Saw this on Lupe's Myspace when it first premiered last night. This video is Hip-Hop 101... not to much flash, just the MC tearing it down lyrically on camera. Lupe is killing it right now! If "The Cool" is just as good or better than "Food & Liquor," then Lupe has earned a spot in my top 3 MCs living (he's already in my top 5).
Came back to this album this week. If you don't have this album, you missing out. Cop it ASCAP!!!
And since we are the subject of Detroit Hip-Hop, I thought it would only be right show some respect to master of Detroit's "Soulful Boom-Bap" sound. This is not only one of my favorite tracks from Slum, but one of my favorite Dilla beats. R.I.P. Jay Dee. FYI- Peep the "small" cameo in the video... lol!!
The trailer for the video "Blue Magic." Jay-Z's new single from the upcoming concept album based on the new Denzel, Russell Crowe movie "American Gangster." Directed by Rik Cordero. Intro beat by Dilated Peoples' DJ Babu (WEST COAST REPRESENTA!!! I really hope Jay is using that beat for the album).
This song as allowed me to forgive Pharrell of what was the mockery that is known as "Anything" from "Kingdom Come." (Besides "Anything" and "Hollywood," I loved Kingdom Come btw.)
(From hiphopdx.com) The Kanye West/50 Cent "Clash of the Titans" has finally come to a close. While many thought that 50 Cent could pull a last minute upset with a late surge, the fact is that Kanye West cruised to an easy victory with Graduation surpassing Curtis. According to Billboard, Kanye West's Graduation nearly went platinum in one week as it checked in with 957k units sold.
50, while not doing too shabby himself, was a distant second as Curtis clocked in at 691k sold. The third member of this race, country music artist Kenny Chesney, found himself well behind with 387k copies of his Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates sold in its first week.
To add insult to injury, Graduation - in what can be considered a horrid selling market - had the highest first week total since 50's The Massacre pushed 1.1 million back in 2005. This number ranks Graduation 15th amongst all sales weeks since the Nielsen Soundscan began tracking sales back in 1991. Graduation and Curtis marked only the second time two debuting
Your gold watch from me is the mail 50. Enjoy it!!!
Yep, the rumors are true. Issue #20 will be the final issue of Scratch. But don’t mourn, remember the good times, rap nerds!
Now check out what’s in the final issue, which will drop by the end of September. We’re going out with a bang!:
-Timbaland explains why “pop is the new hip-hop,” why he’s still homies with Scott Storch and why he’s had trouble working with Jay-Z and Missy Elliott.
-50 Cent discusses working with no-name producers, getting creative with Timbaland and why other big name beatmakers like The Neptunes and Kanye didn’t make the final cut on Curtis.
-RZA breaks down each track on the Wu-Tang reunion album 8 Diagrams.
-Irv Gotti on plotting Ja Rule’s comeback, his new reality show and how 50 Cent affected his career.
-An introduction to the producers behind Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy),” 50 Cent’s “I Get Money,” Playaz Circle & Lil Wayne’s “Duffle Bag Boy,” Nelly’s “Wadsyaname” and Gucci Mane’s “Freaky Gurl.”
-David Banner explains how he came out of his depression and why he has a hard time rapping on his own beats.
-Without Little Brother by his side, 9th Wonder talks about begining his new movement in North Carolina.
-A detailed break-down of the infamous MP3 Ripping Groups that supply us with the illegal music we love.
-Chicago producers Cuzo and Xcel go inside the world of juke house music with their new hip-hop fusion.
-The Alchemist breaks down his beat-making process from the ground-up.
-Just Blaze tests out the Roland V-Synth GT and remembers his most influential pieces of gear.
-DJ Envy rates hip-hop’s greatest DJ/MC duos.
-Stones Throw’s Egon goes shopping for Turkish vinyl.
-DJ Toomp remembers the creation of his 5 best beats.
-A day in the life of Cali’s biggest DJ, Felli Fel.
-DJ Camilo tests out Traktor Scratch digital DJ system.
-Zion I’s Amp Live gives a tour of Oakland’s hip-hop scene.
-Hot 97’s underground hip-hop savior Peter Rosenberg remembers his most influential albums.
PLUS A HELLUVALOT MORE!
Now pour one out!
This is my favorite magazine too!!! I have every issue! And how you gonna go out with 50 on the cover too!!??! At least Tim makes up for it. Oh well.
To quote Huey Freeman, this is a "Nigga Moment" in progress. This was one of three fights we saw that day.
Yes, that is a man running the field in a straight jacket. He had security on the run for about 2 minutes. But once he turned the third base line and slipped, security tacked this dude so hard I felt my bones crack! They didn't walk him out the stadium, they carried him out.
My homegirl Sophie buried into reading the game program
Besides the Dodgers losing 4-1 to the D-Backs, to quote Cube, "It was a good day."
The other dude in the pictures is Hamilton, aka MC Like Minded. Ham went to high school with Key and I, and have been rockin' with us since The Flow's first mixtape early last year. Music runs in the family for him. His brother Hugh is also an MC and his father worked security for many huge bands, such as Aerosmith.
Funny enough, his father and my father went to high school together as well. Not mention my moms has known his moms since high school as well. Small world eh? But before he went back to The Bay to start the school year at UC Santa Clara, he wanted to get down for V.I.S.I.O.N.S. Key could not make it that day because he had a prior engagment with his family. But Ham and I still held it down and came out with a banga!!! Can't talk about it yet, ya'll just gotta wait for the album.
You can check out Ham's music @ http://www.myspace.com/therecipieforfresh
The Family Everyone came over to the crib to celebrate my grandmother's 75th birthday while we were recording. An opera trained singer with a masters in music, she is the music inspiration of the family; not to mention the most honest person I know. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMOMMY!!!!
('Ye perfoming at Coachella 2006. That was mine and my little sister's first concert).
I missed the VMA's this year due to I had to DJ a birthday party (pics coming next entry), but heard all the talk about Britney ("It's Britney bitch!!!" LMAO!!!), and 'Ye spazing out again for not winning one award. Although there were couple incidents where 'Ye should have just calmed down and took it in strive (the J.U.S.T.I.C.E incident at the Europe VMAs was funny as hell though), but this time, I don't blame him for going off. I like Rihanna, but "Umbrella" ain't beating this...
I really gotta find were he got the "Astro Boy" glasses from.
I'll catch the "106 & Park" episode on youtube later tonight. Got go 2 work.
I'm sorry, but I had to throw this picture up. This is the look 50 had on his face during Britney's performance... LMAO!!!!! Straight up and down classic.
Leaving for the Best Buy in about 20 minutes. Can't wait to bump it in the whip.
Let me end all speculation ladies and gentlemen and officially announce that yes indeed Hub played his last show as a member of The Roots on August 31st of this year.
One has to understand off the bat to be a member of this group is to sacrifice your life. If you look at it (and this is applies to most of the artists that you talk about on this site) there is nothing "normal" about our lives. Well at least my life. (Hold the violins please.... there is cool shit like 1am jams with Prince in his living room watching Joni Mitchel dance like a teenager.....but there is also a downside like being in your mid 30s and your dating life is still on some high school shit.)
Even as i write this i got 34 minutes to haul my ass to rehearsals for the VH-1 tour. (this is after sleeping for 5 hours fresh from working with the Score winner of the VH-1 Hip Hop Awards, which came after a 4:30am lobby call to the Las Vegas airport, which came after all the crazy MTV activity and gigs i had to do, which came after the morning flight and the 6am lobby call from Montreal which came after the 10 hour mission to get a lawyers affidavit to get me into Canada (a mere half hour before stagetime)---of course not before trashing my entire house looking for my lost passport.---that was just 48 hours.
try to make that 17 years.
This isn't a pity party. Nor an explanation. Just a confirmation. I understand that most of you are a little miffed that you weren't given the option to say "goodbye". Truth is Hub really didn't want to make a big deal about this. Which is probably why we defied him anyway and had a "moment" onstage which got quite emotional after his last solo. We got about 16 bottles of bubbly and tried to have a 2 fish/5 loafs of bread distribution to the crowd so that we could properly send him off.
So what of The Roots now? We've had the workload of about 7 groups and have been on the road since most of you were in high school (or even worse listening to your older siblings cassettes of our first couple of albums) and sometimes opportunity knocks. (in this case it's in the form of film/tv scoring)....the show will go on (i have yet to go to those "what are we gonna do now?!?!" posts on the boards.) it went on after Rahzel, Scratch, and Ben. and it will go on.
I say we use this moment and opportunity to raise our cyber glass and toast Hub in his new endeavors.
(raises glass) -?uesto (from Okayplayer.com)
I have had the honor and pleasure of seeing The Roots live twice. Hub's bass solo's, in humble opinion, is one of the show's highlights. He's a really humble dude. I could tell when I met him in person around a year ago at that in-store performance and signing for "Game Theory." It's going to be weird to see The Roots live again without Hub on bass, but the show must go on.
From the show I was at in February @ The Gibson (P.S- Fellow Okayplayer "Natural Mystic" was trying to dodge secruity so apologies in advance for a couple of camera dodges. lol.)
This during the "Game Theory" tour in Copenhagen during Hub's Solo. Listen closely before as Knuckles, Captain Kurt, and ?uesto explain their "fumbles."
This Roots Franatic will never forget your decication. peAcE and God Bless.
Quick ?, the scene in the club, why does dudes have his I-Pod earphones on in a club!!?!? Who listens to there I-Pod in the club!!?!? Is this a new trend? Somebody put me up on game here.
You need this album is your life... trust me.
And if you don't believe me, I will explain in my list of my favorite albums from this past summer in a couple of days.
Like candidates trying to sway voters on Election Day, Kanye West and 50 Cent will appear on BET's "106 & Park" on Tuesday, when both their heavily anticipated albums hit the stores.
West and 50 Cent have hyped the albums as an epic battle of rap titans — 50 Cent has said he'd retire if West's "Graduation" outsells his "Curtis" CD in their first week out.
BET is treating the Tuesday-evening event like a top heavyweight fight, even borrowing Stuart Scott from ESPN to deliver a statistical breakdown of the two rappers. Both are set to perform, but whether they will engage in a rap battle remains to be seen.
While the two have engaged in plenty of trash-talking in recent weeks, Stephen Hill, an executive vice president at BET, says this clash of hip-hop hotshots isn't about bad blood.
"I don't think it's a battle, I think it's a lot of fun. I think Kanye will tell you he moved his date to 50's date to draw this type of attention, to create this marketing opportunity," he said. "We're gonna have fun on Sept. 11, the only place they are going to be together."
Now all we need is these two...
And we will be straight.
This will be the first time I watch 106 & Park for anything in a cool minute.
Ok, the idea of 50 and 'Ye going at it for the number 1 spot on the 11th was fun completion to me at first. But now this is getting retared. It is no secret that I can't stand 50 for his shit talking and have not really check for anything from him since right after "The Massacre" dropped (honestly, I was not feeling The Massacre and think the last solid G-Unit release was Banks' debut "Hunger For More... back in Summer of 2004!!!!), but I only take so much of this overhyped media bullshit. This shit is reminding me too much of pro wrestling. The whole set up feels like the main event at Wrestlemania, and I have watched enough pro wrestling in my lifetime to identify this set up. Check it:
1) 50 is the heel (bad guy) with the title, 'Ye is the underdog (good guy) and being cheered on the people.
2) There has been numerous shit talking by the heel (50) on every media outlet possible (and wrestling terms the outlets would be Monday Night Raw & Smackdown). 50 even challenged 'Ye to a debate on BET about who's album is better. COME ON!!!! What he hell are they going to debate about? The music should throw the punches in this fight, the mouths of the artists.
3) And of course, to attract those Pay Per View sells (or record sells in this case), you gotta have a special, high risk stipulation. In this case, it was 50 putting his record career on the line.
I don't know about ya'll, but this is a move staight outta the playbook of this man...
Except the head of Universal Records (which owns Def Jam & Interscope), Doug Morris, is Vinnie Mac in this case, and in the words of 50, "laughing straight to the bank with this."
And one other wild card I forgot to throw in. Many of us forget that their are other genre of music other there that is still selling, and in this case, I'm talking about Country music. Yep, they are still moving MAD units. One of Country biggest stars, Kenny Chesney, is dropping a record on the 11th as well. That would be some shit if ol' Chesney clamed the number one spot. But just a small thing to think about.
But PEOPLE PLEASE, let's not forget this is (and should always) be about THE MUSIC!!! Spend your $10-12 on the artists you think has the better record, But as for me, you already know who getting my lunch money on Tuesday.
LMAO!!! I just wanted to start the blog like that. But since we are on the subject of LB, reading this yesterday damn near broke my heart...
HHDX: And so no reunion plans I assume are forthcoming? Phonte: Oh, hell no. Pooh: I was told to never say never, but don’t hold your breath.
Damn, 'Te sounded pissed. I not going to inquire about this anymore, but a response like that makes me believe the split was more than just "creative difference." Well, maybe one day again we'll hear 'Te and Pooh spit over 9th's soulful boom-bap. But I guess for right now, we just have to focus on the present...
September 25th
Later This Fall
I don't know how many of ya'll have seen this, but this was the video from one of my favorite tracks from "The Listening." Real talk though, we really need a police force like this... lol.
I finally sat down and listened to the sampler for Jill Scott's new album "The Real Thing," and I must say... Jilly From Philly has done done it again (and yes, I put two dones on purpose). I excited about this album. I'm in need of some more REAL R&B (sorry, Kells and T-Pain ain't cuttin' it for me). Here is a ruff cut from her new video, "My Love."
One of my favorite video games with one of favorite music labels... I geeked out when I read this....
Stones Throw inaugurates a relationship with 2K Sports in teaming up with the video game trendsetter to present the soundtrack to their wildly successful NBA 2K series. Stones Throw president Peanut Butter Wolf has created a twenty song companion piece to the video game that introduces new Stones Throw faces (Karriem Riggins and Supreme Team), welcomes back old ones (MF DOOM returns to the fold, an unreleased J.Dilla vocal track sees the light of day), and creates some new tracks sure to appeal to the Stones Throw fan and mass audiences. To be followed by a massive marketing push by both Stones Throw and 2K Sports and a nationwide tour, Peanut Butter Wolf’s latest label-wide anthology both stands as an album itself and introduces Stones Throw’s roster for 2008."
1. Supreme Team (Madlib & Karriem Riggins) - 'See ' 2. Med - 'Break It Down' 3. Guilty Simpson - 'Make It Fast' 4. J Dilla feat. Q-Tip & Talib Kweli - 'Lightworking' 5. Percee P feat. J.Rocc - 'Legendary Lyricist Pt. 2' 6. J.Rocc - 'Super Sound' 7. Madlib - 'The Wigflip' 8. J Dilla feat. M.F. DOOM & Guilty Simpson - 'Mash's Revenge' 9. Oh No - 'Action (Rap Version)' 10. Beat Konducta - 'Trouble' 11. Quasimoto - 'Hydrant Game (Jaylib Remix)' 12. Aloe Blacc - 'Find A Way' 13. Dam-Funk - 'Sidewayz ' 14. Baron Zen - 'Electronic (Koushik Remix)' 15. James Pants - 'Ka$H (Peanut Butter Wolf Remix)' 16. Niko & DJ Babu - 'Now You Know ' 17. Koushik - 'Basketball Beat ' 18. Arabian Prince - 'Professor X Saga' 19. Jonathon Brown - 'Bass Creator's Groove' 20. Cx Kidtronik feat. Rockola - 'Big Girl, Skinny Girl'
Tip, Kweli, & Dilla?!?!? Aw shit! That shit is cruical! Drops October 2.
Speaking of The Abstract, this news had me "buggin' out" as well...
In an exclusive interview with XXLMag.com, A Tribe Called Quest frontman, Q-Tip, reveals he’s forming a new group with Common entitled The Standard. “Me and Common getting ready to form a group,” ‘Tip tells XXLMag.com. “We’ll probably run it through the Uni joint because we’re both on Universal.” According to The Abstract, it was Common who suggested the two from a group. “It was more of his suggestion,” he says. “He was like, “We just need to do a record.” So I’m really excited about that.” While the two haven’t started recording together yet, The Standard will start churning out material once the two starting touring together in a few weeks. As far as the production on the album, though, fans can expect Q-Tip to handle the majority. “I’m probably gonna do a lot of it,” ‘Tip says. “And we’ll get Kanye on a couple things, but you know, that cat is busy.”
Just the thought of this union gives me goosebumps. If this album drops, then the long awaited 6th Tribe album (if Jive will stop fuckin' around with Tip, Phife, & Ali)... this shit could be a major event in Hip-Hop. The group name is not only dope but VERY appropriate.
Last but not least, if you know me, when comes to a album I am HUGELY anticipating I don't like to listen to anything from the album until I get it in my hands. I only listen to the singles. But this has been a difficult case with 'Ye "Graduation." Thanks to a certain fellow blogger who has the album already and will remain nameless (thanks Heather), I cracked and heard another song from 'Ye's latest Opus, "Flashing Lights" featuring Dwele. (Shaking My Head)... to quote Katt Williams, "This shit right here!! This shit right here.." is CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!! I have willed myself to not download the song and wait until next Tuesday to bump in my I-Pod. By the way, you can check out H-Boogie's blog at http://herfection.blogspot.com/ when you are done here.
I will not download it, but I'll throw ya'll the youtube. Listen at your own will...
Los Angeles AKA DA Wild Wild West, California, United States
DJ Chuck "thE oLd SouL," prez & owner of The Mighty, Mighty, Honor Flow Productions and a Young Black Man with a lot of his mind that "thinks too much" (c) A.D.
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