Strollerderby : hip hop

Hip Hop Video Addresses Same-Sex Parenting

Shannon LC Cate — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Lesbian hip hop artist Melange Lavonne has used her music to address important political and social issues from gay-bashing to partner abuse. Now she's got a moving song about same-sex parenting called "I've Got You."

See the video below the cut. You should screen it before sharing it with your children.

Thanks to Mombian for the lead!

Lego Hip Hop Album Covers

Brett Singer — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Legos are one of the few toys that appear to have stood the test of time. If I were to make a list of the toys I played with as a child (even an overgrown child), I can't think of any that are still around. Yes, there are OTHER action figures, but Legos are essentially the same as they always were.

Many artists have made Lego-based animations, re-created famous landmarks using the plastic blocks, and so on. Now someone has re-made 20 of what they call "classic" hip-hop albums with Lego folks.

Some of them just don't work – Dr. Dre as a Lego piece just loses some of his essential Dr. Dre-ness.

But De La Soul's "Three Feet High and Rising" is great, as are the two Lego hands used for EPMD's "Back in Business."

A completely separate issue is which of these albums are in fact classics. (Kids – remember that "albums" are large black shiny things with a hole in the middle that old people like me sometimes use to listen to music. Like CDs. But different.) I would argue that "Three Feet High and Rising" is, whereas the Beastie Boys "Hello Nasty" is not their best work. (Although the Lego cover for that one works better than some of the others.)

Could this be a way to introduce your children to hip-hop? Probably not. Most of these discs aren't really appropriate for young kids. That said, De La Soul's "Me Myself and I" would probably be a hit in my house with the short people who live there. Maybe I'll dig that out and give it a try. I think I have it on cassette, though. (I feel old.)

To see the full collection, visit FormatMag.com.

Source: FormatMag via BuzzFeed

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It's Hip Hop . . . for Babies

JeanneSager — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:53:00 GMT

All I could think was a sippy cup of gin and juice. So I've got to tell you, finding out "It's Hip Hop Baby" was just a bunch of kids bouncing around playing Simon Says and shaking their sillies out on a TV screen has definitely made me more "laid back."

A riff off of the old Sesame Street interstitials of kids dancing around onscreen to get your kids off their feet, "It's Hip Hop Baby" is less Baa, Baa, Black Sheep . . . more Bump, Bump, Shake That Little Booty. The thirty-minute video - one of a series of several in the works from producer Candi Carter - is still focused on kids, but they're trying to get away from the same old, same old kid music.

Does it work? The kids like it - my daughter was furiously trying to master "head, shoulders, knees and toes." She was getting close when they threw in the "eyes, ears, mouth and nose" bit. The stars are regular off-the-street kids with the kinds of goofy grins and silly stories that have been making these kinds of videos wholesome entertainment for years. So "It's Hip Hop Baby" is fun for kids, and a nice change of pace for parents to boot.

But it's not really hip hop - no, not even the Dre and Snoop beats without the lyrics. Would parents really want hip hop for their kids at this age - the series is promoted for kids ages two to six? Lyrics removed, I could see more of a hip hop influence to the sound getting them moving - if it works in the club on a bunch of drunk teen and twenty-somethings, why wouldn't it work on a bunch of toddlers?

Maybe that's the next mashup to take YouTube by storm . . . Lil Wayne does it lil kid style.

Image: It's Hip Hop Baby

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Mix Rap With Kid Shows and Whaddya Get?

JeanneSager — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:33:00 GMT

Stephanie in all her pink haired cheeriness just can't take the nasty out of Lil' Jon. So while the assorted awesomeness of hip hop mashed up against our kids' favorites shared by Cole earlier today is disturbingly hilarious, you'd do well to kick the kids out of the room before watching it. Oh, and that goes for this post too.

Some parents get all ferklempt when folks start messing with their kids' characters. But if your five-year-old is perusing YouTube, you'd be better off spending your time worrying about something else. . . namely, them. The rest of you? Check out Cole's post on Unreality Magazine's list of Twelve of the Best Kids Show/Rap Mash-Ups.They use the word "rap" loosely. Right Said Fred? Really guys? That's actually the lamest on the list anyway - because who wants to watch Hannah/Miley/Smiley/Achy Breakying Daddy's Heart and hear the words "I'm too sexy?" Ew. Just ew.

The Lil' Jon and Lazy Town mash up, however, is pure art. The others are clever, although they're your basic "take video clip, lay new song over" design (with impeccable timing - check Mr. Krabs eye-popping action in the Spongebob/Eminem's "Just Lose It" video). Mixing Stephanie's "Gotta Do the Cooking by the Book" with Lil' Jon dropping the mother of all f bombs? G-f'ing-en-i-ous. Warning: listening to Lil' Jon might destroy your vocabulary. It will also get you thinking about all the funny things you found while wandering around YouTube when you're stuck with only a computer to amuse your pre-schooler (long story, so let's just say hooray for hulu).

In other words? They were missing some of my favorites. So here's another taste of rappers doing it kid's school:

Dora, Dora, Dora the Whore-a!

How does Pablo push it?

Fraggle caught in your throat?

They call him Charlie 3000.

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Gimme a Beat: Hip-Hop for Preschoolers

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 17:02:00 GMT

Entrepreneurial mom Candi Carter noticed that her son loved rhythmic music so much that she decided to create a beat-heavy video called It's Hip Hop, Baby to get her kid (and your kid) moving.

After scouring the market for "cutting edge" musical DVDs she found nothing that she liked so she went out and did it herself. It's Hip Hip, Baby contains a mix of kid classics and original songs. Even though Carter says she is more of a Pat Benetar and Foreigner fan (rawk!), she felt that hip hop music had broader appeal to kids.

On the next CD, crunk kings Lil Jon and the Eastside Boys teach your kids how not to "Act a Fool," Akon reworks his ode to strippers "I Wanna Love You" into a lullabye, and Ciara teaches kids the "1, 2 Step." (Um, which my kids already know. *Hangs head.*)

It's Hip Hop, Baby is available on Amazon.com.

Can I Get a What-What?: Schools Turn To Hip-Hop to Teach Kids About Music

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 12:01:00 GMT

When I was a kid, we had band and orchestra class in school. If we wanted to play an instrument, regardless of income or background, we could learn. Nowadays, unless (public) schools raise their own funds to pay for them, music classes are almost non-existent. Low-income schools have been hit particularly hard by budget cuts, and many feel pressure to focus resources on preparing students for standardized tests.

But for a select group of kids, things are about to change. "Lower-income kids across the country will soon be getting a free music education through hip-hop and other pop tunes they can relate to. Boston's Berklee College of Music is reaching out to (several) cities with a 15-year-old program that's made instrumental and vocal music accessible to underprivileged local children."

With technology provided by Apple Computer, Berklee alumni will teach students how to play individual sections of their favorite songs and then to play along with "special computer mixes" of them. If they are learning how create pop songs, I wonder if they'll spend the bulk of their time mastering Ableton Live and learning how pitch-correction software works. (Hi, Asslee Simpson! I'm talkin' about you!)

Thirty-five kids wanting to learn how to play "I Wanna Love You," fighting over who gets to be Akon and who gets to be Snoop. I hope the Berklee alums learn how to channel Suge Knight before setting foot in the classroom. Still, I hope the idea catches on.

[via WIFR]

Strollerderby : hip hop

Hip Hop Video Addresses Same-Sex Parenting

Lego Hip Hop Album Covers

Miss Piggy Wants a Bailout For Christmas

Working Parents Smackdown Part 2 – Dads With Jobs vs Moms With Jobs

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It's Hip Hop . . . for Babies

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Mom Scratches 'B**ch' on Son's Face with Crayon

Babble Talk: The Easter Bunny Can House Santa

Teacher Tells Kids: Santa's Not Real

Their Favorite Characters: Christmas-ized

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Mix Rap With Kid Shows and Whaddya Get?

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Kid Arrested for Farting

Gimme a Beat: Hip-Hop for Preschoolers

Can I Get a What-What?: Schools Turn To Hip-Hop to Teach Kids About Music