golden age.

remember when hip-hop wasn't about dudes who had the most expensive chain or the biggest rims? i do. i remember when wu-tang, biggie and a tribe called quest were played in heavy mainstream rotation on HOT 97. now all you hear on hot 97 is some shitty ass "artists" with stupid effects on their vocals and videos full of rented jewelry, cars and girls. its a sad day in the world of hip-hop. there aren't lyricists anymore in mainstream hip-hop. its a bunch of dudes talking about stuff that most people can't afford. corny hook lines. people don't tell stories anymore. there is no substance to hip-hop anymore. unless you go here of course.

but even before my era. before biggie. before wu-tang. there were the true innovators. the street corner rhymers. the original MCs. the breakdancers. the graffiti crews. the battles and beef between queensbridge and the boogie down bronx. this is where hip-hop came from. the roots. it's an era that is long gone, and sorely missed by people like me who didn't even get a chance to see it in its infancy. now i can hardly listen to any kind of new "hip-hop". it's a real shame.

this is when people were truly keeping it real:























check out a bunch more here.

that real shit.

through my work and times with division east, i have really been put on to a lot of seriously ill peeps. peeps who really hold shit down and keep it real.

a lot of people are turned off by new-era hip-hop, myself included. i don't wanna hear some dudes talking about how much money they have and how much their chain costs. i don't wanna see videos full of fake ass dudes driving rented ferraris and wearing fake rolexs and costume jewelry. that shit is terrible.

yeah i do like hip-hop. good hip-hop. old hip-hop. 80's and 90's hip-hop. when dudes told stories and talked about some real shit. true lyricists. true writers and producers. shit that you just sat around and smoked philly blunts to. yeah i said philly blunts. but for real, that era is basically dead in mainstream hip-hop. you got a lot of good underground cats still keeping it real, but when i was growing up you would hear rough ass shit like wu-tang on hot 97. it ain't like that anymore. hot 97 might as well be z100. it's terrible. and kids now have no idea how bad the music is that they listen to. i thank god that i grew up when i did.

but anyway, through my travels i had the pleasure of meeting my man max jerome who really holds it down and keeps shit real. i've been doing a lot of flyers/artwork for him and if you have a chance, go peep one of his events. you will not be disappointed. i've seen bars erupt into full-on dance parties with this dude on the wheels of steel.

here's a few upcoming events. artwork is mine. 1s & 2s are all max jerome.