This editorial comes to us from Al-Lateef Farmer who has written articles for written for SoulTrain.com and Eurweb.com to name a few as well as his own blog which you can find at WorldAccording2Teef.com We’re looking forward to seeing more of Al-Lateef’s writing here at GFM in the future.

My earliest recollection of Hip-Hop is “The Message” from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. There was something hypnotizing about the beat and the chorus ingrained itself in your mind, but it was Melle Mel’s last first that really drew me to the song. Yeah, I was like four-years-old, but the authority in which he spit his rhyme really made me listen. I didn’t understand 99% of what he was talking about, but the way he was saying it, made me believe it to be powerful. Nearly thirty years later it is still my favorite verse, you know, it’s the one that starts, “A child is born with no state of mind/Blind/To the ways of mankind…”

I’ll give you a few seconds to finish the rhyme… (more…)

Ok, east coast classic hip hop fans, DJ Phaze has a treat for you this week. If this one doesn’t bless your ears, then we’ll have to revoke your ‘I am Hip Hop’ card. The perfect companion for your daily commute, workout or block party…. This one is fire!! Check the tracklist after the break.

Diggin’ In the Crates 80′s & 90′s Hip-Hop by GrownFolksMusic

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When I think of early days of recorded Hip-Hop one word comes to mind: fun. (more…)