Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the weekend's festivities and relishing in the spoils of your trick-or-treating. I've had a pretty good weekend, even though I wasn't feeling very well for most of it. It all started off on Friday night. Ben and I got dressed in our "secondary" costumes (he was a Big Nose and I was Pippi Longstocking, a costume I was able to throw together using my own clothes) and went to a DYL at a bar on Polk street.


Me as Pippi Longstocking-- I've been looking for an excuse to wear this crazy little blue romper for the longest time, so I'm glad I got to put it on for Halloween.



Ben as a Big Nose.



I got picked up by Little Red Riding Hood! Bernadette is strong!



Ben and Christopher, the founding fathers of the Big Nose Club. Just kidding, but it's funny that they both were wearing similar masks. We didn't plan this.

After the DYL we headed over to a house party in Nob Hill where I took advantage of the booze table and danced my boots off. I also got into a fake argument with a dude who was dressed as Rivers Cuomo of Weezer. I told him his first two albums were the only decent albums he's made, that the music he's been putting out recently has been garbage, and that he should stick to writing songs about Japanese girls. I think another party-goer thought that I was actually yelling at the Rivers-impersonator, but it was all in good fun. I had a lot of fun at the house party, perhaps too much fun, but made sure even in my hazy state to hand out as many zines as I could. This girl came prepared with a whole ziplock full to give to friends.



Posing with Rebekah, dressed as Jessica Rabbit. Yowzah!



Rebekah's sister and brother-in-law as Luchadores.


I drank a little bit too much on Friday night (I had, I think, four drinks over the span of four hours) and was not feeling very well when I woke up on Saturday morning. This sick feeling lasted all day into the evening when I puked my guts out while getting ready to go out to Evy's birthday party. I wasn't expecting to still be that sick, but I guess I really should know better by now. Alcohol is not my friend, it's more like a frienemy. Sure, it's really nice to me at first, enticing me with pleasantries and promises of a fun-filled evening, but it always lets me down and kicks me in the liver in the end. Despite feeling absolutely miserable, I got dressed and put on my face paint for my second Halloween costume. I was determined to at least make an appearance at the party, and do so with some spirit.


My Dia de los Muertos look. I started off with putting nearly half a tube of clown white face makeup on for the base. The face paint was really annoying to apply and didn't come on smoothly. Ben helped me a lot with getting my nose and forehead painted, and I free-handed the rest.



The complete costume.



Ben dressed as Dr. Zahi Hawass from History Channel's Chasing Mummies, complete with double denim and the signature archaeology hat.

We went to The Mint karaoke bar to give Evy her birthday present and hang out for a minute or two. Before going to the bar we stopped at a grocery store so I could buy a Gatorade for my poor stomach-- I figured I needed to replace the electrolytes lost from yakking. So we walked over to the bar and the bouncer at the door gave me a really hard time about having that Gatorade. I had only had a few sips and he told me I needed to throw it out. I told him that we weren't staying long, that it was only Gatorade, and that I was sick and was not trying to get drunk on the cheap, as he was implying. I really didn't feel well and I felt so frustrated that tears came to my eyes and I could feel the makeup running. We just walked out to finish the drink and walked back in, giving evil eyes to the bouncer. I handed Evy her present, chatted with my friends for a minute or two but I felt miserable and we left after being there for something like ten minutes.


Our spooky little family: Me, Ben and Sookie after we got home.

Anyway, that was my weekend in a nutshell. How was yours? I had a lot of fun and hope you did, too! Happy Halloween!

Friday [photo walk]: Halloween edition!

I went on a walk today to pick up some last-minute costume accessories and also to get a few things for my friend for her birthday this weekend. Along the way I kept seeing fun Halloween decorations and would stop to take a few pictures. I wish we had our place decorated for Halloween, but we live in an apartment building and don't have any street-facing windows. Oh well. I can live vicariously through other peoples' Halloween ornaments.


Moldy Jack-o-lantern:



Some Halloween window decorations made by school-children:



An Irish skeleton with a pot of gold?



Another Irish skeleton. Does this one look like he's in the IRA to you?



Pumpkins and a pineapple-pumpkin:



Ben made this little mask from the skin of an acorn squash:



I'm so excited to get ready for tonight's festivities! I almost want to start dressing up now, even though we won't be going out for another four hours at the least. I'll be sure to post pictures up here later tonight.

GET PSYCHED! and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Halloween's almost here!

The holiday is fast approaching and I'm still putting my costumes together. I have one costume planned out and have everything ready for it, but since this Halloween falls on a weekend (me and the Geto Boys are going trick-or-treatin!) and I am invited to no less than two parties (one on Friday, one on Saturday) I don't want to be wearing the same costume all weekend.

I spent three hours today wandering around Upper and Lower Haight street. I stopped in every Halloween store and every hardware store within a fifteen-block vicinity looking for an orange jumpsuit costing less than thirty dollars. I was thinking about being Lindsay Lohan in jail for my secondary Halloween costume, but because I couldn't find a small-enough or cheap-enough prison uniform I'm back to the drawing board. I may end up braiding my hair and just being Pippi Longstocking.

The costume I have ready is my Dia de los Muertos girl. It was pretty easy to put together and I'm really excited about seeing how it looks when I have everything on!

I bought a cute flowing, flowery silk dress from a thrift store for really cheap:



I got some fake flowers from the dollar store to put in my hair:



And finally, some clown white makeup and face painting crayons to make my funky skull face:



Remember a while back, when I posted my predictions for the most popular Halloween costumes this year? Well, guess whose drawing made it on the first page of Yahoo image search? I did, suckas! Check out this screen shot I just took, I'm on the second row on the right side! If you don't believe me, go to Yahoo and type in "lady gaga meat dress" and search the images. It's right there!!



Haha! And I just realized that my little picture is on the first page of Bing's image search for "lady gaga meat dress." Hilarious! Next stop, Google image search fame!

LURKDAT, TWERKDAT: THE INTERVIEW!

This interview is the first in a series of interviews on this blog of strong, ambitious, and independent women.

I would like to thank Ms. LURKDAT from LURKDAT.COM for agreeing to do this with me! To give a little background before I move on to the interview, I came across LURKDAT's blog randomly while searching through a bunch of different blogs one day. LURKDAT is a rapper, artist, design expert, blogger, photographer, and a whole lot of other things that can't be categorized. I was immediately drawn to the blog and started following.

It wasn't until a San Francisco based website, called Aggressive Panhandler, wrote up a review of one of her songs that I really started lurking around LURKDAT. The first time I heard the song, I was hooked and knew I had to learn more about this lady. She seemed so cool! I love people who are creative, fun, smart, dare to be different, and, most importantly, have something to say. I really admire that. I want to surround myself with people like that. LURKDAT is all those things. Luckily for me, she is also a really nice person and didn't make me feel like a creepy stalker when I asked her if I could interview her for my blog. Joy!

Interview after the jump. My questions are in bold and LURKDAT's answers are in all caps.



I really enjoy the songs you create-- they're tongue in cheek and have a lighthearted feel to them, even if the subject matter is quite dark. How do you write your songs and what keeps you inspired?

THANKS, BLUHD, GLAD YOU DIG THE SONGS!!! WHEN I WRITE MUSIC, IT'S USUALLY BASED ON A FEELING OR SOMETHING I WANNA SAY. I'M INSPIRED BY EVERYTHING I COME ACROSS, PEOPLE I SEE/MEET, PAST EXPERIENCES AND THINGS I'VE ENCOUNTERED. I WANNA TRY TO DO MORE STORYTELLING... I'VE GOT TOO MUCH ON MY MIND AND TOO MUCH I'VE BEEN THRU!

It inspires me to see other intelligent, tattooed, hip-hop lovin ladies out there on the net making a name for themselves. It gives me hope for myself. How did you establish yourself? Was it a process?

I'M NOT ESTABLISHED AT ALL, I DON'T THINK I AM...??? I'M TOO ADHD TO STICK TO A PROJECT, SO I DON'T KNOW. ALL I KNOW IS THAT I HAD TO TRY MANY THINGS BEFORE DECIDING I LIKED THEM. SHIT IS ALL TRIAL AND ERROR AND I'M STILL MAKING ERRORS. SHIT IS STRESSFUL, BUT REWARDING WHEN I ACTUALLY LEARN SOMETHING.

What songs do you sing in the shower?

I SING THIS ONE SONG BY CHARLENE, IT'S CALLED "NEVER BEEN TO ME." IT'S MY ANTHEM. I ALSO FUCK WITH MARIAH CAREY (DREAM LOVER ERA) AND 90s R&B. R. KELLY WHEN I PISS IN THE SHOWER.

Did you have any idols growing up? Who?

MY IDOLS GROWING UP: MADONNA, SALT & PEPA, THE WHOLE "KIDS" CAST AND MOVIE, AND BRANDY IN THE "I WANNA BE DOWN" VIDEO, ASIA CARRERA, LIL KIM, BILL BELLAMY, WHITNEY HOUSTON.



If you were a boxer or MMA fighter, which song would you choose for your walk to the ring?

IF I WERE A BOXER AND NEEDED TO DO A SONG TO HYPE ME UP BEFORE AND DURING MY WALK INTO THE RING, IT WOULD BE "OXYCONTIN" BY LIL WYTE. THE HOOK.

If your life was made into a book or film, what kind of story would it be?

IF MY LIFE WAS MADE INTO A MOVIE/BOOK IT WOULD HAVE AWKWARD, EMBARRASSING AND FUCKED UP SITUATIONS AND MOMENTS OF REGRET WITH QUICK TRANSITIONS TO MOMENTS OF ZEN. I BE HAVIN EPIPHANIES ON A DAILY BASIS. WITH SEX SCENES THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL EMBARRASSED FOR ME. WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE MEETS REQUIEM FOR A DREAM MEETS SISTER ACT MEETS GUMMO MEETS NOW & THEN MEETS BASKETBALL DIARIES MEETS ME WITHOUT YOU.

When you aren't blogging, making music or doing nails, what are you doing? What do you do for fun? To relax?

WHEN I'M NOT ON MY GRIND, I'M ON MY LURK. I DO A LOTTA SHIT ALONE. I'M USUALLY DAYDREAMING OR BEING CARELESS OR GETTING LOST. ALL FOR FUN. TO RELAX I GET A PEDI. I MISS WHEN I DIDN'T HAVE TO DO MY OWN NAILS.




"Lurkin on Larkin" [click the song title to download the song] is a great song, but it deals with some real issues that continue to plague the Tenderloin. Do you think of your songs as being social commentary?

I WOULDN'T WANT "LURKIN ON LARKIN" TO BE A SOCIAL COMMENTARY. IT WOULDN'T REPRESENT EVERYONE'S TL [Tenderloin district in San Francisco] TALES, JUST MINE. AND THAT'S ONE-SIXTEENTH OF THE SHIT I DID. I SHOULDA MADE A SONG ABOUT THE FISH AND CHIP SPOT.


You've lived on both coasts, in San Francisco and New York City. Are there many differences you've noticed since moving? Do you think East coast is a different mentality from West coast?

I LOVE S.F. I DID MOST OF MY GROWING UP THERE AND WAS MAJORLY INFLUENCED (AND UNDER THE INFLUENCE) BY S.F. CITY LIFE. NEW YORK IS A NEW CHAPTER FOR ME. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO IS THAT I DON'T DO AS MUCH DRUGS OR DRINKING AS I WOULD IN S.F. I NEED TO BUILD MY DEALER DATABASE IN N.Y.


What kind of advice would you give to other creative women who are trying to get their voices heard?

TO WOMEN TRYNA GET THEY VOICES HEARD: FUCK WHAT EVERYONE ELSE SAYS. WE'RE ALWAYS GONNA GET JUDGED. GIVE EM SOMETHING TO SAY. HATERS ARE EVERYWHERE. DON'T GIVE IN TO THE MADNESS. PMA ALL DAY. LET'S SUPPORT EACH OTHER, INSTEAD OF BEEF OVER BULLSHIT.


How would you describe yourself to someone who has never met you?

IF YOU'VE NEVER MET ME: I'M TOO NICE. I'M SHY ON SOME SOCIALLY AWKWARD SHIT. I'M ON MY PHONE BECAUSE I'M SHY. I AVOID EYE CONTACT AND AVOID PEOPLE IN GENERAL. BUT I'M NICE. I ALWAYS SAY I DON'T FEEL GOOD, CAUSE I NEED TO BE MEDICATED. I TALK ABOUT GROSS THINGS AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO SHIT IN YOUR TOILET.

Is there anything else that you think I've left out, that must be said? Say it now!

<3 LAY TIEN <3


~LURKDAT LEVELZ~ from LURKDAT.COM on Vimeo.

Check out her blog and download some tracks! I know you're going to love her style as much as I do!

I hope you enjoyed my interview! If you know a strong, ambitious and independent woman and would like to recommend her for a future interview, let me know!

Bitchy, or opinionated?

Image by mugley via Flickr

What is a bitch, besides the actual definition of "a female dog?" The word gets thrown around a lot in today's slang and it can seem to mean anything, depending on the context. The word "bitch" can be empowering at times, and other times it's a direct insult.

When a man is called a bitch it is almost always an insult, but when a woman is called a "bitch" it can go either way. For example, a positive use of the word in a sentence is "That Monica is a sexy, sexy bitch," whereas "Listen, bitch, you don't run things around here. Understand?" has a negative connotation. "Bitch" really is a degrading word for a woman (c'mon, you're comparing a lady to a dog), but I think its reappropriation by women has changed the word for the better. A bitch is a bitch, and a bitch (according to me) is an intelligent, strongly opinionated and vociferous woman who's not really afraid of anyone.

Yeah, I can be a bitch sometimes. You can be a bitch sometimes, too. Who cares? I'm a fiery Irish redhead, and much like my father, I have a short temper if you test me. If you don't like it, get out of my way. Call me a bitch for voicing my views, go ahead. Call me a bitch for standing up to you and not agreeing with you. Being a bitch is necessary at times: some people need the truth told to them in a certain way. I'm blunt, so what? The truth hurts, baby.

One thing that annoys me, however, is having people dislike me or want to stay away from my blog because they don't like my opinions. This is the problem that comes with not being a bobble-headed sycophant. A lot of people like to be agreed with. Me? I like discourse. I like dissent. I like it when someone (respectfully) tells me I'm wrong or maybe I should try looking at the situation another way-- and so that is how I choose to interact with others. I'm not afraid to (respectfully) tell them what I really think because that is how I expect/would like them to treat me. Perhaps ass-kissing would get me more followers, but would they even be the kind of readers I want commenting on my blog? Nope.

Whatever. I love my sassy attitude and I am comfortable with myself. People can hate all they want-- that just makes them haters!

Question for my readers: are you a bitch? Are you okay with it?

DISCLAIMER: I know I called myself a bitch in this post, but I wanted to add that I am a loyal and trustworthy friend, and despite the tone of this post I am not always looking for a fight. I try to choose my battles wisely.


This is a photo I took today of Nancy, Ben's tarantula. Nancy lives in a terrarium in our bathroom and sometimes freaks me out by crawling on the glass when I'm sitting on the toilet. That is what happened this afternoon and I just had to take a picture (yes, I washed my hands first). What's cool about Nancy is that in African folklore the trickster spider character is named Anansi (sounds like "a Nancy"). Neat, right?

Support my broke ass!

Greetings, readers! If you haven't been to the Tsaritsa sez recently then you may have noticed some small changes. I am in the process of making this blog leaner, cleaner, and friendlier, and have added some new features while simultaneously getting rid of some.

I got a comment last week asking me about the new comment box on this blog. It's called "Disqus" and yes, it requires you to log in to post a comment. The good thing about this third-party comment application is that anyone, even non-Blogger users, can leave a comment with their name that links back to their site. This cuts down on the number of anonymous posters. I wanna know who you are, is that so wrong?!

Another new feature is the Paypal "Donate" button, located at the top of my left sidebar. I got the idea from fellow blogger Tsada Kay. I added the donation button after spending thirty-some dollars on postage today for the zines I mailed out.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind giving the zine away for free (at least until it starts getting popular and then maybe I can start charging a dollar or two just to help out with printing costs) because I want people to enjoy it, but sending all these things through the mail is a lot more costly than I thought it would be. Help a sister out! Donate a dollar or two and feel good that you're supporting my broke ass independent publishing.

Speaking of mail, does anyone else remember chain letters (and no, I'm not talking about chain e-mails)? I remember this awful girl in grade school (who pretended to be my friend when she wasn't hating on me behind my back-- she picked on me for having a unibrow and being poor amongst other things, but joke's on her because that bitch has a moustache) sent me a chain letter. The rules for this chain letter included copying the letter seven times and mailing it to seven different people, all within seven days or I would face the consequences of seven years bad luck. This freaked me out. As I recall, the chain letter described people dying or having terrible accidents because they didn't want to participate in the chain letter. I remember my mom helping me copy the letters by hand because we didn't have access to a xerox at that point and sending them out to seven unwitting souls. It's an awful thing to tell a nine year-old that they're going to die if they don't send out some bullshit letter.

Zines and cards to send out, including one for my Granny and Pop-Pop.


Halloween cards


Close-up of Satanic Halloween card. What is he doing to those children? I still need to figure out who I'll give this card to. Whoever gets it is extra special in my book!

Go Giants!, and Art by Cat

I'm getting ready to go to a clothing swap this afternoon and have two bags filled to the brim with goodies to share. And by goodies I mean dresses that don't fit and t-shirts I don't think are that funny anymore. My goal is to score some bits for my Halloween costumes, which are both secrets and I'm not telling!

Yesterday I hung out with Rebekah and a whole slew of Yelpers at Dirty Thieves in the Mission to help cheer on the Giants (and sometimes the Phillies). The Giants won the last game, which means they're going to the World Series. Exciting stuff, especially because San Francisco hasn't played a World Series game in twenty years, and they've never won a World Series while they've been in San Francisco (when they were the NY Giants they won the World Series in 1954). We had a great time at the bar, we had our own booth and I discovered my love of Ocean Breeze cocktails. I guess I've been drinking them for a while, except made with rum, and never knew it. Love that cranberry and pineapple combination.

Here's some photos from yesterday:

Me and Rebekah in our Giants colors



Posing with the zine






The crowd went wild after the Giants won the game!



I didn't get a photo of it or get it on video, mostly because I was fearing for my life, but I witnessed my first side show in the Bay Area. If you don't know, a side show is this stupid and crazy-dangerous thing people do where they make their cars do tricks like donuts and other Fast and Furious type of stunts. Definitely not my cup of tea, but I do wish I had a video here to post.

*************

In other news, have you met Catherine, my new blogger friend? She has a blog called Seen and Said which features a lot of really pretty and colorful drawings, all done with careful eye-mouse coordination. If you haven't checked out her blog yet, then I suggest that you do! Catherine even takes requests for drawings on her "requests" page! I took her up on her offer and requested two drawings.

Here's a drawing for one of my requests. I asked for a picture of a kitty brushing his teeth. So adorable!



Here's a fine work of art created according to the specifications of my second request. I asked Catherine to draw me a giraffe walking down a runway. Behold, "Fashion Giraffe!"



Here is a drawing by Catherine that I did not request, I borrowed it from one of her posts based on charts and graphs. This, by far, was my favorite chart as I feel it applies very much to my experience (as an unknown nobody).

Fine weather for ducks!

It's here, people! The zine is here!!!!


Here's Ben posing with a copy. Do you want one of your own? Comment on this blog or send an e-mail to alexandra.naughton@gmail.com


It's been raining here in San Francisco since last night and I'm really happy about it. I've always loved rain (playing in it, cuddling up inside and watching the drops come down from your window, cooling off in it after a hot day), ever since I was little. "Fine weather for ducks," my dad would say and I agreed, besides I loved Donald Duck and secretly wanted to be a duck.


The great thing about rain in San Francisco is how clean it feels outside afterward. All the smells and funks get washed away. I was just saying to myself the other day how I wished it would rain here because the sidewalks were looking a little poopy. I mean that literally.


Speaking of which, "Do not dump!"


Look how clean everything seems! Notice how I used "seems" instead of a more definite word.


Halloween is coming up, and so is Dia de Los Muertos!


Some more skeletons.


This house is perpetually decorated, so I'm not sure if the owners put these decorations up specifically for Halloween. The skulls and bats could also serve as Christmas ornaments.


The back of my zine. I picked this awesome stamp up from a little hobby store after having lunch with Evy earlier this week. I love the stamp because it's cute, has a kitty on it, it's punk rock, and Halloween-approved!

Fifteen authors, and other random junk

Image by moriza via Flickr

A friend of mine tagged me in a note on Facebook today. This note was a challenge, which I gladly accepted. The object was to list your fifteen favorite/most influential authors in no more than fifteen minutes. Sounded easy enough. I think I compiled my list in ten minutes.

Here's my list, in no particular order:

Shakespeare
Sylvia Plath
Gregory Corso
Steven King
Amy Tan
Bill Bryson
Bret Easton Ellis
Emily Dickinson
Ezra Pound
Jack Kerouac
William Wordsworth
William Blake
George Oppen
Gertrude Stein
Jonathan Lethem

A pretty good list, I think. Who would you put on yours?

Have you ever heard the song "Roseability" by Idlewild? This doesn't have much to do with anything, but when I typed in Gertrude Stein's name I got the song stuck in my head: "Gertrude Stein said that's enough/I know that that's not enough now..." In reality, I don't think Gertrude Stein ever famously muttered those words, but the song is catchy and fun. Check it out, yo.



In other news, I'm about to leave to pick up the zines from the printer. Hooray! I must admit, I'm very excited for this evening's premier party. I hope enough people show up. I'll feel really pathetic if everyone skips my event to watch the Giants game. Yeah, I know they're winning and doing well for the first time in years, but the horror issue is LIMITED EDITION! Please come out tonight to Whiskey Thieves if you're in San Francisco, and don't forget to tip your bartender!

Has anyone else been watching the new Real Housewives franchise, the one in Beverly Hills? There is sure to be a lot of drama and cat fighting, just judging on the behavior of the cast in the first episode. There was one thing that I thought was really funny, though, and felt obligated to share it with you, my loyal readers!

One of the Real Housewives, Kim, reminds me a lot of comedian Kristen Wiig, of Saturday Night Live fame. Take a look at this video I uploaded today of a clip from the show and tell me that she does not at all remind you of a Kristen Wiig parody character. The video is thirteen seconds long and contains a bit from a previous scene. The part I want you to focus on is when Kim is posing and twirling around her name.



Am I right?!

Top Ten Greatest Hip-Hop Groups

Hey, folks! Today's post is a special treat that I've been working on for a while with fellow blogger LOLitzDO. We decided to make our own compiled list of the best hip-hop groups on the planet of all time. My parts are in red, his are in blue. Please read on and let us know what you think. Does our list comes close to yours?

We live in the DIY-age, especially on the Internet. I don’t like what I read most of the time when it comes to reading up on the current hip-hop scenes. Most of the hot rappers in print aren’t actually hot when played through an iPod or stereo. This is how a relationship was born.

This is a co-op blog post. The east coast sir meets the west coast madame. I remember looking at the Tsaritsa sez and thinking to myself, this girl really knows her hip-hop. From there, we put our two minds together and we bring you the Greatest Hip-Hop Groups of All-Time. Enjoy!

NUMBER 10

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

Bone Thugs brought harmonizing and a different kind of musicality to hip-hop, and that's why they're number ten on this list. They took speed rap to a whole other level, and changed the way we think about the rhyme.

Signed by Easy-E back in the day, these four rappers, in the midst of the East-Coast West-Coast beef days, put the Mid-West on the map with timeless hits such as “First of the Month” and “Thuggish Ruggish Bone.” They deserve to make this list because when people rap their lyrics, they only recite gibberish. You know you’re talented when the Internet lyrics sites can’t distinguish what words were used and still be considered dope.

NUMBER NINE

Beastie Boys

These boys from Brooklyn incorporated hip-hop and punk rock music to create a style that is all their own-- a style that countless groups have tried to replicate since. Their edgy demeanor and off-kilter delivery sets them apart from other groups, and get the number nine spot for their innovation.

A lot of rappers nowadays are blurring the musical genres and fusing them together. Weezy tried rock, Cudi is trying rock, Drake is singing R&B. But the Beastie Boys were the first to roll from punk rock to hip-hop. They proved rap wasn’t just black as it was perceived during its coming of age. 3 White Boys deserve this spot! Why? They took hip-hop overseas with their international commercial success.

NUMBER EIGHT

The Roots

The Roots are really special, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a Philly girl who used to see ?uestlove in Starbucks all the time. No, they're a special band that brings a real richness to their music, the kind of sound you can only get from live instruments.

Just like their name, they stick to the true essence and real roots of hip-hop. They can currently be found as the Houseband on Jimmy Falon’s late night show, but they are so much more than that. Black Thought on vocals and ?uestlove on drums- that’s like (sorry for the cliché) peanut butter and jelly in a school lunch-bag.

NUMBER SEVEN

 
Gang Starr

Gang Starr was a super duo comprised of the mix-master genius, DJ Premier, and Guru, the man with the gift of smooth gab. Preemo and Guru complemented each other in their styles, and created an intoxicating blend of beats and rhymes that is unparalleled, even today.

The ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy’ boys take the 7^th spot. Manifesting the rap- do or die slogan- the late Guru and DJ Premier have embedded themselves into the history of hip-hop giving them the 7^th Spot.

NUMBER SIX

NWA 

The hip-hop group that put West coast gangsta rap on the map, in a really big way. With legend Dr. Dre behind the turntables and outrageous and charismatic front men like Eazy-E and Ice Cube, NWA was a guaranteed success... for a while, anyway. Dismantled as they are today, their impact on hip-hop will always be felt.

Niggas With Attitude! Straight out of Compton, these LA boys did their thang! Banned from the mainstream airwaves- they got to say FUCK the POLICE and get away with it. They were the pioneers to rap on the West Coast and hardcore Gangster rap, in general. They shed the light on a lot of inner-city and urban life problems that occurred routinely throughout their music. #ClapForEm

NUMBER FIVE

A Tribe Called Quest

A Tribe Called Quest— Composed of rappers Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Phife Dawg, infused hip-hop with the jazzy sounds from the blues’ era in their music. With classic tracks such as “Bonita Applebum,” “Check the Rhime” and “Award Tour,” these three rappers put in work to make rap mainstream music during the early 90s. With 5 albums under their belt stemming over a 8 year period, A Tribe Called Quest sits in at the 5^th spot on the list!

NUMBER FOUR

Run DMC

Classic old skool hip-hop, Run DMC is timeless and still relevant today. Their cross-over hit, "Walk This Way," garnered the trio national attention in a way that hip-hop had never before received, bringing the music into the mainstream. Not only did Run DMC change the sound and appreciation of hip-hop, they also had a great influence on the fashion and style of their day, which carries over to the present.

When people begin to study the effect of hip-hop on American culture, they will know who Run DMC is. Run DMC is the Adam and Eve of the Creation Story. If God invented hip-hop, instead of Adam and Eve, we would have the late Jam Master Jay, Reverend Jo Run Simmons, and Darryl DMC McDaniels. These 3 cats started hip-hop and til this day- are hip-hop. Just like people still listen to classical Beethoven, older hip-hop heads will always listen to classical, Run DMC.

NUMBER THREE

Outkast

Outkast has always been a different breed of hip-hop (thus the name) and are always pushing the envelope to see how far they can go artistically. I like Outkast because listening to their albums you can feel a progression into a more actualized kind of hip-hop. Andre and Big Boi take a lot of chances with some of the music they produce, but it pays off. 

With the second most hip-hop album sold in the United States, Outkast has been the underground force to the Southern Hip-Hop movement.  Outkast is also the second hip-hop act to win the Grammy’s Album of the Year award after Lauryn Hill. Big Boi and Andre together are a dynamic duo. These are the kids who made it cool to be a square. They took hip-hop and perfected the art of it, which gives them the 3^rd spot on our top hip-hop groups of all time.

NUMBER TWO

Public Enemy

Rap with an important message was always Public Enemy's main concern. Through their music they showed that hip-hop can be political and serve a greater purpose, but also still fun and danceable. Their song "Fight the Power" which was used as the soundtrack for Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing was the perfect backdrop for the time.

Man, oh man! Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Prof. Griff! Public Enemy was more than just music. They challenged the system. I’d always hear, it’s not fair to be black in America. Well, these guys did their thing. They showed and told us why it wasn’t fair. Rolling Stone ranked them 100 greatest artist of all-time, so it’s only deserving they take home the number two spot on our greatest hip-hop groups of all-time.

 

NUMBER ONE!

Wu-Tang Clan

Wu-Tang Clan gets the top spot because ever since they broke out onto the scene they've been changing the game up and setting the bar for what hip-hop should be-- phat beats, excellent and thought-provoking rhymes, and a resonance that sticks with you. The RZA is a musical genius, and the way he puts together a song is just magical. Every member of Wu-Tang Clan can stand alone against whoever is considered to be the hottest rapper of the day. Every rapper in the Wu is that good.

Wu Tang Clan ain’t nothin’ to fuck with! Wu Tang Clan ain’t nothin’ to fuck with. Man, ole man! They deserve the number one spot because the dynamics of this rap group is like the USA Olympic Basketball team back in ’92; subsequently, a year before Wu Tang appeared in the game. They are full of stars. They deserve the number one spot. RIP O.D.B. He liked it raw- just like the Clan’s music.

So there you have it, folks! What did you think of the list? This was a really fun collaboration, and a good excuse to spend an entire afternoon going through my hip-hop collection. Much thanks to LOLitzDO for coming up with this idea and working with me through it. Here's to more future writing collaborations and cheers for all DIY writers!