"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings"

So unless you have been sleeping for the past, umm like 2 YEARS! You are pretty familiar with the whole ordeal with rapper T.I. (Real name: Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.) and him going to jail for a year and a day. I guess he is spending his time behind bars wisely, because he has two new tracks out. The first one I heard left me highly disappointed - reminding me of a rock/country song - but the second one picked up the slack. Check em out.

-Christopher Nic.

Hip Hop Damaging America? Don't Believe the Hype

The propaganda surrounding the Hip-Hop community is unbelievable. This once underground genre has come to the forefront and has since been scrutinized by politicians, churches and social activists. Not to mention television networks such as the ever-so right winged Fox News. I believe that politicians, are blaming the Hip-Hop culture, for issues concerning the communities that they made promises to. Where the household failed in raising their children, they would like to blame Hip-Hop. And for the churches that seem to be losing congregations because people are hurting and looking for something to ease the pain rather than scripture, they all blame Hip Hop. I find this to be quite disturbing and I would like to try and dispel some of the negativity surrounding this culture, because believe it or not, it is not all bad, it has its positive and negative qualities as any other entity on the planet. The real problem here is not just BET or Hip Hop. The real problem is broader than any one TV network or one cultural phenomenon. Over time Hip Hop has evolved more than those DJ’s back in the Bronx could have ever imagined. This cultural phenomenon has turned ghetto-bred children, once thought of as a lost statistic into multimillionaires. This genre has evolved from political angst, fun-filled themes associated with the ‘hood, gangsta rap, intellectual rap, crunk music and all the way into mainstream. This genre once looked upon as one dimensional music for the child of the ghetto can no longer be looked at in that way. Hip Hop encompasses several attributes, however government and politicians, television personalities and communities alike are looking for someone, or something to blame for their plight and hip hop has become a major target. Hip Hop has become the scapegoat of things gone wrong in this society.


Rapper T.I. said it best on BET’s special forum called: Hip Hop vs. America, when he stated, “America uses Hip-hop as an easy target to blame all of society’s problems on”. Hip hop did not invent sexism, violence, homophobia or materialism. If you listen to the language used by Former President Bush and people in our everyday lives, one would realize that all those things are as much a part of America’s fabric as baseball and apple pie. Still, that should not let hip hop off the hook. Hip hop may not have started violence, sexism, misogyny or homophobia, but it has amplified, and in many cases, glorified theses images. Some people pick on hip hop just because they do not like it. But many pick on hip hop because we want it to do better. We remember when the music of hip hop was connected to the streets, powerful and political and entertaining at the same time. And we worry that much of today's hip hop and rap has descended into something meaningless.

Guest Writer,
Tynee Sims

Style ICON?!

Almost all of us are influenced by the style of people in the entertainment business. There are so many different types of celebs with their own different style that appeals to us. But are all of them worthy of being called a Style Icon? I don't think so. Let's go through a few names and decide if they have shown that they are not just what their stylist picks out for them.



Tyra Banks
First, we have former model, talk show host, actress, singer and businessperson Tyra Banks(Lemme catch my breath, lol). Banks has been around for a long time now and she is still in the game without a sign of stepping down any time soon. Even though I'm over ANTM now, I still love Tyra - she can just make some foolish decisions at times. But when it comes to style, I feel as though she's been in the game long enough to know right from Condoleezza Rice(Whoops, I didn't mean to type that). Maybe, I'm alone on this one but I really don't see style when I look at Miss Banks. Sorry, girl but imma have to say NO!


Kanye West
What's understood doesn't have to be explained. YES!


T.I.(a.k.a T.I.P.)
One of the most fashionable rappers that I've ever seen, T.I. has made a mark in the music and fashion industry in a short period of time. I just don't know how his style really sets him apart from the pack, besides his bomb tailored suits. He is in the process of coming out with his own clothing line, so lets see how that goes. But as of right now I will have to pass. NO!


Hov & Bey
Might as well do the Dynamic Duo together. Seeing as though they are at the peak of both their careers and they are the epitome of dope when it comes to fashion, who wouldn't agree with me when I say these two music moguls are Style Icons. Being Hollywood's richest couple probably plays a big part in my decision, ey? Maybe.. It doesn't matter though. YES!


Rihanna
I'm going to let you be the judge of Miss Thang right here. I can see it happening, just not right now... Tell me what you think. Yes or No?


-Christopher Nic.

In The Streets...

Time to take a step away from the high fashion for a second. Hopefully you didn't think LivLux was just about couture this and Italian Vogue that?! Not at all. We tend to dip our heads into streetwear every now and then. Even though we don't wear it, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it. This weeks 'In The Streets' is on one of the hottest rappers out now and his new clothing line. Rapper, T.I. is getting ready for the launch of his new clothing line, Akoo. He plans on launching the line in late October-early November. I haven't heard too much about it but I did see an ad for his clothing line in this months issue of Complex(with Cassie fast a** on the cover, lol). I had to do a double take because I'm thinking "When did T.I. become the face of a line?" I guess ever since he got his own, ey?! The logo of Akoo is a fox, a pretty cool one at that, with a story to go with it. "Once upon a time there was a young fox...a young fox prince named Akoo traveling down a heavily wooded road. Now even though Akoo was a prince he was still very wild and unlearned in the ways of the more mature and crafty foxes..." The story goes on to talk about Akoo becoming a king and all that good stuff. If you can remember the music video, "Big Things Poppin" you might remember seeing The King in some Akoo clothing. The line is sure to make it because T.I. is an great dresser as well as an artist. Here's a video from a Akoo photoshoot...enjoy it!



Check out more Akoo clothing at http://akooclothingbrand.com/



-Christopher Nic.