Public Enemy "State Of The Union STFU"

By Ralo

The urban lifestyle has always been a hive of activity in the world of hip-hop culture. First there is the visually arresting images of graffiti, then there is the hypnotic rotation of turntables. You can't forget the acrobatic display of b-boys or the oral expression of MCing.

The lyricist or the MC has long been the center of attention in the sub-culture of underground hip-hop. There are often many questions about who is the best lyricist or who can beat who in a battle. The topic of discussion also centers on who's new record is wack, and who's new record is heat, or which newcomers sound good and shows promise.  Lyrics, delivery and production all play key roles in judging the quality of underground hip-hop. Noncommercial rap has always had more poetic value than its corporate under produced counterpart.

This week we have the latest from Public Enemy. PE released their first album in 1987. It got shelfed by Def Jam for a year and received a lukewarm response. The Bomb Squad realized that they needed to sample breakbeats to make hits. They sampled James Brown "Funky Drummer" for "Rebel Without A Pause", and the rest is history. Their career has lasted for over 30 years. They are back now in 2020 with "State Of The Union STFU".

AZ "Found My Niche"

By Ralo


Brooklyn born AZ made his first appearance on record on Nas' 1994 classic Illmatic, on a song entitled "Life's A Bitch". AZ was a stand out on Illmatic as he was the only other artist to spit a verse on the album. One year later he released his first album "Doe Or Die" on EMI Records. "Doe Or Die" included AZs' biggest hit to date, "Sugarhill, which featured a guest vocal appearance from Miss Jones. In 1997 AZ was featured in New York super group, The Firm, which also included Nas, Foxy Brown and Nature. Since then AZ has released seven albums. He is due to release "Doe Or Die 2" later this year. Check out the latest AZ freestyle "Thank you".