(AllHipHop News) Kanye West is allowing his fans across the world to experience the Yeezy Season 3 fashion event in NYC. The show will stream live on the entertainment platform Tidal on Thursday, February 11.
According to reports, the Madison Square Garden showcase will also premiere Ye’s latest album T.L.O.P. (formerly So Help Me God, Swish, and Waves). The Yeezy Season 3 live stream can viewed here at 4 pm ET.
(AllHipHop News) Any time Hip-Hop’s greatest MCs are debated Big Pun’s name is brought up. Pun’s lyrical legacy continues to challenge time. The Bronx native is still touted as one of the best to ever pick up a mic. It’s no surprise that tonight (Feb. 10), in New York City, many respected wordsmiths will gather at S.O.B.’s to honor Big Pun.
Talib Kweli is set to headline this legendary line-up. Golden Era giants like EPMD’s Parish Smith, D.I.T.C.’s AG, The Beatnuts, and Cuban Link are set to rock the mic. In total, 14 acts — along with other special surprise guests — will be featured.
In addition to these slated guests, Big Pun’s son, Chris Rivers, will also be center stage. The Capital Punishment MC’s genetic protégé spoke exclusively to AllHipHop about tonight’s 9P event. “I think the show is wonderful. It gives me and many others the privilege to not only be a part of his legacy but also further keep it alive,” expressed Pun’s son.
Chris — who himself, is emerging as a respected wordsmith — continued to reflect on his father’s impact on the genre. He then offered, “My father made himself immortal through his own achievements. It just feels like a blessing, that I’m able to touch to the stage to honor, and pay my respects in the way that he lived his life.”
Entrenched metaphors, cunning wordplay, and near-faultless delivery are reasons why Hip-Hop has immortalized Big Pun. The reminiscent Chris Rivers finally added, “It’s awesome to see that after 16 years of him being gone, he still has such an impact on people and a dedicated fan base that loves him.”
(AllHipHop News) Recently, Stalley sat down and exclusively revealed to AllHipHop who he predicted to win Super Bowl 50. The MMG musician also explained in detail his thoughts on Beyoncé’s half-time performance. He also broke down and the powerful symbolism in her latest video “Formation.”
In the past Stalley has maintained a neutral stance concerning his labelmates social media beefs. When it comes to the Orange Crush Stalley had a lot to say. “I’m a big Broncos fan; I’ve been that for a while,” admits the Ohio native. Childhood memories of the legendary John Elway came up before the discussion focused on Peyton Manning.
With his loyalty already invested into the Denver Broncos he then matter-of-factly stated, “I’m a big–big Peyton Manning fan. He’s probably my favorite player of all time. I’m very happy for him,” revealed the “Fountain Of Youth” rapper. A maintained respect was then extended to Cam Newton’s athletic prowess. Stalley explained that he isn’t “anti-Cam Newton.” He just does not condone people becoming “sheeps” and mindlessly following internet fads.
When the discussion delved into Beyonce’s “Formation” Stalley said, “It’s a great song.” With San Francisco as the global setting — Bey boldly paid homage to the Black Panther Party — which originated Oakland. “I just love that she did that. Because, we need more people in her position doing things like that…And on that stage it’s very powerful.”
Freddie Gibbs announces the Shadow Of A Doubt Tour which will take him across the Unites States on a 38 date run. To coincide with the announcement, Gibbs is sharing a stream of new track “Money, Cash, Hoes”. Proving yet again that he is one of the most versatile and consistent rappers, Gibbs’ Shadow Of A Doubt mixtape finds him developing his style across a varied set of beats from Mike Dean, Boi-1da, Kaytranada, and more. Cop the album now on iTunes!
After releasing multiple street anthems over the past few weeks and accompanying G Herbo on his “Ballin Like I’m Kobe” Tour, Jacksonville’s Mobsquad Nard releases his debut project “Everything Clean But Da Ashtray” today. The project includes features and production from Big K.R.I.T, G Herbo, 21 Savage, Trae the Truth, Fki, Zaytoven, & more.
After building his buzz over the past few years in Duval County, Nard is emerging at the forefront of the hip-hop movement in Florida. Nard’s visuals for “Right Ni”, “Jungle”, and “Did Dat”, have given fans an up close and personal look at the grittiness of life in Jacksonville.
(AllHipHop News) WGN America has unveiled the key art and a featurette for the network’s upcoming television program Underground. “The Music of ‘Underground’” goes behind-the-scenes with executive producer John Legend, Emmy Award winning composer Laura Karpman, and singer-songwriter/producer Raphael Saadiq.
The 10-episode series follows a group of men and women as they attempt to escape slavery on the Underground Railroad. The cast includes Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aldis Hodge, Christopher Melon, Alano Miller, Jessica de Gouw, Marc Blucas, Adina Porter, Mykelti Williamson, and Jussie Smollett.
Underground is scheduled to premiere Wednesday, March 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on WGN America.
(AllHipHop News) Within Hip-Hop who are destined to become the next richest rappers? A host of tastemakers were challenged by that question. Lovebug Starski, Charlamagne Tha God, Craig Kallman (Atlantic Records CEO), Hit-Boy — along with a few Forbes‘ staffers — assembled to answer that inquiry.
In addition to MCs and rappers, the parameters were expanded to also include producers. It was quickly agreed upon that Fetty Wap’s record-breaking year has earned him the list’s top spot. The “Trap Queen” connoisseur has been dominating mainstream radio. Despite being largely ignored by the mainstream media, Logic also earned a spot on the list.
Charlamagne broke down his perspective on the Def Jam wordsmith. The Breakfast Club host offered, “Logic is interesting because he doesn’t get radio play, but he has one of those cult-like followings fueled by social media and they actually support him when his album drops.”
Newest Richest Rappers List:
Fetty Wap
Boi-1da
DeJ Loaf
G-Eazy
Joey Bada$$
Lil Dicky
Little Simz
Logic
Metro Boomin
Young Dolph
In a quick video filmed outside a studio session in NYC, a TMZ camera guy grabs a quick few questions from Kanye about his Yeezy shoes and the MSG show that is coming up. Kanye talks about making the product cheaper while still being able to express himself artistically. Quick but some insight about whats going on.
Yesterday, Future was hit with a defamation lawsuit which seeks tremendous monetary damages. His ex-fiancée, Ciara, alleges that Future has worked to tarnish her image. So now, the “Goodies” singer wants $15 M to help repair the damage.
Since their engagement fell through, in different ways the former couple has expressed its angst. Back in 2015, Ciara penned down her pain and released the platinum-selling track, “I Bet.” Of course, the subject of the song is presumed to be none other than, Future.
After Mr. Hendrix received the news of CiCi’s pending lawsuit, on his behalf, a source has spoken out about pending legal showdown. The EVOL rapper believes that Ciara is behaving in an immature and “petty” manner, this according to TMZ.
That same insider has also reported that Future has yet to be properly served with Ciara’s court documents. Previously, a process server tried unsuccessfully to pass off the docs at LAX.
Mr. Freebandz is said to be weighing his legal options. He may even counter and file a lawsuit against Ciara.
People are salty about the Super Bowl! The Panthers should have won! There were definitely some super questionable calls by the refs, but would the Illuminati come in and change the outcome to a football game!?
Were they looking to stop the rise of a Black Messiah?
(AllHipHop News) Last month, yet again, Bobby Shmurda experienced the agony of having his bail denied for the seventh time. The incarcerated Epic rapper has been jailed since mid-December of 2014. Thus far, Bobby has been locked away from the booth for 419 days for drug, conspiracy, and gun charges.
Yesterday (Feb. 9), the New York’s Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor announced that Shmurda’s trail has been postponed. Its Director of Public Information, Kati Cornell, went on to explain that Bobby’s trial will commence on May 11, this according to XXL. Bobby, along with three other member of his GS9 squad, were given the same court date.
As it stands Bobby has been hit with a $2 M dollar bond and an extended wait to go to trail. Is this an accurate reflection of the American justice system?
West Coast meets East Coast on the forthcoming collaborative album Statik KXNG. The 10-track project features California lyricist Kxng Crooked delivering rhymes over production by Massachusetts board master Statik Selektah.
Of course this is not the first time the two Hip Hop representatives partnered with other artists for a joint musical effort. Statik’s discography includes complete bodies of work with Termanology, Freddie Gibbs, and Action Bronson. Crooked joined forces with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Royce da 5’9” to form the rap supergroup Slaughterhouse.
While Royce recently linked up with DJ Premier for PRhyme and Joell collaborated with Illmind for Human, the rapper-producer tandem of Crooked and Statik has created its own unique presentation. Statik KXNG is rooted in a traditional Hip Hop soundbed with superior bars about the traps of fame, confronting social injustice, and other topics viewed through the eyes of the Long Beach wordsmith.
Kxng Crooked spoke with AllHipHop.com about his new LP with Statik Selektah. Part one of the conversation also includes the “Dead Or In Jail” spitter sharing his thoughts on modern-day battles, his home state’s rap scene, and current Hip Hop culture.
Whose idea was it to team up for a full joint album?
Statik hit me with the idea. We always talk about doing some sh*t. One day we were at the PRhyme concert, and we said, “Yeah, it might be that time.”
Knowing how Hip Hop fans are, it’s likely Statik KXNG is going to get compared to what Royce and Premo did with PRhyme or what Joell and Illmind did with Human. I know that’s your team, but is there ever any friendly competition when it comes to these collaborative projects?
I told Statik we should start a beef with PRhyme. [laughs] You know how it goes. The fans and supporters will have their opinions, and they’ll be vocal about it online. For us, it’s just about making a dope project that makes an impact. I would actually like to do a tour with PRhyme, Joell & Illmind, and ourselves.
I know you were joking about beefing, but that’s been in the news a lot recently. The Game put up a post where he suggested battles in Hip Hop have become too much of a thing that happens on social media as opposed to being a lyrical competition. Do you think the culture will ever go back to focusing on lyrics when talking about who’s the best or who came out the winner in a battle?
Unfortunately, it’s almost like if you can make the best meme, you won the battle. It needs to get back to [being about lyrics]. I think that the power is in the people’s hands. This new generation of fans need to really understand the history of Hip Hop. I think once they open their minds to the way the culture started, they can begin to understand why a meme shouldn’t decide the battle.
You would think that in today’s industry, where you have the reemergence of battle rap, you would think it would be, “Okay, let’s listen to the lyrics. Who has the best lyrics?” You have all these dudes out here – Loaded Lux, Murda Mook, Arsonal – all these guys out here battling and getting millions of views on YouTube.
It’s almost like that’s a totally separate world then when two guys are beefing on wax. It’s really not. It comes from the same place. I just want to hear some dope sh*t. I’m hearing people’s diss records, and the sh*t sounds horrible.
I think they did a cool job. At the end of the day, Horseshoe Gang is hungry. We are all. We pride ourselves on being hungary lyricists. Horseshoe was ready to go in and do a whole mixtape. I was like, “Nah, y’all ain’t got to do that.” But that’s just how hungry they are, they don’t give a f*ck. If you call them to make a Funk Volume diss for tomorrow, you’d have that sh*t tonight.
I thought the Hopsin sh*t was cool. Right now, I’m tripping on the fact that Hopsin and Funk Volume is supposedly breaking up. I don’t know if I really believe it. I don’t know what the issue really is. But if it’s not too crazy, if I’m Hopsin, then I would just try to get past it.
[Funk Volume co-founder] Dame [Ritter] is a very smart and savvy dude. I think they made a good team. Hop might check out of there, and it could be hard to find another partner like that.
The West Coast movement is really rising. What are your thoughts about what’s happening in the Hip Hop scene out there right now?
It’s cool. I see people doing their thing. I went to the A$AP Yams Day event, and I saw my homie Joey Fatts from Long Beach there. It’s always good to see people move around and leave the city.
I know so many underground lyricists that my challenge is how do we get the spotlight on these dudes. The guys we got going – great, you’re doing your thing, feeding your families, living your dreams. That’s dope. But what about all these cats in the underground that are ridiculous with rhymes? It’s always part of my fight to bring those people to the spotlight, because I don’t think the world has seen the best of the West Coast yet.
You talked before about how the fans need to take a bit more control over the direction of the culture. When it comes to the type of rap music that’s currently being promoted the most, do you think that promotion is mostly because of what’s happening with the labels, the media, the fans, or the artists themselves?
I think we all share a little blame. For a corporation, it’s great for them. Eighty percent of the major labels’ music is going to be some sh*t that’s not thought provoking at all. When you have people turning up and living in this haze of clubbing, getting high, f*cking b*tches, and repeat – they’re not keeping their eyes on everything going on in the business. For the labels, that’s cool. They love that type of sh*t.
On a conspiracy theory level, are they trying to keep the music dumbed down so they can control a generation of Hip Hop fans and keep them distracted? That could be. On a fan level, it’s all good to turn up. I alway say when I go into a strip club, I don’t want to hear Slaughterhouse.
At the end of the day, artists are supposed to have some sort of voice, and the music is supposed to reflect the times. So when you have all these protests over kids getting killed by police officers, the terrorism, and all this sh*t going on, and none of the Hip Hop music reflects the times – if you put it in a time capsule, no one would know what the f*ck was going on in 2015-2016.
If they just listened to today’s music, they wouldn’t know what the f*ck was really happening in the world at this point. So yeah, I think the fans got to take control. We can’t lean on labels to do sh*t, because all they care about is the numbers. I get that, that’s business.
We got to take control of this sh*t. But from an artist standpoint, we got to refuse to do certain things. I refuse to do certain sh*t. I’ve been offered all types of songs with crazy Auto-Tune hooks and sh*t that would probably make me more relevant to a certain crowd. But I turned that sh*t down.
I felt like one of the themes presented on Statik KXNG was the idea of you not being willing to sell your soul. Can you explain what the idea of selling your soul means to you?
I think you sell your soul when you do something that goes against everything you believed in for money or fame. That’s when your soul is gone. That’s when you’ve sold it.
I believe in raw rhymes, raw beats, b-boying, graffiti, the pillars of Hip Hop. These are things I grew up wanting to be part of. I believe in studying your craft, because that’s what the founding fathers did. It means something to be good.
I hate when people say “I’m not a rapper” or “I’m just a street dude with a talent.” Well, if you’re not a rapper then get the f*ck out of Hip Hop. I won’t compromise those things I believe in and stand for when I’m making music, even to my own detriment sometimes. But it is what it is. I’m not going to do it.
Statik KXNG is like, “Yo, we got to stop being so sensitive out here in Hip Hop.” It’s a lot of wack sh*t. Everybody’s trying to be super sensitive when they’re doing interviews or speaking their minds on the current state of Hip Hop.
I do believe in focusing on the positive. I don’t like being the bearer of bad news. But guess what? It’s a lot of wack sh*t that’s going to spawn new wack sh*t, because the kids listening to the wack sh*t thinks this is the way to craft his own sh*t. So now I’m listening to 16 and 17 year olds’ Soundcloud pages, and they sound wack. It’s a domino effect that needs to be stopped.
Check out the cover art and tracklist for Statik KXNG below.
‘Statik KXNG’ Album Cover
1. I Hear Voices
2. Magic & Bird
3. Lost A Fan
4. Everybody Know
5. Dead Or In Jail
6. Stop Playing
7. Good Gone Bad
8. Lets Go featuring Termanology
9. B*tch Got Me F*cked Up
10. Brand New Sh*t
(AllHipHop News) On February 15 Kendrick Lamar will have the opportunity to join Lauryn Hill and OutKast as the only Hip Hop acts to ever win the coveted Grammy award for Album Of The Year. Kendrick’s To Pimp A Butterfly is competing against The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind The Madness, Taylor Swift’s 1989, Alabama Shakes’ Sound& Color, and Chris Stapleton’s Traveller.
With a universally acclaimed project and a Hip Hop record-setting 11 Grammy nominations, Kendrick is favored by some observers to take home the AOTY trophy, the night’s biggest prize. The TDE emcee is also up for Song Of The Year, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, Best Music Video, and more.
Grammy.com spoke with several of the people that worked on To Pimp A Butterfly for an extensive oral history of the LP. Read some of the quotes from the article below.
Kendrick Lamar:
The title grasped the entire concept of the record. [I wanted to] break down the idea of being pimped in the industry, in the community and out of all the knowledge that you thought you had known, then discovering new life and wanting to share it.
Thundercat (producer):
[“Wesley’s Theory”] started with Flying Lotus and I sitting on the couch in front of the computer analyzing George Clinton. He became the fuel for creating. I was really blown away that Kendrick was so into that song.
Sounwave (producer):
When we first did “King Kunta,” the beat was the jazziest thing ever with pretty flutes. Kendrick said he liked it but to “make it nasty.” He referenced a DJ Quik record with Mausberg [“Get Nekkid”] and he told me what to do with it. I added different drums to it, simplified it, got Thundercat on the bass, and it was a wrap.
Terrace Martin (co-producer):
If you dig deeper you hear the lineage of James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Mahalia Jackson, the sounds of Africa, and our people when they started over here. I hear something different every time. I heard Cuban elements in it the other day.
Rapsody (artist):
I was in New York the first time I got the call. [It was] the day after [Lamar’s] “Control” verse dropped. Everybody was talking about the verse and Kendrick was in Africa. I went about a year before him so I knew what that trip does to you, especially as a black person.
Derek “MixedByAli” Ali (engineer):
[The] session [for “U”] was very uncomfortable. [Lamar] wrote it in the booth. The mic was on and I could hear him walking back and forth and having these super angry vocals. Then he’d start recording with the lights off and it was super emotional. I never asked what got into him that day.
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards broadcast is scheduled to air on Monday, February 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS.Read the entire “The Oral History Of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly” at grammy.com.
(AllHipHop News) The back-and-forth between Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah and indicted pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli is not over. Ghostface dropped a response to Shkreli’s previous video demanding an apology from the “All That I Got Is You” performer, and Shkreli has now fired back at Ghost on Twitter.
“Never seen someone real cry to his momma to handle his biz. Soft-serve ice cream rappers should shut they mouth before they get told again,” wrote the MSMB Capital Management founder.
Ghostface’s nearly 12 minute video included him bringing out his “goons” which were three older women. One lady even threatened to put Shkreli over her knee for a spanking. Another woman called on Shkreli’s mother to reprimand her son for raising the price of an HIV drug by 5000%.
(AllHipHop News) Nasir Jones is known as an iconic emcee, but the Queens, New York native is also building a name for himself as a notable angel investor. His venture capital firm QueensBridge Venture Partners has allowed Nas to finance more than 40 start-up companies ranging from technology to health care to music production.
QBVP typically invests $100,000 to $500,000 in a company, and the firm has conducted over 100 deals in the last six years. The creator of the classic Hip Hop album Illmatic connected with CNBC to discuss his turn to the financial sector. Nas was asked to define his investment philosophy.
“People. That is the absolute number 1,” wrote Nas in an email to CNBC. “I love to bet on great people that inspire me and make me think or see things differently.”
The product of the Queensbridge housing projects has heavily invested in Silicon Valley companies such as Lyft, Dropbox, Coinbase, Tradesy, and LANDR. Nas wanted to dive into the tech world and other businesses with full force.
“I want to meet the people who are innovating in all different fields, and investing lets me do that,” added the “One Mic” rapper. “I meet the people that are changing the game across all different industries, and I get to be there first at the ground level. It’s helped me to progress tremendously in my business.”
Besides Nas, the QueensBridge Venture Partners team includes fellow partners Anthony Saleh, Anand Murthy, Ajay Relan, Dee Murthy, and Craig Vaughan. The firm’s investment portfolio also features Virgin Mega, Pocket, Storefront, The Noun Project, Alpha Draft, and numerous other ventures.
(AllHipHop News) “You know you that b*tch when you cause all this conversation,” says Beyoncé on her new song “Formation.” Apparently, she can cause a franchise’s sales to rise just by mentioning its name. Queen Bey’s single also includes a reference to Red Lobster, and the seafood restaurant chain is benefiting from the shout out.
According to spokesperson Erica Ettori, Red Lobster saw a significant boost in sales after the Grammy-winning superstar included the line “When he f*ck me good I take his ass to Red Lobster” on “Formation.” The company was apparently mentioned 42,000 times on Twitter in a single hour and become a trending topic for the first time in history.
“We’ve been comping up since ‘Formation’ was released and we saw a 33% increase in sales on Sunday,” Ettori told Billboard. “It’s clear that Beyonce’s shout out contributed to that. This is a real testament to the power of pop culture on business.”
Red Lobster did catch some backlash on Twitter for its relatively slow response to Beyoncé’s song. In the age of social media, recognition from a global pop star is expected to be acknowledged in mere moments.
Fans criticized the chain for taking hours to simply offer up a tweet that read, “‘Cheddar Bey Biscuits’ has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” It appears Red Lobster is now clearly aware of the power of celebrity and social media.
“We are absolutely delighted with what we saw over the weekend, particularly the consumer sentiment that we saw expressed,” stated Red Lobster CEO Kim Lopdrup. “It’s clear that Beyoncé has helped create some Red Lobster fans, and we are very grateful to her for that.”
(AllHipHop News) New York emcee Earl “DMX” Simmons was hospitalized earlier this week after he was found unconscious in a hotel parking lot. The “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” rhymer reportedly suffered an asthma attack. X’s attorney, Murray Richman, says he is now out of the hospital.
According to reports, police had to resuscitate DMX outside a Ramada Inn. He was discovered with no pulse. Authorities administered CPR and provided him with oxygen before the rap legend resumed breathing. DMX was then taken to Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers.
Richman acknowledged the rapper suffered from asthma, but he could not confirm what caused this particular medical scare. The lawyer believes DMX will be healthy enough to perform at a concert this weekend.
Fetty Wap and his baby mamas have certainly had their ups and downs. Fetty’s baby mama @Lezhaezeona has gotten into it with Fetty and his sister several times since last year! The beef between Lezhae Zeona and Fetty and his family spilled onto social media, and Lezhae previously posted videos of Fetty and others popping up at her home communicating threats. Apparently Fetty isn’t breaking Lezhae off with any of that money as she was allegedly arrested for shoplifting. Fetty help that girl out at least for the sake of your daughter! Dang it’s hard out here!
As if beefing with Nike wasn’t enough for Kanye West, he has now called out Puma for allegedly trying to make a shoe deal with Kylie Jenner. Kanye tweeted,
“Puma we gone give you your measly million dollars back. Never try to divide the family. 1000% there will never be a Kylie Puma anything. That’s on my family 1000%. Kylie is on Yeezy team.”
We have to wonder how Kylie feels about this. Is Ye forcing her to be #TeamYeezy? Shouldn’t she be able to have a business deal with any brand that she chooses? Kanye is still telling Kim K what to wear, so we aren’t surprised that Ye might be trying to tell Kylie who she will be doing business with. Is Ye doing too much to stay in the press around the release of his forthcoming album? Kylie’s sister Kendall Jenner seems to be completely over it as she tweeted this “mood” below. Will Kylie go against the family?
As you know, Ciara has filed a lawsuit against her ex, Future as she claims Future has been trying to ruin her career. Ciara claims Future continues to suggest that she’s a bad mother and she’s now seeking $15 million in damages. CiCi is claiming that her career and brand have been hurt by Future’s actions. Of course Wendy Williams had to weigh in. Wendy said,
“Future’s not the reason that your music hasn’t sold. Future is also not the reason you got your lucrative contract with McQueen.”
Does Wendy have a point? Is it true that Ciara just can’t heat up like Future anymore. Ciara is a talented performer, but let’s be honest, Future and his antics are not the reason her musical career isn’t doing all that great. Wendy tells Ciara that Future should have been a “drive by” not a “stay with” especially since she knew about his previous baby mamas! What are your thoughts? Is Ciara out of pocket with her lawsuit? This could get ugly!
