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R.I.P. Beastie Boy Adam “MCA” Yauch May 18, 2012

We at the Hip-Hop Culture Center were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Beastie Boys member MCA earlier this month. Leaving behind a long legacy of generous philanthropy and great music, we asked some of our favorite H2C2 MCs to weigh in. –

M-Tri (H2C2 Featured Artist of the Month)
“A great voice, ill rhyme sayer, dope bass player /
I’d be lying if I said the man ain’t had flavor /
b-boy humanitarian, but so much more /
an inspiration for my generation, plus he opened the door.”

B.S. of Dollar Coffee
“From trying to get girls craftier than ice is cold /
to trying to ‘Free Tibet’ in a pair of DC’s /
Today I’m spending my last dollar on a Sabrett /
And joining MCA in Brooklyn to finally get some sleep.”

It was a sad day for radio last week with the announcement of longtime rival New York stations 98.7 KISS FM and WBLS (107.5). Some of out favorite New York MCs who grew up on the station had these thoughts to share –

AtLas
“Hip-hop suffers yet another loss, tragic /
But truthfully the essence left along with Mr. Magic /
to some it may just be moving to something better /
but for several generations, it’s the end of an era.”

Priest Forever of the Gecko Brothers
“30 years you were there to kiss my ears daily /
emmis came along and their share holders were scaly /
Snakes took a 9 and ate the voice of a community /
so the house that Frankie built is home to kiss, now how’s that for unity?”

On Monday, the internet was shocked (and you know how hard it is to shock the internet) with the release of beloved soul artist Brian McKnight’s NSFW new song “If You’re Ready to Learn.” Putting the “blue” back into “rhythm and blues,” its oddly neighborly vulgarity has sent the hip-hop community into flashbacks of artists who’ve attempted to reinvent their image and come out doing anything but “keeping it real.” It’s not as if Justin Timberlake brought sexy back the second he stepped out of N*SYNC.

We again asked some of our favorite H2C2 MCs for their perspectives in rhyme form. After, we invite you to comment on this shocking turn of events in rhyme as well!

M-Tri (H2C2 Featured Artist of the Month)
“It seems a song like this really could hurt /
When your image is clean but you want to show ‘em how the pussy works /
Brian McKnight ain’t a guy who’d have to rely on this /
Hey, maybe he’s studying to be a gynecologist!”

AtLas
“A once respected crooners, til ou acted like a coon /
Claiming that you did it cause there’s nothing more to do /
Feeling disenchanted with the things you’re chosen to do /
You gotta act responsibly when you’re the chosen few”

Priest Forever of the Gecko Brothers
“‘Let me show you how this industry works…’/
R&B dudes singing like sexually deviant jerks./
16 grammy nods, reputation got tainted though/
cause you sang dirty songs on twitter when record sales got slow.”

Last weekend, many were surprised to see (or is that see-through) Tupac Shakur return to the stage in the form of a hologram. With his mother’s blessings, the Dre-funded faux-Pac rocked the Coachella crowd alongside a flesh-and-blood Snoop as “live” musical performances have entered a new frontier.

To get some more perspectives on it, we asked some of our favorite MCs H2C2 MCs their thoughts on the Holo-Pac. Afterward, we invite YOU the reader to give us your thoughts in rhyme as well!

M-Tri (H2C2 Featured Artist of the Month) -
The Tupac hologram, I’m not a fan.
Is this the best way to give props to this man?
By recreating his image as if he were still living?
I think it’s disrespectful, if you ask my opinion.

Genesis Be -
Hail Mary, resurrected on the front of the screen.
No propaganda beef, no Death Row team.
Only real shit spit through the soul of a king,
to a dead generation addicted to fake dreams.

Priest Forever of the Gecko Brothers -
Coachella was the place, also the cause for much alarm when
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg had a “Holo-Pac” perform with them.
My only thought was “Really? Hip Hop needs this?
What’s next? Creflo Dollar rocking sermons with a ‘Hologram-Jesus?’”