Jay-Z, in an interview about his new book, Decoded, says rap music should be considered poetry.
Beats to teach
Sometimes, hip hop can be a powerful educational tool. And I’m not just talking about teaching some kids the alphabet or with some kids hip hop. I mean actually directly incorporating hip hop into the educational curriculum. That’s what Nikki Giovanni did. This isn’t the first time we’ve covered Giovaani’s work, either. We did one […]
B.C. hip-hop artists lend a helping hand
It may not be groundbreaking news, but we have a policy here at 4080 that any time the CBC uses the phrase “fresh rhymes, beats” in an article title, we have have to blog about it. And if you don’t believe this could ever happen, head over to the CBC’s website and prepare to be […]
4080Records Presents: D’Mite
D’Mite is a surprisingly talented emcee. A self-professed “poet with a hip hop style” is a huge fan of reading, and does his best to take this message to the masses. Like so many others in modern day North America, he’s grown pretty sick and tired of hearing the same old tired rap that’s being […]
4080Records Presents: Shane Koyczan
Spoken word has long had a pretty strong following. In the artistic sense, it is one of the most difficult art forms to master. It takes genuine skill and lyricism to construct a poem that has the melody and power necessary to sway the crowd. Shane Koyczan, the Canadian born poet, doesn’t exactly look like […]