Gadget Inspector: Black Music Tech Evolution – The Electric Guitar to Fruity Loops
[photo: Akai MPC3000] When you think about the evolution of music, where does your history book begin? From Diddley to Diddy, James Brown to Jay-Z, the rules of the game may have changed, but its still about groove, beats and having the right sound. Lets take a look at just a few key […]
T-Pain, Steve Rifkind Accused Of Stealing ‘Stripper’
Three producers initiated legal action in a California courtroom yesterday (June 25), accusing T-Pain, SRC Records boss Steve Rifkind and others of copyright infringement. At issue is T Pains#### single Im N Luv With A Stripper, which a group songwriters claim is stolen material. According to a complaint filed Monday (Jun 23) with […]
The Neo-Soul Family Tree
Neo-Soul, Neo-Soul. Where for arte thou, Neo-Soul? With all due respect to R&B/Souls subgenre, Neo-Soul never really left, but became an acceptable addition to the R&B family (sans title). Kedar Massenburg of Motown coined the term at a time when the delineation between watery Pop-R&B and real live Soul became foggy. Many multifaceted talents were […]
Company Targets Estate of Kanye Wests Mother to Satisfy 600k Debt
Northern Trust Company, an Illinois based mortgage lender, has filed a suit in California Superior Court against the estate of Donda West. The claim was initially reported by tmz.com, and released court papers show the creditor is requesting a total of $606, 983.43. The figure includes two mortgage loans on a condominium Ms. […]
Michael Baisden Taps Rappers For Tour
Nationally syndicated on-air radio personality Michael Baisden will receive assistance from the Hip-Hop community next month, as rapper Chubb Rock and pioneer Kool DJ Red Alert join him on his Michael Baisden tour. The pair will appear with Baisden when the tour makes a stop at the Nokia Theater in Times Square, New York […]
Movie Review: Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot
Studio: Oscilloscope Laboratories Release Date: June 27, 2008 In the classic 1994 documentary, Hoop Dreams, we had the privilege of following two young basketball hopefuls throughout their adolescence. Basketball was at the forefront of their lives, as well as the motivation for the film and its characters, but seeing them off the basketball court […]
Retro Review: Destiny’s Child – Destiny’s Child (1998)
Luckily, Destinys Child came up before people stopped watching videos. When BET added No, No, No Pt. II to rotation, every teenaged boy with cable spent most of the next school day debating who was the finest girl in that new video with Wyclef. The year before, the group debuted with a track everyone ignored […]
Death Row Records Sold To Highest Bidder
The majority of Death Row Records publishing and recorded music assets became the property of the Global Music Group on Tuesday (June 24). Global Music Group acquired Suge Knight’s former empire for $25 million during an estate auction, which took place in Los Angeles. With the traditional 10-day waiting period waived, the Tennessee […]
Hip-Hop Rumors: Lil Wayne Nearly Arrested? Who Slapped Jacki-O?
DISCLAIMER: All content within this section is pure rumor and generally have no factual info outside of what the streets have whispered in our ear. Read on. YESTERDAY’S RUMORS (ARCHIVES) Hip-Hop Rumors: Who Pushed The Game? Kanye Blasts Enemies! Akon/MiJac! Hip-Hop Rumors: Soulja Boy Disses Ice-T AGAIN!? Hip-Hop Rumors: Shaq Ethers Kobe! New […]
Three The Gaming Way: Ninja Gaiden 2 Too Hard? Racism in Resident Evil? Battlefield the COD4 Killer?
TheKoGz is back the Konsole Kingz Top Three, so lets get get get it! 3. Ninja Gaiden 2 – Does it measure up? I guess it depends on when you starting it, and how hardcore of a platformer you are. If you have never played it, then you would probably say, “Man, […]
Express Yourself: Black Music’s Fashion Influence – Jay-Z, Kanye, Pharrell, Public Enemy and more
Whats up Fly people of the world?! Its me again, the one they call The Fly Guy. Im here representing for Black Music Month 2008. As you know, Black music has had a huge impact on style in pop culture through the trends that have erupted from its artists’ wardrobes, verses and videos. From […]
Ras Kass Readies Album for August 5th Release
West Coast rhymesayer Ras Kass continues to keep fans in mind as he gears up for the release of his forthcoming album Institutionalized Vol.II. The project is the latest in a string of albums from Ras Kass, who first emerged on the scene with his 1996 debut Soul On Ice. Since then, the California native […]
RZA as Bobby Digital: Digi Snacks
You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. This colloquial phrase sums up the last ten years of RZA’s career. One moment he’s criticized harshly from fans for not “moving with the times” and “updating” his music, while the next his Wu Tang brethren Raekwon and Ghostface deride the Abbott for not […]
Snoop Confirms Detox; Dre Producing Upcoming Album
Rapper Snoop Dogg recently left the recording studio, recording tracks for Dr. Dre’s highly anticipated album, Detox. “That record is real it’s coming,” Snoop Dogg said during an interview today (June 25) on Big Boy’s Neighborhood. “You know me, I was starting to doubt it myself and then I went up in there and […]
Black (Hip-Hop) Music Month Timeline III: ’00 – ’03
2000-2003 introduced the question of what Hip-Hop had to offer in the new millennium. Hip-Hop already had a stronghold over music charts but there was still unfinished business. New artists were striving to claim their spot in rap history while veteran rappers were steadily revamping their sound and showboating their newfound lyrical growth. Who could […]
Immortal Technique Helps Build Orphanage In Afghanistan
Making good on his previous pledge to begin a “serious mission” by June 24, activist and rapper Immortal Technique released a statement announcing his partnership with Omeid International to build an orphanage in Afghanistan. “The ‘green light’ has been given,” Tech declared in his statement. “I made the world a promise. Not the music world, […]
