homepage
Ray Cash & Machine Gun Kelly “100”
#AlternativePick: Jhene Aiko “Everything Must Go” (P###. By No I.D.)
Rich Boy “Crown The King”
King Chip “Under Palm Trees”
#FreshHeat: Smoke DZA #BGA Ft. NYMLo & Al Doe “Decisions”
Double A #BGA “5 AM In Dallas”
Mic Handz Ft. Sean Price “Stay Givin It Up”
YC The Cynic “Hallelujah” (Produced by DJ Illanoiz)
Reed Dollaz “I’m Straight”
C Plus, Noah Caine & Ckool “Wassup (Im Back)”
Skyy Vegas “Pesos”
With All Due Respect Lil Wayne Should Never Be Compared To Malcolm X
Let me start by saying that as a diehard Hip-Hop head and a child of the south I have been listening to Lil Wayne and Cash Money since they burst on the music scene in the late 1990’s. I can acknowledge that at times Wayne has shown signs of artistic brilliance, but I also feel that his musical output over the last few years has been nowhere near the quality of his incredible run between 2004-2008.
With that being said, I have no problem with Hip-Hop fans debating whether they believe Wayne has fallen off or if he is still one of the best in the game. Comparing Top 5 lists, GOAT lists, and Hottest Emcees lists helps keep fans investing in the culture and pushes artists to strive to be better. But I do take serious offense to Wayne (or any rapper) ever being compared to a legendary civil rights leader like Malcolm X.
Let’s be clear, Lil Wayne is an entertainer. His job is to sell records for the sole purpose of making money. Yes, as a public figure I believe he is responsible for the content he presents to young people, and if someone feels that the music he releases has a negative impact on his listeners then they have every right to call him out on that. The same way his supporters have the right to defend him. The First Amendment applies both ways. That’s a public discussion that is completely understandable. But again the only reason Wayne is a public figure is because he is a performer.
Malcolm X was so much more that. He was a minister. He was an activist. He was a philosopher. He was an advocate for change.
I cannot see how anyone can compare the man who said “beat that p#### up like Emmett Till” to the man who said “power in defense of freedom is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression.”
This is not an attack on Wayne or his content. It just needs to be pointed out that we are being asked to equate a man who at this point in his career mostly raps about sex, drugs, and skateboarding to a man who gave his life to end discrimination and promote peace.
To even compare Lil Wayne to the pre-converted Malcolm Little is also beyond the stretch of imagination. Racism is still alive and well in 2013, but I don’t think that Wayne could even understand the level of hatred and discrimination Little had to overcome during his life growing up in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
Wayne has been surrounded by money since he was a teenager, so he had advantages as a young black male that Little never had nor most of the American-American youths of today will ever experience.
The “anger” expressed by Little was from a place of deep hurt and resentment from being poor and voiceless. Wayne’s “anger” seems to stem from a feeling of being misunderstand for the work he creates and constant public criticism. The difference (beyond the fact that one is the result of institutionalized racism and the other a bruised ego?): Wayne has a worldwide platform to express his discontent. Little didn’t.
I will say that Wayne and Little both have one thing in common. They both saw the inside of a prison cell. But again that’s where the similarities end.
Malcolm Little came out of prison a changed man who had found faith and a true sense of purpose. Lil Wayne came out of prison a man who not only continued his reckless behavior, but as someone who many feel digressed artistically as well.
While I hope that Wayne is able to fully recover from his current medical condition and that this latest incident in his life opens his eyes and forces him to reevaluate his decisions in the future, we do not have to elevate him to the level of Malcolm, or any other notable hero, to wish him well.
[Related Post: What Lil Wayne and Malcolm Little Both Have in Common]
VIDEO: Chevy Woods Ft. Wiz Khalifa [#BGA x2] “M’fer”
While Chevy Woods was at SXSW performing on several stages including the AllHipHop.com Stage, he also premiered his new video “M’fer” featuring Wiz Khalifa which quickly rose to the #1 video. Chevy also announced his new mixtape “Gangland 2” aka (G2) will be hosted by DJ Drama.
Watch Chevy Woods new video here:
Snoop & Ne-Yo Host @ Bamboo
After big Snoop Lion rocked out at Ultra Music Fest and NeYo Shut down Jazz In The Garden, they both hit up the South Beach Hotspot Bamboo and partied the night away.
Bamboo is quickly becoming one of the only places to be on a Sunday night in Miami.
Although Jazz in The Garden is over, Big Snoop will be back again next week at Prestige Sundays as Ultra continues next weekend and he’s set to rock the stage again.
Snoop Dogg @ Prestige Sundays / Thaddaeus McAdams ExclusiveAccess.Net
Hip-Hop Rumors: Geto Boys Tour And Reunion?
Did you see the story on Willie D and Beyonce?
EXCLUSIVE: Willie D Chimes in On Beyoncé’s “Bow Down B**tches” And Her Geto Boys Link
Yeah, so there is a small tidbit at the bottom that says Willie D is working on a tour with the rest of the Geto Boys. Well, you know I had to get the scoop. From what I was told, they are indeed working on a tour, which will act as a reunion. The group has done some spot dates here and there, but nothing on a larger scaled. The tour apparently will take them all over the country starting down south and traversing up east and then west. I am hearing that is old news, but Bushwick Bill is 100% good with staying in America. I’m not sure if the tour will include people like Big Mike, who was a part of the group as well.
If I hear more, I will let you know.
Willie looks happy!
This was another “reunion” a few years ago.
They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry! -illseed.
Illseed, Out.
GET INTERACTIVE WITH ALLHIPHOP.COM!
Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook!
Email illseed rumors: ki*********@***il.com
West Coast Legends Will Unite With Rising Stars For Showcase In L.A.
(AllHipHop News) This Thursday Hip-Hop heads in the Los Angeles area will have the chance to witness some of California’s greatest rap stars come together for the first installment of “West Coast Fest” presented by Bobby Dee, Clubben.com, and Behind the Scenes.
Power 106 FM’s radio personality Big Boy will host the event that will feature performances by Too $hort, Warren G, Mack 10, Baby Bash, Clyde Carson, Problem, Skeme the Duke, and headliners DJ Quik and E-40.
Fans in attendance can also expect some surprise guests to make appearances.
One exclusive moment for the show has already been announced. DJ Quik plans to debut new songs that evening including a track featuring Mack 10 called “Burnin Up.”
“We’re not trying to conform. We want to stay original and iconic. This will be a first to do this with all of these superstars in one show,” says Quik in a statement.
West Coast Fest will be a historic moment in the legacy of the California rap scene. The show’s impact is being billed as a bridging of the gap between Northern and Southern Cali Hip-Hop stars.
While DJ Quik, Mack 10, Warren G, Skeme, and Problem will be holding it down for L.A. and SoCal, the Bay area will be properly represented will the inclusion of Clyde Carson, Too $hort, Baby Bash, and E-40.
“You’re gonna to get a bit of vintage of E-40 and a little bit of current E-40 and I’m gonna mix that thang up like gumbo,” says the Vallejo native whose 2012 single “Function” was a Top 30 rap hit.
[ALSO CHECK OUT: E-40 & Too Short “Bout My Money” Feat. Jeremih & Turf Talk]
“I’ve been booking West Coast artists all around the world for a decade now, and it’s a great feeling to be able to have these artists I’ve grown up listening to, all perform under one roof,” says West Coast Fest’s executive producer Jamie Adler.
West Coast Fest is scheduled for Thursday, March 21 at Club Nokia at 8 pm.
For ticket information visit www.clubnokia.com.
Bronx Principal Catching Heat For Appearing In ‘Gang Girl’ Film
(AllHipHop News) New York City elementary school principal Anissa Chalmers is facing serious criticism from the New York Department of Education Chancellor Denis Wolcott and concerned parents for appearing in the independent movie Gang Girl.
The film was released back in 2009 and contains violent acts like rape, beatings, and shootings.
“The chancellor is aghast at the images in and content of the film, which are totally inappropriate,’’ said a Department of Education spokeswoman in a statement. “The chancellor is always concerned about both real and perceived violence…and its impact on students.”
The New York Post reports that Chalmers was given a waiver to star in the movie, but the DOE claims they did not know the content of Gang Girl which was originally titled “Surrender.”
The film, directed by Damian Bailey of Glory To God Productions, is a modernized version of the story of Paul the Apostle from the Bible, and it is loosely based on Chalmers’ life growing up in the Bronx.
Chalmers spoke about her past in a podcast:
I didn’t kill nobody. I’m not a murderer…There a lot of women that have gotten raped. Unfortunately, I was one of them. There are a lot of women who’ve had abusive parents. Unfortunately, I was one of them… A best friend and I did things that I don’t want the Feds to hear about when I was younger… But glory to God. I’m here. I’m alive. I’m well. I just praise God for the change that has occurred in my life.
The film focuses on the story of a reformed gang member who is trying to help her friend (Chalmers) escape the gang lifestyle.
Chalmers’ appearance in Gang Girl has drawn concern because her school received a grade of “F” for “school environment” which includes safety. PS 132 reportedly has had several violent incidents, and some people feel Chalmers may be reinforcing that behavior in her students by starring in a movie that depicts excessive violence.
Chalmers has starred in other independent movies. She played a minister in 2009’s We Fall Down, and she had a role in the coming of age film Speedsuit in 2012.
You can watch the trailer for Gang Girl below.
Q-Tip Wants An A Tribe Called Quest Reunion For His ‘Last Zulu’ LP
(AllHipHop News) Legendary Hip-Hop group A Tribe Called Quest has not released an album together since 1998’s The Love Movement, but emcee/producer/actor Q-Tip hopes the original four members will reassemble for his next project.
After performing with the rest of ATCQ as an opening act for Prince at SXSW, Q-Tip told Billboard that he wants Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, and Jarobi White to all make appearances on his The Last Zulu album expected for release in 2014.
Q-Tip’s fourth solo LP will be a concept album that harkens back to the Afrocentric sounds of the late 80’s/early 90’s popularized by Tribe, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, Public Enemy, and other acts associated with the Universal Zulu Nation.
[ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Ma Dukes Talks Son J. Dilla, Twitter Beefs And The Zulu Nation]
“The beats are gonna be hard. It’s gonna be traditional, like Zulu beats… old school Africa Islam tapes, with the drum breaks and s### like that,” says Q-Tip.
“I heard some of the tracks, and they are fine!” added Jarobi.
Tribe fans have been able to watch the reunited group as the headliners at the Rock the Bells Festival in 2008 and 2010 and a reunion tour in 2006, but there have not been any new records from the New York City natives since they broke up in 1998.
Since branching out solo, Q-Tip has released 1999’s Amplified, 2008’s The Renaissance, and 2009’s Kamaal/The Abstract. He has also produced for other prominent artists like Esperanza Spalding, Kanye West, and Jay-Z.
The G.O.O.D. Music member also announced in the interview that he has been doing production work for Mariah Carey, D’Angelo, and John Legend.
Watch a brief clip of A Tribe Called Quest performing at SXSW 2013 and the video for the classic “Electric Relaxation.”
–
Lil Wayne Released From Hospital
(AllHipHop News) Lil Wayne has been released from the hospital after being admitted for several days from complications from seizures.
The rapper has been released from Cedars Sinai Medical Center, according to a report from TMZ.
Lil Wayne has been in the Intensive Care Unit since early last week, a total of six days.
“Wayne is feeling weak but he’s a lot better. He plans on laying low until he makes a full recovery,” the report says.
RELATED: Family of Emmett Till Sends Prayers to Lil Wayne
RELATED: Despite Hospitalization, Lil Wayne Shows Up In New Rap Video