HEADLINE ARCHIVE #7

HEADLINES FOR MARCH 20, 2001

HIP HOP BOYCOTT OF HEINEKEN
info by ToolsofWar

Perhaps you saw the Heineken commercial, during the Grammy's, featuring a DJ rockin' the party, back in the early 80's. He accidentally spills his beer on the turntables and when he attempts to wipe it off he "invents" the scratch. The year shown on the screen is 1982.

Many of Hip Hop's legendary DJs have expressed their outrage but the most insulted of all is the actual creatorof the scratch, GrandWizard Theodore. In the Summer of 1975, at the age of 13, Theodore created the technique that would eventually become one of the signature sounds of Hip Hop music today.

As you can see from the responses below- some people still possess the revolutionary spirit that sparked Hip Hop in the first place!

Below are a few responses from some old school deejays:

GrandWizzard Theodore (L Brothers & Fantastic 5): "It's a disgrace to the Hip Hop culture. Heineken doesn't know the culture and they don't contribute to it, then they have the audacity to give wrong information about how scratching started! They take from the culture and they don't give back. We should boycott Heineken. Scratching started in 1982? I don't think so. That commercial is a total disgrace. What they did was very very upsetting. I guess it's true that the people shouldn't be using their own product. They must have been drinking too many Heinekens when they made this commercial."

MixMaster Ice (U.T.F.O.): " I think it's an insult to people like myself and especially the pioneers who originated and laid the groundwork for where Hip Hop is today. These people (Heineken) don't know about, were not part of, and had nothing to do with where Hip Hop came from or where it's headed. They need to do more research and include more pioneers in their commercials so the culture can be preserved and taken into the next millennium where the truth lies. The truth lies with the pioneers! This Hip Hop thing is only around 25 years old. Originators and people like myself are still around. We can keep Hip Hop culture preserved and keep the truth out there. People of today may do their research but are not going to know the history like the
people who were actually there to help lay the foundation. To put it another way, the people who build a house will know the house better than the people who live in it. What Heineken did, when they wrote '1982', was took out a big chunk of history. They misinformed an enormous amount of people out there. That's not history. That is 'his story'. 'His story' is not history. They need to get the facts straight and put the right information out there."

DJ Charlie Chase (Cold Crush Brothers): "Obviously Heineken didn't use a Reputable consultant when they were working on this advertisement and if they did, he/she needs to be fired. It's plain to see that Heineken is not doing their marketing homework, because if they had, they wouldn't have insulted millions of hip hop viewers and listeners, the same hip hop viewers and listeners that make Heineken one of the largest selling import beers in this country. What Heineken probably said was "hey, this looks cute and makes us look really cool so let's put it out there cause it will sell more beer" without taking the time to get the facts. Like a lot of other industries including the recording industry, Heineken is not taking hip hop seriously enough to give it the proper representation it deserves. Yea I agree, it was just a lousy commercial done incorrectly and, "now you see it, now you don't and on with our lives." True that!!!! But the bucket is now overflowing with all the little specks of bullshit that's been dropped in by industries and artists who want to make money at hip hop's expense. What I want to do is call on all the heavy weights in hip hop, the ones who are making all the megadollars on endorsements, to speak up on this matter. I have no enemies in this business and I get a lot of respect and praise for my accomplishments from artists who claim to say "if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be here today doing what I'm doing." So now I call on those same artists (and you know who you are) to defend the reputation of people like Grand Wizard Theodore and others, like myself, by speaking out and letting industries like Heineken know that you can't insult our intelligence with misinforming advertisements like that and get away with it, without answering to it. If you respect us and praise us then stand with us in speaking out for what we worked and slaved so hard for........ Hip hop aka the truth!!!!

A true activist, DJ Kuttin Kandi gave someone named Mercedes, at Heineken, a call on Fri. March 2 and told her what she thought about that wack commercial. You can call Heineken USA: 914-681-4100 or e-mail at
info@heinekenusa.com or info@heineken.com to tell them what you think.

HEADLINES FOR MARCH 18, 2001

WHODINI AND ROXANNE SHANTE IN XXL

Check out the XXL #23 for two stellar articles on these two old school pioneers.

Both include good histories and recent interviews with the artists. Don't miss out.

HIP HOP ON THE "GREATEST SONGS LIST"

Basically this list is crap, but I thought I'd pass along where which old school songs made it. The bogus list was compiled by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

#162 Rapper's Delight - The Sugarhill Gang
#280 The Message - Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5

That's it....pretty much worthless.

To see the entire worthless list so you can hold with as much disdain as I do, click here.

HEADLINES FOR MARCH 11, 2001

TOMMY BOY RELEASES BAMBAATAA COLLECTION

Afrika Bambaataa is finally getting a compilation from Tommy Boy Records.

On March 20, "Looking for the Perfect Beat 1980-1985" will be released.

Here's a look at the track list:

1. Zulu Nation Throwdown - Afrika Bambaataa Zulu Nation Cosmic Force
2. Zulu Nation Throwdown - Bambaataa Zulu Nation Soul Sonic Force (alternate version)
3. Jazzy Sensation - (with The Jazzy 5, Bronx Version)
4. Planet Rock
5. Looking For The Perfect Beat
6. Renegades Of Funk
7. Frantic Situation - (with Shango)
8. Unity Part 1 (The Third Coming) - (with James Brown)
9. Who Do You Think You're Funkin' With? - (hip hop mix, featuring Melle Mel)
10. What Time Is It? - (live, featuring Melle Mel)
11. Funk You!
12. (untitled)

Click here to purchase the new disc

HEADLINES FOR FEBRUARY 24, 2001

KRS-ONE HOSTS MASSIVE OLD SCHOOL CONCERT

Make your plans to head to New York next week.

Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Whodini, Poor Righteous Teachers, Stetsasonic, Kool Moe Dee, Ultramagnetic MC's, Force MD's, Kurtis Blow, Dana Dane, Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock and UTFO are among the confirmed performers for an upcoming old school concert scheduled for March 2 at New York's Irving Plaza. The event will be hosted by KRS-One and Red Alert.Performances by:

The new KRS-One album, Sneak Attack, will also be in stores next month. has just released the first single, "Hot," from his forthcoming album, Sneak Attack, which is due out March 27.

In related news, plans are moving ahead for the fourth annual Hip-Hop Appreciation Week. The theme of the week, which runs May 14-21, is charity. The Temple of Hiphop, the official preservation society founded by KRS-One that documents and promotes hip-hop culture, will oversee the planning of the week.

HEADLINES FOR FEBRUARY 7, 2001

NEW RUN DMC DATE?

According to Arista.Com, Crown Royal will now be released on April 3 not February 27 as previously planned.

Anyone else who has info about this is encouraged to send it in.

In other news, Run recently commented on DMC's absence saying they were still together and planned to continue touring as a group.

Your guess is as good as mine these days.

HEADLINES FOR JANUARY 17, 2001

RUN DMC PUSHED BACK 2 WEEKS

In yet another in a series of delays, Run DMC's new album Crown Royal has been pushed back again from February 13 to February 27.

HEADLINES FOR DECEMBER 30, 2000

FURIOUS 5 SUES LL

Members of the Furious 5 have decided to make news again with another lawsuit.

This time around they've set their sights on LL Cool J and his 1997 song "4,3,2,1" from the album Phenomenon.

The suit claims that LL used part of their Enjoy! Records song "Superrappin'".

EPMD's Erick Sermon and Def Jam are also named in the suit in which the group hopes to get in on some of the profits made from the record.

This is the second lawsuit filed by the group this year. You may recall last June when they filed suit against Will Smith saying he and a partner took sole writing credit for the song "Will2K" which the Furious 5 said also included portions of "Superrappin".

HEADLINES FOR DECEMBER 18, 2000

CROWN ROYAL ON 2/13/2001

As those of you who have followed this saga know, any release date for for Run DMC's Crown Royal has to be taken with a bit of skepticism. Having said that, a new date has been making its way around the net.

Apparently on February 13 of next year (February 12 in the UK so I'm told) the new album will be released.

"Rock Show" a song done with Third Eye Blind will be the first single. To hear the complete version of this song, follow the link below (and keep your fingers crossed that the date sticks).

Click Here to Listen to "Rock Show" on Real Audio

HEADLINES FOR DECEMBER 1, 2000

DMC BECOMES AN AUTHOR

Following in the footsteps of partner in rhyme DJ Run, DMC has his own autobiography in the works for next year.

Titled "King of Rock : Respect, Responsibility, and My Life With Run-DMC", it is set for release in March of next year.

Will Smith has written the introduction for a book that will most likely give more detail on the group's history than Run's book It's Like That : A Spiritual Memoir did this year.

Click here to pre-order your copy

HEADLINES FOR NOVEMBER 28, 2000

RUN DMC DVD SET FOR 12/12

Despite their latest effort Crown Royal being delayed another 4 months (March 6, 2001), the Kings from Queens do have one release right around the corner.

A new DVD entitled Run DMC will be hitting stores on December 12.

With a running time of ninety minutes, the disc will contain all of their videos prior to 2000 as well as a documentary called "Who Changed the Face of Hip Hop."

Videos included are:
            1. Rock Box
            2. King of Rock
            3. Walk This Way
            4. Christmas In Hollis
            5. Run's House
            6. Beats To The Rhyme
            7. It's Like That
            8. It's Tricky
            9. Pause
            10. On The Avenue

Click Here to order your copy of the new disc.

HEADLINES FOR NOVEMBER 11, 2000

ZULU NATION CELEBRATES 26 YEARS

This weekend is the 26th Anniversary of the Mighty Zulu Nation.

Confirmed performances include:

DJs: Afrika Bambaataa, Grand Wizard Theodore, Grand Master Dee (Whodini), DJ Jazzy Jay, Grand Master Caz, Tony Tone.

Emcees: Raheim, Double Trouble, The Crash Crew, The Cold Crush Brothers, Grand Master Caz (solo), and KRS-One.

Dancers: Speedy Legs, Speedy D, and Ken Swift who have arranged and will be hosting the Zulu Warrior B-Boy Battle and B-Boy Cipher Throw Down. Of course poppers, lockers, b-boys, b-girls, and uprockers will be throwing down all weekend in the circles.

Writers (Graffiti): Countless legends will be in attendance on all 3 days however the main showcase will appear on Sunday, Nov. 12th.

Vocal Percussionists (also known as "beat boxers": MB2000's DOA and Emanon

This weekend's events are a perfect example of a positive Hip Hop community coming together from all parts of the world to celebrate the true essence and excitement of what Hip Hop was meant to be. This is a perfect opportunity for you to show the positive aspects of a culture rich in music, dance, art, and oral tradition.

All information came from Zulu Nation Press Release. Check out www.zulunation.com for more info.

EPIC RECORDS TO RELEASE NEW COMPILATION

On November 21, Epic Records will release "Vinyl Exams" a new compilations of hits from the mid 1980's.

Click here for a track listing.

The album will be mixed by Bobbito and will include interviews with many of the artists throughout.

The enhanced disc will feature Crazy Legs and GrandWizard Theodore working out their skills on your home computer.

The best news is that Epic plans to continue to release more of these albums in the future. Get them while you can, you know old school discs don't stay in print for long.

GRANDMASTER FLASH'S DJ BATTLE

Grandmaster Flash continues to bring the old school back with his latest effort.

He plans to start a new DJ battle called, The Grandmaster Flash World Turntable Invitational.

The tournament will begin with preliminary rounds next year. It will feature only unique records and flawless techniques with no samples allowed.

A cash prize will be waiting for the winner.

More information will follow once it becomes available.