“Beat Street” is the seminal 1984 movie that brought Hip-Hop culture to the masses in a major way. The film, written by Steve Hager, included DJing, breakdancing, MCing and graffiti writing set to a gritty Bronx, New York backdrop. The movie is centered on Kenny Kirkland (Guy Davis), a rapidly-growing DJ and sometime MC and straight up b-boy Lee (Robert Taylor), who plays the younger brother. Lee is down with the Beat Street Breakers (the New York City Breakers). Other characters in the movie are Kenny’s friends Ramo (Jon Chardiet), a graffiti artist and his manager Chollie (Leon W. Grant).
The now classic movie really encapsulates the dreams, hopes and tragedies of a generation while including some of the Hip-Hop’s most authentic stars like Grand Master Melle, Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and The Soulsonic Force, and The Rock Steady Crew. From b-boy battles, to lost life, to love, Beat Street has it all. Check it out.
(AllHipHop News) Rihanna’s new video for “Sledgehammer” debuted exclusively in IMAX theaters today (June 30). The single was written for Justin Lin’s upcoming Star Trek Beyond movie.
This is the first time a music video was filmed entirely with IMAX cameras. The clip’s director, Floria Sigismondi (Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry) used the new ALEXA IMAX camera which is the same camera used to film the key battle sequence in Captain America: Civil War.
“I have been a fan of Star Trek since I was a little girl. I loved the idea that it explored new territory and the unknown,” states Sigismondi. “So being able to be the first director to shoot a music video entirely with IMAX cameras and use this revolutionary technology to explore a different type of new territory was a dream come true.”
Rihanna also shared her appreciation for the Star Trek franchise in a featurette posted to YouTube.
The superstar singer said, “My dad is really the one who introduced me to Star Trek. It just took me one episode to fall in love with this other world that I couldn’t understand but I felt like I could relate to.”
Star Trek Beyond is scheduled for release on July 22. Rihanna’s “Sledgehammer” is available for purchase on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon.
Watch the video for Rihanna’s “Sledgehammer,” the “Star Trek Beyond – Rihanna Featurette,” and the trailer for Star Trek Beyond below.
In a red carpet interview at the 2016 BET awards, Young Thug is asked if people are sleeping on Chance The Rapper. He replies “I think they gon’ always sleep on him. He’s gon’ die like Prince, he’s gon’ die a slept on legend.” lol what?? I don’t know if Thugga is to young, or just ill-informed, but I can’t recall Prince being slept on until his death. Legend, yes. Slept on, no.
(AllHipHop News) Drake has stamped himself as the undisputed king of the Billboard charts in 2016. The OVO leader’s Views has dominated the Billboard 200 album chart for 8 consecutive weeks, and his single “One Dance” is ruling the Hot 100.
Drake has commanded another Billboard chart as well. The Artist 100 – which measures album/track sales, radio airplay, streaming, and social media fan interaction to rank the top musical acts in the country – has been led by Drizzy for 8 straight weeks.
His career total of 14 weeks atop the Artist 100 extends his record for male performers. Justin Bieber sits in second place with 11 weeks, and Taylor Swift is the all-time champ thanks to her 31 weeks in the top spot.
In addition, Drake currently leads the Artist 100, Hot 100 and Billboard 200 for the 7th week. That puts him in a tie with Swift for most weeks an artist has been at #1 on all three charts at the same time.
The latest installment of Joe vs Meek played out on social media. Budden tweeted a link to an article that claimed Meek was preparing to diss the Slaughterhouse member.
Meek then posted a comment on Instagram denying he recorded a song directed at Budden. The message included Meek calling Budden a “shermhead/crackhead.”
Budden then fired back in a series of tweets. One post read, “Don’t speak my name to a fan… Say it to me n-gga. Stand behind your ability to rap.”
However, the “Pump It Up” rhymer deleted two of his tweets. One of the deleted tweets said Budden would “initiate” and the other called on Meek to “repent.”
Check out Joe Budden and Meek Mill’s social media posts below.
(AllHipHopNews) Pittsburgh stoner Wiz Khalifa is the target of a lawsuit for over $2 million courtesy of Benjy Grinberg of Rostrum Records.
According to reports from TMZ, Rostrum Records, founded by Grinberg, had established a deal with Khalifa that allowed the company to receive a 15% cut of touring and music royalties, along with 20% of merchandise sold since the the rapper began his career with the label in 2004.
Rostrum believes that the $2 million requested in the lawsuit is fair compensation for the amount the rapper has earned from sales, touring, and merchandise.
This is not the beginning of the friction between Wiz Khalifa and former founder Benjy Grinberg, as the rapper sued Grinberg and Rostrum Records to get out of his contract earlier this month, citing claims of mismanagement and faulty handling of funds.
Future and Young Thug were spotted together in the studio recently, so it’s pretty safe to say new music is on the way from the two of them. On DJ Esco’s mixtape, ‘Esco Terrestrial’, Thugger and Future surprised fans with their first collaboration since tension arose between them previously. Apparently Wheezy, Future, Thug, DJ Esco, and TM88 have all been in the studio together cooking up new material. Rumor has it that the two have even considered dropping a collaborative mixtape. Do you think the new collaboration would be nice?
(AllHipHop News) In a formal ceremony headed by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Leron Gubler, it was announced that legendary Compton MC Ice Cube will be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Ice Cube will be awarded with the star for his groundbreaking work recording in the music industry.
The gangster rapper has had a very illustrious career, which has seen the MC release classic solo projects such as his highly decorated 1990 debut album Amerikka’s Most Wanted.
He’s also starred in very influential films within urban culture like tge classic 90s flick “Boyz N The Hood,” “The Players Club,” as well as the “Friday” franchise, the “Barbershop” series and others.
Ice Cube’s latest achievement will place him with the likes of fellow Hip-Hop legends such as Tupac, Diddy, and LL Cool J.
Cube is certainly no stranger to receiving accolades for his work in the industry as N.W.A was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in April.
He would then bring the group together for a reunion at his Coachella performance later in the month.
Check out a the clip featuring the announcement of Cube’s induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame below.
(AllHipHopNews) It’s looking like Lil Wayne’s long awaited memoir Gone ‘Til November: A Journal of Rikers Island may finally hit shelves October 11.
According to reports, the memoir is an account of his time spent at Rikers Island for criminal possession of a firearm and marijuana from March to October 2010.
The description for Gone ‘Til November: A Journal of Rikers Island, which is currently available for preorder through Barnes and Noble, the Apple store, Penguin, Books a Million, and more reads the following:
“From rap superstar Lil Wayne comes the long-awaited GONE ‘TIL NOVEMBER, a deeply personal and revealing account of his time spent incarcerated on Rikers Island for eight months in 2010.”
It appears the book will be a bit of a short read at 176 pages long with the hardcover copies available on preorder for $23.This is the first book to be released from the New Orleans legend.
Former America’s Next Top Model contestant Don Benjamin drops some rhymes on a new song with the help of Grammy Award winning singer Eric Bellinger.
Don Benjamin used downtown Los Angeles as the backdrop for his new song “Hit the Snooze” with Bellinger.
On the track, Don Benjamin threatens to take your girl and make her “Hit the Snooze” when you come looking for her.
The video was directed by Satien Mehta and Paul de Lumen, while the song was produced by Soundz, who has created tracks for Pitbull, Ciara, Justin Bieber, Chris Brown and others.
Kevin Gates recently gave a pretty awkward interview with DJ Traci Steele of Atlanta’s 107.9 radio station. Traci was interviewing Gates backstage at the station’s annual Birthday Bash summer concert, when Gates proceeded to wipe off his arm mid-interview because Traci touched him. When fans commented on social media about his, once again, rude behavior, Gates responded saying,
“First of all I’m married. Second of all, I’m holy. Don’t put your dirty ass hands on me.”
Well fans don’t miss a beat, as they decided to call out Kevin Gates for his hypocrisy as he got cozy with Mila J during an interview on the 106 & Park stage at the BET Experience. Gates doesn’t care what any of you think or feel about him. He also claims that people are saying that he is one of the realest n-ggas in rap right now. What are your thoughts?
(AllHipHop News) Rapper/actor DMX has been cast in Pimp, a film centering on females working in the illegal sex trade.
The Hip-Hop star, real name Earl Simmons, is heading back to the big screen in the independent film, which tells the story of women working the streets of New York, and their female pimp, played by Keke Palmer.
At the center is a love story between Palmer’s character and her girlfriend, portrayed by Haley Ramm, who dream of a better life and hope to get out of the one they’re in.
While it has yet to be announced what DMX’s role is in the film, he will be sharing the screen with actors such as The Help’s Aunjanue Ellis and Twilight’s Edi Gathegi.
DMX was last on the big screen in Chris Rock’s movie Top Five, in which he made a cameo appearance as himself.
SMCity landed a track from veteran beatsmith DJ Toomp, who produced the song “MIA” which features guest vocals by Maimouna Youssef.
Even though SMCity’s album Empire Falls was released about two years ago, there was enough heat on it to keep him busy, thanks to production from !llmind, Harry Fraud, Statik Selektah, Cookin’ Soul and others.
Nova Scotia rapper Classified has joined forces with emcee R.A. The Rugged Man for a remix to Classified’s song “Hoodie and A Ballcap.”
“This is a song for the underground heads, the ones with the hoody pulled up and the ballcap pulled down,” Classified explained. “I hooked up this version with a verse from legendary underground rapper R.A. The Rugged Man. If you’re into bars and beats, this one is for you.”
Classified is a veteran who has worked with a who’s who of rappers over the years, in addition to landing a #1 album on the Canadian charts.
“Classified has been killing it for years, so when we finally connected I was ready,” explained R.A. the Rugged Man. “He hit me with this joint, and I went in the booth and really gave him something personal that I’m proud
of. He mixed and arranged the music and I think the s### is great. I love this song.”
The original version of “Hoody And A Ballcap” appears on Classified’s latest album Grateful.
(AllHipHop News) After opening with 852,000 copies sold in its first seven days of release, Drake’s Views has been the #1 album in the country for 8 straight weeks.
In addition, his single “One Dance” featuring Wizkid and Kyla has led the Hot 100 chart for a total of seven weeks.
The profits generated from the Toronto representative’s fourth studio LP has surely been a win for his label Young Money/Cash Money as well.
The company’s co-founder, Bryan “Birdman” Williams, spoke to Billboard about Drake’s commercial success in 2016.
Birdman said:
It’s the first time Drake did this so it is an experience. You can’t ever underestimate him. I knew he was going to be a superstar from day one. I see him get to where he got. He worked real hard. He had to go through a lot to get to where he at. There was other people before there was Drake. Now, he there and I think he gonna hold it down. It’s just his time for him to do what he do. And we planned for him to do these things. We just blessed to be able to have the artists on our label that’s doing it. He know how to handle it. He a smart man. He move right. Stays out of trouble. He built for it. He the perfect person for it.
