Excerpts From Hip Hop Immortals Volume One       2Pac June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996 He was the liveliest rapper in existence; a glowing attribute that also happened to be his tragic downfall. Tupac Shakur was a rose, thorns and all, that grew through concrete. He was too live for a crew and too tough to know when to let shit slide. Pac walked in, guns blazin', ready to be the best at any cost . . . He gives new meaning to a catalogue and what it stands for. He excelled as an artist, producer, lyricist, and martyr. His legendary contributions - both platinum and criminal - started with his first album and have yet to cease adding up. He anchored Thug Life into our community. Taking aim at society and hitting the hearts and the charts of world youth; he further validated an ideology that lends to freedom with wealth. Those who were entrusted to look out for him failed us . . . Even in death he releases songs from the grave like a ghost who haunts without rest. Such power for one man to have! Not only his music, but also his presence, is felt in the present day. Now he's what he's always wanted to be - untouchable . . . A knight of the crowned Death Row label. Alas, even immortals ain't perfect . . . Writen By Bonz Malone for Hip Hop Immortals Edited By Nichole Beattie for Hip Hop Immortals         The King Of New York (Biggie Smalls) JMay 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997 Harsh, Menacing, Confrontational, Ominous, Freewheeling, Street-Smart, Nihilistic, Malevolent, Confident, Thuggish, Aggressive, Visceral, Rebellious, Angry, Hostile. Perhaps he was all of the above but he was notoriously the best that ever did it. There are attributes that are greatly respected on St. James and Fulton; the greatest of all is strength. Only the live survive here... There were no diamonds on St. James, only drugs, guns, and Junior M.A.F.I.A. We all took care of each other, loved each other the way Biggie loved 2Pac! That's the real 411... We put up stickers and handed out promo tapes and posters. We played the album over and over, all the way to DC's Howard Homecoming. We heard "One More Chance" and we knew it was the best thing to happen to our block since free cheese! If Big's gettin' jelly he's gonna spread love like lamb's breath. He fought for Kim to get a deal and wrote almost her whole album. He wrote lyrics for us, too. He gave us Life After Death just weeks after his own death and we knew his notoriety wasn't a fluke. Until we meet again, sleep peacefully... Writen By Bonz Malone for Hip Hop Immortals Edited By Nichole Beattie for Hip Hop Immortals         Eazy-E September 7, 1964 Í March 26, 1995 He was the lil' giant and true originator of gangsta rap. He set the precedent for i-don't-give-a-fuck-gangsterism and designed the blueprint for rap capitalism. Any gangster rapper with a bad attitude has Eazy-E to thank for their freedom of expression. He is the co-creator of N.W.A, a multi-platinum solo artist, and the founder, owner, and CEO of Ruthless Records. In 1986 Eazy-E bankrolled his label with money he made on the streets. He teamed up with Dr. Dre of the World Class Wreckin' Cru and Ice Cube of C.I.A and they set out to record a demo for their new group, Niggaz With Attitude. Their first single, "Boyz N the Hood," instantly became the song that defined a generation of West Coast gangsters. It was also Eazy-E's first turn on the mic and it was hard to miss his pip-squeak voice which played in dramatic contrast to the bold baritones of Ren, Dre, and Cube. N.W.A.'s second LP, Straight Outta Compton, was released in 1988 and it became a multi-platinum phenomenon with virtually no help from MTV or the radio."8 Ball," "Gangsta, Gangsta," "Straight Outta Compton," and "Express Yourself" were gang bangin', drug slangin' parties on wax and far beyond anything we had ever heard before. So unthinkable was their musical content,especially on "Fuck Tha Police", that it inspired the F.B.I. to fire off a letter of warning to Eazy-E and Ruthless Records. Writen By Bonz Malone for Hip Hop Immortals Edited By Nichole Beattie for Hip Hop Immortals         Eminem If people thought the Slim Shady LP stirred up emotions it was nothing like what happened with the release of The Marshall Mathers LP, which sold close to two million units in its first week of release, going on to become the best-selling rap album ever. Beyond the utter disregard for anyone and everyone (including his mother who later sued her son for defamation of character), the Marshall Mathers LP showcased the talents of a poetic genius and master storyteller. In the same way that the serial killer protagonist in Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho was not indicative of the authorœs actual late night activities neither, it seemed, was Eminem's lyrical rants and raves. But he became the fall guy for the entire hip-hop industry and an entire generation of misguided and confused youth. Writen By Bonz Malone for Hip Hop Immortals Edited By Nichole Beattie for Hip Hop Immortals         Grandmaster Caz He's known as The Captain. The initials stand for professionalism, quality, experience, and durability. If there was ever an MC who could get a Government Contract for superior mic control, it would have to go to Grandmaster Cazmere! Now, y'all might not remember this but The Fantastic 5 and The Cold Crush Bros. started out around the same time. BET and MTV started at the same time too. Get the ball point? Caz is an example to all MCs in the critical era of discipline. It's the flip side to talent that usually decides who goes head first into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. Discipline is what former graffiti writers like us learn with hours of practice. It's also handy when your writing hot shit for other crews you've either battled or will. Thinkin' that some sucker MC was gonna bite his number 1 style, he brought latin DJ Charlie Chase and his lyrical revolvers to his crib and tightened up their game for over a year and a half before they actually crushed competition. The fresh, fly, wild, and bold Cazanova even had the balls to battle Bambaataa. He not only influenced rap's first superstars, DJ Run (an MC) and D.M.C. (the second coming of Caz), but also Funkmaster Flex, DJ Clue, and every mixtape DJ who pops dat cris while spinnin'! Writen By Bonz Malone for Hip Hop Immortals Edited By Nichole Beattie for Hip Hop Immortals         Grandmaster Flash If hip-hop has a First Knight, it's DJ Flash. He is the two-armed guard of the round tables. No DJ has ever done more for this game. Not even this Prince Charming can describe the thrills, chills, and dollar bills that promoters got when his name appeared on a flyer. He possesses a superhuman skill on the wheels of steel. Futuristic is more accurate. I still have a couple of third generation tapes of the G.M. at the Celebrity Club and T-Connection. His signature introduction included the original score from the motion picture Flash Gordon . . . He is the legendary five star General of hip-hop, who did more for the unity and pure sensationalism in our culture with his mind and hands than most will ever match. DJ Flash is the reason rhymes were written . . . . Writen By Bonz Malone for Hip Hop Immortals Edited By Nichole Beattie for Hip Hop Immortals