Untapped Hip Hop Issue 002

38 36 Pages

Pages

Premier Issue 002Issue

Untapped Hip Hop SOUL SINGER

BREATHING LIFE BACK INTO MUSIC

Bars GJonnie RIME CULTURE ISThe NOT HArt IP HOPof Word Play

Art By: D’Lana “Illusive” Shepherd Photos By: Ramon Robles Art By: Orlynda Vales & Ryan Kelley.

Photos By: Hong Kong Street Art & Shannon Dorn

September 2017 Winter 2018

1 | Untapped Hip Hop Magazine Premier Issue

Letter From The Editors Untapped Hip Hop is a company that believes in the Hip Hop Culture and its ability to impact our communities in a positive way. Whether its is through the 4 elements of Hip Hop or it is expressed through other mediums of art, Untapped Hip Hop will showcase it in our magazine quarterly. My team and I are building this to pay homage to Hip Hop and the culture our quarterly magazine. Untapped Hip Hop will pay respects to the culture by creating a positive feed back loop, by providing and showcasing the positivity of the culture that seems to be over looked in the mainstream of Hip Hop. This is a movement that Untapped Hip Hop would like to bring into communities around the world.

We believe that the Hip Hop culture has the ability to heal, inspire, and rebuild, Untapped HIp Hop’s goal is to bring you nothing less than pure passion and respect for the culture!

What is Untapped Hip Hop? Untapped Hip Hop is a platform for any artist of any genre who is inspired by the Hip Hop Culture to showcase their work! If you’re an MC, B-Boy or Girl, Dj, Graffiti artist, painter, illustrator, sculptor, or baker we want to meet YOU!

If you are and artist interested in submitting your work you can reach us at untappedhiphop@gmail.com

Art Work On Display Is Copywritten & Owned By The Artist Mentioned above.

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Contents pg. 5-Artist Avenue Feat. D’Lana Shepherd (Illusive) & Ramo''øón Robles

Pg. 16 -Soul Singer Breating Life Back Into Music

Pg. 22 - Grime Culture Is Not Hip Hop

Pg. 26 -Poets Corner Feat. Renato “NATO” Martinez & Judah 1

Artist Ave. A collection of art work submitted by talented artist from around the world! In the premier issue we will be showcasing the works of D’Lana “Illusiv” Shepherd (Painter) & Ramóon Robles (Photographer)

Contact us: untappedhiphop@gmail.com if you are interested in finding out how to submit work to be featured in future ISSUES of Untapped Hip Hop Magazine!

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Artist name: D’Lana Shepherd (Illusive) Social Media @lafemmeillusive Contact DM On Instagram: @lafemmeillusive Country of Origin Country: United States of America, Inland Empire.

Bio: My name is Illusive, I am an artist residing in the Inland Empire and have done numerous live shows within the county for the past few years. My passion to paint and express myself through the arts comes from feelings that are better seen and felt than said through a common linguistic filter. I hope to be able to grow in my perception of life and human/ spirit connection so I am able to better express what I feel when exploring different concepts and experiences.

Most pieces speak of a transcendent human state while others can take from any part of daily life/ objects and add a presence to them.

There is a long road ahead for my art, as I see myself expanding in style, knowledge, and hopefully skill, as the years continue to sharpen my senses.

I can be found on Instagram @ lafemmeillusive and am currently working on building a website that should be up early 2018.

Art Work On Display Is Copywritten & Owned By The Artist Mentioned above.

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Art Work On Display Is Copywritten & Owned By The Artist Mentioned above.

8 | Mar. 2018

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Artist name: Ramón Robles Social Media @rdrfoto Country of Origin Country: Spain, Cádiz Genre: Photography/B-Boy Bio: (Espanol)

Me llamo Ramón Robles o como se me conoce en redes, RDRFoto, han transcurrido ya 18 años desde que empezara mi andadura en el mundo del bboying, comencé a finales del año 1.999, conociendo y entrenando con los grupos de los barrios vecinos. Desde entonces hasta mediados de 2009/10 que fue cuando realicé la última actuación para un centro para enfermos de parálisis (Upace, detalle que destaco por que yo mismo sufro una discapacidad).

Participé en numerosas competiciones. Entre ellas desde las competiciones de amigos y de ámbito local, hasta “Battle of the year Ibérica 2005 y 2007”, también participe en “El Duelo del desierto 2008” en Almería (Andalucía), Campeonato de Andalucía desde 2003 hasta 2008 y los míticos por aquel entonces “Breakxploitation”, (organizados por auténticos oldschool de la época) mi crew fue Faka Crew Después de todo esto, uno siente que, aunque no forme parte activamente del movimiento dentro de la actividad de bboying, no es posible dejar una pasión de tantos años y las circunstancias, me llevaron a poder compaginar dos pasiones, el bboying y la fotografía.

Empecé a fotografiar el bboying, acudiendo a eventos, pero utilizando mi punto de vista, la experiencia de esos años y como yo veía las cosas, así es como intento transmitir mi forma de ver el bboying.

Porque mi campo visión durante el baile era el suelo y donde yo podía exprésame libremente, de ahí que mis fotos sean mi forma de ver o como yo veía las cosas cuando bailaba, es como lo siento…

En 2015 realice una pequeña exposición donde utilice 20 fotografias, saque a varios bboys y bgirls de sus lugares cotidianos de entrenamientos y zona de confort, para colocarlos en zonas donde había mucho tránsito de gente o donde nunca se había bailado, quería que a la vez que fotografiaba al Bboy, la gente de la calle no habituada, viera que es una danza más y que transmite esencialmente deportividad.

Art Work On Display Is Copywritten & Owned By The Artist Mentioned above.

10 | Mar. 2018

Bio: (English) My name is Ramón Robles or as I am known in networks, RDRFoto, 18 years have passed since I began my career in the world of bboying, I started at the end of 1999, meeting and training with groups from neighboring hoods. From then until the middle of 2009 I performed the last performance for a center for patients with paralysis (Upace) a detail that I highlight because I myself have a disability.

I participated in numerous competitions. Among them from competitions of friends and local level, to “Battle of the year Iberian in 2005 and 2007, I participate in “Duel of the desert 2008” in Almeria (Andalusia), Championship of Andalusia from 2003 to 2008 and mythical by that time “Breakxploitation”, (organized by authentic oldschool of the time) my crew was Faka Crew.

After all this, one feels that, although not actively part of the movement within the bboying activity, it is not possible to leave a passion of so many years and

circumstances, led me to be able to combine two passions, bboying and photography. I started photographing bboying, going to events, but using my point of view, the experience of those years and how I saw things, this is how I try to convey my way of seeing bboying.

Because my field vision during the dance was the ground and where I could express myself freely, hence my photos are my way of seeing or how I saw things when I danced, that’s how I feel ...

In 2015, make a small exhibition where you can use 20 photos, take several bboys and bgirls out of their daily training places and comfort zone, to place them in areas where there was a lot of people or where they had never danced, who photographed the Bboy, the people of the street not habituada, saw that it is a dance more and that transmits essentially sportiness.

11 | Untapped Hip Hop Magazine Premier Issue

Art Work On Display Is Copywritten & Owned By The Artist Mentioned above.

12 | Mar. 2018

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Art Work On Display Is Copywritten & Owned By The Artist Mentioned above.

14 | Mar. 2018

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15 | Untapped Hip Hop Magazine Premier Issue

Breathing Life Back into Music!

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Many of you are wondering what does

what Ashley is about; heavily influenced

this have to do with Hip Hop, when in

by 90s music such as Hip Hop and R&B,

actuality it has everything to do with

but enjoys a wide variety of genre’s

Hip Hop. R&B and Hip Hop began to a

in music, she is inspired by Jill Scott,

merge in the 90s where as when I was

Aaliyah, and Eyrkah Badu, she even got

a child both styles complimented each

the pleasure to meet Ms. Badu and chop

other, but both still stayed to their roots.

it up with her idol. She is a fan of Hiatus

Today the lines have since become

Coyote, The Internet, J Dilla, Nujabes, J

blurred in terms of mainstream where

Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and A Tribe Called

I can’t tell if the artist is a singer, or a

Quest to name a few.

rapper, and the sad thing is a lot of the

Ashley never gets stage fright or I should

mainstream artist are imitating each

say her perception of stage freight is,

other, following hot trends, instead of

she gets an adrenaline rush once she is

being original. Most R&B singers of this

done signing to an audience, the rush of

time period to me sound like bad copies

excitement of the body reacting doing

of Chris Brown, and singing wise as

what it loves to do naturally. Hearing

equivalent to singing in the shower, but

this I understand what she means, and

none have given me goose bumps or

relate from an artist to an artist. Ashley

chills when I hear

has been signing, since the age of 3, but

Ashley Hicks Alston.

when it comes to poetry she started a

Hailing from the small town of

bit later when she was in the 7th grade.

Kalamazoo, Michigan, Ashley has been a

When it comes to poetry she tries to stay

regular in an open mic night event called

away from the cliché rhyming, and have it

The Mix, which happens every Tuesday

thought provoking.

evening. She has yet to release an album,

However most of her current poems

but make no mistake she is perfectionist

are very personal now, and is kept in

when it comes to her craft, and as the

a journal, when I asked why so Ashley

old saying goes good things come to

response was “ I don’t deem it for my

those who wait. As the world waits, in the

eyes only, I deem as until I’m prepared to

meantime I would like to give a glimpse

share, or it’s kind of like a vault when I’m

18 | Mar 2018

comfortable sharing it I will, or I save it for 90s that is long forgotten to most, but and come back to it, and try to reflect on

it’s also taking it to the next level, a hint

how I was feeling at that time; if I want to

that something great is on the horizon

revise it, or tweak it any kind of way then

as if the past great singers that are long

I have that opportunity before actually

gone are behind her back, guiding her,

exposing it cause once I expose a poem

breathing new life into today’s music.

there’s no revising it, no trying to change the message or the meaning behind the poem it is what it is, and it’s out there.”

Which she does make a very valid point something that stood out to me while we were talking about the subject is “ You can remix a song, but you can’t remix a poem.” Also when it comes to poetry I do agree with Ashley that is more reserved and personal. When it comes to her thought process with writing music, or poetry her thoughts are abstract, and she tries to shut out judgmental thought to create something that is authentic and genuine. If need be depending on the mood she will play some music, make sure there are no distractions, and that includes shutting off her phone. When I do watch her Youtube videos of her free styling or sharing a song she wrote over a Dilla beat I do get that genuine creativity, and everything that she mentions when it comes to creating her art. Her voice to me does remind me of an era in the

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“ You can remix a song, but you can’'t remix a poem.”

- Ashley Hicks Alston

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21 21 || Untapped Untapped Hip Hip Hop Hop Magazine Magazine Premier Premier Issue Issue

22 | Mar. 2018

Is Not Hip Hop

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I don’t want this article to come across as if

I found that Grime Culture has it own set of

I know everything about the culture and I’m

grass roots and ideals that parallel hip hops

the man that can tell you everything about the

but is its own genre, and this helped me when

history about Grime, to be honest, as of writing

going back to listen to the artist that I enjoyed,

this article I’ve been researching and listening

with a set of new ears and I found myself

to Grime for the last 3 weeks, and there are

appreciating what they do more. Artist such

artist that I have come to enjoy listening to and

as Stormzy, Skepta, J Hus, and Darq E. Freaker

producers that I really think make dope beats.

sounded different now that I wasn’t consistently

Grime Culture has been around since the early

trying to compare them to hip hop artist that I’m

2000’s created in London that uses a variation of

accustom too.

sound which includes Reggea, Garage, Jungle,

Dancehall, and Drum and Bass. Although

me just like Hip Hop in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s

Grime and Hip Hop do have their similarities

it’s still looking for a foot hold in the industry

like a heavy bass beat, silky smooth melodies,

to truly showcase what it is all about, and as

and depending on the MC tight lyrics that tell

a new comer to the genre I find myself in an

the story of what’s going on in the community,

interesting place trying to comprehend that

Grime Culture is NOT Hip Hop.

everything with a dope sound, heavy bass,

As an outsider just starting to scratch the

and fire lyrics doesn’t have to necessarily fall

surface of the London’s Grime Culture I fell into

under the genre of hip hop. I look forward to

the idea that Grime was just a sub genre of hip

learning about Grime along with other hip hop

hop since it was introduced to the U.S. through

paralleled movements from around the world

artist such as Kanye West and Drake, two very

moving forward.What do you think? Am I in the

prominent figures in the Hip Hop & Pop Hop

ball parks or did I miss the mark? Let us know

industry. I found myself trying to forcefully relate

your thoughts below in the comment or you can

the two genres like I would try to force pieces

hit us up on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter all

of two different puzzles together, and it wasn’t

@untappedhiphop we’d love to hear what you

until I read an article by Alex De Lacey Titled

have to say about Grime Culture and learn more

Deeper Than Rap: Grime Is Not A Subgrenre

about it and other culture that are influenced by

Of Hip Hop, and after reading this article and

Hip Hop & Grime.

understanding what helped to create the culture 24 | Mar. 2018

Grime Culture is a young genre and to

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Dear white boys with guns, You’re no funCarrying ammunition starting to neglect the constitution While government is arguing, Where are the resolutions?

Blinded by rage the white mans dissolutionSoaking up trumps air that’s pollution 18 school shootings, It’s barely February 2018 By the time I recite this, There will be more crisis The dude wasn’t even associated to Isis He don’t even have the same skin tone He ain’t even like us...

This flag I don’t trust My family came for peace they don’t ask for much Are schools even a safe space?

This is prison and from the looks of things there are no breaks Is this our faith?

These chains we will break Your lies we will not take Force fed the news, I’m not fucking with you...

I’m not fucking with you...

Forgive me ma for cussing This aggression is best shown, I’ve learned it’s worth something To the generations before us...

How could you have let this be?

You hold your right hand over your heart for these kinda beliefs?

Hold on this poem is kinda brief...

Now before I get all the white people scared I kinda came prepared Let’s play truth or dare...

Truth...

Do you truly care for us?

By us I mean the minority Because at this point, You are the minority Feels like you might be gone by the time I turn 40 Dare...

I dare you to walk around in Compton I dare you to walk around with chains stitched into your soul I dare you to walk around having to control...

Fear...

Fear of being labeled a terriost Fear of being gunned down Fear of being darker skin...

We wear scars from our ancestors While drinking blood for nectar Down by the sector Gone into soil Gone into soil You’ve rotten our fruits Your idea of home is of another mans land Blood is still dripping from your hands You wonder why we’re mad...

Why were mad..

Why we run with a speed you can never match Why we jump higher than you can ever dream Why we have so much power you can never believe...

My family history grows strong as the trees Where my black brother was hung It’s hard to go numb...

It’s hard to go numb...

How you telling us to love...

Love the oppressor Neglect the oppressed Maybe we should take knives to your neck Hold guns to your heads Bust a cap filled with lies You are not royalty Take your dna and say Your bloood isn’t the same You may bleed but you don’t bleed magic..

Magic that will destroy centuries of your ignorance We absorb the sun your skin burns...

Burns from the gods tormenting you from your wrongs Reminding you who truly is strong...

Dear white boys with guns...

You’re no fun...

Your mental illness...

I pray you feel this..

I pray you feel this...

I pray for your forgiveness...

I pray not for your soul...

I pray for your next generation...

I pray they never know the frustration I pray they never know the fear of being royalty

-Renato “NATO” Martinez 29 | Untapped Hip Hop Magazine Premier Issue

All the pain associated With the joy of time past. I sit back. I smile, I laugh, I cry. At how beautiful and creative was the collective. Amorphous as it seemed Always 8 at the nucleus. Each embody a concept And a Melanated NeTeR; Green like the ink I’m scribing this in ironically. Green like I hope you grow, still. Parts of me left with with you Each of you. Pray for you all, still In your our elements. Orbiting, still we We matter in our own places As gears in watches As gears in robotics They only hope to build As beautiful as we. We sat in the Upper Room And the Spirit came And Oh, how we sang. How we sang praises. Praises each of us in out own Tone and meter In balance and harmony. Clashing sometimes like short of breath But breathing. Bless you. For the memories. The work of God Made manifest: When strangers came And laid thier burdens down And the neighbors brought us fruit for breakfast. Fish and fries was our daily bread, most days we gave thanks. We multiplied and fed. May we fed, still. Even now as we multiply seperately. Painfully sometimes. Joy most most times Like after hours When the Brothers sang And the Sisters joined in. When the Brothers danced And the Sisters took on the instruments. Instruments of The Lord Each of us, 2 arms 2 legs 1 head and wholly in ourselves. Created Holy and safe places To foster the youth And to foster our youthfulness.

They came to party They left with books and knowledge They returned as students, sometimes. Others to teach what they know Some to add hands to the build Even paint for the buckets God was in the building for sure we all Built.

Ode to Machine

- Judah 1

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Mar. 2018

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I Was Just Thinking !

For me it’s hard for me to believe Hip Hop is 44 years old, bout th be 45 this year. I remeber as a kid I felt conected more with this genre of music, but as I got older I realized it was the culture that intrigued me. Rap and Hip Hop being 2 sides of the same coin is something I often go back and fourth with, the reason being is certain artist that are calling themselves rappers, but lack the knowledge of the Hip Hop and culture is not there in their music especially with must of today’s mainstream rappers or what some people consider Hip Hop. My theory has always been once the people in powers saw a formula they could regergitate to the masses such as voilence, sex, and drugs Hip Hop was no longer a threat...keep in mind there was a time where the government wanted to ban Hip Hop if you look at the history the reasons are edvident.

Something else I believe in is if we are not careful we could lose our voice within the culture, and I felt it was responsibility to make sure that does not happen, and I do my part to try to share the history of Hip Hop or information some of the young cats may not know or are interested in knowing more.

I remeber during an interview with an MC a couple years ago he mentioned that a lot of the Hip Hop heads assume the young talent coming up is wack, or quick to put them in a group without giving the artist a chance. I have been guilty of this and since that interview my views have changed a bit. Four years after it’s release I decided to give Kendrick Lamars Good Kidd Maad City a proper listening once the hype had died down, and doing my best to over look the trendy beats. Once I was done listening to the album I could apreciate the concept behind the and story telling. I regarded this as the Illmatic of the westcoast. Now most of you reading are saying ok why, Kendrick is an MC that understands what Hip Hop is. The older heads of the game passing the tourch to him. Just like Illmatic I can visualize each song as its being narrated. The culture is near and dear to me seeing it get misrepresented makes my eyes roll in the back of my head. The same goes when independant artist get over looked. Hip Hop is about bringing new concepts and knowledge of self. Speaking on that subject I was somewhat surprised when the host of a Hip Hop festivale asked the audience what were the 4 elements of Hip Hop and no one knew the answer, however until last year I didnt know there was a 5th element till someone peeped knowledge into me.

Effort = Expert

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