(AllHipHop News) If there is one thing Sway Calloway has done for decades is get the unexpected out of people and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Today on Sway in the Morning Cam Newton admitted that himself and other NFL players kick freestyles “in the locker room or wherever”. The self proclaimed “Ace Boogie” spit a quick freestyle at the request of Sway touching on the topics of gender dynamics in the stripping industry:
We at the Super Bowl
I might check your pockets and take a toll.
Cmon now, we can all be strippers and ride the pole
But that’s a girl job, we all know.
Earlier this week in Miami, Canadian Artist Peter Jackson of 9-0-Nickel Entertainment, shot the video for his next single, “Havana,” taken from his album Good Company. “Havana” features Artist Waka Flocka and newcomer Bianca Sanchez on the hook. Directed by Lucas Sewards and Produced by Farley Flex
There was an episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta where Mama Joyce said she was going to back off Kandi’s man, Todd, but it looks like she’s having a hard time keeping that promise.
Mama Joyce, who has made it clear that she doesn’t want her daughter to marry Todd because she feels he is an opportunist, has taken more shots at him via In Touch. In the issue, on stands now, she alleges that the only person Todd cares about is himself.
“Kandi’s on one page, and Todd is on his page,” Joyce tells In Touch, noting that her daughter had originally wanted a Valentine’s Day ceremony. “Kandi is in love — and Todd is in love with Todd. He could love Kandi, but he loves Todd more.”
Kandi was in wedding-planning mode on RHOA but all the mama drama made her reconsider her plans for a big wedding, including the dates they were thinking about. Now it sounds like things are really up in the air because during a recent visit to Watch What Happens Live, Todd told host Andy Cohen, “We’re taking it day-by-day,” when asked about the status of his nuptials.
(AllHipHop News) Super producer Mike Will Made It made it abundantly clear that Future’s upcoming album will be packed with star studded features. In a recent interview, the Atlanta producer spoke on Future’s Honest album as well as his own solo debut Established in 1989 Part 3.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, the prolific producer let the cat out the bag on a few of the features on Honest
We have some good collaborations on there like Nicki Minaj, Drake, Kanye West, Pharrell, Pusha T. It’s a real dope album and it should be eventful when it comes out.
Future’s Honest was originally slated to be released on November, 26, 2013, but was pushed back. Future went to his personal Twitter account to announce he will be revealing more details from the album in the upcoming week:
I’m releasing the cover & date for honest next week.Freebandz
In addition to revealing that he is working on Mariah Carey’s upcoming album The Art of Letting Go and an as-of-yet untitled album from P. Diddy, Mike says his own debut album Established in 1989 Part 3 will be a hit factory. Comparing it to the yearly NOW! series that compiles the year’s top hits, Mike says his debut album will be as star studded as Future’s Honest:
I’ve been working with Kendrick, Nicki, Future, Rick Ross, Drake, everybody. I’m trying to figure out what songs make the cut. My album has to be the 10 hottest songs. It has to be like the Now CD. It’s going to be called Established in 1989 Part 3 because I drew up three other mixtapes earlier, Part 1, Part 2, Part 2.5.
(AllHipHop News) “People confuse Macklemore and Ryan Lewis with their audience,” says Talib Kweli. While speaking with DJ Whoo Kid, the New York emcee addressed the perception of Mack and Lewis as pop stars as compared to Hip Hop stars.
“When you hear people dissing them, they’re really dissing their audience,” adds Kweli, “They paid their dues in a big way. Of course being white helps, but their audience don’t know about Hip Hop.”
The former Black Star member also addresses Macklemore’s song “White Privilege.” Kweli names the track as one of his favorites by the Seattle rapper.
“[It’s] interesting to hear a white man’s perspective on his privilege,” says Kweli.
Kweli released his sixth solo album Gravitas in December. The project features appearances by Big K.R.I.T., Gary Clark, Jr., RES, Black Thought, Rah Digga, The Underachievers, and Raekwon.
Watch Talib Kweli talk about Macklemore, Gravitas, working with Jay Z, the Illuminati, Hip Hop autobiographies, Kanye West, and more in the video below.
(AllHipHop News) Los Angeles emcee Game is willingly to jump in the ring to face off against Trayvon Martin killer George Zimmerman. According to TMZ, the Jesus Piece creator has accepted a challenge to box Zimmerman in a celebrity boxing match being promoted by Damon Feldman.
“I will beat the f**k out of him,” Game said about the possibility of trading blows with Zimmerman. “I would not be boxing for me. I’d be boxing for the legacy of Trayvon Martin and for his family.”
The veteran rapper and reality show star goes on to say he would take pleasure in fighting Zimmerman and wants to show him disputes can be settled without using a firearm.
The public has seen some of The Game’s hand skills in the past. In 2012, video of Game engaged in a physical altercation with 40 Glocc hit the net.
(AllHipHop News) Hip Hop is headed over to Manchester, England this summer for the 2014 edition of The Parklife Weekender. Acts scheduled for the festival include headliner Snoop Dogg and an exclusive U.K. performance by Kendrick Lamar. Pusha T, Public Enemy, Flying Lotus, Danny Brown, and numerous rock and EDM performers are part of the line-up as well. More acts will be announced in the future.
(AllHipHop News) After finding success as a reality show, the Black Ink Crew is now expanding its brand to include print media as well. The Harlem-based collective of tattoo artists recently launched their own nationwide magazine.
The Black Ink monthly went on sale January 26th. Black Ink owner Ceaser Emanuel also serves as the publication’s managing editor.
“This publication is something that the entire Black Ink Crew is proud of. We’ve already received a lot of anticipation and support and we’re using this opportunity to expand beyond the urban market and into every stream of media,” states Emanuel. “We are also excited to reveal the magazine’s shocking exclusives and creative photography.”
Even with the new endeavor, Emanuel and the rest of the crew are not done with television just yet. Black Ink Crew will return for a third season this summer on VH1.
(AllHipHop News) Rapper Big Pooh is best well-known as the former member of the North Carolina rap group Little Brother. Besides dropping critically acclaimed albums like The Minstrel Show with Phonte and 9th Wonder, Pooh has also created several projects as a solo act.
The emcee recently announced his next two projects will be released through the indie label Mello Music Group. The first of those albums will be produced entirely by Nottz (Busta Rhymes, Blu). The second EP will use production by Mello’s roster of producers.
Pooh has already contributed his skills to the Mello team in the past. In 2009, he appeared on the track “Endure” with Georgia Anne Muldrow and MED. He also worked with Oddisee and Black Milk for “Drugs Outside.” More recently, Pooh provided a verse for “Juk” off Mello Music Group’s Mandala Vol. 2, Today’s Mathematics compilation album.
And then, fans realized that Diplo actually confirmed it by favoriting the tweet. I found that to be hilarious. He knew what he was doing. Either that he would start something or give the fans what they wanted.
Meanwhile, Azealia finds herself stuck on Universal begging for a release. SMH.
AND, she has the gall to proclaim herself the best female rapper.
I'm the best female in hip-hop. Sorry, not sorry. I'm better than most of you n##### too. Real Talk.
They just won’t leave Bow Wow alone, will they? Bow Wow was just out in Hollywood chillin’ doing some stuntin’. (Do people still say stuntin’ like that?) Anyway, he was doing his thang in a white Ferrari. He gets his friend to hop out and take a picture of him pulling up to valet… Then, the internet and the company he rented the car from go in on Bow Weezy.
I don’t know why, but that’s just how they do you these days. There’s no shame in RENTING a Ferrari. I guess people may have thought Bow Wow was lying or just doing too much on Instagram. But it went even crazier when the rental company put him on blast in THEIR Instagram. Sheeesh!
(AllHipHop Features) “Sometimes I be feeling like don’t nobody love me,” is the opening line of the title track to Quelle Chris’ latest solo project Ghost At The Finish Line. Despite releasing several projects in the last few years that were well-received by music critics and a core fan base, Quelle has not attained the level of attention that is probably deserving of a producer/emcee of his talent.
Understandably, the Detroit native acknowledges that lack of recognition is something that crosses his mind, but Quelle believes his artistic voice is of the highest caliber regardless.
“Yeah, it bothers me. I can’t say it doesn’t bother me, but at the same time I’m good. I’m going to keep moving up. That’s all I can do,” says Quelle. “I’m always going to have something good waiting when people are ready. I get respect from a lot of these cats. I know what I got is great, so I’m just chilling.”
Ghost At The Finish Line was seen as great by many listeners. The self-reflective tone of tracks like “Loop Dreams” reveal Quelle’s passionate desire to achieve success at this rap thing, while humorous songs like “Super F**k” display he still doesn’t take himself too seriously. It all comes together for what the emcee calls “conversationalist music.”
“[My music’s] more an exchange between two people. Rather than feeling you’re just getting a song, you actually feel like you’re in the moment of the music,” explains Quelle.
As 2013’s Ghost still gathers steam, Quelle is also helping build momentum for his new team at Mello Music Group; the label home to Oddisee, Apollo Brown, L’Orange & Stik Figa, Has-Lo, and Dudley Perkins.
The collective just released their compilation albums Mandala Vol. 1, Polysonic Flow and Mandala Vol. 2, Today’s Mathematic. Vol 1 includes the Quelle-produced instrumental track “Euclidian Geometry,” his solo rap track “Going Swell,” and his appearance on the posse cuts “Money Shot” and “Supreme Codeine.”
“I wanted to be with something that I could grow with. It’s not somewhere I feel pressured about how I make my music or what I want to make,” Quelle states about his reasoning for signing with Mello. “I can be free to make whatever I want, but at the same time we’re growing together. That and all the billions of dollars I be making.”
As a collective of “underground artists,” Quelle and the rest of Mello Music Group are viewed as residing on the opposite end of the Hip Hop spectrum to the rappers who live comfortably on corporate radio. Even though Quelle may be considered more reflective of the essence of a true emcee, he has no problem calling out self-aggrandizing rap artists. He is also a target of his own comedic shots. A prime example is his cut “Rappin’ Ass” featuring Denmark Vessey.
“Denmark wrote the song initially. He got the beat from [House] Shoes, wrote the song, and sent it to me. I was like I got to get in on this,” Quelle says. “There is st that cats do that’s a little suspect, but at the same time there’s a lot of st that either I do or have done. I’m a rappin’ ass na too, so you can’t make fun of other nas if you can’t really point out s**t in yourself. We’re kind of talking about ourselves. We’re rappin’ass n****as.”
Quelle has opinions about the direction of Hip Hop in general as well. According to the Crown Nation affiliate, the culture is becoming a victim of its own popularity, but like other musical art forms, Hip Hop will survive some of the absurdity that has consumed it in his eyes.
“When a medium becomes really popular, people just start [trying to] out doing each other, and then you reach some sort of pinnacle of ridiculousness,” says Quelle. “Then somebody comes out with something that kind of topples it – that’s building it up from the bottom again. You see that happen within a lot of genres.”
Though he has a vision of where Hip Hop is headed, Quelle Chris is mostly concerned with crafting the best quality products for himself, his Mello Music Group brethren, and the other outside artists he collaborates with. If his genre-bending “conversationalist music” is never appreciated by the greater society, Quelle ultimately seems content with just creating work that illustrates who he is an artist.
“If I make something that’s extremely deep-rooted Hip Hop, Jazz, electronic st, something that’s a little bit more silly where I’m not trying to be extra lyrical, or whatever the fk I want to do, you can say whatever. It’s not going to make any difference to me. What I’m doing is working for me.”
