ProHipHop: Hip Hop Marketing & Business News

Robin Downes' Yoga Flava Mixes Hip Hop & Yoga

Yoga Flava Promo

I recently heard from Robin Downes of Yoga Flava who's connecting yoga and hip hop in her teaching practice. You can read more about Robin at her site or go for a quick visual introduction.

Bizzy Bone's Meltdown Reframed as "Spiritual Journey"

I haven't kept up with the Bizzy Bone saga but I think that reframing his descent into personal chaos as a "spiritual journey" is a smart move for kicking off the comeback:

It has been said that one of the best ways to understand another person's point of view is to walk a mile in their shoes. It's no secret that in 2004, Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist Bizzy Bone, suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, voluntarily began life living on the streets, giving up all his money and material wealth, and embarked on a journey that changed his life forever.

For several months, Bizzy walked on foot, trying to get from his hometown of Columbus to Cleveland. After many miles and blisters on his feet, Bizzy could walk no more. It was a long, hard road for him and not all the critics have been kind in his absence. Many were puzzled and confused at the bizarre behavior and sightings of Bizzy sleeping in bus stations and on the streets.

Much speculation has surfaced about this drastic turn of events. However, now clean and focused, Bizzy explains, “Wandering in my desolate state, I had an overwhelming desire to surrender myself. My journey then became spiritual and my relationship with God was personal, between me and him.”

As a twist of faith would have it, it was through poverty and the renunciation of his ego, that Bizzy crossed a spiritual threshold that turned his journey around to where he is now using his celebrity status to address the plight of the homeless crisis.

Now let's see what it does for his upcoming album!

Bizzy Bone at MySpace

Adisa Banjoko Makes SF Chron Cover, Hosts Hyphy Panel

Chronicle Photo of Adisa Banjoko by Eric Luse

My friend and associate Adisa Banjoko was featured on the cover of last Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle for an article entitled 9/11: Five years later / TYPECASTING MUSLIMS AS A RACE by Matthai Chakko Kuruvila.  The article is a portrait of Muslims in the Bay Area who stand as counter-evidence to the monolithic stereotypes many Americans have of Muslims.

Chronicle Photo of Adisa Banjoko by Eric Luse

Adisa also recently hosted a panel on Hyphy at San Francisco's Commonwealth Club featuring Mistah FAB, Tamara Palmer, Traxamillion & Eric Arnold.  If you want to get past the mainstream media portrayals of hyphy, check out the audio for an hour of real talk on the matter.

Prosperity Gospel and Holy Hip Hop Bling

This NY Times piece about the growth of Mr. Dollar's prosperity gospel in New York caught my attention for a number of reasons. In particular, it made me wonder whether or not there is a gospel rap equivalent that emphasizes making money. So many Southern preachers with large grassroots followings have emphasized the accumulation of wealth as a sign of blessings that it seems like an obvious connection to rap's conspicuous consumption and display of bling.

Grammy Nomination for Holy Hip Hop

Holy Hip Hop: Taking the Gospel to the Streets also received a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Rock Gospel Album. Although this sounds like a category that needs renaming, it's great to see a hip hop album on the list.

Kanye West on the J-Word

Kanye West's appearance on 60 Minutes is leading to further attention for hip hop with Christian themes. The apparently controversial Jesus Walks has inspired much attention from some Christians concerned with its mix of English language names for their deities and street language perhaps similar to that found in the downtrodden milieu in which Jesus is said to have operated. Not surprisingly, West is undisturbed by such concerns.

The online account, which is supplemented by additional video, closes with the following exchange:
" "The minute you use those [curse] words in a song, there's a whole evangelical crowd that isn't going to listen to you, right," asks Simon.
"Yeah, but the song is not for them," says West. "It's speaking to the people that I think God is really trying to reach." "

Holy Hip Hop

Dec. 14th brings the release of Holy Hip Hop: Taking the Gospel to the Streets, Vol.2 distributed by EMI Gospel. This release is said to include a wide range of styles within hip hop, from crunk to old school. For more information, please see Holy Hip Hop.