Born and raised in Crenshaw, Dough the Freshkid unloads a pristine and refined work of art that blends opulent sonics and clairvoyant raps.
Rapper, visionary, and philanthropist Dough The Freshkid, also known as DTFK, releases his overly due album “K.E.Y.S” that is abbreviated as “Keep Evolving Your Self”.
With a weighty title and an even more demanding cover art that portrays him in a Tuxedo with just as elegant of a woman by his rib and a grand piano to the rear of him, the message is clear – a Black man can make it out of the difficult circumstances and overcome their travails to become a man of honor.
“As an independent artist, I’m trying to show growth through my business moves, attitude and music. The whole goal is to continue to grow and become better than you were yesterday,” he accentuated of the projects’ goal. The music is upper echelon and the raps are frank, convicted, believable, and exquisitely first rate.
Admirably, Dough who is a pillar in the Crenshaw community through his annual give-aways proficiently reflects on his journey in the music tackling common themes that occur in the Crenshaw community, but from a vantage point of overcoming the hazards many of the youth encounter.
On “Throw Up”, he cuts across Gang Culture, on “Whip It”, he magnifies allure of selling drugs as a means to shorthand poverty, but in very fun and enjoyable fashion (we smell a TikTok from this song), on “Checc N”, he alludes to the territorial aspect of Hip Hop regionalism where outsiders are required to be validated before walking into certain areas, on “Rich Blacks” he speaks on the growth and unity the black race should practice rather than the division through gang-affiliation, and so on.
Usually, projects that delve into the socio-cultural facets of community end up being preachy and judgemental, but DTFK bypasses these notions and quashes the stereotypes breezing through what is one of the most heralded 2022 projects so far in regards to continuity, cohesion, quality, and performance.
“It’s actually 2 songs in particular, “Chandeliers” and the self title “Keys” song. But the entire album is Dope, probably my best project to date” when we asked him what his favorite records were.
The staunch supporter of self-improvement through financial wellness and business has also teased more to suffice from the visual side of the project.
“We really took our time with Keys so we don’t just want to end it here with just music. Hopefully, later in the year, I could bring the world a 7-part video movie series of Keys. We’ve already started production” he mentions of not downing the tools just yet.
Rap has been gradually taking over the music scene in the U.S. because of the artistic liberty it allows. Musicians can weave stories, write poetry, and pour their hearts out while rapping. With this, rap is influencing a whole new wave of mainstream music for young talent in the industry. Contemporary rappers experiment fearlessly to bring a new style and flow to this genre. One such talent is the rapper RT. This young and talented music artist has been storming the electronic music scene for quite a few years. His unique style of rapping has already created an enormous fan base.
Rubin Theoc, or as he is formally known as RT, was raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He calls both Fort Lauderdale and Miami his home because its diverse music culture has helped him shape his career as a music artist. RT was passionate about music from a very young age. He loved listening to all genres of music and was fascinated by the distinct style and rhythm of each. This appreciation for multiple music genres has helped RT create his unique style of composition that has set him apart from his contemporaries.
With a career spanning over 12 years,RT has worked relentlessly to hone his craft and present the best to his audience. His mastery over RnB, pop, and hip-hop is behind the seamless cross-genre compositions he creates. RT can blend sounds from different genres to create cutting-edge music that is fresh yet seems familiar to the ears. His ability to glide between genres, taking the best from each of them in a single track, has helped him reach the masses and earn a huge fan base.
One of the biggest achievements of RT’s career is the release of his debut single, “Party All Night.” The song was ranked at #13 on the Billboard Hot Single Sales. RT’s unique approach to rapping was well-received by fans across the nation, making the song a smash hit. “Party All Night” created a new wave among music enthusiasts who were craving something new and fresh. Besides bringing recognition to RT in the music industry, “Party All Night” also paved the way for his rocking career in the U.S. music scene.
The distinctive appeal of RT’s music lies in the passion that it reflects. Each of RT’s songs is made for every mood and situation. Through his lyrics, beats, and rhythm, RT successfully connects to the listeners on a deeper level. His songs can make people fall in love once again and also soothe broken hearts. RT’s music can also make people groove to his tunes at a club or party. His music has a universal appeal that resonates with people of all age groups from all walks of life.
The success rapper RT has achieved over the years did not come easy. Growing up in a typical American family, RT had to work hard to fund his music career. He worked 2 jobs for 2 years to pay for his studio time and marketing. As a newbie in the industry, it was tough for him to carry on without any solid blueprint of his career. However, RT persisted and overcame all these struggles to become the rapper he is today.
Now, RT wants to inspire others through his music. He wants people to know that following your dreams can be tough, but all that hardship pays off in the end. With that, he will be continuing his journey in the industry for many more years to come, releasing more heart-touching music to his fans.
The music industry has evolved through a sea of change over the last decade. From production to music and even style, everything has been redefined by contemporary musicians who are storming the industry, giving a whole new dimension to traditional genres. Music producerDanny Hajj noticed this change during the early phase of his career and wanted to be a significant contributor to this welcoming industry. This eventually turned him into a manager, marketing for fresh music talent and helping them build a solid career in the industry from scratch.
Danny entered the music scene soon after he graduated and moved to Atlanta. At 22, Danny was already a music producer with the renowned, multi-platinum Grammy-nominated group Audio Cartel. Being a newbie in the industry with no mentor, it was initially quite challenging for Danny to find his footing, but he achieved it through hard work and a relentless thirst for learning new things. Throughout his career, Danny has been an avid learner and hasn’t stopped yet.
After a few years into production, Danny wanted to explore more possibilities in the music industry that are evolving in the digital era. He developed a business to assist musicians to scale up their careers from the ground level. Besides working as a music producer, Danny became a manager and media marketer for budding talent, helping them roll out smashing hits. He has guided prominent artists like 2kBaby and Fase Yoda to stardom. 2kBaby, known for his breakout song “Old Streets,” is currently signed to Warner Records. Fase Yoda is working with some of the top music labels like Young Thug’s Young Stoner Life Records and 300 Entertainment.
Danny has always valued original talent over brands. This is why he chose to help budding artists rather than being a manager to a popular musician. While the latter could have brought him immediate recognition and financial success, Danny’s present career gives him the sense of fulfillment that he has always craved for. He also wants fresh talent to have a smooth entry into the music scene by being their mentor. Today, Danny is the coach and manager he wanted during the initial phase of his career.
With the knowledge he has earned over the years working in the industry, Danny is paving the way for others to enter it. Danny feels that fresh talents have a new perspective on music that is needed to create something unique. As more and more contemporary artists are becoming experimental, Danny feels that genres are blending to emerge as a new trend in music. He wants to work with more aspiring artists who are truly passion-driven.
To take his mission to help budding talents rise beyond barriers, Danny has also started a non-profit organization Positive Visions, with Fase Yoda as his partner. The organization is funding higher education for underprivileged youth who have a strong goal and want to accomplish something in life.
Danny Hajj is looking forward to becoming a brand in the production and marketing space in the music industry. He wants to continue his journey of introducing more promising talent to the industry, fading barriers and boundaries between genres on their way.
The “Whatchu Wanna Do” Artist has come miles from his humble beginnings. Starting from the bottom and clawing his way to the top with each passing year. Though he’s only been on the scene for a relatively short time period, His accomplishments really speak for themselves. King Lo burst on the scene in early 2017 releasing a few remixes on YouTube and getting a feel for modern-day tools that we’ve come to all rely on for music and entertainment. Lo’s unique style and voice combination catch and conquer the heart of any new listener who sets ears on his music. Blending a 90’s style rap flow with modern-day beats and a twist of dancehall he’s managed to carve out his “Own Lane” of melodic hip hop that many fans have come to enjoy.
King Lo released his debut EP titled “You’re Invited” on May 20th of 2020 and has been riding a wave of momentum ever since. The EP boasts 4 tracks, “Whatchu Wanna Do” a fan favorite, “With Me”, “Wanna Luv You” and “Own Lane” all of which have a signature style and heavy melodic vibe that’s a hit at any party it’s played at. “You’re Invited” has had huge success being shouted out by L.O.X Legend Styles P on Instagram and giving Lo a nice head start on his hip hop journey. The project also has amassed over 250 Thousand streams on Spotify and is growing each day thanks to its unique sound and originality. As far as music from Upstate New York goes it Looks like King Lo is following right behind the footsteps of artists like Scorey and Toosii and will be a household name in the music industry in no time.
A senior executive with Estee Lauder was booted from the company after posting a meme invoking rapper Chingy.
Last week, Demsey thought it wise to post a meme with sesame Street character Big Bird nursing his ailing friend, Snuffaluffagus.
The caption to the meme read, “my n#### Snuffy done got the ‘rona at a Chingy concert.”
The 65-year-old immediately came under fire, and although he attempted to delete the offensive meme, he was suspended last Tuesday.
Demsey apologized, claiming he was “terribly sorry and deeply ashamed. Dempsey said that the meme is the furthest thing from what I stand for, and I should have never posted it,” Dempsey said.
However, his regrets were a little too late.
John Demsey, who worked with the legendary brand for almost 30 years, was axed today (February 28th), according to Executive Chairman William P. Lauder and CEO Fabrizio Freda.
According to The Daily Beast Estee Lauder was not happy with the negative press Demsey’s shenanigans brought upon the company.
Demsey’s posts “have caused widespread offense, are damaging to our efforts to drive inclusivity both inside and outside our walls, and do not reflect the judgment we expect from our leaders,” the executive team said in a statement.
So far, Chingy, who is at the center of the ridiculous meme, has yet to comment.
“The Batman” is the latest Warner Brothers superhero film based on the wildly popular DC character of the same name. While the character has been most recently presented on the big screen by filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder, for this outing, Director Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield”, “Dawn of the Planet of The Apes”, “War of the Planet of the Apes”) takes the reigns with his own unique take on the World’s Greatest Detective.
For this latest cinematic interpretation of the character, “The Batman” stars Robert Pattison in the lead role of Bruce Wayne, a reclusive billionaire by day, and Batman, a vigilante detective by night. Using his array of skills and resources, Batman is compelled to seek both vengeance and revenge against the criminal figures wreaking chaos and havoc in Gotham City.
As Batman stalks the crime-ridden streets of Gotham, a new sinister threat emerges, one with serial killer-like motives that take aim at prominent figures and officials in Gotham. As this threat purposely leaves both puzzling and ambiguous clues pointing to his underlying motives, it causes Batman to delve deep into the underbelly of Gotham to investigate this mysterious figure to stop to him. Batman’s layered investigation not only brings him amongst shadowy characters in the criminal underworld, but it slowly unravels a trail of surprising corruption at the highest levels that Batman must come to grips with and face head-on.
“The Batman” is a brilliantly conceived film with amazing production values that will captivate you with its engrossing story. Matt Reeves directs this stylishly dark tale with a slow burn, a character-driven approach that harkens back to the classic Detective Noir Thrillers of the ’70s. While the film never deviates from being a tension-filled mystery at its core, Reeves skillfully blends in elements of horror, intrigue, and visceral action sequences that explode on the screen depicting the burning rage in this interpretation of Batman.
While not exactly an origin film, “The Batman” features a version of the character that is only two years into his vigilante quest to combat the ills of society by bringing vengeance to those criminals that violate the law. As Matt Reeves heavily explores the psychological aspects of Batman, we’re shown that his seething rage stems from the emotional trauma of his past that he struggles to compartmentalize within.
Throughout the film, we witness Batman’s rage being further exacerbated by the latest threat to Gotham known as “The Riddler”. Able to match wits and seemingly stay two steps ahead of Batman as he investigates him, The Riddler proves to be an extremely formidable foe that also causes Batman to face the dark secrets of his own past. The emotional duality of Batman and The Riddler that Matt Reeves presents is riveting cinema that will leave you in awe to say the least. While I won’t delve into any intricacies of the plot, rest assured, this film will immerse you in this world as we witness Batman amass and assemble the clues necessary to stop The Riddler’s reign of terror. Outside of the captivating story, another aspect that makes “The Batman” work so well is the amazing performances by the all-star cast that Matt Reeves has assembled. The acting is top-notch and so nuanced that even scenes of mere dialogue or intense conversations can carry the emotional weight of a powerful action sequence due to every actor bringing their A-Game here.
In the lead role of “Bruce Wayne”/”Batman”, Robert Pattison proves his mettle by giving an intense and riveting performance complete with classic Batman brooding, grounded realism, emotion, and the physicality necessary to handle the film’s action. While some have questioned whether Pattison could handle the film’s action believably, he completely rises to the occasion under Reeves’s sharp direction. His Batman’s fighting style is equal parts agile, tactical, and calculated but always aggressive and violent. As Batman’s antagonist, Paul Dano portrays “The Riddler” with a completely mesmerizing performance that will seize your attention from his first moment on screen. The Riddler’s ominous presence, cryptic motives, and cerebral mind games are all eerily executed thanks to the phenomenal performance Paul Dano gives here.
Additionally, Andy Serkis shines as “Alfred Pennyworth”, a father figure and mentor to Bruce Wayne that gives him his moral compass. Jeffrey Wright gives a wonderful portrayal as the hardnosed “LT. James Gordon”, a trusted GCPD confidant of Batman that investigates alongside him. Zoe Kravitz is incredible on-screen as “Selina Kyle”, a mysterious character who has her own personal motives for collaborating with Batman. John Turturro is also excellent as Crime Boss “Carmine Falcone” as is Colin Farrell who is completely unrecognizable as “Oswald Cobblepot”. Cobblepot, a Falcone soldier, is another character that DC fans will recognize as eventually going on to become a central villain in Batman’s famed “Rogues Gallery”.
As far as the direction of the film, Matt Reeves skillfully helms this captivating tale with precision and paces it so efficiently that the 3 Hour Runtime seems to fly right by. As Reeves takes us deep into the underworld of Gotham, he captures every detail of the dark and grimy landscape with a level of realism that brings the city to life and makes it an additional character of the film. Additionally, Reeves doesn’t compromise the film’s tone or detective-driven plot with superficial thrills just for thrill’s sake. Every moment of tension, conflict, or action truly feels like an organic byproduct of the story’s natural progression. From a purely visual perspective, the film is absolutely stunning to watch thanks to the gorgeous cinematography handled by Greig Frasier. Frasier, who also served as the cinematographer on 2016’s “Star Wars: Rogue One”, and 2021’s “Dune”, applies his incredible pedigree here which results in one remarkably beautiful film.
Lastly, though the plot-driven mystery remains the film’s central theme throughout, “The Batman” contains several explosive action sequences that are incredible to witness. From thrilling chases & escapes, fiery explosions and spectacle, to hard-hitting hand-to-hand combat, this film certainly delivers the action-oriented moments that fans would come to expect from a Batman film. All of these amazing aspects take place while being backed by a haunting and relentless score by award-winning composer Michael Giacchino who completely nails it.
Overall, “The Batman” works as far more than just the latest entry in a string of Comic Book Films that have come to dominate the Hollywood Box Office. With his latest feature, director Matt Reeves has served up a superb piece of filmmaking, an offering of pure cinema, which showcases an exhilarating story, a clever screenplay, dynamic performances, and a unique take on Batman that we haven’t quite seen done on the big screen yet. “The Batman” is dark, full of twists, turns, surprising reveals, and the suspenseful mystery at the film’s core is filled with heightened tension and emotion throughout.
With all that said, the inevitable question will be asked: Is this film on the same level as Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”? In my personal opinion, “The Batman” absolutely rivals that movie as the greatest Batman film to date. Ultimately, fans will decide which one they prefer more, but I thought “The Batman” was so great that it’s certainly a credible debate worth having! Be that as it may, this film does nothing to diminish the worth of past Batman films or specific portrayals of the character that you love. However, what it does do is add its own unique layer to the mythos of the character and compliments the previous films with yet another masterfully developed feature full of style and artistic merit.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan of superhero movies in general, the Batman character specifically, or just love skillfully crafted detective thrillers containing shades of mystery, horror, and intense action sequences, I highly recommend seeing this film as soon as you can.
“The Batman” will be playing in theatres everywhere on March 4th – Enjoy!
Representing one of the roughest parts of Pittsburgh Hardo is renown in his city for being one of the most authentic rappers in the ‘Burgh when it comes to the streets. Check it out as Vezzo and EST Gee connect with Hardo for a straight gutter shoot ’em up, cook em up banger. The video was shot by Diesel Filmz known for executing super dope visuals for EST Gee so this one is straight FIRE!
Garrett Tyler may have just dropped one of the most important records of his life: “The Moment,” dedicated to his beautiful wife. The record was released in the month of February a week and a half before Valentine’s Day, laying down the blueprint for romance while reeling in vocals from rapper Austin Antoine.
Tyler states, “I just love community, collaboration, and making music that inspires me.”
If you’re not familiar, the Arkansas native is a well-respected drummer, multi-instrumentalist musical director, producer, and recording artist who’s toured the world, shutting down stages all across the United States, Central America, Asia, Europe, and the UK. Having played for established acts such as Judah & the Lion, for King & Country, Local Sound, Pink Laundry, Jagwar Twin, and Christy Nockels, even making an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Tyler knows a thing or two about performing and stage presence.
“The Moment” was inspired by the first time Tyler ever met his wife, with lyrics embodying that special moment when you feel like you met your soulmate and both parties are on the same page with no expectations from the very beginning.
AllHipHop: Where are you located?
Garrett Tyler: I’m based in Nashville. I was out in LA for the past couple weeks but I got back yesterday. It was good. Did a little work, a little play. It was great, staying in Los Feliz.
AllHipHop: Where are you from originally?
Garrett Tyler: OG, I’m from Arkansas. Super small town, but I’ve been in Nashville since 2015, so about 6 coming on 7 years now.
AllHipHop: You moved out there for music?
Garrett Tyler: I did. I went to grad school at Belmont and was studying commercial drum set performance at the time. Studying with legendary drummer Chester Thompson, who’s played with everybody. I came for school and while I was here, just hit the ground running and got connected. I moved to Nashville primarily wanting to drum and record. Once I got here, new passions sparked. Fell more in love with producing and writing, creating for myself. That’s what led me to where I’m at now.
AllHipHop: Do you remember when you fell in love with music?
Garrett Tyler: Totally, it’s my youngest memory actually. My mom and dad, it’s crazy because both of their worlds were completely different. With my mom, I grew up listening to more rock and roll. Aerosmith is one of my favorite bands of all time. AC/DC, everything up to more pop or 90’s style rock like Nirvana and things like that. But then my dad was the exact opposite. He was listening to Billy Ocean, Lionel Richie, MIchael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, the flipside to that coin. Even now where I find myself as a drummer: I drum in a rock band but I also have my solo project that leans heavy soul/R&B. I find reflecting back and really thinking about it, that inspiration seeped in from both worlds.
AllHipHop: Was there a turning point when you realized you could do music for a living?
Garrett Tyler: It’s always been in, I’ve always wanted to do it. But the first time I felt I could definitely do this was once I went to college. I joined a drum corps out in California called The Blue Devils, they’re based in the Oakland, Concord area. During my undergrad when I was studying, it was one of those things where I got my undergrad degree in Music Education and the whole time I was thinking of it as if the music thing doesn’t work, I’ll always have a back up. I can teach or do this. But when I joined that drum corp, I was traveling once a month for rehearsals and we’d go on tour. Meeting more people, started traveling around the world to parts of Asia, Europe, UK, Central America. That’s when it hit me like damn, I can do this. I love this, this is what I want to do. It gives me so much life.
AllHipHop: Fast forward to today, you have “The Moment” out now. How are you feeling?
Garrett Tyler: I feel good. My heart going into this project was no expectations. In 2020 when I started this whole project, when a lot of us had a lot of downtime unfortunately, that’s what sparked this whole thing of hey, I want to do this. “The Moment” just so happened to be the first song that I wrote myself. I write for other people and other bands, but as far as me and what I have to say, that was the first song. I don’t necessarily get caught up in numbers and stuff like that. To me, it’s primarily about the art and putting that first.
“The Moment” is extremely special, it’s about my wife. I’m singing, produced, drums, wrote the song, everything. I knew right from the gate I wanted Austin Antoine to rap on this track. He’s amazing. He’s based in LA. He’s actually going on the Moonchild tour, opening up for them this year. The way I got turned on to him is one of my best buds that I did drum corp with, back in undergrad, he has a band called Joomanji. It’s this badass underground, experimental hip hop soul group. They did a track with Austin called “Bustin Loose”. The first time I heard that which was over 6 years ago, I knew from that moment that one day, I’m a do a track and I’m a get this guy on it. And now we’re here. [laughs]
AllHipHop: How does your wife feel about the track?
Garrett Tyler: She loves it! Our story is sweet. We met in grad school, first day. It was a mutual feeling. The whole line, “From the moment I saw you, I knew that I’d always love you” — I know that’s cheesy or whatever, but it’s facts. It was real. I saw this girl, I’m like “damn, there’s something about her. She’s totally different from anyone I’ve ever been with before.” She’s so supportive. She’s a classical violinist. She’s a badass and she loves it.
AllHipHop: How did you guys celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Garrett Tyler: Through the phone, because I was gone and she was also gone on the road. I sent her flowers. You know, did the best you can. We’re both pretty busy and we do what we can. We love Valentine’s Day, but we don’t necessarily need a holiday to find an excuse to love on each other.
AllHipHop: What do you feel when you play the drums?
Garrett Tyler: Oh man, everything. Honestly, it depends on the style. Again I have this artist project, but I also drum for a lot of different people. I play a lot of different styles of music. The drums is one of those instruments that is honestly extremely physical and demanding, can be taxing on your body. Whether I’m doing a rock and roll show at Lollapalooza: slamming the drums and it’s more aggressive and energetic, versus something more like my song “The Moment” that’s a little more hypnotic, laidback easy — I’d hope the way listeners feel when they hear me play is an expression of how I’m feeling in the moment. So a lot of things. [laughs]
AllHipHop: What’s your best memory on tour? You’ve toured with everyone.
Garrett Tyler: There’s a few, I’ll give you top 3. One was definitely Red Rocks, sold out Red Rocks with one of the bands I play for called Judah and the Lion. And my wife, she has a quartet and they got to play that show with us. It was pretty special. Looking up in the mountains in Colorado: sold out, beautiful. My wife’s right next to me, my best friends, that’s definitely a highlight.
Another one would be I just graduated from grad school in 2017, was really grinding. In 2018, I landed a spot playing drums for the artist at the time called R.LUM.R, who was an up and coming R&B/soul artist. He had a song called “Frustrated” and we toured all year. All over Europe and the States. We closed out a night at Bonnaroo, last performance of the day. It was as far as you can see, just packed. The music’s so sick. That’s the music I really love to play, is R&B, soul and Hip Hop. That was definitely a highlight.
The last one, very opposite of those other two, would be one of my buddies. He’s a local guy, hip hop producer, artist and writer named Sansol. My first post-pandemic show was with him. It was this really special feeling of I haven’t played a live show in over a year, and that’s an emotional thing. We played the rooftop of Acme in downtown Nashville, sold it out playing music I love with my friends. Wow, this is what I love about music and this is what I’ve been missing for the past year. It’s exciting to be back.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio at all times?
Garrett Tyler: Incense always. They say of all your senses, your sense of smell is the most directly related to memory and nostalgia. For a long time now, I’ve always written, practiced being on stage with my incense going. When it’s there, it makes it comfortable and gives me a sense of ease. I have to have one of my boys. I hate writing music by myself. Music is meant to be shared with people, written and collaborated on. I definitely have to have a homie in the room. Lastly, an open mind. I always have to be open-minded. I never want to go into the studio or work with anyone who’s close-minded to anything. Those are my top 3: incense, a homie, and an open mind.
AllHipHop: What are you most excited for next?
Garrett Tyler: Definitely releasing the full EP. I have 3 singles out so far of my own stuff, and I’m excited to put the whole thing out. And I’m really excited to play my first show as Garrett P. Tyler, which will be cool. My plan is there’s a really dope spot in Nashville called The Flamingo Cocktail Club. Angela’s a dope human being from New York, opened it up. Coffee shop by day, club by night. A lot of my favorite in town musical experiences have happened there. They do a Wednesday night jam, it’s always the vibe. I plan on doing my first show there. I’m really excited, working on that. I’ve been doing a lot of production, working with some peeps out in LA. Just excited about some new music that’s going to be coming out.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let the people know?
Garrett Tyler: Something I always say at the end of my stuff is stay focused and be blessed. I stand by that. Keep your head down, keep grinding and live a blessed life. Wherever the season takes you, lean into it and don’t resist it. Find joy in everything you do.
Compton rap star Game makes some startling comments in an upcoming episode of Noreaga and DJ EFN’s#### podcast, “Drink Champs.”
Nore dropped a clip today featuring some of the highlights of their three-part discussion, which is set to debut this Thursday. The wide-ranging discussion centers around Game’s ties to the Bloods and the tension associating with Nipsey Hussle caused after he took the Rollin’ 60s Crip member on tour.
“I caught fades behind that. Taking Crips on tour when I’m a Blood. My own homies. I lost half the gang like that,” Game revealed.
Game also discusses his infamous feud with 50 Cent in the mid-2000s, exclaiming he put the “G in G-Unit.” However, today’s one-minute clip highlights Game’s relationship with Dr. Dre and his association with Kanye West.
“It’s crazy that Ye did more for me in the last two weeks then Dre did for me in my whole career,” Game said.
Game signed with Dr. Dre in late 2003. He dropped his critically acclaimed album, The Documentary, in 2005, his only official release on the West Coast mogul’s label, Aftermath Entertainment.
His following four albums, The Doctor’s Advocate,L.A.X.,The RED Album and Jesus Piece, were released on Geffen/Interscope.
In recent weeks, Game has been working hard on his collaborative album with Hitboy called Drillmatic. Kanye is involved in the project, and the pair recently released their ninth collaboration together, called “Eazy.”
Take a look at a clip from the upcoming episode of Drink Champs with Noreaga, DJ EFN, and Game below:
T̷R̷O̷N̷ is an anomaly in the music industry, someone who loves music down to the core and was destined for greatness since birth. As the son of TLC’s Chilli and super-producer Dallas Austin, the artist, drummer, and songwriter produces all his own music, with dreams of becoming a rockstar at the young age of 10.
A true musician if there ever was one, T̷R̷O̷N̷ prides himself in his diversity, straddling the genres of hip-hop and R&B and incorporating real instruments into his music any chance he can.
He explains, “Long-term wise, I want to be able to be an impactful performer. To do that, you want to incorporate as many real elements of music, as many real things that are already there as possible. Because when it’s show time, you have a live band, you can do all that. I say bring two worlds into one where you make a hip hop concert and a rock concert fused together.”
Most recently, the Atlanta native unleashed his new visual for “Take You There,” a standout single from his most recent project INSOMNIA. The 4-track project speaks volumes to his artistic mind and creativity, taking fans on a journey into his alternate reality.
AllHipHop: What do you feel when you play the drums?
T̷R̷O̷N̷: Honestly for me, back when I started, I was also on the guitar for a year and a half. I wasn’t really feeling it that much, as much as I like drums. When I got on drums, I taught myself how to play. I went to percussion class in middle school. From there I went to marching band, kept it in the drum family. Initially, when I play, it’s more a feeling of stress relief meets rhythm. Because you get to bang it out, but you can’t just hit it. You have to have emotion with it. For me, I looked at it as another way to express yourself, still be able to have physical relief. By the time you’re done, you have a little soreness. You’re sweating a little bit because okay, I was doing a lot of things. It gets me into that cyclical motion.
AllHipHop: Being from Atlanta, what was that like growing up?
T̷R̷O̷N̷: Honestly, Atlanta is home. That’s why I live here now. I really grew to appreciate it in the most recent years because when you grow up somewhere, you look at it like home no matter where you come from. By the time you’re 18, time to go to college, there’s two different people. Some people want to stay around home, other people want to venture out. I ended up going to college in Florida.
After I got done, me and now fiance — I just proposed to her yesterday. It was honestly the best day of my life, we have been together for 4 years and living together 3 out of those 4 years. With us being from different countries and cultures, it gave me so much confidence to know with all those stipulations mentioned we still are best friends/soulmates.
AllHipHop: Oh my gosh, congratulations! Valentine’s Day, that’s beautiful.
T̷R̷O̷N̷: That was amazing! We’ve been together for 4 years, and I had them set it up. [shows video of proposal]
AllHipHop: Did she know?
T̷R̷O̷N̷: Oh no. She had an idea because of course, we’ve been together for 4 years, but she didn’t know exactly when or anything. [laughs] I was really happy at the restaurant, I’m like “say yes!” It went perfect. I was planning it out for a good month in total, so I’m glad everything worked out.
AllHipHop: Does she inspire a lot of your music?
T̷R̷O̷N̷: Oh yeah, definitely. The thing about me is I’ve always been the guy to really like organic, very to the point thought processes. She’s exactly that. She comes from Korea where they put it pretty straightforward most of the time. Anytime you hear a project or anything, she’d be like, “yeah, that’s good.” Or “ehh, not feeling that.” For me, it’s the honesty. It doesn’t matter who you are.
Drake’s my guy, right? But I didn’t feel like even a Drake would have a “okay, maybe this song’s not it.” Most artists have a lot of songs, and the only ones that get chosen are the ones that they think are the best, or the label does.
You need a little bit of a direction as far as alright, is this sounding good? My fiance and even people I work with at the studio — at this point, everyone knows that people who I care about their opinions keep it really straightforward. Because if it’s not them that’s going to give me honesty, the world will go ahead and give me some good humble pie. [laughs] Definitely a lot of inspiration for my music though. If it’s not about us or something that we’ve been through or done, I just relate to somebody else’s experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMUu7xnojXE
AllHipHop: “Take You There” video out now, bring us back to when you need this record.
T̷R̷O̷N̷: I ended up making “Take You There,” that was one of the last songs on the INSOMNIA project. After I had the viral “Captions” buzz going, the dance challenge and everything going on with that. That second single, I really wanted to make an EP because it solidified a sound and keeps the consistency. A single’s cool, but you don’t really know. A single is a single, you want to have a good follow-up.
I was in this particular room, it was early morning. I couldn’t really go back to sleep. One of my producers sent me a bundle of beats as always, shout out to Rope God. I was in here, started flowing through the lyrics. I like to get an idea of the song before I go to the studio, because time is money. You’re paying by the hour so you want to at least come prepared, at least have a couple records ready. I had a sketch of that song done.
It’s funny, most times it doesn’t really go always exactly the way it went in my head. Sometimes you might have an idea, you go in the studio like “okay, I don’t know how I was thinking that.” But that was one of the ones that worked out. After that, it was history. I kept playing with it, I had a brief section of it done. Once I got some good feedback from peers and people around me, alright let me see more about this. After I released the EP itself, “Take You There” specifically had more of the streams. Top of the list for the streams between there and “Dreams,” which I was surprised. I always thought the “Sunkissed” song was going to be the one doing that because it brings that reggaeton. But hey, it’s all good. [laughs]
AllHipHop: What do you do when you can’t sleep?
T̷R̷O̷N̷: Oh man, games. If I’m not gaming, sometimes try and do music, but I always think your mind’s not really fresh. I listen to podcasts, a lot of Joe Rogan. Love learning new stuff. The more words that you know, the more you can utilize in your lyrics, whether they’re used for situational stuff or just trying to say something else. Instead of every average thing. Maybe instead of saying this purpose word here, we can say this purpose word there. Put in a different word that you don’t usually hear, maybe that isn’t so generic. You only get that knowledge if you’re not majoring in that stuff in college. Looking further upon psychology and literature, podcasts are the best way to have background noise and get more knowledge. I call it brainfood, depending how much you listen to. [laughs]
AllHipHop: What does 777 mean?
T̷R̷O̷N̷: I got it tattooed on me back in 2015, late summer. This is my second sleeve. For me honestly, it always meant spiritual divinity, in whatever religion specifically you are. It was more standing for God himself because wherever you come from, God brings us all together. I use God through my music. Regardless if it’s a direct message or not, it’s what you’re representing. I always like to represent something that’s at least positive enough.
There’s a lot of things out there in the world, something like a 777 always has positive energy around it. People look it up, it’s an angelic number. It’s always positive stuff. I always thought okay if I’m going to rep something, I’ll rep something that people are going to wear on a t-shirt when they want to come to my concert. They want to do this. I don’t want their parents to say, “oh, what’s that? What kind of guy is that?” On top of that, you’re already going to get a lot of negative stuff regardless. The world’s the world, it sucks. If I gave you a little positivity without being this cringey advocate for super positivity, just put it there so it’s always in the centerpiece, I wanted to make it more like that. Not so in your face, but 777 in the background. You look it up, it’s positive stuff. Okay, that guy’s reppin’ positive energy. That’s how I look at it.
AllHipHop: Being son of Dallas Austin, who’s a legend, how does it feel to be stepping into your own limelight?
T̷R̷O̷N̷: He recommended me switch my major to music theory while I was 6 months in my engineering degree, but I took his advice and changed it. It was a pain to switch it. At the same time, I knew that I’d never want to go to college again so this is probably my biggest opportunity to learn. As far as working goes, I’m very independent, when I got out college he showed me a few studio strategies and writing techniques that I still use today and The thing about creation is it’s very particular to the person, and when you are stepping into your own zone and people wanna see what you have to offer you must find your way of working and whatever works best for you continue that strategy finding that is a process within itself .You find yourself as an artist through going through your own stuff and developing your own sound, and that’s the best way to do it.
As far as the lineage, it’s always been in your face but I don’t know. At the end of the day, everyone will be forgotten at some point. You have to make your own mark so I always thought of it that way. You can’t really go based off that if people don’t know who your folks are youre just gonna look like an entitled jackass and I could tell that from a far that wether you are continuing a legacy or starting one YOU have to take the bull by the horns and captain your won ship.Regardless For me, it’s cool. It’s definitely dope knowing you have access to experience and people think you are already the grand wizard like when I went to college, it was all attention on me because everyone knew where i was from before I even moved into my crib down there but it gave me extra motivation to really show what I’m capable of and try things I was not used to.
It’s funny because the guy who ended up graduating from Full Sail, ended up interning at Darp for a long time. He was my final exam proctor. It’s crazy, full circle. I was 18 at the time. I soak it all in. I definitely try to approach it as organic as possible because that ensures the best results. For me, I was always told by both of them: it’s a double-edged sword. You can totally get in there faster, but people’s expectations are higher. Especially if you know both sides, alright bet. You’re definitely thinking you should come in with something hard.
Once I got that mindset to know it’s going to be hard before it’s easy, it is what it is. That’s the situation for everybody personally. Coming from lineage or not, it’ll make it harder. But if you get there, when you get there, oh man. You get the bigger respect factor. Once people realize your journey, however you did it, they respect that. They came from this lineage and still said “okay, I’m still going to take it into my own hands.” Because in the long run, that’s all that really matters. All that matters is what you did. They look your name up, you don’t want to be just somebody else’s something.
AllHipHop: Talk about your love for MMA and staying fit.
T̷R̷O̷N̷: I did some sports in middle school, early high school. But once I was in percussion, I only stuck to drums and music. This is an opportunity to really get something like that in and try it out. Once I started getting good and really improving, my coaches always wanted me to take fights. My parents would kill me, but maybe one day. I did a little amateur thing where I got a stoppage in a couple minutes but it as a little sparring tournament, one day I would like to compete in a muay thai bout before i die.
Till this day, that’s why I do MMA. Unfortunately after New York, me and my girl got Covid. It wasn’t too bad, there’s been worse cases. We came back strong. After college, it super stuck. Now, I’ve been doing it for a couple of years. It helped me get through mental things that were battling me in college. You go home, you’re drained. Got some bruises, out of breath. You can’t really get anxious, can’t get frustrated. You can do your stuff with a lot more ease. You feel like you accomplished something today! Besides going to school, then studying. I didn’t like that feel of repetition, let’s shake it up. It definitely keeps me disciplined and level-headed. I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.
AllHipHop: What can we expect next from you, music-wise?
T̷R̷O̷N̷: I want to do a couple more singles. Honestly, I want to do some features. That’s what I was planning to do before all this pandemic stuff. It made it a little hard to physically — if I could, I like to physically be in the studio with the artist and we can create together. If you can, obviously do it virtually. I just did a virtual concert days ago, it’s cool. Nothing like a live show, but I like the fact we’re working around this stuff. Working around whatever’s going on. For me, performing is the biggest thing I want to do. Put on a show for folks because back when “Captions” was getting big and I was getting opportunities, unfortunately 4 shows I was booked on got canceled because of Covid. I was saddened, but I wasn’t really too beat up because I knew the whole world was taking an L at once. It’s not like anyone was really in a positive position, everyone was feeling crazy.
Even right now, it’s still a little weird. It’s slowly getting it back together. I’m definitely planning to do shows, releasing more. A couple singles. I want to do a whole album with features, make it 10 songs or something. I’ve been in this for a couple of years. Because it’s a lightning can strike through any time situation, you want to always be working on your sound. Always keep the consistency of putting out. Because of negotiations and contract issues, I really couldn’t put out music for a good minute. A lot of stuff going on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEZYNIc5nyg
I couldn’t release my video for “Captions” until March, when I released the song in September because of the same situation. That taught me a valuable lessons, taking head and taking charge and making sure you’re doing a lot of other things because it’s really unpredictable. You don’t want to get into a situation where you’re waiting there. You want to keep the consistency of releasing music and letting people see you grow as an artist.
That was another thing I had to get over the factor of. Even when I was shooting “Captions,” I held democracy. I made 70 people get in a room that I didn’t know, go through 5 songs that I had made that I thought was the best out of 20 I did at the time. The one with the most show the hands is the one I was going to go with, it happened to be that song. That’s how critical I wanted to be. Nowadays, I’m more willing to put it out there and experiment with sounds.
Once again, you’ll always have people like it. You always have people who hate it, dislike it, think it’s cool, think it’s trash. It’s up to you. As long as you know you’re growing and it’s a development, even if the numbers aren’t as good as this, it’s more about you developing as an artist. My thing I took away: if you as an independent artist can get as much control of your situation as possible — you can’t always be in the driver’s seat. You can’t always be the Floyd Mayweather, the A-side.
But if you can get as close to your ball field as possible — because once you sign, once you do everything, you’re still locked in. That’s a good idea. You want people to fall in love with your sound and what you’re trying to push, not necessarily what you’re trying to create.
It’s a hard world, a hard way to make a living even as an artist from a consistent standpoint. A lot of people I know have a lot of talent, but key things are missing. A lot of them have to do with connections and elements that might not go over their head.
I’m still learning. Every day’s a new learning experience. Every day’s a process. Once again if you can manipulate a situation as much as you could, even though that’s going to be a hard thing to do and that’s a very small percentage, it makes the biggest difference in the long run. In my opinion, just growing up and seeing it. That’s my biggest takeaway to be honest.
After watching this video someone could reasonably say that Lil Wayne makes music to our ears and visuals so dope your eyes bleed. This visualizer that goes along with “MegaMan” is the perfect visual experience to turn up the volume on max and get lit, however you decided to do that.
Watch as Tim Fox and his team perfect the visualizer concept with Lil Wayne’s “MegaMan” a throwback to his iconic Tha Carter IV album. Enjoy Tha Carter IV visual album as a part of the continued celebration of the tenth anniversary of the groundbreaking record.
Baby Keem gave us the official video for “16” from his album ‘the melodic blue” recently and it gives us a lot to think about. If you’ve been hibernating and ain’t hip, the project is out now: https://babykeem.lnk.to/TheMelodicBlue, but this is def some outside the box love stuff going on here, which is what you would expect for a song about being in love when you’re 16 and seeing life through the lens of your phone.
For the visual directed by Jonas Lindstroem, Baby Keem def isn’t giving us the kind of bars we have come to expect from Kendrick curated music, but this has major radio and commercial potential so we can see how they went this route with the hypnotic Iconoclast & project3 produced melodies.
RCA Records signed rapper Buddy connects with Blxst for a West Coast collab that’s sure to set the mood for Spring and Summer nights. Buddy’s new album Superghetto will be available 3.25.22 but until then you can enjoy this funny but real visual and pre-save it here: https://Buddy.lnk.to/Superghetto
EARTHGANG’s new album ‘GHETTO GODS’ is out now everywhere and it’s truly a dope project that dives deeper into their eclectic world with real life stories and introspective rhymes. The flow has a symbiotic relationship with the beats with EARTHGANG, but the lyrics don’t overshadow the dope beat selection that these Dreamville rappers have pulled together. This track is a collab with labelmates J.I.D. and labelhead J. Cole. This is one you can def put on repeat!
Kehlani delivers an artistic visual for her new track “little story” that pictures the Bay Area singer with her daughter at the end of the visual having fun and splashing in the water. Its been a year of ups and downs for Kehlani after losing close friends to tragedy but this song is a triumphant and expression of love and joy that many people will relate to.
In the last few months, a lot has been made of Kool G Rap‘s personal and business moves. For those that may not know, G Rap is one of the gods of Hip Hop, a pioneer in a lot of ways. He paved a tremendous road, along with Big DADDY Kane, Rakim, and others that presented Hip-Hop with a new hyper-lyrical style that had previously been unseen. Unlike his other counterparts, G Rap was a serious street dude through and through and presented that through his artistry. All of them were from the hood, but G was clearly a different animal with “Road To Riches,” “Ill Street Blues” and numerous collaborations.
Last year, the rapper, born in Corona, Queens missed a highly publicized Verzuz battle that had Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One going at each other. Apparently, G Rap was invited but declined for religious reasons. That fueled a lot of rumors around the goat. Well, it looks like he’s making a huge comeback.
What’s up?
Recently, Kool G Rap was seen in the studio with Brooklyn rapper Nems (Coney Island!) and Producer Domingo. AllHipHop’s Chuck“Jigsaw” Creekmur was there too. This instantly fueled and basically confirmed rumors that Kool G Rap was making his run back to the front. Not really, but we know that there is an album on my way. According to reports, there is a strong contingency that’s looking to see G Rap back in full force. And they will stop at nothing to see him get his respect. And then there’s G Rap who is spitting ridiculous!
He recently linked up with The Alchemist and they created some serious magic! Check out this song! This is basically the spearhead for a full-blown comeback!
A suspect in the murder of famed-Harlem drug dealer Albert “Alpo” Martinez has been taken into police custody and charged for the Oct. 31 fatal drive-by shooting.
According to the Daily News, the police tapped Shakeem Parker, a 27-year-old ironically from the same neighborhood as Martinez, as the alleged killer.
Parker was already locked up on Rikers Island for a different gun case.
Through information acquired in their investigation, NYPD detectives charged him with Alpo’s murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
The kingpin, made famous by Cam’ron’s portrayal of him in the movie “Paid in Full,” drove four blocks before crashing into a couple of parked cars across from the NYPD Police Service Area 6 on Frederick Douglass Boulevard at West 147th Street.
When police found Alpo, reports say that the officers found him struggling to breathe as he sat in his vehicle. An autopsy revealed he was shot six times in his arm, once in his chest, and sustained a graze wound on the left side of his chin.
EMS tried to save his life by taking him to NYC Health + Hospitals Harlem but to no avail. He was gone.
The 1980s drug dealer and staple in Hip-Hop culture was arrested in July 1990, went to trial in 1991, and sentenced to a 35-year sentence for 14 counts of murder.
Don Diva magazine stated that he was released in 2015 after being incarcerated at the ADX Florence federal supermax prison in Fremont County, Colorado.
The now-deceased federal informant, who turned on his friend Rich Porter in the early 90s, was 55 years old when he died.
An NYPD spokesperson said, “Detectives gathered information that he was the shooter.”
No details as to why Parker killed Alpo have been released.
Rapper Nicki Minaj’s heart is bleeding from the devastation occurring in Ukraine, and she took to social media to express how unimaginable the pain must be for mothers during this time of war.
Nicki tweeted to her 24 million followers, hoping the message will let those women in the now-daily-bombed European nation know she stands with them.
She wrote: “Saw footage of bombs dropping & in the background u could hear children screaming. When I tell u it broke my heart into pieces?”
Saw footage of bombs dropping & in the background u could hear children screaming. When I tell u it broke my heart into pieces? …To every mother fleeing w|your children, saying goodbye 2 your husband…I can’t imagine how afraid & alone you must feel. God, pls help them 🙏🏾🇺🇦
While empathetic Black people in America are donating money, advocating against the war, and praying for the people of Ukraine, Racist Ukrainians are blocking Africans from trains to escape the war torn nation.
On his Instagram Story, Young Thug posted, “If some of my rap brothers are in, I’m willing to help Africans get out of Ukraine. However, I can sense [they’re] not letting us pass. Whoever holds the info for these movements, please contact me ASAP. I’m ready.”
“Wish these world leaders stop tripping about power and really think about whose really getting affected (citizens),” she stated when asked about the war.
“Besides the whole world is in a crisis.War, sanctions,invasions should be the last thing these leaders should worry about.”
Wish these world leaders stop tripping about power and really think about whose really getting affected (citizens) besides the whole world is in a crisis.War,sanctions,invasions should be the last thing these leaders should worry about. https://t.co/25qemEtzF9
President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, ordered troops to storm into Ukraine on February 24th.
Since then, the world has watched in horror and viewed the heinous atrocities of war, while anxiously watching to see America’s force-response to the crisis.
You never know these days, but reports say that the killer of Alpo Martinez has been found. But they really didn’t “catch” him as my headline says. The suspect was already in jail!
Alberto “Alpo” Martinez was living his outrageous life when he was hit in Harlem on Oct. 31. Well, some people mourned and others were indifferent. Either way, the controversial street figure was taken out. Cops say they have the killer.
Shakeem Parker, 27, also a Harlem native was already residing in Rikers Island on another gun case, when he was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Detectives made this determination through their investigation.
Shortly after killing Alpo, the cops say, he got a gun possession case, which lead him to Riker Island (which I thought was closing). Parker has prior arrests for burglary, robbery and drug possession, police said.
This is in the rumors section, because I am no so sure I believe this! I am trying to connect the dots betweent this 27 year old with burglary, robbery and drug possession in his past to being a shooter in a HIT!
Alpo was a 55-year old former drug lord and informant, but his era was the 80s.
He was shot on Frederick Douglass Boulevard and drove his truck several blocks until he crashed it into numerous parked vehicles…right across from NYPD Police Service. WOW. You can’t make this up.
And yet, I am trying to figure out how dude makes that big leap. NYC is much different than back in the day. 1) Cameras are everywhere. 2) The cops are like a military. 3) The drug dealing game is not the same. So, I am dialed in to see if they are going to provide some video evidence or is it going to be something else…we can’t see.
One of the first fighters of all for the black community was the “black swallow of death,” Eugene James (Jacques) Bullard.
The first African American combat aviator, he was known for his courage during missions as much as his colorful life.
Born in Columbus, Georgia, on October 9, 1895, Bullard received little education in his early years and attended the 28th Street School in Columbus from 1901 to 1906, only completing the 5th Grade.
Running away after witnessing racial violence in 1906, he joined a group of gypsies and traveled with them.
Bullard was enamored with his father’s stories of France, where slavery had been abolished, and blacks were treated the same as whites. He also heard there was no color line in England, a story told to him by the gypsies.
He stowed away on the German freighter Marta Russ, arriving in Scotland, where he worked and trained as a boxer under the then-famous Dixie Kid. After a visit to Paris, BullES decided to settle in France.
Upon the outbreak of World War I, Bullard joined the French Foreign Legion and enrolled in the French air service in 1916. Bullard became known for flying into dangerous situations, amassing a distinguished record, including downing at least one German plane.
Eugene Bullard was removed from aviation duty after pressure from the United States to uphold the U.S. policy against black pilots joining, having already been refused entry into the U.S. Air Service.
After the war, Bullard fell into jazz, working as a jazz drummer and opening nightclubs, including purchasing popular jazz venue “Le Grand Duc,” where he became friendly with Louis Armstrong and Josephine Baker.
Bullard was so famous at this point that Ernest Hemingway based a minor character on Bullard in his acclaimed work “The Sun Also Rises.”
When World War II began in September 1939, Bullard agreed to a request from the French government to spy on the German citizens who frequented his nightclub.
After World War II, Bullard was a national hero in France, but he made a move back to the U.S, settling in New York City where he worked odd jobs, including selling perfume and even operating the elevator of the RCA Building, which was home to The Today Show (he was even interviewed on the same show).
The French government named Bullard a national chevalier (like a knighthood) in 1959, and French President Charles DeGaulle visited New York City to meet Bullard. Personally.
Bullard died in obscurity in Harlem on October 12, 1961, aged 66. He is buried in the French War Veterans’ section of Flushing Cemetery in Queens with military honors, in the same resting grounds as his friend Louis Armstrong.
A man who lived a colorful life in every way, Bullard was a great example of a man who managed to do almost everything with deft skill.
From a boxer to spy, entrepreneur to a jazz drummer, and a man of modesty in later life, Bullard’s gregariousness, entrepreneurial spirit, and the fact that he was an absolute hero makes him one of the most important outstanding examples we should all follow.
