DJ Speek Greene Speaking on the State of Hip Hop

17 November, 2008 10:42:00 thewriteup

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DJ Speek Greene will Spin at Soul Skate

SOUL SKATE SUNDAY NOV. 30th from 6:30PM-9PM

On Sunday November 30, 2008 from 6:30PM-9PM come out to Great Skate for a Special Edition of Soul Skate. Even if you don’t skate come out to Soul Skate to hear the unbelievable sounds of DJ Speek Greene!
DJ SPEEK GREENE SPEAKIN’ ON THE STATE OF HIP HOP!! By: J. Billz

If you thought hip hop was dead, you probably need to TURN OFF THE RADIO! Bump what you heard, hip hop is still very much alive, and still the most controversial, consciousness raising form of artistic expression on the planet. The frustration lies in being forced to digest the rubbish that gets constant airplay on valley radio stations, while the real, true hip hop is forced to thrive on underground platforms and the Internet. Check the lesson: before we knew of a Jay-Z, there was Jaz–O who give him his shot. Holding Jaz-O down on the 1’s and 2’s was the one and only, DJ SPEEK GREENE. The Write Up had the rare pleasure of sitting down with one of the most talented, and well respected DJ’s in the game. Follow me, while DJ SPEEK GREENE shares his thoughts on everything from the state of hip hop in AZ, hip-hop and politics, to hip-hop and child rearing, emerging artists to check for, and more. DJ SPEEK GREENE first fell in love with hip hop when Mantronics dropped, Fresh Is The Word, and when Beat Street and Wild Style gave moviegoers a glimpse at the urban art form we have grown to love. His introduction to the world of DJ’ing came on the heels of carrying records for best friend of 20 years, DJ Billy Busch. One day he decided to get on the turntables, and it just "happened". SPEEK has been in the game since the age of 17, honing his skills in hip hop’s birth place, New York. His talent earned him an internship at Def Jam where he got the name SPEEK GREENE. Being one of the few interns who always had money in his pockets, SPEEK would often do lunch with Irv Gotti who back then, served Def Jam as an A&R man. Where most interns are usually broke, Irv would ask, "Where you get money from for lunch all the time and you just an intern? I’mma call you SPEEK GREENE cuz you always got money in yo pockets, and money talks with you!"
It ain’t hard to tell, especially coming from the East Coast, Dirty South, Midwest, and West Coast where the sounds of hip hop are distinct, AZ still struggles to gain the type of notoriety other parts of the country enjoy in hip hop. When asked what artists in AZ need to do to break through, DJ SPEEK GREENE turns his answer into a teaching point, "Stop riding the bandwagon of redundancy. Find some originality. Rappers today feel like they always have to talk about killing. Hip Hop was originally a DETERRENT to violence. Afrika Bambaataa & DJ Kool Herc came from a violent gang culture. They brought rappers, breakers and MC’s together and used the music as an alternative to violence. Today, rappers feel they need street cred to be successful, when really it should be all about lyrical ability, content, and having a different approach."
Good air and low cost of living brought SPEEK GREENE to the valley where he raises 3 children ranging in ages 17, 13, and 8. Despite the explicit nature and raw honesty in hip hop lyrics, SPEEK GREENE takes a less conventional approach to parental guidance. "I don’t shield my kids from the music. When we were younger, we weren’t supposed to be listening to Millie Jackson, but we did! Instead of whupin’ my kids’ azzes, I talk to them and do my part as a parent. My kids already know the difference between bullsh*t and good music." While admitting to being a person in love with music, SPEEK also has reached a point where he does not let the music consume his life. "If the music is too loud, you can’t hear your children, your girl, your job…it can be a curse. It’s not ALL about the music, at some point it’s got to be about handling your responsibilities." SPEEK challenges hip hop lovers to imagine the incredible service we would do for our youth … if we could extended to lawyers, doctors, and teachers the same respect we freely give hip hop artists. This brings us to the next topic which many of us imagined we’d never live to witness in our lifetimes. In light of the historical election, DJ SPEEK GREENE shared his thoughts on hip hop’s contribution to Barack Obama’s successful campaign for President. "This is the greatest time to be alive for black folks! Hip hop has a LOT to do with why Barack is in office. Hip hop is the language of struggle. Barack speaks our language and can relate to us. Barack’s growth in politics came from being a community organizer. He knows our story because he made it his job to know. For many black folks, struggle is ALL they know. God had a hand in Barack being here." Does DJ SPEEK GREENE see more hip hop artists emerging in politics? "The people will decide in the end."
With 13 years of experience in East Coast radio, DJ SPEEK GREENE enjoyed having the freedom to play what he wanted. Where radio was supposed to be designed for the artist, radio has sadly become a vehicle where the highest paying artists get the lion’s share of airplay at the expense of good musicians and talented artists who are not given a chance. SPEEK GREENE shares, "DJ’s today have no power. They play what the Program Director tells them to play. We all have something to contribute. Since the Internet gives us the freedom to interact with good music, I became my own radio station!" Although hip hop has strayed from its socio-critical roots and adopted an attitude of material worship, and misogyny, SPEEK GREENE is taking an active role in bringing a conscious voice back to hip hop. SPEEK GREENE is on a three fold mission: to bring versatility back to the game, to use his production skills to make a difference and be a part of change. SPEEK shares, "I just want to matter!" One artist who caught SPEEK GREENE’s attention is AZ’s own Mr. Miranda. Why Mr. Miranda? SPEEK says, "This cat came to a lot of the parties and passed off his 1st CD. I noticed that he stood out more than the records and I felt he needed more production to compliment his skills." The two got together, collaborated, 4 months later, "The Wonderful World of Mr. Miranda" is a wrap. Check the release party Dec 7 at BARSMITH downtown in Phoenix. Despite the abundance of artificial hip hop that stays in heavy mainstream radio rotation, there ARE new artists representing true hip hop, and bringing a level of consciousness that’s sorely missing from the industry. SPEEK GREENE gives us a heads up on a few to watch out for: Wale out of DC, Mickey Factz out of NY, Pacific Division from NY, Charles Hamilton out of Harlem, and Fresh Daily from the West Coast. These cats are the TRUTH for the new generation of hip hop. SPEEK GREENE also gives major props to lyrical beast, NYOIL whose LP Hood TREASON shook up the Internet and shut down You Tube with the controversal joint, Y’all Should All Get Lynched. SPEEK GREENE supplied the track for NYOIL’s Take It To The Streets.
The Write Up salutes DJ SPEEK GREENE for being THAT DJ’s who reminds us with his music....Hip Hop is alive and getting better every day. Check out DJ SPEEKE GREENE holdin’ it down in the valley with a new venue called, "BLACK SHAMPOO" on Sunday nights at Oscar Taylors starting Dec 14th, $5 cover is all you need to be treated to the hottest soul music blending the best of the 70’s 80’s and 90’s. Serving up the hottest in old school R&B classics from 8pm until it’s time to go home! For free MP3 downloads, videos, and interviews....GOOGLE A BROTHA!! At the end of the day, DJ SPEEK GREENE is always going to represent for the realist in hip hop and R &B and we are truly blessed to have this jack of all tracks in our midsts. Be on the look out next year, when SPEEK GREENE brings some of the hottest R&B talent (Rahsaan Patterson, Lalah Hathoway, Eric Roberson) to the valley. Still think hip hop is dead? DJ SPEEK GREENE on the turntables will mos def save yo life!