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Independence Day: HH4

© Steve Juon

One of the hottest threads right now on the rec.music.hip-hop newsgroup is whether or not a proposal for a new group called rec.music.indie.hip-hop should move past the discussion stage. Personally, I stand opposed to this proposal, because I think it would further divide an already overly divisive newsgroup into factions who decide what's "indie" and what's not. Hip-hop needs more unity and less jealousy of artists who have major label contracts -- who are often worse off for their contracts than their independent peers. We should be supporting each other. And personally, I think the people who complain that only Bone and 2Pac get discussed ought to post about their own favorite groups instead of whining.

Now as for web pages, I don't understand why people haven't noticed the explosion of indie labels in recent months who are establishing their own sites. I have two picks for the week that I would like to share with those of you out there who like the taste and flavor of the minor label hitting major hip-hop chords.

The first I'll address is Solesides, which can be found at "http://www.massive.com/solesides". This label is home to some of hip-hop's best in the West, including Blackalicious and the newly formed Latyrx (that's Lateef and Lyrics Born crushed together into one name). DJ Shadow is one of their main producers, and the Invisibl Skratch Piklz are down as well. This is a well designed site with a menu bar at the top and the bottom that clearly leads you to "Get Some" (how to purchase Solesides records), "Hype" (what people are saying about Solesides) and the "New" shit on tap. Chock with audio files and nice graphics, Solesides is ready to get yourself connected and put the Stereo MC's outta business. See-ya!

Second label I'd like to mention is Critique. Their most famous artist is probably Digital Underground, who signed after getting the dillz from Tommy Boy (who still gets props for introducing them to the nation). Their page at "http://www.peeps.com" is nice; it has samples from their new single and the previous "Oregano Flow" joint plus bios and information about the crew (and D.U. is LARGE!). Once again they get the shine for a professional web spot that you can just lounge at and enjoy.

That's all for this week. Peace, and I'm OWWWWWT.

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