground) has been scratch since I’ve read about the dangers of using pressure treated wood in the garden. Anyone have a suggestion for a free standing system that my wife will not think is an eye sore? Or is the amount of exposure to the pressure treated wood not a real issue?

How can I get my parents to let me buy explicit music on iTunes?

I am trying to get my parents to let me buy explicit music on iTunes. I am 12. Everyone else I know can. I listen to like rap and hip hop and pop so it is definetely better explicit. I asked once and my dad said that he even downloads it clean. I love music and the real version is much more enjoyable. Please help me!

I want to start doing my own music production at my home and I wanted to know what equipment that I would need?

I am into mostly hip hop

How and why do you think the hip-hop and rap generation have been allowed to commercialize , marginalize, and?

How and why do you think the hip-hop and rap generation have been allowed to commercialize , marginalize, and trivialize the persistent problems resulting from systemic and institutional racism in the Americas?

I know i should do my own HW but this is just 1 of 12 questions I need to do and I am stuck on this one. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Homebrewers: Anyone know good sources to buy hop seeds or seedling so I can grow my own hops at home?

How would I go about contacting a famous rapper in regards to an investment opportunity?

I own a growing drink company and was looking for a celebrity (preferably hip hop artist) to invest in the company and become a partner. Who should i contact and how?

How did you handle your cross-cultural wedding and reception? What advice do you have to offer?

My fiancée and I are completely different people. He is white, and came from a country family in southern TN. They even owned a pig and cow farm, he’s worked tractors, fields and the like. Myself on the other hand, haha well I am black. I’m a born and bred city girl. I grew up in a urban area, I grew up with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, 2-Pac ect. He listened to blue grass, John Denver, Anne Murray ect. We hope to get married within the year, but somethings are bothering us. Our families. COMPLETE OPPOSITES. I know music that would be acceptable with my family, his would be appalled as they’re all very conservative. My family is a bit more…well party like. We love having fun and we love our dancing at the wedding receptions. We always dance at the receptions to rap, hip-hop and the like. However, they don’t dance in his family. They eat, talk and leave just like that! There’s no music, no party no nothing! Honestly, I’m scared about this…I love him but I’m wondering whether to have a wedding at all…and just elope! There’s also traditions to consider, in my family we’ve always jumped the broom and everyone gets to dance with the bride. He’s not one for dancing…neither is his family. He doesn’t really want to do a father-daughter dance or a mother-son dance, but I want to dance with my daddy and I want to dance with my family. He says he’s uncomfortable letting other people dance with me, I continue to assure him it’s FAMILY. Family dances with everybody! It’s fun and no harm done! It seems the only think we agree on is no alcohol, which is good! Then there’s the wedding dress…he doesn’t want it to be strapless. He says his family would be sorta well “surprised”. Um, it’s OUR DAY. I told him not to care about what his family thinks! I’m so stressed about this…
What did you do about these differences? How did you handle both families? Did you compromise and play both types of music or just throw it all out the window? Or did you just elope…haha. Advice would be greatly appreciated, perhaps some tips as well.

What do you think of my list of 25 things that killed hip hop?

25 Things That Killed (and are Still Killing) Hip Hop

In the midst of everyone’s declarations that “Hip Hop is Dead” we somehow forgot the slow death that is spreading across all aspects of “urban” music, as the legacy of Soul and its close cousins has devolved into a writhing mass of commercialism, homogenization, thuggification and overall laziness. Now, in no particular order, we present to you the “25 Things That Killed (and are Still Killing) Urban Music” because you love lists and SoulBounce isn’t afraid to say what you’re thinking. Keep in mind that there will be some overlap, as certain items gave way to others that deserve their own spanking.

1. The End of the “Event” Album: There was a time when albums encompassed an era that included a look, a feel, and a style that informed an artist’s videos and live performances for as long as they (or the label) could squeeze revenue from a project by releasing singles. The “event” album can chiefly be credited to Jacksons Michael and Janet, who have entire timelines built around the idea of a “Thriller Era” or a “Rhythm Nation Era”. Nowadays, instead of treating albums as what they are (a collection of songs with one unifying theme) artists are more likely to seek out the most ubiquitous Hip Hop beatmakers of the moment and record over a hundred songs from which to “pick” singles. Also, when you have artists that are too scared to release music with a healthy 3-5 year gap in between, the lines to between albums begin to blur, and the eras become indistinguishable, rendering them null.

2. Big Name Hip Hop Producers: With respect due to the beatmakers that introduce a track with the name of their production imprint, ad-lib all over it, and insert themselves as guest rappers 50% of the time, they overshadow the actual vocalist of a song. We certainly don’t begrudge any of them the right to employment, but when an artist has to do an inventory of who produced her project to qualifiy it instead of telling us what the album is about, we have to take exception. Reality check: If you’re trying to goad me into a purchasing your album because you have a Pharrell beat on it and I’m a Pharrell fan, then that’s the only song I’m buying. Your album has to have legs of its own.

3. Deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. & 2Pac: You can probably draw a direct line from the deaths of Biggie and ‘Pac to the current state of Hip Hop. The two of them cultivated a style that even a decade later is re- and misappropriated to the nth. Perhaps if they were still alive, they’d have pushed the genre forward. Or maybe they’d be wack and irrelevant. Hey, at least they died while they were still good.

4. “Neo-Soul”: We understand the emergence of the “neo-soul” genre as a response to the growing commercialization of modern R&B. But even the artists lumped into this category began to the see that the term was as much a marketing ploy as the very things they eschewed. The language used to describe these artists ranged from “organic” to “avant garde” and any press materials would claim that he/she looks up to Stevie, Marvin and Donnie. And don’t stand too close to the stage lest you get burned by the candles and frankencense! Before long, the audience would be fooled and we would either grow to love or loathe this music, defending the art of its purveyors and loudly wondering why they couldn’t move as many units as their mainstream counterparts. Simply put, “neo-soul” has become a term used by people to describe music they respect but would never buy.

5. Reality TV: Aside from the manufactured Pop idols that are struggling to stay signed within their prize contracts, we have to question the motives of Sean Combs, Robin Antin and Missy Elliott, who have all aped the reality television format to generate acts for their own stable of artists. To be sure, reality TV has replaced proper Artist Development as a means for these entrepreneurs to cash in, stroke their egos and embarrass people who, 9 times out of 10, deserve it. Speaking of which, what’s O’so Krispie doing?

6. Lazy A&R Departments: Did you know that A&R people are also responsible for Artist Development? Probably not, since these days a newly-signed artist is more likely to be stripped of their identity and given one that falls in step with what’s popular or, even worse, none at all. Take Cheri Dennis for example. While her album has a respectable amount of solid R&B tracks, we still don’t know who Cheri Dennis is, what sets her apart from everyone else or even what she sounds like. But, she has earned the distinction of being signed to her label for nearly a decade with no album to speak of. Did the A&R department utilize that time by playing Spades? Probably.
7. Scarface and The Untouchables: Okay, rapper, we get it, Scarface and The Untouchables are the greatest movies ever made; your life in celluloid, even. But, if you look close enough, you’ll come to learn that you are neither Pacino or De Niro and should stop emulating them by using audio clips from the films in your interludes and the script in your lyrics. Too many of you are still doing this after all these years. Also, tell members of your crew to stop calling themselves “Ness” and “Nitti”. Just, please, cut it out. Thank you.

8. Thugs: Not only do we have “Studio Thugs” that use de Palma films to inform their image (see above) but there’s the “Corporate Thug” (robs an artist of his publishing and signs him to a hellified contract he could never fulfill) and the questionable “R&B Thug”, which happened somewhere between R. Kelly and Jodeci and continues to this day. Along the way, labels got the bright idea that the way to
9. Crime: Between violating probation, not paying child support, being pulled over and caught with an ounce of weed or cocaine, assaulting nail technicians, shooting people, tossing concertgoers off the stage, committing perjury, tax evasion, and urinating on minors, we have to wonder if being a good artist means being a bad citizen.

10. Ringtones: “Real Music Ringtones” were created as a way to distinguish your ringing cellular from someone else’s while also bringing you closer to your favorite artist. Unfortunately, the labels realized this was the only way to generate revenue and started making music for the sole purpose of selling ringtones. Now, we have stripped-down keyboard beats and grunts and “yaahhs” instead of lyrics. Is that my cellphone ringing or yours? We’ll never know, because we both downloaded Soulja Boy.

11. Lack of Music Programs in Schools: Programs like Garage Band have not only made producers lazy, but undercut the importance of imme
immersing young would-be musicians in music history as well as basic composition. Unless a popular musician was trained in the church, they probably lucked into a contract without knowing how to write, play an instrument, or worse, sing a note.

12. BET (and by extension its corporate owner) is on a mission to not only destroy urban music, but poison the perception of Black people in the process. If we were to use this network as a guide (and people unfortunately do), we would believe that “drug dealer rapper pimp” is a logical career path, alcoholic beverages can be used as bodysplash, women of exotic or indeterminate race are the standard of beauty, darker-skinned women are only valuable if they have a big *** and a tiny waist, a person’s worth can only be determined by what they drive and what they wear, you ain’t sh*t if you’re over 30, and a week’s worth of debauchery and decadence can be undone with a Sunday marathon of religious programming. It’s

Of Mice and men extra chapter part two.?

the men working on the ranch.
” Jus’ you sit there pup, I ain’t gonna be long.”
Candy tread across the ranch and stood beside the van which George had bean continuously placing the bags of grain.
”The guys are worried George, ya can’t go on like this forever ya know, why if Curley’s ol’ man saw you this down he’d sen’ you away.” Candy said cautiously.
George threw the bag onto the van more aggressively than the previous times and glared at Candy.
” Curley’s ol’ man can do what he please, if he wants to can me, so be it.”
George turned away and headed for the water fountain at the side of the wooden fence. The tall patch of weeds tangled round his ankles as he stomped through them. George’s thoughts of anger however, were interrupted, everyone’s thoughts were interrupted.
”Guys, Guys! He’s done it, the damn son-of-a-bitch has done it.” Slim gasped running from the bunk-house towards them.
”What you on about Slim, I hope this aint gonna be one of your damn story tellin’s is it?” Carlson said resting on the handle of his shovel.
”Curley, his ol’ man canned us, the lot of us, even Crooks.” Slim replied.
George had stopped stomping through the weeds when he had first heard the commotion, he turned on his heels and walked curiously towards Slim.
The deep green pool of the Salinas river glistened brightly in the sun light as all the men that worked on the ranch marched slowly back along the path, surround by the willows and the sycamore trees that arched over their heads. The men walked in silence, not only because they were too upset or angry to talk, but because the silence seemed to say everything that was needed.
Candy stopped, and leant back against a tree to catch his breath, the rest of the guys stopped too, Slim threw down his bindle onto the dusty path and picked up a stone, he skipped it across the river, causing small splashes of water to rise as it bounced across. He did this several times before George joined him.
” What you reckon we oughta do now Slim, we aint got no where else to go.” George said, glancing at the mountains.
” The only thing we can do George. We gotta jungle-up. We’ll find somewhere to stay in the town tomorrow, right now jus’ tell the guys to unpack their stuff.”
The men spent their evening amongst the trees by the river, lying staring at the stars that twinkled above them. Carlson sat far from the rest of the guys, in the shadows of the tallest sycamore that curved over the edge of the river, its reflection darkened the water that Carlson could see his face in. Candy sat, with his pup in his lap, singing to him, crooks sat polishing his shoes, mumbling to himself at how he got canned for no reason and George and Slim lay in the grass thinking of what was going to happen next, they had considered moving to another ranch but began to wonder if it was the right choice. Suddenly, George had an idea.
It had been three years. The sun was setting over the Gabilan mountains, the alfalfa growing, the rabbits hopping across the grass and Candy’s pup, now older, chasing them. Candy had passed away a year ago, peacefully in his sleep. Carlson had found him, in his bed, next to his dog. Carlson got a job in the outskirts of Soledad, he visited occasionally and never turned down an opportunity to see the guys again. Crooks, eventually was accepted by the men that had worked on the ranch and Slim had made a man of himself, he met a woman in the town one day, they plan to get married soon. George, learned that the feeling of grief fades and that doing what he had to was not a reason to feel guilty, he knows that Lennie would have loved to be were they are now, tending to the rabbits and having a feeling of calling somewhere his own.
George Stood by the porch and smiled to himself. ”Here we are Lennie, home.”
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090417141555AARmXP8&r=w

^^ Part One.

{RHH} Who do you think is the most influential producer in Hip-Hop?

I guess this is a somewhat difficult question, because production styles have changed radically the more and more Hip-Hop got popular and the production styles grew closer and closer stylistically with pop music, with sampling having been utilized less and less the more expensive it got…But there are stills few producers whom I feel influenced many others that came after them. Jam Master Jay was of course a huge influence, but I’d argue Terminator X is the most influential producer of all time, with RZA also ranking up there…however, I’m interested in seeing your opinions. So who do you think was the biggest influence for Hip-Hop producers?

BQ: Do you own any Hip-Hop items that aren’t albums? If so, what?

Does anyone know how much for a garage conversion? The cheapest possible way to do it?

The garage is not attached to the property but set in the garden. It has a power supply.
Sorry, I should have been clearer about what i intend to use it for. it would not be to live in but for a treatment room for my beauty business. So i need a floor, decent insulation and walls, electricity and a possible water supply but not essential. thanks.

What’s the best way to get rid of gophers / moles?

I am not even certain of which ones I have; gophers or moles. But I am tired of them. I have purchased and tried two types of traps.One from Mole Pro and then the typical spring loaded long tine and spear type trap.

I have used two or three types of poisons. Who knows if it works or not? I have even shot them with both a 22 caliber rifle and a 20 guage shot gun.Yes I live in the country. Luckily. Sound like Caddy Shack yet?

My latest possible attempt might be a different type of trap I saw my father had borrowed from his neighbor. This trap is from a company called Nash Products Inc. Don’t really want yet a third style of trap and I don’t want to have to treat 4 acres of grass / gardens with grub killer either.. I’ve heard that’s what attracts them. Kill the grubs and they go away. It would be rather expensive to do the size of area I am dealing with.

Can anyone show me an easy way out before I get the back hoe out?

For those of you who think hip hop is crap..?

Read these lyrics..

“I see the hurt when I look into your eyes
How you struggle to hold it and keep it bundled inside
It drives a dull blade deep in my heart; it makes me want to cry
So I offer you a hand to help wash away the rainy skies
I’m running out of words, but I haven’t yet made my message clear
So if none of this makes sense, I just want you to know I’m here
As a musician, as a friend, as a teacher, as a student
To grow and realize that everything is in constant movement
Each problem that we face is just a part of this movement
It seems helpless, but if we stick together we’ll get through it
And return to the essence from which we’ve been uprooted
And wake humanity from these illusions
The second you can look into the sky and see your own reflection
You know your headed in the right direction
The river riding always moves, but with it I live
And everything is perfect, just the way it is.”
– Eyedea, “Here for you.”

Mhm.. it’s amazing. Hip hop is truly poetry, but with beats. The stupid shit they put on the air is what gives hip hop its bad name. You should turn off your MTV, and listen to real music.

What do you think? If you read these lyrics, would you think it was poetry, or just a crappy hit on MTV?
Haha yep :D.
Lol I think you should learn to read because I was saying how much I enjoy hip hop. Imbecile.

Career,life,growing up?

Okay, so I want to be a writer…but I kind of just want to travel the world , write about my experiences, and just make my own book, but that probably won’t make a very good living by doing that. I’m not sure if I want to go to college…I’m pretty sure you have to go to college to get a book published,right? I just want to have a tiny suitcase and a journal and just hop on a plane or bus and just travel…it sounds ridiculous but I really just want that for my life. I don’t want to miss the college life out though…but I feel like I kind of will be waisting it…it’s hard to explain…I mean we all get these high end jobs and pay so much money and go to school and then we get a job and we may or may not like it and it could be so stressful. We get high end jobs most of the time to buy more and more STUFF…but all along all we want is love and companionship…it’s true…without that their would be no need to try to look your best and act your best all the time. Because the whole reason for getting a job is to please yourself and then please other on your social status. All I want to do is travel and kind of be a missionary in a way…just help people…but I have to go to college to join the Peacecore…:/ This is very long, thanks for anyone who reads the whole thing…what should I do?