Inland Empire, California independent artist & producer Curtiss King releases the 1st single “Give It 2 Me” off his forthcoming album “Raging Waters” dropping 9.29.15. Produced by Atlanta, GA native I-75 Beats (T-Pain, Juicy J, Dizzy Wright), “Give It 2 Me” is a whimsical walk through the charismatic, lady adoring, forever nostalgic mind of Curtiss King, that samples Da Brat’s 90’s classic “Give It 2 Ya“.
(AllHipHop News) Marcc Rose took on the task of portraying one of the most iconic figures in Hip Hop history. The 23-year-old actor was tapped by director F. Gary Gray to play Tupac Shakur in the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton, and Rose has also been working with John Singleton on a movie about Pac’s life.
“It got put on hold. There were too many hands in the pot. Honestly, they were trying to push it in the direction of the Aaliyah biopic,” Rose told Ebro In The Morning. “No diss to the Aaliyah biopic, but they didn’t have the rights. The music wasn’t in there. We’re just trying to make sure [the 2Pac biopic] is done right. At that moment it wasn’t. It was put on pause.”
The Lifetime produced Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B was universally panned by professional critics, fans, and associates of the late R&B singer. With Pac’s legacy being so heavily protected by his supporters, a similar outcome for a movie about the “Holla If Ya Hear Me” emcee would be devastating to his fan base.
Rose seems to understand the potential blow-back from creating a poorly received image of 2Pac. He was asked about feeling any pressure from acting as the legend in Straight Outta Compton.
“It was a lot of pressure to me, because of who Pac was. This is my first film. So I said if I’m coming out the gate, I got to make sure this is done right,” expressed Rose. “I got to make sure how I portray him is realistic. I don’t want it to be a character of Pac. I want his fans to be able to see him in me.”
Rapper B. Justice is making quite the statement with his new single and video for “Dirty Mouth”. The video, shot by Philly Fly Boy, is part comedy and all hip-hop. Channeling his Milwaukee roots, B. Justice laces the seemingly vulgar track with a comedic flow that will have you quickly singing along.
Though he is fairly new to the general public, B. Justice is a hustler who has self-financed his career starting with his first LP “Law and Order” and now to his follow ups “Scholar Life I” and “Scholar Life II.” Mixing creativity with intelligence is his trademark and gives his songs more meaning than what just scrapes the surface.
Michel’le has been pretty open about the details of her past relationships with Dr. Dre and Suge Knight. In a recent interview with VLAD TV she explains that Suge Knight’s “boogeyman” persona is completely real. We don’t know why Suge Knight is still trying to convince people in 2015 that he is a good guy.
If you haven’t heard already, on the 29th of every month Two-9 is planning on releasing a new project. So basically at the end of every month we can expect a new dose of Two-9 music, and we can’t be mad at that over here. We’ve been following this ATL collective for about three years after they performed at one of our AllHipHop SXSW showcases. Def take note of these cats, especially Curtis Williams who is responsible for producing this intoxicating bass and snare heavy track.
(AllHipHop News) Big Sean was in the crowd at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards when his mentor Kanye West gave his epic acceptance speech. The 11-minute address made headlines when Ye announced he was running for President of the United States in 2020.
Power 105’s Angie Martinez spoke to Sean on her radio show, and she asked the Detroit rhymer about his boss’ highly publicized moment at the VMAs.
“He’s a special dude. That guy – he just speaks from the heart. You gotta love it,” said Sean.
But will the Dark Sky Paradise creatorsupport Kanye’s run for the White House?
“Hell yeah,” he answered. “Of course.”
Sunday’s VMAs were a big night for Big Sean as well. He took home his first Moonman for “Best Video With A Social Message.” The honor was awarded for the song “One Man Can Change The World” featuring Kanye and John Legend.
Everyone knows that Questlove is a world renowned drummer and DJ, but what about the Beibs? Rumor has that Justin is a great drummer after performing on all his YouTube videos that helped him make it to the big time. Lets see what happens with Justin and Questlove square off. This should be good!
As you know 50 Cent is the King of petty and Drake is the Prince. 50 Cent is always on Instagram starting social media beef, promoting a brand, and showing love to his youngest son only. Recently he posted on his Instagram page a picture of his son with a caption that said,
“Hey my dad said it’s okay that I’m light skinned because Drake’s making light skinned ni66as cool again.”
SMH This guy LOL! Hey, are light skinned guys winning this year?
(AllHipHop News) EA SPORTS launched the official 2016 edition of its NBA LIVESpotify profile. This year’s soundtrack was once again curated by MICK, and the list features mainstream rap stars and buzzing Hip Hop talent.
“Every year, we try to top the soundtrack from the previous year, and this year’s lineup is great,” says MICK. “We touch all regions, all sounds, and all aspects of dope new music in this game. From eclectic trap icons like Travis Scott, Young Thug, and Future to soulful and smooth emcees like Oddisee, Illa J and Phony Ppl; from lyricists like Fashawn, Shirt, King Los and Vince Staples to classic melodies by Jidenna and Jamie xx. And of course, we have some legends on the soundtrack as well: Kendrick Lamar, Large Professor and Busta Rhymes. I’m really pleased with the track list we put together this year.”
The NBA LIVE 16 in-game soundtrack will debut new tracks from Kill The Noise & Madsonik, Your Old Droog, OverDoz., R. City, and Shirt. The full soundtrack list will be available on the free Live 16 demo debuting on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live on September 15 as well as the full game on September 29.
Too Short talks about the time when he ran away from police and ended up spending some time in jail. While in jail Too Short said he wrote a book with his spare time and says that the book goes along with his upcoming album. Check it out below:
(AllHipHop News) Hpnotiq Liqueur has announced its undergoing a makeover with the new 360-degree campaign #SINCE2001. This fall, the brand is enlisting rapper Cam’ron, DJ/entrepreneur Va$htie Kola, artist Naturel, and rapper/artist Yung Jake for Hpnotiq’s “Class of 2001.”
“With a new visual identity and the roster of brand ambassadors we’ve curated, there’s no doubt that Hpnotiq is poised to introduce new consumers to the original flavor and signature color that didn’t just define culture, but created its very own,” says Brittany Capito, Senior Brand Manager, Hpnotiq Liqueur. “At the same time, those who remember Hpnotiq from the early 2000s will appreciate the tongue-in-cheek sentiment of the campaign.”
Naturel redesigned the Hpnotiq brand’s visual identity by incorporating his signature pop-art-influenced style. The Art Deco-inspired graphic cues launched on Hpnotiq’s social channels.
Watch a #Since2001 behind-the-scenes video featuring Naturel below.
Dej Loaf sure loves those strippers and weed brownies. A young lady by the name of Karisma said she hoped today would be her last day stripping, and Def Loaf said she needed a dance before Karisma leaves the game. Dej claims to be straight, but it seems like she may have a thing for girls too.
“Rap is something you do. Hip Hop is something you live,” explained KRS-One on his song “Hip Hop Vs. Rap.” After 4 decades of existence, some outside observers still may not have a clear understanding that Hip Hop is a culture that encompasses more than just rapping. It is a creative community that expresses itself through music, dance, visual art, writing, education, and fashion.
Director Sacha Jenkins sought to further help explain Hip Hop’s expanding reach into all facets of society through his debut film Fresh Dressed. The New York City native’s career includes serving as music editor of Vibe, producing TV programs like 50 Cent: The Origin of Me, and performing in the supergroup The White Mandingos with Murs and Darryl Jenifer. With that extensive body of work, Jenkins was the ideal visionary to construct a movie which explores the cultural crossing between the history of Hip Hop and the story of style.
Fresh Dressed holds the distinction of having another veteran Hip Hopper attached as well. Legendary emcee Nas serves as a producer and appears on camera. Jenkins also linked with noted fashion tastemakers Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Sean “Puffy” Combs, André Leon Talley, A$AP Rocky, Marc Ecko, Karl Kani, Dapper Dan, and several others to elicit their insights into how urban wear developed into a global economic force even high fashion houses couldn’t ignore.
In an interview with AllHipHop.com, Sacha Jenkins discusses directing Fresh Dressed. The creative director of Mass Appeal also covers working with Nas and CNN Films to produce the documentary, and he offers thoughts on where Hip Hop fashion stands today.
This was your directorial debut. What was it like taking on that task for the first time?
It was a great experience. It was great having a partner like CNN who typically doesn’t do this kind of film. They got behind the film and were very excited about it. Then going to Sundance [Film Festival] was an amazing occurrence that I wasn’t necessarily expecting. I’m very grateful. I never directed before, but between my experience as a journalist, writer, editor, and a television producer I feel like I had a bit of a leg up.
You mentioned CNN. When you think of CNN, you don’t necessarily think of Hip Hop content. Did they understand your vision? Was there any pushback on what would be presented?
I think they understood my vision which was the opportunity to tell the story of Hip Hop but also use fashion as a platform to talk about a lot of bigger picture issues – certain things that have an effect on people of color, particularly African-Americans and Latinos in the inner-city.
With all of the things I was able to touch on in the film – from slavery through to the rise of gangs in the South Bronx to the birth of Hip Hop and brands created by people coming from the world of Hip Hop – it was broad enough to touch on things that are traditionally interesting to their audience.
CNN was a great partner for me. I worked in television before, and I dealt with really crazy notes and outlandish requests. But most of their input was really constructive. It was no bullsh*t. It was a full partnership. I feel it represents the vision I had for the film.
You were able to talk to a lot of different people connected to Hip Hop and fashion for Fresh Dressed. Was there anyone that you didn’t get to interview that you would have liked to?
I think that ultimately I’m pretty satisfied with who we got. There were time issues. Like Puffy and Kanye came at the 11th hour. Those guys have crazy schedules. I had pretty much resigned myself that we weren’t going to get them, but we got them.
I think when you look at a Kanye, Pharrell, and Diddy, those guys are at the top of the food chain in terms of recognition, impact, and influence. But I wanted the film to feature people who aren’t famous in the mainstream but had a hand in the evolution of Hip Hop. Lorine Padilla, a former gang member, came on with a very strong voice. You have Dapper Dan who is a very important person.
I wanted the film to be a real reflection of Hip Hop. Rap and Hip Hop are two different things. Kanye is a rap star. He’s a Pop icon. The culture of Hip Hop is a chorus of voices. So I wanted to create a film for people who know nothing about Hip Hop but know Kanye, and I wanted to have voices in there that would bring a real richness to the overall story. So no, I don’t think there is anyone I’m really missing.
Nas is a producer for Fresh Dressed. Can you talk about how you first connected with him and how that led to you working together on this project?
Me and Nas went to the same junior high school in Queens. I’m about a year ahead of him. I didn’t necessarily know him then. I knew Havoc of Mobb Deep who was a good friend of his in junior high.
I interviewed him for the cover of the first issue of Ego Trip which was a magazine me and Elliott Wilson used to publish. So I’ve been interacting with Nas since at least 1994. Later in life, he became a partner in Mass Appeal where I’m a partner too.
As a producer, obviously his credibility goes a long way. His insights on and off screen and his relationships were extremely useful. He can make a call directly to Diddy and say, “Get off your ass and do this for me.”
Sundance was amazing and a milestone in my life. But to be able to go back to Queensbridge and screen my film for the people in the community I came from, people who went to the same crappy junior high and high schools I went to… To be able to have that opportunity and produce a film with Nas… I have no control over how things work in the universe, but the universe definitely came together to make this a special project.
I was trying to think of modern rap stars that have their own collections. Kanye has one. Nicki Minaj has one. But it seems like a lot of rappers tend to sell brand merchandise or connect with corporations for endorsements, but it’s not a lot of collections being produced. Do you think the artist-owned Hip Hop fashion collection has become passé?
I think when you have guys like Jay Z not wearing his own clothing brand Rocawear and now being about Tom Ford, it kind of takes away the general excitement the public might have in these brands that were initially created by them. The bigger conversation is connected to issues of self-esteem we have in the inner-city. The film kind of touches on that a bit.
You had brands like FUBU, Karl Kani, and Cross Colours. Brands that were created for us, by us. Then there came a time where people said, “These brands weren’t cool anymore.” But we continue to wear Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton – all these wonderful brands – but we don’t support our own.
Like a lot of things in Hip Hop, everything is so tied into trends that culture itself becomes a trend. So when the rapper no longer thinks his own clothing line is cool, everybody says, “I guess it’s not cool. Let’s move onto the next sh*t. Let’s get the sh*t that’s expensive.” Louis Vuitton is never going to get played out.
Master P had a clothing line, but no one wants to wear No Limit clothing right now. Why is that? Is it because it’s not good? Maybe it could have gotten better if we continued to support it.
A photo posted by Fresh Dressed (@freshdressedmovie) on
A lot of rappers talk about fashion now, but they mostly talk about high fashion. Stuff that a lot of their listeners can’t even afford to buy. What do you think the effect is on young people that look up to rappers who are always promoting items that are out of the price range of their listeners?
Personally, I think these clothing brands we can’t pronounce and can’t afford are reflections of an aspirational lifestyle, but a lot of it is just to the point where it’s not realistic, it’s insensitive, and it’s ignorant. Sure, if you can afford a $6,000 purse, God bless your life. But if you can barely keep the lights on and you want that $6,000 purse to feel good about yourself, that’s a problem.
As an adult looking back I can say to myself, “Why was clothing so important? Why did it matter so much to my peer group? Why did we ostracize those that didn’t have fresh gear? So much so that the kids that couldn’t afford it were willing to sell drugs to make sure they had the right gear.”
Clothing becomes armor. It becomes a way to protect yourself. It becomes language. It’s a way to identify yourself. It’s a way to communicate to people without saying anything. Why do we feel like we always have to make statements to one another? Why do we feel like we have to one up the next person?
Let’s look at where that came from. That’s what I wanted to do with this film.
I think everything you said is introduced in the very beginning of the trailer. One of the first things Kanye says is…
“Being fresh is more important than having money.”
Do you have anything else in the works?
I’m currently directing a doc about O.J. Simpson. That’s the main thing I’m in the middle of right now. Hopefully, Fresh Dressed will continue to create opportunities, not just for me, but other people like us.
Anyone could have made Fresh Dressed. I’m not saying that someone from Australia couldn’t make Fresh Dressed. They could, but it’s important that people who are of the culture have the opportunity to tell these stories.
The truth always gets loss. Everyone has their biases. Everyone has their blind spots. I’m sure there are plenty of things people can pick out in my film that I didn’t address. But the more we have people who understand the experience firsthand making projects, the closer we’ll get to the truth of the history.
We made history as a culture, and we need people who are going to continue the culture to know their history and push it in new directions. Keep it fresh.
–
Sacha Jenkins’ Fresh Dressed documentary premieres Thursday, September 3 at 9 p.m. ET on CNN. [UPDATE: CNN has moved the time of 9/3 airing to 10 p.m. ET)
Prince recently spoke about his appreciation for the K. Dot’s sophomore effort, To Pimp a Butterfly.
“He just has something he has to say,” he said to Medium‘s Smokey Fontaine. “It’s pure. And with Thundercat on the album? Come on. You’re not taking ‘Alright’ off my playlist!”
Kendrick and Prince actually hit the studio last year but didn’t have time to record a track together due to Prince being pressed for time.
The “Purple Rain” singer also gushed over other pieces of work he admires from Kanye West and Jill Scott.
“[T]he way he made something new with that sample was perfect,” he said about Yeezy’s “Gold Digger” track.
And for Jill Scott’s A Long Walk, the musical genius says “every song on that first album was the truth.”
It looks like Keke Palmer is trying to be the leading lady in Future’s “Rich Sex” video. Well Keke Palmer certainly has some ratchet tendencies, and apparently everyone needs a little ratchet Future music in their life. The Future Hive seems to be strong. Fellas, would you like to see Keke as the video’s leading lady?
Wendy Williams is giving her two cents about the Nicki Minaj/Miley Cyrus situation. During a sitdown with HuffPost Live, the daytime TV host says she is not pleased with the way the “Truffle Butter” rapper clapped back at Cyrus.
“I was very disappointed in Nicki and I don’t have an opinion on either one of the girls — bad, good or indifferent, they’re both talented in their own way,” she said. “I just feel that Nicki is like twice Miley Cyrus’ age and it would have been nice if Nicki would have just taken her award, rolled her eyes and looked at the camera and then kept it moving.”
Alexander Wang has recruited hip-hop all-stars for his newest line of threads. The high-end fashion designer has partnered up with DoSomething.org for a collection of hoodies and t-shirts and in its new campaign artists like Kanye West, The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, Jhene Aiko, Pusha T and Tyga are showing it off.
The line of apparel was designed with hopes of encouraging youth to get involved with social issues like poverty and violence. All of the proceeds will be donated to DoSomething.org. Take a look at the pictures below and shop the collection here.
J. Cole has just earned his first platinum album. His third album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive has been certified platinum with over one million copies sold according to reports.
2014 Forest Hills Drive debuted at the no. 1 spot with 371,000 copies sold and streamed its first week after being released in December 2014 with short notice to his fans. The album has outsold Cole’s first two albums, Cole World: The Sideline Story and Born Sinner, which have both been certified gold. Cole World sold 218,00o its debut week while Born Sinner sold 297,000 copies its first week.
Being behind bars has not kept Gucci Mane from making moves. He is still actively releasing music and even created a LinkedIn account. Now Guwop has announced that he will be releasing his autobiography. The Atlanta native revealed via his Twitter account that the book will drop in next year.
Gucci was incarcerated in 2014 after being convicted of a possession of a firearm by a convicted felon charge. He is expected to be released in late 2016 or early 2017.
Peep the tweets below about his upcoming autobiography.
