Chance the Rapper has been recognized as a top Chitown rep. Chicago Magazine has crowned him as one of the four Chicagoans of the Year. The 22-year-old was honored as the Youth Whisperer due to his work with his city’s youth.
The “Angels” rapper has been committed to addressing the trigger-happy nature of his city during his young career. He started a social media campaign, #SaveChicago, to encourage young people to cease the violence during Memorial Day Weekend. Chano also partnered up with the Harold Washington Library Center to launch a series of open mic events for teens to showcase their poetry skills. He also hosted a free music festival, the Teens in the Park Fest, in June, geared towards those 21 and under. Chance also surprised students during the summer with trips to the local museums, the planetarium and aquarium.
Vocalist Sevyn Streeter has had an amazing 2015. Her song “How Bad Do You Want It” appeared on the Furious 7 soundtrack, her EP Shoulda Been There, Pt. 1 broke into the Top 5 on the R&B chart, and her voice was featured on The Game’s critically acclaimed album The Documentary 2.5.
Sevyn [born Amber Streeter] recently continued her musical streak by releasing a remix to Bryson Tiller’s#### record “Don’t.”The Florida-born songstress provided a female perspective to the sultry R&B anthem about convincing a potential lover the grass really is greener on the other side.
As Ms. Streeter continues to ensure her future in the music business will be a bright one, AllHipHop.com caught up with the singer-songwriter to get her to reflect on some of the big moments from her past.
In “My Five Firsts,” Sevyn shares memories of her debut performance at a landmark venue in New York City, recording with frequent collaborator Chris Brown, being inspired by Aaliyah, and more.
My momma had me in this big, puffy, ugly silver dress. My hair was in these big old candy curls, and I was a little chubby chub. My cheeks looked like they were stuffed with food. It was so funny. [laughs]
At the end of the day, it was a legendary experience to be able to touch the same log as Michael Jackson, James Brown, and so many other greats. I still remember what that felt like all these years later. I will never forget that for the rest of my life.
First Time Hearing A Song You Wrote Played On The Radio
The first time hearing a song I wrote on the radio was [Chris Brown’s] “Yeah 3x.” I remember everybody kept telling me, “You ain’t heard it yet? We heard it in the car.” I was like, “No! I haven’t heard it yet!”
I remember I was pulling up to my manager’s house, and I turned on the radio. I literally caught the tail end of “Yeah 3x.” But just hearing those few little seconds was enough for me. I just sat in that car and said to myself, “Wow.” That’s another moment I will never forget.
First Time Recording With Chris Brown
The first time I recorded with him I was in my old group RichGirl. He had a writing session, and I asked if I could be a part of it. That night we ended up doing a song called “Smile & Wave.”
I remember just thinking, “I’m recording a song with Chris Brown. This is crazy.” I texted my mom the whole time with the play-by-play: “We just did this.” “He likes this part I came up with.” We were at a studio called Westlake.
First Time Winning A Grammy
Winning a Grammy for writing on [Chris Brown’s] F.A.M.E. was crazy. Honestly, we just wanted Chris to win so badly. That was his first Grammy, and my first Grammy as well. I remember watching him walk up on that stage. It didn’t really hit me at first. I was just so happy for him.
I remember somebody saying to me, “You know that means you’re a Grammy award winning writer now.” I was like, “I get something too? Oh crap!” [laughs] It didn’t hit me until that moment when they said that. My eyes kind of jumped out of my head. It came as a surprise to me, but a great one.
First Time Seeing Aaliyah’s “One In A Million” Video
I don’t remember the first time hearing the song, but I definitely remember when the video came out. I loved that video. I was just feeling like I was lost in her world – this world where girls were just effortlessly cool. She wasn’t trying too hard. It was so smooth. That first introduction made me realize just being me was okay.
We all wanted to be like her, dress like her… I could go on-and-on about Aaliyah. Like I said, I wanted to be cool like her. She didn’t make it hard. It wasn’t like this unrealistic level of coolness. We could grab a pair of shades and throw on some clothes that our parents would approve of. It was really easy.
(AllHipHop News) After the success of Adele, Ed Sheeran, and Sam Smith, it appears former One Direction member Zayn Malik is the next British singer to try his hand at R&B music. In a new interview with The Fader, Malik discussed leaving his Pop roots with 1D behind for a more urban sound.
According to the 22-year-old performer, the genre transition should not be seen as a surprise. Malik revealed he was never 100% behind the music he was forced to make as part of One Direction.
“There was never any room for me to experiment creatively in the band,” said Zayn. “If I would sing a hook or a verse slightly R&B, or slightly myself, it would always be recorded 50 times until there was a straight version that was pop, generic as f*ck, so they could use that version.”
Malik is currently working with 37-year-old producer James “Malay” Ho on his debut solo album., Malay’s credits includes tracks with artists such as John Legend, Alicia Keys, Fantasia, and Jamie Foxx. He also worked extensively on the Grammy winning channel ORANGE album by Frank Ocean.
In fact, Ocean’s honest writing style is being viewed as sort of a template for the new tunes from Malik. His current vocal offerings are said to be more harmonious with The Weeknd or Miguel than anything created during his run with Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson.
“Would you listen to One Direction, sat at a party with your girl? I wouldn’t. To me, that’s not an insult, that’s me as a 22-year-old man,” added Zayn. “As much as I was in that band, and I loved everything that we did, that’s not music that I would listen to. I don’t think that’s an offensive statement to make. That’s just not who I am. If I was sat at a dinner date with a girl, I would play some cool sh*t, you know what I mean? I want to make music that I think is cool sh*t. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for.”
The RCA recording artist already has a fan in 50 Cent – the rap star that also happened to have collaborated with Malay in the past. The G-Unit leader even suggested Zayn has the potential to follow in the prosperous footsteps of fellow boy bander-turned-solo act Justin Timberlake.
(AllHipHop News) English producer Mark Ronson has one of the biggest hits of 2015 with “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars. Ronson actually debuted the worldwide #1 single on Sway In The Morning, and he returned to the Shade 45 radio show to share some stories and thoughts on other music stars he has worked with during his career.
One of those performers was Jay Z. According to Ronson, he spoke to the Hip Hop legend during a deejaying gig for the The Dynasty: Roc La Familia release party in 2000.
“Jay comes up to me – and I don’t really know him that well. I thought he was definitely going to say, ‘Can you please never use one of my f*cking parties to hype up your record? Go back to playing some Roc-A-Fella,’” stated Ronson. “He says, ‘You did that beat right? When you do a remix, let me rhyme over it.’”
Apparently, Jay never returned Mark’s phone calls about the possible collaboration. But Ronson did get to work with Amy Winehouse. In fact, he played a big role in the late singer’s classic 2006 album Back To Black. The Brit Award winner was asked about the critically acclaimed documentary Amy which covered the rise and fall of the troubled artist.
“I think most people know the music’s pretty great, because when it came out it was really the thing that made people pay so much attention [to Winehouse],” said Ronson. “But toward the end, I think everyone might have forgot it, because everything became so much about the more ‘tabloidy’ stuff.”
He added, “She was a proper lyricist, and you see that in the film. It puts her back up on a pedestal. That’s what the director [Asif Kapadia] was saying. You remember she’s a f*cking brilliant talent.”
(AllHipHop News) It has been months since Meek Mill took on Drake in what many considered a losing effort for the Philadelphia rapper. Fellow East Coast rhymer Bang Em Smurf is one of the observers that believes Meek and his Maybach Music Group camp suffered a major loss.
Smurf did not hold back his thoughts on Meek vs Drake in an interview with Mikey T The Movie Star. The former G-Unit affiliate said Meek made the battle boring by releasing a weak record.
“I think Meek Mill played himself. He instigated a war then he just tucked his tail. Where they do that at?” said Smurf. “It’s only in the MMG camp they do that. Them n*ggas ain’t looking good in these streets.”
Meek was hit with countless memes after Drake dropped his response track “Back To Back.” According to Smurf, Hip Hop fans in the Caribbean are clowning Meek as well.
“Even in Trinidad, Meek lost his stripes. They’re calling him the Ja Rule of 2015,” stated the Queens native.
Smurf then suggested the entire ordeal was really sparked by Meek being intimated of Drake’s friendship with Nicki Minaj. He also called out MMG boss Rick Ross.
“In my eyes, Ross be frauding it. He’s an industry n*gga. These industry n*ggas are fake,” added Smurf. “I’m not lying for n*ggas no more. A fraud is a fraud.”
(AllHipHop News) Maryland-based rapper Logic is from the same state where Baltimore resident Freddie Gray died from injuries suffered while in police custody. The controversial death of Gray led to protests and rioting in the city as well as six Baltimore officers facing criminal charges.
Logic was a recent guest on The Breakfast Club, and The Incredible True Story album creator discussed why he chose not to speak out in public about the Gray situation or the overall Black Lives Matter movement against police injustice.
“It’s horrible man. Every situation involving harm of another human being – it hurts my soul. Let alone something as ridiculous as race, religion, or sexuality,” stated Logic when asked about the killing of Gray. “Certain people hit me up and said, ‘You should say something. You should speak on it.’ They’re trying to push me. And it’s like, ‘Yo, I’m an entertainer.’”
He added, “Some people were like, ‘How come you didn’t say anything?’ Because my music is for those people who are out there fighting the good fight. When they go home frustrated, tired, and feeling like they want to take a life themselves – hopefully they can find peace and escape in my music and fight another day.”
Host Charlamagne Tha God then asked the DMV representative what he was doing for the Black Lives Matters movement. Logic replied, “I’m being me. I’m surviving motherf*cker. Sh*t, I’m half black. I’m part of this culture.”
(AllHipHop News) Once again a media outlet’s top artist list has sparked a serious online debate. This time it was Billboard’s “10 Greatest Rappers Of All Time.”
The long-running music publication ranked the top ten G.O.A.T. emcees as follows:
10. Lil Wayne
9. Kendrick Lamar
8. Ghostface Killah
7. Lauryn Hill
6. Andre 3000
5. Nas
4. Rakim
3. Eminem
2. Jay Z
1. The Notorious B.I.G.
Billboard provided the following explanation for why the selections were chosen:
Diehard fans, music nerds and critics love lists. But in rap, rankings like this take on a special level of import: aside from moving a crowd (shouts to Rakim), MC means proving you’re the best. In no other genre do artists so blatantly express their desire to outdo competition. That made Billboard’s editorial list a more high-stakes undertaking than usual. Many favorites — Kane, Drake, KRS — didn’t make it, and each of those omissions hurts deep down. Note: we’re ranking these folks as MCs, not artists. That’s why Dr. Dre and Kanye West, for example, two legendary producer-rappers who don’t match the mic skills of those listed here, were left out. Even Tupac, perhaps the most influential rapper ever globally, is arguably known more for great songwriting than dominant bars.
It seems that description was not enough to satisfy rap legend Snoop Dogg. The West Coast representative took to Instagram to blast the list. But not because Billboard omitted his name. Uncle Snoop took issue with his “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” rhyme partner 2Pac being snubbed.
Roc Nation spitter Jay Electronica offered a different take on Billboard‘s G.O.A.T emcees. Instead of outright chastising the publication, Jay E decided to share the article’s two authors (Steven J. Horowitz and Alex Gale) with his Twitter followers.
Who do you consider the 10 Greatest Rappers Of All Time? Share your list in the comment section below.
(AllHipHop News) Shawn “Jay Z” Carter’s run as president of Def Jam Recordings has been both praised and criticized. Under Jay Z’s leadership the company found success with Rihanna, Nas, Jeezy, Rick Ross, Ne-Yo, and others. However, some artists on the label complained President Carter spent too much time and money promoting himself rather than focusing on the roster.
Redman was at Def Jam during Jay Z’s turn as the top executive. The New Jersey emcee shared his thoughts on Hov’s tenure with Sway In The Morning.
“Jay was cool as hell up there. He definitely showed all the artists love as far as when we seen him. It was like he was going to try and do his best. I guess he really wanted to try to help the artists,” stated Redman. “It was kind of out of his hands, because they left him with a mess. Like Bush left Obama with a mess to clean up. So he couldn’t do too much.”
He continued before laughing, “I do know when I was going up there at Def Jam when Jay was up there, they had cheese and wine. It was like a wine fountain in there. Every Friday they were eating sushi, like $2,000 – $3,000 worth. And I needed promotion.”
(AllHipHop News) Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC and his partner Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez are joining the Marvel Comics family. According to CBR, the Darryl Makes Comics founders will contribute to Guardians of Infinity #3 in February.
Guardians of Infinity features characters from Guardians 3000. Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot and others from the modern team are a part of the series as well. Infinity will also introduce a brand new team called the Guardians 1000.
DMC and Miranda-Rodriguez are listed as writers along with artist Dan Abnett for #3. Gary Choo will design the cover. The 40 page comic will run for $4.99.
Darryl Makes Comics is an independent comic book imprint created by McDaniels, Editor-in-Chief Miranda-Rodriguez, and Senior Editor Riggs Morales.
“Hip Hop was always based on creativity. So what we’re trying to do with this comic book is not trying to create anything that’s new; we’re just going to show the world what’s already there… the beauty and the creativity of it,” stated DMC about his comic brand.
The shady practice has reached epic levels, particularly online, and Alabama State University is the latest vicim of a fraudulent promoter.
Lil Wayne was expected to perform for homecoming week at the university this week, but officials realized they had been scammed by a person pretending to be the rapper’s promoter.
Wayne’s real manager Cortez Bryant officially ended the speculation.
“It saddens me to say but this concert is fraudulent. Wayne was never booked for this show. Graduating from an HBCU myself I hate that one of ours schools was victimized,” Bryant said. “Fake promoters are the lowest of people on this earth because they are damaging the integrity of artist and most important hurting the fans who are expecting to see their favorite artist. I’m now in contact with Alabama State University and will do everything in my power to work with them to persecute whoever was behind this. It’s not fair to the college students.”
ASU officially said they would seek litigation against those that perpetrated the act of crime against the school and the students.
I haven’t seen it, but a new documentary called “Murder Rap” has opened up some deep wounds. In the movie, they allege that Diddy had Tupac killed and Suge had Biggie murdered in retaliation. Now, we know Diddy has long maintained his innocence and the authorities have never come close to arresting the Bad Boy mogul. It seems like a lot of people saw this movie and immediately took it to Diddy on social media. Most people weren’t necessarily looking at him as guilty, but they certainly wanted him to address the allegations. I hope they are addressed too! This can’t be life! Below is the trailer I found online for the movie. FYI: Diddy addressed this movie when it was just a book, calling it “fiction.”
What would you do if somebody raped your wife? Beat them up? Kill? Sue? Would you cut their genitals off then eat them in solidarity with the victims? Not so much. Well that is what Rudi Efendi did over in Indonesia. He actually got arrested after they found a suspected rapist all mutilated, burned up and dead in a car. Rudi Efendi’s wife Nuriah was raped by another person named “Rudi.” Efendi eventually confessed to the crime and admitted that ate the man’s penis. How did he do it? He hacked it off and went home and fried it. “I ate his ‘vital tool’,” Efendi told police. “I ate it to heal my heart ache towards the victim,” he said. WOW. That’s the “Why” in all of this.
Upon logging into Instagram and searching the “#LobbyChallenge” hashtag, you’ll find a plethora of clips of gangstas, hustlas, kids, video vixens, and grannies alike having fun, participating in the “Lobby Challenge” – a carefree dance with a grim undertone. The dance was created by the Against Da Grain Ent.’s trio properly known as 821 Boyz, the hottest prospects out of Queens, New York. With the original single already making waves, the 821 Boyz add Rae Sremmurd’s Slim Jxmmi to the mix and he’s no stranger to turning up the dial whenever he drops a verse.
Busta Rhymes has always had one of the livest, most out of control, in your face, bust you up side your head shows in Hip-Hop. From hit after hit, to his control over the mic and the crowd, you always know you are in for some real live sh*t when you see Busta Rhymes perform. Check out the footage below as Busta makes a special announcement for the holidays, that you definitely don’t want to miss.
This year Hip-Hop fans are in for treat as Busta & Friends are giving back for the holidays. Along with his friends at HOT 97, Busta is throwing a concert that will feature performances from Puff Daddy, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne, Sean Paul, French Montana, Jeremih, Fetty Wap, and many more. Check out Hot97 for more info here: Busta Rhymes & Friends: HOT For The Holidays concert
YOOOOOOOOO! DJ Khaled is known as a disc jockey, album maker and even a funny guy. But, something seems to have happened him where he may be kicking like Holly Holm did Ronda Rousey! Nobody really seems to know what this his, but there may be a lawsuit coming if there’s somebody willing to step up in that manner. This was allegedly somebody affiliated with the rapper “Stitches” from Miami.
There are very few unreleased songs from Jay Z, but lo & behold, another one pops up. “This Life Forever” has been found by DJ Absolut from about 1999. The original appeared on the soundtrack of “The Black Gangster.”
Ronda Rousey is not as talkative after losing her UFC title to Holly Holm. Over the weekend, Rousey was decimated in the second round, finished with a brutal kick to the face. She reportedly has already undergone plastic surgery for her injuries. In an airport, she shunned the media, completely covering her face.
Meanwhile, one-time arch nemesis Floyd Mayweather offered her and encouraging word. AND, offered to help her improve her boxing skills.
BT: Champ, I hear you’re about to get on your plane. Is there anything else you want to say before you have to go?
FM: I want Ronda Rousey to hold her head up high and don’t let this discourage you. If you need help as far as with boxing, I’m here to help you. It’s all about timing and inches. Her ground game is unbelievable. She’ll be okay. You know, but I’m waiting for the comeback of Jon Jones and the other guy that Jon Jones faced before [Daniel Cormier]. I would love to sponsor those guys. I look forward to working with a lot of MMA f!ghters as far as teaching them boxing techniques. It’s the little small things in contact sports that can take you to that next level.
I am not sure how this could’ve happened, because Lil Wayne is such an upstanding person. But, the fact of the matter is, he was allegedly the reason a high ranking member of the Tidal team departed. Over the summer, Vania Schlogel quit. She left soon after Wayne bought in as an owner of the streaming service. None of the rumors floating around specify what Wayne could have represented to make her quit so fast. Anyway, AllHipHop talked to Vania and she seemed super confident about Tidal.
Nas and Rozay have made some pretty good music in their day. Earlier in the year, they got together with Scarface. But, Rick Ross and Esco have a real gem in “One of Us,” a song from the Miami Boss’ Black Market. Listen up and weigh in.
Chance the Rapper will be gracing the stage as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Chano will perform on the Dec. 12th episode, according to the show’s official Twitter account.
He hasn’t released a full length solo project this year, so he may be performing his latest track, “Angels,” which he premiered on the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in October.
