He definitely makes some bold statements in the posting, although it could be a little easier to read – what’s with the CAPS.

Here’s the full text from the posting in case you can’t read it from the image.

FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THEIR CONSTANT LOVE AND SUPPORT OVER THESE PAST 6 YEARS! I’M SO HAPPY TO BE BACK IN THE STUDIO MAKING NEW MUSIC. I WILL BRING YOU THE BEST I HAVE TO OFFER WITH THE SAME DEDICATION THAT KOBE HAS ON THE COURT. IT’S FUNNY HOW SO MANY RAPPERS GET WORSE AS THEIR CAREERS STRETCH OUT BUT TRUE POETS GET BETTER. WE WILL FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MAYA ANGELOU, GILL SCOTT HERRON AND NINA SIMONE. THEIR WORK IMPROVED WITH TIME. THEY DOCUMENTED WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN CULTURE. THAT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS THE MODERN DAY ARTISTS AND POETS, TO ACCURATELY REPRESENT WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW, SO THAT WHEN THE POWERS THAT BE TRY TO REWRITE HISTORY YOU CAN ALWAYS LOOK AT OUR WORKS AND FIND TRUTH AND SINCERITY IN A WORLD OF PROCESSED INFORMATION. LET US SOAK IN POSITIVE FORCES AND LOOK DOWN ON UPON THOSE WHO MASQUERADE AS TRUTH TELLERS AND OBJECTIVE FACT GIVERS WHEN IN FEALITY EVERYTHING THAT IS PROJECTED HAS AN AGENDA OF BRAINSTORMING US, THE “CONSUMER”, THE PUBLIC, TO BELIEVE WHAT THEY WANT US TO. LET US LOOK PAST HEADLINES AND DEAL WITH JUST A BIT OF REALITY IN THIS NEW DECADE. WE WILL HAVE OUR OWN OUTLETS NOW. WE DON’T HAVE TO BELIEVE EVERYTHING ANYMORE. NOW I’LL FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MAKE THAT RHYME LOL!!!

Anyone care to give Kanye West a hand in making that ryhme?

1. Kanye West is Back Recording a New Album
2. Cracked.com on Kanye
3. Another Ego-Feed: Kanye's Book To Be Launched in July
4. Kanye is an Ass
5. Jay-Z Feat. Rihanna & Kanye West – Run This Town

I go out of my way to find the latest band or artist to experiment with aural symphonies, lyrical structures, and chord arrangements. I’m not just a hip hop fan; I listen to indie rock, blues, classic rock, metal, and even Indian classical music as much.

So obviously, I need to be able to find some great music at all times. A few resources I use regularly are:

1. Last.fm

Last.fm is an online radio. If you enter the name of a band/artist or genre, it will play songs that are similar in structure or tonal arrangement.

For instance, I plugged in “Death Cab for Cutie” (a great Indie band) in their search field. Last.fm then proceeded to play music from bands as diverse as Imogen Heap (‘Hide and Seek’), to Fun Loving Criminals.

Often, you will come across well known bands. But sometimes, Last.fm will play some great piece of music by some completely unknown artist that will just blow your mind away.

The service is free to try, but I recommend getting their premium membership which costs $3/month. You can download a player that will sit on your desktop and play music. It will also gather information from your plays in iTunes to figure out the kind of songs you like.

2. iTunes With Genius Bar

I was less than impresssed with the ‘Genius’ feature in the latest iTunes. I considered it a breach of my privacy; no computer AI should know the kind of music I was listening to.

But as I started using it more and more, I realized that the Genius bar would often pull out some amazing music from the database. I’ve discovered more than my share of good music through this feature, so if you haev iTunes (you really should), be sure to enable the Genius feature.

3. Billboard

This is nothing new to most music lovers. The Billboard tracks the sale of music across the United States. Most of the stuff here is mainstream crap, but it sure helps to know what kind of music is actually topping the charts these days.

4. FIQL.com

FIQL.com calls itself the best source for music and video playlists, and this is one claim I cannot argue with. FIQL is simply a platform for people to share their favorite playlists. You can find all sorts of playlists, from the ultimate party mix, to a great workout track, to some really depressive stuff. The playlists are created by users so there can be some inconsistency in quality, but overall, a great place to find new songs and playlists.

5. MySpace Music

I hate to say it, but MySpace Music is actually has the best amateur and indie music scene on the internet. MySpace, the social networking site may have long been dead and dominated by bots and attention starved teenagers, but MySpace Music is still the go to place for bands and amateur artists.

6. Spotify

Spotify has long been touted as the ‘music label killer’. Right now, the site is active only in certain European countries, but its only a matter of time before the service arrives in the US too.

Spotify allows you to stream virtually any song ever made, directly from the site itself. No downloads, no 30 second sound demos, just full songs, streamed anytime, anywhere. The possibilities with this are endless. Imagine having this on your iPhone – just search for that 80′s rap song kicking about in your head since the morning, and presto – it’ll start streaming.

If you guys have any more resources to share, or any sites you think would make a worthy addition to this list, just let me know in the comments section.

1. Last.fm – The Best Way to Discover New Music
2. Featured Artist: Urban Rock Band
3. Hip Hop Artists Are the Best Businessmen in the World
4. Hip Hop Beat Production Software – Rappers.org Weighs Your Options
5. How Mobile Carriers Are Ripping Off Their Customers

A couple of weeks back, I finally got onto Last.fm and got myself a premium membership.

Now their software sits on my desktop, and whenever I launch my iTunes, it pops open. I can just type the name of an artist – say, Mos Def – and it’ll play songs either by the artist, or by artists that sound like him.

Last.fm Software/Client

Over time, Last.fm learns of my music tastes and plays music that I like. So if I play a lot of Eminem in my iTunes, very little of Asher Roth, then it’ll detect that I like the Eminem sound more and play me more music like that.

The monthly membership costs $3 – a pittance, honestly.

The best part? I’ve discovered more new music in the past one month than I did in the past two years. Bands and artists I’d never heard of are now my iTunes staples. I’m discovering entirely new genres of music – Lounge and House music, for instance – as well as new artists. There is a definite heavy emphasis on independent and new artists in the suggestions by Last.fm, which is a great thing for people like me.

If you are a serious music lover – and I bet you are since you read Rappers.org – then definitely get a Last.fm subscription. You won’t regret it.

1. New Hip Hop Music: Resources For Discovering the Best Hip Hop From Around the World
2. Featured Artist: Urban Rock Band
3. Hip Hop Beat Production Software – Sonic Producer
4. Hip Hop Beat Production Software – Rappers.org Weighs Your Options
5. Rappers – How to Hone Your Voice to Become a Great MC

There’s an interesting article in the Time magazine today about music – rock, and hip hop in particular in Iran.

From what I know about Islam, the hardcore Islamists consider music to be against their religion. It is surprising to read then about the fledgling underground music scene in Tehran. These are people who are really, truly in love with music – they have faced persecution and prosecution, and have had to live the lives of refugees for their one particular love.

Its surprising to find that liberties which most of us take for granted are sometimes so difficult to attain for others. In so many countries, just voicing your opinion or expressing yourself can land you in prison.

Articles like these make me proud and thankful of the fact that I live in a secular, democratic nation.

1. New Hip Hop Music: Resources For Discovering the Best Hip Hop From Around the World
2. Can Rap Be Conservative?
3. Rap Beats And Hip Hop – How To Set Yourself Apart From The Rest Of The Aspiring Rappers And Singers
4. The Exploding Business of Hip Hop Accessories
5. Hip Hop Beat Production Software – Rappers.org Weighs Your Options