There's hope for critical artistic expressions beyond dispute: Frank Shepard Fairey

LA based street artist Shepard Fairey (1970) graduated from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. Frequenting the skateboarding scene as a youngster, he used his professional stenciling skills on clothing and skateboards designs.


The contemporary artist relates to the authentic aspects of hip hop culture and freedom of speech. 


This man's clearly driven by street art imagery in all its forms( posters, stencil art, collage, screen printing, wheat pasting, ...), using his talent to criticize socio political situations such as war, materialism or propaganda in a witty, emotive and slightly commercial way. 


His Andre the Giant (Has a Posse) stencils and stickers started out as an inside joke.  The wrestler's unique and goofy face was transformed to a simple black and white image which was distributed  in cities all over the US. Later on he added the word OBEY to the popular image with the purpose of making people question authority.  "Andre the Giant has a Posse" is also the title of a documentary made by Helen Stickler .


Guerrilla artists Fairey, Robbie Conal and Mear One collaborated on the Be the Revolution(2004, anti-Bush) street art campaign. In the same year Roger Gastman and Fairey founded pop culture and lifestyle Swindle magazine. 


Furthermore the illustrator founded Studio number one, a creative agency which designs album covers, clothing and movie posters, a reliable income for Fairey's family.


The graphic designer gained fame when he created the iconic style Obama Hope poster (2008) and stickers during the US presidential campaign. The red and blue Andy Warhol 's style resembling piece was based on a photograph by Mannie Garcia(Associated Press), leading to copyright infringement claims. Recurring subjects under discussion concerning  art in public spaces are illegitimacy, fair use and derivatives. 


Thanks to this massive exposure and the caused commotion, Fairey's work has already been shown in solo gallery exhibitions and at the LACMA, MOMA NY, ICA Boston, MCA San Diego, National Portrait Gallery Washington DC and at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.


Remaining loyal to urban culture, Fairey performs on stage as DJ Diabetic and MC Insulin. He even collaborated with DJ Shadow. Banksy's film Exit Through the Gift shop, an inside story of street art,  contains footage of Fairey, Ron English, Space Invader, Swoon among others.


Despite long- winded art critic disputes about the originality and value of his versatile creations, this reporter of peace has become a  street art symbol as well as an asset in contemporary art. Two of a trade never agree. 

Article written by Ann Timmermans

Niks dat kapot gaat, MC Prev's album review

http://soundcloud.com/beatville-records/prev-mijn-wereld


Niks dat kapotgaat is the title of the brand new hip hop album made by Belgium based MC Prev also known as Koen Verbrugge. 


This great album tells the story of some phases he went through from adolescence to adulthood, resulting in profound lyrical contents. These deep philosophical touches add to the album's value and quality.


Nasta and Niz, known for their dope musical approach as dope Beatville-producers, succeeded in producing a compelling layered sound. MC Expans( Prev's brother in crime of the hip hop duo Rijmtechniekers) shows his flow in several songs.


MC Prev took his time to put his tale into words and rhymes, pinpointing all the crucial sides of his story. He phrases his mature point of view on everyday life, deliberately skipping stereotypes.


He messages a youngster's search for freedom whilst being restricted by boundaries, pipe dreams, the aftermath of a relationship, finding real love,  ...
Basically he wanted the listener to realize that each one of us deals with the same struggles in the course of life so that they can put things in perspective.
Prev succeeded in his purpose of creating a human hopeful album full of emotive content.  


This narrative album representing the talented young Belgian hip hop scene is something for your ear hole, guys! Big up!


Article written by Geert Van Laethem


Release party featuring BEATVILLE w/ U-Niq, Winne,  Prev, Spreej, Eerste Linie Korps 
the 18th of March 2011, JH Zentih Otterstraat 58 Dendermonde

Keep it real

Hip hop music is not restricted to wordplay, flow, beats and rhymes. It represents freedom, righteousness, equality, knowledge, understanding, wisdom and tolerance.


A hip hop artist remains in quest for facts, peace, unity, love and fun.
 (The Roots and Bahamadia, push up your lighter: I' m living life within a labyrinth of nonsense, stimulating the mind, inclined to rap about facts I never fake facts)

 A real life MC can only be credible when he's telling the truth. Honesty and pride are essential aspects to earn respect.
 ( Mind power, A Tribe Called Quest: it's about your spirit...a weak foundation doesn't make a good home, reality and intelligence, see your life for what it is)

Genuine hip hop artists awe listeners by means of meaningful lyrical contents, their well reflected thoughts entering the public's ears, possibly altering their attitudes and views. This soulful rhythmic storytelling is a true inspiration for a generation.

Authentic hip hop expresses reality, messages integrity, keeps it real.

Self-determination, education and self-realization enable a clear view on the choices you make in life. To become a meaningful Master of Ceremony who teaches lessons, one needs to comprehend and master his own life, norms and values. The right attitude in life's crucial to be part of a hip hop nation.

(Jurassic 5, Get it together: I'm trying to live my life right, I don't want to lose my soul, pay with my life, you got to be your own man and handle your biz)

Hip hop's powerful freedom of speech platform voices unjust issues of racism, politics, sexism, homophobia, unfaithfulness. It analyzes socio political structures and rejects any form of prejudice and discrimination.( speak truth to power) Therefore critical thinking is a bare necessity in motivating change of the game. This goal can be obtained when expressing yourself, your opinion, your struggle and frustration in a respectful creative, cultural, original, experimental or emotive manner....

 Basically it is all about positivism, peace, living right and the significant presence of love. This is the only way this art of poetry can become food for the soul and for thought.

However some youngsters prefer the futile temptations of money, power and fame to the essence of hip hop.
Ego-driven hip hoppers vulgarize the valuable essence of music.

( A Tribe Called Quest: Phony rappers who do not write, who do not excite, you play yourself in front of your enemies, lying to no end, MC's for me make things happening, talk about a world but in a form of rapping, I got to keep it real)

 Music lovers aren't the slightest interested in cursing ghetto talk about though pimps, pussy, ho's, bimbo's, drugs, glamour and dough. All bitches want to suck my dick lines and rhyming lies are not to be considered food for the soul. That's literally called dropping shit.
 (De la Soul, Stakes is high: I'm sick of bitches shaking asses, I' m sick of talking about blunts, love for the fact of no longer loving yourself kid)

 These self-indulged ivory towers all want a piece of the pie but are not aware of the fact that they are in it for the wrong reasons. Hip hop's merely a commercial convenience to these haters, not a way of life. They are not able to keep it real or do right. If you don't care, don't talk to the snare!
 ( NWA, express yourself: not what society wants u to be, rap 4 the pop charts, exaggerate- a little fiction)

They twist the constructive bases of respect and authenticity into a foul abusive concept. In stead of talking sense, they talk nonsense to get in groupies' pants. 
 (Slum village, Forth and back: Don't make no sense, you ain't got to grab the microphone to pay your rent, too many so many so called mc's rapping, put your shit down, you can't make it happen)

 These unashamed superficial MC's utter disrespect by declaiming homophobia, violence and sexism due to the simple fact that they lack self respect and self reflection. The right of freedom of speech expires when you disrespect human rights. Hip hop creates, innovates but never denigrates.

These fools of society misuse the artistic, social, political and economic impact of music on society, forming a distorted, foul image of hip hop culture.

Moreover this prejudiced bullshitting obstructs the road of significant hip hop towards liberation of the arts. It simply perverts musical sincerity .

As I recall music's a matter of the heart, not of appearance!


(Slum Village featuring Dwele, tainted: Is it real love? Your man is doing things I can't really say, don't sound so good, it sounds tainted to me, it's the same thing in love as in music business, people smile at you when they really want to frown, that's just the way tainted folk get down, just keep it real and we'll see, keep love from being tainted)

Article written by Ann Timmermans