Watch: Strivers in Your City Episode 9 at WPUNJ (featuring WTM)

If you don't keep up with the Strivers Row poetry group they do a web series on their performances and tours across the country.

As you all know last month Alysia Harris and Miles Hodges were at William Paterson University for the Hip-Hop SOULcase. Before the show I got to catch up with them for a brief intimate interview. They have posted a video about their experience on campus. At the end of the video they feature clips from our interview with them. You can watch that below. The interview in its entirety will be posted briefly. Shoutouts to Marcus Johnson and DeShaun Wright.

Hip-Hop Soulcase Recap

And all the white girls can suck my what???

I guess you had to be there to understand that line but all and all the event was beyond dopeness. I cannot continue this review without saying this first: Huge shoutout to the first lady of WTM Ashanti Jones. She is the VP of S.A.B.L.E at WPUNJ and the event was completely her doing. I have watched her slave for months and work her behind off to make it the success that it was.

Okay lets begin. Unorthodox but the headliners of the event went first. Striver's Row members Miles Hodges and Alysia Harris tore the stage up. They spit some new pieces were read but they spit some of their own classics like Cab Rides and the Morning After and Harlem. Next up were the promised performers and an open mic. The Hip-Hop SOULcase never had a dull moment. Students from Willy P showed their stuff whether it be poetry, hip-hop or even neo-soul. MotaRaps, Olawumi, D.O.P.E, Khalil Jibran, & Sir Moore kept the crowd entertained throughout. There was nothing but good vibes when they all hit the stage. The crowd really responded to a freestyle by Khalil Jibran and you can see below.

Shortly afterwards, Conway & Mayday (D.O.P.E) got the crowd hype with their live performance of She Likes (off Orientation), and Sir Moore finished off the show with songs of the August Rush EP over the classic Fugees song, Killing Me Softlyinstrumental. All in all, this was a dope showcase and everyone really enjoyed themselves. Keep on the lookout for the next event and clips from this one. Always remember where you heard it first. Right here on What's the Movement?!

Your Editor,

Deeper Than the Music with Sir Moore & Khalil Jibran

Snowed out Tuesday equals Late Night Friday.

 Between chilly weather, precipitation, and campus police alarm settings, hosting WTM on our normal Tuesday night time slot was impossible. All setbacks lead to a better opportunity. The station gave us the go so we convened WTM on a prime time Friday Night from 10 pm-1 am. Well we didn't let the snow stop us from this dope sit in with Sir M00RE & Khalil Jibran. Of course we spoke about both of the artists and their projects and upcoming events. 

Khalil came in with a few announcements to make. The first of which was an announcement of his upcoming mixtape Rain On a SUNday which is expected to release on February 14th. I asked why Valentine's Day and he explained the oxymoron of the title. He got into his R&B roots and disclosed the smoothness of the project. "We don't have music for rainy Sundays where you can just look out the window and listen," he says. Valentine's day seems perfect in my eyes for something that soulful. Later on in the broadcast we played one of the tracks off that tape titled Please Just Get Away from Me featuring The Olawumii. 

#RainOnaSunDay
— The Chosen One (@KhalilJibran_) January 25, 2014

Throughout the segment we chopped it up with Sir Moore. We talked about his first ever EP, August Rush. He discussed the name and inspiration behind these six tracks. We also got a little off-topic and broke into his relationship with The Strivers' Row Poetry members and fellow NJ Emcee, Moruf. He filmed the show Moruf had with Jasmine Mans earlier this month in Newark. Joe V and August Rush was featured in Garden State Hip-Hop's "10 NJ Rappers to look for in 2014" article ran by Rodney Coursey.

Following the inteviews both artist had a killer freestyle to multiple instrumentals old and new. Both of them killed their spot. All in all both artists have a crazy 2014 coming up on the way. Glad to have gotten them on the show before greatness occurs. Clips from the freestyle will be posted at a later on, tune in.

Your Editor,