Paradise the Architect hopes for return of 'peace' to the Hip-Hop world
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Paradise Gray -- "Our music and the movement we're trying to spearhead now basically is really trying to unite people who love hip-hop but who have been frustrated with the messages, with all the violence and drugs and sex and stuff."
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When Paradise Gray looks out at the hip-hop landscape, it's hard to see the pretty picture he once did.
He sees an industry dominated by a few select artists, ones who don't bother with any kind of positive or hard-hitting message. He sees the young rappers who do take a "conscious" approach forced under the radar. And, unlike the classic rockers, he sees the pioneers of hip-hop with no mainstream outlet for their work.
But, with a life already devoted to the music and its spirit, Paradise isn't the type to wave the white flag. He's on the beat daily, whether it's offering guidance to young rappers, pounding the pavement with his Pittsburgh activist organization One Hood or spreading his message of justice and anti-violence on Facebook and Twitter.
Where: Pittsburgh Hilton.
When: 5:30 p.m. (red carpet); 7 p.m. (show) Sunday.
Tickets: $20; www.pittsburghhiphopawards.com
Lately, he has had the chance to celebrate his own roots as Paradise the Architect with the 20th anniversary reunion of X-Clan, the potent Brooklyn hip-hop crew led by Brother J. They've already hooked up locally for two Haiti benefits, and this weekend Brother J will fly back in for the 4th annual Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Awards on Sunday.
"It's really been almost 18 years since we performed together," Paradise says of Brother J. "Being that it's the 20th anniversary of our first CD, it's just a beautiful time for us to spend together and we plan to make new music together, travel together, write a book together, things like that."
Like the Wu-Tang Clan, X-Clan, which recorded two albums for Island Records before splitting in the mid-'90s, turns up in various incarnations, sometimes as a full group, other times with just a few members.
"We're doing it grassroots, just like back in the day," he says. "We're updating the message to one of 'a culture united.' We're basically bringing a message of world peace, the original message that Afrika Bambaataa put out when he invented the culture of hip-hop -- peace, love, unity and having fun. And then adding the component of a little friction in there to challenge people to step up and save the planet, save our environment and save our selves."
First Published February 18, 2010 12:00 am
