Don’t be on the late show w/ David Letterman! Start following @JonConnorMusic now! The super-lyrical Flint, MI native is making his rounds already. If you’re up on this fairly new gents music and work ethic, you can see he has made multiple appearances on the biggest djs shows such as Funk Flex and Tony Touch, lacing a few freestyles. Plus, he’s on a new blog every morning. As my homie, C. SParks would say, Get Familiar!

His reverb nation profile sums up Jon Connor in a few sentences:

Labeled as “The Peoples Rapper”, Jon Connor is third generation musical talent with the triple threat abilities of writing, producing, and performing. Jon Connor’s innovative style of music using unique beats, merged with raw emotions, and clever lyrics is a talent that cannot be silenced. His music conveys genuine purpose and individuality, rare qualities in contemporary rappers.

I’ve been checking out this dude for a lil minute but this freestyle was enough for me. He went real hip-hop with this one so I gotta respect it. Check It Out

Jon Connor – Know The Ledge Freestyle

This February I want to acknowledge Black History month as well as Valentines Day within one project. The title is #WhereIsTheLove? The content will highlight the issues within the black community, our music and culture, as well as our relationships. So why not feature some scenarios where love should be present.

Natalie Nunn of Bad Girls Season 4 wants Wiz to get out of her fan club. For some reason, I think that she’s just wondering where the same love is from before. It was all good just a week ago.

Shouts Out to my homies CoCo&Breezy (Rihanna Twins lol)

Shouts Out To Kwesi of 99P, who, just recently, composed the article, “To Beat or Not To Beat” and in keeping with the theme I wanna rant about a video that has went viral on the net of an Uncle showing his nephew tough love because he was posing as a gangsta on Facebook. This is actually something that I can relate to fore I have received a bunch of those from my uncle who spent a good deal of time in the Marines. He had a father, my grandfather, that would’ve done the same. Personally, I’m thankful to God and all of his friends for the discipline but that there wasn’t Facebook when I was a teenager.

While watching this you might’ve thought that it was funny or the uncle was being too hard on the kid. You might have even thought it was fake but in reality this is the most authentic way to discipline those who display out of control behavior such as the kind taking place on and offline. There needs to be more parental and authoritative intervention in the lives of our youth, male or female.

…says an animated Chris Rock who had his way with a crowd at The “Kennedy Centers Honors”. Luckily, Bossip was able to grab hold if the footage before YouTube made the clip forbidden to watch.

How uncomfortable is it, already, to be Oprah, one of the richest people in the room and then have someone, Chris Rock at that, on the center stage designate a whole segment to acknowledge how rich she really is. Being wealthy is almost like being the cure for aids. So many people appear to be in need of what you have in a abundance. How do you sleep without giving a full audience a gift? How do you ever enjoy sitting in an audience, knowing that the people amongst you know you are capable of buying them and everyone else something materialistic. These are some of the thoughts that crossed my mind as Chris Rock began patronizing the rich and powerful. I can only imagine the stresses of the rich versus the poor.

Among the elite sat the President and his life partner Michelle whom both were grazed by Rock’s verbal ammunition. Not to mention, Paul McCartney who seemed to accompany Oprah. Now thats MONEY, POWER, & RESPECT!

It’s safe to say, Nicki killed the verse as well as the video performance. Rick Ross & Jay Z just sat or stood there, which to me, supports my first theory when I heard this song; They seem out of place. In my opinion, Nicki is more of the monster and Kanye West is just outright crazy.

I never noticed how Charlie Wilson snuck on this one…lol

Whether it’s an old, unreleased track that just came to life or a brand new collaboration from a few of the industry’s top artists…I like it. The “3 Headed Monster” and Jay-Z are basically poking fun at while encouraging the new generation to step their game up or remain content with the mediocre success that comes with pre-meditated club music. The track is called “Syllables” which is something the newer artists have used less and less of.

Eminem – Syllables feat Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Stat Quo, Ca$his & 50 Cent

What appeared to be just another celebrity death hoax via Twitter has turned out to be a sad reality.

Known best for her hit songs “Lovergirl”, and “I’m a Sucker For Your Love”, R&B singer Teena Marie has died at the age of 54, according to CNN.

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b217919_singer_teena_marie_dead_54.html#ixzz19HRblMbi

Following rumors on Twitter of Marie’s passing, her manager, Mike Gardner, confirmed the death of the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sunday evening, after she was reportedly found dead in her home by her daughter. Her cause of death is not yet known.

Marie, born Marie Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, Calif., rose to fame in the late 1970′s and 1980′s after being signed to Motown Records in 1976. During her career, she released 13 studio albums and developed a partnership with the late Rick James, whom she collaborated with on the notable “Fire & Desire”.

The day before her passing on Christmas day, Marie headed to Twitter to wish fans a Merry Christmas.

“May Gods Light always shine on you and your family! May you have the most joyous Holliday season ever! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!,” Marie wrote.

Santa Ross comes down the chimney with his latest mixtape, Ashes to Ashes, featuring appearances from Drake, Ludacris, Wiz Khalifa, Ne-Yo, and T.I. on the Lex Luger-produced “9 Piece.” Additional production comes courtesy of Boi-1da, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, The Inkredibles, and more.

Most specifically, I have to acknowledge another Chester French sitting on the record, “Play Your Part” which assembles the newest generation of artists whom dwell on their other half’s addiction to the lifestyle they work so hard to maintain. Some women tend to play that role better than that of which is assigned to them. We, the artist, understand it and adjust accordingly, hence this song.

DOWNLOAD ASHES to ASHES HERE

Saigon might be on to something with this new release. You may remember the melody that was derived from the hit song, “Happy Together” that was released by The Turtles on Valentines Day, 1967. Inside, Saigon re-visits the most pressing issues that the young people as well as the older ones I know are face to face with on a daily basis.

Damn. As I watch Kobe walk off the court, he yells “f**k you” to a player, ref or a fan. In what seems to be not the best game for the Championship Lakers, a frustrated Kobe is ejected after receiving a charge followed by a technical. While Milwaukee residents celebrate what their struggling franchise is finally doing right, Los Angeles fans are trying to figure out, “What the hell went wrong?”

Chester French is still my favorite band, having been on the road with them and experienced their music firsthand. A new record has surfaced and with the soulful D.A. Wallach on the hook, Asher & his homeboy Nottz come together once again to provide a laid back record for the chill. In “Gotta Get Up” Asher explores his past adventures that leaves him in a comfortable predicament. And who really wants to get up from that? But life is to be lived again, so GET UP!!!!

Asher Roth, and producer/rapper Nottz Raw have teamed up to release their free Rawth EP on Monday, December 27th. Be on the lookout for that!

Apportionment is the process of dividing the seats in the House of Representatives among the 50 states based on the population figures collected during the decennial census. But how does it actually work? Through animation, the US Census Bureau helps explain how the apportionment formula is used to ensure equal representation for all, just like the Founding Fathers planned.

When it comes to the 9/11 first responders health coverage, The GOP aint buyin it. Jon Stewart, political satirist, dedicates a segment just for them.

Last week, I was in New York where I spent a few days in the mix with some of the non-profit sectors and Hip Hop’s elite such as American Values Institute, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Open Society Foundations, as well as Geoffrey Canada of The Harlem Children’s Zone who kicked off the conference by being the host facility of the panel that featured Russell Simmons, Nick Cannon, & Lupe Fiasco. The conference focused on trying to create a better portrayal of blacks, males in particular, on the big screen and in the music. I wanted to be a fly on the wall. On one hand, I have every right to be in that room but I represent a demographic that don’t even know that room exists.

“Success is what you make it, take it how it comes, A half a billion in 20s is like a billion where I’m from”, says Pusha T of The Clipse on Kanye’s ‘So Appalled’. He’s saying a lot in this one line. Some of us are content with mediocre success because everything else is either unrealistic or too hard to obtain given our circumstances. How can a young black man re-imagine something they never saw? We mimic our surroundings. To most of us common folk, there isn’t anything to imagine but the present. The present is unemployment, so get it by any means. This is why its so easy to tear our people/community down through our music/media instead of uplifting them/it. The Black Male is trying to survive ……..but we have been brainwashed to think that money is the only survival method.

The black male hasn’t been portrayed as a positive man in the media or on the big screen because he isn’t positive in real life. But some would say he isn’t positive in real life because of whats on the big screen or in the media.

Well, imagine The Huxtables in The Hood: Claire is the only parental role being played because Cliff didn’t like his role enough so he never came on set. At least that’s how the Cosby show played on my TV. Ok on the actual show, Cliff is supposed to represent a successful black man, and that’s the only representation of a successful black man that we knew of but it wasn’t real enough to believe that it could be us because of our fathers and lack thereof. Having a degree and a perfect family is society’s definition of success. So we created success through other avenues because the traditional school and work atmosphere wasn’t designed for us to strive in. Although, some did, the majority of us didn’t.

We can be successful but we might as well as be unsuccessful if we aren’t designing a blueprint like our predecessors tried to do for us. How hard is it or how easy is it for 100 black millionaires to come together and create POWER. You thought Obama winning the Presidency was inspiring. There is power in money and people. We have the money but the people won’t invest into anything if we don’t give them something solid and intentional. We’re more than basketball players now. We can own the league. We’re more than rappers, we made the industry what it is and can do it again. The Black Male has to believe in the Black male but for so long the Black male/female was made to believe that they were wrong and that the white was the only exception.

I’m here to tell you we’ve come along way, but we haven’t ARRIVED yet.

In a minute, making good music is going to be the thing to do. That’s scary, right? Check out this guy Dee-1 , whom we featured a few couple months back and is still making his presence felt with this record/video, ‘Jay, 50, & Weezy’ where he’s sitting those same big ol heads down and holding them accountable. He, somewhat reminds me of the homie, Bizzle who made his mark, basically, doing the same with more of a religious angle.

Dee dropped a mixtape entitled, ‘I Hope They Hear Me’ not too long ago and his sophomore album David & Goliath is currently available on iTunes.

Unfortunately, the majority of these types of dudes don’t get too far because they either lack the swag or the personality to take them and their brand to the next level. Their message grabs our attention but there isn’t much that can keep us interested in what else they may have to offer. I’m not feeling that way about this kid Dee-1, who seems to have all that in check. His swag is on 100 and his music is just as inspiring as J. Cole.

I HOPE EVERYONE HEARS YOU HOMIE.

Did you know that the freeway was being held up because of a alleged hostage situation? Of course, you did. It was all over the news and if you were on the Freeway, you were one of the thousands going nowhere, grabbing snickers. TMJ4, Milwaukee’s #1 source for…blah, blah, blah, has the video, here.

Karl Iglesias is an aspiring actor, MC, and published author from the south side of Milwaukee, WI. Karl is part of the second cohort of the revolutionary First Wave Hip Hop Theater Ensemble at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on a full-tuition scholarship for his work. Karl is a two-year BNV Alum (07,08), was the first Wisconsin Grand Slam Champion (08) and was the first artist to be part of the Wisconsin BNV team and the Milwaukee adult team in the same year (08). He was also part of the UW-Madison CUPSI slam team that placed second in the nation in 2009. Karl has performed his work on stages across the nation and has shared the stage with artists such as Rives, Rafael Casal, Dasha Kelly, Beau Sia. As the MC known as Oye, he has shared the stage with Rhymefest, Colin Munroe, and Wale, to name a few.

He’s independently supporting his new single featuring Klassik, ‘Party Hard’…My guess is that this song is an ode to the UW-Madison college campus life. We all know how they get down there and If ya don’t know, now ya know!

PartyHard ft Klassik

It’s not often that I listen to a Hip Hop song and hear anything uplifting within its lyrics. These guys have made an interesting comeback. Peep!

OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: CLIPSE ‘LIFE CHANGE’ FEAT PHARRELL AND KENNA from Shahan Jafri on Vimeo.

The Game is hopefully the last emcee to remix Wiz Khalifa’s ‘Black n Yellow’ but it’s one of the few remixes that I’ll co-sign. I’m down with the Purp & Yellow, Lakers that is. How appropriate, an ode to the champions who are embarking upon the post season that will confirm the similarities between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, for sure, if they receive another ring. With so much hype around the Heat and Boston, the westcoast is fortunate to have Uncle Snoop and friends show their hometown support.

Of course, Snoop could’ve very well been referring to marijuana the entire song and how could Wiz disapprove of this re-make of his sophomore smash-single…..check it out!

Hip Hop isn’t dead but is dying everyday!

Since HIV is hitting the African American community the hardest, it should mean a lot.

While HIV is not something that just affects African American, and Hip Hop is not something just black people enjoy or support, we can’t ignore the facts.

Just like Hip Hop runs through the blood of our inner cities, so does HIV.

Like Hip Hop, the fight against AIDS has been watered down. We are complacent with the medical advancements made just as Hip Hop is complacent with its commercial success.

Hip Hop’s lyrical content seems to be only about sex, popping bottles, and clothes. It has forgotten how to make people think. Today’s Hip Hop reflects a void of understanding within our community.

When it comes to AIDS in the African American community we have chosen to turn a blind eye and not talk about it. It makes us comfortable to ignore the subject.

The fact is our community is being hit the hardest. How can we remain silent any longer?

What happened to the Hip Hop campaigns in the early 1990s that told us to “Rap It Up?” Maybe some people are happy that we, as a community, have not learned how to work together in fighting HIV/AIDS or learned how to educate our brothers and sisters on safe sex. A line that replays in my head from Nas’ song “If I ruled the World” exclaims, “It’s elementary, they want us all gone eventually.”

AIDS has not gone away. It has become a silent killer in the African American community because we have forgotten how to speak up and speak out. We don’t seem to care about our neighbors or ourselves. This is evident in the lack of responsibility people are taking with their own sexual health. CDC estimates that more than one million people are living with HIV in the United States. One in five (21%) of those people living with HIV is unaware of their infection. This means that people could be unknowingly infecting others. At what point will we start talking about HIV without our minds drifting to the long held misconception that it is a gay disease? The H in HIV stands for human, meaning any part of the human body that gives life, or preserves life can transmit HIV.

While African Americans make up only 12% of the US population, we make up 50% of all new diagnosis of HIV. For my African American women, HIV infection is nearly 15 times as high as that of white women and nearly 4 times that of Hispanic/Latina women.

My Black men, unlike the lyrics in today’s Hip Hop would have you believe, our sexual behavior does have consequences. You account for two-thirds of new infections (65%) among all blacks.

We have to talk to our sexual partners about HIV and STD’s like our life depends on it because guess what, it does. We have to become responsible for the images we portray and the lifestyles that we glamorize. I challenge you today to: 1) Get tested. Know your status. Early detection can be the difference between life and death. 2) Educate yourself on HIV/AIDS. 3) Talk about it to your family friends’ co-workers. Talk about HIV on Twitter, Facebook or whatever social media site you may use. Just speak up.
AIDS is killing our people because of our fear of being judged if we bring up the subject. Well excuse me but I cannot and will not sit back and watch the demise of my community because of fear of what people will think of me, can you?
Who will be the new pioneers in Hip Hop? Who will be the new voice of protest within our community?

December 1st is World AIDS Day. This is an opportunity to raise awareness, commemorate those who have passed on, and celebrate victories such as increased access to treatment and prevention services, BUT December 1st is also the day Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The act of one person standing up for what is right set in motion the act of followers following and speaking up!

Who will be the Rosa Parks of today?

Hydeia Broadbent was born with HIV and abandoned at birth. At age 26, she has now become an international HIV activist since first appearing on Oprah at age 6.