KRS-One is is one of the best rappers of all time – Easily! From a battle perspective he is without fear! But I was listening intently to a recent interview between Jigsaw and Grouchy Greg and Hakim Green of Channel Live fame. And the interview was nothing shy of mine blowing! Hakim revealed what KRS ones technique was for battling every single rapper in the world. He said that KRS one has scores of notebooks full of lyrics. Now, in those notebooks there are two lines that are broken up on every page, with 16 lines in full. That means two bars, a total of eight. Each one of those two bars initiates a dish for a rapper that is out right now. I don’t know if you guys are conceptualizing what this is, but this basically means the Charis one is always ready and willing to destroy the Rapper.
This interview is long, but if you got to the 1 Hour and 56 minute mark, the KRS-One part begins.
It is very hard to conceptualize how powerful this is.
And how in the world with somebody manufacture something like this? Honestly, I can’t imagine that it could be anything but true because it’s so out of this world. So we’re just gonna go ahead and say they leave KRS-One all the way alone, because he has some things going on inside that has him – writing dis records before there’s even a beef. But on the other side, We recently interviewed KRS and it was a great interview and it’s in three parts. So if you wanna check out what KRS-One is up to, look at this and you will see.
Los Angeles-based recording artist Marty Blaze has been carving out his own niche in the music space and his progression has been astounding.Splitting his time between recording, songwriting, and producing, the newcomer is making waves with his unique vocals that allow him to stand out from his peers.After releasing his breakthrough single “Make It Happen,” Marty was able to parlay that into a growing fanbase that identifies with the raw emotion and vulnerability showcased in his music. This is further evidenced in the official music video for Only If You Knew, which you can watch above.
Remember the project I Can’t Feel My Face (ICFMF)? Most people probably can’t remember that project by Lil Wayne and Julez Santana! But, there was such a project once in the distant past when both men were at the top of their proverbial games. The joint project which never saw the light of day was something we all were looking forward to, I think. I know I was because it was a meeting of the bars and both men were really nice with the pen. And then life set in.
I’m not going to go back and retrace all the events that happened, because quite frankly I don’t remember them. But I will say a lot of things came between these two guys. In the year 2021, which is setting up to be one of the strangest on record, we have seen “light” as it relates to ICFMF 2021. It seems like the fellas have gotten back together and are about to release something new. I am not sure what it is going to be called, but they are working.
According to a recent interview with Un Casa, the beloved Dip Set affiliate, the fellas have been sending songs back-and-forth through email and crafting the project. I think that’s pretty dope to even though some of the youthful authentic-nature may get lost in the way of recording. It’s still recording. The end of the day comes and I respect it.
Production of Queen Latifah”s new drama series “The Equalizer” has been suspended due to a reported positive COVID test.
The show debuted after the Super Bowl on CBS in America on Sunday (February 7th).
But filming has been halted and the producers have asked those in close contact with the impacted individual to self-isolate, according to Deadline.
Filming was also impacted earlier this week by a big snowstorm, which hit New Jersey.
“The Equalizer” stars Queen Latifah as a vigilante character based on the one played by Edward Woodward on TV in 1985, and by Denzel Washington in two subsequent movies.
Rapper French Montana has doubled his money after placing a $250,000 bet on American football superstar Tom Brady leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Super Bowl victory.
The “Unforgettable” hitmaker revealed his big gamble in a video posted to Instagram over the weekend as he prepared to board a jet to Tampa, Florida to take part in the pre-Super Bowl celebrations.
“TOMPA 250 k on Tom brady Tampa energy @tombrady (sic),” he captioned the clip.
His faith in the Buccaneers paid off, as they crushed the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9, with Brady earning his seventh Super Bowl ring – his first since leaving the New England Patriots last year.
The Internet is ablaze with a new rumor that actress and former girlfriend of Nipsey Hussle is pregnant. However, how true can this possibly be? The answer is simple, she can be very much pregnant! It has been a couple of years since Nipsey Hussle died in life goes on, but what are we thinking?
I am thinking this is a bad, bad rumor. I did just a little bit of research and have determined that the source of the rumor probably lied. Or got some bad information. The tweet that I think set this whole thing off has been deleted. But the rumor continues to live on in seeming perpetuity as people jumped on Lauren London to disparage her name. Lauren London has been nothing but a dope chick in terms of fulfilling the legacy of Hussle. Has has also managed certain aspects of his affairs. They weren’t married, but she’s essentially a widow.
Woke up to some straight b#######. Rumors ! Lies ! On a woman trying her best to heal?! Please stop. I’m NOT pregnant.
So, what I found online were a bunch of disgusting comments dissing her and calling her names because she might have moved on. Whether she moved on or didn’t move on, is her business and her right as a human being on this Earth trying to live her life. Guys, You need to check yourself sometimes because you sound disgusting. So there’s that. But, I just think that this is a bedroom. Congratulations to Lauren London and I hope she continues to live a happy life, not one full of continued pain and anguish over the loss of her love Nipsey Hussle.
While Donald Trump is currently facing a historic second impeachment trial in the United States Senate, the former president is unable to rage tweet about the proceedings because he has been banned from Twitter. There did appear to be a chance Trump could set up an account on Ja Rule’s new talent booking Iconn application though.
“It’s freedom for everybody. Anybody can go on any platform they want,” Ja told TMZ in January. “But I suppose if he started doing crazy things like trying to rile up his base and get the Proud Boys going on Iconn, then he got to go. Any funny s### out of you Donnie, and you gotta go.”
Ja added, “[Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey] said that he believes that it’s the right thing to do but he also believes this is a slippery slope. And that’s exactly what I felt about the decision that was made. I really do believe it was the right decision because the rhetoric and the things he was tweeting was stirring up… they rushed the g###### Capitol for Christ’s sake. Something had to be done, but like he said, it’s a slippery slope… So Trump, come on over to Iconn and get yourself a page. But you better behave.”
Fast forward a few weeks and Ja Rule has changed his tune. After blatantly telling Trump to “come on over to Iconn and get yourself a page,” the New York City-raised Hip Hop performer is now blaming the media for supposedly misrepresenting his on-video comments.
“No I did not,” said Ja Rule during an interview with The Domenick Nati Show when questioned about him encouraging Trump to use the Iconn app. “You see how headlines do? You see how people take headlines and make it into something. I was asked a hypothetical question. That question was more or less – if he created a page, would I throw him off.”
The co-founder of the ill-fated Fyre Festival continued, “I thought that, at the time, I was feeling like, ‘I don’t know if [banishment is] legal for someone who hasn’t done anything on my platform, per se, to be able to ban them before they’ve committed a crime.’ I’m Black so I know about being discriminated against. It’s not cool, it’s not dope.”
However, it appears Trump’s involvement in inciting a mob of his supporters to ransack the U.S. Capitol building in DC and put elected officials’ lives in danger was a step too far for Ja Rule. The January 6 insurrection is what led to the U.S. House of Representatives to impeach Trump again, making him the first American president to be impeached twice.
“What Trump did was so egregious and so crazy, and as I’ve learned as of late, people have been letting me know, ‘Ja, you can do whatever the f### you want to do with your private platform.’ And so knowing that, I would probably walk that back and probably just say no,” Ja explained on The Domenick Nati Show. “No, Trump is not invited to Iconn. F### out of here!”
Ben Beal’s talent to elevate the lo-fi production with his smooth flow and relatable writing compliments coldbrew’s nostalgic composition style and warm yet melancholic vibes.
If it sounds familiar, it may be because it has become a fan favorite for use on TikTok, with over 33K creators using the sound in their own content. It’s no wonder why the initially released single in 2019, has hit over 2 million streams on Spotify alone.
When the two artists were asking about their collaboration, coldbrew told AllHipHop: “I made this beat back in the summer of 2019 when I was still living with my parents and had just graduated high school. After many years of writing songs and learning about production, I figured out the greatest tracks aren’t all that complicated at all. They’re rather simple, so I sought out to make music that could let the mind rest and relax for a bit. I can remember listening to this beat thinking, ‘This is the one. This is the one that will give me a career in music.’ Every artist has that first song that resonates with people and I really felt like this was the one… and it was.”
Ben adds, “The moment I heard the beat, I knew this was going to be a special collaboration. I’m diagnosed with ADHD and have a detrimental tendency to rush my songwriting process because I typically get burnt out pretty quickly. But when I sat down to write, I became enthralled with the story the beat was painting in my mind. I wrote for about 23 hours, making sure I hit every single sentence and cadence perfectly. This isn’t just lofi music to relax t, this is a song any human being going through the trials and tribulations of love can relate to.”
Both coldbrew and Ben are just warming up. With even more releases on the horizon, be sure to be on the lookout because these two are about to become names to recognize.
50 Cent recruited rising Memphis rapper NLE Choppa and up-and-coming singer Rileyy Lanez as features for “Part of the Game.” Choppa was interviewed for Fox Soul’s The Mix talk show on Tuesday, and he was asked about collaborating with the legendary Hip Hop artist/entrepreneur.
“It was beautiful. I’m just real thankful for the opportunity,” stated Choppa. “[50 Cent] hit me up like, ‘I got this song for this tv show.’ I knew I had to step up to the plate and deliver on that one. I said, ‘I can’t half-step or nothing.’ So I was just blessed with the opportunity of working with a legend.”
While speaking with The Mix hosts, NLE Choppa also discussed mental health. The 18-year-old Memphis native spoke about the Black community dealing with the stigma that is sometimes placed on confronting issues such as anxiety and depression.
“The problems we face, the trauma we see on a daily basis, how we’re treated just off the melanin skin that we got – a lot of people don’t know that they be facing a type of mental illness. They don’t know the things they’re seeing – all this police brutality – everything you feed your mind, your soul, your body, it affects you.”
The From Dark to Light creator continued, “I just feel like a lot of people.. they realize what they’re going through, but they don’t know how to cope with what they’re going through to get over that hump. I actually found out it’s a lot of stuff you can do to cope with it. Ever since I found that out I’ve been living a lot better. It always starts up here [points to his head]. It’s never gonna start nowhere else but your mindset.”
NLE Choppa went on to say that slowing down his mind through meditation has helped him manage his own battles with anxiety. He also uses his social media accounts to promote positive affirmations and his version of healthy eating. Additionally, the “Shotta Flow” rapper is selling NLE Mugwart on his health and wellness website.
The 93rd Academy Awards are scheduled to take place on April 25 from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Numerous Oscars will be presented that night, including one for Best Original Song.
This week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released its shortlist of contenders in the category. Music by several high-profile R&B stars was among the 15 finalists to emerge from the 105 songs that were eligible.
Janelle Monáe’s “Turntables” (All In: The Fight for Democracy), Mary J. Blige’s “See What You’ve Done” (Belly of the Beast), John Legend’s “Never Break” (Giving Voice), and H.E.R’s “Fight For You” (Judas and the Black Messiah) are all currently in contention for the Oscar.
John Legend won an Academy Award in 2015 for his “Glory” collaboration with Hip Hop artist Common (Selma). Mary J. Blige earned a Best Original Song nod at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018 for “Mighty River” (Mudbound). The Queen of Hip Hop Soul was also nominated that same year for Best Supporting Actress (Mudbound).
“Fight for You,” “Hear My Voice” (The Trial of the Chicago 7), “Io sì (Seen)” (The Life Ahead), “Speak Now” (One Night in Miami), and “Tigress & Tweed” (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) were nominated this year for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s ceremony is often seen as a possible predictor for Oscar winners.
Full Shortlist of 93rd Academy Awards Original Song Contenders:
“Turntables” from All In: The Fight for Democracy
“See What You’ve Done” from Belly of the Beast
“Wuhan Flu” from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
“Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
“Never Break” from Giving Voice
“Make It Work” from Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
“Fight For You” from Judas and the Black Messiah
“Io Sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)
Singer/rapper Melii’s name is now attached to a product produced by the Queen B. “Icy Park – the third apparel collection by Beyoncé’s Ivy Park clothing line and Adidas – selected “Icey” as the soundtrack for its 40-second spot.
“I’m speechless!” declared Melii after finding out Beyoncé used her debut single for the Ivy Park campaign. “This is so motivational, she really let my record play.”
Melii’s “Icey” was originally released in 2018. The track came out after the Harlem-based performer first earned attention online the previous year for her remix of Cardi B’s #1 hit “Bodak Yellow.” She is now signed to Interscope Records.
Recently, Melii teamed up with Interscope’s 6LACK for a song titled “You Ain’t Worth It.” The collaboration has collected more than 3 million streams on Spotify. Its Des Gray-directed music video also crossed the 1 million view mark on YouTube.
Beyoncé and Adidas also tapped Gucci Mane, Hailey Bieber, Kaash Paige, Akesha Murray, Shi Gray, and Kyla Coleman to be the faces of the “Icy Park” campaign. The collection officially launches February 19 on www.adidas.com/ivypark and will be available at select retailers globally beginning February 20.
As of press time, Cardi B’s “Up” is the #1 song on Apple Music’s Top 100: USA daily chart. Her latest single is followed by Pooh Shiesty’s “Back in Blood” featuring Lil Durk at #2. The two hits have swapped back and forth between the top two positions on the chart over the last few days.
In an Instagram video, Cardi spoke about her track hitting the pole position of Apple Music and how it brightened her day after dealing with online trolls. The Grammy winner also talked about Pooh Shiesty’s song being a tough competitor for the title of Number One record on the streaming service.
“I woke up a little riled up because b###### is trying to put my spirit down, trying to bring me down. You know, usual s###, right. But sometimes God shows up like, ‘Daughter, stop playing,'” Cardi says into the camera. She also pointed out that “Up” peaked at #1 on U.S. iTunes and #3 on U.S. Spotify.
The Bronx-bred rapper added, “I really wanted to go #1 on Apple. But my n#### Pooh Shiesty has his foot on my f###### neck. I went #1 on Apple for literally 30 minutes on Saturday. Then this n#### came back up like, ‘Nah, b#### move out my way.'”
Pooh Shiesty hopped on his Instagram page to respond to what Cardi had to say. The 21-year-old Tennessee rhymer reposted his fellow Atlantic recording artist’s IG message to his own Instagram Story with a caption that read, “Long as it u we ain’t in competition.”
Judas and the Black Messiah will premiere widely in theaters and digitally on HBO Max this Friday, February 12. Director Shaka King’s biopic is about the FBI’s efforts in the 1960s to bring down Fred Hampton, the then-chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party.
The film is accompanied by a star-studded soundtrack. “What It Feels Like” by Jay-Z and the late Nipsey Hussle is one of the most highly-anticipated tracks from the album. Warner Bros. Pictures released a 110-minute teaser featuring “What It Feels Like” on the studio’s YouTube channel.
Besides Nip and Hov, the musical collection also features contributions from Nas, A$AP Rocky, H.E.R., Black Thought, Rapsody, Lil Durk, G Herbo, Polo G, Rakim, and more. The project is executive produced by Hit-Boy, Dash Sherrod, Archie Davis, and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.
Judas and the Black Messiah stars Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton and Lakeith Stanfield as FBI informant William O’Neal. The cast also includes Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Martin Sheen, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, and Jermaine Fowler.
Imagine if Mike Pence, when he was leaving the White House, busted out a rap to bid the nation adieu … that would bug you out?
Well, that is exactly what US Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink did as a public goodbye to the Vietnamese people as he prepares to exit his position.
The American rep kicked this very clever (though not Nas worthy) rhyme in a new video/ commercial that said, “I’m from Nebraska, I’m not a big-city boy / Then three years ago, I moved to Hanoi.”
Dripping with Midwest white American swig (not really swag), he collaborated with Ho Chi Minh City-based culture magazine, Vietcetera to drop this video.
It seems that they are setting him up to be on the second season of a popular television show called, Rap Viet, think “Dancing with the Stars” meets “Rhythm and Flow.”
He will appear on the show alongside some of Vietnam’s best rappers. He worked with Wowy, who Asian-rap fans might remember from the group SouthGanZ that broke out in 2006, on this video.
Kritenbrink rhymed, as the nation prepared for Tet the Lunar New Year for the Vietnamese and the biggest festival for the country, these hot lyrics, “Check the calendar, Tet is coming soon / Can Tho and Danang are in the mood.”
And ended with these words of harmony: “U.S. and Vietnam, from now to forever / We’re trusted partners, prospering together.”
U.S Ambassador to Vietnam marks Tet with rap…
This Tet, Vietcetera celebrates famous faces of Vietnamese rap: Binz Da Poet, Wowy, and U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink – Rap Việt kiểu Mỹ- Khi đại sứ hát Rap… thì không phải dạng vừa đâu! https://t.co/8o8oDF6loA
The video is actually cute and has already received about 3,000 views on Facebook and Twitter at the time of publishing.
The head of the United Nations in Vietnam, Kamal Malhotra, commented in an email, “Dan realizes that people-to-people cultural diplomacy to engage young people is as important in Vietnam as formal diplomacy, particularly for the U.S. given its history here.”
But everyone was happy.
A comment on the U.S. Embassy’s Facebook page said, “What is this? The State Department is now turning into the Ministry for Rapping, huh? Ever since Biden was elected, the ambassador has had nothing to do, so he’s preparing to switch to making professional dance songs?”
The United States and Vietnam have had a rocky history, dating back before the war that ravished many people in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Now, their relations are much better — with both governments working together over the last 25 years for healing.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana rapper NBA YoungBoy is apparently in the crosshairs of the FBI.
According to The Advocate, the Feds are looking into charging the rap star with weapons violations.
In September of 2020, the critically acclaimed rapper was taken into custody after police raided a house as alleged members of the NBA (Never Broke Again) crew and the Bottom Boy Gorilla (BBG) gang were shooting a rap video.
The cops found weapons, drugs, and $47,000 in cold cash on NBA Youngboy.
Last week, his lawyer James Manasseh filed a motion to have the case against him dismissed because prosecutors never bothered to file criminal charges against the rap star.
That’s when his lawyer found out the FBI was looking into the rap star’s activities. The FBI did not offer up any information, citing the pending investigation.
However, NBA’s lawyer said any inquiry into his celebrity client was doomed.
“There’s no crime committed by Kentrell in this, they didn’t find him in possession of anything (illegal)…they just arrested everybody,” Manasseh told the paper.
Check out NBA YoungBoy’s new video for his single “Horses.”
In celebration of his 20th year in the film industry, director and producer Benny Boom links with Birdman to put out a new movie about manhood, cross-culturalism, faith and pledging.
As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Boom understood the premise of Solomon ___ script from the moment he first read it. He knew he wanted to not only bring this story to life but wanted to open the door for another young director.
Located in Texas, Tazmanian Devil takes the audience to two different continents, lets us catch the Holy Spirit, and attempts to gently walk you through what membership intake used to look like (when organizations turned a blind eye to the practice of hazing).
The famed director sat down with AllHipHop to talk about his career, why this project was so important, and working with Birdman.
AllHipHop: You said that you were celebrating 20 years in the business. Can you talk a little bit about your journey? How did you move from Philly to the big streets of New York and to the big streets of the music industry?
Benny Boom: So, I started you know I was um I went to Temple University after graduating high school at Overbrook High School and I studied film. I was, actually, a double major in African-American studies in film. From there I got an opportunity to move to New York and intern with Spike Lee on Clockers. It was at that moment; I just wanted to be a director.
But then, when I got to New York I realized the harsh realities of trying to make it.
This is 1994 and I am trying to make it into business, which was really, really tough. I think I stayed in that mode of directing for quite a few years. I worked with some of the greats in filmmaking: Woody Allen, John McTiernan, Spike Lee, and Sydney P######. I mean these are giants of filmmaking and I was a production assistant on a lot of these films. Then I got an opportunity to meet and work at Big Dog Films which was Hype Williams company. That’s really when everything sort of changed the direction of my life and instead of just wanting to make movies.
I realized that I had an avenue in by making music videos about directing videos so I was always attached to music. I was a rapper at one point in time and it all sort of came together at Big Dog under the Hype’s tutelage.
AllHipHop: What was your favorite music video to work on?
Benny Boom: “Well, that I didn’t direct but it would have been ‘Big Pimpin’’ because you know we all like it was myself, Hype, and Lil’ X, we all went to Trinidad to shoot that video. I always say [that], when people ask me, that was the beginning of the end … in terms, two million dollars be spent on a video. It was super successful. It was big and it sort of was the benchmark of Hip-Hop. I think [it was] that video. You know we had a whole bunch of videos before then … but it was something about that moment in time … where Hip-Hop arrived. You realized it’s not going anywhere.
… It was a great experience for me because it was on that video where Hype turned to me (I think we were shooting like the third or fourth day) and he said to me, ‘Look you know um if you want to direct you got to direct you can’t just be an assistant director anymore. You got to be a director. So, it sort of was him telling me that he wasn’t going to hire me anymore as an AD in order for me to move out and do my own thing. So, it was a good thing to happen, but it was a very great shoot. Definitely, a historic moment.”
AllHipHop: Tazmanian Devil which we’re here to kind of talk about is a great film that deals with a lot of cultural dynamics. At the core of it, the center of it is “Black Greek” life. What was it about this particular project that was interesting to you to attract?
Benny Boom: Here’s the thing. Being a Black Greek myself, when I first read the script, [witnessed] our final outcome, and watched different iterations of the edit, the story to me is really about ‘fatherhood.’
We could extract the ‘Diyo story’ and put it into another world. [We could have taken] it out of the college world and then you have this son who’s estranged from his father, who wants to go live with his father and it’s not everything that he thought it was going to be. That’s really the core of the story. So, when we have that … that’s something that everyone can relate to.
So, whether you’ve been to college, whether you pledge, whether you didn’t want to pledge, whether you hated the Greeks or not, whether you went to a white school or a Black school, the idea that you have a relationship with a parent um that just can’t be resolved and that you’re seeking resolutions outside of family … and friends become family. This is how people get into gangs. This is how people get into drug usage. That is a common thread um through this film.
Then you add, which a lot of times is a taboo subject ‘religion,’ Black culture, the Black church into this storyline. So, we have quite a few different themes going through and I think Solomon (I don’t want to continue without mentioning Solomon Onita jr. who is the writer and director of this film) did a masterful job at crafting a script, casting, finding the locations, doing all these things to bring the story to life. With all these different themes in the film, it’s easy to lose track of a story. He really kept it together and tied everything up in an amazing way.
AllHipHop: Birdman: you guys brought him in as an Executive Producer and he put a lot of money behind it. But he has a lot of influence with the music and the sound. Talk to me about what it was like. The music just seamlessly really tied everything together.
Benny Boom: Part of that is Solomon. I mean Solomon grew up in Texas, in Houston. It’s funny … when I finally was able to introduce Birdman … had already gotten involved with the film. I got him the script, got him the first rough cut and he came on to help us finish the financing … So, when he met Solomon he asked him … I just remember that meeting he said, “Hey young man, where you from?” and Solomon said, “I’m from Houston.”
Solomon was a little nervous …
He was nervous because really being from Texas in the south, Cash Money was like [gods to them.]
He really was being able to sit in the room; it was just the three of us sitting in a room we watched.
Birdman had already seen the film but had watched a couple of scenes and asked questions right so we’re not just talking about somebody that just gave us money and walked away and said you know let me know when it’s done he had questions you know he asked about the actors he commented on scenes he asked Solomon about his next movie.
You know that kind of thing um so he treated our relationship and our situation with the film the same way he would do the music you know sitting with an artist listening to the album right asking a question about a song um asking them what’s the next song they’re gonna make our next album or who you gonna get that kind of thing it was a very um nurturing meeting and I was glad to be able to set that up I was very glad to for this to be in my first sort of uh producing ep of a film to be able to bring somebody on from my music career from my music side just very interested and have them come in and be a part of it I thought it was great um and even today you know just talking to him today and going over some things he’s uh you know all the way in on promoting the film because bigger than the movie he sees that we gave a young Black filmmaker an opportunity to make a move of making a film and that’s what uh intrigued him the most about it yeah the cast was great that um I mean you see the filmmaker I mean it’s just a fresh movie.
Benny Boom, Birdman and also the writer/ director Solomon Onitra, made a graphic film, but an incredibly honest and impactful film about community.
Dixson has been blessing the music industry with his talents for almost a decade, and now he’s stepping into the limelight as his own artist.
Themulti-instrumentalist, producer, vocal arranger, and recording artist has worked with all of music’s elites, from Chance The Rapper to Vic Mensa to Pharrell. Currently signed to Roc Nation, the Atlanta native remains passionate as ever about creating music and touching the souls of the masses around the world.
Beyond his current resume, which includes producing and arranging nearly half of Chance’s The Big Day album and vocal arranging for Justin Bieber on the acoustic version of “Holy,” Dixson is inspired more than ever to establish his name in front of the microphone, versus behind-the-scenes. Most recently, Dixson released the official music video for his newest single “KREAM,” a flip off the Wu-Tang Clan timeless hit. The romantic ballad sees Dixson stepping into his prime when it comes to R&B, serenading the attraction and intimacy between a woman and man.
AllHipHop: How was it growing up in Atlanta?
Dixson: It was dope. I was lucky to be around for a few different big moments in Atlanta music. I definitely got to learn a lot being in the studio community there. It was dope. It’s always good music coming out of Atlanta whether it’s on the R&B side of the Hip Hop side, always some good s### coming out of the city.
AllHipHop: You’re putting on for the R&B out there right?
Dixson: I’m trying very hard to infiltrate the space. I love what’s out there, but I have some new things to say. Some new approaches to the R&B space. I feel good about it. I feel confident that people are going to love the music the more and more they get to know me.
AllHipHop: Your new single “Kream” is out now, how are you feeling?
Dixson: There’s no real way around the subject matter. I’ve tried to skate around it in interviews, the song’s about sex. The song’s about intimacy. The song is about women and the complex nature of those relationships. I hadn’t heard R&B in awhile from a male artist speaking about what having a strong powerful woman in their life does for them. Instead of saying what I’d do to her for the entire time of the song, I like to flip the perspective a little bit and talk about what having her in my life means to me. It’s a fresh approach. It’s a very sexy song so I tell people to tread lightly. Be careful with that one because it’ll put you in that state of mind, but that was the aim. The goal’s to get people feeling good about themselves, especially women too. Writing a song for them that makes them feel good about themselves and the power of their capabilities. It’s a sexy song, but also an empowering song.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKw6QgKlPqd/
AllHipHop: Who inspired it?
Dixson: I keep my love life pretty private. [laughs] I’m a very private person in that regard, but it’s a million things that inspired it. There’s obviously a lot of conversation around women empowerment. That’s a big motivator for me, on my team especially. For the video, the director is a woman. My attorney’s a woman, the co-president of my label is a woman. There’s a lot of powerful women around, that’s a big inspiration for me. Musically, I’m always inspired by Prince and Usher and all the R&B heavy hitters, but I bring my own sauce to it. That’s important. I love the music that’s out there, but sometimes a lot of it is the same. I’m trying to do something different.
AllHipHop: Talk about flipping the Wu-Tang record, that’s an iconic record.
Dixson: To be honest with you, I was surprised that we pulled it off because I know it’s a huge record. I don’t have a million followers, I’m an up and comer. I guess they liked the song enough to okay it, that meant a lot to me because I’m a big Wu-Tang fan. I make R&B but I love Hip Hop. If I’m DJaying, I’m definitely putting that song in the rotation. To be able to use that sample in a cool way, for them to even allow me flip the first letter, that shows a sign of mutual respect as musicians. Obviously, I didn’t want to do it without them cosigning it. That was a big deal, I’m really proud of that.
AllHipHop: Clearing samples is a headache!
Dixson: It’s the worst. As a producer not even for myself, but I work with other artists way bigger than me: clearing samples is usually the worst part of the process. Damn that sample sounds so good, but they have the power at the end of the day to say yes or no. Sometimes, it’s not even a money thing. Sometimes it’s “I don’t like the record you made.” [laughs] It’s a touchy situation with samples but I’m really really lucky in my career I’ve been able to finesse a little bit and get people to like the records I make from their samples.
AllHipHop: What sparked this? Were you listening to Wu-Tang?
Dixson: I was listening to it quite a bit actually. It’s on one of my Hip Hop playlists, one of the first or second songs on one of my private Spotify playlists I listen to to get inspired. One day the hook the actual song I put out just hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m like “why am I singing it that way?” I know why, it’s because I’ve been vibing to this Wu-Tang record. Sometimes the record will end and yo, I gotta run that back. Really the opening of the record is the part I really sampled. The opening of the record is what inspired my record. There’s this woman singing in the background super faint in the distance on the Wu-Tang record, I’m like “I gotta get that!” When all those little pieces culminate, it makes the record such an incredible body of work on its own. I’m really glad I was able to not taint it, I was able to take it and move it to the next space. I’m very very glad about that.
AllHipHop: What did you learn about yourself from being on The Voice?
Dixson: I’ve been performing my whole life. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been on somebody’s stage playing an instrument, singing, or directing a choir. The Voice taught me that no matter how big the stage is, there’s something unnerving about singing live on television. I’ve been to areans, I’ve been everywhere. The Voice was the battleground where I learned how to really overcome my fears of performing. When that red light on camera hits you and you know the viewership of The Voice is out of the roof — millions of people watching you and it’s live, there’s no do-overs — you’re really depending on the entire crew of that show to make your 3 minutes on air go smoothly. You have to put a lot of trust in people you work with, putting a lot of trust in my team.
I’m a newly signed artist so putting a lot of faith in the label, in the people around me that’s trying to help me grow and become this artist they all see the vision for and I see the vision for. Throwing that fear away and leaving that s### at the door. Once that light’s on you, you can’t really go backwards.The main lesson I learned is I was built for this. Once you complete that task on The Voice of doing that first live show, I watched not just myself but my classmates and their confidence level shot through the roof. A realization that we’re there to do that all along. I learned a lot of things from being around Pharrell and the other coaches but on a personal note, that’s what I learned.
AllHipHop: What was the best memory from working with Chance the Rapper on his The Big Day project?
Dixson: There’s some good ones. I’ll never forget I had laid some piano down on a record that had Randy Newman on it, the famous guy from Toy Story that wrote “You Got A Friend In Me” for the movie. That’s such an iconic voice. His whole thing is he sings and plays piano. When I came back to the studio one day, I was listening to the record and I heard my piano under Randy Newman’s voice. It wasn’t the progression he played, wait a minute, are they about to leave my piano under Randy Newman? Everyday I’d come to the studio and they’d play it down. I’ll walk in and they’d put Randy’s piano back, but it was one of those things that made the album. I fanned out over Randy.
The second biggest moment for me was getting a feature on the album. I wasn’t expecting that. Chance is a very generous person but being so young and so new in the game, I wasn’t expecting to get a feature. Let alone a feature with Nicki Minaj that sampled Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. None of that makes any sense to me how it worked out that way. I was very lucky to be in a space where I wrote a really good verse. Shout out to all the people watching over me that dropped that on me at the time. I played it for Chance and I remember him sending me a text message saying that verse really brought him to tears and it stuck. I’m grateful that it stuck.
AllHipHop: What are your studio essentials?
Dixson: I go back and forth, depending on the situation. If I need to be extremely creative, I gotta have Blue Dream. That’s my strain of choice when I’m trying to be creative. I gotta have a gram or so of some Blue Dream around so I can spark some new ideas. The other thing for me is candy, my dentist probably hates me. I’m terrible. I don’t really do chocolate like that but Sour Patch, or gummy bears, anything that’s full of sugar, I’m game and always have in the studio with me. I used to order them on Amazon but the Twizzlers Pull ‘n’ Peel, the strawberry ones! Something about being able to fidget with those while I’m working that makes me feel like I’m being productive, so that’s a necessity. Another thing I have to have is a lot of water. My team and anybody who’s been in the studio with me knows there are random open bottles of water all over the studio. I always buy a case before I go to the studio to have it around. It’s a nervous tick for me, but I also stay hydrated in the process so it helps.
AllHipHop: What was the highlight of working with Bieber on the acoustic version of “Holy”?
Dixson: The big highlight was we never saw Justin during the process, though he did FaceTime Chance while we’re in the studio. I was cutting a record with Chance for my project, I had to stop in the middle of that because they needed vocals for “Holy.” It came very naturally. We’d done a live show version of it for Chance, Chance had really liked the arrangement that we did but we had only done it live. We never recorded it. Chance and Chance’s music director Peter CottonTale, called me and said “we need vocals for this live arrangement, would you be down to arrange some vocals?” We stopped everything. I was working with Chance on my stuff but I try to be there for my friends. It was a really cool, really big opportunity. I never had any Justin records before so it really sparked some new ideas for the song. I really loved the way the acoustic version came out, it was beautiful. People love that one as much as the original. The vocals on there are beautiful, they take you away.
AllHipHop: What can we expect next from you?
Dixson: A project, it’s coming out very soon on Valentine’s weekend. What’s beautiful about the project is I made it all during the quarantine. I had a completely different direction I was going to go in for my first project on Roc Nation. Being at home and getting creative, trying things out in the studio, I came up with some new concepts and new ideas. “Kream” came out of it, I built a whole project around it. I’m very excited, it comes out February 12th.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let the people know?
Dixson: I always tell people to be kind to yourselves. There’s a lot of people out here who aren’t as fortunate as we are to be creating everyday and creating opportunity for ourselves. The world’s in a crazy place but always remember to be kind to yourself, be kind to others as best you know how. Don’t spread any negative energy out here, it’s enough of that going around in the world. It’d be a much better place if we all take a moment and when we’re thinking about it, be kind to each other. Give yourself a lot of grace. The world ‘ very different now that we can’t go out and see one another, so give yourself some grace. Give yourself some time and some space. Check in with yourself mentally and be kind.
King Unk might be a relatively new name to music fans, but he is no newcomer within music industry circles.Born and raised on the west side of St. Louis, Unk is widely known as a highly-respected legend in his city.Serving as the CEO of his own indie imprint Dcon Entertainment, Unk has been able to break artists such as Doughboy STL, Scorsazy, King B, Sleep 400, Taz, and Lou Kang.Throughout the years, King Unk’s respect has reached far outside of St. Louis, allowing him to build solid relationships with some of the most well-known Hip Hop personalities throughout the country.After suffering setbacks due to disloyalty from his previous artists, well documented in his visual for “Going In,” King Unk was forced to carry his own label, thus stepping into the forefront as the flagship artist for Dcon Entertainment.Since stepping behind the microphone, King Unk has released a bevy of well-received singles and shows no signs of slowing down. The progress didn’t go unnoticed as Unk was a featured guest on Big Bank and DJ Scream’s highly popular show Big Facts, alongside Mulatto.Now working with his son 10Millitone, King Unk is splitting his time as a CEO and an artist with plans to drop his forthcoming EP, ‘Don’t Count On Nobody’ slated for release in spring 2021.The project features contributions from Lil Durk, Bigga Rankin, Eastside Juan, and many more. Be on the lookout for the project and in the meantime, check out the official visual for “Blue Hill Avenue.”
Singer Ray J is planning to relocate permanently to Miami, Florida to try and salvage his marriage to Princess Love.
The “One Wish” star filed for divorce in Los Angeles in September, four months after Princess, the mother of his two young children initially took legal action to end their four-year marriage.
She ended up having her petition dismissed shortly after filing the complaint, suggesting they were trying to work things out, after previously spending much of the coronavirus lockdown living separately.
Now it appears they are close to officially reuniting romantically after Ray joined his family in Florida.
“We’re in a good place right now,” Ray J told TMZ. “We’re in Miami, we’re gonna move down to Miami. I don’t think we’re going back to Los Angeles any time soon. We’ve been taking care of the kids, they love it out here, and it’s given us a different mood and outlook on life. God is good, we’re taking it one day at a time.”
He added, “We are together. Are we back together? I think that’s a journey we’ve gotta take… but we are together, we love being together.
“Now it’s figuring out how we keep it consistent and enjoy life together and be good together because I think we are meant to be together.”
The “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood” star admits being away from their kids was particularly hard for him to handle following the on/off couple’s initial separation, and he’s determined never to let that happen again.
“I never want to be without my kids,” he said. “I felt like I needed some time to myself though… After a couple of days, I really started to miss my family and miss the time with them so it was hard for me, really, really hard.”
Rapper Offset is at the center of a bizarre new legal spat over a missing Bentley.
Bosses at Platinum Transportation Group in Los Angeles are suing the Migos rapper over the disappearance of the luxury motor, which he rented last year.
According to the documents, obtained by TMZ, PTG executives claim they drew up a contract with Offset in May and rented him a 2020 Bentley Bentayga for a couple of days. This term was extended until late July.
But in early July, Offset told PTG he no longer had the car in his possession.
The car bosses also claim Offset stopped making payments on the car after his lease was up on July 25th, despite failing to return the vehicle, and filed a police report.
