First of all, I don’t purport to speak for all black people, all black college students or even all students of color at Portland State. However, I think what I…
On Portland’s hip-hop
On Sept. 28, KPSU threw the first of what will become a quarterly event entitled, “SUP, PSU!? (A Hip-Hop Orientation)” at the Meetro Cafe, which went a long way into…
Waking up Stumptown’s hip-hop scene
Let’s face it—by any measurement, Portland’s hip-hop scene is weak. There are cities half its size that not only manage to produce high quality hip-hop on a consistent basis, but whose artists are able to gain an international following.
Worth the buzz
For a number of years, the mention of Kanye West’s name has conjured up discussions of everything under the sun except for his music. Despite releasing two recent stellar projects, the solo album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Jay-Z collaboration Watch the Throne, most people seem to only talk about how much of a clown, media whore or all-around douche he is. But like Muhammad Ali back in the day, his embodiment of excellence in his field is why people paid attention to him in the first place.
The art of trying too hard
Talib Kweli is the Tracy McGrady of hip-hop. The analogy is apt: There are few others in their respective fields who started out with so much potential, promise, fan loyalty and awe-inspiring skill only to somehow fumble it all away.