Photo Credit: Instagram, Jod Racks, Andre Uncut, Dex R. Jones
Christina Stitchell — or, Tina for short — was born in Brooklyn and reared in the Bronx. Within those inner-city, under-resourced communities she refused to be confined to the block. Lead by a resilient spirit and diligent determination, she brought her dreams to fruition and has been a working model since the age of 14.
Her personified beauty has graced the pages of Vogue Australia, worked avant-garde fashions for the Ann Taylor runway, and supplied an organic sophistication for different Hip-Hop music videos. Tina has also flexed her creative acumen as she has been an essential person to help develop online campaigns for established brands like Louis Vuitton, Diesel, L’Oreal, Ralph Lauren, and K-Mart.
Throughout her burgeoning career, the chocolate-coated, statuesque beauty has heard countless “Nos.” Learning to seek the good in each challenge, Tina has trained herself to accept many grunt positions that have eventually brought about greater opportunities to use her dynamic set of professional and interpersonal skills. Although, she can be seen around the country on numerous billboards, an ingrained humility asserts that she’s “just another New York nobody.”
Scroll through the gallery and enjoy the melanin-enriched natural beauty that is, Tina Stitchell!
Fresh off the release of The Meth Lab via Tommy Boy Records, Method Man drops the lyric video to his song “Water” ft Chedda Bang. The track drips along is classic Method Man with metaphors and a cool story about dodging the cops and life in the hood. Beyond that Method man evokes Malcolm X in his raps leading up to a chopped n screwed like hook.
With his new deal with industry conglomerate 300 Ent. Kirko Bangz gets a little help from Fetty Wap for his new visual to the earlier released song, “Worry Bout It.” The Isaac Yowman bring the song to life that will be featured on Kirko’s Bigger Than Me album set to be released in the coming weeks.
Azealia Banks has weighed in on the bad blood between Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus and came clean about how she really feels about them and their music. In a series of tweets during the wee hours of the morning, the “Wallace” rapper said the both of them , including Taylor Swift, were “basic.”
The Young Money femcee was quick to clap back at Miley so let’s see how she handles Ms. Banks.
Recently Curren$y spoke about one of the things he loves the most…. No it wasn’t good ‘ole mary jane, but it was the custom cars that he loves and that have seemingly taken over his Instagram with dope high quality images. Building his ST Customs chop shop in New Orleans Curren$y is the king of trickin out whips. Take a look below at his inteview with HNHH.
Dr. Dre was not the only musical force behind the Compton album. For the first time (and probably only time), all of the other musicians who helped the album come to life sat down for a in-depth interview with DJ Skee about the project.
Watch below to see what they had to go through to be selected to be apart of the album and much more.
The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards had a lot of notable moments but the most unforgettable was the reflective rant/speech by Kanye West. It turns out that that moment almost didn’t happen.
MTV executive Van Toffler spoke to Billboard about the highs and the lows of VMA night. In the interview, Toffler said that Yeezy was supposed to take the stage instead of giving a 13-minute talk.
“We originally thought Kanye was going to do a medley,” Toffler said. “Then we thought he was going to not do music and talk. Then, about two acts into the show, we thought he would do a couple-song medley. This is after the show started. Then, about an act before, we found out that he might not do music and just speak — but we had to be prepared for both, so we had a track cued up. We were in the truck and we heard this 10 minutes before he was to accept the award.”
Even though people behind the scenes had no clue what Ye’ was up to, they were prepared regardless.
“We decided to be open to whatever Kanye wanted because he’s given us so many moments – unexpected ones. So we weren’t sure whether he would break into song or not. We had a track –he would have rapped to his biggest hits.”
Toffler also further confirmed that the moment between Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj was real.
“We had no idea what either of them was going to say, and we didn’t anticipate that,” he said. “Clearly, from Miley’s reaction, it was genuine.”
The Game is giving his fans new music and some spending money to go along with it.
To promote his seventh album, the Compton spitter has decided to give away $1,000 a day for 25 days until The Documentary 2 hits stores. He took to his Instagram and told fans what rules they need to follow to qualify.
The Documentary 2 will be available Sept. 25th. Keyshia Cole, Dr. Dre, Ab. Soul, Kendrick Lamar, Lil’ Wayne and more are expected features for the project.
Big Daddy Kane has some words for the rappers of this generation as he addressed those who had a lot to say about Macklemore’s MTV VMAS performance. He called out rappers currently in the game for not paying homage to legends (in this case Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Caz) and being the same ones that criticize Macklemore for taking the initiative to do so. While people still wanted to call Macklemore a culture vulture, he applauded Macklemore for celebrating these artists. He said those (blacks) in Hip Hop don’t acknowledge our own enough then get mad when others do. Check out what he posted on Instagram below. For some reason he has since deleted the post.
Universal Studios shut down the idea of a sequel to the Straight Outta Compton biopic, but it looks like it still may be in the works.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, an agency is shopping a deal with a book and a re-released 2001 documentary, both titled Welcome to Death Row, written by S. Leigh Savidge. If picked up, the film would depict the years following the N.W.A breakup when Dr. Dre linked up with Suge Knight. It would also follow the careers of Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur.
The only issue is that Savidge has no rights to the music for the project, which complicate getting a studio deal.
Straight Outta Compton has spent three weeks at the no. 1 spot for the domestic box office, raking in a total of $141 million since being released on Aug. 14th. The N.W.A flick is now the top grossing musical biopic of all time.
50 Cent seemed to p### off Britney Spears fans when he said,
“Super bowl 50 is mine ,every party is mine.”
He didn’t mention the halftime show, which many want Britney Spears to claim. Apparently that’s what Britney fans thought he was referring to, and let him have it in his Instagram comments. This prompted 50 to post a comment, saying
Not only is one of Rick Ross’ baby mamas, Tia Kemp, asking for their son’s child support to be increased to $20,000 a month, she’s also revealing that she still sleeps with the rapper. Kemp revealed that her and Rick Ross just had sex in July and have been sleeping with each other for the past few years. This is interesting because Rick Ross has been flaunting his new girlfriend Lira Galore for a few months. Kemp referred to Lira as Ross’ seasonal prostitute, and claims that he told her that Lira is seasonal, and in a few month’s he won’t even remember her name. Ross and his baby mama drama never ends.
As a Hip-Hopper with Caribbean linage, Labor Day weekend in NYC marks more than the end of Summer, it represents for West Indians, The Labor Day Carnival. With over a million in attendance each year, it is the biggest parade in NYC. Full of fashions, food and fun, the days festivities will keep you engaged with the Caribbean culture.
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When the parade is over, the after parties and concerts are just as important as the parade. For the thousands that are looking for Soca, Dancehall and Reggae vibes, Movado will bring his classic sounds to Stage 48 in Times Square NYC. Hosted by Island funny man Majah Hype and performances by Kerwin Dubois, Alan Cave, Barbee, Lyrikal and many other island stars, this is your fix to party before the party. For more info and details, visit
It looks like Safaree is completely moving on with his life. He broke up with his “model” girlfriend Zaisha, and now he has gotten some new ink to cover his old Nicki Minaj tattoo. I guess since it’s been over, there’s no point of looking at Nicki on his arm everyday. Why do people tattoo other people’s names and faces on their body? Is it ever that serious?
In the latest chain of events with Master P and his estranged wife Sonya Miller, Master P responds to TMZ
My priority is to provide a safe environment for my family. She’s a grown woman and she’s free to do whatever she wants outside of the home. But I’m not going to allow access to her boyfriend and partying friends to come over and sleep where my kids are. She’s barely there, she doesn’t even take my kids to school and my sixteen year old failed all of her classes last year under her mother’s lack of guidance. This is the first time I’m hearing she has a hernia and vertigo. By the looks of her Instagram pics by the pool and the beach partying in the blazing sun, she looks quite healthy and happy. This is all a publicity stunt. I’m not feeding into her games. She needs to get focused on being a better mother to her kids and stop partying with her friends. My family lives in a safe guard gated community in Calabasas, where visitors are documented. These records will be furnished to the courts to show the heavy traffic and penalties that I have had to pay for all the crazy parties she’s been having throughout the years. She has the nerve to get upset because I refuse to buy her a new car. She doesn’t take our kids to school or anywhere else they need to be. She’s selfish, ungrateful and irresponsible. If she’s unappreciative of her lifestyle, why isn’t she working instead of waiting for me to give her more money for her extra curricular activities. Most of my kids are grown and have already moved out, she’s only raising one underage child of ours which is my sixteen year old while the rest are with me. My ex is basically letting it be known that I have been taking care of her and our kids all this time without a judge or court order. I’m just fed up with the extra BS. I have a lifetime commitment to my kids, I will always take care of my family and I wish the best for her, she’s the mother of my kids.
It looks like Master P has been taking attacks from his ex but, has always support his children. We will see if this separation will get finalized or if this attacks will continue.
For anyone that says all Atlanta rappers sound the same, Sy Ari Da Kid serves as a living testament to the falsehood of that perception. The North Side representative displays a wide range of musical styles on his very own projects.
From the social commentary of Politically End Correct to the Trap-influenced stylings of S.O.O.N. to the Drake-esque focus on the ladies with The Heartbreak Kid 3, Sy Ari is a musical chameleon capable of blending into almost any playlist.
3 In 1: Da Kid’s Musical Flexibility
“I’m from New York, so that’s where the samples and Hip Hop feel of Politically End Correct come from. That’s just me talking about conscious subjects going on in the world,” Sy Ari Da Kid informs AllHipHop.com. “Me being in the south, that’s S.O.O.N. with the melodies, different flows, and 808s. Then I ride around to [Atlanta R&B station] 104.1. I’m an old school R&B fan.”
His latest project, The Sy Ari Mix 2, is a throwback to when emcees would show they could murder other rapper’s beats. The 15-track collection includes new versions of Meek Mill’s “R.I.C.O.,” Fetty Wap’s “My Way” and others.
Sy Ari’s four-year-old son opens the project declaring “we want bars,” and his dad is happy to oblige. The preschooler appears throughout Mix 2, navigating listeners through the Trap-A-Holics, DJ Jay Tek, DJ S.R., and DJ Blak Boy hosted tape.
Fatherhood is a central part of who Sy Ari Da Kid is as a man and as a brand. His life journey involves maneuvering through the challenge of building a music career while at the same time raising a child alone.
“People ask me what separates me from other artists. I don’t know too many other artists right now that are single fathers and the mother is not around. If they are, they’re not promoting it,” states Sy. “That’s my story. That’s my lane. I represent for the single fathers.”
Sy’s own childhood began in The Bronx, New York. He relocated to Atlanta at the age of nine, but it was a legendary collective from the city where Hip Hop was born that helped put him on the path toward his future as a rap artist.
“My brother used to make beats on this Yamaha my pops had. He was a big fan of Wu-Tang. He’d try to copy everything they did. With him being my older brother I fed off that,” Sy explains. “I kept practicing rapping as a hobby. Once I got out of high school, I started to take it seriously. I knew I wasn’t going to play ball professionally, so I wanted to do one thing I was at least a little bit better at than other people.”
Another rap-star-in-the-making emerged from Robert L. Osborne High as well. “Cut Her Off” rhymer K Camp is from the same Marietta, Georgia neighborhood as Sy Ari. Even though Camp was a few years behind Sy, the two performers were able to connect and become close. That friendship eventually led to the 2012 joint effort Work A Holics.
Sy and Camp – along with producer Mike Will Made It and rap trio Migos – are part of the narrow band of North Atlanta natives to garner attention outside of GA. While ATL legends OutKast, Goodie Mob, T.I., Young Jeezy, Ludacris, and Gucci Mane, have been able to cement their section of the city’s vibe with a mainstream audience, “The Nawfside” is still developing its own distinct musical design, according to Da Kid.
“Camp’s about to be the first person to drop an album from Marietta, so right now I wouldn’t say we have a sound. As far as artists, I think me and Camp are going to start developing a sound coming from that area,” contends Sy. “We got A-1 The Supergroup and Rich The Kid. It’s a couple of people, but we’re just starting to create our sound. People weren’t really repping or mentioning the North Side.”
While K Camp is set to drop his debut LP Only Way Is Up this week, Sy is not too concerned about releasing his own official studio album. His discography already contains over a dozen projects, and since he often uses original production the distinction between how the collections are labeled is pretty much irrelevant.
“I let the people pick [what to call it]. I don’t care. I give you the music, and you take what you want from it,” he says. “Call it an EP or mixtape. I don’t really care about all that. To the people, it’s either good, bad, or okay. They don’t care what it’s called anymore.”
After Sy gave the people his recent single “Man In My City,” the feedback from the public mostly centered around the song’s guest. Fellow Atlantan Quentin Miller provided a verse. In case you didn’t have access to the internet or TV over the last month, Miller is the guy that Meek Mill exposed as Drake’s co-writer on cuts like “R.I.C.O.,” “10 Bands,” and “Know Yourself.”
Sy released visuals for “Man In My City” after the Meek/Drake situation exploded, and nearly all the top YouTube comments for the video were about the OVO leader. Some users even began speculating if Sy Ari was penning words for Drake too. That led him to address the online reactions on his follow-up “My Mixtapez.”
“When we did the video, we didn’t talk about all the Drake sh*t. I don’t have no problem with Meek, but the way that he aired it out, I don’t know if he considered Quentin’s situation,” suggests Sy. “Quentin’s an artist. But now all people are concerned about is ‘he could have given that to Drake’ or ‘that sounds like Drake.’ They’re trying to hear Drake in the sh*t so much that they’re forgetting this is a young n*gga that never had nothing. Do y’all even know if this messed up a situation for him? I don’t think nobody considered that.”
The after-effect of Meek versus Drake is still playing out which is usually the case for such a notorious battle. Sy Ari is well aware of how success from a lyrical match-up can impact someone’s career. Atlanta radio station Hot 107.9 retired Sy from its battle competition once he took out eleven opponents in a row.
Sy has experienced his own face-to-face battles both on camera and off as well. Last year, he jumped in the ring against Making The Band alum E Ness at an MC WARS event, and many fans believe the Atlanta representative walked out of the 3 rounder as the winner.
“E Ness, I still look at him as the first battle rapper to do it on reality television. He’s still a legend, in my opinion,” says Sy. “I said I’ll go in there and spar with him. I felt like he couldn’t beat me. He doesn’t have angles. He’s straightforward.”
The “Don’t Make Me” spitter is a true follower of battle rap culture. He watches what takes place in leagues such as King Of The Dot, URL, and Don’t Flop and names battlers Hollow Da Don, Arsonal, John John Da Don, Cortez, and Math Hoffa as friends. Going off general consensus, Sy lists Hollow, Ars, Charlie Clips, and Murda Mook among the top guys in the game right now.
Being a well-known recording artist is the top priority at the moment for Sy, but he’s still interested in going to war with some of the best competitors in battle rap. Even if Da Kid does not sign-up for a main event card in the near future, he sees stepping in the recording booth as a battle in itself.
Sy says, “To me, battling is the only thing left in music that is still raw and uncut. There’s rappers that say, ‘I don’t freestyle. I don’t battle.’ This whole sh*t is a battle. When you get on a song with a n*gga, if you don’t have a hotter verse, then you lost the battle. So I’m always going to jump into that lane.”
Add a willingness to embrace the competitive nature of battle rap with an ability to create diverse musical content, and the sum is one of the most versatile Hip Hop artists of this generation. Those qualities are also making Sy Ari Da Kid the man in his city.
(AllHipHop News) Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs is taking his Bad Boy Records crew to Miami Beach this October. According to Billboard, Puffy & The Family will be headlining the second annual Revolt Music Conference.
Other acts scheduled to perform include Robin Thicke, Jidenna, Dej Loaf, Quincy and Post Malone. More artists are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The event also features panel discussions, keynote addresses, parties, and a gala ceremony. Andre Harrell, Hype Williams, Kevin Liles, No I.D., Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, Tavis Smiley, and David Banner are among the industry insiders listed as panelists.
The 2015 Revolt Music Conference will take place October 15-18 at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach.
(AllHipHop News) Kevin Gates found himself in a whirl of controversy this week after he was caught on video kicking a teenager in the chest at his concert. The incident has led to Lakeland, Florida police charging Gates with simple battery and many fans nationwide turning on the “Satellites” performer.
Gates has finally responded to his actions and the subsequent reaction from the public in a new song titled “The Truth.” The record features the Baton Rouge rapper claiming 18-year-old Miranda Dixon grabbed his penis several times, and K.G. says he warned the woman to stop touching him before he kicked her.
One part of the song includes the lines, “You should have respect for yourself. You a queen and you wasn’t respecting yourself.”
(AllHipHop News) Scarface wants to make it clear he does not have any issues with Rap-A-Lot Records CEO J. Prince. The Houston emcee recently did an interview with Noisey were he expressed his thoughts on the downfall of the record label he once called home.
“That was a time when Master P was taking over the airways, so J Prince wanted to Master P the game,” said Face. “I was like ‘wow like we f*cked up so bad trying to do Master P when we should’ve just continued to do us.’ I feel like that was the fall of Rap-A-Lot Records to me.”
Scarface sat down with VladTV to discuss his relationship with Prince. The interview included him calling the man his brother.
“When I said that he put records out, I only know them motherf*ckers were coming out when they came out. That’s his business. That’s in his contracts,” explained Scarface. “I don’t appreciate people trying to throw sh*t out here that’s trying to make something stick among brothers. That’s family business.”
(AllHipHop News) Louisiana rapper Kevin Gates was caught on camera kicking a female fan at his concert in Florida. The video has since gone viral, and Lakeland Police announced they are charging Gates with simple battery.
“It’s a shocking thing to see happen,” said Lakeland Police Department Spokeswoman Terri Smith. “It’s now being sent to the State Attorney’s Office where they will continue on with the process.”
Miranda Dixon is the young woman that was kicked in the chest by Gates. The 18-year-old and her family members spoke to ABC News about the ordeal.
“It still hurts so much. That is why I try not to talk too much or even walk around,” said Dixon.
Local residents have expressed outrage at what happened on Friday night. Thousands of people have signed a petition to ban Gates from Florida venues. Tampa area radio station WILD 94.1 announced they will no longer air his music.
“I am so thankful to the community for supporting my daughter,” said Dixon’s mother Kristy Ireland-Ricks. “No man should ever hit a woman. That is not okay. He should be arrested and sent to prison.”
Dixon added that she forgives Gates for what happened. The family has reportedly hired an attorney.
UPDATE:
Kevin Gates has responded to the controversy in the new song “The Truth.” Listen to the track here.
