As reported on Pitchfork, The Roots just announced that Estelle and Gym Class Heroes will be joining them on the majority of their upcoming U.S. tour dates. The band will be finishing up a string of festival dates in Europe before heading over to the States in early September.

For a full list of upcoming dates, read more

The Roots

-Melanie Donnelly
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Muppet Kanye gets topical with an Olympic-themed video. Bonus points for winning the 100m with shutter shades on.

-Melanie Donnelly

[Show as slideshow]

This week I was in Washington D.C. with my lovely girlfriend, Missy. She had a national study abroad conference to attend and asked me if I wanted to jump on the Delta Shuttle out of New York’s Laguardia Airport to join her. It’s only a short hop. Just about a 45-minute flight.

On Memorial Day, we checked out “Recognize!”, a hip hop exhibit running now through September at the National Portrait Gallery. I was surprised to see hip hop artistry in such a historic museum, where portraits of many of our country’s President’s grace the walls and classically beautiful landscapes stretch across the marble.

Then again, the museum also featured Impressionist artwork on display on the gallery’s higher floors. It was neat to walk through the rooms and people watch to see what kind of folks were interested in the exhibit. They seemed to come from all walks of life. Mostly tourists, of course, but there were some young African American kids about high school age taking in all the elements of the hip hop exhibit, which included video art, spoken word/poetry, photography, painting and one tribute collage commemorating the lives of Biggie, Tupac, Easy E, Aaliyah and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes.

Besides the exhibit, I also got the chance to shoot the statue of Alexander Hamilton, a key player in the development of the U.S. Treasury Department. I also took a shot of the White House lawn and some interior shots of the National Portrait Gallery. Hope you enjoy!

NY Times Video: Hmong Hip Hop

Who knew Minnesota was bringing the noize? Rapper Tou Saiko Lee, has been blending hip hop with ancient tradition to keep the Hmong culture alive. The Hmong people, originally from Laos, came to America to escape Communist persecution in the 60’s and 70’s. Many settled in the Minneapolis area, which has come to support the largest Hmong population in the United States.

The New York Times interviews Tou Saiko Lee, bringing what’s best about America, our immigrant culture and how that culture breeds new art forms. Lee bridges hip hop culture with his Laotian roots, including music and spoken word he’s created, which includes chants from his grandmother, who performs with an oral form of Hmong verbal poetry.

Lee’s convergence of American culture with Laotian history brings to mind the pioneering efforts of Eric B. and Rakim, who sampled Ofrah Haza’s “Im Nin’Alu for their rap hit, “Paid In Full.” The track bridged the beautiful sounds of Israeli music with New York’s gritty, urban experience. Im Nin’Alu was also sampled in M/A/R/R/S, “Pump Up The Volume,” a huge house record at the time. I can’t say for sure, but both classics were released by the long defunct 4th & Broadway record label, which I’m going to guess licensed the sample and used it on both recordings.

The point is, Hip Hop has transcended its roots in from the Bronx and streets of L.A. to become a global sound adopted reworked by oppressed societies who are struggling just as African-Americans who created the format have experienced. When other cultures embrace hip hop and merge the street sounds with their own oral history’s, amazing things ensue. For example, Bhangra, a traditional folk music of India, has merged with Hip Hop and that convergence has since emerged as a powerful musical force with a huge Indian following in New York City, led by the genre’s leading DJ, Rekha. And, disaffected Senegalese youth from France embraced Hip Hop to voice their issues, launching the divergent careers of rappers MC Solaar and Assassin.

Netmix gives props to Tou Saiko Lee for bridging Hmong culture and hip hop. The tradition of using Hip Hop to fuse the past with the present educates young people around the world that we can’t forget about our past, because our past will always be tied to our future. Combining history with music they can related to, innovators like Lee believe that their efforts will spur thought or action for others who follow to embrace and continue the message of those less fortunate. We have to keep the spotlight on the tragedies of our times.