In an exclusive HHLO interview, Brittany “Bella” Graham reaches out to a few members of the hard-spitting, all-female emcee crew, The Sistem, as the ladies speak out on the lack of comradery between female rappers and the stereotypes associated with being a female lyricist in a male-dominated musical genre. The West-Coast based emcees also speak out on their various upcoming solo projects and what it means to be apart of an all-female rap collective with over 35 members, as they give you a personal tour of their “Sistem”.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6ByPYhj67I[/youtube]

Cam’ron presents another scene from his upcoming movie, The Bakery…as well as a preview of the “I Got It For Cheap” video…(co-starring and co-directed by Cam’ron and Bang). Crime Pays the album drops on May 5th.

Gokh-Bi System, a new Hip Hop group hailing from Senegal, is making huge waves in the International music scene as they emerge as new leaders of the African Hip-Hop movement.  Their name, which literally means “neighborhood system”, comes from an age-old tradition of treating your neighbors like family.  Lead emcee Mamadou says, “In Africa, if you live in the same neighborhood, you are like family”.  HHLO caught up with Gokh-Bi System as they blessed their American “family” with superior skills at a show in Minnesota.  Check out the exclusive interview.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFpQHw4UjX8[/youtube]

Kandi Cole, the West Coast underground female emcee who describes her lyrical style as a creative melting pot of Da Brat, MC Lyte, Busta Rhymes, and J. Dilla-like flows, has just released her first solo album, Happy Birthday Kandi Cole and is currently in the works of releasing 4 mixtapes, all set to be released later this year.  She was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA during the Golden Age of Hip Hop and prides herself on the unique fire and energy she brings to her music, both live and on CD.  She is also a member of The Sistem, a collective of all female talented emcees who have come together from all across the United States to make good music and empower women in a male dominated Entertainment industry.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw9NdBVHpF4[/youtube]

For Contact and Booking info: kandicole@gmail.com

Website: www.KANDICOLE.com

Myspace: www.myspace.com/kandicole

YouTube: www.YouTube.com/KCTV1

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kandicole

Kandi Cole, the West Coast underground female emcee who describes her lyrical style as a creative melting pot of Da Brat, MC Lyte, Busta Rhymes, and J. Dilla-like flows, has just released her first solo album, Happy Birthday Kandi Cole and is currently in the works of releasing 4 mixtapes, all set to be released later this year.  She was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA during the Golden Age of Hip Hop and prides herself on the unique fire and energy she brings to her music, both live and on CD.  She is also a member of The Sistem, a collective of all female talented emcees who have come together from all across the United States to make good music and empower women in a male dominated Entertainment industry.  

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Um9jWSnjM[/youtube]

For Contact and Booking info: kandicole@gmail.com

Website: www.KANDICOLE.com

Myspace: www.myspace.com/kandicole

YouTube: www.YouTube.com/KCTV1

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kandicole

Larry Larr, the breakout Philly artist that had the whole city bumping his single, “Larry- That’s What They Call Me” in ‘90’s sits down with Brittany Graham of Hip Hop Lives (HHLO.net) and reminisces on how he got started in the industry, his future plans on helping developing artists get exposure, and the mix-up with Grandmaster Flash and Larry Love the dancer…

Continue Reading

Since Hip-Hop was birthed here in America, we often tend to overlook the huge impact that it has had on the rest of the world. The U.S. media traditionally focuses only on American artists and thus consequently ignores the huge and increasingly thriving foreign Hip-Hop market. HHLO.net has made it their mission to correct that problem and become the new beacon of light that shines on rappers abroad…

HHLO’s Brittany Graham interviews Janzoo, the Serbian rapper and producer who describes his style of rapping as “social rap” and simply calls it as he’s sees it.

HHLO: Sup Janzoo. How did your name originate?

Janzoo: Well, when I was a kid, I was a basketball player and my friends were always telling me that I was tireless like an animal, plus I’m a big fan of Wu-Tang Clan so all that BK Zoo stuff inspired me to add Zoo (as an animal and because of Wu) to my real name Jan. It’s a stupid kid’s thing, but I left it like that. Lately I’ve tried to represent myself just as Jan, but people still call me JanZoo or Zoo so I just let stay like that.

HHLO: What country are you from?

I’m from Serbia, ex Yugoslavia.

HHLO: So how would you best describe your music?

Janzoo: Well, my music is mostly inspired by U.S. east coast rap… My rap is social rap, I rap about people, problems on the street, problems of the people in my country, world problems, and how I’m about changing the world for the better, etc…

HHLO: And how would describe yourself in 3 words?

Janzoo: Artistic, Sharp, Hot

HHLO: Who or what would you say inspired you to rap?

Janzoo: Well, no one and nothing special. When I was a kid my father played a lot of Jazz, Blues, Soul, and Funk music and I liked that vibe. I found something similar in Hip-Hop and I have a lot of things to say so I started to rap. After I started to rap, I needed beats so I started to produce, and after I started to produce a passion for audio engineering was born inside me…

HHLO: Did the neighborhood where you grew up influence your rapping style in any way?

Janzoo: Not at all, but maybe I’ve made a rhyme about someone from the neighborhood unconsciously…

HHLO: What originality do you bring to Hip-Hop that fans can’t get from other rappers and how do you separate yourself from other Hip-Hop artists?

Janzoo: Well, first of all, for the fans that don’t speak my language, I’m bringing them my hot production and high-quality sound as a sound engineer. I’m also working with a lot of artists as a producer and engineer, and with my rap, I’m bringing them a deep voice with nice, slow flow. For the people that understand my language, they can hear my deep, artistic lyrics besides everything I already mentioned.

HHLO: Are you signed to a major or independent label? If so, which one?

Janzoo: I own an Indie label named “Inflame Beatz” and we’ve released two official albums and one unofficial album on it, but right now my group, 5. Stepen (like 5^th Degree in English), and I are looking for a major contract because we need good managers… we can’t do everything on our own.

HHLO: Have you ever visited the U.S.?

Janzoo: No I haven’t but I plan to! It’s really hard for people from Serbia, which is economically blocked and not in good relations with the U.S. government, to visit the U.S. But right now lot of people go to the U.S. to work and travel, so I’ll come soon…

HHLO: Do you have any U.S. artists that inspired you to do Hip-Hop? If so, which ones?

Janzoo: Of course! Wu Tang Clan is in first place, Gangstarr, MOP, Dilated Peoples, Mobb Deep, Kool G Rap, Busta Rhymes, and Dr. Dre.

HHLO: If you could collaborate with any 3 artists from anywhere in the world who would they be?

Janzoo: Well, I’d definitely like to work on production with RZA. I’d like to collaborate with Prodigy of Mobb Deep, and with Gangstarr (Primo or Guru, whatever)…

HHLO: So Zoo, have you developed a web presence? Do you have a blog or do you offer fans exclusive, new songs for download online?

Janzoo: Well, I communicate with my fans and artists that I work with through Myspace, Facebook, etc… Sometimes my group and I will put up new songs for free download too. We put up a whole mixtape for free download some time ago… You could put it up on your website if you want to too…

HHLO: Do you have a website and/ or a Myspace page? If so, what’s the URL?

Janzoo: www.myspace.com/janinflame

HHLO: Would you ever do a reality show?

Janzoo: Yes, why not.

HHLO: What’s your favorite line/ bar from one of your songs?

Janzoo: “Now you’re staying in front of the scene, and please listen to my “Thanks”,

Thanks because I know who is just an attempt of man,

Thanks because I don’t know when my last heartbeat will be,

So I’m living this life peacefully till I don’t go to Heaven”

That’s a rough translation from Serbian language to English…

HHLO: Out of all the songs you’ve created, what’s your favorite song that you’ve ever made?

Janzoo: I don’t have a particular one, but “Video Sam” (“I Saw” in English) is my favorite because we made a beautiful video for it.

HHLO: What else would you like for you fans to know about you?

Janzoo: I want to tell them that my group’s album is in the final stage, it will be out soon, and I hope that it will be available for ordering worldwide. I also want them to know that they can reach me on my Myspace page, myspace.com/janinflame, and that’s it for now. Look out for 5. Stepen! Look out for my brother from East NY, Victorious, and look out for my productions!

Download .5 Stepan – ZAGREVANJE-The Mixtape (.rar)

Download .5 Stepan – ZAGREVANJE The Mixtape (.zip)

G-Dep, the rapper best known for his single “Let’s Get It” featuring Diddy and Black Rob, whose music video introduced the entire nation to the “Harlem Shake” is back with a new mixtape project, “Deponomics” and even more releases on the way.

Hip Hop Lives’ (HHLO’s) Brittany Graham speaks with Dep regarding how he got started in the music industry, how he feels about ghostwriting, Internet piracy, having a Black President, and plans for the future. Continue Reading

Lately there’s been a huge resurgence of ‘80s vintage clothing, largely inspired by the younger Hip-Hop generation born in the late ‘80s/ early 90’s who narrowly missed experiencing major ‘80s clothing staples such as brightly colored T-shirts from popular bands and T.V. shows, bamboo earrings, four-finger rings, curve-hugging tights and leggings, and various ensembles covered with numerous zippers and heavy chains. Everywhere you go the trend is apparent with skinny jeans cinched at the ankle, black jeans, and mini-skirts making a comeback. The older Hip-Hop crowd that luckily received a chance to fully experience the ‘80s firsthand, no doubt finds it a little mind-boggling that clothes from the ‘80s are now considered vintage but nevertheless seem to be enjoying the new found popularity as much as the hipsters, possibly even with greater pleasure than the hipster when the jacket hiding in the back of the closet for the last ten years suddenly becomes the season’s hottest and most sought-after item.

One of the biggest selling items stolen out of yesterday’s closet are the classic kicks that have re-released as of late. Nike, Addias, Reebok, and even the British Knights have all been yanked out of retirement. Now L.A. Gear, one of the first tennis shoe companies to focus specifically on style and is best known for creating the shoe with the blinking LED lights in the 1990s, is staging a return to the market. On September 13th, 2008, L.A. Gear released “Kid Fireball”, a limited edition version of the “Stardust”, which was a collaborate effort with Club Zonder Filter and Patta, exclusively available at the Patta store in Amsterdam. The shoes came with a matching box with a nameplate hand-tag, alternate laces, and a L.A. Gear tee. The “Kid Fireball”, created out of red nubuck material, was glamorously detailed for today’s modern young lady with clear crystals embedded at strategic points for extra eye-catching appeal, pink satin lining, pink gum bottoms, and a cute little pink bow on the back. Although this release was solely for the ladies, nine additional Stardust versions are to be released beginning in Winter 2009. Heads up fellas!

L.A. Gear, named for the “City of Angels”, was launched in 1979 by Robert Greenberg of Venice Beach, and later garnered major popularity after receiving endorsements from Karl Malone, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jackson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Paula Abdul.

For more information visit: http://www.lagear.com