(AllHipHop News) Since Eminem first broke on the music scenes his lyrics about drugs and violence have been deemed controversial by some circles. It appears Great Britain’s Royal Family are aligned with the critics who do not find Slim Shady’s music appealing.
The Huffington Post UK reports Em was set to headline Hyde Park’s British Summer Time Festival, but he was denied the right to perform by the Royal Parks organization which is headed by the Royal Family. Apparently, there was concern that the rapper is seen as being too closely associated with homophobia and provocative content.
However, U.K. fans of Eminem will get to see “The Monster” performer at Wembley Stadium this summer. He reinforced his upcoming show in July with a slight jab at Hyde Park on Instagram.
(AllHipHop News) Lil Durk is not done with Tyga just yet. In an interview with DJ MoonDawg, the Chicago native reveals he has a reply for Tyga and Game’s “ChiRaq To LA.”
“I’m on him. I gotta reply back,” said Durk. “That’s getting disrespected. That’s like disrespecting my city, so I’m on it.”
Durk then makes it clear the back-and-forth with Tyga will stay on wax, and after he drops his response – that will feature fellow Chitown native Bump J – he is done battling the Young Money rapper.
(AllHipHop News) The rumors of marital troubles taking place in the Harris household have been playing out on blogs and on social media for months. Art often imitates life, so T.I. uses his appearance on a remix of Jhene Aiko’s “The Worst” to speak on a relationship falling apart.
You gotta love Pharrell! This dude’s talent knows no bounds! He’s riding high on “Happy” juice and what does he go an do? Spark rumors that he and “god of rap” Rakim will do a joint together. That’s pretty cool considering P could work with anybody he wants these days. The same thing goes for Rakim, because he’s such a dude of integrity, he may not want to work with anything pop oriented. Can’t wait for this one.
What do we have here? Rich Homie Quan is living the fast life, according to the rumors! Lil Wayne had a number of issues with sipping on that lean and the result was seizures in mass. Well, some have been saying that Rich Homie may be experiencing similar stuff after having seizures today. But, there is a bit of a difference for RHQ, according to my sources. Peep what was sent to me:
Just heard a rumor about Rich Homie Quan’s recent seizure. According to those on set, the real sizzurp or lean was banned a few weeks ago so now in a dry market rappers are trying the red and yellow versions of lean which users say is much different than the purp. Also people are lacing the lean with prescription pills so it’s a potent mixture that can cause more serious risks
As a matter of RECORD, Rich and the crew state and maintain it was NOT drug-related.
(AllHipHop Features) Don’t call it a comeback, but Hip Hop collective Army of the Pharaohs has returned after a four-year hiatus with the new album In Death Reborn.
The group’s fourth LP features contributions from Vinnie Paz, Esoteric, Apathy, Crypt, Planetary, Reef the Lost Cauze, Celph, Blacastan, Doap Nixon, Blacastan, Des Devious, Demoz, V-Zilla, King Magnetic, and Lawrence Arnell.
The supergroup was originally put together in 1998 by Vinnie and went on to release The Torture Papers,Ritual of Battle, The Unholy Terror, and The Five Perfect Exertions EP. Their latest project is a 14-track album that includes hard-hitting production from Frank Grimes, C-Lance, and several others.
New music from Army of the Pharaohs will not end with In Death Reborn. There are already plans to drop a follow-up this November. Also, Apathy is set to release a solo album in June followed by Czarface later this year. Projects from Reef and King Syze are currently available as well.
Three members of AOTP connected with AllHipHop.com. Esoteric, Vinnie Paz, and Apathy speak on reuniting, conspiracy theorists’ beliefs they are connected to “devil worshipping” or the “Illuminati,” and underground versus mainstream Hip Hop.
On reuniting after four years:
Esoteric: I don’t think we look at it as a reunion since we’ve never really strayed too far, being that we pop up on a lot of each other’s albums. It starts with Vinnie really, because even though he’d never admit it, he’s the big dog. When he starts sending beats around, we all start gearing up for another AOTP record.
With this one we got together in person about seven months ago, shooting a few videos in Philly for my solo record “The Danger” which featured Vinnie, Celph, and Ap… lots of the other Pharaohs came out too like Planetary, Reef, and Blacastan to shoot another video off the same project. I think getting together in one room helped build energy you can’t convey over the phone or computer. From there it snowballed.
Vinnie Paz: It was just time. Timing is everything.
On In Death Reborn being put together differently from other AOTP projects:
VP: I’m not sure it was intended to be a different approach. I just think we’ve grown as artists and people, and we realized that there is a better way to streamline the project to make it easier on everyone.
On comments the group’s subject matter represents occultism, devil worshipping or the “Illuminati”:
E: My favorite Big L record was called “Devil’s Son,” and he’s not a devil worshipper. He’s just using that as a vehicle to explain how crazy, unorthodox and how unlike the rest he is. That is what Hip Hop is about, being deadly with the pen, being creative and original. Sometimes you can’t just knock on a door, you need to get that swat team battering ram and bash the door in.
Inflammatory language will always rattle people. Our music is for the insiders who already get that concept. People that would equate us with the devil are people who never listened to hardcore Hip Hop before.
Apathy: A lot of conspiracy theorists misunderstand us. They take a lot of stuff too literally and look for Illuminati messages in Doritos chips. We’ve been spitting about the same s**t for seventeen years now. It’s not a shocker what we do.
VP: My response? You can’t argue with a fool. That’s my response.
On how the music landscape has changed for indie artists since AOTP first came on the scene:
VP: It’s completely changed. Everyone is a rapper now. Everyone has a Twitter and Facebook page promoting their mediocre product. It’s the Wild West out here right now.
On the current state of both underground and mainstream Hip Hop:
E: As with anything else, there is quality stuff at every level and horrible stuff at every level. The culture has certainly devolved since me and Vinnie would link at the Rock Steady Anniversary in the mid 90’s and take in all the b-boying and graf and what NYC legends had to offer. That was the blueprint for us, but things change, music hotbeds relocate, and only the strong survive. That’s why we are still here.
Listen, I can dig the most vapid, unintelligible trap s**t if I’m in the right setting, because it’s got that bass that has me bouncing or has my head nodding. If I’m out in a club or something and one of these ridiculous records come on that have no substance, I’m probably gonna be wiling out like everybody else… I won’t be returning back to a dimly lit basement to write a 16 about how I hate it. I’m gonna enjoy it, because I feel the vibe or associate it with girls or nightlife or whatever because I know how music changes, and I know what I bring to the table when I’m at bat – an alternative to that.
VP: It’s hard for me to answer that. I don’t really listen to “underground rap.” In fact, I don’t even know what that means anymore. The first thing that comes to mind is a bad rapper. [laughs]
Army Of The Pharaohs new album In Death Reborn is now available on iTunes.
The emcee of The Niceguys, Yves, has been prepping a series of solo EPs for this year, the first one titled Sincerely, Yves. Featuring a few beats from Free and James Kelley himself, the new EP is a good introduction for the unacquainted to the experimental nature, drinking habits, and no filter personality of the Queens native.
(AllHipHop News) Kim Kardashian took to her personal Twitter account to clear up a few misconceptions about her and Kanye West’s marriage. Earlier today (May 7th), West’s fiancé denied reports that her and West were married and if they will film the wedding.
Earlier this year, rumors surfaced that Beyonce and Jay Z would not attend the wedding if it was being filmed for Kardashian’s reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians. According to the future Mrs. West, herself and Kanye are not married and have no intentions of filming the wedding reception:
Four months ago, Kim stated that her and West “will be getting married this summer, hopefully, in Paris” during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live. French regulations require individuals to reside in Paris for at least 40 days in order to legally marry in the city.
Trina is allegedly dating NFL player Bryant McKennie. The two have been spotted coupled up out in Miami recently, and word is McKennie has been after Trina for awhile
(AllHipHop News) Thankfully all is well with Rich Homie Quan after the rapper sustained back-to-back seizures and a head injury on a music video set in Atlanta. Today (May 7th), Rich Homie Quan’s label Think It’s A Game Entertainment addresses Quan’s health and future in music following the seizure attacks and Quan himself addresses the incident.
According to a statement from Think It’s A Game Entertainment obtained by XXL, Quan was release from the hospital last night (May 7th). The label states that Quan “fell and suffered a gash over his eye and abrasion on his face.” As a result of the attacks, Quan has reevaluated his upcoming performances:
He just been working hard. I think it was more so exhaustion. He’s going to be doing shows; he just taking a break. It was a traumatizing experience. I can’t give an exact date when he’ll be better, but right now he’s just going to take some time off to be better.
Quan recently addressed the seizure attacks and shared the same diagnosis as his record label:
First and foremost I want to Thank God for his blessings. Your boy just been grinding too hard. Thanks for all of the prayers… I’m okay
Check out the full statement from Think It’s A Game Entertainment below:
We just want to say thank you to everybody who was praying for him and appreciate everybody support. He’s doing well, he’s just resting right now. They released him from the hospital last night. He’s just resting up. We’re not going to be doing any shows for a little while until he gets better, but he’s in good health, and he’s in good spirits. He’s just resting right now. He was initially at Grady Memorial Hospital then was moved to Piedmont Hospital. He fell and suffered a gash over his eye and abrasion on his face. But he’s good now. He just been working hard. I think it was more so exhaustion. He’s going to be doing shows; he just taking a break. It was a traumatizing experience. I can’t give an exact date when he’ll be better, but right now he’s just going to take some time off to be better. We just thank everybody for the support. Everybody all over just has been so supportive in this whole ordeal, and that really helps not only him but the team, just to know that many people really support the movement. We’re just thankful that people are actually that concerned and supportive.
No, Young Buck won’t be there, but somebody else will. The original G-Unit – Banks, Buck and Yayo – will get back together on that Summer Jam stage for the people’s delight, I’m hearing! I think this could be epic if they go back and do some of their big street hits. I’m not sure if the young bucks of today even know those records, but they sure were hot!
They need to let Ja Rule on one of those stages! Holla, Holla!
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
(AllHipHop News) Sean “P. Diddy” Combs is not on the best terms with some of the most powerful women in entertainment. Less than a month after ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and NuvoTV outbid Combs and REVOLT TV for FUSE, Eva Longoria has some disparaging remarks for the Hip Hop mogul over his political endorsements of Ras Baraka.
This past Monday (May 5th), Longoria appeared in Mediterranean Manor catering hall in Newark, New Jersey to voice her support for New Jersey mayoral candidate, former Assistant Attorney General Shavar Jeffries. The prior day, Diddy publicly supported Jeffries’ opponent in the NJ mayoral race, Ras Baraka on his personal Instagram account:
Longoria informed the 800 people at the catering hall that Diddy was not making the right decision:
Diddy is misguided. I think Shavar is a fantastic candidate who has the experience to do this job. His narrative of what he’s been through is impressive to me. Your experience reflects the policies that you want to install. For me, he walks the walk and talks the talk.
(AllHipHop News) While 51 year old Michael Jordan did not approve of Donald Sterling’s racist comments, a younger Michael Jordan might have been more understanding. According to an excerpt from an upcoming biography Michael Jordan: The Life, Jordan admitted to once considering himself a racist and being against all white people.
One part of the the biography, written by Roland Lazenby, has Jordan recall an altercation he had with a White classmate while attending Emsley A. Laney High School back in 1977. According to Jordan, the girl called Jordan the N-word and Jordan’s retaliation got the future Hall of Famer suspended:
So I threw a soda at her. I was really rebelling. I considered myself a racist at the time. Basically, I was against all white people.
Lazenby spoke on the presence of the Klu Klux Klan in North Carolina during the years Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School. Lazenby informed Sports Illustrated that Jordan’s hatred for White people could be a byproduct of the monopolizing influence of the KKK over his hometown and a history of racism:
As I started looking at newspapers back in this era when I was putting together [Michael’s great-grandfather] Dawson Jordan’s life, the Klan was like a chamber of commerce. It bought the uniforms for ball teams, it put Bibles in all the schools. It may well have ended up being a chamber of commerce if not for all the violence it was perpetrating, too. A lot of the context just wasn’t possible to put it in a basketball book. A lot of it ended up being cut.
