Common definies artistry

Common speaks more truth in another promo for the upcoming Hennessy Artistry tour that he is co-curating along with The Roots. In this video, Common defines artistry as (and I'm paraphrasing) one taking their imagination, experiences, their soul, and their heart into a form of expression, whether in be in music, directing, film, etc. The wise MC captured the essence of the word concisely and also provides an effective opportunity to reflect on the artistry everywhere. When Common punctuated his definition with the word 'pure', it made me think of music, where many in hip hop have exclaimed the artistry and creativity is second to the money. After reviewing our many submissions behind the scenes (yes, we get to as many as possible so keep sending!) and all the music you see before you, it is easy to read the approaches behind the records and therefore the lack of artistry in some. Fortunately, we still see that those with a message and those that spread positivity are making the loudest and longest impact.

Common and The Roots will be hitting The Shrine on September 12th; head over to hennessyartistry.com for more info (and a chance to win a FREE trip to the finale show in NYC) and our constantly updated Upcoming Shows page for the latest on the Chicagoland area's.. well.. upcoming shows.

Down below, we have a rap on today's new music and videos. Definitely a fairly slow day but still some tracks to be had with Chamillionaire's latest leakin' called "Good Morning". I'm diggin' the beat and Koopa always comes correct with the lyrics, but the record is on a recycled topic of haters. It was well-executed but I tire of hearing some of the same things. More can be had below with hip hop featuring Lil' Wayne, Erick Sermon, and Tech N9ne and videos featuring Chris Brown's first TV interview since the infamous domestic abuse incident and Trey Songz' wave of publicity in New York with Angie Martinez and another appearance on 106 & Park (announcing his fall tour with Mario and Day26.. again, Upcoming Shows page). Just some final thoughts on the Chris Brown interview: 1. it's hilarious that #chrisbrownsbowtie was the top trending topic and 2. I think CB's presence was a little off and evoked a little phoniness and weakness (especially as Larry King kept prying to get him to talk about the actual incident... smart that he didn't tho). Consequently, I'm not sure the interview did much to help but as always, time will tell for Chris Brown. This is such a big story that it warrants mentioning but I never wanna get too in-depth and caught up in the drama on stories like this. After all, the music > ________. Enjoy!