how much can a voice be used to effect change in our societies, and world? how many artists are actually utilizing their voices? tonight we will be honoring those voices who use their voices as instruments- not just to sing, but percussion and polyrhythms- to create a world free of limitations... artists such as bobby mc ferrin, rachelle ferrell, and- the voice of hip hop!
the voice of hip hop as a positive force in technology tends to be neglected- artists such as afrika bambaataa were at the forefront of forging these energies, with a spiritual leaning. once hip hop became commercially recognized, the spiritual messages diminished, in favor of materialism and individualism. the notion of entrepreneurship also became deminished as major companies threw large sums of cash advances to hungry artists- with the caveat that they sell their souls in one way or another; thereby selling themselves short.
one person who has seen the changes in hip hop throughout the years is b-gyrl. she is a community activist, tech head and hip hop aficionado. One of the original creators of the hip hop movement online, launching several of the first hip hop sites ever including Planet Hip Hop, b-gyrl.com and unsignedhype.org. Other sites included hiphopcaucasia.com, the first ever dedicated caucasian artists and stlhiphop.com (a huge force in pushing St. Louis to the forefront pre and during the Nelly era), all sites that grew out of her frustration of not being able to find quality music and artists online pre Google. b-gyrl was tapped at the Hip Hop Music Director at the 'old' mp3.com (which was decades ahead of its time) working along side Paradise of the X-Clan to provide indies 'a machine' and much need resources. During her stint with mp3.com, b-gyrl went on to launch Digable Records NMA, unsignedhype.org and Hip Hop Tracks, all of which were signed by Microsoft as three of handful of gateways into Microsoft Music.