Hip Hop = Good. Plus, a GGreat GGiveaway.
+ Hip Hop news & events that aren't about dumb issh
If you watch my livestream show (Mondays, 9pm ET on www.hiphopcansaveamerica.com/watch) you might have heard me say once or twice how I’ve struggled to come up with an overarching “tagline” that fully explains the mission of what I do — and by extension, the work of those we highlight.
I’ve called that show “the world’s most enlightening Hip Hop livestream,” and I believe it is. I call the podcast, “the world’s most important Hip Hop podcast.” You’re reading “the world’s most informative Hip Hop newsletter”… All of those are cool, and pretty decent branding if you ask me, but overall, I’ve always wanted an umbrella phrase…
I loved “Hip Hop on a higher level,” but of course, that belonged to XXL Magazine. At the time, it really described the dedication to elevate the Hip Hop journalism game. I wanted something similar, for what we do here.
I’m always telling folks I talk about ways that Hip Hop music and culture can help improve society and uplift humanity — it’s just not pithy.
I was racking my brain for something that puts all that into a bumper sticker-sized tagline. Something that would explain that we’re out here doing good work. Hip Hop helping the world at large. I guess you’d say, were contributing to “the greater good”… through… Hip Hop… Hmm…
And there it was…
THAT’S what I believe in. THAT’S what I amplify. THAT’S what the folks I talk to or write about do. That’s the kind of Hip Hop I want to help lift up.
I just wanted a way to phrase it better. So here we are.
Anyway, I just wanted to share that with you so you get a little behind the scenes of all the things that swirl around in my brain, like, all the time. 😵💫
Now, as I have also said before, I’m working on ways to take the podcast, the livestream, this newsletter, and bring them to the levels they deserve. This might come from grants or other large funding sources, or other partnerships — I’m desperately working on all possibilities.
If you have any ideas, feel free to reach out!
In the meantime, if you find value in this work, if you believe in Hip Hop for the greater good, please consider contributing — here or on my Patreon — so I can keep this thing going.
In the meantime, here are some of the latest, hand-curated stories of Hip Hop innovation, inspiration and insight. As I like to say, Hip Hop news that isn’t about dumb issh.
— Manny (www.patreon.com/mannyfaces)
📰 HIP HOP NEWS THAT ISN’T ABOUT DUMB SH*T
This section brought to you by our brand new Subreddit - r/HipHopCulture
I Knew Diddy for Years. What I Now Remember Haunts Me.
Looking back on my life as a woman in the music industry, I’m unsettled by the inescapable sexism perpetrated by Sean Combs and others.🛰️ NASA Transmits Hip-Hop Song to Deep Space for First Time
⚡ Megan Thee Stallion creates power program for Houston senior citizens
"It's been painful to watch the elderly population in Houston suffer”😮 Hip-hop band Cypress Hill makes 1996 Simpsons joke come true
🏫 D.C. educator releases new hip-hop education album for kids
Azel Prather continues to give back to youth in innovative ways.
🎶 Summer School students dive into beats
At the Carolina Hip Hop Institute, they learned to make beats, rap and DJ⚖️ How the YSL gang trial impacts Atlanta’s music scene
Two years after Young Thug’s arrest, Atlanta’s rap community builds stronger camaraderie.🔊 Rhythms Of Healing Is An Innovative Program Harmonizing Elements Of Hip Hop Into A Healing Experience
🎻 Award Winning Hip Hop Violinist Damien Escobar Unveils Comeback Album, “Gemini”
🩰 Ballet and hip hop duet for Swan Prjct
The Des Moines troupe centers marginalized dancers in cutting-edge performances
🙏 MANNY THANKS
❤️ Thank you so much to our newest supporter, Randy S.!! Big shouts to other recent supporters, Tony P., Jaime F., Austin R. (from the Too Pretty band), Sarah R., Dr. Elliot Gann and AJ Woodson. Huge shouts to the OGs of the supporting fam: Silent Knight, Mark E., Jesse G., Toast, Nicholas S., Briana C., Stephie, Cath, Morgan, Andrew Wang, Raphael Travis, Patrick, Chris J, and Adam K!🙏🙏🙏
All paid supporters receive discounts on HHCSA merch, freebies & other perks!
Help keep this newsletter aliiiiiiive below or at www.patreon.com/mannyfaces
GIVE IT AWAY, GIVE IT AWAY, GIVE IT AWAY, GIVE IT AWAY NOW!
I hope you got to read the piece I sent out Sunday titled, “What Does ‘Unity’ Even Look Like?”…
It was written after a new round of national “calls for unity” and a day after I caught a bluegrass/Hip Hop show out here in Georgia.
If you didn’t catch that piece and you don’t know who Gangstagrass is, the idea of a bluegrass/Hip Hop show might sound weird to you. (It’s OK. It did to me too.) But you’ll understand once you read it.
Anyway, I scored a CD copy of their latest album, The Blackest Thing on the Menu and I’m giving it away!
Just share this newsletter somewhere, take a screenshot, and reply with it. I’ll pick randomly, and either way, we’ll really appreciate the share!
Now, on to the rest!
📅 UPCOMING DOPE & INTERDISCIPLINARY HIP HOP EVENTS
July 20 [L.A.]: Kids Bboy Summit | Solo break battle
July 21 [D.C.]: Nas with the National Symphony Orchestra
July 25 [D.C.]: Know Your Power - Art Workshop Series: Rap/Emcee
July 27 [D.C.]: DMV Made - A Culture and Wellness Festival
Aug. 10 [Newark, NJ]: Hip Hop 50/Olympic Breakdancing Watch Party
Aug. 11-18 [NYC]: Hip Hop Film Festival
Aug. 19-22 [D.C.]: Podcast Movement (Not Hip Hop related per se, but I’ll be there presenting an “Expert Talks” session, so if you’re there, or in D.C. and want to say hi or book me for something or interview me or whatever, let me know!)
Aug. 23-24 [Newark, NJ] - 24 Hours of Peace
Through Sept. 4 [L.A.] The GRAMMY Museum: Hip Hop America - The Mixtape Exhibit
Opens Sept. 8 [NYC]: FUTURA 2000: BREAKING OUT is a retrospective of this singular artist’s evolution from early graffiti art styles to his current practice of contemporary abstraction.
Oct. 11-12 [Chattanooga]: Chattanooga Hip Hop Summit
Nov. 3 [D.C.]: Masego at The Kennedy Center
Nov. 9 [D.C.]: Andre 3000 at The Kennedy Center
Nov. 16-17 [L.A.]: Freestyle Session World Breaking Finals
Jan. 11, 2025 [D.C.]: Club Quarantine Live with D-Nice at The Kennedy Center
KNOW OF AN EVENT THAT SHOULD GO HERE? REPLY & TELL ME!
JOB LISTINGS
We Do It 4 The Culture SEL curriculum program is hiring lesson designers.
(RELATED: Jamila Sams on Hip Hop Can Save America!)
The Hip Hop Education Center is hiring an archivist
Words, Beats & Life’s Towards 2040: Creative Leaders Fellowship - Applications open until Aug. 30, 2024
Y’all. This is a LOT of work lol… If you find this valuable, please become a paid subscriber below or CLICK HERE to support on Patreon. 🙏
BUT WAIT… THERE’S MORE!!
🆕 MANNY’S NEW MUSIC PICKS…
There are plenty of places to find out about new music, but I’ll give a few picks here and there to help the cause. Rumor has it, I have pretty decent taste…
(For paid members only. Upgrade below or join on Patreon.com!)