A light crowd scattered amidst the first few rows of Cramton Auditorium was indicative of the relatively small circle of marginalized tastemakers who cultivated the genre of hip hop, as Howard University recently hosted it’s second Hip Hop Symposium. The event, designed to provide consuming yet critical students a chance to interact with movers and shakers involved with the business of hip-hop, included panels discussing the depictions of women and black men in hip hop and the state of the genre. Guest speakers included spokes-model Melyssa Ford, actor/musician Anwan “Big G” Glover (‘The Wire’), singer Lil Mo, African American Studies professor Dr. Gregory Carr, and emcee/activist Gabriel “Asheru” Benn.
I mean when you hear the mixtapes and see their fruits you get the feeling that the storm is steadily building. That raspy voiced Philly bauw seems to be looking over his shoulder at us as he and his Aphiliates, DJ’s Canon and Sense, stride atop their now officially Warner Bros. backed Music Group. But life can change on a dime, I swear. January 16 Aphiliates Music Group front man and pioneer of the highly successful Gangsta Grillz mixtape series DJ Drama and highly sought producer DJ Canon were arrested on racketeering charges, their Atlanta offices raided and mixtapes, computers and files confiscated by the Feds and RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). The RIAA’s beef is that Drama and company are “illegally” profiting from unofficial (not sponsored by record company?) releases primarily created by artists signed to major record labels (i.e. Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne etc.). Obviously these releases, AMG’s especially, help artists create a buzz for major label releases and sell more records in a constantly dwindling recording industry. Someone playing both sides here?