In an era when record sales are plummeting and the economy is trapped in a never-ending recession, it’s hard to believe that indie labels are some of the most consistently successful forces in Hip Hop today. And while the independent market has always maintained a strong presence in the world of Hip Hop – whether with early ’90s successes like Wild Pitch or ’00s stalwarts like Definitive Jux – the Internet’s takeover of the music industry has only strengthened indie Hip Hop’s position in the industry. So producer/writer Chris “SPanky” Moss caught up with the heads of indie Hip Hop powerhouses Duck Down Records, Strange Music, Rhymesayers Entertainment and Mello Music Group for an in-depth interview about making it on the independent grind.
Read AlLinstrom.com’s “Independent’s Day (Part 1)”
In the 30-plus years that Hip Hop’s been a commercially viable genre, countless one-hit wonders have dominated the music charts, only to disappear within a matter of months. Unfortunately, few one-hit wonders willingly bow out gracefully (see: MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, J-Kwon, etc.) – that is, except for one: Skee-Lo. The Cali-based rapper hit it big in 1995 with his hit single “I Wish,” and then, after serving as VJ for a number of MTV programs and starred in the short-lived TV show “Dangerous Minds,” then suddenly retired. Now, Los Angeles Weekly has caught up with Skee-Lo to talk about what he’s been up to since the summer of ’95 and why he left the music industry behind.
Check Out Los Angeles Weekly’s “Skee-Lo Wished He Was a Little Bit Taller. Then He Promptly Retired”
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Say what you will about her music – if you’re looking for a female emcee that can top the charts as well as she can rip a mic, then Nicki Minaj is your best bet. But if YMCMB’s First Lady isn’t your cup of tea, then The Well Versed has 10 up-and-coming female acts. Compiled by DX’s former Editor-in-Chief Andreas Hale, the list features Azealia Banks, Iggy Azalea and Audra the Rapper.
Check out The Well Versed’s 10 Dope Female Emcees NOT Named Nicki Minaj To Watch In 2012″
RELATED:Loose Links: Top 20 Musicians Of All Time, Common And Drake, Iggy Azalea
