Comedian Richard Pryor Passes At 65
Iconic comedian/actor Richard Pryor passed away this morning (Dec. 10) of a heart attack, after being ill for years with multiple sclerosis. Pryor, 65, who has been sampled by such artists as Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, A Tribe Called Quest and others, passed away at a hospital near his home in the San Fernando Valley. […]

Diddy And The Lox Settle Publishing Dispute
The Lox and Bad Boy mogul Sean ”Diddy” Combs have settled a music publishing dispute after a furious on-air clash that was broadcast on Hot 97 last month. Group members Styles P and Sheek re-appeared on Angie Martinez’s Hot 97 radio show today in a state of euphoria. “What he did was sweet. He came […]

Scratch Mag Adds Blokhedz Cartoon Series
Under the helm of editor-in-chief, Jerry Barrow Scratch magazine has rapidly gotten the attention of the mainstream with its emphasis on the audio portion of Hip-Hop. While, DJ’s and producers prevail, the magazine has added a feature familiar to Hip-Hop fan, Blokhedz comic series. The self-proclaimed "street-adventure" comic series will be a recurring feature in […]

Live at the House of Blues DVD
Artist: TupacTitle: Live at the House of Blues DVDRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Piff Huxtable Tupac Amaru Shakur had many sides to him. There was the revolutionary that spoke on how powerful the streets would be if finally unified. He also was able to flip it to a much more poetic type who shined on “Brenda’s […]

Ice Cube Producing Race-Changing Documentary On FX
Rapper/actor/filmmaker Ice Cube and Emmy Award winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler have teamed to create a six-part documentary series titled “Black.White,” which will be broadcast on cable network FX. Two families, one black and one white, share a home in the San Fernando Valley for the majority of the show. The Sparks, who are black and […]

Dead Prez’s Stic.Man Dropping Book, M-1 Preps Solo Album
Stic. man of dead prez is preparing to release a new book geared towards teaching the fundamentals of being an emcee. "The Art of Emcee-ing" will feature stic.man’s personal perspective on emceeing and songwriting. "[There are] so many brothers and sisters that have raw talent," stic.man told AllHipHop.com. "It is our job as community members […]

Chopper: New Jack Swing
Many of us only saw the damage of Hurricane Katrina from our television sets, however, Young City was there to see it first hand. Born and raised in New Orleans, Chopper was one of the millions of people who were uprooted from the only homes they knew. While many people are still, four months later, […]

AHH Stray News: 50, Dre Sued, Ran Rover, Snoop Dogg, Marc Ecko
Upcoming female rapper Janine “Jah Jah” Gordon filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against 50 Cent and Dr. Dre, claiming the duo infringed on several of her copyrights. Gordon alleges that her songs “Poppin’ at Da Club,” “Hardcore” “Crazy Dreams” and others were illegally used on 50 Cent’s album The Massacre. Gordon, who’s worked with Chubb […]

Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Label Scores 20 Grammy Nominations
Kanye West and artists from his label, G.O.O.D Music, score record 20 Grammy Nominations for the 48th annual Grammy Awards. Topping the list of nominees were Kanye West, Mariah Carey and John Legend; who each earned 8 nods apiece. G.O.O.D label mate, Common, also received 4 nominations. The nominations, which reflect a year where multiple […]

Juelz, Deemi, Sizzla Team With EARS For Katrina Benefit
Juelz Santana, Deemi and Sizzla have partnered with the EARS foundation for “The Christmas for Katrina” Toy Drive & Concert Event. The EARS Foundation, along with sponsors Power 105.1, Toys for Tots and The American Red Cross, will invite families displaced by Hurricane Katrina to the event, free of charge. Many families that were displaced […]

To Snitch or Not To Snitch
I admit, I’m not a criminal and I don’t know all the laws of criminality. Despite that, there is one notion that has domineered this year. In 2005, Hip-Hop and the streets demand that you all STOP SNITCHING. There is a website devoted to it, every gangster rapper on Earth denies being one and rightfully […]

B-Legit: Click of Respect
B-Legit is a hell of a lot more than E-40s brother. After a decade plus, B has led by quiet example for his community, both as an artist signed to Jive and today, as an independent. His hemp-themed albums sat lovely with red-eyed cruisers everywhere, but in 2005, B-Legit brings it back to the block. […]

Skillz Launches Label, Plans New Album
Rapper Skillz has launched his own label and inked a distribution deal with Koch to release an upcoming untitled album. The Richmond, Virginia’s label, Big Kidz Entertainment, recently inked a joint venture deal with Koch to release an album filled with all-new material. Skillz said the concept of Big Kidz Entertainment came to him a […]

50 Cent Dominates Billboard Awards
Rapper 50 Cent took top honors in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, as he walked off with six trophies at the 2005 Billboard Music Awards. The G-Unit General, who was nominated in eight different categories, took home Billboard’s coveted Artist of the Year and Album of the Year trophies for his sophomore […]

Game Affiliate G. Malone Inks Deal With Big Ego/Sony Urban
Former Aftermath A&R Mike Lynn, who helped discover The Game, has signed Black Wall Street affiliate G. Malone to a solo contract and label deal. G. Malone’s album The Beach Cruiser will be released with the rapper’s label Blu Division, in conjunction with Big Ego Entertainment and Sony Urban Music. "Signing the deal was the […]

Kanye West, Musicland Giving Away $150k Scholarship
Kanye West and music retail chain Musicland announced a nationwide campaign that will award one student $150,000 to be used toward the cost of a four-year college education. The “Free U. Giveaway” is the second program sponsored by The Kanye West Foundation, which is devoted towards education. "I’m excited to have this opportunity to partner […]

Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles
Artist: Digable PlanetsTitle: Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy ChroniclesRating: 4 1/2 StarsReviewed by: aqua boogie Digable Planets never really got their fair shot. When they slipped into the scene with 1993s Reachin (A New Refutation of Time and Space), snagging a Grammy and accolades longer than the albums title, many dubbed them as late […]

Impulsive!: Revolutionary Jazz Reworked
Artist: Various ArtistsTitle: Impulsive!: Revolutionary Jazz ReworkedRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Orisanmi Burton For the uninitiated, the name Impulse! may not solicit a particular response. For all others this declaration, when set against orange and black packaging and adorned with converse exclamation points brings to mind many of jazz musics most legendary figures. From 1961 […]

Feast or Famine
Artist: Reef the Lost CauzeTitle: Feast or FamineRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Max Herman Reef The Lost Cauze is one heated MC. While his voice is not quite as intense as his JuJu Mob crewmate, Chief Kamachis, this Philly-native proves to be a true Master of Ceremony on his new album, Feast or Famine (Good […]

Troy Dunnit: Canada Fly
Troy Dunnit is making moves. Some may remember him from Montreal crew, Obscure Disorder, which also yielded Kanye West’s DJ, A-Trak. After a small success with Obscure Disorder, he has journeyed from the frozen north of Canada, to Kool G Raps proverbial mass-populated streets of New York to seek success. Perhaps its just as easy […]