I had the pleasure of catching up with one my city’s longest active DJ’s, who also just happens to be one of the city’s “Finest”, Officer Michael E. Tripp, Sr. Officer Tripp AKA DJ TRIPPle Threat, has been on the force nearly two decades and an active DJ since the age of 17. I sat down to pick his brain about a few topics, here’s how it went… PT: What do you think the Climate of Hip-Hop is today verses the “Golden Age”? TRIPP: Well, the way I see it, as of today, back when Hip-Hop originated, it was clean cut stories, put to music, that had a rhythm to it. Nowadays, its brought forth a lot of violent, vulgar, nastiness to it, which to me seems to be what the culture is now. Back when I was heavier into the Hip-Hop scene the stories either had laughs, or funny tones to them. Nothing degrading or derogatory, but today’s (Hip-Hop) seems to be heading in that area of degrading, nasty, violent activities, which you can clearly see society today heading towards. PT: Would you like to Hip-Hop go back to being conscious as far as the messages being presented in music today? TRIPP: ABSOLUTELY! I believe that the messages were real but they home more family content to them or neighborhood love or experiencing fun activities. Todays Hip-Hop just seems to be geared around strict negativity. Being in Law Enforcement, we encounter a lot of these new “Gangster” rappers during our criminal investigations because they are actually telling us their stories of what they’ve done and how they’ve done it in their music. PT: So, here’s one that’s going to cause you to think a little bit, Rappers Vs. EMCees, what’s your take? TRIPP: Hmm! (laughs) It’s very funny you should ask me that. Back in the day I viewed myself as an EMCee. One who livened up and hyped the party up. Got people involved in the activity that was going on at the time. A rapper on the other hand, to me, is one who tells the story and puts it to the sound of music. He’s more of a poet with music in the background, who has a story to be told. His intent isn’t to get the crowd involved or pumped, but to tell his story to the people. PT: I Really like that way of looking at it. OK! Top Five Artists of all Time? TRIPP: Ahh. Top five. In no particular order, just ones that I’ve been known to rock with. LL, (as in LL Cool J) he’s definitely one of my favorites. I was a huge Big Daddy Kane guy back in the day. Jay-Z, I can definitely feel where he comes from with his style. Definitely Biggie, can’t forget him. And not because I said Biggie but because he was equally nice, I have to say (2) Pac. He (Pac), to me, told real stories BUT I could enjoy listening to his stories. He didn’t take beyond the reality, he didn’t bring it to an extremely vulgar area. PT: You brought up Jay-z and he’s an artist I follow and the progression of the message in his music is something I appreciate. I feel like he’s an example of how artists these can consciously transition. It’s no longer about [Gang] Banging and dealing drugs BUT no its about enjoying the money you’ve made in this legitimate business taking care of your family and giving back. Is that something you support? TRIPP: Most Definitely! Man Jay-Z is my dude to be honest with you. Because if you go back to when first started and I’m sure you have because you follow him, he told where he was coming from. Then when he got with ROC, he told you what the plan was there, but then you watched him evolve as a true business man. And then he becomes a family man and he can still tell his story or communicate his way of bing from the bottom to the riches. I will always support his movement because despite making it big he always gives back. He and his wife do big things, big things community wise and as well as promoting other people, not just for their own benefit but to help that person elevate as well. I appreciate people like that. PT: Last question, or suggestion really, if you have any advice for the next generation as far as where their inspirations should come from or what music should be? TRIPP: My advice would be clean and clear, do a complete history of music. Start with Motown, go down the path of Motown. Listen to where that was, find out what Chocolate City really was. Listen to what music really was from that era. If you do a musical history and then come out with your sound, which o me should be a culmination of everything. I guarantee to you’d be the hottest thing out because that’s what it should be about. It shouldn’t be lets jus sample a beat and talk crap over it. It should be real live music! There you have folks thanks for joining me on this weeks WHAT'S THE WORD segment featuring DJ TRIPPle Threat. For All booking info email him directly at [email protected] or @tripplethreastdj on Instagram. As always folks i am your Sensei, the Samoan Samurai Phat Toney, remember LOVE LIVE LIFE!
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DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT in anyway advocate for the public defacing and/or destruction of Public OR Private property. This post is to be used as a tool to develop your artistic style in the expressive art form known as GRAFITTI… Now that the legal stuffs out the way LET’S BEGIN: WHAT’S IN A NAME?The first and probably most important aspect in graffiti is your name. Your name is essentially more than just that, it’s your identity; it’s your brand! Your name is everything. In a sense, you are creating a brand identity for yourself. I say it’s more than your name because its that important. It will Be your form and you content. It’s a visual manifestation of your alter ego; it’s your main focus; it’s your jumping-off point. No need to look for a subject matter, no need to wonder “What am I going to paint?’ Everything revolves around your name. Your Name is your focal point. It will consume most of your art. It’s your logo, your new you. This is where your artistry starts. As stated before, your name is your brand so choose it wisely. Take into account length (how many letters is it going to be?) How does it look when its written? Where does your mind go when you say it? For example during my more active years I chose the name MARS.ONE. I chose this name because when i was younger my destination when i grew up was to live on Mars. So naturally that's what went through my mind every time I drew it: going or being on Mars. Escaping my current place of existence and being some place far, far away. Some great examples of artists whose names that made statements and really showed true style: TAGGING: THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE LINENow the Most basic form of tagging and best place to start is the infamous TAG. Think of the tag as your signature, so your approach to learning how to tag should be style without sacrificing legibility. When people read it should represent beauty, invoke a reaction and as always OOZE STYLE. First lets just start by writing it a few times, as we would any other word. This allows not only your hand to get used to it but it gets you used to seeing it: Now that we have gotten the hang of writing lets add some style elements to make the it stand out. By adding some swirls to the letters, a halo at the top and making the A lowercase now you start to see a little personality: Let’s take it a step further and add some quotation marks and arrows. Our finished product now looks like a statement of style, meaning and it still readable, in other words…DOPE: So there you have it, a step by step guide to beginning your journey in the world Graffiti! As always this your Sensei Phat Toney, signing off LOVE LIVE LIFE!!
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I'M SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!! In honor of Black History Month PUMA is re-releasing one of it staples with a retro yet modern feel. The PUMA Suede is about to kick off a year of full-blown festivities in celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2018. First up, the Big Cat will be dropping a special ‘B-Boy’ pack, which features two premium colorways. Both the black and red iterations come with special dubraés, exotic textured Formstripes and old-school fat laces. All subtle look backs to its Hip-Hop roots. I’m sure PUMA have some special releases in store for the coming months, and so far they’re doing it right. When launched in 1968, the PUMA Suede trainer was well ahead of the game. Its thick, rubber sole and rounded silhouette crafted in tough suede stepped away from the typical status quo of canvas and leather-based shoes.
It didn't take long until the PUMA Suede was the choice of trend-setters on the street and in the sporting arena. The year of its birth, the Suede bore witness to one of the most recognizable moments in Olympic history: 200m gold and bronze medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos were on the podium after receiving their medals when the American national anthem had played, and they made their now infamous human rights salute (often referred to now as “The 1968 Olympics Black Power salute”). The Suedes were alongside the two shoeless men, carving its own special place in this historic moment. The Suede has continued its development to become one of the most-loved shoes in history. There are many '80s styles which are best left in the past... trust us, we embraced most of them. However, the Suede is an 1980's look which still hits the right notes today. The decade saw breakdancing and hip-hop enter the mainstream and PUMA Suedes came along for the ride. From famous B-Boys like the members of the infamous Rock Steady Crew to famous graffiti artist like SEEN and COPE were often spotted in these iconic kicks. This connection to B-Boy culture still remains to this day… From punk rockers to street artists, it seems that Suedes have struck a chord in individuals the world over. In honor of Black History Month, I have compiled 5 of my favorite Hip-Hop albums released in the month of February in the last 2 decades!!! Now in the essence of time and attention spans I’ve limited this list to only 5 so bear with me. Now without further ado let's jump into it, Shall we? 5. YO! Bum Rush the Show - Public Enemy The album was released on February 10, 1987. The group's logo, a silhouette of a black man in a rifle's crosshairs, debuted on the album's cover. Yo! Bum Rush the Show features a sample-heavy sound by production team The Bomb Squad. Noted for being the voice for the voiceless Public Enemy’s debut release the group marketed itself as a distillation of black anger and resistance. Yo! Bum Rush the Show is cited as one of the most influential albums in hip hop history. 4. The Score – The Fugees The Score is the second and final studio album by the hip hop trio Fugees, released February 13, 1996. The album features a wide range of samples and instrumentation, with many aspects of alternative hip hop that would come to dominate the hip hop music scene in the mid-late 1990s. In addition to receiving favorable reviews upon its release, the album has garnered a considerable amount of acclaim over the years, with many music critics and publications noting it as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. 3. Things Fall Apart (When Things Fall Apart) – The Roots The fourth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released February 23, 1999. Upon its release, Things Fall Apart was widely regarded as their most fully realized work. It was praised widely for its sobering themes, sonic quality, and fluid, cohesive sequencing and lead MC Black Thought who in my opinion is an MC’s MC, has a hard, earnest voice that doesn't flow but bobs and weaves. With is precise production, irresistible beats, and smooth rhymes, few albums manage to simultaneously be this informative, political, and downright DOPE. 2. The College Dropout – Kanye West the debut studio album by American rapper Kanye West released on February 10, 2004. The album's production was handled by West and developed his "chipmunk soul" production style, which made use of sped-up, pitch shifted vocal samples from soul and R&B records, in addition to West's own drum programming, string accompaniment, and gospel choirs. Diverging from the then-dominant gangster persona in hip hop, West's lyrics concern themes of family, self-consciousness, materialism, religion, racism, and higher education. 1. The Chief – Jidenna debut studio album from artist Jidenna, released on February 17, 2017. The Chief received generally positive reviews from music critics. His use of hip-hop music to convey the story of an immigrant, he reaches across the globe to pull from seemingly disparate genres as he tells his tales. Surprisingly, Jidenna makes it work, commanding the listener's attention from start to finish. The project gave him an identity that any artist aspires to: someone who makes pretty good music. He’ll still have to continue to get listeners familiar with what makes the man behind the music tick, but The Chief is an admirable beginning to what appears to be a blossoming career. There you have it in no particular order 5 of my favorite Hip-Hop albums released in February throughout the last few decades. Let me know what you thought in the comments and as always LOVE LIVE LEARN
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AuthorHi there! I'm the Samoan Samurai Phat Toney. I'm a lover of all things DOPE! WELCOME TO THE DOPE DOJO! Archives
March 2018
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