It looks like New Jersey rapper
Joe Budden isn't going to hold his tongue about his Def Jam departure
as he once said. The rapper, who was reportedly satisfied with Def
Jam's decision to release him and stated he held no grudge towards Def
Jam President Jay Z, has apparently had a change of heart and recorded
a diss track taking aim at the President himself.
In the track, titled "Talk To Em," Budden accuses Jay Z of being egotistical and buying his own records to boost soundscan numbers.
"Fuck
your bunch of money, put your ego to the side and maybe it's time to
study your understudy--are we hustlin or are we grown up, everytime I
hear you you change your tone up" Budden's continued.
Budden went on to reference Jay's relationship with Beyonce, as well as Jay's latest single--Roc Boys.
The last time the two artists met lyrically was on their 2003 sparring match on Budden's hit single, Pump It Up.
There are rumors that the lyrical sparring session between the two
might have led Jay to harbor resentment against Joey. However, Jay denies ever holding any grudges.
NEWS Twelve years after his death at the age of 31, the music world continues to celebrate N.W.A's hardcore rap pioneer Eazy-E. On December 4, Capitol/Priority will release Featuring... Eazy-E, a new 16-track collection of his best collaborations and rare solo recordings. The
compilation includes four previously out of print tracks, which are
exclusively available on this release, and collaborations with his N.W.A co-conspirators Ice Cube, MC Ren and Dr. Dre, as well as with Mack 10, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and others.
Featuring... Eazy E 1. Luv 4 Dem Gangsta'z* Beverly Hill Cop III soundtrack 2. 2 Hard Muthas w/MC Ren 3. Trust No Bitch* w/Penthouse Player's Clique, DJ Quik & AMG 4. L.A. Is The Place w/Ron-De-Vu 5. Findum, F**kum & Flee w/N.W.A 6. Get Yo Ride On w/Mack 10 and M.C. Eiht 7. Black Nigga Killa Ruthless Records Tenth Anniversary compilation 8. We Want Eazy (12" remix)* Eazy-Duz-It 9. Foe Tha Love Of $ w/Bone Thugs-N-Harmony 10. I'd Rather F*** You N.W.A 11. 24 Hrs To Live Ruthless Records Tenth Anniversary compilation 12. Boyz In Tha Hood (G Mix) w/ Dr. Dre It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa 13. Fat Girl w/Ron-De-Vu 14. Automobile w/N.W.A 15. P.S. Phuk U 2* w/Penthouse Player's Clique & DJ Quik 16. Ruthless Villain w/MC Ren The gangsta rap super group Westside Connection was formed in 1993 by West Coast rappers Ice Cube, WC and Mack 10. 18 of the platinum-selling group's best tracks have been collected for the first time for The Best Of Westside Connection: The Gangsta, The Killa And The Dope Dealer, to be released December 4 by Capitol/Priority.
The Best of Westside Connection: The Gangsta, The Killa, And The Dope Dealer 1. Potential Victims 2. The Gangsta, The Killa And The Dope Dealer 3. Bow Down 4. Cheddar 5. Gangsta Nation (with Nate Dogg) 6. Lights Out 7. Connected For Life (with Butch Cassidy) 8. Gangstas Make the World Go Round 9. West Up! 10. Let It Reign 11. Hoo-Bangin' (WSCG style) 12. Walk 13. So Many Rappers in Love 14. Bangin' (with Master P) [previously out-of-print track] 15. Nobody (with Timbaland) 16. All The Critics in NY 17. Westside Slaughterhouse 18. Terrorist Threats For more than a decade, Mack 10 has been on the front lines of the West Coast rap scene, as a solo artist and as a member of the gangsta rap supergroup Westside Connection. Mack 10's
top solo hits and best album cuts have been compiled for the first time
in a career and label-spanning 19-track CD and digital collection to be
released by Capitol/Priority on December 4: The Best Of Mack 10: Foe Life.
The Best Of Mack 10: Foe Life 1. Foe Life 2. Hate In Yo Eyes 3. Nothin' But The Cavi Hit (with Tha Dogg Pound) 4. Like This (with Nate Dogg) 5. From Tha Streetz 6. Only In California (with Ice Cube & Snoop Doggy Dogg) 7. Money's Just A Touch Away (with Gerald Levert) 8. On Them Thangs 9. Do The Damn Thing 10. Hoo Bangin' 11. The Testimony(with Young Soprano & Pastor Steven Hamilton) 12. Hustle Game 13. The Letter 14. Chicken Hawk 15. My Chucks 16. Tha Weekend (featuring Ice Cube & Techniec) 17. W/S Foe Life 18. Get Yo Ride On (featuring Eazy E & M.C. Eiht) 19. Mozi-Wozi Quelle
According to a statement posted on Tha Dogg Pounds's official website, the group is no longer part of Cash Money Records.
Daz and Kurupt had signed with the label in Mid-August, here's the statement:
"Tha Dogg Pound announced today that it terminated the Cash Money deal
because, in short, Cash Money just couldn't come up with the cash.
Though the Tha Dogg Pound was looking forward to working with Slim and
Baby, Tha Dogg Pound is moving on to pursue other endeavors. Be on the
look out for "Make it Rain" the Movie and other albums to be released
with other parties in the near future, including, Daz's solo project
Only On the Left Side coming soon. Chuuch, Tha Dogg Pound."
Quelle INTERVIEWS Dubcnn had the opportunity of speaking with one of Hip-Hop's most talented producers Hi-Tek. We discuss his upcoming trylogy finale album "Hi-Teknology 3: Underground, the reason for the swift return after the second instalment, and also get the background on some of the album tracks.
Hi-Tek talks to us about his relationship with Dr. Dre
and his position within Aftermath, mentions Detox and even touches on
the long awaited Reflection Eternal sequel. We also get some words on
his relationship with Snoop Dogg and the Dogg Pound, who he's feeling right now and much more.
Check out all this and more in the full interview below:
Exclusive Interview With Hi-Tek (November '07) Ghostface Killah Interview FREE MIXTAPES DJ Ill Will, DJ Rampage, and DJ Mikiwar are back with the third installment of their "Rap Or Die"
mixtape series, and Dubcnn has teamed up with them to blast the project
out. This tape features a variety of new and unreleased songs, some of
which will be familiar to our reader base here and our forum community.
Look out for songs from Ice Cube, Jay Rock, Strong Arm Steady, Snoop Dogg, Omar Cruz, The Game, Kurupt, Bishop Lamont,
and many more. The project plays like a "best-of" what's hot right now
on the West Coast, so be sure to download it for free below!
You may or may not have heard about this at some point over the weekend. Saigon gave a drunk interview on the Lip Service show on Shade45 with Leah Rose and Angela Yee. He talked about Prodigy and threatened to slap Melyssa Ford and Nelly and all sorts of other fuckery.
Now, there’s a statement floating around that is supposedly from Saigon’s Myspace, although I don’t see it posted there. In the statement, he explains that he was drunk and says he would never slap Melyssa, but he would let Joe Budden have it over a recent disrespectful punchline.
VIDEOS Talib Kweli - Everything Man (aus Album "Eardrum") NEWS Longtime
friends Saigon and Tru Life are joining forces to record an album
together and are going to keep fans up-to-date on the recording of the
album exclusively through HipHopGame.
“I feel like we’re just trying to bring a breath of fresh air back to
the game,” Tru Life told HipHopGame. “People have been missing out on
the music and there’s a lot of drama. Artists aren’t getting along with
each other and me and Sai have been close friends before everything
else. We have two different, huge fanbases and we’re just bringing that
together to bring the people good music. That’s what we’re bringing –
good music. We just felt like we wanted to give this to New York City
and the whole world and blast this out on HipHopGame. This is just
about music – no drama, just music.”
“We’re using what got us here, and that’s our talent,” Saigon said.
“Our talent put us in this situation to get our music out there. At
times we get sidetracked by the bullshit, but we have to bring it back
to what made me love hip-hop and that’s the genuine shit, not the
gimmicky shit. The radio is pretty much destroying hip-hop. The
bullshit music is fucking it up because now everybody feels like they
can do it. When everybody can do something, it gets so diluted and the
music won’t be as potent. We’re not even going to call this a mixtape.
We’re doing an album together.”
Being that Tru Life and Saigon were friends before their careers took
off, the chemistry should not be a problem. “I just feel like you
haven’t heard two people with that chemistry in a long time, like
Capone N Noreaga,” Tru Life said. “When me and Saigon get together,
it’s so easy. We can go in the studio with no ideas and come out with a
hit record.”
“If people are familiar with the music we’ve done together, then they
know it’s phenomenal, like ‘Yep Yep’ and ‘Bust Your Gunz’,” Saigon
said. “There’s joints we never even put out that we did that are crazy.
Everybody who fucks with me and my brother, look out for this because
it’s going to be something crazy. It’s all going to be documented on
HipHopGame. You’re going to be able to see how we do it. We don’t just
beat up on rappers. We make good music.” Quelle Lil Eazy-E just hit us up to release an exclusive statement about his feelings on Baby and Lil Wayne representing Blood in their songs, videos and appearances. Read it below:
"First
of let me start of by saying much love to all my Crips, Pirus, and
Bloods out there that have lived and shed blood for what they believe
in and represent, but All This Extra Fake Gangbanging going on is
really getting out of hand Im seeing This nigga Baby on 3 songs
Blooding and LIL Wayne soowooping at the awards enough is enough this
dont have nothing to do with them Blooding if they was Cripping I would
have the same reaction.
Those of us that are true to this need
to stand up and say enough is enough. I got homies who are in jail
fighting for there lives and homies who are RIP behind this thang and
for these fools who are clowining and making a mockery of us Im telling
you no more.
This is part of the problem as to why the West is
not winning right now these niggas have taking our style and way of
life and destroying it well I have had enough. For every action there
is a reaction."
Incase you missed Lil Eazy-E's latest street banger "I'm From Compton", check it out by clicking here.
Edit on 11/18/07:
Lil Eazy-E asked us to add this to his statement to clarify things:
In
a recent interview with HHNLive, Flipmode Squad’s First Lieutenant
Rampage is claiming that he and three other members of the original
Flipmode Squad are severing ties with founder Busta Rhymes. “Rah Digga,
Baby Sham, Spliff Starr, and myself. We just changed the name of the
group and it’s now called FMS…FMS stands for Famous Millionaire Squad,”
says Rampage, who is also Busta’s cousin.
In addition to Rampage, Rah Digga, Baby Sham and Spliff Starr,
Flipmode’s original lineup included Lord Have Mercy, who left the crew
in 2000. Since then, Busta has added new members like Labba and M.
Dollaz. It’s unclear at this time if Busta will continue Flipmode
without any of the original members.
CLICK HERE to read HHNLive’s full report on their Rampage interview.
Dj Khaled feat. Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil' Wayne, Fat Joe, Birdman & Rick Ross - I'm So Hood (Remix)
Langsam zweifle ich daran, dass der Mann mit seinem Albumverkäufen (knapp über 250.00 bis jetzt) überhaupt die Featurekosten (siehe Tracklist) wieder reinbekommen hat ;P ...trotzdem: me likes track.
Hi-Tek confirmed with HipHopGame that a new Reflection Eternal album is going down.
“I see it,” Hi-Tek told HipHopGame. “It’s going down as we speak. It’s pretty much almost official. We’re going to do it through Warner Brothers. Me and Kweli have been talking. Kweli dropped his album and I got my album done. We both talked about it and the label is excited and we’re ready to get into it now.” Quelle A lot of fans were very positively surprised when they heard Kurupt's guest spot on Hi-Tek's last album "Hi-Teknology Vol. 2: The Chip". Not only was a good look to see Young Gotti hook up with one of the most consistent producers of recent years, but he came through with a fire verse and made the track one of the best on the LP.
Barely a year after the aforementioned album, Hi-Tek is ready to release another album, "Hi-Teknology Vol. 3 ", and he's hooked back up with Kurupt, on the track "Back On Da Grind", which also features Riz and singer Dion.
Dubcnn got their hands on the track, which you can check out below:
Sean Price feat. Sayez, Government Gang & Flood - Good Fellaz / Jackass Number 2
Mixtape is schon etwas länger draussen. Mit drauf sind unter anderem Buckshot (Black Moon), Tek (Smif N Wessun), Rock (Heltah Skeltah), Ruste Juxx, Flood, Reek, Prodigy, Big Shug & Diamond D.
Tracklist: 1) 6 Dollar Man 2) M.A.S.T.E.R. P, 3) Frankenstein 4) The Huckabuck 5) All I know 6) One Question 7) Long Fifth Goodnight 8) Jackass Number 2 9) Get it Together 10) Connect 4 11) Knock Em Out the Box 12) Legbreakers 13) Jamaican 14) FISH 15) Good Fellaz 16) Rotten Apple Remix 17) What's the Deal 18) Psycho Ward Mistah F.A.B. vs. Royce Da 5'9''
01. At the Cabana Skit [performed by Ghostface Killah and Rhythm Roots Allstars] 02. Toney Sigel a.k.a the Barrel Brothers [feat. Beanie Sigel and Styles P] 03. Yolanda's House [feat. Raekwon and Method Man] 04. We Celebrate [feat. Kid Capri] 05. Walk Around 06. Yapp City [feat. Trife Da God and Sun God] 07. White Linen Affair (Toney Awards) [feat. Shawn Wigs] 08. Supa GFK 09. Rec-Room Therapy [feat. Raekwon and U-God] 10. The Prayer [performed by Ox] 11. I'll Die for You 12. Paisley Darts [feat. Raekwon, Sun God, Trife Da God, Method Man, and Cappadonna] 13. Shakey Dog Starring Lolita [feat. Raekwon] 14. ! [performed by Ghostface Killah and Rhythm Roots Allstars] 15. Killa Lipstick [feat. Method Man and Masta Killa] 16. Slow Down [feat. Chrisette Michele]
Jay-Z bei David Letterman (mit Live-Performance von "Roc Boys") Joe Budden - Star Inside Of Me "Mood Muzik 3: It's About To Get Worse" erscheint im Dezember diesen Jahres.
Tracklist:
01. Jin - World Premier (Prod. by DJ Premier) 02. Skillz - Dreams -2007 03. Freeway - Champion Freestyle 04. Freeway - Paper Gangsters 05. Clipse – Flashing Lights 06. Joell Ortiz feat. Novel – Lil’ Fun 07. Pete Rock - Till I Retire 08. Talib Kweli feat. Krondon, Jean Grae - Battle Raps 09. Q Da Kid - Here We Go Again 10. Q Da Kid - Big Brother (JD) 11. Hot Rod feat. Nyce - Oh Man 12. Beanie Sigel - Go Low 13. Rick Ross feat. R. Kelly - Speedin' 14. Papoose – Law Libary Pt. 4 15. DJ JS feat. Kool G Rap - Take A Loss 16. Stimuli - Turntable 17. Nas - Surviving The Times 18. Lil’ Wayne feat. Twista - Burn This City 19. Cassidy feat. Larceny and Drag-On - Bullet, Bullet 20. Jigg Littles - Hear This 21. Push Montana - Mask Off 22. Scarface feat. T.I, Lil Wayne and U.P.T - Big Dog Status
Das hier ist die erste Single aus seinem vierten Soloalbum "The Solution", das Album erscheint am 11. Dezember über State Property/Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records.
Mögliche Tracklist "The Solution" bei Wikipedia News about Ice Cube's high anticipated solo album "Raw Footage" have been scarce so far, all we know is that Cube is in a zone right now, and that he's feeling good about himself.
When we spoke to WC in August, he had the following to say about the album: "
Raw Footage! *laughs* That shit is so retarded! The title for itself
just explains everything, it's raw footage, it's uncut, it's that raw
shit. Gangsta rap at its finest man! He's feeling good, he's loving rap
once again, because we got a chance to do what the fuck we wanna do!"
Well, a first street single was sent out to media outlets just hours ago called "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It", and it is clear that Ice Cube is angry! He's coming hard and not holding back: "I can act like an animal - ain't nothing to it, gangsta made me do it!"
Go ahead and hear for yourself, click below for "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It":
This time last year, the Clipse complained to anyone who'd listen how unhappy they where at Jive Records. Now, the act's wish to leave has been granted. Sibling MCs Malice and Pusha T have ended their deal with Jive and the Neptunes' Star Trak Entertainment in favor of a new arrangement with Columbia, Billboard has learned.
The Clipse emerged early this decade on Star Trak, which at the time was distributed by Arista. The duo's 2002 debut, "Lord Willin'," was a critical and commercial smash, and has sold 948,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
When Arista was restructured in 2004, the label's artists were split between J and Jive. But Star Trak joined Interscope, leaving the Clipse behind at Jive. The act lobbied to be allowed to follow Star Trak to its new home, but Jive refused, resulting in a lawsuit that sought to break the Clipse's four-album deal (Jive had no comment at deadline).
Although the suit was settled after Jive agreed to a distribution deal for the Clipse's own Re-Up Gang Records label, the relationship continued to deteriorate, with release dates for the group's sophomore album constantly shifting. That set, "Hell Hath No Fury," emerged last November via Jive, but struggled out of the gate. It has sold just 194,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
By then, the Clipse was in talks with a variety of labels about a new deal, eventually settling on a five-year, 50/50 profit-sharing arrangement with Columbia for Re-Up Gang Records.
The Clipse will own the masters for its Re-Up Gang artists, Ab Liva and Sandman. Next year, the Clipse will issue a Re-Up Gang album as well as a new studio disc, but for the first time, the latter will not be produced solely by the Neptunes. Instead, the brothers are anticipating working with Timbaland, Danjahandz and Dame Grease.
"I can honestly say that we were all friends before the music and will be friends to the end," Malice says of his relationship with the Neptunes. "Everything is business. If we had our way, we would always be on Star Trak. But it's what's working for you and what's not. We just want good energy, and Columbia has both the urgency and the muscle." Quelle Only days after Royce Da 5'9'' put out a track taking shots at Mistah F.A.B. regarding the freestyle battle where Five Nine got murked at, Fab has just released his response. You can judge for yourself, but it looks like Fab got him for the first round, even though compared to the live battle this song is decent at best. But you can expect better things to come in Round 2, cause there sure is more to come. I doubt Royce is gonna stay quiet about it, and from what it looks like, Fab might have some words for Joe Budden too.
Look at it how you want, but this is an easy way for Fabby to get his name out there and showcase his skills. And I'm still wondering why Royce even had to go that route and talk slick about Fab when he clearly lost the live battle in the first place.
You can hear Mistah Fab's response by downloading it below:
It's time for some new music from Shady Records signee Cashis! The Orange County rapper made his first major appearance on Eminem's "Re-Up" compilation, which he followed up with his "County Hound EP", which featured a video to the single "Lac Motion".
Cashis has been staying busy, and just dropped a new mixtape called "Bogish Boy Vol.2" for free download on his MySpace page. Him and his producer Rikkinati have also sent dubcnn three exclusive joints to put up for our readers.
The first one is called "County On Fire" and is a Rikkinati production. Download below:
Cashis' next project "Loose Cannon", which will be a double CD album, coming soon! Lil Eazy-E has been impressing doubter with his latest music! First he dropped his Timbaland produced banger "I Got That", and he's following up now with a straight west coast street heatrock called "I'm From Compton", produced by Neff-U.
Lil E has been finishing up his debut album "Prince Of Compton", which will be dropping next year. In the meanwhile, he's going to be releasing a follow up mixtape to his successfull "Cali Untouchable 14" mixtape with DJ Warrior.
For now, ya'll make sure to download the new street single "I'm From Compton", which was premiered on Lil E's MySpace a few days ago, as well as on Cali Untouchable Radio. Download below:
Rakim is back, or at least he's on his way. It's been eight years since he released his second solo album, The Master, and aside from rumors surrounding his signing to and subsequent drop from Dr. Dre's Aftermath label and some reissues, he's been relatively quiet since then.
In the last couple of years, he's taken to playing shows again, and over the course of this year, it came out that he was working on a new album called The Seventh Seal. The record is finally nearing completion, and it will likely hit stores early next year.
Though not a concept album, The Seventh Seal focuses on
the theme of tearing hip-hop down to its essentials and building it
back up to previously unknown heights. Rakim's done a little
non-musical building as well, establishing his own Ra Records, which
will not only release The Seventh Seal but also provide a label home, management company, and distribution for other artists.
Before the record comes out, Rakim will release a concert DVD titled The R-kives: Live Lost and Found.
The DVD features performances from two shows at NYC's B.B. King Blues
Club interspersed with interviews, backstage and tour bus footage, and
a few other performances from around the U.S. It will also come with an
enhanced CD featuring previously unreleased new material from the God
MC.
Finally, Rakim has a previously reported tour coming up where he, Ghostface, and Brother Ali will front live band Rhythm Roots Allstars.
In the midst of all this activity, we spoke to Rakim about process, his
return to recording and performing, and his role as an educator in
hip-hop.
Pitchfork: What made you decide it was time to starting playing shows and recording an album again?
Rakim: Well, I've always been the type that didn't like to
wear out my welcome mat, and I haven't dropped anything new, you know
what I mean? But at the same time, you don't want to wait too long. You
want to get out there, get your feet wet, test the waters, and reassure
within yourself and with the crowd that it's time to do what you do.
You get that cool sound from the crowd, and it puts everything in
perspective. If I wouldn't have felt the response that I got, then I
would've said, "I'm not going to do an album" or "I'm not gonna go on
tour. I'd rather drop the album before I try to come out on tour." But
the response was real good, and that's what I was speaking on as far as
confirming with myself and with the crowd. Because as the artist, I'm
modest, man. I don't take anything for granted, and my thing is if I
get the welcome mat, then I do what I do. If I don't get the welcome
mat, then I either got work to do or it's time to just fall back. I use
my experiences as learning experiences.
Pitchfork: How are you rehearsing for your tour with Rhythm
Roots Allstars, a live band? Do you work on your parts separately from
the band of with them?
Rakim: We're going to sit down and have a few rehearsals
so we can give a real good show. I want it to be tight, and I want to
make sure that our chemistry is there. The last show that we did in
Texas [at SXSW 2007], it was funny because I was supposed to get out
there a little early, but I got out there late and we didn't have time
to practice. They knew the songs, but we never got a chance to sit
there and mesh, so we went on stage that day and winged it. But they're
so professional in what they do, and they're so tight that at the end
of the day it's just like having a DJ put on a record: You can get up
there and kick your verse, and you can turn around and wave your hand
and they're going to stop just as a DJ would. So everything worked out
perfect, and hopefully too many people didn't realize that we didn't
practice. I was surprised everything went real good, so that's another
reason why I'm looking forward to this tour. I'm going to be able to do
some things that I normally wouldn't be able to do.
Pitchfork: What kinds of things?
Rakim: Just show the power of live music and explain to the
crowd and almost teach them the reason why we sampled records. We're
going to have a little fun up there. We're going to learn a little
something, and we're going to hear some real good music.
Pitchfork: Do you feel like it's your responsibility to teach people about the origins of hip-hop?
Rakim: At this point in hip-hop, [the history] definitely
needs to be expressed a little more and put in front of their faces so
that they won't forget where the essence of hip-hop came from. If I'm
one of the artists that knows about it then yeah, I'm responsible to
keep that alive and keep it in the listeners' faces and give them
access to it. So hopefully I can do that. To me, at the end of the day,
it's just doing my job. If this was something political or something
dealing with the world and there was something that I knew, I would
feel obligated to inform people. This music thing, there's a lot to
know about it. And we're definitely going to have fun with it, but at
the same time, we have to keep it alive. This hip-hop thing-- if we
don't do it, it will die out. So definitely, I want to do my job.
I think it's important that we cherish this right here. It belongs to
the youth. It belongs to the older people who were brought up on
hip-hop. It's not just a young music. We created this in the suburbs
and the cities and around the parks, and what we have to understand is
that that's big. You look at jazz. When they created jazz years ago it
was the best thing to happen since fried ice cream. But then you look
at it now-- it's not so popular as far as [being] universal. The jazz
lovers still support their music, but when you look at it on the wide
span it went from being the only thing to one of the many. The same
thing can happen in hip-hop if we take it for granted and don't cherish
it. We've got to understand that it's that first impression that made
hip-hop take the world by storm. And once we start forgetting those
recipes, after awhile they're going to look at it like just another
music. And not just them. Us. We're going to look at it like it's not
special; it's not going to have that same appeal that it had. So of
course we've got to understand the root before we start picking from
the tree.
Pitchfork: In as much as it can be about one thing, do you think
that hip-hop should be universal, that it does have something to say to
everyone?
Rakim: Yeah, I think so. Just right now, hip-hop is dealing
with the form of divide and conquer. There's nothing wrong with the
down-South music; there's nothing wrong with the Midwest; there's
nothing wrong with the West Coast; there's nothing wrong with the East
Coast, but the thing is you've got the Dirty South [just] buying their
[own] music now. New York has always been a melting pot. We can agree
with many things. But some of the different places, they only buy their
own music. And that's because we're letting them separate the music
[into] Dirty South hip-hop or underground hip-hop.
We shouldn't have to call it underground hip-hop. We should be able to
do our music and people buy it for what reason they want to buy it. We
shouldn't have to market it, or if it's underground it only sells 700
or 500 or 300,000 copies. Let's just make music and let the consumer be
the consumer. Whatever consumer gravitates toward that music, let him
buy that music. But once we separate it, we're separating the music,
and then after awhile it's not hip-hop anymore. It's Dirty South music,
Midwest music, West Coast music, and New York music. And that's the way
we lose, because the record sales are gonna go down, the effect of
hip-hop is gonna go down.
We were already fighting amongst ourselves, but now [it's] to the point
where we're competing and fighting and constantly pulling and tugging
at each other. It shouldn't have to be like that. You look at the older
r&b artists when they do their award shows and things of that
nature, they go there and they just bless. You look around the room,
everybody's smiling, people are talking to each other, glad to see each
other. But you know rap, there's a lot of pride in the room. It's a
different environment. But I think if we understood the movement that
we have a little more, then we wouldn't be so-- I don't want to say
angry, but we wouldn't be so protective and distant from our fellow
label mates and our fellow music mates. This is our thing. If we keep
at it like we are, they're going to take it from us. They can't wait to
do that.
Pitchfork: It seems another part of the problem could be that
there's few really dynamic personalities. You've got people, in the
music itself, with big personalities, but a lot of them don't seem to
be vulnerable in any way. On the other hand, a lot of the Southern
rappers tend to be sort of faceless. It's just like this machine of
these guys that make songs. There's less of a culture of developing
really interesting, vulnerable, but still exciting personalities than
there once was.
Rakim: Maybe it's becoming more [about] money than the love.
And maybe that's the problem, because I know the money will make an
artist change his creative process. That's simply because if the
money's in a certain market, then that artist is going to go home and
prepare to touch that market. At this time, it's become a machine now.
If you can go to a studio and produce what they want, that's all you
need to do. And then somewhere in between, you'll find that artist that
really still loves his craft, the artist that has a lot to say, the
artist that creates his music and his genre of music and his style a
little different than other people. That's what makes people unique,
that's what makes people stand out, that's what wows people, just
something we haven't seen before. But when you look deep, you'll find
those people still exist, but we're more flooded with, like you said,
the money machines. They don't really have to have that love for the
music, or a lot of them don't care about touching the masses as far as
some of the stars that we look up to touched us with their charisma.
Back in the day, you would like the music or you would like that person
for what he did, but then when you met him and when you saw some of the
other things that he did you would like him even more. That's what's
missing, man. You can blame that on the labels for not expecting that
from their artists. If the label doesn't expect it, if they don't ask
that from their artists, the artists are going to do what they're
supposed to do. And that's turn in records, and then they're good.
Years ago, the labels used to coach their artists and tell them what's
going to help them, and they looked at their good points and brought
that out of them. Nowadays, it's a little different. The labels are
happy because the money is coming in. They don't care if the artist
destroys their career. They don't care if the artist is selling out.
For that moment, as long as they're bringing that paper in, everything
is good.
Pitchfork: How have you changed since the days when you first started recording?
Rakim: Well, I've matured and been through a lot. I learned a
lot about the industry. I learned a lot about music in general. When I
was doing it back then, hip-hop was wide open. It was fun for me just
writing rhymes and enjoying that part of it. But now you've got to be a
lot more business-savvy. For me, it went from enjoying my hobby-- even
after we signed the contract, I still looked at it as just enjoying my
hobby. I love writing rhymes. I love hip-hop. As you grow and as you
learn a little more, as you watch the industry and everything, you try
to get a little more involved with your business and stay in tune with
the shifts. Hip-hop changes every week, it seems, from slang to the dos
and don'ts. There's a lot to learn. There's always a lot to learn.
Pitchfork: How do you challenge yourself to stay relevant, musically?
Rakim: I challenge myself to the music. If I get a track, I
look at the track, and I'll take the track through the highest extreme
that I can and come up with a concept on that instead of taking the
easy way out. When I get a beat, I can see a million rhythms in the
beat. I can see the slowest rhythm in the beat, and I can settle with
that and write a song. Or I can look for the most intricate rhythms in
the beat, and I can build my style and build my concept on that. That's
how I challenge myself, by making sure that when the music comes to me,
I'm giving the best of Rakim that I can for that track.
As far as seeing if it's what it should be, I'll be real careful with
that. First, I'll make sure it feels good to me. Otherwise, I won't
play it for anybody. Then I play it for a few people, and I ask
questions about the song, if it's this or that. I like an honest
opinion, so I try to do it in an honest way. I don't have any yes men
around me. I have good people around me. I've got a whole library full
of songs, but at the end of the day, we only have about ten songs
ready. That's how I know that I don't have people around me that are
just yes men. It's good to have that honesty around you.
I'm not perfect when it comes to writing. I'm not perfect when it comes
to knowing hip-hop. I strive to do what I do, and I strive to do good
music and knowing that it's not always going to be a hit and that it's
not always going to make the album. Knowing that gives room for the
people around me to say, "No Ra, we're not gonna put that up 'til
later." I'm not married to everything I do. I do it, and I want to make
sure it's good. If it's not, then I know it, and my team won't hesitate
to let me know if it's not.
Pitchfork: After listening to a beat and hearing the rhythms
inside of it, have you ever written more than one totally different
verse or series of verses for a beat?
Rakim: Yeah, definitely. Sometimes it'll happen before I
finish it. I might start off writing something and get a whole verse of
it, and then when I go back and say it, sometimes you don't capture the
same fireworks that you were seeing when you were trying to create it.
Sometimes if I don't get the best out of what I'm trying to get, then
definitely I do it over. Sometimes I take a whole song and kind of
touch it back up-- if I feel it's getting a little weak or it's getting
a little boring, then I'll change four bars or I'll change the style in
a few bars just so that it's what I think it should be.
Then some songs, if I don't get that euphoria, we'll just put it to the
side. I don't marry the beats. If we get a hot record where we know
that record's a smash, then that's the one that I may alter, or if I
have to do it over, I do that. I like having the freedom to try new
things. Sometimes, you might try something. It might not be exactly
what you thought it was going to be, but just having that freedom to
try it is what I like now.
I've got my own personal studio so I'm not worrying about the engineer
[or] what time it is. I'm not worrying about somebody saying, "Yo Ra,
what are you doing in there?" I'll try it out and listen to it. If it
works, then it'll definitely be groundbreaking. If it doesn't work,
then I'll put it to the side. That's that freedom, man. It's good to
have that because I definitely want to try some new things. I'm not
trying to change my base of who I am and what I do. I just want to
bring them new and improved styles, new music, and just keep being
relevant.
Pitchfork: When a track does work and you like it and you keep
going with it and everything, is there ever a point when you're
performing it and you just get sick of it? Like "Microphone Fiend",
have you ever gotten sick of "Microphone Fiend"?
Rakim: No. Performing them, I always get that energy. But
listening to them sometimes. Like, I can't stand to listen to certain
songs I did a long time ago. When you're performing it, you get that
energy back from the crowd, and that's when everything is in
perspective. That's why you do it; that's why you wrote it. A lot of
songs that I wrote I pictured being on stage when I wrote them, that
stage feeling and the crowd giving it back to you. You could be up
there [with] a toothache. You could have just had an argument with your
wife, could've just lost $5000-- the worst day you could possibly go
through. And you get up on stage and do one of the records that you
hate hearing every day, but you get up there and you start kickin' and
the crowd starts kickin' and you're looking into their faces, they
look, and you forget about the money, you forget about the argument,
you forget about everything. That's what's good about it. Once I start
getting to the point where I'm onstage hating certain records, I'm
going to sit back and enjoy it from afar.
Pitchfork: What do you do to unwind when you're not working on music?
Rakim: My family keeps me grounded, man. I started this when I
was 16 or 17, and when you're not on tour, when you're not in the
studio, you want to be as normal and as regular as possible. Me and my
family, we'll watch movies. We'll go hang out, do things that make me
feel grounded. To some people, it might be nothing. "What you're doing
today, Ra?" "I'm not doing anything. I'm sitting here." But at the same
time, I've got my family around me. Sometimes just being regular, away
from going out on the road and always constantly being around hundreds
and hundreds of people that you have to greet and meet. Because if it
wasn't for them, I wouldn't be me. So sometimes the total opposite of
that [touring lifestyle] is what I enjoy.
Pitchfork: Speaking of tours, are you planning on incorporating any live band stuff on The Seventh Seal?
Rakim: That's something that me and [Rhythm Roots Allstars]
spoke on the last time we got together. Since we're going to be on this
tour, and I'm going to be completing the album while I'm on tour, we'll
try to get into the studio and whip something up. Because like I said
before, they're real tight at what they do, and that's the reason why
we sample records, to get that live band sound. So if we can come up
with something, and I'm sure we can come up with something that's
crazy, then it's nothing but a quick studio trip, and we'll definitely
make a statement with that.
The reason why I said I want to get out there and have some fun and
learn at the same time is because some people think that hip-hop is two
turntables and a microphone, and it is. But the essence of hip-hop is
that live band. That's why we had the turntables. When it started, we
were scratching live bands. These 60s, 70s funk bands, rock'n'roll-- we
were taking the records and scratching them. If we would have been in
the environment where we had drummers and horn players and guitar
players-- that's not that common in the ghetto. If we would have had
guitar players, bass players, drummers, saxophonists, then you might
have seen something different with hip-hop, as far as bands being more
incorporated, because that's what it is. I don't want to take the DJ
element out of it, but at the same time, I just want to let the crowd
know that this is why we sample: that live band. I want them to respect
that live band. And if I can do something on the album, it'll
definitely be a nice piece, and it'll be a statement as well. Quelle
Ja, Ja, ich weiss, Rap nicht neu erfunden. Aber sowohl "Fishscale" (2006) als auch "More Fish" (2006) gehören für mich im Veröffentlichungsjahr zu den Highlights was Ami-Rap angeht und wenn "The Big Doe Rehab" sich am 04.12.2007 auch nur an das Niveau der beiden vorherigen Alben anschliesst bin ich mehr als zufrieden. Hier also die erste Single:
Rapper Pras has always had a way with words, but never did he imagine
that a game of Scrabble would spark his next venture. "Skid Row," a
Screen Media documentary, finds the Fugees principal living as a
homeless man for nine days on the infamous Los Angeles strip of the
same name. The film opens Aug. 24 in New York, Los Angeles and
Washington, D.C.
"A couple of years ago, a few friends of mine and I
were playing Scrabble, and one of them came up with the idea to shoot a
documentary about skid row," Pras tells Billboard.com. "I thought he
was trying to distract me 'cause I was about to make like 100 points,
but he wasn't."
Last year, after two weeks of filming, a month of
pre-production and another two weeks of editing, "Skid Row" was ready
to be seen. "I went in with the notion that it'd be easy, but then you
get there and you realize it's a whole other world and that ignorance
is bliss. Most people think homeless people are on drugs or lazy, but
that is far from the truth," says Pras. "I left with a completely
different mindset on the situation."
While on the streets, Pras endured rats crawling over
his belongings and a stream of dope fiends doing drugs. But he also
made a few friends, some of whom have passed away since filming. "I
just got a call last week. One of the guys that used to be a heroin
addict and helped us, he died of an overdose," he says with a tinge of
sadness.
Pras also expressed frustration about the status of
the long-awaited Fugees reunion, which seemed on track as of last fall.
"We went in the studio and recorded a couple records that were
incredible. But, to put it nicely, it's dead," says Pras. "Me and Clef,
we on the same page, but Lauryn [Hill] is in her zone, and I'm fed up
with that sh*t. Here she is, blessed with a gift, with the opportunity
to rock and give and she's running on some b*llshit? I'm a fan of
Lauryn's but I can't respect that."
Pras has instead turned his attentions to an upcoming solo project for
Sony BMG, "Experience," due before the end of the year. A video for
first single "Pop Life" was recently filmed in Hong Kong, Dubai, Macao
and Abu Dhabi, with scenes still to be shot in New York, Cuba and Haiti.
In addition, Pras will appear in the film "Six Bullets" alongside Josh
Lucas this fall. He is also launching his non-profit organization,
Prasperity Projects, next month in New York. Quelle
Unter einem Grabstein auf einem Friedhof in
Detroit soll das beleidigende "N-Wort" in Frieden ruhen. "Nigger" stand
und steht noch immer in direktem Zusammenhang mit der Sklaverei in
Amerika. Mit dem Gebrauch soll es jetzt aus und vorbei sein.
Vor den Augen Hunderter Schaulustiger haben Bürgerrechtler in Detroit das
Wort "N-Wort" symbolisch beerdigt. Anlässlich der Jahrestagung der
nationalen Vereinigung für die Förderung Farbiger (NAACP) soll von nun an
Schluss sein mit dem Gebrauch des Wortes "Nigger".
Zwei Pferde zogen den Sarg eine viertel Meile durch die Stadt. Künstliche
schwarze Rosen und ein schwarzes Banner bedruckt mit einem Stammbaum der
Welt schmückten die Holzkiste. Der Beerdigungszug endete auf dem
historischen Gedenkfriedhof der Farbigen. Dort sollte das Wort zur
Vergangenheit werden.
Die Protestaktion richtete sich gegen den schon fast geläufigen Gebrauch des
rassistischen Wortes von Weißen wie auch von Farbigen. Vor allem in der
Rap-Musik sei der Ausdruck schon zu Routine geworden. „Heute beerdigen wir
nicht nur das 'N-Wort', sondern wir löschen es aus unserem Geist."
sagte der Detroiter Bürgermeister Kwame Kilpatrick während der Aktion.
Auch die beiden Bürgerrechtler Jesse Jackson und Al Sharpton riefen
öffentlich dazu auf, das Wort nicht mehr zu
benutzen. Zudem sollen auch andere rassistische Ausdrucke unterlassen
werden.
Erst im letzten Jahr geriet der beleidigende Ausdruck erneut in den Fokus
des Interesses. "Seinfeld"-Darsteller Michael Richards benutzte
das "N-Wort" wiederholt in einem Los Angeles Comedy-Programm.
Später entschuldigte er sich öffentlich.
Mack 10 recently announced out of nowhere that he will be dropping a new solo album soon called "Soft White" through his Hoo Bangin' label and most likely Cash Money. Glasses Malone, who recently inked a deal through Hoo Bangin'/Cash Money, just sent us a new track from the upcoming Mack 10 album, called "Street Shit", which features Glasses Malone on a verse and Butch Cassidy on the hook. Download the song below:
After a reported bankruptcy to
cut ties with then label TVT, the female rapper has fallen back, gotten
her business right and is in the process of putting out her own music
-- but this time, she's changed her tune.
In an interview with the Miami Herald,
Jacki-O revealed that her past experiences has changed her outlook on
the way she's perceived -- and she also realized the novelty of her
oversexed persona on tracks like "Nookie" (and the explicit version
"P----") helped her rise to fame quickly, but helped her fall even
quicker.
Today, she says she has matured, and so has her music
-- now that she's free of label politics. "My music now is a lot more
elevated," she told the paper. "I have my own studio now. I can dream
in the middle of the night and record it. I don't have to ask
permission for my ideas; I can just be an artist."
In 2006,
Jacki-O filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, claiming she had assets of just
$1,340, despite her blossoming recording career. She listed having a
month salary of under $900, while her debts were racked up to upwards
of $140,000.
The bankruptcy released her from her recording
obligations of five albums, which she was required to record under a
recording contract with Poe Boy Entertainment, which is distributed by
TVT Records.
Since then, Jacki-O launched her own Jack Move
Entertainment, where she releases mixtapes. Her latest mixtape is the
Bigga Rankin hosted Jack Tha Rippa, as well as another called The Free Agent.
Additionally,
Jacki-O's recent collaboration with Remy and Chicago rapper Shawnna was
heralded as the arrival of a female supergroup, but the project came to
a halt when Shawnna decided to part ways with Remy and Jacki, citing
"internal issues" as the cause. Quelle It has only been a year since Juvenile’s last album — 2006’s Reality Check
— but the New Orleans native is currently putting the finishing touches
on his upcoming LP with longtime producer Mannie Fresh. The album,
which is still untitled, will be tentatively released this fall on
UTP/Atlantic Records. “I done matured a lot, ‘cause you know my kids is
getting older,” Juve told XXLMag.com about the direction of his new
music. “It’s not all about Juve no more. Me and Mannie been back in the
studio [and] I had to humble myself down…pimp down a level. I just want
people to listen to this album and realize the time behind it. Realize
the amount of years that I been around to still be doing what I’m doing
and at the caliber I’m doing it.” While Juve is hoping to release the
album this fall, even he admits he doesn’t know exactly when it will
drop. “I don’t know nothing,” Juve told XXLMag.com. “I’m just doing
songs. I’m a background player on this one. I’m a let Mannie and
Atlantic call the shots." Quelle The Clipse just wrapped a
month-long tour throughout Europe, but now that they're back on U.S.
soil, don't expect the brothers Thornton to start relaxing. According
to Pusha-T, he and Malice will be busy wrapping up volume three of their mixtape series We Got It 4 Cheap along with the rest of the Re-Up Gang.
"We're right in the final stages [of finishing the mixtape]," Push
said. "The only thing that slowed us up is the road. This [past] album
[2006's Hell Hath No Fury]
was definitely our baby. So what was lacking in major promotion or
whatever, we wanted to cover that in the streets, we wanted to cover
that in our show. Get in the nooks and crannies of everything. If we
not touching the masses, we really wanted to touch our fans. So we
really dedicated ourselves to touring."
Push said to expect more of the same on We Got It 4 Cheap: Vol. 3.
"We just think we're better and that's all it's about," he explained.
"It's about everybody who thinks they the best — we think we're better.
And I'm talking about as a collective ... you can put us against
whatever four, we're better."
While the fellas are still figuring out whether their next official
album will come out on Jive or if they'll move on to another label,
they're getting plans together with the Neptunes to start on the follow-up to Hell Hath No Fury.
Push said the project is still in the very beginning stages, but he and
his brother are gonna travel down to Miami to start going over ideas
with Pharrell.
"We trying to find another direction," Push said. "[We'll] go down
there and play with the sounds, honestly. We had a long talk, me and P,
a couple weeks ago. And we just decided we're gonna lock it with the
go-to beats and try to find something new. This next album, we're
really, really trying to take it there. Like creatively, just take it
... there and totally reinvent East Coast, fly, drug dealer, club
music. I want people to be able to bop to my sh-- as well as spin my
sh--.
"I would want to drop the single in '07 sometime," he added, with the
album to follow at the top of 2008. "But that's just in a perfect
world."
In the meantime, catch the Clipse on a few upcoming projects from Star Trak, like albums by Fam-Lay and Rosco P. Coldchain.
But instead of being conceptual with throwback beats, or up-to-date
with the latest beats — like they did on past efforts — Push said the
new one will be strictly about competition.
Andre "3000" Benjamin — or "Been-Jammin' " — says all the momentum he's
gained from guest appearances alongside the likes of UGK, DJ Unk and
the Inc.'s Lloyd has spurred him to record his next LP. He's working on
the project now and says his partner in Outkast is doing the same.
"Big Boi is working on a solo album right now. I'm working on a
solo album as well because of all the remix work that's been coming
out," Andre said — and added that he's contemplating teen Sean
Kingston's "Beautiful Girl" as his next remix to jump on. "After we do
those solo albums, we're planning on doing another Outkast album. I
don't know how long that's gonna be; it could be two years".
There's no definitive word yet whether the two solo efforts will be
released separately or as a joint venture, like they did with 2003's
Grammy-winning Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below,but Andre already has another record on the market. He just released
the soundtrack to his Cartoon Network series "Class of 3000," featuring
songs written for and used in the show. The songs are performed by Dre,
who plays the lead role of Sunny Bridges — a successful musician who
gives up stardom to teach — as well as other characters from the
program.
Releasing a "Class of 3000" soundtrack "didn't take much
thought at all," he explained of the recent release. "The kids come up
to me in public and sing the songs to me and wonder how they can get
the songs and buy them and play them with mom and dad. So we said,
'Let's package them up' and it'll be a series — a first season
soundtrack, a second season soundtrack. ... I hope when kids turn 20
years old, they'll be able to remember these songs like how I remember
'Peanuts' and all them songs."
Dre is already planning for the next season of his show and he
says the learning experience of making a cartoon was a pleasant
surprise.
"You're [recording dialogue] across from somebody that's 34
years old, and they're acting a fool. Acting like kid," he said about
doing voiceovers for the show. "I had to catch up with them."
"I'm super happy," he added. "I been doing music for 13 years,
but this is totally new for me. It's almost like I'm an underdog. I
didn't know anything about animation. My partner didn't know anything
about animation. We were going on our instincts. ... We didn't know
what we couldn't do, so we tried everything. Thank goodness we're with
Cartoon Network and they let us try everything."
Dre says he also had a lot of freedom while filming the comedy "Semi-Pro" with Ricky Bobby himself, Will Ferrell.
"It takes place in 1970s," he explained. "I play like this Dr. J
type character. We're an ABA team. We're trying to make it to be a NBA
team. It's hilarious."
Dre's name in the movie is Clarence Coffee Black, while Ferrell plays the team's owner Jackie Moon.
"He's a nut, but honestly when you're on set, he's a normal cool
guy," Benjamin said of his co-star. "When we get into doing the scene,
you're kinda in it, so you're not laughing at him, but when they yell,
'Cut,' oh, he's going for it! You laugh. A lot of the things people
love about him, he makes them up. We have a script, but we usually go
off script and naturally go at it. We do a few takes, but a lot of that
they keep, 'cause it's naturally funny."
Andre revealed that he would love to show his more serious side
in a biopic. His name has been attached to the big-screen life stories
of Sammy Davis Jr. as well as Jimi Hendrix, but he says it's just Tinseltown chatter as of now.
"It's been talked about. I'd love to do it," he said of the
Davis film. "But Hollywood, I tell you ... it's been talk about Jimi
Hendrix, Sammy Davis — until there's a script and I'm on the set and
shooting, you can never say. But I'd love to. I'm around."
Pressespiegel USA & Whatever The F*** I Want!
Twelve years after his death at the age of 31, the music world continues to celebrate N.W.A's hardcore rap pioneer Eazy-E. On December 4, Capitol/Priority will release Featuring... Eazy-E, a new 16-track collection of his best collaborations and rare solo recordings. 
The gangsta rap super group Westside Connection was formed in 1993 by West Coast rappers Ice Cube, WC and Mack 10. 18 of the platinum-selling group's best tracks have been collected for the first time for The Best Of Westside Connection: The Gangsta, The Killa And The Dope Dealer, to be released December 4 by Capitol/Priority.
For more than a decade, Mack 10 has been on the front lines of the West Coast rap scene, as a solo artist and as a member of the gangsta rap supergroup Westside Connection. Mack 10's
top solo hits and best album cuts have been compiled for the first time
in a career and label-spanning 19-track CD and digital collection to be
released by Capitol/Priority on December 4: The Best Of Mack 10: Foe Life.
Dubcnn had the opportunity of speaking with one of Hip-Hop's most talented producers Hi-Tek. We discuss his upcoming trylogy finale album "Hi-Teknology 3: Underground, the reason for the swift return after the second instalment, and also get the background on some of the album tracks. 
Lil Eazy-E just hit us up to release an exclusive statement about his feelings on Baby and Lil Wayne representing Blood in their songs, videos and appearances. Read it below:
News about Ice Cube's high anticipated solo album "Raw Footage" have been scarce so far, all we know is that Cube is in a zone right now, and that he's feeling good about himself. 
Mack 10 
