Hip Hop Holiday

I know this is not electronic music, but if you are like me, you celebrated your Veterans Day weekend listening to some good hip-hop. The best type of hip-hop in my opinion is the real stuff. Wiz Khalifa or Lil Wayne may be fun to hear at a party, but this is the raw and unfiltered, not silenced, scripted or auto tuned by a label stuff. I have been listening to Immortal Technique for some time now. He is a rapper unlike any other. Born in Lima, Peru and growing up in Harlem, New York, I.T. has seen a lot of shit and went through a rebellious childhood that landed him in a cell for a year. Upon his release, he began studying political science, which is clearly reflected in his rhymes. I.T. has some of the most politically intelligent raps, often times filled with anger and what many would call conspiracy theory. You don't have to agree with his ideologies to know that he has talent though. Learning his style by battling his way to the top in underground freestyle contests, he has developed a unique flow and poetic rhyme schemes. Many may be familiar with his classic "Dance with the Devil" track, but most of his music remains underground. I hadn't heard much from technique in the last 2 years, and I recently discovered that he was in Afghanistan and Columbia working to build a school and a farm prior to the release of his new album. Check out this new track. He is still going strong and shedding light on many of the fucked up things going on today.