I have been lucky enough to have a few of my friends, fellow students and associates to introduce me to some very cool websites since the holiday, including DatPiff.com (mixtape specialists) and one of my new favorite websites, ThisIsRealMusic.com. This website is very much a community for music junkies that are looking for something new when it comes to good, pure music (yeah, I know that’s subjective, but it’s MY blog, so what are you gonna do about it?? HA HA!!!!! Naw, kidding you guys!)

Anyway, I came across this video of New Jersey emcee Hasan Salaam. He’s apparently been around since 2004. His first album was called Paradise Lost and garnered a lot of critical acclaim for its lyricism and subject matter. And if you go to his website, you can get a glimpse of just why he received such accolades. So, here it is: http://www.hasansalaammusic.com/. I really like “15 Minutes” and the way Salaam flipped such a popular techno/electronica beat (you know, that one they’re playing at all the pro football games now) into something that’s purely hip hop. If you’re familiar with Immortal Technique, his voice and delivery will definitely remind you of that. From what I’ve heard on his website, Salaam’s really doing his best to bring back the hip hop that many of us remember from our younger days,while steadily moving forward into some grown man hip hop. And you really can’t be mad at that!

But what’s really impressive about Hasan Salaam is that he and his crew, known as 5th Column, are doing a lot to help their community in Dirty Jersey. It’s something really simple in the form of giving out food and clothing to those less fortunate, but at the same time, something that a lot of artists still aren’t really interested in. Check out the above video for more!

To me, it’s always great to see artists, regardless of what level they’re at professionally, using the platform they have to do some good for someone else. And seeing an artist that is so clearly connected to his community like Salaam is even better. It’s definitely a positive message to younger folks that want to get into the music industry; a message that says it’s not always about how the money, the record sales or the awards and accolades. Sometimes it’s just about using the voice and the gift you’ve been given to make another person’s day. And in times like these, we could all use a little bit of what Hasan Salaam and the 5th Column are cooking up.

So there you have it! Kids, take notes: if you want to be successful in music, you could try to start by loving your community. Who knows? They might just love you back and start you on the road to where you want to be professionally. Something to think about. Thanks!