Pastor Bun B himself graces a track for former ABN member turned Christian rapper turned parole violator turned inmate, PyRexx. This offering comes as PyRexx awaits his fate behind bars. This visual for “Imma Get There” is PyRexx’s way of keeping his head up despite the fact that life is currently not going his way. Be sure to cop PyRexx’s project “Born Again Disciple.”
It seems like these days some are more concerned about an artist’s sexuality than their music. A fan asked Dej Loaf if she really liked women and if her dating Lil’ Durk was a front orchestrated by her record label. The woman also let it be known that if Dej Loaf liked “cat” then she could suck hers. Dej responded saying,
“The label has nothing to do with how I operate honey. I do as I please. Know that.”
Harlem’s very own Dave East has been chosen to soundtrack the latest spot for Under Armour x Finish Line #TightForTomorrow starring New York Knick’s Jerian Grant. Dave East’s “Winners Never Lose” is the quintessential theme for conquering anything that may come your way. Check out the official spot and full track below:
Wale shows some love to the home team baseball squad with his new joint “MVP.” Shouting out Bryce Harper, the National League MVP, D.C.s’ (not Dream Chasers) most poppin rapper drops some bars for the fans in between the release of projects over some Cheeze Beatz production.
The Daily Show has been a crucial influencer of politics for the youth of our world, so it was only right when Pusha T stopped by the show to drop some of his more conscious music. Featuring Jill Scott on the hook and a live band, Virginia’s finest drops lines about Freddie Gray and other issues plaguing impoverished and minority communities. This is DEEP! Get that Pusha T album Darkest Before Dawn this Friday (Dec 18th)
With Chris Breezy’s album Royalty set to be released this Friday, Chris took the time to speak with Power 106 about the upcoming album and all that he has in store for this project. Dedicated to his daughter name Royalty, this album is an introspective piece of work for Chris as he confirmed that this album is about “growth.”
“The first album kind of set the tone, for who I am and it introduced me to the world. I think this album, 7 albums later, wow, this album has the most substance and the most thought process going into working on this album, this album is about my daughter, one, its about my life. For me this album is just a stepping stone in my life to learn different things.”
The things that rappers do for their communities often goes unnoticed. From Thanksgiving giveaways to toys during the Christmas holidays, rappers always seem to step up this time of year. One example of this can bee seen in the video below as 2 Chainz is seen giving a family a minivan so that they can take their son, who has brain damage, to and from the hospital.
After the family suffered a terrible fire, and several members of the family were in coma’s 2 Chainz comes to the rescue to do what he can with this TRU Foundation. Check the video below and give back to those in need y’all!
As we all take in the history of N.W.A. with the movie that released months ago and reactions afterwards, we are graced with a rare interview from Jerry Heller, co-founder of Ruthless Records with Eazy E. In a candid interview, Jerry Heller co-founder of Ruthless records speaks fondly on his memories of working with Eric “Eazy-E” Wright and Dr. Dre as members of the group, N.W.A.. Also at his side during the interview is Eazy’s daughter.
Jerry gives us some insight in to what things were really like during his time at Ruthless Records, and what Dr. Dre and Ice Cube were like to work with back in the day. He also shares stories about how he got in to the music business during the 1970’s and the acts he dealt with before N.W.A..
Later on in the interview Heller addresses the diss songs that flew between Dre, Eazy and Cube. He also says that Cube made an “anti-Semitic” song and that “No Vaseline” was a despicable song. He “resented” those songs, and despite the fact that he felt Ice Cube was not anti-Semitic, he felt Cube was strongly pro-Ice Cube and would do “anything to sell records or theater tickets.”
Over twenty years ago, a new Hip Hop magazine arrived on the landscape. Unlike other popular publications emerging during the same era, Murder Dog separated itself by not just focusing on the big named stars, but also highlighting the lesser known underground/local talent generating buzz at the time.
Raw is the best way to describe the general aesthetic of Murder Dog. The Bay Area magazine was an unyielding representation of Hip Hop from a street view. Non-commercial rap representatives – such as E-40, Mac Dre, Yukmouth, and Soulja Slim – were usually regulated to the back pages of other rap periodicals, but those unheralded entertainers were the focal point for Murder Dog readers by appearing on the front cover.
The Sri Lankan born founder of Murder Dog is just as unconventional as his magazine. Despite putting out a highly influential product which featured Q&A’s with Hip Hop heavyweights like Ice Cube, Lil Wayne, and Young Jeezy, the world still only knows the man behind the brand as Black Dog Bone.
It’s not even clear exactly what year Black Dog Bone was born. Some of the only information about Bone’s biography that has made its way to the public sphere is he was once a student at The Art Institute of California – San Francisco, he identifies himself as a photographer, and he is a longtime fan of Hip Hop culture.
The 25th year of Murder Dog is approaching. But before Black Dog Bone celebrates his silver anniversary, the former punk band member is reflecting back on his magazine’s legacy with two new books. Bone connected with co-editor Paul Stewart to release Murder Dog The Interviews Vol. 1 and Murder Dog The Covers Vol. 1 through Over The Edge Books.
The Murder Dog/Over The Edge partnership is collaborating to produce future works covering Tech N9ne, The Jacka, Master P, and Hip Hop producers. Books on the rap scenes of the Bay Area, Detroit, Atlanta, and Memphis are in the pipeline as well.
AllHipHop.com was able to interview Black Dog Bone via email to get his thoughts on the Murder Dog book collections. The well-traveled CEO also addressed some of his favorite interviews, modern Hip Hop media, and his plan to shine a light on rap artists from the African continent.
How did the relationship between Over The Edge and Murder Dog start?
It was through Matt Sonzala, who was one of our main writers. I did an interview with Red Bull Music, and Paul Stewart read it. Paul got a hold of Matt Sonzala and asked him to connect him to me. And that’s how we got connected.
What inspired you to put these books together?
We’ve been publishing Murder Dog for 24 years, and we have thousands and thousands of interviews and photos. Some of the artists that we have in Murder Dog, no one has ever done interviews or done photos of.
When we do an article – say like about Jackson, Mississippi Hip Hop – we are not just doing the artists that are popular now. I’m more of an investigative reporter. Before I do the article, I talk to everyone in that town and find out how it all started, who were the pioneers, how did the Jackson, Mississippi sound evolve, talk to the producers, go to the independent record stores, connect with all the independent record labels, go to the clubs.
I mean we cover everything, and what we did no one has done. We have photos and interviews of artists who are locked up or got killed, artists that started Hip Hop in their town and had a big influence on the other rappers from that area, but they have never been interviewed in any other magazine.
And there is a big demand for back issues of Murder Dog. Some of the back issues go for like $150 to $200, and most of our back issues are getting sold out. We get people asking for Murder Dog from India or Norway or Japan or Mexico. I mean from everywhere.
We always wanted to put out Murder Dog books. When Paul Stewart contacted us from Over The Edge publishing to do the books, we were more than happy. We knew what Paul was doing and what Paul has done at Over The Edge and also with Delicious Vinyl.
Black Dog Bone On The Mic
What do you hope readers take away from reading the Murder Dog books?
I really don’t know what they would take away, but I hope it’ll inspire them to do what they want to do. We always like to highlight the art, the creative aspect of rap music and culture.
Were there any particular artist interviews that stood out for you as you reflected back on over two decades of being in business?
There are so many! Some of the best interviews were with underground artists like Soulja Slim, Thugged Out, C-Bo, The Jacka, Esham, DJ Screw, Ap.9, Keak Da Sneak, Brother Lynch Hung, Messy Marv, Yukmouth, Mac Dre, X-Raided, Freddie Gibbs, Dayton Family, Project Pat, Telly Mac, Pastor Troy, Beeda Weeda, Ax Murder Boyz, Matty Wack, and Dem Hoodstarz.
But we had many good interviews with known artists like Wiz Khalifa, Scarface, K’naan, Ice Cube, Waka Flocka Flame, Master P, Notorious B.I.G, Too Short, C-Murder, Ice-T, Rye Rye, Fugees, Lil Wayne, Insane Clown Posse, Snoop Dogg, Ol Dirty Bastard, Santigold, Jay Z, Pusha T, Geto Boys, Trick Daddy, 2 Chainz, UGK, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Tech N9ne, Mobb Deep, Yelawolf, Salem, DJ Diplo, Wale, Three 6 Mafia, and E-40.
I mean there has been so many and we have done them all. I especially love when an artist talks about their feelings and what they’re thinking about, what inspires them to rap.
Q&A’s With Wayne, Cube & Jeezy Are Featured In ‘Murder Dog Interviews’
Murder Dog is known for having kind of a non-traditional, non-corporate approach. Was it ever difficult working with major labels when it came to getting access to their artists?
It was never a problem to get whoever we wanted, because Murder Dog was really popular in the streets and the people at the major labels knew that. We were the most hardcore, gangster, street magazine, and they all wanted to be in Murder Dog.
Another thing that happened was the rappers themselves loved Murder Dog. They would tell their record label that they wanted to be in Murder Dog, so the major labels would call us up to get articles for their artists.
But with us it was another story. When major labels wanted a story in Murder Dog, we would say we would only cover their artist if we get ads, because we didn’t really care to have major label artists. We were good as we were just covering underground artists that we really liked. We sold out every time. We couldn’t keep up with it.
We would say we wanted two or three ads, and the major labels would put ads. And they were paying like $3200 to $3600 each ad. We were in big demand. The major labels could see the artists that were big at that time like Master P, Cash Money Records, or Suave House had like 6 to 7 ads in every Murder Dog.
Another thing is even from our very first issue, we had major label artists. Artists like Wu-Tang Clan, Fugees, Onyx, and a lot more major label artists were even in our very first issue.
What are your thoughts about the state of Hip Hop media today?
When we first started Murder Dog, there was not much Hip Hop media, only a few Hip Hop magazines. There was Rap Pages, Rap Sheet, and The Source. That was it and a few independent magazines.
But now there are so many websites and blogs that cover Hip Hop. It’s not exciting right now. There is so much information out there on the internet, it’s overwhelming. It zeros everything out.
I hardly ever read Hip Hop magazines then, and I never read anything about Hip Hop now either. At least not the Hip Hop happening here [in America]. I read about what is going on in Africa or other parts of the world, because there is so much interesting Hip Hop out there, some very creative music. And most of it is all independent.
‘Murder Dog Covers’: Big Boi shot by E. Johnson; Pusha T shot by T. Nabil; 50 Cent shot by M. Hanschen
What advice would you give to a young person interested in getting involved in the media business?
What you want, you can make it happen, but you can’t tell the same story that everyone is telling. You have to tell your own story. To be a writer, there is no one right way. You have to just do it, you have to give it your all, you have to give 100%, and it’ll happen. It’s nothing really.
What I know from running Murder Dog is if you’re a fan of the music, you will do good. Everyone that did interviews for Murder Dog were fans of the music. They were people who were like 17 or 18 years old and were fans of Murder Dog magazine and Hip Hop.
They were not people who had gone to school and got a degree in journalism. I found that the people who had degrees were not creative or interesting. They all did the same thing, but the ones that were fans of Hip Hop were the best. All of our writers were like that, people who never had any degrees in journalism. And each one had their own voice. They were all unique and different.
What else do you and the Murder Dog brand have planned for the near future?
We have so much going on at Murder Dog right now. We are not doing too much here in America, we have done all we wanted to do here. The music that is happening here right now I’m not too excited about, and there is so much of it on the Internet. We are oversaturated with information. I find music that is obscure to be more interesting and exciting.
What I’m doing now is focusing on Hip Hop that’s going on in other countries. Last year I went to Uganda, and I was living there. I got back only this year. I pretty much interviewed all the artists in Uganda from the biggest artists to the most underground. I traveled everywhere from the north to the east and west. I did thousands of photos and many videos too.
While I was there, I got a lot of Hip Hop artists to do songs for me. I got the beats sent from here. I’m doing it with DLK Entertainment. We recorded like 15 songs with like 30 different rappers, and now I’m going to get some artists from here to do a verse on each song. It’s like a collaborative project of Ugandan Hip Hop artists and artists from the United States.
I’m working on a book and a CD on Ugandan rap, and we are going to have videos and a website too. While I was there, I traveled to Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda. There is so much exciting music happening in Africa. When I’m done with what I’m doing now, I’m going to go back again. There is also a lot of unique music happening in the Congo, Nigeria, Senegal, and Ghana, pretty much everywhere in Africa.
Also, I’m working with these real radical, tribal, Hip Hop artists from Jinja, Uganda. They’re called Black Race. They’re like nothing you ever heard of. In the group there is like 20 to 30 people, aged from 17 to 26. I’m helping them to get a recording studio down there, and we are doing many other projects.
(AllHipHop News) Before he went head-to-head with Meek Mill, Drake challenged battle rap veteran Murda Mook. The Dot Mob member and the OVO head reportedly almost faced off at a King Of The Dot event earlier this year, but the lyrical bout never happened.
Mook is now back to reminding Drake he still wants to see him in the ring. During an appearance on Hot 97, the Harlem native dropped a few bars aimed at Champagne Papi.
He rapped:
Anybody see Drake, tell him that I got some hot sauce for him since he’s in the mood for cheesesteak. BET – straight live television, I called him out and even the crickets heard crickets. They can’t tell me I ain’t got enough digits. Cause in battle rap motherf*cker I’m the big ticket. Music business, n*gga you in glory. But over here, little man, you just Aubrey.
Mook dissed Drake at the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards. Later that year, he told AllHipHop.com a $15 million purse should be set up for the potential match. The two rappers also met face-to-face on stage at URL’s “Nome 5” in May. The “Back To Back” performer told his competitor he had to beat Tsu Surf before a “Drake vs Mook” battle would take place.
(AllHipHop News) The conflict between The Game and Stitches has reached another level. After he got knocked out by Game’s manager Wack 100, Stitches challenged the Compton rapper to a celebrity boxing match. Game has now responded, and The Documentary 2 album creator is willing to face off in a street brawl against his rival under certain conditions.
Game is currently on probation, and he does not want to get involved in any situations that could jeopardize his freedom. So in an Instagram post, the 36-year-old performer offered to fly Stitches to Los Angeles for a preliminary fight against his “white boy” friend. If Stitches avoids being k.o.’d again and he is open to signing a waiver agreeing not to take any legal action, Game says the two can then fight each other for free.
Read The Game’s Instagram post below.
#COMETOLA#iWILLBUYYOURTICKET funny how you p*ssy’s on my page saying fight a mothaf*cka that said “if we came to Miami, he was gone kill me”…. So we came to Miami, was comfortable & all over town & then my n*gga @Wack100 knocked yo p*ssy ass out wit one punch…. Then his own homies whooped his ass the next day after he tied to run & got caught…… Honkin the horn, foot on the gas, in park ????? Wack is 1/2 foot shorter & slept yo ass in front of the police…. N*ggas know I’m out on bail & on trial facing 10 years so everybody tough knowing if I do anything I’m gettin locked the f*ck up n taken from my kids…….. But if you really want mo ass whoopings…. I’ll fly you 1st class to California & @NickyDsss will f*ck yo bum ass up #WhiteboyVSWhiteboy !!!! & if you don’t get yo ass knocked out…. I will fight yo p*ssy ass for FREE in the middle of the street after you sign a waver that you can’t sue me or press charges cause I’m tired of you p*ssy’s talkin tough on the internet then calling the cops & gettin lawyers after you get pounded out !!!! & all these lil 12 & 13 year old opie lookin ass fans you got gone get yo dumb ass hurt out here playing wit grown men !!!!
(AllHipHop News) Like most years, 2015 saw its share of rap beefs. Two of the most publicized feuds were Lil Wayne vs Birdman and Ghostface Killah vs Action Bronson.
The last 12 months also saw the arrival of Vince Staples with his debut LP Summertime ’06. In addition, the California representative made several headlines because of his tendency to speak his mind on pretty much anything. That continued in a new interview with MTV where Vince touched on some the year’s conflicts.
The public fallout between Wayne and Birdman began when Weezy tweeted late last year that he wanted off Cash Money Records because the label refused to release his Tha Carter V album. Vince appears to put most of the blame on Weezy.
“Lil Wayne is too old to use Twitter, and when you’re too old to use Twitter you use it poorly. That’s what happened there,” said Vince. “And they kissed on Rap City. All love stories come to a sad end.”
He later added, “[Wayne] should have stayed off Twitter and [his album] probably would have came out. But I love Lil Wayne.”
The controversial rapper was then asked about the Ghostface/Bronson disagreement, and he once again brought age into the conversation. Vince suggested the Wu-Tang Clan member’s viral “diss video” was a sign he has aged out of the digital space.
“That kind of falls back into too old for Twitter, but this goes into too old for the internet,” stated Vince. “You know [Ghostface] didn’t put up that video by himself. For one, he doesn’t know how, because I don’t even know how.”
Vince mentioned he is featured on Ghostface’s Twelve Reasons To Die II album. The “Norf Norf” spitter is also friends with Bronson, so he felt the ordeal put him in an awkward situation. Vince even offered to be the announcer for a game of one-on-one basketball between the two rap stars as a way to settle the feud.
Of course, his own brief back-and-forth with Noreaga was brought up as well. Again, Vince promoted the idea his over-30 “friend” should not use social media.
“N.O.R.E’s too old for Twitter. N.O.R.E thought that he was speaking to me directly,” recalled Vince. “He was like, ‘I didn’t even know what a D.M. was.'”
(AllHipHop News) Machine Gun Kelly has been building his brand for almost ten years, but the Ohio native has yet to break out to become a major star on the mainstream level. Montreality spoke with MGK about why the “A Little More” rapper has yet to crossover.
“I’m really only connecting with a few f*cking people, because I’m not speaking the same language as the mass. And the mass is like conformist, trend following, hypebeast,” said Kelly. “What’s hot in this day and age is not f*cking hot.”
He continued, “So when I’m saying all of these rude awakening statements and talking about my life, it’s not that big of an audience that’s going to relate to my life, because I live in the real f*cking world and I keep it 100%. It’s not a lot of 100 percenters out there.”
(AllHipHop News) Spike Lee’s latest movie Chi-Raq has been hit with controversy. Several Chicago based rappers have denounced the movie for promoting a negative image of their hometown. According to outspoken Chi-Raq critic Rhymefest, rap stars such as Kanye West and Common turned down an opportunity to star in the movie over issues with the storyline.
AllHipHop.com caught up with fellow Chicago emcee Twista to find out his thoughts on Lee’s Chi-Raq. The “Slow Jamz” rhymer took issue with the title of the movie, the city’s tragedies being made into a satire, and the lack of homegrown talent featured in the film. Twista also revealed he also turned down a part in the motion picture.
“I got a call, but as soon as I found out the name of it – some people had to go into it a little bit to see that it was a bad idea,” says Twista. “As soon as I heard it – ‘What? It’s called Chi-Raq? F*ck that sh*t.’ We’re trying to get away from that. Why would I get in a movie that’s titled that?”
Another major topic from 2015 was the use of ghostwriters in Hip Hop. The conversation was sparked by Meek Mill calling out Drake for not writing his verse on their collaboration “R.I.C.O.” Has Twista ever had someone else pen his rhymes?
“Yeah,” he admits. “Not nothing where I’m trying to prove to you that Twista is the dopest artist or I got the best lyrics.”
The creator of the Livin Legend EP adds he only used a ghostwriter on about three songs. In addition, Twista warns he still has the lyrical ability to take on anyone that may want to challenge him.
After releasing his video for “Wrist” yesterday, Chris Brown quickly hits with us another visual for “Anyway” featuring Tayla Parx. New album Royalty in stores December 18. Pre-order here.
Taken from her recent EP titled 4U, Christina Milian keeps the momentum going with her latest video “Like Me” which features Snoop Dogg looking very dapper. Keep up with Ms. Milan on her show ‘Christina Milian: Turned Up’ on E!. Purchase her 4U EP here.
(AllHipHop News) Killer Mike has long been one of the most outspoken members of the Hip Hop community on political and social issues. The Run The Jewels member once again added his voice to the ongoing presidential race by endorsing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Mike took his support for Sanders even further by engaging in an hour-long conversation with the Democratic candidate at the emcee’s SWAG Shop in Atlanta. The November 23 discussion included the two men covering socialism, social security, social justice, marijuana prohibition, health care, gun control, Donald Trump, and more.
Cardi B’s “Cheap Ass Weave” video is hilarious! The video is set inside of “The Beauty Bar”. Cardi plays the client, the receptionist and the stylist in this super clever video. Depicting a story of a quirky receptionist, checking in numerous clients in need of weave extension services. Cardi B made her first appearance on season six of Love & Hip Hop New York. Purchase the single now via iTunes.
Street Money’s own Quicktrip unloaded visuals for “I Ain’t Gotta Lie” at the end of November and he turns right back around to provide an accompanying video for yet another track off F.A.C.T.S. (From A Corner To A Studio). Packed with collaborations with a who’s who of beat makers including Mike WiLL Made It, DJ Toomp, and Chophouse, Quicktrip serves up the official video for “Right Back,” produced by Izze The Producer. Bankroll Fresh and Bankroll PJ, the young street savvy viral star, both appear in Quicktrip’s new video as he keeps the J’s coming right back.
