What happens when two extremely eccentric individuals collab? Let the ‘net tell it — SWISH — Kanye’s upcoming album could possess the answer. Earlier today (Jan. 25), the prolific Chicago beatsmith / MC used his personal Twitter account to inform the world that the album is in fact finished.
Celebrated for his humility, the lyricist meekly mentioned, “So happy to be finished with the best album of all time.” With that declaration in place the public has started to guess about which artists will be featured on the project. Soon a curious Young Thug supporter would reach out to established director, Be El Be, to inquire about the Georgia native’s inclusion.
In the past, Be and Thug have extensively worked together. When asked about the Yeezus creation, the native New Yorker sent out a passionate reply, “He better be or we PULLIN UP!!! On GOD.” After further reflection on the matter, he added more insight with this since deleted post. “Hold up. Now that I think about it…WE ARE ON THIS. I remember the song title b/c I wrote it down, I think,” wrote Be.
“Unless he took him off… Guess I’ll know for sure when thug checks his bank statement. Kanye pays the big bucks…” he would then share.
Since releasing the audio a few months ago, 2 Chainz finally drops new visual for Fki produced track “Watch Out” showcasing his humor by putting his head on various people. Directed by Motion Family. Cop Trapeveli Tre now here.
Chris Brown recently posted an interesting tweet taking a shot at some mystery female he’s dealt with.
“When she thirsty for n*ggas with lower expectations but swear she don’t check her DMs #hoeswithhearts, said Chris.”
Fans started to assume the post was directed at Future and Karrueche who recently cross promoted each other. Future wore a sweatshirt from Karrueche’s ‘With Love’ line, and Karrueche posted a photo with the caption, “wicked.” Other celebs have been spotted sporting the line as well, so clearly this doesn’t mean Future and Karrueche are dating. Is Future the one Chris is talking about with lower expectations? Maybe Chris wasn’t talking about Karrueche at all; maybe he was talking about one of his other girls.
(AllHipHop News) Walterboro, South Carolina native and current Atlanta, Georgia resident Nick Grant recruited Southern rap kings Killer Mike and Big K.R.I.T for the remix to his single “Royalty.”
Grant’s “Royalty (Remix)” will be included on the emcee’s forthcoming ’88 mixtape. The project will also feature appearances by Grand Hustle’s Young Dro, Motown’s BJ The Chicago Kid, and Stacy Barthe.
’88 is scheduled for release on February 2 via Grand Hustle Co-CEO Jason Geter’s Culture Republic imprint. In addition, Nick Grant is preparing for a tour this spring.
A fan claims that Rihanna DM’d them and informed them that Kanye West is no longer executively producing her ‘ANTI’ album. Maybe this is another reason the album’s release is still delayed. Back in the fall Rihanna explained that she was waiting on Kanye so she could finish the album, and the hold up was their conflicting schedules. Apparently Rihanna occasionally DMs some of her biggest fans from time to time, and she DM’d one saying
“And FYI Kanye is not EP’ing ANTI we’re both working on our own projects right now.”
Ye is a great producer, but do you feel like he was needed on the project? Why would she tell the fan instead of making a public announcement? Beyond the schedules, we wonder if they clashed with ego too.
(AllHipHop News) Last Friday evening (Jan. 22), via Twitter, Talib Kweli and Iggy Azalea engaged in an lively social media exchange. The conversation commenced with a comment and question directed toward’s Macklemore’s song “White Privilege II.” The socially adept Brooklyn MC tweeted, “The fact @iggyazalea thinks Macklemore song was a diss to her, instead of actually listening, is proof of her privilege. F**k Iggy Azalea.”
After trading tweets with Talib, aseemingly flustered Iggy eventually posted, “The world is FUNNY. Im not actually heated about macklamores song or its message. I dont think its intention was to make me a tending topic.” Not one to let other shirk their moral responsiblity, Talib ended the social media exchange with the following response, “@IGGYAZALEA the fact that when you choose to speak on oppression, it’s in “passing” & more abt your feelings than actual oppression, is sad.”
Stacey Dash upset many with her comments suggesting the need to get rid of BET, the BET Awards, and Black History Month on Fox News’ ‘Fox & Friends’. Apparently Dash believes that only platforms that are inclusive of everyone are needed. She must’ve forgot why the platforms were created in the first place. People were already upset with the Oscars’ lack of diversity in their nominations, and even more with her commentary and stupidity. Many took time out to remind Stacey of how many black magazines and shows she had appeared in. BET wanted to point out the irony and hypocrisy in Dash’s statements. BET first posted a screenshot from ‘The Game‘ featuring Dash with the caption,
“Soooooo @realstaceyldash, can we get our check back… or nah? #Remember #YouWereOnTheGame #AndWeDontMeanTheRapper.”
Just when you thought BET was done with Dash they dedicated a segment on BET Jams to her by playing all of the music videos she appeared in with the hashtag #NeverForget. Hilarious! Never forget Stacey! Never FORGET!
In interesting news, rumor has it that Blac Chyna is dating Rob Kardashian! If this is true this is interesting considering Kim Kardashian and Blac Chyna used to be friends, and Kim’s younger, and almost more popular, sister Kylie Jenner “stole” Tyga from Blac Chyna as a minor. Blac Chyna posted a photo to her Instagram with the caption,
“The beginning,”
Blac Chyna was shown with what appears to be Rob Kardashian’s arm wrapped around her, that is when you match up the tattoos. Seeing how Blac Chyna is probably still bitter, and Rob is the outcast of the family, this would be the perfect revenge hookup! What are your thoughts?
(AllHipHop News) Although Donald Trump has been a presidential candidate hated by many because of his racist comments and xenophobic remarks, there still seems to be people who support his electoral campaign. Even some celebrity’s have managed to support the business mogul by confirming their supportive statement or just making one by mistake. One of those people to do it by mistake happens to be St. Louis rapper, Chingy. According to XXL, he “Right Thurrr” emcee tweeted in support of Trump.
“Politics vs society. People should innerstand that politics is a business jus like the job you work at. I vote for @realDonaldTrump “YEP” 3.”
With a ton of scrutiny from the Internet that followed Chingy’s controversial tweet, the rapper released a video explaining why the tweet went out. Apparently, he posted the tweet after reading an article which included some things that Trump was possibly going to do if elected president, which somehow sounded good to Chingy.
Sour Gang artist God Kain and Johnny Cinco drop a video for their collab “Trap Jump” from God Kain’s Before The Drought mixtape. Produced by Chophouze this visual is a heater. If you like it support the indies by copping the single on iTunes!
When the beat is cold and the flow is just as cold you know you got a song that can do something. Such is the case with B.o.B.’s new visual for his song “Cold Bwoy” as B.o.B. posts up outside the ice cream truck in these clean and colorful visuals. B.o.B.’s EP WATER dropped in December and his F.I.R.E. project dropped Jan 18th. Go check them out!
After re-uniting with Birdman over the past month, Young Money CEO Lil Wayne is filmed here in a video for Nice Kicks speaking about his Trukfit clothing line and his favorite sneaks to wear on stage. Wayne sports the double cup in this one, so you already know what time it is, he’s low key and seems like he’s in a good mood around all these people.
After being shot in Atlanta this last week, Cap 1 drove himself to the hospital and filmed the whole thing. While the details of everything are still emerging Cap1 seems to have recovered and is in good spirits as he was seen shopping at Home Depot on Sunday. Check the footage below!
As Ice Cube and the rest of the Hip-Hop world brace for the upcoming Oscars that has seemingly shunned Hip-Hop and Black actors, Ice Cube speaks on his feelings about the snub and his plans for his own movie company that will be releasing a Tupac movie. Check it out below as Cube speaks with Angie Martinez about the future and more.
As her single “Do You Remember” ft Rich Homie Quan has been built a very strong buzz virally over the past couple of months, rising R&B singer Kayla Brianna releases the the official video. Known for her past single “Honest” as well as her role on TBS’s Meet The Smith’s, Kayla Brianna is set to become one of 2016’s breakout artists and is Kenny “The Jet” Smiths daughter
(AllHipHop News) Yesterday (Jan. 24), Boosie BadAzz posted a photograph and message and on Instagram to silence his critics. The Louisiana lyricist has grown agitated at the assumption of some that he faked his cancer. In the accompanying caption, the “Set It Off” MC stepped to those people who had anything negative to say about him. Back in December BadAzz underwent surgery to removed half of diseased kidney.
“I’m tired of these stupid mothaf**kas saying I ain’t have cancer,” he wrote. Boosie proceeded to challenge the unbelievers and offered, “who wants to fake or lie about something like that.” He would then end the interaction with, “wtf u mad cause I asked for prayers n gottem…”
Read the entire post:
Will this picture of his post-surgery scar be enough to quiet the critics?
While Adrian Younge may not be a household name, diehard Hip Hop fans are surely aware of the composer/producer’s music. Timbaland sampled his tunes for two songs off Jay Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail album. DJ Premier created the soundscape for his collaboration with Royce Da 5’9” by incorporating Younge’s work into the production for the PRhyme LP.
The Los Angeles based musician also joined with Ghostface Killah (Twelve Reasons To Die, Twelve Reasons To Die II) and Souls of Mischief (There Is Only Now) to craft several critically acclaimed bodies of work over the last several years. In addition, A.Y. scored the Michael Jai White led action comedy Black Dynamite.
Younge has also released his own blaxploitation era inspired albums. In 2012, he made his formal introduction with Venice Dawn: Something About April. Four years later, the multi-instrumentalist is back with a cinematic sequel to his breakout collection, and it appears listeners are quickly drawing to Something About April II. According to Younge, his latest effort has amassed more pre-sales than any of his previous projects including the Twelve Reasons To Die seriesand There Is Only Now.
The 13-track Something About April II is a further excursion into the brilliantly designed psychedelic-soul setting first presented on the original. Performances from vocalists Raphael Saadiq, Bilal, Laetitia Sadier, Karolina, and Loren Oden further enrich the audible screenplay scripted by Younge.
In part one of an exclusive interview, AllHipHop.com spoke with Adrian Younge about April II as well as his reaction to being labeled a musical genius.
Why did you decide to revisit the Something About April theme?
The Something About April theme is basically Adrian Younge. Meaning this is me not having to make concessions for anybody. When you’re listening to this album, you are listening to Adrian Younge. If I’m doing a Ghostface album, I have to make something for Ghostface. If I’m doing a Bilal album, I have to make something for Bilal.
Something About April is my solo album, so that’s my heart of hearts. This type of psychedelic music is where my mind truly resonates. It pushes me to explore new boundaries. The whole Something About April brand is about a musical journey intertwining nostalgic elements with futuristic elements – looking at the past to redefine the future. So when people buy a Something About April album, they should expect something different.
You approach your projects as if they’re soundtracks to a movie. When you’re coming up with the concept, do you have real people or actual characters in your mind as you’re creating the music?
Something About April is an album that essentially touches on the trials and tribulations of relationships. April represents spring where things spring again. Winter is when life is cold and there’s death.
So the whole album is using the seasons as a metaphor to describe the journeys through great and bad relationships. So I just look at that. We’ve all been in love. We’ve all been sad. I move through those feelings in order to create new and special things.
Do you approach scoring films the same way you approach creating music for your albums?
Yes, because when I’m scoring for films, I like to make music that you can listen to outside of the film. I don’t want to make music where listening to it on its own is boring. I always approach the scoring platform from the perspective of trying to make something that just sounds good and also enhances the visual of the movie or the TV show.
The album has been described as being recorded with rare instruments. Can you talk about your choice of instrumentation?
Everything I produce is all analog, only using instruments that are between 1940 to 1975. It’s a bunch of rare instruments, rare pro audio gear. They’re the kind of instruments that would have been regularly used at the time when I feel music was at its Golden Era. To me, that’s predominately between the years of ‘68 to ‘73. I love to focus on these arguably archaic instruments to create what I deem as being futuristic sounds.
There are a few songs that include religious references. What inspired records like “Psalms”?
On Something About April I, I have a song called “Sirens” that was sampled for Jay Z’s “Picasso Baby.” In making “Psalms,” I wanted to kind of create a sequel to “Sirens.”
Something about it felt spiritual. So Loren Oden – the lead singer on that song – said, “What if we just did ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ as if there’s some impending death?” When we were finished we thought, “This is crazy. It’s kind of like a Gospel song.” It was very interesting to us, because it’s a very dark song. But then you throw religious text onto it and it’s like, “This is kind of interesting.”
‘Something About April II’ Cover Art
What was the message you were trying to convey with the cover art?
There are a lot of points. One is these are the kind of covers that has people going, “I feel like this could have came out in the 60’s or the 70’s.” I want the cover to hit them like that.
And then I want people to understand you never really saw black people and white people on the cover at that time. A lot of black albums released during that era had white people on the covers in order to crossover. Record labels weren’t allowing their black artists to be on the cover.
So when you have a naked black chick and a naked white chick that looks like a cover from the 60’s and 70’s, it’s making a political statement. It’s saying that we’re at the time now where this should be acceptable. That’s the main reason I wanted that.
How do you feel about being labeled a musical genius?
It kind of bothers me. I’m serious. It’s one of those things that people just say. “Oh sh*t, you’re a genius.” What bothers me about that is – if I’m a genius, what’s genius is that my genius comes from believing I can do anything in the world.
It’s a life concept that I have. It’s a concept where I feel if I wanted to be the best violinist in the world, I could be that. I would just have to be disciplined to do that. My life and career are about literally being more disciplined than the average person. By repeating that every day, by having that notion as a systematic part of my life, it propels me into another stratosphere.
People look at me as having this God given talent and genius. To me, I look at it as I have something that anybody can have if they work at it. So it’s a conflicting thing, because I always want people to believe in themselves that they can do whatever. By the same token, I appreciate it because it shows me that people like what I’m doing.
Last Saturday (Jan. 23), during an Iowa Presidential campaign, Donald Trump, made a startling statement. The braggadocios billionaire sincerely joked about his devoted supporters. The Second Amendment advocate — known for his candid commentary — suggested that even drastic actions, like shooting someone wouldn’t make him lose any voters.
While in Sioux City, the GOP gangster declared, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,” this reported by CNN. Following the grandstanding The Don refused to elaborate on his sentiment.
(AllHipHop News) Although Wiz Khalifah has achieved a lot with his song “See You Again”, the Pittsburgh rap star was not nominated for Original Song at this year’s Oscars for his smash hit. In a recent interview with Billboard, the Taylor Gang MC shared his thoughts about the Oscar snubbing:
“I don’t really get into the political stuff, but I do know it depends on who gets nominated and who doesn’t, and it is not based on just the music. I’m focused on the music so I’m doing my part.”
Although “See You Again” wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, it seems like Wiz has brushed the snubbing off completely. The rapper also talks about working with Travi$ Scott and Juicy J in his interview.
(AllHipHop News) Wiz Khalifa’s mega hit “See You Again” from the Furious 7 movie was among the records in consideration for the “Best Original Song” Academy Award. However, when the nominations were announced, Wiz was left out.
Many Oscar observers expected “See You Again” – which features singer Charlie Puth – was a shoo-in for a nomination. The song spent 12 non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold over 3 million copies in the United States. “See You Again” was also nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards, and it will be competing for three Grammy awards including Song of the Year.
Billboard caught up with Wiz to get his thoughts on being snubbed for an Oscar nod. The Pittsburgh spitter expressed he was not too concerned about not getting a chance to win an Academy Award.
“I don’t really get into the political stuff,” said Wiz. “I know there’s a lot to do with who does get nominated and who doesn’t. It’s not always just the music. I’m focused on the music, so I’m doing my part.”
Wiz was also asked about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The billionaire businessman has gained both support and criticism for many of his comments. Trump has advocated for banning all Muslims from entering the country, and he referred to Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals.
“I really don’t pay attention to all that, because I operate on a different frequency. I love all people,” stated Wiz about Trump’s candidacy.
He added, “I’m really all about everybody coming together and getting along whether you’re black, white, or whatever it is. My cause is marijuana, peace, and music. Everybody enjoys those things.”
