hip hop Archives - KOJO BAFFOE

Diary Of A Madman

Jun 15, 2015 | Lifestyle

Hip hop has been a part of my life since I was about 11 years old in 1983. I tried my hand at breakdancing when I was in high school, under the monikor Dr Kool MC (have no idea where that came from). I gave rapping a shot during my early days, doing “to the hip hop, the hippity hop and you don’t stop the rock’ with the best of them. I was never much of a visual artist and you couldn’t find spray paint cans in Maseru, Lesotho any way. We used to get our music from friends who were based in the US and, as a result, got to hear everything from The Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash & The...

Digital Crates: DJ Chicken George

Aug 11, 2013 | Sound

In the beginning: When I came to the realisation that, to hear good music, I couldn’t solely depend on radio, television, record labels and all the other components of the ‘formal’ music industry for music – because for many, it is simply a business, man. I stumbled upon DJ Chicken George. Talib Kweli either tweeted about him or tweeted him and, for some reason, that I can’t remember, I felt compelled enough to search out his podcasts, Peddlin’ Jazztronica!, starting with iTunes and then also on his site. While hip hop remains a strong foundation, Chicken George marries that cultural...

Digital Crates: DJ Mike Rizzy

Dec 24, 2012 | Sound

One random evening, I was trawling though iTunes podcasts in search of a decent classic soul / R&B mix for bedtime – I generally need music to fall asleep and have even created sleep playlists for me to doze off to. I downloaded single episodes from different ones to get a sense of whether they were worth it or not. And then I came across DJ Mike Rizzy’s and this has become one of my go-to podcasts with wonderful mixes of hip hop, soul, R&B, 80s, reggae, old school and the like. Some of my favourites are below with his comments and track listing (Click on headings to link to actual...

Digital Crates: Combat Jack Show ft Dallas Penn

Dec 3, 2012 | Sound

Sometime in my first 6 months on twitter, I started following Combat Jack (Reggie Osse). I have no idea how it came about but we’ve been interacting – consistently and inconsistently – since. I have been fascinated by his journey through hip hop, starting as an attorney with his own firm as well as part of the Business and Legal Affairs Department of Def Jam. for various artists, including DJ Clark Kent, Rockwilder, Lords of the Underground and Jaheim. He’s been an executive at MTV as well as Managing Editor at Source Magazine. My real introduction to him was through twitter and his blog...

Midweek Music: Kendrick Lamar

Nov 27, 2012 | Sound

Not as anticipated as his mentor Dr. Dre’s Detox album, Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city came close. That is what happens when a man who has been integral to profound musical shifts in hip hop takes you under their wing. That is what happens when a man who has been responsible for the birth or rebirth of the careers of some of the most significant rappers in our time is your mentor. While, in some instances, having a legend of Dr Dre’s stature looming over you could be a great disadvantage and immense pressure, the one thing Dre has always done is been able to provide artists with the...

Digital Crates: Stop Playing Vol. 1 – The Mixtape

Nov 26, 2012 | Sound

For those of you who love 'old school' hip hop and came up in the early years, how often do you ask yourself, whatever happened to ....? A group whose music I enjoyed in the early nineties was Fu-Schickens, especially Chip Fu, who had a delivery/flow that was unique to him. I've always wondered where he was until early 2012 when I came across him on Twitter. It was a big deal for me when he tweeted me and I have kept up with what he's been up to since. Sometime over the last two years, he re-invented himself as Jungle Rock Jr and delved into reggae and ragga. You can imaging my delight in...