About MC's Music Notes

I'm MC, a guy who became really into rap and hip hop music early on before it really exploded and became mainstream. Earlier memories include my parents giving me Fat Boys albums to listen to and renting the Beat Street movies for me. From those I graduated into listening to tapes of Roxanne Shante, RUN DMC and Beastie Boys. It continued to evolve as rap grew, with groups like 3rd Bass and A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Ice Cube really keeping me entertained. I don't purport to be anything more than a fan of the music. I have a deep appreciation for old school rap and the pioneers who paved the way. I feel hip-hop is probably the best musical expression there is, involving a tremendous amount of creativity both in terms of beat creation, samples and the lyrics themselves. Many times I'll hear something mentioned somewhere and it clicks, that tidbit was mentioned in a rap song. While rap music still gets hated on, I think critics fail to see how valuable and powerful a tool it really is. People like Bill O' Reilly and other loudmouths tend to bash the music rather than examining the positive influences it can have. Jay-Z has even said it's had a bigger influence than any other figure - political, historical, or other famed positions. Some of my favorite acts today include Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, The Roots, Outkast, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, MF Doom, Mr. Lif, T.I., Lloyd Banks and Wu-Tang Clan. That list can go on forever and ever and ever... This blog will highlight the occasional hip hop or music news, commentary on various pop culture concepts, my personal favorites in music and movies, and much, much more. You can contact me at mcmusicnotes[at]mcstylin[dot]com Check out my classic rap albums list here. Check out 6 hip-hop/rap movies I recommend here. Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed here. Subscribe to Music Notes by MC by Email. Return to MC's Music Notes home page.