Complimentary Edition Volume 1 Complimentary Edition Volume 1 | Page 17

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Itʼs About the Underground

Born into hip hop and the beats won ’ t stop

Welcome to The Soultown !
I presume that most of are aware of the African proverb , “ It takes a village to raise a child .” In essence I believe this proverb goes hand in hand with the theme of The Soultown :
Connecting our Culture to our Community . This is a very important staple when it comes to underground hip hop and the lives around it . I am your underground hip hop conductor . Underground hip hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon . It is typically associated with artists signed to independent labels , or no label at all . Underground hip hop is often characterized by socially conscious , positive , or anticommercial lyrics . Ride with me as Crate Digging to Downloads discovers underground artists and provide you with various angles that bring them to light . In 1979 , I witnessed the birth of hip hop . The use of rhythm and rhyme in the art of storytelling was tantalizing to my young ears . Sugarhill Gang ’ s Rapper ’ s Delight ; The Breaks by Kurtis Blow ; and Eric B . and Rakim ’ s Master Plan engaged my mind , body and spirit and inspired me ... to be . To be ... something more than nothing .
Consistent with our African heritage , music was used tell stories ; so when Heavy D , MC Lyte and The Honorable Queen Latifah spoke , I listened . I then became hooked on the beats , riffs or sound effects . My dad gave me a video camera , and I remember recording homemade sound effects . That footage combined with the beats helped boost my creativity .
The creativity of hip hop and rap music runs deep ; not just in my soul , but in the souls of underground artists worldwide . From digging through crates for vinyls to downloading , local artists are finding their place in this genre .
Crate Digging to Downloads is about oldschool and new-school hip hop . It is about the break down and build up of interesting topics and artists along with examining old and new definitions of hip hop and how it is relevant in today ’ s playlists .
Once again , welcome all to The Soultown .
Von Monday was raised in the Midwest . Hip hop in many ways has always been his place of Zen . As a young child hip hop filled his mind with positive vibes , and this genre has assisted in his need for growth .
THESOULTOWN . COM THE SOULTOWN • CONNECTING OUR CULTURE TO OUR COMMUNITY crateDIGGINGtoDOWNLOADS 17