Hip Hop

Just in time for this year's Easter weekend, two new Easter-themed movies have been announced — and they actually sound pretty darn adorable. Check it out:

Hip Hop — Sony Animation has preemptively picked up this script, planning to make it a mix of CGI and live-action. In the movie, "Easter Bunny decides to retire and hides out as a pet with a suburban family, turning their lives upside down. The tone is being described as along the lines of Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Santa Clause."

I Hop — No, not like the house of pancakes (though I kinda hope they do some kind of promotional tie-in). Anyway, this is the one that I think sounds cutest: "In I Hop, the Easter Bunny is hit by a car driven by a slacker. When the bunny can't hop because his leg is broken, the driver must train to take over the job and save Easter." Though it's probably meant to be a kids' movie, I kinda wish Seth Rogen would play the slacker in I Hop.

Looks like 2010 is gonna be hoppin'. (Ugh. Sorry, sorry!)

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Tupac Shakur's America wasn't ready to see a black president, but that didn't stop countless rap artists from fantasizing about a black American in the White House. Now that Obama has realized a much discussed goal of hip-hop, the question must be asked: How will Obama's presidency change hip-hop?

A recent piece in Slate lets flow some ideas on how the empowerment of one black man will change the genre. Something to keep in mind, it reads: Not only is Obama black, but he's also a well-informed fan of hip-hop.

In some ways, intelligent hip-hop's evolution could mirror that of the NAACP. The Slate piece ponders whether it will be hard for rappers to vent about racial injustices, now that a black man is arguably the most powerful man in the world. Facing the same dilemma since Obama's rise, the NAACP has tried to point out that one person's success does not change a community's reality.

While artists like Nas, Common, and will.i.am celebrated Obama's victory with new music, rap duo Dead Prez has weighed in on hip-hop's tough mission in a new song:

I don't want to discourage my folk, I believe in hope.
Either way it's still white power, it's the same system, it just changed form.

Here's hoping artists keep challenging society no matter the color of the person in charge.

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Making up rap about science is cool. It can be used as a learning tool. That's what NASA thought when it asked graduate student Jonathan Chase from South Wales to write a rap about astrobiology for NASA's magazine. Here's a taste of what he came up with:

What about planet x?
Better leave that alone
The further from the heat source
The colder the home
Study life on earth
Then you do with biology
But in space, it’s called Astrobiology

Chase's degrees are in aerospace engineering and science and science fiction, but they might as well be in funk and rhythm. He's been known to use hip-hop as a way to make science more accessible. To see the music video, read more

And you know what? Granny can dance! The whole sitch seems dubious at first: the turtleneck, the broach, the knitted couch cover, the seizure (?). But that's just Granny's warm-up before kicking mad ass on the living room floor — and only during the commercial breaks, you hear? Judge Judy requires our undivided attention. (Thanks, College Humor!)

Perfect Strangers and Head of the Class celebrated geeks in all their glory, from Balki the dancin' fool to Arvid the computer nerd. So why, oh why, would ABC promote this pair of shows with a hopelessly awkward rap? Because it was the '80s, that's why. Funky as we can be, indeed.

Bill Cosby's rap album is dropping this May! That's right, the comedian and activist will mash up his book Come on, People: On the Path from Victims to Victors with hip hop, pop, and jazz beats.

Cosby won't be dishing the rhymes himself on the album Cosby Narratives Vol. 1: State of Emergency. Guest rappers will flow about the value of education, self-respect, in an attempt to increase the self-esteem and confidence of listeners.

The 70-year-old comedian has caused controversy, most recently for urging African Americans to move on from their successful civil rights battles. Do you think his hip hop album, which he calls the opposite of gangsta rap, will catch the attention of the community he seeks to reach? Will Bill succeed in turning around what he calls the "frustration and the anger that a young man may have"?

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So. It's a wildly long story, but I found myself reading XXLMag.com (Hip-Hop on a Higher Level) and, well, apparently the presidential campaign has not gone on too long at all! There are people who still have no idea who's running for president. Such is the case with our friend Mr. DMX. Here's the exact moment of his epiphany (be warned: the whole article contains some colorful language.)

Are you following the presidential race?
Not at all.

You’re not? You know there’s a Black guy running, Barack Obama and then there’s Hillary Clinton.
His name is Barack?!

Barack Obama, yeah.
Barack?!

Barack.
What the f*** is a Barack?! Barack Obama. Where he from, Africa?

Yeah, his dad is from Kenya.
Barack Obama?

After his initial shock wore off, Mr. DMX actually had a cogent point to make about the the prospect of electing an African-American president. To check it out, read more

New Year's Eve is on Monday and what better chance is there to burn calories while having fun by dancing the night away? Starting this weekend and moving into early next week, there will be a lot of dancing going on. So grab a partner and hit the dance floor — you're bound to burn a ton of calories and have a blast while doing it.

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