VIDEO: Planet Rock: The Story of Hip Hop and the Crack Generation’

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’86 was a dope year, figuratively and literally. VH1 Rock Docs is presenting ‘Planet Rock: The Story of Hip Hop and the Crack Generation‘ (trailer above). The hour long documentary is narrated and executive produced by Ice-T (aka Scotty Appleton from crack era movie du jour New Jack City) and features commentary from artists like B-Real, Raekwon, RZA and Snoop Dogg. Looks like the film will be covering the relationship between rap and crack cocaine, as well as notorious (now former) drug dealers like Azie Faison and Freeway Ricky Ross.

A lot of your favorite MCs (BIG, Jay-Z, Nas, etc.) have rapped extensively about the crack era, glamorizing it in the process no matter how clearly their rhymes reiterate that ish was NOT sweet on the ghetto streets. I’ve personally seen friend’s parents ruins their lives thanks to that crack pipe and it made walking the cracked South Bronx pavement a daily adventure. So while the fresh gear, music and good times were great, to hell with the dope fiends, murders for chump change and all around f*ckery. And yeah, blame the CIA.

‘Planet Rock: The Story of Hip Hop and the Crack Generation’ airs Sunday, September 18 at 10 PM EST. [H/T The Juice]

RELATED: 

The Source July 1994 issue featuring Eazy-E (includes Part 1 of epic “10th Summer of Crack” story) [THIMK]

VIDEO: Big K.R.I.T. “Vent” + Need To Know Interview

New video from Big K.R.I.T. for “Vent,” off his Return of 4Eva mixtape. I interviewed Big K.R.I.T. for AOL Blackvoices’ Huffington Post Blackvoices’ now defunct TheBVX.com last May for a column called “Need To Know.” At the time he wasn’t signed to Def Jam and his K.R.I.T. Was Here mixtape was getting repeated burn, and still is. Couldn’t find the original story online, so I reposted it here.

K.R.I.T.’s proper debut, Live From The Underground, is due in stores September 27.

Who: Big K.R.I.T. (meaning King Remembered In Time) is a self-sufficient, 23-year-old rapper and producer representing Meridien, Mississippi as home.

Credentials: K.R.I.T. spent years honing his skills on the mic and — since he couldn’t afford to pay producers — the beats (starting with his Playstation’s MTV Music Generator video game, no less). But K.R.I.T. let the rap world know David Banner wasn’t the only show in his state after he aligned his own Multi label with the Cinematic Music Group and the Dame Dash-affiliated online content label Creative Control — they handle the visuals, shown below — to release “K.R.I.T. Wuz Here.”

Why: K.R.I.T.’s mastery of matching soul drenched production (all his own) to his thoughtfully rendered Southern fried rhyme parables makes him one of hip-hop’s most promising new artists, regardless of region. “K.R.I.T. Wuz Here” isn’t just a glorified mixtape but a full blown album with assistance from Smoke DZA, Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa and Devin the Dude. And we dare say, one of the better releases of 2010. Meetings with major labels are being held, but all K.R.I.T. will divulge is, “2010 is going to be a great year.”

Musical Recipe: The double duty talents, rhyming and producing, of the late Pimp C with the fiery delivery of 8Ball & MJG.

Sample Selections:

“Hometown Hero”

“Children of the World”

“KING”

Download: “K.R.I.T. Wuz Here”
Quotable: “The first time out the gate I want people to understand that I’m human. I have different days. Some days I don’t feel like dealing with the bullshit. Some days it’s just about money. Some days [are] spiritual. You go through so many emotions throughout life; I wanted my album to be just the same. Nineteen records of different emotions, depending on how you felt that day and what you’re going through. I just wanted to put the music out there and let people know that I’m the type of artist you can relate to and I go through the same stuff you go through. The glamor and the glitz of the industry, that’s for television. When you riding in the car, all you hear is my voice and this music, that’s it. I want people to vibe out to my words and hopefully take something from what I said that might inspire [them].”

VIDEO: GZA “Liquid Swords” x Wavves x Fuel TV

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This seems totally random, but is nevertheless dope. GZA/Genius performs “Liquid Swords” with musical accompaniment from the Wavves on Fuel TV’s ‘The Daily Habit.’ OG video below. [Spotted at Pitchfork]

RIP KASE 2 x Graffiti KING

Hearing via Twitter that pioneering graffiti legend KASE 2 (CASE)—born Jeff Brown—has passed away. Will add more info as it becomes available. A South Bronx representative, “One arm” KASE got a boost in fame after he appeared in the seminal Hip-Hop documentary Style Wars, which should be in your collection, back in ’83. A clip of KASE in the film below. RIP.

UPDATE: MTV RapFix blog posted some nice words on KASE, who succumbed to cancer, from King Phade.

RELATED:

KING CASE2 T.F.P! rest in paradise my brother love you! [12OzProfit]

Young Jeezy x Source Magazine Cover

“I think they deserve a classic. They’ve waited long enough. I think that every record on this album is an anthem.”—Young Jeezy

Jeezy covers the August/September issue of The Source. Hits news stands August 23. As for his new album, TM103, September 20 is the due date. Also, wrote about his show at the Highline Ballroom last week for MTV News.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… x The Purple Tape x 16 Year Anniversary

“For real, it’s just slang rap democracy, here’s the policy, slide off the ring, plus the Wallabees.”—Raekwon (“Incarcerated Scarfaces”)

On August 1, 1995, the Purple Tape dropped. Needless to say, sixteen years later, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… remains one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums of all time. Check that, one of the greatest albums of all time, period. [H/T UpNorthTrips]

All the videos from Raekwon’s masterpiece, “guest starring” Ghostface Killah, below.

RELATED:

VIDEO: Author Alvin Blanco Explains His New Wu-Tang Clan Biography

“Heaven & Hell”

“Glaciers of Ice”

“Criminology”

“Ice Cream”

“Incarcerated Scarfaces”