The event was called “I Love Rap.” This 2009 “Rap up”. It was hosted by Ms. Dia & CHICAGOrilla of 89.3’s “The SHOW Atl” w/Dj TEKNOLOGY on the 1s & 2s! It saluted the best of the year including special honors to SENOR KAOS & The 5IVE (Formerly known as The R.E.G.I.M.E). It was a hefty bill of single song performances by many of the ATL undergrind’s finest. UNDENIABLE (Boog Brown, Adrift da Belle & Rita J) were in the house, along with The Beat Gods, Haziq Ali, Methuzulah and many more.
Solo artists filled the first half of the show, then the groups took the stage. I caught up with several of the performers and asked them, “Why do you love rap?” I even picked up a few recordings from some of these artists which we will be sharing.
Lyrical Preacher: I Love Rap because it’s been a part of me ever since I was little. I was always a fan of rap but never really saw myself doing it, but as time went by and my love just continued to improve and I thought I might as well express myself through something that I love.
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Lyrical Preacher performed his song “Higher Life” with luster and a commanding stage presence.
Grip Plyaz: I Love Rap because I was born off of it. Pretty much, if it wasn’t for Outkast, I never would have even thought about rap. I gotta give credit to organized noise and the dungeon family because they inspired me to come out and rap.
Senor Kaos: Yo…I love rap because it keeps me motivated, it keeps me focused, and for real…If I didn’t have the music, if I didn’t have hip hop, if I didn’t have rap music? I’d probably be in an insane asylum by now. When ever you’re havin’ a bad day, it takes listening to a good song to keep you focused, to keep you on your right path and not go crazy and bust somebody upside the head. It definitely keeps society safer, LOVE IT!
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Kaos performance included the track “Hard to Quit the Rhyme” with 4-ize from the late 2009 release “Illuminated Animals”.
Methuzulah: (formerly MOJO SWAGGER) I love rap because it’s an expression of true self. Any true artist, will be able to express the frustration, the annoyances, the love for the music, love for the culture, what ever they wanna talk about, they can finally get it through packed in hip hop, its a vessel to be used in a time of need.
Haziq Ali: I love rap because it basically changed my life. When rap came along we couldn’t get electricity so we set up some turntables with a fuckin’ light bulb, and we billions of dollars later. One reason I love rap is because I’m a business man at heart.
The second reason I love rap is, back in our different mother countries, right?, we would speak from village to village with the drums. That’s how you would know what’s going on. Now we got rap, we wouldn’t know what was going on Cleveland we wouldn’t know the news in LA the way the riots were predicted.
If we let them undermined this, just thinking it’s always money first, we’re gonna loose. Artists tell the truest stories, history is told by the winner. All you got left is the artists to tell what really happened. So we’ve got to stay true to that shit and keep culture first.
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Haziq Ali performed the track “Mile-High Club” from his album “Business is Good”.
The Beat Gods
Spitzwell: Because I’m good at it and I know lots of people who are good at it so I just continue doing it.
Jarren Benton: Why do I love rap? Because it’s the closest thing to crack. I think that’s why. Nah man, I grew up on fuckin’ hip hop man. It’s some shit that moves me spiritualy and in a way that no other music ha moved me besides indi rock…I just love hip hop, I don’t know why the fuck I like it man just like I don’t know why the fuck I like my wife. Some days I wanna wake up and slap hip hop…I love it to death.
Undeniable
Boog Brown: I don’t love rap, I love hip hop. I love hip hop because it makes me feel a certain kinna way in my body. It tells stories, it talks shit, it pokes fun of everything that’s going on in life, it’s a social commentary. That’s why I love hip hop. That’s why I love emceein’ or “rappin” that’s why I love it.
Rita J: I love it because it makes me feel good inside. (she laughs)
Adrift Da Belle: I love rap because it’s poetry. It’s rhythmic, American poetry. I love hip hop because it’s an expression of that poetry so wherever or however you do what you do you can do it. I feel like there are American bred forums now days where you can do that. That’s why I love it.
The 5IVE
SHRED the Verbal Tounge: I love rap because that’s what I do. I grew up on rap, it’s a way of expression, it a way of getting pain out. This is where it’s at.
Jawz of Life: I love rap because rap first loved me.
Big Rec: I love rap because it’s a part of our culture. I love hip hop because I am hip hop. God is in me…I am hip hop….do the the math. ya feel me?
K.P.: I love rap because it loves me.
Here is the 5ive with one of their latest simply titled “Hip Hop”.
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I hope you enjoyed this post 1 fifth as much as I enjoyed this show. ATL is a hip hop mecca. 2010 is already shaping up to be huge. Please leave a comment on “why you love rap” below.
Tags: 4-Ize, ADRIFT DA BELLE, big rec, Boog Brown, CHICAGOrilla, diamond d, DJ teknology, Haziq Ali, I love rap, Ms. Dia, Rita J, Senor Kaos, shred the verbal toung, The 5ive, The Beat Gods, The show ATL, undeniable
I love rap because it is fun to produce. The vibe in the studio while recording a hip hop song is like nothing else. The way these artists play with words is astounding and it really showcases the language. The possibilities seem endless.
True true on that!
I Love Rap because I am Rap! If it wasn’t for this music I wouldn’t know who I was.