G.O.A.T????

Emcees act like they don't know. Every does them, lists that is, so I thought I'd jump in whilst the waters warm and do my own definitive top ten of greatest rappers of all time (Doesn't that make the acronym; G.R.O.A.T?).

For me its gotta be from this list, infact I didn't really write this in any particular order but it sort of came out as I would probably rank them:

1. Rakim
2. Big Daddy Kane
3. Big L
4. KRS 1
5. Biggie
6. Kool G Rap
7. Nas
8. Gza
9. Masta Ace
10. Ice Cube

Probably not all that inspiring or different from most peoples list, I grant you, but a couple of things jump out at me.

1. No Tupac.
2. No UK Emcees. Shame on me.
3. No Dirty Dirty.
4. Only 1 West Coast.
5. Not many of what I would call Old School heads (don't get it twisted, Old School doesn't mean Biggie btw)

Rakim wins hands down for the combination of his lyrical ability, precise delivery and amazing tone of voice. BDK would have run him closer had the love rhymes stayed away from his albums more often. KRS would have been a worthy winner but in the end it was "The R" that took the title in my book.

Other mentions that didn't make the top ten but are up there in ; Doom, Lord Finesse, LL Cool J, Chuck D, Percy P, Gift of Gab, Common, Method Man, Redman, Apathy, Vinnie Paz, Lowkey, Logic, Roots Manuva, Million Dan, Guru, Komanche Sly, Eminem, Del the Funky Homosapien, Ghostface and so many many more. Mucho Respecto.

I'll do producers next which should be quite interesting (unless that sort of thing bores you to death).

They reminisce over you

This is always a tough time of year for me personally. Its coming up to the anniversary of one of my best friends passing away.

21 is no age at all, and I've missed out sharing so many things with him since then. My one big regret is not clearing up a stupid argument I had with him not long before he went. It was meaningless and typically male juvenile hotheaded hubris, but you always think you will have plenty of time to straighten things out.

Years have passed and the pain has lessened but never totally gone away. Miss you much, my friend.

I'll be listening to Pete Rock and CL Smooth in your honour.

Riding an Arkane Culture beat

Sick skills over one of my beats.

Peoples Army SALUTE!!

Facebook monitored by big brother?

First off, if you think I'm taking about a shitly desperate (or desperately shit depending on the way you look at it) TV show then I would suggest you read a book for once in your life. Dan Brown? Fuck off, I mean a real book. One with a non jacked plot, believable characters and which doesn't treat you like an idiot with the IQ of a postage stamp.

Anyway, turns out Facebook hit the headlines this week for the revelation that the government could monitor it under anti terror laws for suspicious activity. Presumably; randomly poking old girl/boyfriends, adding pointless apps and posting shit videos/jokes is a favourite pastime for Osama.

A couple of things spring to mind.

1). Do the government really want to monitor possible terrorists or do they want to monitor the wider population? Is it the thin end of the wedge and yet another step down the road where civil liberties are kept well in check?

2). Does anyone actually believe that they aren't already doing this? I mean you already get targeted advertising, and I'm fairly sure that personal information is stored on bloated corporate databases just primed and ready to unleash consumer bargains galore that we cannot, nay must not resist. Its a short step from that to realising who people are in bed with....You might be shocked to learn which well known governmental agency has a venture capital arm that was the initial investor in FB.

3). If you are a terrorist and you are using facebook to co-ordinate your attack then you are doomed to fail from the off. But at least you will be able update us on your current status at all times

Terry Wrist is.........trying to remember, is it red wire or blue?

4). A couple is 2, right? Slaps forehead.

Oh and another thing, whats with all the prison TV shows on at the minute? You can't move for endless shots of razorwire, shotguns and warnings of..."This is not a game, prison is...", Etc.

Preparing us for something, perhaps?

Peoples Army

This Is More Than Just A Movement.....
Its a call for War....
but at the same time its a call for Peace.

For years we have allowed society to mould and shape our views. Been manipulted by TV images, fashion and propaganda in general...

Let 2009 be the birth of a new day...

Lets travel from city to city.....From country to country expressing righteous words for people who wanna listen....
Lets make it more than words....LETS TAKE ACTION!!!
Our Aim is to show and educate with music....with the hope to free the trapped and unconcious mind.

....OUR MESSAGE
....OUR ARMY
....OUR PEOPLE
!!!!ELEVATION!!!

Sign up, do your bit and lets push things forward...............

http://www.myspace.com/thepeoplesarmy2008

Rebirth: A Kingdom Rising

2009: As we roll towards the end of the first decade of the 21st Century, we find ourselves in what could perhaps be described as Bramahian times.

Talk of Credit Crunch, Terrorism and Genocide fills our various media outlets, whilst huge corporates take tax payers bail outs before paying huge bonuses to staff that have failed the larger population. Still as long as they ride high in their plush Park Avenue headquarters with full use of the multi million pound/dollar/amero(?) Jetstream, who are we to argue. Its not like its us that foots the bill is it.....oh wait.

2009 also sees the end of an era in more than one respect, I came across the following statement on DJ MK's Blog:

In 1988 Hip-Hop Connection (HHC) magazine published its first issue. 21 years later, the world’s longest running rap monthly recently published its last. It’s a cracker too, answering the question heads over the globe just can’t resist arguing over: Who is the great rapper of all time? And we didn’t just send our top critics down the pub to argue the toss. Rather, we polled over 100 emcees from all walks of life and all levels of superstardom to find the answer. While there is an inevitable air of sadness that a combination of increased paper and production costs allied to viciously plummeting ad revenues have made continuing unworkable, HHC and its staff are happy the magazine is hanging up its metaphorical boots while in rude creative health. Independently published by Infamous Ink since 2001, it’s charted hip-hop’s myriad highs and lows in candid and amusing fashion; never cowed by the preening demands of rap’s A-list stars or scared to take them down a peg or too, while also championing the UK’s homegrown hopefuls and the freshest underground US talent. Along the way HHC has posted upfront cover debuts for the likes of The Fugees, Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast, Eminem, Danger Mouse, 50 Cent and The Game – long before they were anything close to being on the mainstream’s radar. And while HHC will no longer be the true rap fanatic’s monthly paper fix, it will still live on in other forms: from April 7 it will become the world’s first dedicated digital hip-hop magazine, available for download from www.hhcdigital.net All of HHC’s staff and contributors will continue to be active journalistically, so please retain on any relevant mailing lists. Thank you for your support, in whatever capacity, over the years. All the best, Andy Cowan (Hip Hop Connection)


Now I grew up with this magazine fueling my passion for Hip Hop from the days when there was little in the way of coverage in the media (HHC was all we had more or less) to the information overload of the internet age.

Im sad to see this go, but look forward to the future of the digital version.

The message is clear for all though; unless we stand up and keep supporting, our culture will become lost knowledge. Arkane.

The king is dead, long live the king....

www.myspace.com/arkaneculture