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Hip-Hop Rumors: Rick Ross Wants to Renegotiate His Deal With Def Jam?
Rick Ross was on New York City’s HOT 97 last night along with his MMG conglomerates Meek Mill, Wale, and Stalley to clear up a few rumors floating around. There has been recent rumbling of Rozay wanting to leave Def Jam for Cash Money. Although Rozay said everything was “one-hundred” with Def Jam, he left himself some wiggle room by adding that Def Jam needs to take another look at his deal….aka we need to renegotiate……aka they need to give me more money! Def Jam had better be ready to write a huge check.
Ross also discussed the recent departure of ex-MMG artist Pill. Apparently, Pill was never really a part of MMG to begin with, and Warner Music Group was actually the ones who brought Pill into the mix.
“When I sat down to do my deal, they had Pill as an artist already there,” explains Ross. “They just thought he may have needed a little work or whatever and we could’ve got that in with the team. So we worked out a one year situation.”
It looks like Pill’s year was up, and Ross wasn’t impressed with his progress so he sent him packing.
The Beastie Boys Mike D Curating Art Show
(AllHipHop News) The Beastie Boys’ Mike D also known as Michael Diamond will be curating a high end art show in Los Angeles set to debut April 19th – May 10th.
Dubbed the “Transmission L.A.: AV Club,” the art show will take place at L.A. MOCA and will feature artist’s work that Mike D sought out while visiting galleries on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
The event is sponsored by Mercedes Benz, and will feature the work of Swedish artist Klara Liden, the Brooklyn art collective Still House and several others, while also debuting the new Mercedes Concept Style Coup.
“I want a place where people can come and hang out. Not some button-up white walls gallery with people to match,” said Mike D told the Wall Street Journal
Jeffrey Deitch, director of L.A. MOCA since 2010, has chosen an icon from the pop-music world to organize the upcoming art and music infused festival.
“Mike D found out about our work somehow through someone,” Still House’s Isaac Brest told Art in America. “He looked at our website and saw that we had done a residency in Tribeca in which we took over an abandoned Department of Transportation office. We created work there, inspired by the space, then opened it up as an exhibition.”
“We’re setting up a studio and making work in it. We’re basically transplanting the program we have in Red Hook, of a rotating residency, to L.A.,” Brest said of the groups plans for the L.A. exhibition.
Mike D and the other members of the Beastie Boys will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April this year.
Erreon Lee [BGA]: The Surface Is Only The Beginning
Hip-Hop could be considered the most innovative genre of music, always bringing a new perspective to the surface. Erreon Lee is a rising star stepping into the game on his own accord. The rapper lives in Dallas, but is known to bring an East Coast vibe to the mic, no doubt accredited to his diverse background.
The both street- and college-educated rapper has dropped three mix-tapes: The Day The Game Changed 1, 2, and 3. Lee also dropped his first album, The Surface, in January. The young trailblazer is making a point to steer the Hip-Hop game in an upward direction, with a slightly different scope of what the game has been missing in lyrical contact.
AllHipHop.com: So you’re originally from Oklahoma? How long were you there? Do you remember it at all?
Erreon Lee: I was born in Tulsa, yeah, I was there up until grade school and I was like six. Then my family moved to Louisiana with my stepdad. He was a football coach. I was there for another six years, until I was 12. Then my family stayed in Tulsa for about two more years through middle school. And I went to high school in Fort Myers, Florida… it’s about a hour outside of Miami. I moved around a lot. Then I moved to Texas my senior year in high school…been here ever since.
AllHipHop.com: So all that moving had to have really shaped the artist that you are, with so many geographical influences.
Erreon Lee: Right, it did. I believe it’s a benefit I might have up against other artists, you know, not just being from one region, but just having moved around makes me more of a well-rounded person as well as an artist.
AllHipHop.com: Why did you guys stay on the move?
Erreon Lee: My stepdad and my mom parted ways, so we moved back to Tulsa. And a lot of people don’t know about Tulsa – they think it’s a bunch of Indians runnin’ around, but Tulsa is like a little California to me! They dress the same, the accent is kind of the same. I’m not saying they bite off Cali people, but a lot of people that are in Oklahoma have family from California. A lot of my family, you know when it gets back into the tree, they come from California. But yeah, it’s real gang affiliated, man, where I’m from on the north side. A lot of the California gangsters, when they wanted to lay low they moved to areas like Little Rock and Tulsa.
So it’s been like that since my mom was a kid back in the ’70s. All my cousins and everybody like that are involved in all that, and I was headed down the wrong path. My mom saw that and didn’t want me to end up like the rest of my family members. We had no positive male influence in our whole family. So she went to a job fair out in Florida, and it turned out she had enough college credits to get a job teaching. She came home one day and was like, “We’re movin’ to Florida!” We packed up and left the next week. Being in Florida made me more well rounded, being around different cultures. I look back and I’m happy I got a chance to move out of Tulsa, so I didn’t end up like everybody else.
AllHipHop.com: What did you have planned for yourself before music?
Erreon Lee: My life was pretty much centered on basketball. My mom tried to save up as much as she could to send me to all the good Nike basketball camps. A lot of my smarts come from her, too. She went back to school and finished up on her MBA. She was business oriented; she was always telling me about the business and marketing world, so it was something I took a liking to. After that, I said if I go to college I want to study business marketing. I most definitely wanted to play basketball in college, but I broke my ankle my senior year in high school. I tore it up pretty bad, so the interest from colleges kind of went away. I still went to school though, and that’s when I was really focusing even more on music.
At that time, I was thinking I really could be better in music than in basketball. I still wanted to go to school, but I wanted to go to school for a reason I could still use for music. I chose to do business marketing and get into the field of like how to become an A&R for a record company. Everything is so independent these days, the role of an A&R is kind of dissolving. So if I could be my own A&R and learn how to market myself, I could use my degree for music and not just have it for nothing. I’m about six months out from getting my bachelor’s degree right now; I just took a semester off because I’ve been doing so much traveling.
AllHipHop.com: So you got some Hip-Hop is in your blood, too. Your dad was the former DJ for Vanilla Ice, DJ Earthquake?
Erreon Lee: Right! My dad did some stuff for Vanilla Ice, NWA, D.O.C. Music has always been in my blood, and I really grew up a sports guy. I played football, basketball, baseball all through grade school. But my thing was really basketball; I always did music as a hobby. But I started taking it seriously when I was about 17 or 18 years old, people started telling me you might be able to do this for real, like as a career. They really started believing in my skills and ever since then, I just been trying to polish and get better.
AllHipHop.com: When you really started working on your music seriously, you were in Dallas. But your music style is not typical music for the Dallas scene. How did you deal with that clash?
Erreon Lee: It was kind of difficult at first, because my style is a little bit different. I just tried not to look at the negatives in it and use the positives like, that’s good because I sound different from everyone in my region so I may stand out a little bit more because I’m not doing what everyone else is doing. At that time, I was just doing like freestyles and things like that but when I was about 19, I put out my first real mixtape just to throw it out there and see how the public would receive it. It was called The Day The Game Elevated. And when I put it out, people were like, “Ok I see what you comin’ wit’ now!” and I don’t feel like it got enough respect for it, I thought it was pretty good for my first mixtape. So I was just like I gotta go harder!
So I put out The Day The Game Elevated 2 a year later, when I was 20. Now people were like, “Ok, I really see what you doin’ now.” And right after that I was like I just wanna do an album; I was tired of doin mix-tapes. I knew it would take a long time to put out the kind of quality album that I wanted to. So in between Elevated 2 and my album which is The Surface, my viral buzz really started goin out of control. People were ordering t-shirts from my website, the hits on YouTube, and the blogs started noticing me.
I had a fan base that I really didn’t want to keep waiting because I knew The Surface would take a little more time and development, so I put out The Day The Game Elevated 3. It was just a small, 10-song project that I put out. I did that when I was 21, pretty much releasing something every year. I just released The Surface on my 23rd birthday. It has all original music on there. I think it really just represents where I want to go as an artist, and it’s a story about where I came from, and it was perceived well with the public. So that’s where I am now, getting more exposure and touring those songs.
AllHipHop.com: I notice your ‘Game Elevated, Surface’ concept. Explain the next level, smart rap concept you’re bringing to the table.
Erreon Lee: That’s exactly what it’s meant to be. The Day The Game Elevated was a confident title. It wasn’t meant to be arrogant, but it was a confident title you know, about a young independent in the game trying to raise the standards. The Surface, and even the single off the album, “We Here” doesn’t say we made it or we’re on top or anything like that. It’s just…I’ve surfaced, you see me, I’ve arrived, I’m here and it’s time to get recognized.
AllHipHop.com: Your YouTube is WarriorTV… You call yourself The Warrior…
Erreon Lee: Yeah, that’s my alias. It really represents me as a person. My stepdad gave that to me when I was younger cuz I just didn’t stop. He said I was a warrior. Even if I was having a bad day, I just stick through it. I just keep a warrior mentality all the time towards life. Ironically, that’s what they used to call me on the court, too, ’cause I’m pretty nice with that rock. [laughter] But with music, I think it’s the same way. It just represents the struggle of the market that I’m in trying to break through doing the kind of music that I’m doing. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I just keep that warrior mentality about me as I go through things.
AllHipHop.com: You recently did some work with one of the hottest DJ’s in Dallas, DJ ASAP. How was that?
Erreon Lee: DJ ASAP, man. I remember when I was 18 standing in long lines in the cold, tryin’ to get in the club, waitin to see DJ ASAP break records I’ve never heard before. I used to be like, man, I can’t wait til he’s spinnin my records. And it’s all happening now. He’s always showing me love, and he got behind the whole project. He just believes in everything that’s going on around me, and he’s been a good accomplice to have on the team because he has a really great ear for what people want to hear. He’s taken somewhat of an A&R role, and we bounce ideas off each other between him and my management. It’s just a great team and I’m lookin forward to the future with DJ ASAP. That’s most definitely my official DJ out here in Dallas.
AllHipHop.com: You have your first performance on a bigger stage coming up in Austin for AllHipHop’s Breeding Ground Showcase at SXSW. How are you feeling about it?
Erreon Lee: It is gonna be my first time on a bigger stage. I’m most definitely ready for it. I’m ready. I’m always ready to turn up. When them lights come on, it’s showtime. I can only imagine the energy of what it’ll be like. I can’t wait personally.
AllHipHop.com: We’re all looking forward to it! It’s been real talking to you. See you at the show.
Download Erreon’s mixtapes and album at www.erreonlee.com and follow him on Twitter (@ERREONATION). Expect a high energy show from Erreon Lee on AllHipHop’s Breeding Ground Stage at Kiss n Fly in Austin this Friday, March 16.
Other Breeding Ground performing artists include Big K.R.I.T, Travis Porter, Smoke DZA, Chevy Woods, and Future. The showcase will also feature performances from Mystikal, Trae The Truth, and Juvenile. See you there!
Hip-Hop Rumors: The-Dream and The Weeknd Go At It On Twitter
The first time I heard Drake’s “Crew Love” I thought it was The-Dream singing on the hook. Later I learned it was Canadian crooner, The Weeknd. I guess The-Dream felt the same way, because at his recent show at New York City’s SOB’s, he said:
“I haven’t done a show in close to two years. And ever since then, there’s like, four n*ggas that sound like me now. I’m just being honest,”
Shortly after, The Weeknd’s guilty conscious kicked in and he responded on Twitter by tweeting:
“Hamburglar lookin’ A$$ N***a, all I need are my brothers and my fans. Fawk the bullShyte. This N***a is so hood, he thinks my name is The Weekender. I was raised old fashioned, you get at me, I get at you. Ain’t no sideways Isht about it.”
The-Dream responded, ” Like my father said, ‘say your piece son. If a man feel uncomfortable enough a cheat, and a liar will identify [himself.]’ Amen. Now I know for sure,”
“I said I was honest not petty. I’m going to support the movement where if you can’t say it in person don’t say it. Nothing but love from here lil’ homie. Don’t get fooled or tricked and try to come up on a N***a like me , won’t work just do you if you truly are then what we talkin about. Now I’m going to leave it at that. ”
The-Dream chose to be the bigger man and dead the beef by offering to call The Weeknd and even giving him props!
“Y’all better quit hypin n*ggas up. [You] can’t beef by yourself. Beef would have to mean insecurity [or] jealousy. Two things I know nothing about, I’m dope! Like I said, I think the world of the boy and nothing will change that. He’s very talented and it’s nothing for me to say that. [There isn’t] enough R&B to beef and its no fun ballin’ by yourself. Restore order.”
The Weeknd will be making his live American debut this year at the Coachella festival from April 13-15. The-Dream is gearing up to release his fourth album, The Love, IV: Diary of a Madman, on his birthday, September 20, and he is also currently on his Cut “Kill The Lights Off” tour.
Hip-Hop Rumors: Chris Brown’s Girlfriend “Scared to Death” of Rihanna Fans!
Chris Brown’s girlfriend, Karrueche Tran, is reportedly telling friends that she is “scared to death of Rihanna’s fans.”!The “model” is so shook that she has refused to leave her home unless she has one of Chris Brown’s bodyguards by her side.
Ever since Rihanna dissed Karrueche by posting that picture of a package of rice cakes wearing earrings and sunglasses, Rihanna fans have followed suit and have been bombarding Karrueche’s Twitter with threatening messages, including “I hope Rihanna beat the dog sh*t outa yo *ass!” … “Watch yo back” … and “I will kill you.”
We hear that Chris Brown has been supportive of his girlfriend’s concerns and has allowed her to use his bodyguards whenever she wants. He has reportedly told her “not to worry” and that “everything is going to be alright.”
Rihanna fans need to slow down. It’s not that serious! Not only is she dodging fists from Chris Brown, now she has Rihanna’s fans to worry about too! Just Kidding! Let the girl live, though. Leave her alone!
Baltimore Ravens OT Bryant McKinnie Guides Guyana’s Release “Smoking the Competition”
Bryant McKinnie, offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, helped guide the release of his multi-talented artist Guyana’s brand-new mixtape today.
McKinnie recently signed the label’s first lady, Guyana, who released her DJ Drama-hosted Smoking the Competition mixtape today (March 13). The release, which is Guyana’s second mixtape, features R&B singer Pleasure P, and Miami rappers Iceberg and Ball Greezy.
Guyana has worked with the likes of Trina, Sean Kingston, Fabolous and Lil Kim in the past, and had the following to say about Smoking the Competition: “I’m so excited to release my second mixtape, I feel like I was comfortable enough to display more of a variety on this mixtape, I worked with so many great producers and people on this project so I am very happy to release it.”
“In the journey of this long road we call life; everyone has to have my lyrics.” She continued, “I want to be known as the popular songstress and rapper an alternative motive, or great theory, that is respected and successful for my sincerity that is displayed.”
BMajor Music, which is based out of Miami, was founded in January 2011 when McKinnie “had a vision of artists being able to create music that allowed the freedom of self-expression in their music, while creating a fresh sound so new and unique that it would force the music industry to raise the standard of what they are used to putting out there.”
The full-service record label focuses on all genres of music, artists development, and an assortment of creative, innovative music to introduce to the general public as well as the wide spectrum of the music industry.”
Download Guyana’s Smoking the Competition mixtape now!
2 Chainz Talks About His New Album T.R.U. 2 MY REALIGION
AllHipHop.com caught up with 2 Chainz after his show in ATL and he talks about his upcoming album, the expected release date and the producers he is working with on his LP with Def Jam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UNbiW7vIZo
Slum Village Launches National “Dirty Slums Tour”
(AllHipHop News) Detroit hip-hop group Slum Village will hit the road with rapper Pooh on the “Dirty Slums Tour” which kicks off today (March 13) in Atlanta, Georgia.
The six-date tour will make stops in Georgia, New Orleans, Austin, Texas Missouri, Illinois and North Carolina.
“The tour ‘Dirty Slum’ is a play off of their name and the ‘Dirty District’ mix tape series Slum Village released,” a rep for the group told AllHipHop.com. “The tour was made to get that music out to the people again.”
Fans can purchase tickets to the “Dirty Slum Tour” by logging on to http://www.ticketmaster.com/Slum-Village-tickets/artist/714852
Check out the dates below:
AllHipHop.com Presents: “The Dirty Slums Tour”
3/13 Atlanta, GA -Masquerade
3/15 New Orleans, LA – Howling Wolf
3/16-3/18 SXSW Austin, TX
3/22 St. Louis, MO – Atomic Cowboy (Slum VIllage Only)
3/24 Chicago, Il – Double Door (Slum VIllage Only)
4/6 Greensboro, NC – Green Street Club (Slum VIllage Only)
Lifestyle Leather Brand ‘Mifland’ Takes Center Stage in New “Made” Visual
Look familiar?
That’s because it’s created a stir within the social realm on sites like Tumblr, with hundreds of cool kids sharing the photo and stanning over their simplistic yet genuis creations. Behind the popular Mifland leather sensation are Atlanta-based college friends Bjorn Crooks and Tobi Egberongbe.
They came together on their latest project, “Made”, a short film directed by friend Phil The God (Common’s “Celebrate”, “Sweet”). The film focuses on Mifland’s premium leather product, and offers a glimpse into the lifestyles of the people who support it.
Made: A Mifland Fashion Film from philthegod. on Vimeo.
Their slogan “Made in America” immediately makes you want to support, but consumers say it’s really the quality of their product that keeps you coming back. Their premiere products are the made-to-order backpacks, but they also offer wallets, accessories, t-shirts, and more. Visit their online store at www.mifland.com.
AllHipHop.com, A3C and DJ Booth SXSW Showcase
On March 17th 2012, AllHipHop.com has partnered with A3C for an incredible concert @ SXSW at the Old Emo’s at 603 Red River, Austin, TX. In conjunction with DJ Booth, we are bringing you One Venue, Two Stages and over Twenty Artists.
Headlining acts will be Mobb Deep, Freeway, Killa Kyleon [BGA], Gangsta Boo, XV, Sir Michael Rocks, Skyzoo [BGA], Torae [BGA], Jon Connor [BGA], Emilio Rojas [BGA] and many others!
SXSW badges will be honored all night until capacity. Showtime 8PM- 2AM.
An AllHipHop.com Moment in Women’s Rap History: MC Lyte
Arguably one of most recognizable voices in Hip-Hop history, MC Lyte first appeared on the scene in 1988 with her classic debut Lyte as a Rock. Remember “Paper Thin” and “Cha Cha Cha”? If you’re 30 and over, they’re impossible to forget.
At a time when artists like Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, and Run DMC were dominating the airwaves, MC Lyte held her own for the females and was able to find her unique voice. It must be noted – she did this all while fully clothed, but with a braggadocio that you couldn’t help but love. And respect.
Lyte is a living legend, having released seven charting studio albums and appearing on many of the ’90s’ hottest tracks. She’s also found relevance and financial stability by lending her signature vocals to huge projects outside of music.
Though MC Lyte hasn’t released any new material in nearly a decade, she’s kept her powerful and unique voice in use by announcing one of music’s biggest spectacles, the annual BET Awards. Since its inception, Lyte has been a classy, shining voice on the program – one more reason why we appreciate her in the first place. That’s not all, she’s even lent her voice on premium cable channel, STARZ.
It was with her 1996 effort, Bad As I Wanna B, that Lyte struck Gold status on the hit “Cold Rock A Party”, cementing her place in music history. Awards aside, she’s just plain dope.
AllHipHop.com SALUTES the incomparable MC Lyte, as we celebrate Women’s History Month all March long!
Exclusive: DJ Muggs Explains ‘Bass For Your Face’ Project; Performing with Kraftwerk
(AllHipHop News) Soul Assassin leader and long-time Cyprus Hill DJ and producer DJ Muggs recently spoke with AllHipHop.com about his upcoming project that is dropping on Ultra Records later this year.
The solo album, titled Bass For Your Face, is a project that Muggs describes as a glitch, dub-step and electronic project featuring several well known Hip-Hop artists.
Muggs, who produced songs like Ice Cube’s “Check Yo Self” and House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” has always had an ear for creating Hip-Hop classics.
“Its all bass, all big bass, and a few collaborations on it man. One is like Roc Marciano from New York, Chuck D. from Public Enemy, also Rahzel and the rest of it is pretty much glitched-up and chopped up vocals,” DJ Muggs told AllHipHop.com in an exclusive interview.
Ultra Records is home to some of electronic and dub-step’s most popular artists, housing a roster that includes Tiesto, Paul Oakenfold, Benny Benassi, Armin van Vuuren and David Guetta.
“For this record it’s a Hip-Hop scene record, but it has elements of glitch, dub-step, electronic and Hip-Hop. So if I’m going to put a record out, I’m going to make sure I go to the best label to put that music out,” DJ Muggs said.
The lead single, “Snap Ya Neck Back” features platinum UK rapper Dizzee Rascal and has an accompanying video that’s has received over 100,000 views in just a few weeks.
The album also features an appearance from grime MC P-Money
Currently DJ Muggs doesn’t have any work planned with Cyprus Hill, although he did DJ for them at the Smoked Out Tour in recent weeks and is currently DJing approximately 200 shows per year.
“I’m about to head back to Europe for a minute, then back to do the Ultra Festival in Miami, I’m playing with Skrillex and Kraftwerk,“ Muggs explained. “I just came from Canada, Canada was real sick, it was out at some ski lodge and there were 2,000 kids out. I did the Cyprus Hill Smoke Out, 20,000 kids, played with Korn and a DJ named Rusko, and the Low End Theory. Anything with a lot of bass I like to play.”
Ultra Music Festival is a yearly outdoor electronic music festival that occurs in March in the city of Miami usually during the annual Winter Music Conference.
This year the event will be March 23rd-25th and expects to draw well over 100,000 attendees.
Rick Ross Ft. Wale and Stalley “Another Round Freestyle”
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Cam’ron “F*ck You”
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Meek Mill and Stalley “Funkmaster Flex Freestyle”
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HEATER OF THE DAY: Action Bronson [BGA] Ft. Roc Marciano “Pouches Of Tuna”
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Obie Trice “Black B*tch”
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Kid Cudi “The Ruler and The Killer” [Snippet]
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FRESH HEAT: Chase N Cashe Ft. Skeme “Black Paisley”
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