Now that Drake has been exposed for using other people to write some of his rhymes, does that mean it’s Drizzy hunting season for other rappers? Some fans are questioning if King Los is the latest emcee to take aim at the “6 God.”
Los spits some bars on this Soundz track “Mind Games” that some people think are subliminal shots at Drake. The Baltimore native makes several references to “six” throughout his verse and then ends it with:
You a bush n—a, who been the worst leader. We got something in common. I didn’t write this verse either.
Check out what AllHipHop’s Ill Community is saying about King Los’ lyrics on “Mind Games” here.
(AllHipHop News) It appears Meek Mill still has not gotten over his perceived loss at the hands of Drake. Meek was performing at Fool’s Gold’s Day Off festival in New York, and someone in the audience was apparently holding up a Drake sign. The Philadelphia rapper then snapped on the fan during his set.
“Put that Drake sign up again, n*gga. F*ck you talking about? You f*cking clown,” Meek tells the concert goer. “Don’t ever come in here and f*cking play with no Meek Milly trying to pick on me like I’m a f*cking dweeb or something.”
This latest on-stage incident involving Meek comes after the Maybach Music Group member was accused of dissing Atlanta rapper Future at the Made In America Festival. Meek cleared up those rumors, writing on Instagram, “Don’t get it f*cked up. We rather see the streets win before anything.”
(AllHipHop News) Los Angeles based rapper Blu made some serious accusations on Twitter. The creator of the critically acclaimed Below The Heavens and 2014’s Good To Be Home albums posted a series of tweets claiming LAPD officers robbed him of over $100,000 worth of items. He also wrote policemen were “conspiring” on his life and his daughter’s life.
(AllHipHop News) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump faced heavy criticism when he suggested most Mexican immigrants were rapists and criminals. However, Trump’s stance on immigration has partly led to him leading in the polls against his Republican rivals.
Always outspoken music artist Azealia Banks recently offered her thoughts on what Trump has to say about illegal immigration. The Harlemite wrote on Instagram that she “sort of” agrees with the billionaire businessman. She explained her opinion in several follow up posts.
(AllHipHop News) Members of the LGBT community were upset with Travis Scott over video of the Texas rapper using the words “f######” and “q#####” at one of his concerts. Scott took to Twitter to apologize to anyone he may have offended.
After releasing his ‘1991’ mixtape a couple weeks ago, Taylor J drops the first video from the tape “I Can Tell” shot by @HyphyTv and produced by Christian Lou. Watch below!
(AllHipHop News) Meek Mill was caught up in more reports he took shots at another popular rapper. Comments the Philadelphia rapper made during his set at this year’s Made In America Festival were interpreted as a diss toward Future.
“You’re playing all motherf*cking Future tonight,” Meek could be heard telling his DJ. “If you don’t play some motherf*cking rap sh*t too. Play some hot sh*t too. I think Future’s on Made In America.”
The Dream Chasers leader posted a message on Instagram to clear up rumors his words were meant to be disrespectful toward Future. According to Meek, he does not have a problem with his “Jump Out The Face” collaborator or his music.
Meek wrote:
My DJ caught a Future attack on the set when he was told play a bunch of artist sh*t! Lol He prolly did it because I tell [him to] play all Future in the club! Don’t get it f*cked up we rather see the streets win b4 anything!
Atlanta’s Young Cypher is back with a hot new record, “Winning Team”. Though he hails from down South, “Winning Team” will likely appeal to fans of New York hip-hop, as the track features two Brooklyn OGs, Fabolous and Red Cafe, and Heatmakerz-esque pump-up production.
Columbus, GA group, Greasekydz, return to the scene with their heavy-hitting, self-produced new single, “Sasquatch”. Featuring a familiar sample, group members Phobro and Teejay Suplx spit some ferocious bars, calling out sucka emcees everywhere. Enjoy below!
Antonio Reid, Jr., the oldest son of Epic Records Chairman and LaFace Records Co-founder Antonio “L.A.” Reid, is a former talent manager, Epic Records A&R and Hitco Music Publishing Creative Director. He’s worked with the likes of Usher, OutKast, Ciara, Janelle Monae and more. But he recently took a hiatus from the business of music.
“I had to step away from the desk, I didn’t like who I was becoming. I wanted to go back to being the guy who wasn’t tainted by the politics of the business. I just wanted to be a fan again.”
Four years later he’s back with new energy and his new management company, Marquis Reid Management. His 1st client, is a new artist/producer who goes by the name Javar Rockamore. He’s a 26 year old emcee from Memphis, TN.
“What I like about Javar, other than his unquestionable talent, is that he’s a true student of the game and he has tremendous respect for those that came before him. His music speaks to your soul and he makes hit records.”
The first single from his upcoming album The Cure is a song Rockamore produced himself called “What I Gotta Do?” Its a fun record that showcases his one of a kind voice as well as his lyrical ability. The hook is contagious and the beat is banging.
“I think ‘What I Gotta Do?’ is a great first look but by no means does it paint a complete picture of who Javar is an artist. He’s got substance. I think folks are going to enjoy peeling back the layers and finding out what lies beneath the surface.”
The Cure will be released 1st quarter 2016. Check out the music video for “What I Gotta Do” below!
If you’ve seen our first few big stories at Made In America, you’re probably hip to us catching ILoveMakonnen randomly whipping around the festival grounds in a small Cadillac. The Super Chef ended up performing a song with Santigold during her mid-day set. Makonnen was actually at MIA with the Philly-singer to film a new music video, which kind of explains why he just happened to be there in a mini-SUV the first day. The music video also will feature appearances from Fabolous, Big Sean, Vic Mensa, and many others.
Action Bronson raps on top of a camera stand
There’s no surprise about Action Bronson doing something completely insane while he’s performing, but the real challenge was doing it at a Made In America. The Queens rapper climbed on top of a tall camera stand and rapped to the crowd while he did it. This was the festival’s main stage too, so Bronson’s crazy antics ended up being seen by a majority of festival. There weren’t any crazy Ghostface Killah fans at the concert, otherwise things might’ve been different.
Future might’ve had the best performance on Day 2.
There was a lot of anticipation going into Future’s set at Made In America. Dirty Sprite 2 has succeeded critically and commercially, and several people were excited to see the Atlanta rapper perform the album in its entirety. From “Thought It Was A Drought” to “Karate Chop”, Future gave his all during his set at Made In America. He was able to succeed by providing his popular catalogue with high levels of energy throughout.
Were there any big moments you came across at Made In America? Let us a comment. Check out more photos of Made In America below.
“I really think the most important part of the song is the first four or five lines that you hear,” Scarface wrote in his memoir, Diary of a Madman. “Those are the come lines-the bars that are going to draw you in, set the mood, and let you know what the song is about and whether or not you should be f***king with it or not . . . I pride myself on my come lines and I always put the most time into those.”
So while the independently released Deeply Rooted begins and ends with an eerie instrumental courtesy of Mike Dean, the opening lines to the album are, “You win some, you lose some / Life in a nutshell.” And the weight of those words are powerful enough to not only pull in listeners for the song, but, as it turns out, work beautifully as a set-up for the entire project too. However, that should come as no surprise. Scarface has always been one of Hip-Hop’s best songwriters and most thought-provoking rappers and this collection of music continues that tradition.
Two Deeply Rooted standout tracks are “God” and “Steer.” On the former, with an outstanding assist from John Legend on its chorus, Face says what he would do if he were God (“Let the world see my face,” “answer every prayer one at a time”) and ponders what life would be like if God went away – adolescent suicide, killers walking the streets, adults harming children, etc. The irony, of course, is that these tragedies do still happen. But then on “Steer” with Rush Davis, he puts his faith in a higher power to save him from himself. It all manifests itself in the humbling realization that even in one’s own world, he or she is not the center of it and that there are often many forces in motion at any given time. And it’s Scarface’s willingness to accept it that has allowed his music to have so much depth over the years. While his contemporaries revel in shallow material excess to appear larger than life, Brad Jordan addresses complicated aspects of daily life with laser-like precision.
Elsewhere on Deeply Rooted, “Do What I Do” is a stellar collaboration with Nas, Rick Ross, and Z-Ro. They all make great contributions, but it’s Nas that steals the show with a verse that touches on issues ranging from police brutality to the prison system and the recent economic collapse. “All Bad” is an optimistic record with an organ infused instrumental (props to N.O. Joe and Ervin Pope for that) and hymn-style hook which does provide light on an otherwise very dark album. A few of the best examples of this are in “F**k You Too” where Face’s baritone delivery presents a kill or be killed worldview that shape so many in ghettos around the globe and “The Hot Seat” which plays like Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day” if it were a bad one.
The thumping keys of “You” create a solid nostalgic track and Cee-Lo works well on the hook. Then “Voices” is a sweeter sounding song and Scarface’s compassionate delivery is worth noting, but the idea of voices in one’s own head is a bit cliche. Fortunately, the album’s closing rap number, “No Problem,” makes up for it and brings everything full circle in a really powerful way. “Rhyming at its finest, unlike those vaginas / They claim that they the real deal, knowing I’m the highest / Time for the command chain, I am what the streets made / I am what the hood built, you are just a weak lame.”
Scarface realizes his enormous influence and it is undeniable that he has created a complete uncompromising body of work with Deeply Rooted. Lyrically, the album is on point and, as far as the beats, N.O. Joe (who handles the bulk of the production) knows how to compliment Face’s delivery better than anyone. Other than being a bit too feature heavy and the aforementioned “Voices,” both of which are just minor missteps, Deeply Rooted delivers. In a recent interview, Scarface was asked to rank his albums, but didn’t include any Geto Boys material or one legitimate solo release (2000’s The Last of a Dying Breed). If asked to do it again in the future, I would hope he’d include this release near the top his list. Is it better than The Fix or The Diary? No. But it is one of the better albums by one of the game’s best emcees, and so that still makes for one of dopest Hip-Hop albums in recent years.
Respect due.
Overall Rating: 9/10
What do you think of the album? Please share your thoughts in the comments section!
Two rappers that have absolutely no chill are Kevin Gates and Plies. The two took to their Instagram accounts to get a little bit freaky over the weekend. Gates wants to tie women up and spank them before getting to business, and Plies wants to test out his “Sweet Pwussy Satday” (and Sunday in this case) skills. We’d say stay away from Gates ladies since he is still kicking women at shows.
Meek Mill is one funny guy. He took to Instagram to slam social media for giving cowards a platform to say whatever they want. In the post, Meek says social media is changing the game, and the “suckas” are winning. Meek contradicted himself and his actions a few times in the post. A few people commented asking Meek why didn’t he take his own advice and call Drake up instead of tweeting about him. We just want to know who wrote this post for Meek? Meek also didn’t seem to want to show any love to Future at Made In America, when he asked his DJ why he was playing so much Future music. He asked the DJ to “play some rap too.” He said, “I think Future is on Made In America.”
It seems like Travis Scott offended the LGBT community for comments he made at his show. He seems to be another artist always acting out then offering some sort of weak apology only to act out again. Who does this sound like? What are your thoughts? Should the LGBT community be offended?
There have been reports that Lil Durk had his tour bus shot up in Philadelphia Friday night over an unspecified beef. Lil’ Durk has responded to the reports basically saying this never happened. He said he and his crew are all good, and they are heading to the next city. So what really happened?
Mass Appeal creative director Sacha Jenkins is one of the most accomplished Hip Hop journalists in history. His resumé includes articles for Vibe, Rolling Stone, and Spin magazines. In addition, he helped start ego trip and co-wrote two books (ego trip’s Book of Rap Lists, ego trip’s Big Book of Racism) with fellowpublishers Elliott Wilson and Jeff Mao.
Besides contributing to those references, Jenkins was also a co-creator of Ego Trip’s The (White) Rapper Show. The VH1 reality competition series pitted Caucasian rappers against each other in the hopes of winning a $100,000 prize.
One year after The (White) Rapper Show aired, Eminem – the most successful White emcee of all time – released his autobiography The Way I Am. Jenkins happens to be the writer that assisted Em with the reflective 2008 memoir.
Sacha Jenkins’ most recent project is the documentary Fresh Dressed. The film was created in conjunction with CNN Films, and Hip Hop legend Nas is listed as one of the movie’s producers.
AllHipHop.com recently spoke with Jenkins about directing Fresh Dressed. But with an extensive pedigree in Hip Hop, the Queens native was asked about other topics related to his current and previous work. Check out some of the outtakes from AHH’s exclusive interview with Sacha Jenkins.
Is The Success Of ‘Empire’ & ‘SOC’ Opening New Doors In Hollywood?
On Hollywood embracing Hip Hop themed films and TV shows after the success of Empire and Straight Outta Compton:
The success of Empire and Straight Outta Compton means Hollywood’s appetite to make money will connect with stories that are relevant to the world of Hip Hop. Stories that they didn’t necessarily look at being extremely successful and compelling.
I’m sure there are a billion Hollywood executives looking for the next Straight Outta Compton. I think that can be a positive thing. When you have folks of color getting opportunities in that environment, they don’t always come easily. So it’s great that there’s more of an appetite for those kind of projects. Hopefully, that will make way for more diversity in the kinds of stories we can tell about ourselves.
On Iggy Azalea and the cultural appropriation of Hip Hop:
When you claim Hip Hop, it’s a powerful thing to claim. It’s like claiming Muhammad or claiming Jesus. It’s a culture, it’s a mindset, it’s a history that you’re claiming.
If Iggy Azalea just would have came out and said “I’m a Pop star” who makes sh*tty raps calling herself a “runaway slave master,” maybe nobody would care. But the fact that she was co-signed by some thirsty ass negroes who thought it was okay to tell some White chick it was okay to call yourself a “runaway slave master,” that’s when it becomes problematic.
If T.I. would have said “this is my Pop artist, and she’s doing Pop-Disco songs” it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But because there is this history of cultural appropriation, people are going to feel a way about it.
On co-creating The (White) Rapper Show:
With The (White) Rapper Show, we were making social commentary. We cast a really broad range of White rappers coming from lots of different perspectives. Ultimately, we saw that show as a conversation. It was America eavesdropping on White rappers having a conversation amongst themselves.
On Eminem’s reaction to The (White) Rapper Show:
I did Eminem’s biography. I was in his basement in Detroit interviewing him, and out of nowhere he says, “You know what I hate?” I said, “What?” He said, “I hate The (White) Rapper Show.”
I let him go on and on. Then I said, “Did you know I created that show?” He said, “No.” I asked him, “Don’t you get it? In the wake of your success, it doesn’t’ matter anymore to a certain extent. You got respect, because you weren’t trying to be something that you weren’t.”
Unless you’re Big L, rappers aren’t rapping about killing their baby mammas. I told him, “That’s not how it works. You changed the game by showing people that White people are f*cked up too, White people take drugs, and White people have dysfunctional families. And you did it from a perspective of being true to who you are. And because you did that, you changed the way people see ‘White rappers.’”
Em’s Autobiography Was Co-Written By Jenkins
On the White media’s reaction to Eminem and him being accepted by Black fans:
I think White media always goes after people that have “shock value.” But Eminem was accepted by Black people because he wasn’t doing what people would typically deem as “wiggerish.” He was a poor White dude.
When I was coming up in the 70’s and 80’s, based on television, I had no idea that White people were poor. I didn’t have money. I knew plenty of Black people who didn’t have money. I had Good Times as a reference, but outside of The Waltons, I didn’t know White people were poor.
So Eminem actually educated a lot of people on things that they either weren’t willing to accept or didn’t know was real. I think that’s what separated him from a lot of other people.
On the current state of Hip Hop music:
I’m not saying I listen to [Eminem] everyday. But the guy is a brilliant writer. Especially at a time when writing is at an all time low in Hip Hop. Of course, you have Kendrick and other people.
I know I sound like an old ass man, but I can’t really enjoy music as an adult when young Black people are still talking about killing each other over bullsh*t. Or rhyming about “b*tches” or “p*ssy” when there are so many more important things happening.
All that stuff is an obvious distraction. People don’t understand that now. When you have Bobby Shmurda dancing for a bunch of f*cking executives like a slave, it’s disgusting to me. There are too many people that are embedded in the music industry who are just thirsty for money and are interested in maintaining the status quo.
I have a very strong opinion, but I’m a journalist first. I’m a musician. I’m a lot of different things. I’m a journalist. I’m a husband. I’m a father. I’m someone who grew up in the community. I’m someone who has seen the power of Hip Hop and how it has transformed people’s lives.
I’m one of those people. Nas is one of those people. But I’ve also seen how some of the things reflected in the music continue to hurt a lot of people. And I wish we had more people addressing this.
https://dailymotion.com/video/x28q4t7
On the current state of Hip Hop culture:
The drum in Africa was not just for music. It was for communication, language, and expression. For the music that we’ve created, the drum is the backbone of it. The root of it is the drum, and that’s what we need to use to tell our stories. We can’t lose sight of that.
It’s not just about the money. It’s not just about getting a record deal. It’s not just about having an expensive bag. It’s not just about trying to be like Rick Ross.
It’s not about that. It’s about the survival of our culture and our expression. It’s about people wanting to take that from us. It’s about appropriation. It’s about exploitation. It’s about us taking some accountability and responsibility.
It’s okay to make money as a producer or an artist. It’s okay to work with an Australian artist. It’s not okay to give lyrics like “I’m a runaway slave master” to your Australian artist. It’s not cool.
We need to be able to have these discussions whether they’re comfortable or not. We just look sloppy, because we don’t have those conversations enough. Then there’s always some fine, White journalist who’s smart and understands these issues are not being addressed. Then they write an article about it and get celebrated while we sit on the sidelines and do nothing about it.
For the first time in 16 years, the world got to hear a new album from Dr. Dre. Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre reintroduced the legendary Los Angeles producer as an artist to a new generation of music fans. The project was also responsible for shining a light on the crop of up-and-coming performers Anderson .Paak, King Mez, and Justus.
Another young talent that has emerged from the creation of Compton is Andrew “Drewski” Corria. The 26-year-old Providence, Rhode Island native went from throwing parties in high school to serving as A&R Coordinator on Dre’s third studio LP.
In early 2014, Corria relocated to L.A. without a job or a place to live waiting for him. Fortunately, his prior close relationship with Mez eventually led to Drewski meeting Tyheim “Ty” Cannon – head of A&R at Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. Cannon later took Corria under his wing and eventually assigned him the duty of helping to find production and artist placement for Compton.
AllHipHop.com spoke with Corria about his role in crafting the sound of Compton: A Soundtrack By Dr. Dre and the unexpected journey his life has taken over the last year.
At what point did you join the process in the creation of Compton?
There were probably two records on the album that were made before I was around the situation. Dre was inspired on the set of Straight Outta Compton. He would leave the movie set at night and go straight to the studio to work on music. He would show us dailies, then go in the lab and create some amazing music.
As an A&R, you were responsible for finding production and talent for the album.
With this being Dre’s first album in 16 years, what was the process for deciding what sounds and artists you were going to present to Dre for possible placement on the album?
Before I got the official title from Ty, I’d just be in the studio hearing things they’re working on, beats that are getting shot down, and beats that were lifting their ears up. Being around that for months conditioned my ears to be able to find stuff they might have been interested in. That’s how I figured out how to hear something and say, “Dre might be interested in this.”
Do you remember a particular track that stood out to you that actually made the album?
“Animal” is actually a song that I heard and thought, “They have to hear this.” I kind of brought Anderson into the whole situation with Dre. Tay had talked about him to Dre, but he probably had not played him the right record.
I was a fan of his groupmate Knxwledge. They’re in the group Nxworries. I follow him on Soundcloud. They had one song out called “Suede,” and I’m a huge fan of the record.
Mez, Justus, Ty, The D.O.C, and Dre were all in the studio. I plugged up for my phone and played the song. They were all messing with the record. Ty had a relationship with Anderson’s manager Adrian, and he called him in. I think the first song they worked on was “All In A Days Work.”
Anderson went to Russia to do a show with DJ Premier. They worked on some records while out there. When they came back, Adrian was playing me stuff. Then he played “Animal” which had another title at the time. I said, “This song is amazing. We have to play this for Dre.”
Everyone piled in the studio, and I played it. It went from Dre thinking the song was dope to him saying, “I want to work on this song with you or whatever you’re doing with it.” Then it went to “Can I have this for the album?” They said of course. After that DJ Premier flew out to work on the record, and it’s now what you hear today.
Drewski + Dr. Dre In The Lab
You have a good relationship with Mez. He actually has the first verse on the album. Has he ever talked you about finding out he’d actually be the opening rapper on Compton?
He was really excited about it. Ty got the song from DJ Dahi. They had Mez do some yelling on it which he’s not really known for, but it sounded amazing. Then they said this is how the album has to start off – super aggressive with energy. I’m very happy for him. He’s a very good friend of mine.
The way it transitioned from “Intro” to “Talk About It” was dope. Especially because people probably were not as familiar with Mez. So for him to be the first voice you hear is impactful.
I think that’s one of the things Dre does best. He finds brand new talent, and they become huge artists. From Snoop all the way to Kendrick, his track record is pretty good. I think all the new people on the album – from Justus to Mez to Anderson – are all going to be really big acts in the future.
Is there any talk about Mez and Anderson officially joining Aftermath?
I’m not sure. That’s not my place to say. I know they have a really good relationship, and we’ll see what happens. I can’t confirm nor deny that’s going to happen.
Is Justus officially signed?
Not as of yet. The only person signed is Jon Connor who also did an amazing job on the album.
King Mez + Anderson .Paak + Justus
There’s been a few albums to come from Aftermath this year – Dre, Kendrick. The Southpaw soundtrack was through Shady Records/Interscope, but it was still an Eminem produced project. What about Jon? Can we expect a project from him in the near future?
I know he’s in the studio working on his album, so it should be out. I don’t know when, but you can expect music from Jon. Everything was focused on Dre, but now that that’s out, he’s resetting.
He even says after he puts out music he doesn’t listen to it anymore. He just starts working on the next thing. Even with the 16 year hiatus from putting out an album, he’s been working on music that whole time.
Were you able to listen to any of the songs that were going to be on Detox?
I might have heard one or two songs that they said possibly could have been on Detox. I thought they sounded phenomenal. Dre’s a genius, and he’s very particular about how things sound. I feel like he has that ear no one else has. He knows what he wants, and like he said on The Pharmacy, he didn’t think [Detox] was good enough to come out.
You seem to have a good ear too. You connected with Anderson and Mez. Are there any other up-and-coming artists that are on your radar?
I appreciate you bigging up my ear. I’m just trying to learn from Dre and Ty. In the 11 months that I’ve been there, I’ve been trying to soak everything up and learn as much as I can.
As far as other artists on my radar, there’s two acts from back home that I really dig. One is a group called Code Green. They have a song called “Too Silly.” There’s another artist from back home named Zumo Kollie. He’s a dope lyricist.
That dude Roy Woods who signed with OVO, I dig his music. Post Malone is super dope. There’s this other dude from my region – Cousin Stizz. He’s out of Boston. He has a record called “No Bells” that I like a lot.
You said it’s been eleven months since you joined with Aftermath. As you sit back and reflect on how much your life has changed in a year, what do you think about?
I don’t know if I’m lucky or super blessed, but it’s amazing to see everything go so fast. I was very confident I’d be successful. I knew I was going to come to L.A. and do some really cool stuff. I didn’t know what it would be, but I knew – no matter what – I was going to be successful.
I never thought in a million years I’d have A&R credit on Dr. Dre’s third and final album. I’m just taking it day-by-day. I’m very thankful for everything. I’m thankful to Ty who gave me a chance. I didn’t have too much experience as a music executive on that level. But I guess he saw something in me to give me a chance, and I really appreciate it.
Same thing with Mez. He didn’t have to bring me to the studio. He was super supportive. Big shout out to those dudes. And obviously my friends and family. I moved out here with no job, no place to stay. I had to figure it out. Honestly, I’m still figuring it out. I want to keep moving forward.
In Slim Thugga’s newest video the OG, drops some “OG Talk” on a young bopper out there hustlin for her dough in the strip club. Also featuring an appearance from a TRUE pimp, some acting by Mr Thugga and this is a classic H-Town video mini-movie.
Cleveland bred and LA based rapper King Chip drops his single “Brand New Hoes.” After touring and performing alongside Kid Cudi for years, Chip is on the verge of releasing his own project, “CleveLAfornia.” Check this single below:
