Ice Cube was always one of the most intelligent artists to hold a microphone.

Twitter has been really motivating me lately. Several months ago, a colleague, @cynaminjones made me remember all the things that I had done when I owned my magazine, Mad Rhythms. See, before I became an author or a filmmaker, I created a magazine that circulated to college students.  In 2000, it was time for me to move on.  It hurt to close the business but at the same time I knew it was necessary for my life path.

As an author, I don’t really talk about my Mad Rhythms years. But they were fun, exciting, and inspirational. One tribute that I have to Mad Rhythms is that I continue to conduct the Politics of Hip Hop Culture tour on college campuses. This tour gives my unique insight on hip hop.

Two nights ago, another Twitter colleague @consciousskillz, tweeted a sixword story. I replied to his sixword story with my own, Don’t Forget From Whence You Came. That simple reply made me pull Mad Rhythms out of the basement and display it proudly for my new friends and fans to see. It appears that I was keeping from whence I came from the rest of you. And why is that? There is no shame in from whence I came. I am so proud of my hip hop history, and my magazine mojo.  It is the reason that I keep doing things my OWN way. Its the reason that I keep succeeding.

Many people look at hip hop and see offensive music, unruly characters, and oversexualized females.  I look at hip hop and I see opportunity, promise and change. I’ve seen the powerless become the powerful.  We may both be looking at the same picture, but we don’t always have the same vision. I challenge you and your vision to see something deeper when you look at hip hop culture. That is really what Mad Rhythms was all about.