Where would we be without the DJ? Tennessee native Young Memph, along with Atlanta’s DJ Blu, come together to show love to one of the most valuable positions in hip-hop that many in the current generation undervalue — the DJ. With production that goes jackin’ for beats, Memph puts his heart on wax and aims directly at the emcees before him that started the trend of phasing out the DJ.
(AllHipHop News) Indiana emcee Freddie Gibbs may also be known as “Gangsta Gibbs,” but the co-creator of this year’s well-received album Piñata with Madlib wants the world to know that he is actually RBG – revolutionary but gangsta. While doing an interview with Montreality, Gibbs presented his favorite advocates for social change.
“I got Huey Newton tattooed on my back. I just read Assata Shakur’s book, so she’s probably my favorite right now. Her, George L. Jackson, Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Che Guevara – it’s a lot of people,” said Gibbs. “I definitely read a lot of literature on those people. [I’m] definitely well versed on what they do and the principles that they had. I’m into it.”
On the gangsta side of things, Gibbs gave his definition of a true “G.” According to the “Thuggin” rapper, being a gangsta is not about drug dealing or committing violent acts.
“[A ‘G’ is] just a motherf**ker that do what he’s supposed to do and take care of his family. That’s it,” explained Gibbs. “That don’t mean you sell drugs or no dumb s**t like that. That don’t mean you kill nobody, you carry no gun, or no dumb s**t like that. That don’t mean none of that. It’s you staying to you, and you doing what the f**k you’re supposed to do. And staying the f**k out of my motherf**king way.”
(AllHipHop News) Veteran rap group The Lox recently gifted their fans with the 11-track free projectThe Trinity (3rd Sermon). The Yonkers trio visited The Breakfast Club to talk about the third installment in their Trinity series. They also discussed another former Bad Boy artist’s decision to step back into the Hip Hop spotlight.
Sheek Louch, Styles P, and Jadakiss revealed Ma$e wanted to jump on a remix to their mixtape’s closing song “No Selfies.” The conversation eventually turned to the Harlem rapper’s return to rapping after spending time as a pastor.
“I still call him Murda,” said Sheek. “I just showed Kiss the other day his sermon. Ma$e used to preach to thousands of people.”
“That killed me looking at that,” responded Kiss. “They’re lucky I wasn’t there. I would have burst out [laughing]. They would have escorted me out of that joint.”
When co-host Charlamagne Tha God shared he previously told Ma$e that the public is having a hard time following him because his professional shifts may make him come off as inauthentic, Styles offered a different perspective.
“It ain’t that, cause mostly even gangster rappers rap about God, hard life, and some connection to the God of creation,” said Styles.
“There’s no such thing as a gangster pastor though,” added Jadakiss.
“I would have to disagree with you brother. They got the collection plate running. That’s gangster,” said Styles.
Before Lebron James, The Forest City that is Cleveland had this legendary supergroup discovered by Eazy-E called Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and this week’s Throwback Thursday mix is dedicated to them. Tracklist and stream below.
Tracklist:
01 – Mr. Bill Collector
02 – Buddah Lovaz
03 – East 1999
04 – Thuggish Ruggish Bone (U-Neek’ Remix)
05 – It’s All Real
06 – Breakdown
07 – Thug Luv
08 – Creepin On Ah Come Up
09 – Mo’ Murder
10 – Thug Mentality
11 – Crept And We Came
12 – World So Cruel
13 – 1st of tha Month (DJ Premiers Phat Remix)
14 – Celebration Remix
15 – Flow Motion
16 – Everyday Thang
17 – Look into My Eyes
18 – Gun Blast
19 – P.O.D.
20 – Mo’ Murda
21 – Mo’ Murda
22 – Down ’71 (The Gataway)
23 – Notorious Thugs
24 – Days of Our Livez
25 – Resurrection (Paper, Paper)
26 – Shortz To Tha Double Glock
27 – Def Dick
28 – Can’t Give It Up (Rock Remix)
29 – Ain’t Nothing Changed
30 – No Surrender
31 – Land Of Tha Heartless
32 – The Points
33 – Handle The Vibe
34 – Body Rott
35 – 2 Glocks (DJ U-Neek Remix)
36 – Hip-Hop Baby
Bow Wow may be showering LHHNY star Erica Mena with expensive gifts, but maybe next time he should just hand over some cash.
A source for MediaTakeout says the reality star had a birthday celebration at their job at racked up a pricey bill:
“My job has these events once a month. Last night it was an Erica Mena birthday celebration and she racked up a bill a little over $500 then walked out on it.
We were hoping it was an honest mistake but by her reaction via Instagram I’m almost sure it was purposely done.
She deleted the comment left on her post about it have no explanation/apology and unfollowed my coworker who left the comment. So wack and disrespectful and my coworker who had the tab with her is at risk for termination”
(AllHipHop News) “First movie ever, murked out Mekhi Phife,” rapped Cam’ron on “I Really Mean It.” The Dipset emcee was referring to his 2002 movie Paid In Full which starred Cam, Mekhi Phifer, and Wood Harris. The film was produced by Roc-A-Fella Films under the guidance of the Roc’s co-founder Dame Dash.
Cam’ron and Dame sat down with Hip Hop Motivation to discuss the fictional motion picture based on the lives of Harlem drug dealers Alpo Martinez, Rich Porter, and Azie “AZ” Faison. Cam reveals he took an extra step in order to ensure he got the role of Rico.
“I was talking to Dame recently about how I want to find my audition tape. I basically wanted the part so bad when I came to audition and did the reading I had a real gun on me,” stated Cam. “It was a part in the script where I pulled out a gun. I was like, ‘I really wanted them to know – the readers, Dame, everybody.’ I pulled out the gun and the guy who was ready was like, ‘Yo,’ and Dame was like, ‘Chill.’ I was trying to get the part [laughs].”
Cam then added that Dame fought for him to make the movie even though the filmmakers wanted to go with someone else. Dame then explained how Harris getting the part of Ace was connected to Cam’ron being chosen for the film.
“The trade-off was Wood Harris to play AZ. To be honest, in the beginning I didn’t think he could pull it off because he wasn’t from Harlem. He had to spend two weeks with A,” said Dame. “If he could do it then, I’ll let him be AZ, but you gotta let Cam be Rico’s part. That s**t kinda worked out.”
Power to the people at last! Par-City presents People Power, which is comprised exclusively of remixes requested by you the loyal Par-Citizens. Including a special introduction by Peter Rosenberg, with production from The Arsenals and a special feature from R&B sensation Tay Bell, People Power gives a fresh twist on some of your favorite songs, including cuts like Big Sean’s “IDFWU,” Jeezy’s “Seen It All,” and classics like Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation,” People Power has something for every music fan.
Prior to the explosion of reality TV and internet fame, in the late 80s and early 90s “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” became a hotspot for entertainers, athletes and moguls to flaunt their lavish lifestyles, giving fans an exclusive look into how their favorite celebrities lived off-camera.
Now the show is preparing to make a comeback, as Nick Cannon has been tapped to take over the series originally made famous by Robin Leach.
Cannon revealed to E! News, “Robin Leach passed the torch to me, now I’m producing and hosting the new “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. You know what? I think rich and famous people take themselves too seriously. I’m gonna be just like I am on this show (America’s Got Talent.) I’ll be like, ‘what the hell? Gold toilet seats?! Let’s pop bottles.’ “
(AllHipHop News) Before Kendrick Lamar was viewed by many as the new “King of the West Coast” he was rapping under the name K. Dot. The Compton emcee eventually dropped that moniker and started using his birth name. Kendrick spoke with The Madd Hatta Morning Show about switching his handle.
“K. Dot comes from the neighborhood. Just being a kid in the city, so I started rapping under that name,” explained Kendrick. “I said to myself I don’t wanna be known for just spitting raps. I wanna be known for something a little bit more, so why not start with people identifying with who I am from the jump.”
After adopting his government name Kendrick went on to release the critically acclaimed Section.80. The project featured the J. Cole-produced track “HiiiPoWeR.” The song opens with Kendrick spitting, “Visions of Martin Luther staring at me/Malcolm X put a hex on my future someone catch me/I’m falling victim to a revolutionary song.”
During the discussion with Madd Hatta, Kendrick revealed that The Autobiography of Malcolm X is a book that greatly influenced him. One of the themes of the Malcolm and Alex Haley co-authored memoir is the ability of a person to change with experience – evidenced by Malcolm’s personal transformation after visiting Mecca and Africa. Kendrick touched on how he drew inspiration on that idea from the 1965 best-seller.
“I think for me it’s about communicating with people. I was one of those kids – six, seven years old – having full conversation with grown people that were in the party,” said Kendrick. “So taking that lifestyle and going across the world and talking to other people from different cultures and walks of life, it gives you a little bit more wisdom.”
Yaheard Records Presents…Marchitect- “Everything”- Official Music Video. From the forthcoming album “The OverNight People”, this new visual was filmed around the world as Marchitect toured with The 49ers and on his own. This hard hitting, yet smooth track, will give Hip Hop Lovers, world wide something to nod their heads too. The song was produced, written and recorded by Marchitect
Yeezy loves to brag about having more than one woman in the mix of things.
Rumor has it that before the couple were ever a couple, West and his now wife Kim Kardashian participated in a threesome with another woman, the problem is that Kim had a boyfriend at the time the…activity took place.
RadarOnline reports:
“Though the reality star’s rep denied the tryst, In Touch claims that multiple insiders dished on how Kardashian cheated on a longtime boyfriend with Kanye, 37, and another woman who just happens to also be famous. “Kanye was obsessed with Kim and wanted to have a three-way with her, and she didn’t hesitate,” said one source.
“Kim and Kanye had already been seeing each other behind her boyfriend’s back, and Kanye brought this other woman into it.”
The only problem? “The other woman ended up getting jealous of Kim because Kanye was more into Kim than he was into her,” says the source.”
(AllHipHop News) Dr. Dre’s musical family tree includes some of the biggest names in Hip Hop history. The careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, The Game, and Kendrick Lamar were all helped in part by their association with the legendary producer. But Dre also has quite a few artists attached to his name that did not break out to become stars. One of those individuals is Hittman.
Brian “Hittman” Bailey was one of the first acts to sign with Dre’s Aftermath label, and he made several appearances on the 1999 Dre album 2001. Even with that huge look, Hittman never saw an album released under Aftermath and eventually parted ways with the imprint.
Hittman spoke with NotMad about his departure from the house that Dre built. He gave his interpretation on why things did not work out well for him with the company and perhaps why other artists like Truth Hurts, Bishop Lamont, and Slim The Mobster failed to succeed with Dre as well.
I’ll give it to you like this. Game was fortunate for two reasons: 50 liked what he was doing, so he was able to jump ship, and Dre wasn’t working on his own album at that time. Those who were fortunate to be around when Dre wasn’t 100% focused on his own album were the ones able to launch their careers. But those who were positioned to springboard off of a Dre album (like 2001) got lost in the shuffle. If he’s focused (on his album), all your energy is focused on helping him see his vision. Once he doesn’t have enthusiasm about what you’re doing, it wanes.
That’s what I think happened to each and every artist (on Aftermath), and you also kind of get used to being under his shield. You can get in to all the clubs, you know, ‘I’m rolling with Dre’ is kind of like a Black Card, it’s Aftermath motherf**ker! Laughs. So when you get on your own, you don’t really know how to fend for yourself, it’s like “which way do I go?” (Dre) pretty much has a blank check budget, but you don’t. You don’t have the amenities that you’ve grown accustomed to having during his recording process and all of a sudden your comfort zone is snatched from under you with no real explanation. You feel slighted and helpless and unable to fend for yourself, well at least that’s how I felt. Not having the resolve on how to deal with those kinds of feelings can quickly send you into a state of obscurity. And yes, the political side of the music game stifled all my creativity and in that instance I totally lost my love for music and replaced it with disdain and hatred for it.
(AllHipHop News) It is almost as if 50 Cent has become Hip Hop’s unofficial social commentator on events in pop culture. The G-Unit boss is known for using his social media platforms to chime in on the trending topics. Recently, Fif posted a picture of Wiz Khalifa with his new purple hair and added the caption, “I can’t stop laughing oh s**t, I’m starting to cry.snoop put this s**t up.”
During an interview with Hollywood Life, the Queens rapper addressed the Wiz IG photo. After stating he was a fan of the “We Dem Boyz” performer, 50 even went on to give the Taylor Gang leader some fashion advice.
“I reposted that picture because it was the funniest thing. I almost started crying I was laughing so hard. They make choices. Artists will do things to stand out or for shock value. Prince didn’t even go that far with purple,” said 50. “You can always leave your hair the color and just decide to wear purple.”
50 has had his fair share of relationships with celebrities including Vivica Fox, Ciara, and Chelsea Handler. He was asked to give pop star Justin Bieber some guidance in the love department.
“Be friends. Friendship is the strongest form of a relationship,” 50 stated with a smile. “And take your time… If you look at the top of the Fortune 500 companies, you’ll see they took their biggest losses in investment in friendship. They’ve been married. They’ve been divorced. They gave the money up.”
The FBI has released data naming Detroit, MI the most dangerous city in the nation.
Crime rates fell in the city last year but it still has the highest number of murders and violent crimes (rape, assault, robbery, murder) in the nation. According to the data, last year Detroit had 14,504 violent crimes and 316 murders, which accounted for half of the murders in Michigan. For 2014, the city has had 261 murders so far.
To make Detroit safer, $1.7 billion will be invested in public safety and other improvements in the city.
Other cities on the list include Oakland, CA at number two, Memphis, TN in the third slot, St. Louis, MO at number four and Cleveland, OH rounding out the top five.
19-year-old Pasadena native Craig Gillespie released his new EP Gillespie yesterday. This self-titled “audio movie” is an in depth look into the evolution of the talent young lyricist’s life. Since his last project, Craigslist, released in 2012, Gillespie has shown that he has evolved tremendously as an artist.
Collaborating with some of Southern California’s most talented artists and musicians such as Joon of Overdoz., HollyValens, Noah V., and Quin and production from Dae One, Mic West, The Scholars, Lyve and Fokuzedbbs., Gillespie definitely has something for everyone.
TDE stans are patiently waiting for Kendrick Lamar’s sophomore effort, which he has yet to announce a title and release date for.
K. Dot stopped by Sirius XM to chop it up with DJ Whoo Kid and revealed that the only one who has heard the upcoming project is his 10-year-old little brother.
“No, real talk. He has it. He has the album and he told me what he likes. That’s my A&R right there. He has a sophisticated ear. He’s in somebody’s elementary [school] right now knowing all the lyrics. Telling ’em, watch.”
Check out the interview below where he talks about working with George Clinton, what TDE is up to and more.
Nashville, TN rapper B-Hoody drops a freestyle for the fans with his track #OnMyLevel. As the artwork implies, its gonna take a lot to get on B-Hoody’s level. Check the resume, the kid’s been around for a while putting in the work, seems like its just a matter of time before he gets more widespread recognition.
Ne-Yo’s music is the perfect soundtrack to a romantic evening, but for 26-year-old Zoe Fennessy it’s the soundtrack to her seizures.
Daily Mail reports that the London mom begins to have uncontrollable epileptic seizures shortly after hearing the singer’s music and had to have a part of her brain removed in an effort to stop them. Fennessy was clinically diagnosed with musicogenic seizures, which causes her to vomit and become unable to respond to anything when she hears Ne-Yo’s tone of voice.
‘I’ll be walking around the supermarket doing my food shopping and I have to put my earphones in to listen to my own music just in case it comes on,” she told Daily Mail. “Whenever I hear the first few beats of the song I have to drop whatever I am doing and run.”
After having part of her left frontal lobe removed in June, doctors said the procedure was not successful.
Fennessy, who was out of work for six months due to the pain and distress, says she doesn’t dislike Ne-Yo or his music but “it dislikes her.”
After releasing her debut album, Aquarius, last month, LA songstress Tinashe isn’t wasting any time getting on the road. The tour kicks off on Dec. 5th in her hometown at Power 106’s annual Cali Christmas concert. The “2 On” singer then passes through cities like Toronto, New York and Washington, D.C. and then has the finale Dec. 19th in Orlando, FL.
Check out the dates below and check Ticketmaster for ticket info.
Dec. 5 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum (Cali Christmas)
Dec. 11 – Rochester, NY – Blue Cross Arena (Jingle Jam)
Dec. 12 – Pontiac, MI – The Crofoot Ballroom
Dec. 13 – Toronto, ON – Tattoo Queen West
Dec. 15 – New York, NY – Highline Ballroom
Dec. 16 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
Dec. 17 – Washington, DC – Howard Theatre
Dec. 18 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live
Dec. 19 – Orlando, FL –Beacham Theatre
Red Mcfly recently added a new artist to his Flight Club roster, now we get to hear his first track which is Luxury Girl Featuring Red Mcfly. This track is a smooth ode to the high class ladies out there.
(AllHipHop News) Dr. Dre’s musical family tree includes some of the biggest names in Hip Hop history. The careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, The Game, and Kendrick Lamar were all helped in part by their association with the legendary producer. But Dre also has quite a few artists attached to his name that did not break out to become stars. One of those individuals is Hittman.