Snoop Dogg Denied Entry into Australia
Snoop Dogg, previously barred from entering the UK, has now been denied visa to attend MTV Australian Video Music Award in Sydney. Snoop failed the character test required to obtain an Australian visa because of his extensive criminal record.
Australia's Immigration Minister, Kevin Andrews, attributed the cancellation of Snoop's visa to the country's strict character test, which takes criminal convictions into account. "He doesn't seem the sort of bloke we want in this country," Andrews told Sydney's Macquarie Radio.
On a related note, Snoop recently told MTV that his next album, which will feature production from Pharrell Williams, will be titled Ego Trippin', and will have absolutely no guests rappers or singers. "I'mma do the whole record, me by myself. I don't want no guest rappers, no singer, nothing. Just Snoop Dogg. I want you to feel me," said Snoop to MTV. "When I think of all the greats before me ... I bought Rakim's album the other day for the hundredth time, no guest rappers. I bought one of KRS-One's albums the other day for the hundredth time, no guest rappers."
Comments
100 times? is Snoop aware that CDs can be replayed, and dont’t have to be disposed of after a single use?
I was wondering the same. Unless, of course, he’s buying them online and deleting them afterwards.
Snoop’s been banned in multiple countries? Now that’s gangster.
Myspace.com/kayomarbilus myspace page myspace music blog In 1982, the video “Buffalo Gals”, was shown on a television music show called Sound Unlimited. The show was staged in a Manhattan basketball court and featured images of graffiti and break dancers. This left an impression on many teenagers and many started attempting the dance moves they saw on the show.[2]
The first Australian hip hop record released was “16 Tons” / “Humber Mania Time” by Mighty Big Crime released by Virgin Records and Criteria Productions in 1987 (Catalogue number VOZC 026).[3] The single was a Beastie Boys derivative[4] and the Melbourne based duo soon disbanded.[5] Although it is claimed by Gerry Bloustein in her book, Musical Visions, that that the first ‘true hip hop’ release was, “Combined Talent” / “My Destiny” in 1988 by Just Us (consisting of Maltese DJ Case and Mentor). [6]
In the late 1980s, Sound Unlimited Posse became the first Australian hip hop group signed to a major record label (Sony BMG), releasing A Postcard from the Edge of the Under-side in 1992, the first major-label Australian rap album.[6] The group initially received some criticism for their instrumental style and commercial success, particularly from other Sydney-based hip hop outfits. Also in 1992, the independent label Random Records released Def Wish Cast’s album Knights of the Underground Table. After this there were a string of independent CDs and tapes released by various artists from the Western Suburbs of Sydney, an area traditionally regarded as working class, underprivileged, and crime-ridden, with a large population of immigrant inhabitants.[7]
After Sound Unlimited split in 1994, there was little commercial activity within Australian hip hop. However, underground artists continued to play plenty of small live shows and release independent recordings.
By the early 2000s, the Australian Record Industry Association began to recognise the growth of interest within Australia and then in 2004 introduced a new category in their annual awards, ‘Best Urban Release’ (artists working primarily within the urban genre, eg: R&B, hip hop, soul, funk, reggae and dancehall). The inaugural award was won by Koolism for their album, Random Thoughts.[8] At the 2006 and 2007 Awards it was won by Hilltop Hoods for their albums The Hard Road and The Hard Road Restrung respectively.[9][10] The Hard Road also became the first Australian Hip Hop Album to take the No. 1 position in the ARIA Charts in 2006. In 2008 the ARIA Award was won by Bliss n Eso for their album Flying Colours.
Australian hip hop, since its inception, has been very influenced by the urban African-American styles.[1] Like many hip hop scenes outside the United States, some Australian hip hop artists were also heavily influenced by reggae as well.[11] One artist describes his own style has having been “influenced by London reggae rap rather than North American rap, conceding the Afro-Caribbean ‘roots’ of that scene, but carefully distancing himself from charges of imitation or of subjection to a putative American cultural imperialism.”[12] as general Australian hip hop is more similar to American hip hop as stylish, but the diversity of American hip hop is very different than Australian. In the United States hip hop artists are predominantly Black, and Latino American. Possibly due to demographic differences, this contrasts with Australian hip hop artists, a majority of whom are White or Lebanese. Though not at the forefront of Australian hip hop scene, Aboriginal rappers such as the duo Blackjustis produce songs that describe the plight of Indigenous Australians. [2] One of their musical influences is the American hip hop group Public Enemy. [13] Since the early 1980s, many crews have focused on their presentation in the eyes of their competitors, portraying their skills as better and their turf as tougher.
In Australia, dance moves associated with hip hop, like locking and popping has been one of the main things that has drawn public interest in hip hop, and contributed to its popularity. [14] These dance moves that make Australian hip hop so intriguing to Australians, however, has being criticized as not original and another sign of proof that Australia suffers from not having a hip hop cultural identity of its own. [15] As a result, it is hard to pinpoint what in Australian hip hop makes the hip hop Australian.
Some say that Australian hip hop is an example of how the country has been Americanized. However others argue that Australian hip hop has been localised with the use of Australian slang, political views, references to localities. This is demonstrated in the lyrics of early Western Sydney artists such as 046, Def Wish Cast and the White Boys. Additionally the non-Anglo immigrants of theses areas were attracted to hip hop because of it features in lyrics and content of racial opposition such as in African American hip hop.[7] The American influence in Australian music and film has actually made its biggest impact in the 21st century with the internet. The internet has made American film, music, language and fashion popular worldwide [16].
In the industry this debate is a sore point with many Australian hip hop artists denying any association with American hip hop. One way of asserting their authenticity is by making clear that, for them, hip hop is not about race. This distinguishes Australian rap, the performers and enthusiasts of which are mostly white males, from U.S rap, which is very much associated with African American culture and style. Although one cannot deny that hip hop originated in the U.S. and that U.S. hip hop has major influences on hip hop scenes around the globe, in emphasizing the lack of racial issues in Australian hip hop, Australian rappers imply that their hip hop scene developed separately from America’s and is its own entity. In the lyrics of Def Wish Cast it is “down under, comin’ up.”[2][17] But, despite the absence of a racial undertone Australian hip hop shares the same sexualization found in its U.S. equivalent. Maxwell believes that the teens of the area find it “exotic”. [18] One problem is that Aussie hip hop does not play a large role in the grand scheme of things and many of the artists now it saying “once you leave our shores you realise how small a part we play”. [19] This tends to create a problem for the style of Aussie music as they may not be able to create their own identity and have to follow the more traditional Western hip hop fads.
As it progressed, Australian hip hop has taken on a greater diversity with influences from New Zealand and United Kingdom, but also by developing its own unique flavour with a focus on the Aussie battler, jovial, larrikin lyrics, the heavy use of samples and sound bites and in some instances the use of an exaggerated Australian accent. There are, however, many instances of artists and their works that use intelligent lyrics to analyse and discuss society, politics and how Australian suburbia interacts with the Australian culture.[citation needed] Emerging Hiphop talents have taken to expanding the diversity of the Australian hiphop blend, with bands such as Jumbledat and Rumpunch incorporating a live band as a powerful backdrop for the MCs. A jazz element has elucidated itself, multi instrumentation and improvisation providing a more spontaneous and alternative edge to the traditional, more structured forms of Australian hiphop.
The presence of hip hop in Australia brings the issue of race to the forefront of the genre, as a perennial black form of music is nearly divorced from its racial background in Australia[2]. However, ideas concerning race, minority status, and cultural background does crop up in the work of hip hop artists. Phillip Kalantzis-Cope asserts that hip hop in Australia is intimately tied to race, and that hip hop as an art form is more attractive to ethnic Australian youth than their “anglo” counterparts, although the demographics of Australian artists would seem counter to this. Kalantizis-Cope believes it is possible for all Australians to look beyond hip hop as a means of expression for disadvantaged African-American youth, and be appropriated for expression of issues pertinent to their lives as well[20]. Indeed, as Demonstrated by Ian Maxwell’s study, hip hop in Australia has transcended race, having travelled as an art form through mass media directly to all Australian youth. Due to a lack of the historical, cultural, economic and racial context of hip hop, Australian artists such as Sereck are able to declare hip hop is “their thing.”[21] Rather than embrace the race factor of hip hop, many Australian artists strive to illustrate that rap has nothing to do with race, and that hip hop is for everyone who loves hip hop and connects with the music. A statement that really captures the ideas of many Australian artists is the following, “…Above all, remember this: all other things being equal, here, in the far western suburbs of Sydney (but anywhere really), hip hop is not a black thing.” “Hip hop is something that is felt in particular bodies, almost (and certainly in the accounts of those who have experienced this connection) as an irreducibly primary experience: either you get it, in which case you’re one of us, or you do not, in which case you’re not…”[22] In Australia it is interesting to study the mindset of the hip hop artists and supporters because it is one of the only places where a black population isn’t closely identified with the hip hop scene, yet the people there would say that that fact doesn’t matter and that hip hop is just as important and authentic as anywhere else. Furthermore, artists like differentiate themselves from bling-bling rappers like 50 Cent. In an interview, one of the most successful Australian rappers Pegz states, “In general, Aussie rap is just an honest perspective on life,”[23] and to the rappers in Australia, that is just what rap is, which has nothing to do with race.