An unreleased J Dilla track? Yup… It’s an all-Detroit-everything affair on Magnif’s hypnotic new J Dilla-produced single, “The Last,” the B-side to last year’s “The Shining Pt. 2.” The link to the Motor City doesn’t end there, though; it features ill original artwork from Detroit artist Michelle Tanguay while Young RJ (of Slum Village) recorded and mixed the two songs.
The beat on “The Last” is classic Dilla and it’s no surprise that Magnif’s confident, smooth rhymes are a natural complement, because his connection with Dilla back to 2003. That’s when Magnif, as one-half of underground duo Lawless Element, worked with Dilla on several notable cuts. Their history in addition to the pure dopeness of “The Last” is an emotional reminder of what these two could have done together had Dilla not passed away in 2006.
The main and clean edit versions of each track can be purchased on iTunes, and will be available on 7-inch vinyl, coupled with the instrumental passes, on September 18th. Vinyl pre-order are now available, courtesy of Fat Beats.
The latest installment from The Midwest Connext comes loaded with all stars from the bread basket. Including features from Da Brat, Dej Loaf, Big Sean & Lil George, the St James and Big Heff hosted visual showcases work from the aforementioned artists who are holding it down for their respective cities, so pay attention.
The Texas summer has arrived. Houston newcomer NeKo teamed up with hometown legend Scarface and fellow H-Town representative J-Dawg for the scorching single “100 Degrees.”
Houston natives Albie Dickson & Trakksounds produced the track which is set to appear on NeKo’s forthcoming full project dropping later this year.
After dropping the track “Wildin” with Wale & securing a deal with Big 1000/Young Life Music Group/Empire Distribution, Roy DeMeo wastes no time dropping the next song that will shake up the nation. This one is called “50 Grams” & features current New Orleans representer Kevin Gates. Get ready for Roy DeMeo’s album ‘The Italia Dream’ & his brand new music video “What You Expect” to drop September 28th!!!
Last weekend, AllHipHop was at Afropunk Fest in Brooklyn, New York checking out several artists’ performances. One of those noteworthy was from singer Jesse Boykins III. Although he used to be based in Brooklyn (now he’s in Los Angeles), this Afropunk was Boykins III’s first ever. With powerful vocals, a euphoric band, and an energized crowd, Boykins III made his performance a gem to many fans that day.
I happened to run into Jesse Boykins III after his set, and was able to have brief conversation. While we were able to talk about the expansion of Afropunk, we were also able to talk about his latest endeavors. It seems like Jesse Boykins III alternative image and the Afropunk culture are very similar, going back to the days when artists like him, Theophilus London, and Melo X were originators of the culture in the modern age. It made his performance special. “It’s like a reawakening in a sense”, says Boykins “Bring more awareness to like self expression, creativity and independence”. He paused, but then added “…and love for self..”.
2 months ago, Boykins released a new project titled Bartholomew and took his soulful sound to a new perspective. His first part of the project, or “wave” features production support from Hudson Mohawke, the Silence Killer, and Soulection producer, Abjo. Boykin structure behind Bartholomew is followed by a sincere motive. “I wanna make music with my friends” says Boykins. “[Hudson Mohawke] and I have been friends for a very long time. Abjo is a friend of mine as well, and the whole Soulection crew holds me down.” The second addition to Bartholomew is to be released in (very) near future, with a new interesting feature that will attract fans of Boykins as well as new listeners.
Boykins also talked about the influence of his musical mentor, Bilal. Boykins personally chose him the two formed a close friendship. “He taught me a lot of things such as how self knowledge and how self worth goes.” The two also did a lot of activities together like meditation, which Boykins III remembered Bilal’s statement:
When you inhale, you inhale the room. When you exhale, you become the room .
When you inhale, you inhale the world. When you exhale, you exhale God.
It took Boykins a while to understand the statement, according to the singer. But he soon found the meaning and holds it dearly to him. Even when listening to his music, you can see the how Bilal helped establish a soul singer for a new generation.
Expect Jesse Boykins III’s new addition to Bartholomew soon, and if you haven’t heard it, you need to now!
The Game has been hit with a lawsuit over using a photo for cover art for his DeJ Loaf-assisted single, ‘Ryda,” without permission, TMZ reports.
A rapper/designer named Ariza Obey posted the original picture of him and a woman on his Instagram in September of 2014. Seven months later, the photo popped up as the cover art for the “Ryda” single with a few changes to the photo.
The lawsuit reportedly states that Obey claims that The Game got access to the picture because it was reposted by Love & Hip-Hop Hollywood star Masika Kalysha, who is friends with Ray J, who also shares the same manager with Game.
The amount Obey wants to settle for has not been disclosed.
Paul Wall recently got pulled over by the police and had a different experience than most lately. The interesting part about it is they let him go after asking him when his album was coming out. With the latest incidents of police shootings and police brutality, some fans immediate commented under his post saying they let him go because he was white, and this is what white privilege looks like. Senseless violence and arrests shouldn’t happen to people of any color, however do you think this stop would’ve gone different for a black rapper?
There was a rumor going around that Love & Hip Hop cast members Lil’ Scrappy, Bambi, and Yung Joc were involved in a little love triangle. Basically it was said that Bambi cheated on Scrappy with Yung Joc. It was also said that Scrappy ended his relationship with Bambi after finding the two together. The story doesn’t seem true, but it also doesn’t seem too far fetched. Scrappy did say he may have been a little impulsive when he said it was over, but they are definitely still going strong. The way Joc’s baby mama headcount is set up, anything is possible.
Where were you 17 years ago? I, like Lauryn Hill, was a young mother full of questions about Love, Life, and Faith in God. 1998 was a year chock full of classic hip-hop releases, Aquemini, Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Blackstar, Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life to name a few. Yet, in a genre dominated by men one album emerged as one of the most memorable of this epic year: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
“It’s a timeless record, pure music. And that’s what we don’t hear anymore. She birthed her sound, and that’s timeless. She didn’t try to be cool, she was already cool. She didn’t have to fit in with any style, she was the new style, and it’s a positive style,” Nas XXL on the opus’ 15th anniversary.
Nas, a Hill collaborator, goes on to say, “And then I’ll go beyond that. It’s a piece of work that’s needed in your deck, in your CD chamber, in your iPod. It’s one of those records that you need, like Legend like Bob Marley, or all those Stevie Wonder albums.” The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill truly defines the idea of a “classic” hip-hop album. It was relevant and timely, critically and commercially successful, and it has lasted the test of time.
In celebration of Ms. Lauryn Hill and her many achievements to hip-hop music and culture, here are 10 Miseducation Traits All Rap Albums Should Have:
• Humility: A wise man once said that humility is, “the noble choice to forgo your own status and use your influence for the good of others before yourself.” The Miseducation was the epitome of humility, Lauryn gave her listeners insight into her deepest hurts, fears, and frustrations and the result was pure honesty that people fell in love with.
• Vulnerability: While the overarching theme of the album is love, the secondary theme would have to be experiencing the wrong love. Lauryn’s vulnerable realness drew listeners on. She bared her soul about her past relationships without bashing the other parties involved.
• Skits: The classroom theme of the title and cover art continued through the album with skits recorded by now-Newark, NJ Mayor Ras Baraka speaking to a group of kids in Lauryn’s living room about love. Skits have made their exit from most rap albums, but they are sorely missed.
• Versatility: Recorded largely at Tuff Gong studio in Jamaica, Lauryn played around with a number of delivery patterns. She traveled seamlessly between her East Orange Fugee sound, and a Jamaican patois. See: “Lost Ones.”
• Affection for the Opposite Sex: “Doo Wop (That Thing)” remains a classic hip-hop song and video where Hill sang a cautionary tale for both young men and young women. The split-screen video spoke to the spirit of the neo-soul movement of the times—a fusion of past and present.
• Genre Variance: Miseducation is often categorized as a neo-soul album, but is really hip-hop soul. The album was the first time that we saw a rapper who was an equally adept singer.
• Respect for History: Bible passages, allusions to wars in the Middle East, references to black historical figures, and more. The Miseducation is full of respect for history, reviewing lyrics from the album all these years later still sends a listener to Google for an answer.
• Lyrical Dexterity: “My rhymes is heavy/like the mind of Sister Betty/L-Boogie spars with stars and constellations/then came down for a little conversation/adjacent to the king/fear no human being/roll with cherubim’s to the Nassau Coliseum/now hear this mixture/where hip-hop meets scripture/develop a negative into a positive picture.” –“Everything is Everything”
• Faith: The title track, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” straddles the line between soul and gospel. The moving chorus, “Deep in my heart/the answer it was in me/And I made up my mind to define my own destiny” brings the album to powerful close.
• Love: Above all things, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is about love. In the same way that The Miseducation of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson was motivated by love, this album is about love of oneself, love of ones people, love of past experiences, and love of the possibility of the future.
Also, the Men of Hip-Hop reminisce over Lauryn Hill and her Miseducation in this mini-doc.
N.W.A’s music is seeing new successes with the release of their Straight Outta Compton biopic. The group’s albums and solo efforts are reportedly scattered all over the Billboard 200 chart while their singles are hitting new milestones as well.
Not only did they finally get their first top 40 single this week, but now their debut album, Straight Outta Compton, is back on the Billboard chart in the no.4 slot.
Dr. Dre’s latest album, Compton, is one slot above at no. 3.
Eazy-E’s debut album, Eazy Duz It, also re-entered the chart at no. 32. Two greatest hits albums also charted, N.W.A’s Greatest Hits is at no. 93 and Greatest Hits, N.W.A’s The Best of N.W.A: The Strength of Street Knowledge is at no. 119. Dr. Dre’s first solo effort, The Chronic, landed in the no. 38 spot, Ice Cube’s sophomore album, Death Certificate, is in the no. 99 slot and Cube’s debut, Amerikka’z Most Wanted sits at no. 150.
“F-ck Tha Police” saw its debut on the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts as well at no. 20 and no. 25.
The meeting was shrouded in mystery, but it happened. Minister Louis Farrakhan and Eminem finally met over dinner in Detroit last night.
The affair yielded no real details, but Hasaun Muhammad of the Nation of Islam commented on his Instagram.
All pictures have a story attached to it. This picture is over ten years in the making. So much happens behind the scenes that I don’t post or talk about, but this one I absolutely had to. Truly epic that the two of them had dinner last night in Detroit. See you in D.C. 10.10.15 #Unity @LouisFarrakhan @Eminem #PaulRosenberg
On the official #JusticeOrElse Twitter, the commentary said, “#Farrakhan dialogued with Hip Hop artist Marshall Mathers aka @Eminem at his dinner table on #JusticeOrElse.”
Little more is known.
What is known is that the Minister has met with a who’s who of Hip-Hop this year for all to convene on Washington D.C. for the 20th year anniversary of the Million Man March, deemed Justice Or Else.
It seems like Chris Brown has been entertaining a few different women, even a Karrueche look-alike, as he tries to get over Karrueche. His latest rumored boo is Amy Shehab (@AmyShehab). She has been spotted all over with Breezy, but allegedly she is Royalty’s nanny. Are you buying the nanny rumor, or do you think Brown is having his own playtime with Shehab?
We may know now why Tyler The Creator has been cancelling shows. Allegedly he has been banned from entering the UK. We wonder what Tyler did this time. Someone who works at the the Munich airport in Germany says they saw his face on various airports’ no fly alert walls. Well this would explain his recent tweet below.
The Houston native took it easy with the features but didn’t hesitate to snag all-stars like 2 Chainz, The Weeknd, Future and Kanye West. Rodeo drops on Sept. 4th.
Sixteen years after their first collaboration with Nike, Wu-Tang Clan is teaming up with the sneaker powerhouse again to release a new set of kicks.
The Staten Island spitters reportedly are planning to release a limited edition Foamposite sneaker in 2016. The Foams will have the collective’s signature black and yellow color scheme. There is no set release date.
The Nike Dunk High sneakers that were released in 1999, are quite rare now and were once getting $10,000 bids on Ebay.
50 Cent has taken more jabs at his rival Puffy. This time, he is clowning his age.
In his latest Instagram post, Fif mocked Diddy’s age with a picture of him and a homeless man with a caption that read “Me and PUFF sat and kicked it today he said, 50 I’m getting to old for this sh!t. I said I KNOW.”
The “9 Shots” rapper also poked fun at Diddy affiliate French Montana on Instagram recently as well, referring to him as “Diddy’s b–ch.”
A WDBJ live story was cut short by gunfire this morning. Alison Parker, a reporter for the station, was interviewing a woman at a shopping center in Roanoke, Virginia when the gunman walks into view of the camera, firing around 6 shots. Reporter Alison Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward were killed in the incident.
In just half a decade, Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group has established itself as one of the most productive companies in Hip Hop. The record imprint already owns six number one albums from Ross, Wale, and Meek Mill. Fellow Maybach representatives Gunplay and Stalley have also dropped well received LPs over the last two years.
MMG describes itself as an “untouchable empire.” In order for the “House That Ross Built” to continue its reign at the top of the charts, new princes must be crowned. In 2013, the Bawse made a move to help maintain Double M’s kingdom when he officially signed Atlanta rapper Tracy T to the label. According to the “Legit” rhymer, Rick Ross offers him more than just a stamp of approval.
“Ross is already rich, but he’s one of them dudes that keeps wanting to motivate you,” Tracy tells AllHipHop.com. “When Ross is talking, it’s different from anybody else talking. He motivates you to go get some money and be one of the greatest.”
Ricky Rozay is not the only person in MMG that Tracy has embraced as a mentor. Meek serves as a confidante as well. During the recent dustup between the Dream Chasers founder and OVO’s Drake, Tracy was on the social media frontlines defending his labelmate.
“Meek is like a brother to me. I f*ck with Meek so strong,” discloses Tracy. “Meek’s one of those dudes that says, ‘Come on, let’s do it. I’m gonna show you this sh*t. You’re gonna get sh*t too.’ He’s one of those real dudes that showed me a lot when I first came in the game. We’re all a team – iron sharpens iron.”
The Untouchable MMG: Tracy T + Rick Ross + Meek Mill
Since joining Maybach, Tracy has taken the baton and built a notable buzz off key features and his own DJ Scream hosted mixtapes. However, it was more than just a potent co-sign that allowed Tracy Richardson to go from a childhood in the traps of Decatur to living in a luxury high-rise apartment building in North Atlanta.
Those pre-MMG days included a young Tracy maneuvering through the perils of a hustler’s lifestyle, but the experience provided him with a level of discipline he applies to his current occupation.
“I’m from the streets, so I just apply the same hustle to the music industry. I had to learn the music industry, but it’s really the same kind of hustle,” says Tracy. “I just feel like I got the work, and I’m gonna sling it. The more I drop the work, the more I’m gonna put it out, and the more it’s gonna get sold. That’s how you become a kingpin in the streets. I got a crazy hustle and a crazy plug. I’m trying to be the kingpin of the music game.”
Tracy is now slinging musical projects, and he’s establishing a considerable cabal of fiends waiting for the next re-up. His 85,000 Instagram followers and 46,000 Twitter followers form a social network which patiently waited to cop his latest release – 50 Shades Of Green.
For the 2014 collection The Wolf Of All Streets, Tracy tapped his MMG comrades Meek, Gunplay, and Ross as well as ATL natives Que and Offset. But the big-name guests on 50 Shades included collaborators from outside his home team and hometown.
The 15-track mixtape has tunes with Yo Gotti, Boosie Badazz, and Shy Glizzy. Portions of the production were provided by hit makers Jahlil Beats, Childish Major, Sonny Digital, and Beat Billionaire. In addition, the latter sound architect played a significant part in Tracy eventually etching his name on the dotted line with Rozay.
Tracy states, “Beat Billionaire has been a longtime friend. He introduced me to Ross. That’s how I got to MMG. That’s my homie for life.”
Both The Wolf Of All Streets and 50 Shades Of Green display Tracy has an extended connection to some of the top producers in the culture, and the self-confessed perfectionist is known to spend entire days in Atlanta’s Twelve Studios writing to their beats. 50 Shades was only uploaded to the web a week ago, but the effort that went into crafting Tracy’s most recent release has been in the making for months.
“My tape had been done, but I kept recording, kept recording, and kept recording. I could have been put some sh*t out, but I just wanted to be happy with my work. I wanted to be happy with my art,” he explains. “I got into a zone. I was in a 50 Shade Of Green state of mind. I had to get comfortable with myself, comfortable with my tape in order to even produce the feeling in the studio to make the project.”
50 Shades Of Green is an obvious reference to E. L. James’ popular erotic romance novel Fifty Shades of Grey and the Sam Taylor-Johnson directed film of the same name. But Tracy T flipped the “fifty shades” to reflect his focus on the numerous ways he plans to rise through the ranks.
“The title represents different levels in the game, different shades in the game, different levels of paper, and different ways to get the paper,” clarifies Tracy.
Rap is just the first step in Tracy’s mission to increase the digits in his bank account. At the moment, he’s building his Money Bound brand with his day-one allies, and listeners can expect to hear TT contributions on Maybach’s forthcoming compilation Self Made Vol. 4.
Film endeavours and corporate partnerships are likely to come in the future as well. Jay Z, the quintessential hustler-turned-rapper-turned-businessman, functions as Tracy’s financial inspiration from afar.
“I look at music as the first platform, and everything else comes after that. It’s all part of the beginning stages. I start with the music, and then it branches off to acting, endorsements, and other things,” conveys Tracy. “I don’t look at myself as being just a rapper. I’m trying to spread my wings and fly. I gotta be an eagle out here.”
As the music industry shifts from CDs and downloads to streaming, artists are having to get accustomed to a modern business model. Tracy T came up in the Internet Age, but as a street-centered performer it is fair to wonder how will the industry’s nearly complete shift to the digital space affect his reach to his core base of support.
“It’s all about adapting to what’s going on. In order for a soldier to survive in the field he has to adapt to every climate, every situation. We ain’t nothing but some more soldiers in the field, and if you can’t adapt to what’s going on, you’ll be left behind. It’s not affecting me. I just got to switch the game up to continue moving,” he says.
While Tracy has been putting rhymes together since he was in elementary school, the East Side spitter’s career direction over the last three years has put him on the path to becoming one of the brightest emerging stars from Atlanta. His hustle is nowhere near complete. By 2020, Tracy T envisions himself standing among the elites in the entertainment realm.
“I see my label jumping off the ground. I see movies. I see a lot of different things launching from this platform. I see myself growing in the game as a boss, not just an artist,” Tracy declares. “I’m building an empire. Just like Rozay. Just like Meek. I’m on the same team. You see what they’ve done in just a few years. I got the same ability to do it.”
(AllHipHop News) It was only a matter of time. Strippers-turned-celebrities Amber Rose and Blac Chyna are reportedly getting their own reality television show. TMZ reports the two Instagram favorites are working out a deal with MTV.
According to sources with the site, viewers should not expect Rose and Chyna’s series to be a ratchet affair à la Love & Hip Hop, Bad Girls Club, and Basketball Wives. The show is said to focus on the single mothers raising their respective boys and pursuing their careers which is more in the vein of La La’s Full Court Life and Nellyville.
Amber Rose is the mother of Wiz Khalifa’s son Sebastian. Black Chyna is the mother of Tyga’s son King Cairo. Neither rapper is still romantically linked with their child’s mom.
