Who remembers the magazine Hip Hop connection?

I used to love walking to the shop and buying my favourite hip hop magazine. Nowadays we just scroll on our phones. There was a magazine called Hip Hop connection in the 90's. I always made sure I ordered a copy. There was something special about reading interviews and articles about ones' passions. I guess it felt like there was limited exposure and therefore appreciated more when an interview with one of my favourite rappers was published. The more scarce the information the more I wanted to seek. Obviously nowadays I can pretty much google or wikipedia anything. I can source anything and everything instantly. Nothing beats the smell of the fresh magazine paper and knowing for the next few days there will be something interesting to do and read. ![img510.jpg]

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I still love physicality when it come's to art. It's the touch of the CD or Cassette cover, the opening of the plastic wrapper. Even the paper receipt and plastic bag the purchased item is carried home in. It had a real world attachment and then when it was old or taking up space it was somebody else's treasure. As an emcee I used to always want to be in hip Hop Connection, that was something that became a reality. One of my tracks "Picasso" ended up on the front cover free CD of hiphop connection. The magazine was worldwide and so that meant my track was worldwide. Kind of felt weird going to buy that edition from the shop with myself being on the CD and also a quick name mention inside.

A song called Picasso that sampled John Coltrane produced by Nick Stez.

The track was this

A couple of years later I got a call from a friend who sounded excited on the phone, they told me that they just read the hip hop connection readers poll, a annual public vote of the top ten rappers/albums etc. and that I had made the top ten best rappers of that year voted by readers. I thought I must be in the UK category or some other small section. But No I was actually number 7 in the world. Jay-Z being number 1.

Let me put this in context for you, I am from a small town, never had a record deal or publisher etc, this was the equivalent of a semi pro footballer at an unknown club being voted in the worlds best players. So the magazine I used to read as a kid became one of my little life trophies. To put the icing on the cake, I was also voted in Hip Hop connections top 10 ugliest hip hop artists, right next to Fat Joe. I prefer the former though.

Peace Steemit land