Saturday, July 18, 2009
Hip Hop in Prison - 07/10/2009
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By Anerae “X-Raided” Brown....
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Hip Hop In Prison....
Incarceration is a tricky subject. A lot of times, especially when it comes to entertainers, incarceration is breezed over, or it is conversed as if it is just a pit stop. A minor annoyance. No big deal. In urban communities, what we call the ghetto, incarceration is viewed almost as a rite of passage. Somewhere along the line, we have failed to adequately instill a sense of trepidation into the youth when it comes to prison. I am very cautious when I write about prison, because I don't want to appear to be glorifying or trivializing the experience. ....
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Most of the time when someone is incarcerated, there is a tragic event attached to their experience. People go to jail for a wide range of crimes. The one thing that is true for all inmates is that, at some point, a sense of normalcy sets in as time passes. One becomes more acclimatized. Stimulation takes on great importance. ....
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Inmates are avid readers. Some read classics, others read magazines and newspapers. You can find a wide variety in every housing unit, from urban books to the hottest titles on the best sellers list. One of the reasons for this is the fact that, regardless of custody level or privilege group, every inmate is allowed to receive reading material, as long as it comes directly from the publisher. ....
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There is a significant amount of Hip Hop related reading material floating around in prison. For a lot of inmates who ran the streets, Hip Hop magazines and music are their only source of information on that lifestyle. It is their connection to the streets. Murder Dog, Ozone, and XXL magazines are all over the place. These guys don't miss an issue. ....
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There are a variety of privilege groups in ....California.... state prisons. If an inmate stays out of trouble and reaches privilege group A/B, he or she is allowed to purchase a CD player and headphones, or a boombox of some kind. Retention of it is dependent upon their behavior. As long as an inmate stays out of trouble, he or she will be able to purchase CDs and enjoy music practically all day. ....
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For a Hip Hop junky such as myself, what I have to go through to get new music is almost like '88 all over again. We don't have internet access in prison. Can't just go online. No satellite radio. The radio stations we pick up are based on the institution we're housed at. For me, since I'm at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga. CA, the majority of the radio stations I pick up are from ....Fresno..... One of them B95, plays underground Hip Hop every Sunday night from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. Danny Salas, the DJ, will even throw on some X-Raided or Brotha Lynch Hung here and there. ....
We have to order music from approved vendors, such as Access, Walkenhorst's, Union Supply, and Packages 'R' Us. Some are more reliable than others when it comes to locating more obscure music, but it certainly beats a zero. ....
Most of the guys run around selling and trading CDs. A person can go out to the yard and find music ranging from E-40 to Jay-Z up for trade or sale, as well as Mac Dre and anything with Thizz Entertainment on it. Quite a bit of Black Market material out there too. ....
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Many inmates live out life through music: We read the magazines each month; we buy the newest releases; we argue over who's really killin' it; and we don't miss much in terms of who either will be or should be the next person to blow. A lot of us remember years by which albums dropped, or who won the NBA Finals or the Super Bowl. For incarcerated Hip Hop babies, nothing helps to pass the time and make us feel free like listening to new music. ....
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X-Raided's new CD The Unforgiven Volume 2 will be available 9/22/09 on Bloc Star Entertainment, Inc. ....
Hip Hop in Prison - 07/10/2009
........................
.. ..
.. ..
.. ..
By Anerae “X-Raided” Brown....
.. ..
Hip Hop In Prison....
Incarceration is a tricky subject. A lot of times, especially when it comes to entertainers, incarceration is breezed over, or it is conversed as if it is just a pit stop. A minor annoyance. No big deal. In urban communities, what we call the ghetto, incarceration is viewed almost as a rite of passage. Somewhere along the line, we have failed to adequately instill a sense of trepidation into the youth when it comes to prison. I am very cautious when I write about prison, because I don't want to appear to be glorifying or trivializing the experience. ....
.. ..
Most of the time when someone is incarcerated, there is a tragic event attached to their experience. People go to jail for a wide range of crimes. The one thing that is true for all inmates is that, at some point, a sense of normalcy sets in as time passes. One becomes more acclimatized. Stimulation takes on great importance. ....
.. ..
Inmates are avid readers. Some read classics, others read magazines and newspapers. You can find a wide variety in every housing unit, from urban books to the hottest titles on the best sellers list. One of the reasons for this is the fact that, regardless of custody level or privilege group, every inmate is allowed to receive reading material, as long as it comes directly from the publisher. ....
.. ..
There is a significant amount of Hip Hop related reading material floating around in prison. For a lot of inmates who ran the streets, Hip Hop magazines and music are their only source of information on that lifestyle. It is their connection to the streets. Murder Dog, Ozone, and XXL magazines are all over the place. These guys don't miss an issue. ....
.. ..
There are a variety of privilege groups in ....California.... state prisons. If an inmate stays out of trouble and reaches privilege group A/B, he or she is allowed to purchase a CD player and headphones, or a boombox of some kind. Retention of it is dependent upon their behavior. As long as an inmate stays out of trouble, he or she will be able to purchase CDs and enjoy music practically all day. ....
.. ..
For a Hip Hop junky such as myself, what I have to go through to get new music is almost like '88 all over again. We don't have internet access in prison. Can't just go online. No satellite radio. The radio stations we pick up are based on the institution we're housed at. For me, since I'm at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga. CA, the majority of the radio stations I pick up are from ....Fresno..... One of them B95, plays underground Hip Hop every Sunday night from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. Danny Salas, the DJ, will even throw on some X-Raided or Brotha Lynch Hung here and there. ....
We have to order music from approved vendors, such as Access, Walkenhorst's, Union Supply, and Packages 'R' Us. Some are more reliable than others when it comes to locating more obscure music, but it certainly beats a zero. ....
Most of the guys run around selling and trading CDs. A person can go out to the yard and find music ranging from E-40 to Jay-Z up for trade or sale, as well as Mac Dre and anything with Thizz Entertainment on it. Quite a bit of Black Market material out there too. ....
.. ..
Many inmates live out life through music: We read the magazines each month; we buy the newest releases; we argue over who's really killin' it; and we don't miss much in terms of who either will be or should be the next person to blow. A lot of us remember years by which albums dropped, or who won the NBA Finals or the Super Bowl. For incarcerated Hip Hop babies, nothing helps to pass the time and make us feel free like listening to new music. ....
.. ..
X-Raided's new CD The Unforgiven Volume 2 will be available 9/22/09 on Bloc Star Entertainment, Inc. ....
