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3/15/2010 5:46:12 PM

Nas wants his fans to follow his words, not his actions. Although the wildly revered MC never received a high school diploma, he told high school students at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's annual National Keystone Conference to stay in school. Nas said that his goal was to get his diploma and encourage others who never finished high school to do the same.

"The reality of it is, you need to keep educating yourself, and I wish I had stayed in school," he said at the event on Sunday.

Nine hundred students from around the country gathered at the Hilton Pittsburgh, Downtown to hear Nas speak to them. The Keystone Club division of the Boys & Girls Clubs promotes leadership with a focus on community service.

Other speakers at the event were retired NBA player Bob Lanier and R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo. The theme of the event was Beyond All Limits.

Photo © Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

Nas Urges Kids to Stay in School originally appeared on About.com Rap / Hip-Hop on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 21:46:12.

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3/15/2010 5:41:37 PM

The Texas State Board of Education tentatively approved new standards for social studies over the weekend, but left out hip-hop in the curriculum. The standards, which will influence history and government textbooks to be used in public schools in 2011, were adopted by 10 Republicans against five Democrats.

Ideological chasm aside, some board members failed to restore hip-hop music to the draft proposal's high school social studies standard on culture. Despite recommendations by experts that students be allowed to study the impact of cultural movements in art and music, the board's seven social conservatives voted to eliminate hip-hop as an option, citing offensive nature of rap lyrics.

Tin Pan Alley, the Beat Generation, rock and roll, the Chicano Mural Movement, country-western music and hip-hop. The board's seven social conservatives, joined by Geraldine "Tincy" Miller, R-Dallas, considered some of the hip-hop lyrics offensive and voted to eliminate hip-hop as an option for students to consider.

Rep. Rick Agosto of San Antonio expressed his frustration over the board's decision to delete hip-hop and retain the Beat Generation, a genre that celebrated illegal drugs and alternative sex.

Way to keep politics out of our kids' education, Texas.

Texas Bans Hip-Hop...Well, Sort Of originally appeared on About.com Rap / Hip-Hop on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 21:41:37.

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3/14/2010 5:50:37 PM

LudacrisLudacris had a bone to pick with Fox News talking head Bill O'Reilly at a recent charity function. When Luda saw O'Reilly's name on the guest list, he rolled right up on him. The Grammy-winning rapper was eager to confront the man whose scathing indictment of rap lyrics forced Pepsi to sever ties with him back in 2002. "The first thing I said to him was, 'I want to meet the guy who has had so much to say about me, but knows absolutely nothing about me,' " Ludacris told Radar Online. "I identified that I wanted to speak to him when I saw his name on the guest list. I looked at what table he was on and I walked my a-s straight to that table. He wasn't expecting to see me at all. The look on his face when he saw me approaching ... priceless." The two allegedly came to a mutual understanding.

Ludacris Confronts Bill O'Reilly originally appeared on About.com Rap / Hip-Hop on Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 21:50:37.

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3/11/2010 9:38:27 AM

Why waste time combing the web for release schedules when you could be enjoying your favorite rap CDs? Leave it to the professionals to bless you with a regularly updated calendar of upcoming hip-hop albums for 2010.

2010 New Releases Calendar originally appeared on About.com Rap / Hip-Hop on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 13:38:27.

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3/9/2010 1:51:10 PM

It's been 13 years since we lost the Notorious B.I.G to a senseless murder. Biggie Smalls excelled at many aspects of emceeing, including the ability to consistently out-rhyme his peers on their own songs. Big approached collaborations with the same grit and hilarity he devoted to his solo cuts. What follows is a sample of his collaborative brilliance. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you 10 Best Biggie Collaborations of all time.

Image © Bad Boy

The 10 Best Biggie Collaborations originally appeared on About.com Rap / Hip-Hop on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 17:51:10.

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3/9/2010 12:38:33 PM

A mere six months after Tupac Shakur was gunned down in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting, Brooklyn's own Notorious B.I.G. was slain in a drive-by shooting outside VIBE magazine's Soul Train Awards afterparty. Biggie (real name Christopher Wallace) was sitting in his Chevrolet Suburban at a traffic light on Wilshire Blvd. when an unidentified vehicle pulled alongside the passenger side of Chevy and opened fire out of its driver-side window. He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead. Like 'Pac, many have called Biggie the greatest MC of all time. And that's off just one album released while he was still breathing. Biggie is undoubtedly one of the greatest MCs of all time. Who knows, he might have gone to become the greatest had he survived that shooting on March 9, 1997

"The Greatest Rapper of All-Time Died on March 9th" originally appeared on About.com Rap / Hip-Hop on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 16:38:33.

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3/8/2010 1:15:45 PM

Reflection Eternal's new album, Revolutions Per Minute, is slated for April 6, 2010. The duo recently unveiled a new video for their new single "In This World."

Music Video: Reflection Eternal's "In This World" originally appeared on About.com Rap / Hip-Hop on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 17:15:45.

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3/5/2010 1:29:02 PM

You hear that? That's the sound of a million people letting out a long sigh of disappointment. Assuming you're not tempted to dismiss Drake's upcoming debut on the strength of one song, "Over" will do little more than raise expectations for Thank Me Later. Here's my take on Drake's "Over."

Song Review: Drake - "Over" originally appeared on About.com Rap / Hip-Hop on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 17:29:02.

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3/5/2010 1:23:10 PM

Hip-hop has always had a rocky relationship with women. Even as we speak, someone somewhere is criticizing hip-hop for its denigration of women in rap lyrics and negative depiction of females in music videos. But what critics fail to mention is that sexism was a part of mainstream American culture long before hip-hop's conception. Though all forms of degradation should be condemned in society, rap has always shouldered more than its fair share of the blame for exploiting the fairer sex. No matter where you stand on this issue, the undeniable truth remains that misogyny still has its teeth clenched in the fabric of society.

The good news is that there's still a handful of rappers who prefer to explore hip-hop as a valuable tool in examining gender relations. In honor of women everywhere, we've compiled a short list of MCs who know just how to make the ladies feel special. Here's our Top 10 Female Friendly MCs.

Photo © Scott Gries/Getty Images

Top 10 Female-Friendly MCs originally appeared on About.com Rap / Hip-Hop on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 17:23:10.

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3/4/2010 4:00:35 PM

Somehow between various surgical procedures and a coma, Guru supposedly awakened and summoned enough strength to issue a statement on his health.

In the statement, Guru claims he's on the road to recovery and asks for privacy. "I am doing fine and I am recovering! I'm weak though," it reads. He adds: "Solar is the only person who has the accurate info on my situation. Any info from anybody else is false! I appreciate your well wishes and all the love!"

Apparently, I'm not the only one questioning the validity of this statement. A blog post on DJ Premier's fan blog also calls the authenticity of Guru's statement into question.

Premier, Guru's original music partner, has been calling on people to pray for his friend ever since the news of his coma broke. So, it's a surprise that the MC would go out of his way to insist that only Solar, his current producer, has the accurate information on his situation.

Whatever the case, I wish Guru a speedy recovery. That's more important than all the chatter about his relationship with Solar and his strained friendship with Primo.

Something Fishy About Guru's Press Statement originally appeared on About.com Rap / Hip-Hop on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 20:00:35.

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