It’s been a while since we last compiled a “5 Reasons Why New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck” edition. We’re supposed to be doing these once a month, but as we all know, sometimes life gets in the way. In fact, it’s not for a lack of non-sucky New York hip hop, just the opposite. As a growing but small and nimble operation, our resources still get tied up pretty easily covering the vast amount of New York hip hop artists, events and organizations worth our attention, so it does get difficult to always stay tight on schedule. Last month was even more difficult, as we traveled to Austin, Texas to check out the New York-area representatives who hit the area stages during the annual SXSW: South By Southwest Music Festival (a highly worthwhile endeavor though, stay tuned for that recap, coming soon). But all that doesn’t matter right now, let us proceed to give you what you need (if what you need is a carefully thought-out ongoing list of hip hop dopeness provided by the Big Apple and our surrounding area). As always, I will try and promise to be more frequent, since so many of our readers really enjoy seeing who makes each edition, but in the meantime, please don’t gloss over the recipients for the April edition. We think they are textbook examples of why New York hip hop continues to not suck in ’11.

- Manny Faces

Freestyle Mondays

There are countless hip hop open mics and showcases in New York City. We’ve seen a bunch. You’ve seen a bunch. Some are big, some are small, many tend to feature mostly mediocre talent with occasional flashes of quality, and rare flashes of brilliance. Some clearly only exist but for the organizer’s love of money, while some exist thanks to the organizer’s love of the art. For Freestyle Mondays, the longest running live band hip hop open mic in New York City, it’s obviously the latter. Run by IllSpokinn, a veteran MC himself who performs, records, and tours the world, and Mariella Gonzalez, an alluring and talented songstress and sometimes-Sesame Street participant, Freestyle Mondays ran from 2002 to 2010 at Sin Sin, becoming a Lower East Side hip hop Mecca and breeding ground for freestyle, progressive, semi-alternative and purist MCs. Shortly after Sin Sin’s unexpected shutdown, word spread through the community that Freestyle Mondays would live on, continuing at Bar 13, and the proverbial beat goes on. For anyone who needs a proper introduction to (or reminder of) the wonderful world of artistry, entertainment, passion, fun and respect for jam session lyricism that lives in hip hop’s heart, you could find absolutely no better place to spend a Monday night.

Fabolous

While Jay-Z set the bar for summer hit consistency over a staggering number of years throughout his career, another Brooklynite has been solidly consistent for a pretty impressive time span as well. From his early anthemic releases like “Can’t Deny It,” and “Young’n (Holla Back),” to songs recently indelibly implanted in our collective psyche like “Throw It In The Bag,” and “You Be Killin’ Em,” Fabolous has maintained a steady record of releasing rap radio hits for over a decade. Fab is one of the best at expertly riding the line between garnering street cred and airplay appeal, able to craft female-friendly radio smashes like “Into You” while avoiding a “sellout” stigma, dropping harder edged songs and features along the way. Though he’s never reached the universal appeal of Jay-Z (few have), there are not many MCs in the game who have dropped as many memorable mainstream and club bangers as John “Fabolous” Jackson.

Southpaw

We haven’t highlighted a venue in our “5 Reasons” series since we gave kudos to the B.B. King Blues Club and Grill back in August 2010, but when we did, we briefly mentioned other hip hop-friendly locations around the area who have contributed to the underground and indie hip hop scene in a positive manner. From established hip hoppers such as Joell Ortiz to a slew of upcoming indie artists, Southpaw has seemingly hosted a zillion hip hop shows and album release events in past months. Southpaw sports a sizable bar, comfortable seating areas, good sized stage, a clear sound system and indie-friendly booking staff. So far, we haven’t seen a show we didn’t like at Southpaw, so if you’re looking to take in some of New York’s up and coming hip hop talent, make sure you keep an eye on our Birthplace Magazine NY-area hip hop events calendar for shows at Southpaw.

Peter Rosenberg

Once upon a time, there was a white guy from the D.C. suburbs, who, in the course of his career, became employed by one of the New York chapters of the “evil” corporate radio behemoths many say have helped to destroy the legitimacy of radio in general, and urban radio in particular. Despite what some would consider a guilt by association, this guy remains an ardent supporter of New York City underground hip hop, finding every extra-curricular activity possible to lend his celebrity to the cause. We realized this, in part, watching him co-host the album release party for Homeboy Sandman’s The Good Sun, back in June, 2010, where he expressed sincere respect for Homeboy Sandman, J-Live and several other artists one wouldn’t necessarily expect a Hot 97 morning show jock to know, co-sign or throw support at. Further demonstrative of his respect and deep knowledge of hip hop music, his semi-regular Noisemakers Live event, an intimate Inside the Actor’s Studio-like onstage interview session held at 92YTribeca, which has welcomed the likes of Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, Raekwon, DJ Premier, Bun B, Diddy, Phonte and 9^th Wonder. His weekly Real Late radio program can be heard on Hot 97 (as well as an online version created for ThisIs50.com), and showcases music and interviews with underground, progressive and talented underground artists from New York and beyond, providing them a powerful platform that mainstream radio airwaves are usually extremely hesitant to provide. For all of these reasons, plus being a generally approachable, humorous and intelligent addition to the New York city hip hop community, we list Peter Rosenberg as a worthy example of why New York hip hop doesn’t suck.

Props To Hip Hop: Tru Statement Tribute Concerts

This endorsement is absurdly blatant, so I should first state that a) we have no stake in these shows, financial or otherwise and b) we are not related to, married to, sleeping with, or partnered in any way with any of the organizers or participants of these shows. Now that that’s cleared up: The folks over at Tru Statement Entertainment, an online music promotions, management company and label, in conjunction with a couple dozen New York City MCs, singers and musicians, and with assistance by the aforementioned IllSpokinn, have organized and executed two of the most entertaining hip hop shows that I have ever been to, period. If this is the first time hearing of them, good, because they are doing it again April 21^st. So if you’re the type that likes to actually have a little fun with your hip hop, pay attention. The concept is simple. Round up 20 or so area MCs, an incredibly talented live band, choose a legendary hip hop act, and pay tribute by performing and reciting that act’s seminal songs in front of a euphorically nostalgic crowd. Admittedly, the idea is essentially glorified hip hop karaoke, but these talented MCs, songwriters all, dedicate their voice and delivery to someone else for the night, and the crowd, full of fans of the respective artist(s), eat it up, raucously signing along line for line, in many cases, becoming an instant fan of the random MC delivering a random verse from a random song in the catalog of one of their favorite acts. It started with A Tribe Called Quest (which we covered). Next was Outkast. Each one more crowded, more exciting, more polished and more fun than the last. On Thursday, April 21, they’ll all be back, paying performance tribute to another classic and timeless group, The Fugees. I can state with complete conviction that this will be a night worth witnessing, and am happy to include TSE’s Props To Hop Hop concerts, and all those who participate, as an extremely entertaining reason why New York hip hop, and the New York hip hop scene, doesn’t suck.

Throughout the latter part of 2010, we delivered a semi-regular column entitled “5 Reasons Why New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck,” our way to help parse for readers near and far, a varied assortment of people, places and things which exemplify the talented diversity of hip hop in the New York City area.

Entrants included artists, some underground up-and comers like the passionate, intelligent and charasmatic FinaL OutlaW and the statuesque, eclectic and multi-talented Kalae AllDay, some B-list powerhouses like Joe Budden, some A-list superstars like Lloyd Banks. We included some venues like B.B. King’s Blues Club, and special hip hop events like the yearly Rapathon. Organizations like WBAI radio were noted, as well as companies like Duck Down Records, all helped demonstrate the wide-reaching range of hip hop’s involvement in the New York City area, and that New York’s fingerprints are still all over hip hop music and culture, despite some notions suggesting otherwise.

More than the goodness of what we profiled was the greatness of what we left out. There are countless up-and-comers worthy of extra notice, dozens of venues who open their doors to a hip hop audience, several organizations and companies who work to help hip hop progress into new areas, markets and consciousnesses that are based in the New York Area, who we simply haven’t gotten to yet. Countless people involved in hip hop other than as an MC or producer or DJ. We have so many stories to bring you, so many people to talk to. It is why the series will continue in earnest over the course of 2011.

In the meantime, as a sort of year-end recap, we’d like to re-highlight a couple of the folks we’ve noted earlier who we think exemplified the concept of the column, as well as spotlight a couple of different entities, to present to readers old and new, five really good reasons why New York Hip Hop didn’t suck in 2010.

Oh, and if you think you know of a reason why New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck that should be singled out in our series, send us an email at 5reasons@birthplacemag.com.

Homeboy Sandman

We began our series highlighting Homeboy Sandman. HS has been a staple of underground, progressive NYC hip hop for some time, and after listening to the lyrical exposition that is his latest album, The Good Sun, and witnessing his unrelenting stage presence, we asked ourselves, “How could anyone say that New York hip hop is dead?” In asking ourselves this, Homeboy Sandman himself became the inspiration, and epitome of the column. Since that inaugural posting, Sandman as gone on to travel the country in support of his album, shout us out lovely-like while rocking the A3C Hip Hop festival in Atlanta, and made a move to TV land, appearing on an episode of MTV’s Made. His eerily-creative videos have shown that Homeboy Sandman’s delightful eclecticism doesn’t end in the recording booth, yet his everyman demeanor is evident when his towering presence is seen emphatically supporting fellow underground artists throughout the city. We were right then, and we are right now, Homeboy Sandman remains one damn good reason why New York hip hop doesn’t suck.

Joell Ortiz

When we selected Joell Ortiz, also in the inaugural edition of our column, we stated, “[Listen to] the ‘for the love of God why was this not pushed nationwide, this could have been as big as Drake’s “Best I Ever Had’ “Call Me,” and you will realize that Joell Ortiz could, should, might be, hopefully is, one of the very next to break out from the tri-state area.” Since then, Ortiz has indeed released an almost non-stop flurry of hip hop dopeness, jumping on nearly every hot commercial beat that wafted through the Brooklyn air, often outdoing the original. Not one to simply rely on jacking for beats, Joell Ortiz has also dropped some standout original material particularly the fiery lyrical assault in “Battle Cry,” and an ode to the working man alongside crooner Novel in “Night Train.” We noted how we thought the main obstacle to his hopefully-inevitable ascension to the mainstream might have been the unfriendly relationship with his label, and now, that relationship is over, so we expect 2011 might finally be the year this blue collar rhyme slayer gets his proper due.

Jay-Z

We did not specifically highlight Jay-Z during our series, as we felt that the so called A-listers were already obvious enough reasons why New York hip hop doesn’t suck (though we did include “mainstream NY artists” as a whole, noting that many New York area artists and organizations are still very much driving the business of hip hop). Jay-Z however, continues to stand out as a business, man, a undeniable rags-to-riches story, similar to those owned by Diddy, Russell Simmons, 50 Cent and several others, but continuing to set the bar just a bit higher than all the rest. His book Decoded was a New York Times bestseller, and while that feat can be easy enough to achieve for a celebrity, the book received a glowing review from famed NYT reviewer Michiko Kakutani. His concerts with Eminem were the preeminent events of the hip hop year. He is reportedly commanding a $1 million New Years Eve performance fee. His interviews with Howard Stern and Charlie Rose delivered fascinating insight into his life and times. Not to mention the success of his other ongoing business endeavors, 40/40, Roc Nation, the New Jersey Nets as well as partnerships in the advertising world and product endorsements. And of course, he still has the hottest chick in the game wearing his chain, landing Mr. and Mrs. Carter atop the Forbes Top-Earning Couples list, all while staying musically unretired, dropping formidable collaborations, becoming the first 40 year old rapper to have significant relevance on the pop music landscape, ever. He has had the most number one albums by a solo artist in Billboard history, has President Obama in his speed dial and, to be frank, has found a way to stay his ass out of major trouble along the way. Simply put, there has been no bigger hip hop figure ever to emerge from the gritty New York streets, than Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.

Nicki Minaj

From the embryonic stages of her meteoric ascension into the hip hop and pop music stratosphere, we have been fascinated with Nicki Minaj. While at first, it was easy to write her off as a corporate-crafted, cartoonish, gimmicky version of the rough-around-the-edges, around-the-way girl she once was, it became clear to us that the Jamaica, Queens native just might be on to something a bit more worthy than that. After she got plucked up by Lil Wayne and the Young Money machine and her hype began to bubble on a national level, we paid even closer attention, coming to admire her enthusiastically stylistic flow, which on occasion, admittedly, bordered on absurd, but most times hovered around inventive and entertaining. Yes, the voices took some getting used to, (as did the eyeball popping), but to us, her infectious animation, energy, creativity and yes, lyricism, quickly elevated Nicki Minaj to the status of guilty pleasure. We began saying some very complimentary things about her, much to the chagrin of some our of fans and friends, but we stayed true to our conviction, reminding many how a young MC named Busta Rhymes once sparked the hip hop world with equally rambunctious mannerisms and outlandish costumes, only to go on to become one of the genres more respected journeymen. Yes, we cringed a bit when the embarrassing “Massive Attack” dropped and flopped, but ultimately remained confident in our co-sign. When “Your Love” took off, and Nicki Minaj essentially took the music world by storm, we felt that, at least commercially, we had picked a winner. When her documentary My Time Now aired on MTV, we noticed a flurry of comments throughout the social media universe, essentially stating how folks admitted underestimating Minaj, acquiring a newfound respect for her and her art. Needless to say, we remembered our arguments about how we thought that despite a bit of overdoing it, we considered Nicki Minaj a wonderfully creative breath of unique fresh air, and while we can certainly use more exposure to the Kalae All Days, Jean Graes and Rah Diggas of the world, we have always felt that there is room in hip hop for Nicki Minaj, and as her emphatically received debut and monstrous guest appearances this year have helped demonstrate, Nicki Minaj is indeed a fine example of why New York hip hop doesn’t suck.

And we do mean fine.

The New York City Hip Hop Underground

I have spent more than a year making it my business to thoroughly document the New York area hip hop underground scene, and while I have made many strides to fulfill this ongoing mission statement of my Birthplace Magazine creation, I have only begun to scratch the surface. I have met many good people, many talented artists, promoters, bloggers, DJs, dancers and producers. I have been blessed with the assistance of several talented writers, photographers and videographers who have contributed greatly to the site. Yet, sometimes standing for four hours in a small, sweat-box venue does not yield a tremendous amount of noteworthy hip hop. I now receive countless submissions, and rarely can find the time to listen to even the ones I want to listen to, much less find time to review and post. The last six weeks of 2010 have hit me with personal hardship and tragedy, and at times, I wondered if I can realistically continue this quest to redefine music journalism, documenting the music and associated culture that I love, and have been a part of for more than 20 years. But as a former DJ, rapper, producer myself, and as a journalist and publisher now, there is a certain thrill when seeing an unknown-outside-of-their-clique performer show me a spark of star quality. I still enjoy hearing the track produced by a local beatsmith under the vocals of a local rapper that makes me want to play that song repeatedly, like back in the days when a new Big Daddy Kane record would drop on Mr. Magic’s show. Yeah, I go back like that, and despite the change in the music game these past few years, there is still an excitement to be found in hip hop. For those of us who are open-minded enough to be able to enjoy good hip hop, no matter the subject matter or style, just good, creative music, I can safely say that with all I have witnessed in the last 12 months, the birthplace of hip hop is still very much alive and kicking. It is my hope that as I continue to grow our humble operation in 2011 to be a bit larger and a bit more self-sustaining, that the support we have received in 2010 will be reciprocated with good content, quality journalism, a hot event or two and a respectable platform that continues to become known as THE source for New York area hip hop news, artists, organizations and events.

So far, so good. Thank you all for helping me think I’m not (entirely) crazy for doing this.

Happy New Year.

-Manny Faces

Welcome to another installment of the (mostly) monthly series, “5 Reasons Why New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck,” an ongoing look at some obvious, and not-so-obvious positive aspects of NY area rap music universe. It’s a great opportunity for us to help those who might not be aware of some of the subjects of the column discover something new and, hopefully, enjoyable. For the ones in our midst who are already hip to our choices, it’s still a great time to refresh their memory, and provide an opportunity to discuss, comment, and show their support for the artists, events and organizations that we tend to highlight.

A brief apology, as we did not publish this column in September, despite our promise to do so monthly. This is not for a lack of worthy subjects, in fact, quite the opposite, as the growth of our site, and the work behind-the-scenes to bring our operation to the proverbial “next level” while still maintaining consistency, can be a bit overwhelming. However, this is all due to the love and support of our readers and those who spread the word, so it is a problem we are happy to have.

But enough about us. Without further ado, here are five more reasons why New York (and New Jersey, in this case) hip hop doesn’t suck:

CMJ 2010 Music Marathon & Film Festival

Though initially a pilgrimage largely for an indie rock following, the CMJ Music Marathon has expanded to include quite a mix of hip hop events. This year, throughout the festival’s four day run, a full spectrum of hip hop talent was on display at multiple locations throughout the Big Apple. Among several notable events this past week, Ghostface Killah at B.B. King’s, Homeboy Sandman (our inaugural reason why NY hip hop doesn’t suck, along with a dozen or so other NYC hip hop circuit favorites) at Southpaw, a Duck Down/Blacksmith showcase showdown at le possion rouge, the CPP Marketing showcase in a cramped, but enthusiastic National Underground, an Audible Treats event at Sullivan Hall with Black Sheep, Nottz, Rah Digga and many others. All told, New York City hosted visiting acts as well as provided amplified visibility for hometown hip hop heroes to shine, undoubtedly gaining them more than a few new fans this week.

FinaL OutlaW

We’re sure that we’re not the first, but let us state for the record, that we sincerely cosign FinaL OutlaW, and expect great things for this dynamic talent. Having built up a strong following in the New York City underground hip hop scene in recent years, his upcoming album Unstoppable Love is becoming a highly anticipated release with those who are in the know regarding who’s bubbling in the scene. In fact, a look/listen to his acclaimed “Hip Hop 4ever,” still remains a perfect demonstration of FinaL OutlaW’s potential in the rap world, while newer material such as “Up N Comer” shows why he might not be considered one much longer. We just saw him absolutely silence a noisy room with a single, furious display of acapella fire, walking away leaving the crowd stunned, wanting more. His skillful lyricism, impassioned delivery, strong freestyle ability, sense of humor, strong work ethic and an obvious blend of street smarts and intellect, should place FinaL OutlaW at the top of any “MCs to watch” list from the New York area.

Kalae All Day

We have featured Kalae All Day on a couple of occasions, her O.G.LYRIKALBOOKBAGGER serving us an early taste of her talent, and enjoyed several tracks from her debut full-length project, *AFROMATIKNEOHIPPIEROCK*SOLEMUZIK*. We once called her “…the eccentric, heat-spitting, statuesque songstress,” and the description remains true, as witnessing her live performance, backed by Turnstylz at the Black August Hip Hop Concert, was truly an exhibition in dopeness. Her fierce command on stage as bright as her beaming smile off, we feel that the self-proclaimed “love child of Jimi Hendrix and Lauryn Hill” is star quality, personified. [Photo: JustBPhotos]

Lloyd Banks

Initially simply a G-Unit wingman for 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks has seen his fan base increase exponentially over the years, and has been thrust into the spotlight of the mainstream thanks in part to the explosive success of “Beamer, Benz or Bentley“. In the past couple of months, the run-up to his album The Hunger For More 2, scheduled for a November 23 release, has seen Lloyd Banks releasing a song a week, with no major missteps. He’s A-list, puts on an energetic show, is well connected, and highly visible, as he is visiting the major market and satellite radio shows, national TV shows (including 106 and Park and Chelsea Lately), and is the subject of constant chatter in the blogosphere. In the mainstream rap scene among those tough-guy rap types who spit that grimy, money, rap star talk, Lloyd Banks is currently cruising along, and could enjoy a bit of a run at the front of that pack. (To get an in-depth look inside the mind of Lloyd Banks as he prepares his release, check out his interview with HipHopDX, Lloyd Banks: Second Round KO.)

Joe Budden

There is not much more to be said about Joe Budden than we haven’t already said. Like, you know, when we said, “God Damn You, Joe Budden”… and then “Stop Fronting on Joe Budden”… and most recently “…buy Joe Budden’s shit.” In a world where there is a thin line between support and Stan, we suppose we have to be careful about how loudly we proclaim our endorsement, but we have always felt that Joe Budden’s underratedness was a hip hop tragedy of Shakespearean proportion. Luckily, we seem to have been vindicated in our claims by a flurry of dope material from the Jersey representative, and what is shaping up to be a critically acclaimed Mood Muzik 4: A Turn For The Worst. We continue to urge our audience to support Joe Budden, as a successful foray in a music business that has not always been kind to him, is long overdue.

Summer in the City. Weather-wise, New York has felt more like New Atlanta lately, and in some ways, maybe the excitement over growth and attention that was felt in hip hop circles down in “The A” over the last few years, might really be (re)materializing in the Big Apple, as we predicted it would when we started our lofty, but necessary mission to document New York hip hop news, artists, events and organizations. Perhaps it’s simply the blind optimism of youthful fearlessness and rage against the anti-NY machine, but when we speak to those long embedded in the underground NYC hip hop circuit, there seems to be a bit more hope these days. A bit more confidence that New York still lives up to it’s historic rap mecca landmark status. This week, a random thought popped into our collective head, and we twittered out, “NY doesn’t need to ‘take over’ hip hop again… The rest of the world just needs to pay more attention to what we got.” This we thoroughly believe, and hopefully, these five additional examples, compiled into the third installment of our monthly series, will help them do just that.

The International Human Beatbox Convention

Hip hop, for all of its inherent expressive qualities, has often been misunderstood, and each of its “elements” have faced their own hurdles in being accepted as a full-fledged art form. Rap music has long been looked at as a fad, not worthy of musical status on par with other genres. Tagging is often considered mere vandalism. The B-Boy community has had its share of splintering, with disparate factions, each with their own version of how things were, are, and should be. This is why it is always a pleasure to see an element or sub-genre of hip hop highlighted in an environment of peer enjoyment and respect from outsiders. We saw it in the Rapathon, a 27-hour-long display of verbal prowess from much of the NYC rapping underground, and we saw it again July 30 through August 1 at Littlefield, in Brooklyn, as the International Human Beatbox Convention, an organization that for years staged a major convention and competition out of the U.S., brought it home to the birthplace with the 1st U.S. Beatbox Championship, hosting an exhibition of sonic dexterity that, despite NY’s affinity for all things hip hop, just doesn’t happen every day. Check our recap of the weekend, including photos and videos, and keep an eye on www.BeatboxConvention.com for future events.

Hasan Salaam

As we mentioned in our write up of his excellent “Angel Dust” video, Hasan Salaam has been on our radar since before we even began the Birthplace Magazine mission to document all that is good in NY-area hip hop. One of the main reasons why the outlying areas such as NJ and CT made it into our editorial jurisdiction, we have run into this Garden State representative on several occasions, and in each, his surprisingly booming voice, precise verbal diction and commanding flow have proven memorable. The conscious-minded MC, who participates in many area events, (rapping at the aforementioned Rapathon, emceeing the aforementioned BOXCON main event, participating in the impressive and inspiring “Impossible Music Sessions”) has strong personal feelings about politics, racial relations and international affairs, and is not afraid to speak on them in his music, or discuss them on his Facebook page. Hasan Salaam is a talented, well known and well respected MC, worthy of discovery and following. Keep an eye/ear out for his solo work, as well as his collaborative project, Mohammad Dangerfield, with Rugged N Raw.

The B.B. King Blues Club and Grill

New York City provides countless venues for performances of all kinds. From musicians, to artwork, from Broadway and off-Broadway shows, to the posing of hundreds of nude photograph subjects, there’s a space in NYC for anything. To us, it seems like there are more and more venues opening their doors to a hip hop audience these days, and we’re hopeful that perhaps the past stigma attached to hip hop shows, the stereotypical-but-all-too-often-true high risk of violence, etc., might be in the process of shedding. While there are still blemishes on New York’s track record, such as the recent South Street Seaport debacle when Drake came to town, as our NY-area hip hop event calendar shows, there are a multitude of hip hop concerts taking place at various spots throughout the tri-state region, on any given day. However, the B.B. King Blues Club and Grill, with its shiny, glittery, prominent 42^nd street location, is for many reasons, one of the premier venues to take in hip hop in New York. Having hosted such events as the “I Love NY Hip Hop Concert,” the Duck Down 15 Year Anniversary Show, Lloyd Banks and various Hip Hop Legends concerts, B.B. King’s has the right layout, provides drink and food, hold just the right amount of people and is just the right size to fully enjoy our hip hop heroes in all their glory. And in the interest of full disclosure, the venue has always been hugely receptive toward BirthplaceMag.com, essentially giving us carte blanche when covering hip hop events at their spot. We truly appreciate that kind of professional courtesy. (Honorable mentions do go out to Highline Ballroom, SOBs, Southpaw, Santos Party House, Bowery Poetry Club and all of the other venues, large and small, who allow us to put on for our city, in our city.)

WBAI, 99.5 FM

The importance of radio stations like WBAI extends way past hip hop music. Even in the age of the internet, when a simple(ton) blogger can set in motion events that reach all the way and alter the course of the most powerful man in the world, the idea of protecting free speech remains sacred to all Americans, particularly those involved in media, news and entertainment. WBAI is governed by famed listener-funded radio pioneering organization The Pacifica Foundation, whose mission is to create “radio that would foster understanding amongst nations and individuals, encourage creativity, and promote innovative, uncensored distribution of news”. And WBAI, as they tagline themselves, provides this radio with “progressive & independent news & talk, arts and music”. This very much includes hip hop, as the (usually) yearly Hip Hop Takeover recently demonstrated. Even through regularly scheduled programming, thanks to shows such as Rise Up Radio (Fridays, 9pm), Chuck D’s AndYouDon’tStop! (Mondays, 9pm-11pm), the inimitable Jay Smooth and his Underground Railroad (Saturdays, midnight), the fusion of activism, intellect and hip hop, thankfully, has a home on the NY airwaves. And it’s not just hip hop. Expand your sonic horizons and tune in Sunday mornings to get your opera on, or listen to the WBAI evening news for a perspective you won’t necessarily find on Eyewitness News. In any event, for non-mainstream hip hop with a heavy New York feel, WBAI is for the people, by the people.

Jean Grae

Her blogspot begins, “Jean is a super hero. She’s better than you at doing everything. Even stuff you haven’t done yet. She writes raps and makes music too. All of which are better than your raps or music, if you do that sort of thing.” Well, Jean Grae does that sort of thing, and many in her rabidly loyal fan base would argue that her lofty claims are not mere hyperbole. Despite her own occasional self-imposed musical hiatus, Jean Grae remains a revered favorite among hip hop elite such as 9^th Wonder and Talib Kweli, under whose Blacksmith label she is currently signed. She was called “one of the best MCs alive” by the Washington Post. NPR said “there’s no better femcee”. Her twitter page is entertaining in of itself, apt to makes one wish they were in her inner circle. She re-opened some eyes with her recent verse on the Ski Beatz-produced “Prowler 2”, alongside one of our June “5 Reasons,” Joell Ortiz and her recent snippit, “The Climb,” posted on her blog to hold over those eagerly awaiting her upcoming “Cake or Death” project, is an effortlessly dope slice of hip hop heaven, as is she.

Last month, I wrote the first post of what I hoped would become an ongoing series highlighting specific examples of why, despite certain perceptions, New York hip hop doesn’t suck. Ever the literary wordsmith, I titled the post “5 Reasons Why NY Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck“. In that article, I once again proclaimed my faith in the unheralded greatness of the New York hip hop underground, and made what I believe was a pretty solid case for the cause. I mentioned the uncannily talented Homeboy Sandman, the preeminent hip hop showcase in all the land, End of the Weak, a young man who I happen to feel is a rising star in the game, YC The Cynic, one of the hardest hitting lyricists (and performers, as evidenced by a phenomenal showing late last month at the On Smash Invasion event at Highline Ballroom) around, Joell Ortiz, and lastly, but certainly not humbly, I gave credit to me, for founding, and to those who help me maintain, Birthplace Magazine, a journalistic outlet born from what I saw as a depressingly large void in the documentation of all that is good about the NY-area hip hop scene.

So, in that spirit, I have returned this month to again share with you my thoughts, and provide five more examples why I feel that New York hip hop doesn’t suck.

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On paper, it sounds almost absurd. Take a performance space, schedule more than 100 largely up-and-coming rappers to get on stage and rhyme, four or so at a time, each taking turns, each peacefully yielding to one another, and after their allotted time has passed, swap them out with the next batch of four waiting in the wings, all while a rotating set of DJs spins instrumentals to rhyme over. Oh, and do it for 24 hours. Continuously. This is pretty much what happens every year for the past four years at the Rapathon, hosted by the Hip Hop Culture Center in Harlem. This carefully orchestrated verbal ballet actually spanned 27 hours this year, with a no cursing, aggression-free, lyric-filled exposition of verbal dexterity and harmonious, multi-gendered, multi-racial, family-friendly, peer-to-peer camaraderie in an event that in one day, single-handedly defies nearly every rap stereotype that has ever existed.

On its 15 year anniversary, Duck Down Records stands atop a hip hop legacy that cannot be easily overlooked. From the humblest of beginnings, the label has delivered some of New York’s most fabled classics, from the likes of Black Moon, Boot Camp Clik and Smif-N-Wessun. Surviving the often disasterous effects that the evolving music industry unleashed onto many independent hip hop labels, Duck Down persevered, and today, continues to deliver that ol’ boom-bap hip hop, from a strong collaboration between veterans KRS One and Buckshot, to releases from Skyzoo and the enigmatically entertaining Sean Price. They even have on tap what should be one of the more eagerly anticipated releases of the year, in Pharoahe Monch. New York hip hop owes a lot to this legacy.

The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, now in its sixth year, keeps getting bigger and better, and in 2010, the week-long celebration culminates in an all day Family Day/Performance Day featuring a slew of talented artists and the iconic De La Soul capping it off. Despite our tiny, personal axe to grind with Brooklyn Bodega, the administrators of the event, the big take away from this event is that it demonstrates that a large-scale, multi-day, hip hop oriented music festival in the heart of New York City doesn’t have to end up like a free Drake concert at South Street Seaport, and that, regardless of the individual success of the BHHF in particular, is a welcoming fact indeed.

In some ways, he epitomizes the underground New York hip hop scene. I first crossed paths with him a long time ago, in a small AM radio station on Long Island, where the Off The Top radio program was hosting an on-air, overnight freestyle session, in which he participated. Years later, Tah Phrum Duh Bush has amassed a strong and loyal following, both online and off, and has become a seasoned performer, well-liked by both audiences and fellow artists alike. He is an entertaining host, as I discovered at the album release party for Premonition’s The Build, and, I have also realized, he is a man wholly supportive of his peers, and of the New York hip hop scene as a whole, as I have seen him present and vocally supportive of several artists at events he is not directly affiliated with. He is a clever and charismatic MC (with whom I share the plague-of-a-million-thoughts-per-hour affliction) who also seems to be a generally good guy. I look forward to the August release of his new album (and book!).

A lot has been said about the falling off of New York hip hop, and while BirthplaceMag.com has long insisted that whatever the perception might be, there is indeed a phenomenal amount of talent in the under- and middle-ground of the New York tri-state area hip hop scene, NY hip hop still finds itself on the defensive. But despite the attention given in recent years by the rap music business, including mainstream media, label signings and radio play, let’s not forget that hip hop’s “A-list” has still included its fair share of New York artists in recent times, and continues to do so. Regardless of whether or not mainstream rap is your thing, or if you are more interested in the progressive sounds of the NY-area underground, we must not forget that Jay-Z, 50 Cent and G-Unit, Diddy, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, Talib Kweli, Cam’Ron, Vado, Fabolous, Raekwon, Ghostface, Nas, Red Café, Maino and yes, Nicki Minaj, all have had their share of hits, critically acclaimed releases and street favorites over the last few years, and all continue to rep New York in a big way.

New York hip hop has gotten a bad rap in recent years, no pun intended. All this, despite continuing to lock the game down at the top (Jay-Z, 50 Cent), providing consistent street heat (Fabolous, Maino), raising the most intriguing female MC in years (Nicki Minaj), and still being the epicenter of the genre (peep the “Southern” Hip Hop Honors, held in NYC).

So, XXL, it’s not that something’s “wrong with New York hip hop.” New York has always been ahead of the curve when it came to hip hop. New York birthed it, and when the world took notice, New York evolved it. When the world laughed it off as a fad, New York improved it, and when it needed the strength of a worldwide economy, New York exported it. In the end, hip hop flourished, and continues to grow and evolve in new ways. But at the heart of it all, is New York City.

Progressive and sometimes a little over the heads of the rest of the music world, media and the music business have silently conspired against the birthplace of rap, but there continue to be many reasons why New York hip hop does not suck. Every day we show you some of those reasons, in every article, posting, event or video we put on our site, but once a month, we’re going to assemble a few highlights, and give you 5 Reasons Why NY Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck.

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His joint album release party with Spec Boogie packed SOBs to capacity. The LA Times music blog Pop & Hiss recently posted an interview with him. He spits rhymes that call out those who look down on the less fortunate (“Angels With Dirty Faces”). He is a University of Pennsylvania graduate who favors intellectual hip hop (“They tell me dumb it down/ I tell ‘em smarten up”), complex wordplay and delivery. Yet, he gave up law school to return to rap.

His new album The Good Sun is receiving critical praise from fans, bloggers and mainstream media. He is tall, standing above most of his peers, but outside of SOBs before his release party, he thanked a stranger for “coming out to support real hip hop,” as if to say, “this is bigger than me, this is for the movement.”

You could take the passion and stage presence he performs with, fill up three MCs, and still have room left over for a hype man.

He is Homeboy Sandman, and he does not suck.

They have been a cornerstone of hip hop in New York City for ten years.

Think about that.

Very few things (including artists, groups, showcases, organizations, labels, radio stations) last ten years in hip hop.

They run every week. Without fail. Gracing their stage, legends (KRS One, Big Daddy Kane, DMC), new buzz (Cory Gunz), underground favorites (Immortal Technique, Hasan Salaam), battle champions (Iron Solomon), and the current crop of next-to-blow artists who constantly hit the stage week after week. Their open mic franchise has chapters in France, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Uganda, Spain and the UK.

Think about that also.

It is a hip hop spot where competition is moved aside for the sake of camaraderie, and it does not suck, ever. It is End of the Weak, aka EODub, and it happens every Sunday.

The mixtape was recorded by a 19 year old Bronx MC who is “too subtle to hate, too humble to taunt.” The kid got quotables, but can’t buy a beer.

We reviewed his mixtape, favorably, and despite the coming and going of material in and out of my computer and car radio, his is still there.

If someone asks, “So, who in underground New York City hip hop doesn’t suck, Mr. New York City hip hop guy?” I start with “YC The Cynic. After all, ‘for the most part / if similes / were symphonies / he’d be Mozart’.”

For the most part, he might be right.

He sits on a plane of existence something like a hip hop purgatory. Not quite yet an A-lister, but a level above “underground”. He’s been closely associated with other limbo-dwellers (Joe Budden, Royce the 5’ 9”, Crooked I) having been part of their conglomerate group Slaughterhouse.

But he’s also been associated with titans (Dr. Dre, Eminem). The Village Voice recently compared him to Brooklyn gentrification, and somehow, it made perfect sense. He is a freestyling, constant song-dropping grinder whose version of “Beamer, Benz or Bentley” was probably the best out of the 4,353,475,893 other versions.

And, if you’re not one for the artsy-fartsy / progressive / backpack / intellectual hip hop that lives in the NY underworld, but still a bit tired of the same ol’ same, stop.

Listen to tracks like “Hip Hop,” “Project Boy,” and (the for the love of God why was this not pushed nationwide, this could have been as big as Drake’s “Best I Ever Had”) “Call Me,” and you will realize that Joell Ortiz could, should, might be, hopefully is, one of the very next to break out from the tri-state area.

That is, it would seem, if the label can get their act together. E1, stop sucking.

It was started by one guy, a journalism professional and long time hip hop head, and has grown in traffic 3000% in six months. It is the only media source, online or offline, dedicated to New York area hip hop news, artists, organizations, events and culture.

An investigative report uncovered the charity attributed to Guru in the late rapper’s “farewell letter to fans,” was not Guru’s. That article was quoted in The Toronto Star.

The site has featured a full spectrum of New York talent, from Wordspit to Rakim, from Kalae All Day to Jim Jones, from Devynity to Lloyd Banks. From Buda Da Future to Nicki Minaj, from Jesse Abraham to Diddy. From small events in neighborhood venues to Highline Ballroom and B.B. King’s to Hot 97’s Summer Jam. Peter Rosenberg’s Noisemakers at 92YTribeca, Dollar Van Demos, the Bronx Museum of the Arts and Johnny Nunez.

With help from volunteer writers, Steven Ortiz, A.D. The General/Ms. FeFe and Hadasah Ingrid and me, the mission is clear, the style has been established, the professionalism is obvious, and the respect for the genre in the region and all those involved, in undeniable.

They talk about bringing NY hip hop back. We talk about bringing NY hip hop forward. We are of the NY-area hip hop people, by the NY-area hip hop people and for the NY-area hip hop people.

They don’t suck, and neither do we.