It’s now 2012, and while many of us are in the full swing of things with new music for the new year, some are still stuck in the notion that New York Hip Hop is either stuck in or should sound exactly like 1994.

Fortunately, the new crop of NY’s finest are marrying the home of hip hop’s traditions with a bold look toward the future. Here’s a quick playlist of names you either should know by now or need to know in 2012.

Action Bronson

Dining with Anthony Bourdain one minute and recording tracks with Meyham Lauren the next, Bronson’s taste for fine foods, 80s professional wrestlers and pop culture nonsequitors is only matched by his tireless work ethic and an almost unfair quality control. With two outstanding albums in last year’s Dr. Lecter and Well Done as well as several announced projects in the coming months, the eclectic Energizer Bunny of rap just keeps going as an excited audience keeps listening.

A$AP Rocky

With both a decade long stigma of rejecting outsiders as well as a genocide of its record stores, you wouldn’t expect an NY talent to wear the influence of other regions on his sleeve. Harlem’s A$AP Rocky stands as New York’s first child of the post-Napster generation to combine the hustle and sleekness of his hometown with, among other inspirations, Memphis’s brooding crawl and Houston’s spacey ingenuity. Not merely a revivalist, the tradition he most proudly carries is an unmistakable rugged boldness that only Harlem could manifest.

Brown Bag AllStars

Individually the members of Brown Bag AllStars could account for half of this list, but together they form a Castle Greyskull of boom-bap viciousness. As insular as they are talented, their work ethic and self-awareness allows for release after release of playing to their own strengths. Rappers Soul Khan and Koncept have both recently released projects entirely produced by fellow members and with both J57 and Audible Doctor producing on some of the year’s most anticipated releases, the crew’s upcoming debut album promises to be the best record the crew’s fallen nexus, Manhattan’s Fatbeats Records, was never able to stock.

Dollar Coffee

The duo of BS and Albert Rhymestein know what made you first love rap music and, on their debut Nice Things, bring you right back to that feeling. Catchy, complex and cunning, the duo are as skilled at earworms as they are at rocking a crowd. That includes most recently receiving the rarest of warm embraces from New York’s Apollo Theater. With enough punchlines and hooks to win a fighting championship, Dollar Coffee remain the tag team champions of good time hip-hop.

Homeboy Sandman

Although he now calls Los Angeles’ Stones Throw records home, it’s still same number, same hood for New York hip hop’s archangel. Not satisfied with his already astronomical heights, Homeboy Sandman continues to push boundaries conceptually and constructively with his Subject Matter EP. As bold as it is to base an entire project on the concept of touching topics rap has never covered before, it’s only the beginning. Sandman’s reliability for dope rap music doesn’t stem from his staying the same, but his desire to continue evolving.

Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire

Last year’s “Huzzah” turned heads both for how dope it was as well as the promise it held for dirty Fondle ‘Em style hip-hop to be made today. Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire doesn’t give the slightest of fucks about any of this, which makes his music all the more refreshing. The exact midpoint between Camu Tao and Method Man, eXquire’s keeping things progressively dangerous live and on record.

Silent Knight

Intelligent without being overbearing, outspoken without being heavy handed, and brave without being boring, Silent Knight makes the type of hip hop an entire generation of underground revivalists have unsuccessfully attempted to. One of the few MCs to emphasize subtlety over showcasing, Knight brings a fresh sound to the hallmarks of New York underground rap that have for too long been glossed over or forgotten. Along with a stellar album in Busy is My Best Friend, Silent Knight’s live show is among the best today. A showman capable of rocking a party while maintaining an unforgettable intimacy, he’s a rapper’s rapper who will only continue to excel throughout the new year.

New York hip hop is made up of a variety of style and substance that no other rap region can match. From street-styled thug raps to hipster-friendly wordsmithing, from vintage boom-bap sounds to live band instrumentation, this depth is, in part, a reflection of the region’s inhabitants. New York hip hop is uniquely positioned, true melting pot music, as diverse as New York’s never-sleeping city and open-air outlying suburbs. This range can be seen in artists’ music video counterparts, some low budget and artsy, some high-budget, ready-for-BET affairs. Once again, we decided to sift through the dozens of videos from New York-area hip hop artists that cross our path on any given month, sharing some we feel are notable. This batch contains a few videos from late 2011, and a couple that are fresh out of the oven, but all are fairly recent examples that we think do a great job at visualizing the dynamic range of New York hip hop.

Darq ft. Amy Davis – R.A.W.

Let’s start right with this. If you are an underground/indie artist, and you are going to put together a video in an attempt to set yourself apart from the pack, this is one helluva way to do it. Many videos attempt to self-proclaim themselves “motion picture,” and don’t live up to the hype. This project however, directed extremely adeptly by Kristian Kruz, gives Darq Raw, a heavily grinding Bronx MC, a pretty fantastic calling card that should get people asking “Who is Darq Raw?” and certainly should have artists who are looking to make videos asking, “Who is Kristian Kruz?” Well done.

Regular followers notice when we slow up. Since we have been semi-quietly working on a companion project to the award-winning Birthplace Magazine, we haven’t had much time to go through the backlog, but sometimes, you have to do what is right. This guy is always in the mix, and we give him much props, but he hasn’t officially made our e-pages yet.

Overdue. And corrected right now.

Hired Gun is very active in the New York hip hop underground. On any given week, you’ll find this hard-working MC at various underground haunts like A Monthly Bondfire, The Vital Movement or Freestyle Mondays. In recent months, he has interviewed Dr. Cornell West and The Cornell West Theory, and traveled to Zimbabwe to take part in the Shoko! International Spoken Word and Hip-Hop Festival, conducting panels on freestyling and performing with local MCs and spoken word artists.

A well-rounded hip hop existence, no?

Well, next up on Hired Gun’s resume is The Hits and Pieces EP, a collection of tracks serving as a bridge between the artist’s 2008 debut The People’s Verses and his upcoming album, #NiceGuysFinish. The first in the 4-part Hits and Pieces EP series will drop January 30, 2012, and will feature production by ICE Nine and vocals by Tranquill for the Most High, Jake Lefco and Qwazaar, of Chicago crew Typical Cats.

The latter collaboration is an exceptionally smooth joint titled “The Life,” a jazzy introspection vaguely reminiscent of a Pete Rock and CL Smooth vibe. It was the checking of this track that swayed me from the behind-the-scenes work, back to the first and foremost mission of delivering quality hip hop music to our treasured readership.

Check it out below, and stay tuned for more hits and pieces from Hired Gun.

For more on Hired Gun, visit www.facebook.com/freshrootsmusic

The Life (featuring Qwazaar of Typical Cats) by hiredgun

Check out photos from Freestyle Mondays 10 Year Anniversary event, held at 116 in Manhattan, on January 9, 2012.

When we first named Freestyle Mondays one of our “5 Reasons Why New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck,” we said:

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.

The location may be changing once again, but the message of that statement remains as true as the day we wrote it. Freestyle Mondays, the weekly, musician-backed, open mic haven for hip hop lyricists with a penchant for impromptu rap, celebrates a decade of nearly continuous weekly sessions, starting 2012 in a new location, but with many of the same participants expected to be in the house.

Freestyle Mondays is led by two longtime hosts and co-organizers: iLLspoKinN, an artistically macho, experienced and charmingly enjoyable artist who continues to tour worldwide, and Mariella, a glowing chanteuse who sounds as at home in a rap groove as she does when performing R&B and jazz throughout NYC and the rest of the country.

Freestyle Mondays' hands-on hosts iLLspoKinN and Mariella

The combination of iLLspoKinN’s expertise at off-the-cuff rapping and engaging interaction with the crowd, and Mariella’s shimmering personality and hypnotic vocals, is an effective enough selling point for the showcase. Add to this a steadily impressive cast of highly competent jam musicians backing the duo (along with DJ MilkMoney holding down duties on the wheels of steel), the mixed-demographic, friendly audience and respectful, talented and (usually) enjoyable freestylers, and you have a winning formula, proven by the mere fact that we are talking about a ten year anniversary.

The vibe favors wordsmithing and verbal craftsmanship over roughneck posturing, but MCs of all persuastions are able to repeatedly rock the mic throughout the night. In general, less entertaining rappers will take the audience’s tempered enthusiasm as a hint, and disappear into the night, leaving the more adapt performers behind to entertain and enthrall.

Freestyle Mondays has spawned sister chapters in the Czech Republic and France, and the original incarnation remains a must-see event for fans of hip hop’s off-the-dome ingenuity, and a must-do rite of passage for any MC who values the sometimes-lost artform of freestyle rhyme.

The Freestyle Mondays 10 year anniversary will take place Monday, January 9, 2011 at the event’s new location, 116, located at 116 MacDougal St., between Bleeker and W. 3rd, New York City. The events begin at 10 p.m., and are free, but well-deserved donations will be collected throughout.

www.FreestyleMondays.com – www.facebook.com/freestylemondays
www.ustream.tv/channel/freestylemondays

We are not selfish. When we see mainstream news media shedding light on the New York-area hip hop scene, we are happy. Though we like to believe (and in some cases, it’s been proven), that our work covering the scene and its participants is the catalyst which helps some of these stories come to light, we’re perfectly content with our supporting role, covering the many great hip hop happenings in the New York metropolitan area, but eagerly pointing out when the mainstream media gets it right.

NJ's Silent Knight (L), hosting an edition of Hip Hop Karaoke NJ, a regular event run by DJ and hip hop connoisseur Mandeep Binra (R) (Photo: Manny Faces)

Remember, much of the reasoning behind covering areas outside of the particular “birthplace” of hip hop, is because we find that New York’s hip hop soul certainly extends to the areas immediately surrounding the Big Apple. We have long-touted the thriving underground New York City hip hop scene in our editorial mission statement and several pro-NY-hip-hop pieces, and similarly, through articles, music posts, or our thorough NY-area hip hop events calender, regularly shed light on some of New Jersey’s active hip hop scene and participants.

Happily, someone outside of our circle agrees. The Star-Ledger (and sister-site NJ.com) published a pretty good overview of many of New Jersey’s hip hop scene’s artists and participants, including some previously profiled on the e-pages of Birthplace Magazine. To us, it’s always nice to see folks we’ve already noticed get noticed by the real world, so again, we’re pleased that these hard working MCs, DJs and event promoters are receiving the shine we know they deserve.

While the piece is by no means exhaustive, it does showcase a few standout artists and events that are definitely representative of a New Jersey state of mind, including Rasheed Chappell, Silent Knight, Hip Hop Karaoke NJ, The Turntable Izm Show, Joe Budden, St. Joe Louis and more.

Check out Amy Kuperinsky’s excellent article, “Making a scene: A new generation of New Jersey hip-hop asserts itself” [The Star-Ledger/NJ.com]

Too many people, particularly those who long for New York hip hop to “come back,” waste too much time complaining about today’s hip hop, when they could be using that time to discover good hip hop music from today’s New York-area artists.

Instead, they grumble about the current style and substance of mainstream hip hop, the R&B-influenced sound of Drake for example, or the lyrically simplistic style of some Southern rappers and the overall lack of traditional New York flavored hip hop on radio, stating with repeated disgust that “real” hip hop is dead and gone.

They lament the loss of the New York sound, nostalgically pining for 1990’s boom-bap sound that many of them grew up on, screwing up their face and dismissing any “Top 5, Dead or Alive” list that doesn’t include Jay-Z, B.I.G., Nas and Jadakiss.

All of which are fine opinions, but let’s be real about real.

Saying you want “real hip hop” back, is stupid. There is no “real” hip hop.

What you really mean to say, is that you miss traditional, New York sounding hip hop, a mix of grit and poetry, over beats that utilize chopped up samples, or soul music loops, accompanied by hard hitting, crispy drum sounds, for the most part floating around 88-92 beats per minute. A type of hip hop that was a nod to rap music’s early days, but with updated storytelling, increased lyrical prowess and advanced musical complexity. A hip hop that you once enjoyed while laying back, puffing an L, feeling an emotional twinge of invincibility tied to a feeling that these slick-talking rappers and hard-hitting beatsmiths were just like you. Artists that somehow packaged and delivered the collective feeling of living in New York into sounds and songs that stuck with you then, and continue to evoke feelings of euphoric nostalgia ever since.

THAT was “real” hip hop, right? What you hear on the radio today, that’s not “real,” right?

Wrong.

The problem is, you are selfish.

But it’s understandable. You are focused on a very short amount of time in hip hop’s lifespan and because it was a particularly formative time for you musically, you feel a certain way about that time period, and the music contained therein.

Your assertion that 1990s New York hip hop is covered under the umbrella of “real” hip hop, whereas “today’s” hip hop isn’t, is wrong, and is created by a combination of your particular taste in music and your respect for hip hop history, but mainly because of your psychological bias.

To be fair, it’s an age-old argument. When asked to pinpoint the best decade for music, people overwhelmingly respond by choosing a decade from their youth. This generally holds true across all genres and generations.

Your prejudice toward 1990s New York hip hop exists because that was likely the time that you were fully immersed in music, when music not only was something listened to constantly, but something to connect to.

Since then, life got in the way, and while hip hop evolved, you held on to your personal tastes, your preferred style. You listened to vinyl and cassettes and CDs in your collection. You ported over your songs to your iPod and replayed certain albums you had forgotten about. Sure, you still listened to what was new, but the time that you previously dedicated to absorbing everything new, became fractured.

You lost the ability to connect to new music, partially because you grew older. Mainstream music of course is specifically engineered to cater to a younger crowd, and because your time and energy was being spent elsewhere, your inclination to seek out music more along the lines of your musical tastes diminished as well.

Plus, you still had your favorite joints up in the iPod.

But young people, entering their own formative music-listening years, were still being hand-delivered hip hop, though what was now on the radio sounded a lot different than just a few years ago when you were coming up.

To be real, this was just a continuation of the evolution of hip hop, beyond your personal glory days, just as it had evolved from the Sugar Hill Gang-style rap from half a generation before you.

Now, a new batch of kids started immersing themselves with the prevalent hip hop of the day, which to them, no less “real” than the music you got into.

I mean, before we can criticize today’s hip hop as any less “real,” we must take an objective look at how different Mobb Deep or Snoop Dogg was from the Treacherous Three or the Fat Boys.

Understand the point?

Look, I know what you mean. But you have to get over it. The fact is, Drake IS real hip hop. So is Waka Flocka Flame. So is Tupac. And Biggie. And Run-DMC. And MC Lyte. And Kurtis Blow. And Melle Mel.

But to a 15 year old who grew up in Atlanta his whole life, having been exposed to the type of hip hop he is regularly exposed to, there is no way you can contend that to him, and others like him, his hip hop is not “real” hip hop.

It’s all “real.” It’s not all “real good,” but not every New York rapper in the 90s was either.

And don’t forget that in the 1990s, there were many less distribution channels. Less geographical hubs of rap music. New York hip hop was dominant in the 1990s because there were few places labels were culling hip hop talent from in the 1990s.

Once they figured out that there was an entirely different, underserved and undercapitalized market, the distribution companies (labels, radio, media) flocked to these untapped markets.

While it is true that for the most part they have yet to return, it does not mean that New York hip hop is dead.

It also does not mean that good New York hip hop has to sound exactly like it did in the 1990s.

To 1990s New York hip hop fans: I feel you. I am one of you. I am as pro-New York hip hop as anyone, but to be pro-New York hip hop does not mean we have to be anti-everywhere-else hip hop.

I also came up during the New York hip hop “Golden Era” of the 1990s but I am not stubbornly stuck in the musical past. By being open-minded to the evolution of hip hop, not wasting time crying over spilled rap milk, I have found plenty of New York-area artists of today, who satisfy my purist, old-school hip hop soul.

New York has always been a progressive city in terms of music, from jazz to musical theater, from punk to hip hop, magically infusing its artistic residents with an ability to create or advance music in ways no other place can. This continues today, as the bubbling New York hip hop underground is the center of our entire journalistic effort, and in that effort, we continuously come across sparks of new talent, artists who possess that same nod to rap’s earlier days, also with an updated storytelling, increased lyrical prowess and advanced musical complexity.

They are in your city. Some live on your block. They perform at venues all throughout the city, and for a few dollars, you can see them perform. Sure you’ll have to sit through a lot of mediocre artists first, but at least, unlike the radio, there’s a payoff at the end of these efforts, delivered by an artist of today that will at the same time invoke a pleasant feeling of nostalgia, mixed with a feeling that you’re hearing something new and fresh.

And if you let it, it will feel very, very real.

The Hip Hop TakeOver is a yearly radio event on New York’s WBAI, a 24-hour marathon of hip hop programming led by WBAI personality and behind-the-scenes architect, Ife Dancy. The last full TakeOver, held in June, featured programming blocks led by several New York-area DJs, radio and music personalities, delivering a true assortment of music, commentary and entertainment to the area airwaves.

Today, Saturday, December 10th, the Hip Hop TakeOver returns, in conjunction with the good folks at SunToucher Entertainment, for a “mini-thon,” a junior version of the full TakeOver that will begin at 4 p.m. and last until 1 a.m. Sunday morning. The planned schedule is below, and we imagine there will be several guests and unplanned moments of radio gold interspersed with the expected scheduling.

READ: WBAI was previously named one of Birthplace Magazine’s “5 Reasons Why New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck”

The Hip Hop TakeOver begins with Kangol Kid, of veteran group U.T.F.O., who will be speaking on the Mama Luke Foundation, an organization tackling the issue of breast cancer, while later in the evening, more legendary hip hoppers will be taking over the mic, including NYOil (formerly Kool Kim of the UMCs), DJ Johnny Juice, and beginning at 9 p.m., the Cold Crush Brothers. DJ Evil Dee closes the TakeOver out, starting at 11 p.m.

Be sure to support New York hip hop in one of its most treasured forms, radio, and tune in to WBAI 99.5 FM, New York City or online at www.wbai.org.

The Hip Hop TakeOver Schedule

4 p.m. – Kangol Kid from UTFO
5 p.m. – Crazy Legs of the legendary Rock Steady Crew
6 p.m. – NYOil aka Kool Kim of the UMC’s
7 p.m. – DJ Johnny Juice
8 p.m. – DJ Lady Love and RD Smiley
9 p.m. – The Cold Crush Brothers
11 p.m. – DJ Evil Dee

New Jersey’s I-Dub recruits Bronx bar slinger Fred The Godson for the araabMuzik-produced “Oh My God,” a synth and drum heavy headnodder that got a couple replays the first time out of gate over here, and could make a bit of street/club/radio noise.

It was just the other day when we posted up a Quickie featuring the “Tool” freestyle, where I-Dub spits introspectively about his life and music grind, and while “Oh My God” is more along the lines of brag-rap, the flow and track go well enough together to give us a two-for-two feeling.

We’ll keep checking for I-Dub, and if you’re feeling this one, swing on over to iTunes and cop “Oh My God.”

Though Naughty By Nature has been touring the world heavy in 2011, covering four continents and hitting spots like Australia and England, Las Vegas served as the perfect backdrop for the “Perfect Party.” The video, directed by Jay Rodriguez and Rock Davis, features soul crooner Joe on the chorus and a plethora of perfect partying pretties accompanying the veteran New Jersey representatives Treach, Vin Rock and Kay Gee.

According to the @NaughtyByNature Twitter account, the video for “Perfect Party” isn’t going over too well with the folks at BET, stating that “We’re still working with the standards dept. lol BET has love for us so I’m sure it’ll work,” but sending fans to their YouTube page to catch the video online for now.

While Naughty By Nature may not be at the forefront of today’s music scene, they stand as solid testimony as to the effectiveness of touring for rap acts that were big in years past, and can still perform. While life on the road can be a tough way to make a living, the Naughty crew recently told HipHopDX they put in around 100 shows a year, and have put out music consistently from their 90′s heyday.

Naughty By Nature will soon be dropping Anthem Inc., an album marking the group’s 20th anniversary that will include “re-recorded, 20^th Anniversary Collector’s Edition of select Naughty classics such as “O.P.P.” and “Hip Hop Hooray” as well as unheard tracks written and recorded over the last year.” Producer KayGee tells HipHopDX, “Don’t expect 1991 Naughty By Nature. However, everything you like about Naughty By Nature, the things we represent and the things we’ve always represented since 1991… that’s what you can expect from us, but with a newer sound.”

In the meantime, here’s the video for “Perfect Party.” Anthem, Inc. drops December 13th.

Rap veteran Heavy D will be laid to rest on Friday, November 18 at an invite-only funeral in Mt. Vernon, NY, however fans and friends across the globe can watch in, as the service is streaming live over the internet.

News of Heavy D’s sudden and unexpected death shocked the music world, as fans and celebrities alike shared their sadness through various media channels. Many turned out for a public wake, held in Mt. Vernon on Thursday, November 17. Among those in attendance, legendary VJ Ralph McDaniels, who shared via his Facebook page, “Just got back from Heav’s Wake… Mt.Vernon is representing.”

Iconic figures in entertainment are slated to be in attendance at Friday’s funeral, including Diddy and Will Smith, according to reports. The video stream can be seen by clicking below, live from Grace Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, starting at 11 a.m.

A donation fund has been set up for Heavy D’s daughter, Xea, and details of this, and other information can be found at a special website that has been set up, www.rememberingheavyd.com.

Once again, the Birthplace Magazine family sends sincere condolences to family, friends and fans of the late, great Heavy D.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LIVESTREAM VIDEO OF THE FUNERAL FOR HEAVY D

(Note: This is the official stream, however, as expected, due to traffic, they seem to be having a problem keeping it running from time to time.. If you get an error, give it a few minutes and try again)