Toney Parka

Hip Hop / Rap / Breakbeats

Glenarden, MD

Blog - see all 2

Toney Parka discusses the Hip Hop culture with Mr. Martell on the Sol of Hip Hop Radio Show. Check it out...

That's Parka with an "a"!

In a time when Hip Hop icons are viewed as praised pretenders, desperately seeking to say whatever sells to partake of a percentage, a hero is arising. Toney Parka (aka Tone Rome) wants to prove that Hip Hop is more than fast cars and fast rhymes. Born amongst the hustle and bustle of Baltimore's streets, Parka held on to Hip Hop for dear life. Hip Hop became for him a fervent fortress. Selective about his choice of Hip Hop styles, his admiration grew for the sounds of Run-DMC, Rakim, Public Enemy and A Tribe Called Quest. Parka is a graduate of Tuskegee University, an advocate of true Hip Hop, and a dedicated father. Toney is also the Director of the Saturday Arts Academy, which provides comprehensive arts based activities for Washington DC youth. Parka has dedicated the past 12 years to perfecting the art of emceeing and mastering the business behind the music. He is one of the founding members of The RawDialect Crew, a group that forged his lyrical skill with that of seven other talented MCs. When it came time for The RawDialect Crew to release their music to the public, they didn't run to a record exec with their demo tape, they formed their own label, RAWsounds, LLC. Now, Toney Parka is hard at work on his freshman project, The Movement: Unifying the Masses. The album's heavy title captures the content of Parka's music perfectly. His lyrics expose the truths behind today's Hip Hop in an attempt to elevate the thoughts of Hip Hop supporters everywhere. Parka's music offers a refreshing rest from the computerized sounds that have become commonly correlated with Hip Hop. The tracks are composed of actual base lines, atop keyboard chords, with horn sections in the background, beckoning listeners back to the original sounds of Hip Hop. However, an in-tune listener recognizes that The Movement is not just a sound. The Movement is a mission for the unification of the Hip Hop community, as opposed to its separation. If The Movement were a country, its nation's capital would be all communities with respect for Hip Hop. Its motto would be Self-Respect, Unity, and Empowerment. And its citizens would be all artists and businessmen/women with an agenda to uplift the Hip Hop culture. Ultimately, Parka is dedicated to surpassing borders and boundaries and disproving myths to provide a positive portrayal of Hip Hop. Parka's first album, The Movement: Unifying the Masses is due for release in 2008. Stay tuned for more news & info on http://www.toneyparka.com.