Well it seems like we may have yet another Future clone in No Limit artist MoeRoy. Interestingly enough, MoeRoy is like a weird cross between a fake Future and Michael Jackson. Keep in mind Moe is supposed to be the future of No Limit Records. What are your thoughts?
(AllHipHop News) Less than a week after being hospitalized for flu symptoms, legendary singer Prince passed away at the age of 57.
As more news comes in about the passing of one of music’s most iconic figures, the Hip-Hop world has reacted in sadness, disbelief and shock.
The news of Prince’s passing comes just a few months after the passing of his protegé Denise “Vanity” Matthew who fronted Vanity 6 and who also passed away at the age of 57.
While some rappers like Big Boi retweeted stories on his passing others like Erykah Badu reacted in disbelief
(AllHipHop News) Early reports are confirming that legendary singer Prince has died at estate in Minnesota.
The news from TMZ comes on the heels of Prince being hospitalized after his plane made an emergency landing less than a week ago so that he could seek medical attention.
Prince was then transported by ambulance to the hospital.
After the brief hospital visit, the Purple Rain singer was released after three hours.
Prince is said to have been battling the flu for weeks.
A$AP Ferg is growing as an artist and that bodes well for the release of his new album, Always Strive and Prosper. Check out the latest visuals for “Flem.”
(AllHipHop Features) Earlier this month Atlanta rapper Issa dropped his latest project Blue Moon. The 7-track EP was produced entirely by fellow ATL representative Cassius Jay. The album’s title is reflective of the two creators’ experience recording together.
“We called the project Blue Moon because we’re on a new wave, and the moon controls the fact,” says Issa. “Before we got started every session, Cassius always turned the lights dim in the studio and said, ‘Let’s go to the moon brah.’ That set the vibe for the whole project and put us in the space that we were in to make this music.”
Blue Moon is the first body of work from Issa since 2015’s This Summer. The singles “Nu Nu” and “Next One” are examples of the NNTME MuCo recording artist showing he is ready to present a new direction for his brand.
“Since my last full project This Summer, I’ve grown a lot, both mentally and spiritually. However I feel inside is what comes out in my music,” Issa states. “I would say my sound has matured, and this chemistry that me and Cassius have is special.”
Even with Blue Moon now available online, Issa is not done crafting tunes. His combined 230,000 Twitter and Instagram followers can expect even more songs and videos from the Washington, DC transplant over the next eight months. The intention is to ultimately crossover to a mainstream audience as well.
“For the rest of 2016, I plan on continuing to lay my foundation down. I want to really lock in and energize my core fan base,” explains Issa. “I plan on taking my career to new heights this year, growing my music from my core fans to the masses. Look for a lot more music and a lot or visuals. I’m locked and loaded.”
(AllHipHop News) As members of the Bey Hive debate on what exactly Beyoncé’s upcoming hour-long HBO special titled Lemonade will involve, the pay cable channel will not prevent non-subscribers from missing whatever the superstar is planning to unveil on Saturday. The network is offering a free preview weekend running from Friday to Monday.
Lemonade is scheduled to debut on April 23 at 9 pm ET. Besides Queen Bey’s mysterious showcase, viewers will also get to watch the season premieres of the HBO series Game of Thrones, Veep, and Silicon Valley on Sunday. The pay-TV premiere of Jurassic World and the Gennady Golovkin versus Dominic Wade boxing match are set to take place on Saturday night as well.
Beyoncé made the announcement about Lemonade via her Instagram page on April 16. The “Formation” singer previously aired her Life Is But A Dream documentary as well as the “On The Run Tour” special with her husband Jay Z on HBO.
(AllHipHop News)Time magazine has released its annual list of the “100 Most Influential People In The World,” and several individuals connected to Hip Hop were selected for the prestigious honor. Platinum rhymer Nicki Minaj, Grammy-winning emcee Kendrick Lamar, and breakout Empire star Taraji P. Henson all made the issue.
Not only did Time place Minaj in its “Icons” section, the “Moment 4 Life” performer also graced one of the publication’s covers. Her Young Money boss Lil Wayne wrote the article praising Nicki.
“She’s reached far beyond everything I would have imagined. Man, she’s so influential and doing all the right things,” stated Wayne. “She’s an icon, a boss and a role model to all these young girls out here on how to do it the right way. Her work ethic speaks volumes and has yielded these results. The scary thing is she’s still going. Ha! Nicki Minaj will go down as one of the best to do it in the history of music.”
Kendrick’s piece was written by Black Lives Matter activist Alicia Garza. She referred to the Compton native’s To Pimp A Butterfly album as “a new genre of movement music.” In addition, Garza applauded Lamar for using his art to force the public to face issues that may be uncomfortable.
Empire creator Lee Daniels recognized Henson with a tribute in the magazine. Daniels called the actress “the modern-day Bette Davis.” The famed director also noted that Henson was mostly under-appreciated by Hollywood before taking on the role of Cookie Lyon but she is now one of the most celebrated entertainers on television.
Other individuals selected for Time‘s “100 Most Influential People In The World” list include President Barack Obama, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Steph Curry, Ryan Coogler, Idris Elba, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Usain Bolt, Adele, Ronda Rousey, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
(AllHipHop News) The Funky Divas are back. Award-winning R&B group En Vogue has released their first single in five years. Cindy Herron-Braggs, Terry Ellis, and Rhona Bennett reunited to provide their fans the new song “Déjà vu.”
The track will be included on En Vogue’s upcoming album Electric Café. The LP pays homage to the sounds of 1960’s R&B. This will be the group’s first studio project since 2004’s Soul Flower.
“We’re proud of being considered trendsetters, fusing music with style from the beginning with our little black dresses to our red hot ‘Giving Him Something He Can Feel’ video to the futuristic look of ‘Free Your Mind,’ states Ellis.
Bennett adds, “We adore our fans and constantly strive to give them music from our hearts.”
En Vogue is currently embarking on a world tour with shows throughout North America and Europe. For information about concert dates and other news visit EnVogueMusic.com.
“Whether it’s old-school soul or challenging prejudice and racism with ‘Free Your Mind,’ as a group, we are consistently evolving musically and staying relevant with the times,” says Herron-Braggs. “We find total freedom and fulfillment when we hit the stage. It’s the ultimate connection with our fans. It’s about the energy you receive, the love, and the reciprocation from the message in the music.”
(AllHipHop News) BET unveiled its 2016 programming line-up at the Upfront presentation in New York City this week. Among the new series headed to the network include a couple of shows centered around Hip Hop figures.
Music industry insiders Birdman, Dame Dash, Jermaine Dupri, and Snoop Dogg are set to appear in the unscripted program Music Moguls. The reality show will take viewers into each of their lives over eight 60-minute episodes. The series is being produced by L. Plummer Media. Lemuel Plummer, Bryan “Birdman” Williams, Snoop Dogg, and Chad Greulach are serving as executive producers.
In an exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com earlier this month, Ray J revealed he is part of Music Moguls as well. The singer-actor also provided information for when the program is set to debut. Ray stated, “Music Moguls will be out in June. Hopefully, the show will come on right after the BET Awards.”
In addition to Music Moguls, BET is also airing the Hip Hop lyrical competition show One Shot. Shade 45 radio personality Sway Calloway will lead a panel of music veterans as they travel the country to showcase rising rap talent. Calloway serves as executive producer along with Mike Smith, Dominick “Kxng Crooked” Wickliffe, Rod “King Tech” Sep, Nancy Nayor, and Dean Hadaegh.
“It’s like an American Idol for strictly Hip Hop. We go out to different cities to find the next Hip Hop star,” Crooked told AllHipHop.com in February.
(AllHipHop News) On April 26, Black Thought will host a special film screening of The Last Dragon. The screening is the first in a series of events highlighting classic throwback movies with memorable soundtracks. Each event will benefit Black Thought’s charity, GrassROOTS Community Foundation, which provides health and wellness programs for impoverished women and girls.
Tuesday’s screening will be followed by The Roots front man leading a conversation with The Last Dragon star Taimak. El DeBarge, singer of the movie soundtrack’s biggest hit “Rhythm of the Night,” is set to be part of the discussion as well.
Fans unable to be in New York City that night can still take part in a digitally. The event will live stream exclusively on blackthought.com. The website will officially launch in Summer 2016 featuring original content, new music from Black Thought, and more.
Online viewers will be able to join in by watching the film at home and live tweeting along with the theater audience. All participants will also have a chance to win autographed merchandise from Black Thought, Taimak and El DeBarge.
The Last Dragon film screening event is scheduled for Tuesday, April 26 at Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn. To purchase tickets visit eventbright.com.
(AllHipHop News) Even thoughMeek Mill first called out Drake for not writing all of his lyrics, it was actually OG Maco who named Quentin Miller as the alleged “ghostwriter.” During an interview with AllHipHop.com, Maco spoke about his fellow Atlanta rapper working as Drake’s co-writer.
“Yeah, I spoke to Quen. I’m highly f-cking disappointed in Quen. He doesn’t want to say nothing,” said OG Maco at the time. “That’s a process of someone being brainwashed. I’m only saying something, because that’s the one I consider my friend. Now here’s a chance where you didn’t violate any confidentiality agreement you might have signed.”
The topic of Maco’s AHH interview came up during Miller’s recent sit down with VladTV. While refusing to say his name, the WDNG Crshrs member took issue with Maco speaking on his involvement with Drake.
“That other rapper from Atlanta that did interviews about me, talking about how we’re friends, he’s the one that really said my name,” said Miller. “I called him about that and his explanation was crazy. Needless to say we don’t have anything to do with each other anymore. I’m not even going to say his name.”
Q.M. added, “That was really what was frustrating to me because he was the one that put my name out there. He knew about the situation because I’m in Atlanta. We all know each other. People know things, but that wasn’t his place to put that out there.”
Maco then fired back on Twitter, writing, “[Quentin Miller] who you gone [sic] blame for you writing that p-ssy ass letter? I tried to stand up for my ‘friend.’”
At the height of the Drake vs Meek conflict, Miller posted a message on Tumblr claiming he did not refer to himself as Drake’s “ghostwriter.” However, Q.M. did later admit he was heavily involved in writing for Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.
(AllHipHop News) Over the course of their career, both Common and Chance the rapper have been active in the South Chicago community finding various ways to give back
Recently the two were honored in their native South Chicago neighborhoods with murals depicting caricatures of the two rappers.
According to the Columbia Chronicle, the “new murals at the northeast corner of 79th and Evans streets in Chatham display the two iconic Chicago rappers as part of a new community art project to dress up the South Side neighborhood.”
The new public arts project called, “Chatham 2.0,” is being spearheaded by Chris Devins.
“I’m looking to counter the constant negative imagery put out by the corporate media,” Devins explained.
Devins started his mural in April last year when First InSite Realty commissioned him to create art that supports a positive outlook for the community.
Check out the images below courtesy of Eiran Feldman who is principal of First InSite Realty.
“The perception outside of the community—and even within the community—is that nothing good is going on,” Feldman said. “What we wanted to do was put these images out there of role models from the community who have gone outside the community to do good things.”
(AllHipHop News) As Donald Trump continues to gain victories across the country, a new video has emerged showing Tupac saying some discouraging words about Trump.
Specifically ‘Pac had issues with Trump’s greedy pedigree and pushy demeanor.
“If you want to be successful, if you want to be like Trump, gimme, gimme, gimme. Push, push, push. Step, step, step. Crush, crush, crush. That’s how it all is, it’s like nobody ever stops,” Shakur told MTV during a 1992 interview.
In addition to his personality the late Tupac Shakur voiced his displeasure with Trump’s lack of philanthropic donations to those that are less well off.
“I feel like there’s too much money here, nobody should be hitting $36 million on the lottery and there’s people starving on the streets. That’s not idealistic, that’s just real.”
“There’s no way Michael Jackson or whoever Jackson should have a million thousand, quadruple billion dollars when there are people starving. There’s no way these people should own planes and there are people who don’t have houses, apartments, shacks, drawers, pants.
“Even if you earned it you still owe. I don’t have that mega money, but I feel guilty walking by somebody. I’ve got to give them some mail. I know if I’ve got $3, 000 in my pocket, it’s wrong not to give that person a quarter.”
Yesterday Trump added New York to his list of victories, winning over one of the most populous states in the country, which is also the Republican frontrunner’s home state.
Today (April 20th) is a holiday for weed smoker’s known as 4/20, so naturally this is big day in Hip-Hop.
Of course a ton a rappers are releasing projects or songs today, but Problem and DJ Quik have teamed up for a project that is already getting critical acclaim from us here at AllHipHop.
On the surprise EP the legendary DJ Quik connects with modern hit-maker Problem for an ode to their city on the joint EP Rosecrans.
The release includes 6 original tracks and features The Game, Wiz Khalifa, Buddy, Bad Lucc and more!
“I am the abominable DJ Quik, I’m here with my boy Problem, we got Game in her, we got Wiz in here, its a problem baby Super Dave. Y’all know where Rosecrans is, its a long ass avenue from the beach to the streets and it probably ain’t got no potholes in it, cause they done fixed ’em, Compton got money now,” Quik says on the intro.
Today the two will be performing in downtown Los Angeles for Problem’s 4/20 show with DJ Carisma on the tables and host of indie acts.
Check out the project here:
Check out Problem’s posts on social media in support of the project and concert.
Young Thug has just announced his new mixtape, ‘I Came From Nothing 4’. Despite Lyor Cohen’s wishes for Thug to stop with all of the freestyling, this project will most likely follow that pattern. Should Thug try to hone his skills as a rapper more? We wonder will this mixtape see any features from Fetty Wap as the two expressed that they wouldn’t mind doing a collaborative project together. Thugger says he wants 10 No.1 singles this year. Hmmmmm. We will see what he cooks up. Seeing how Lyor wants to focus on album-quality songs, he might not like this news too much.
Kanye West’s roll out for his ‘The Life of Pablo’ has been noted for how it all was handled, but it turns out Ye had a little bit of difficulty before anything was recorded. On an episode of Kocktails With Khloe, Kim Kardashian revealed that he lost his original lyrics when their daughter North West flushed his iPhone that contained the lyrics down the toilet. Kim said,
“Kanye had every single rap in his iPhone before he really started working on [The Life of] Pablo and then North flushed it down the toilet, and they could not be retrieved. We sent it to like four places.”
Kim K praised Kanye for not getting mad at little North. ‘Ye didn’t have a back up? I would’ve had to email myself all of those lyrics or something. We guess it all worked out for Ye as he earned the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Don’t you wonder what impact the original lyrics would’ve had on the project?
Steve Lobel recently spoke with Mally Mall about the story of the unreleased Tupac vocals. Big U helped Mally Mall retrieve these Hip Hop gems! Mally Mall opened up and revealed that he was presented with 50 unreleased Tupac songs and some footage back in the day. He says although he “lost” in the end, it doesn’t matter because he didn’t do it for the money, but instead for the love of the music. Mally Mall says the last two Pac albums that were created were made from those unreleased vocals. Remember, Mally Mall is more than Love & Hip Hop craziness.
DJ Quik is not feeling Kanye West and his music/antics right now. He doesn’t believe ‘The Life Of Pablo’ is his best work. Quik believes that he fame is greater than his music right now. Quik says,
“His celebrity supersedes his talent right now. He’s a Kardashian right now. What he gonna do to me? Beat me Up? “This is a challenge. This aint a diss. Make your best music because fans aren’t stupid.”
DJ Quik is hilarious. We have to say we love how Quik tells you he’s not scared of anyone as he contiunes to talk sh*t! Gotta love Quik. Quik oftentimes keeps it real. What are your thoughts?
(AllHipHop News) Recently West Coast OG rapper/producer extraordinaire DJ Quik let the world know he’s not feeling the “New Kanye” in a recent interview with NoahTV.
From the onset of the video clip Quik goes in calling Kanye scared of his own music.
“Kanye so scared, he don’t know what to do with The Life of Pablo. Lets just keep this sh*t all the way 100,” Quik retorted when asked about Kanye’s T.L.O.P..
“Is this the kind of album that you would really want to go buy and go home and listen to?,” Quik asked. “So his celebrity supersedes his talent right now? He’s a Kardashian now, what the f*ck?”
While the words might seem harsh, Quik said this isn’t a diss or any sort of beef, but merely a challenge for Kanye to make better music.
“What he gonna do beat me up? It’s Kanye. See this is a challenge, this ain’t a diss. This is a challenge, make your best music, because fans aren’t stupid, they’re just not,” Quik explained to NoahTV.
(AllHipHop Features) The city of Toronto has birthed some of the biggest hit makers over the last several years. With a new breed of artists such as Drake, The Weeknd, and Tory Lanez leading the way, “The 6” has become a hotbed for finding acts likely to takeover playlists throughout North America.
It is from that creative culture comes the four-person collective known as sideways. One of the crew’s members, Shan Vincent de Paul, formally presented himself to listeners as a solo music artist with his debut album Saviors.
The 13-track LP presents a fresh progressive Hip Hop voice that is not afraid to explore the complexities of spirituality and romanticism. In addition, SVDP employs inventive visuals to further display his avant-garde take on the world.
AllHipHop.com connected with the Sri Lanka born, Toronto based virtuoso to get his thoughts on Saviors, his hometown’s musical rise, and more. Discover some of the tunes and views of Shan Vincent De Paul.
How does it feel to release your debut solo album?
I’m still wrapping my head around it! I’m ecstatic to share something I’ve been working on for so long, but it also feels a bit strange that it doesn’t belong to me anymore, it’s in the people’s hands now. Most of all, I just feel proud I made my debut exactly how I wanted to from top to bottom.
Why did you offer the album as a free download and as a for-purchase project?
It was just important people heard it, first and foremost. Whatever way they want to support it, that’s up to them, so I just made it available on every platform possible and let them decide. I don’t agree with this new shift that’s happening where artists are releasing exclusively with certain companies, that’s horsesh-t. If I have to subscribe to a streaming service just to listen to the album… then f-ck your album… but if it’s a good album, I’ll just torrent that sh-t. F-ck your feelings.
Can you explain your thoughts behind the religious/spiritual references made throughout the album?
That’s something that’s always been inherent in my art and music. I’m not religious, so a lot of it is just me trying to figure out my own relationship with god and spirituality. It’s an ongoing conversation. I’m trying to touch on spirituality and religion in a more honest way than just presenting it as something positive all the time. I want to present both sides – the extreme darkness and the light that follows. I was brought up in a Catholic household, so church and religion were always a big part of my life, but I didn’t agree with a lot of it. So the music is me figuring out religion and spirituality on my own terms.
‘Saviors’ Album Cover
What’s the significance of the album’s cover art?
That’s an image that’s been floating in my mind since I started writing the project. It took about four attempts to get it right, but it turned out exactly how I envisioned it. As for the significance, I’ll leave that up to the audience as to how they want to read it. It’s a pretty loaded image, but once you soak in the album from beginning to end, it’ll make a lot more sense.
What was it like filming the “Buggin” video?
Fun as hell. I mean how often can you f-ck on camera and pass it off as a music video? It was my take on doing something super-sexual but keeping it tasteful. How do I show everything and nothing at the same time? That’s what I was trying to do.
How did the sideways crew come together?
The sideways crew had already been formed when I joined them. Coleman Hell released a project called Stake Raving that La+ch, Michah, and Stretch worked on, and that was the genesis of the crew. I had met them in their hometown in Thunder Bay several years prior, so when they moved to Toronto and put out that project, I reached out and we just clicked immediately. La+ch and I worked on a few songs for the album, but that eventually led to him working on the whole project which led to me getting on board with sideways.
The Toronto music scene seems to be experiencing a strong global presence right now. What are your thoughts on the city’s musical movement at the moment?
I’m proud. It’s long overdue for Toronto. We got some of the best artists in the world and for people to finally realize that is amazing. I feel for a long time we were counted out. It was always about NY, LA, Atlanta, Chicago etc. Now, not only are we in the conversation, we’re easily in the top three. The six baby!
