After a strong, underrated LP release in The R.E.D. Album, Game is back once again with yet another onslaught of music. His latest release, California Republic, serves as more proof that Game may be one of the hardest working MCs when it comes to making and releasing songs. Unfortunately, it also serves as an awkward reminder that sometimes quantity does not equal quality in more ways than one. Sadly, the DJ Skee-hosted project is an overall average mixtape from an artist that’s proven time and time again to be much so more.
Game is an incredibly versatile artist that enjoys what he does, and that’s clear to anyone who listens to his music. However, most of Republic suffers from the aforementioned flaws. “Skate On” has a show-stealing verse from Lupe Fiasco, “The Drill” has decent cameos from Meek Mill and Ace Hood, “Greystone” (feat. Fat Joe, Young Chris, and Sam Hook) has a smooth vibe to it, and the Neptune-produced “It Must Be Tough” may be one of the more addicting songs you’ll hear this year as of now. These, along with a few others, are thorough, well-rounded, and, simply put, hot tracks. However, there’s far too much filler here to appreciate it.
Although most of the production is well done and helmed by the likes of Cool & Dre, Boi-1da, Lex Luger, and Mars (of 1500 or Nothin’), Republic suffers from being average due to the lackluster appeal of the filler tracks and the length of the project (the play time is well over 90 minutes). Game could’ve easily cut several tracks off the project and made it much more focused, or even perhaps saved a few to release later in the month (similar to his approach with last year’s “Purp & Patron” and “The Hangover”, a mixtape including the excess tracks from P&P that was released a week later). To compound issues, several of the features here take the focus away from Game and aren’t enjoyable to listen to, such as the “Yonkers Freestyle Base” featuring Nobody.
Overall, it’s not a bad project by any means; California Republic is worth the download if you need more music from Game, but unfortunately due to the sheer amount of filler songs here and the limited amount of tracks that warrant a replay, chances are that it won’t remain in your musical rotation long. Game’s done much better before (see: “The Hangover”), but this one feels like it’s stuffed with extra songs that were lying around that he just wanted to release to his fans. To be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, and fans appreciate things like this. But you can’t help but notice that if you hold this project to the standards that Game himself has set in music with his personal discography (previous mixtapes included), this doesn’t quite hold its own.
(AllHipHop News) After a report from Rolling Stone appeared online yesterday (April 10) about Warren G announcing his appearance with Eminem alongside Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg at Coachella, his publicist has contacted AllHipHop.com to release an official statement:
“Warren G is not announcing that he and Eminem will perform with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Warren had no knowledge that any such announcement was being made until after it was posted. Any postings involving him and other artists were made without his knowledge or consent and he is not willing to confirm or deny anyone’s involvement in this years Coachella event. We apologize for any confusion that this caused.”
In related news, Warren G spoke with AllHipHop.com during an exclusive interview (to be released on Thursday) about his upcoming project with his deceased rap partner, Nate Dogg.
(AllHipHop News) Promoters in Guyana have issued a statement regarding a canceled show featuring Rick Ross that was supposed to take place on April 9.
The Miami rapper was supposed to hit the stage at the Easter Fest Rozay at Guyana National Stadium, but the show was abruptly canceled.
Organizers confirmed that Rick Ross was forced to cancel the show in Guyana, because he suffered from a seizure.
The medical condition left the rap star unable to fly, according to the statement.
“The artist has suffered a medical emergency and has been ordered by his doctors not travel,” promoters Hits and Jams Entertainment said in a statement.
Reps for Rick Ross have stated that he will make up the canceled date in Guyana, but there could be issues with a missed date in Houston the night before.
The rap star was also supposed to perform at the Bayou Music Center in Houston on April 8, but missed that performance as well.
Rick Ross will not be rescheduling the stop in Houston.
April is fully upon us, which means it’s time to preview some of 2012’s most anticipated Spring Releases. Nicki Minaj’s sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, is officially in stores and a ton of great projects (at least we hope they turn out great) are slated to drop between now and the end of May when summer officially begins.
AllHipHop.com’s “2012 Spring Music Preview” contains some of the more high-profile releases, as well as some that may be flying under the radar, so we’ve done our best to compile a list that covers just about every corner of the genre and culture. Releases from B.o.B., Obie Trice, Chris Brown, Reks, Statik Selektah, Machine Gun Kelly, Future, Slaughterhouse, Juvenile, Chino XL, and many more are featured in this list.
Here are some of AllHipHop.com’s most anticipated Hip-Hop and R&B releases for Spring 2012:
Obie Trice – Bottoms Up
Obie’s third studio ode to alcohol features his former “boss” Eminem as well as MC Breed, Statik Selektah, and Dr. Dre, and production mostly from NoSpeakerz and K&Square. From the sound of the singles “Battle Cry” and “Spend the Day,” it would appear that Obie hasn’t missed a step despite stepping out the limelight for the past few years. But will the fans still show their support?
Date: April 3
Azealia Banks – 1991 EP
In between spending time in the studio with Kanye West and wanting to collaborate with buzzing singer Lana Del Rey, Azealia Banks will release her EP with a new songs like “1991” and “Grand Prix” in less than a week’s time to help build the massive buzz she’s been receiving from fans, tastemakers, and industry-insiders alike. After the EP, she’ll begin putting the finishing touches on her debut album for release this fall, titled Broke With Expensive Taste.
Date: April 17
Future – Pluto
First, it was “Tony Montana,” then came T.I.’s first post-prison, musical stint on Future’s “Magic”. And now, a week before his Pluto album’s release, Future has dropped off a new single, “Parachute,” featuring Mr. Trapped In the Closet himself, R. Kelly. Despite the magazine’s overall backlash for its choices, Future claimed one of the spot’s on this year’s XXL Freshman Class cover which surely raised the Georgia native’s status as a other-planetary star to watch (no pun intended).
Date: April 17
Ashanti – Braveheart
Grammy Award-winning singer Ashanti’s fifth studio album is her first musical release in over four years. The album, which includes collaborations with artists and producers alike such as Busta Rhymes, R. Kelly, Keyshia Cole, Tank, Cool & Dre, and Rico Love, comes after her departure from her most famous home, Irv Gotti’s The Inc. Records. The songstress will release Braveheart on EOne Music and her own label, Written Entertainment.
Date: April 24
Reks and Statik Selektah – Straight No Chaser
After teaming up for a few tracks back in the day and later having Statik executive-produce last year’s R.E.K.S., which Hip-Hop pioneer DJ Premier hailed as one of his favorite LPs of the year, Reks and Statik have teamed up for a full-length album that is sure to provide 14-tracks of pure, raw, and uncut Hip-Hop. Showoff’s Termanaology and Ea$y Money make appearances on Straight No Chaser as do Action Bronson, Wais P., and Slaine.
Date: April 24
B.o.B. – Strange Clouds
With a recently-revealed tracklist for Bobby Ray’s sophomore album boasting appearances and collaborations with Morgan Freeman, Andre 3000, Taylor Swift, and T.I., it’s very apparent that whatever stratosphere B.o.B. got launched to with the success of his debut, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, he’s prepared to surpass the accolades he achieved and received with his major label debut two years ago. It doesn’t hurt that Strange Clouds’ first self-titled single featuring Lil Wayne has already been certified platinum.
Date: May 1
Juvenile – Rejuvenation
Before Juve the Great strikes back with his tenth, yes tenth, studio album, he will be releasing a new full-length mixtape, as well as headlining his first show in New York City in years. And yes, your good friends at AllHipHop.com are presenting it (a little self-promotion never hurt anybody). Rejuvenation promises new collaborations between Juvenile and the man behind most of Cash Money’s hits in the ’90s and early ’00s, Mannie Fresh, as well as the inclusion of the recent single “Power” featuring Rick Ross. Welcome back, Juve!
Date: May 1
Santigold – Master of My Make-Believe
As a performer and musician whose music blends and blurs the lines of a number of genres, Santigold will be dropping her second album, which is said to be more electronic and new-wave than Hip-Hop. This is, of course, expected from the producer, singer, songwriter, and rapper. Despite having released three singles from the album in the past year, the only additional information released regarding Master Of My Make-Believe is that a collaboration with Yeah Yeah Yeah’s singer Karen O will be present, as will some production handled by the illustrious Q-Tip. We’re all in.
Date: May 1
Chino XL – RICANnstruction: The Black Rosary
MC turned bodybuilder turned actor turned battle rapper Chino XL is ready to deliver the goods once again! Although his new album will hit iTunes on April 13, the physical version of Chino’s fifth studio release will arrive via retailers on the first of May. The album’s current single “N.I.C.E.,” while powerful, is just a sign of things to come on the album which also features a Who’s-Who of Underground Hip-Hop legends like Immortal Technique, Tech N9ne, Ras Kass, Crooked I, and Bun B. Not like you really need another reason to want to grab this album when it drops, but RICANstruction is also rumored to include an unreleased collaboration with Big Pun!
Date: May 1
Chris Brown – Fortune
Fortune was originally intended to contain a number of songs that were left on the cutting-room floor from the F.A.M.E. studio sessions; however, it morphed into a full-length, new studio album from Chris Brown that has already produced the massive hit-single “Turn Up the Music”. Hopping on former-lover Rihanna’s “Birthday Cake” remix last month sure helped Breezy gain some of the fans he had lost from the couple’s infamous altercation several years ago. Brown has already recorded songs with Asher Roth, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, Will.I.Am., David Guetta, The Runners, and a number of the other usual suspects in the process of creating a massively successful album. So, only time will tell if Brown’s lost any of the ingredients that made him a star in the first place.
Date: May 8
Killer Mike and El-P – R.A.P. Music
Killer Mike’s sixth studio album will feature production entirely from alternative Hip-Hop staple El-P and feature the likes of Bun B, T.I., Scar, Trouble, and Emily Panic. R.A.P. Music, which stands for “Rebellious African People Music”, is the follow-up to Mike’s critically-acclaimed album, PL3DGE, which received some of the highest praise of any Hip-Hop release last year. Let’s see how Mike tops himself in 2012, ’cause we know he will!
Date: May 15
Lil Scrappy – The Grustle
For over three years, Lil Scrappy has been working on delivering The Grustle to his fans. Despite two independent releases between 2008 and 2010, The Grustle will serve as Scrappy’s first official album since his 2006 debut, Bred 2 Die Born 2 Livehit stores. After parting ways with Luda’s Disturbing Tha Peace imprint last year, Scrappy vowed to get the album out by any means necessary, and that is where his imprint, G’s Up, came into play. Now Scrappy’s fans worldwide can hear an album that’s already packed with bangers like “Addicted to Money” and the 2 Chainz and Twista-assisted”Helicopter.”
Date: May 15
G.O.O.D. Music Compilation
First came “Theraflu,” then came “Mercy.” You’ve got Kanye rapping, producing, and overseeing a compilation album from a battalion of greats, including Big Sean, Mr. Hudson, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, CyHi Da Prynce, Frank Ocean, Jay Electronica, Mannie Fresh, 2 Chainz, and a whole host of other Hip-Hop notables. What else do you really need to read or hear to get more excited about one of 2012’s most anticipated albums? No seriously, what else do you need to hear?
Date: TBA
1982 – 2012
2012 is the follow-up to the duo’s first self-titled collaboration which dropped in 2010 and new, with a new presidential election barreling towards voters, Statik Selektah and Termanology have decided to capitalize on a politically-charged year with the release of their new “presidential” album. Anyone who’s ever heard Statik’s production or listened to Term rhyme knows exactly what to expect from this and for those that don’t….get out from living under that rock and listen to some pure dopeness.
Date: May 22
Rick Ross – God Forgives, I Don’t
Like he did with last year’s Teflon Don, Rozay has followed the trend of seeing what songs work best on a mixtape first. And, despite releasing the hit-or-miss singles “You the Boss” which featured Nicki Minaj and “I Love My B######” earlier this year, it came as no surprise that Rozay’s biggest hit of 2012 was the Rich Forever track “Stay Schemin” with French Montana and Drake. If this heavily-rotated record is a sign of things to come, prepare yourselves for another year dominated by Rick Ross and his Maybach Music Group stable of hit-makers.
Date: TBA
Tyler, the Creator – Wolf
The Odd Future frontman has had great success in 2011 along with his OFWGKTA gang of pranksters, rappers, and all-around entertainers. But that’s not stopping him from releasing his third solo album with features frm Pharrell, Game and Frank Ocean, despite just releasing the crew’s O.F. Tape Vol. 2 at the end of last month. If we’ve learned anything from the O.F. guys and gals, it’s that too much attention is never enough, so we’re certainly curious to see how Tyler can top the success of last year’s Goblin. Sidenote: did we mention these guys also have their own TV show? Yeah.
Date: TBA
Machine Gun Kelly – Lace Up
After having just released his Half Naked and Almost Famous EP a mere two weeks ago, it’s safe to say that we may not be getting Kells’ Bad Boy Records debut this spring. However, just in case we do, we figured why not provide some details to our readers… like the fact that MGK’s favorite rapper DMX will be featured on the album, as will 2 Chainz, Mystikal, and more, including his fellow Bad Boys French Montana and Red Cafe and Diddy’s resident songstress/chick, Cassie. 2012 already has MGK on a record-breaking tour with Tech N9ne, and being one of the lucky 10 (depending on your stance) to grace the cover of XXL’s Freshman Class cover, this kid really has nowhere else to go but up. We’re down for taking the ride with him.
Date: TBA
T.I. – Trouble Man
How do you follow up one of your best mixtapes in years? After another stint in prison? You release an album that makes the mixtape look like child’s play. That’s exactly what Tip is trying to do with his fifth studio album Trouble Man,and if his recent single “Love This Life” is any indication, he may not be too far off. Despite taking a little while to gain traction with singles like the Big K.R.I.T.-assisted “Flexin” and “Hear Ye, Hear Ye” with Pharrell and “Pyro,” T.I. is ready to leave the acting behind and play the full-time role of rapper once again.
Date: TBA
Be sure to check back in May for AllHipHop.com’s Summer Music Preview, which is already shaping up with releases from Sean Price, Big K.R.I.T., Cam’ron, French Montana, Slaughterhouse, Aesop Rock, Curren$y, and many more!
Which Spring Releases are you most looking forward to?
(AllHipHop News) The case of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was thrown into a tailspin today (April 10), when lawyers for murder suspect George Zimmerman abruptly withdrew from the case.
Lawyers Craig Sonner and Hal Uhrig held a press conference in front of the courthouse in Sanford, Florida and delivered the shocking news.
George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin, who was unarmed, on February 26.
Zimmerman’s former attorneys said they had not had contact with him in over two days, and revealed that they have never met him face to face.
Additionally, George Zimmerman’s former attorney said they didn’t know where he was, but that he was not in Florida.
In addition to losing contact with their client, Sonner and Uhrig said that George Zimmerman’s behavior over the past few days was cause to drop him as a client.
According to the lawyers, George Zimmerman contacted Angela Corey, the special prosecutor in the case over the weekend, gave an interview to Sean Hannity and launched a website for his defense fund, without their knowledge.
The special prosecutors office refused to speak with George Zimmerman, as Angela Corey decides whether or not Zimmerman will be charged with murdering Trayvon Martin.
Now that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are officially out as a couple, the next logical step for the two would be to flaunt their love on reality TV. Rumor has it that Kanye West will be making several appearances on Kim’s show, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”. If you all remember, Kanye made an appearance on “Kourtney & Kim Take New York” two seasons ago, when the two were just “friends.”
A source revealed to Radar Online that “Kanye is head over heels in love with Kim, and he has told her he would love to appear on the reality show if she wants him to.”
“Kim is a bit leery of having her man appear on camera because of the whole fiasco with her soon-to-be ex-husband, Kris Humphries, but watch for Kanye to make several appearances on the show towards the end of the season. Viewers won’t see him featured in the first part of the season, and it won’t be all about Kanye.”
But is their romance real, or is it a showmance? Over the weekend, sources told Hollywood Life that Kanye and Kim actually orchestrated the first shots of the two on their date and have since chronicled their every move.
How soon before the two lovebirds get their own spin-off show and then a wedding special!? (I’m being sarcastic people!) I’m sure Kim Kardashian is getting excited just thinking about all of the new money-making opportunities.
There are so many twists and turns in this Mobb Deep saga that it’s hard to keep up with. After Havoc denied sending out the disparaging tweets about Prodigy, this morning Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club played audio of someone who sounds an awful lot like Havoc making similar comments.
In the clip, the voice on the audio also said the following:
“He gay, I had to smack him like a month and a half ago when we was doing South by Southwest.”
Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy and Angela Yee then called up rapper Noreaga, who confirmed that the voice was indeed Havoc’s. Check out the audio here and decide for yourself if you think this is actually Havoc.
For those having trouble keeping up with the story, Havoc claimed that his phone was lost at a gas station and someone used his twitter handle to talk smack about Prodigy. But now with this audio being released, it raises ever more questions about their relationship. Does the audio sound like Havoc to you?
(AllHipHop News) A new documentary examining the influence of Hip-Hop collective Native Tongues will be released this year.
Film and music video director Benny Boom has signed on as a producer for the documentary, titled “Speaking In Tongues.”
The full-length documentary will explore the influence of the Native Tongues, which included acts like The Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah and others.
The group of emcees helped inject a new sense of consciousness and fashion into hip-hop in the early and mid/1990s.
The sonic legacy of the group can be heard and acts like Common, Little Brother, Mos Def and countless others.
Award-winning veteran filmmaker Omar Akil is directing “Speaking In Tongues,” which slated for a fourth quarter 2012 release.
“Speaking In Tongues” is slated for a fourth quarter 2012 release.
Fans can receive updates on the documentary via FaceBook at http://www.facebook.com/NativeTonguesDoc
West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar recently revealed that he has over 30 unreleased songs with the legendary Dr. Dre. Kendrick previously teamed up with Dr. Dre on the track “The Recipe”, and the two had so much chemistry during that session that they collaborated on a ton of other tracks.
Could this mean a joint collaborative album for the two? If so, what does this mean the elusive Detox album?
Check out the full interview here. Kendrick Lamar’s debut album, “Good Kid In A Bad City” will be released this summer.
Over the Easter holiday weekend, Hip-Hop artists Diggy Simmons and KnightPKF got into the holiday spirit by coming together to perform for a good cause in the form of a crowded room of excited teens at the Coco Key Convention Center in Waterbury, Connecticut.
The CoCo Key “All-White Teen Affair” saw both entertainers giving back to their fans, and more specifically teens in Connecticut who couldn’t have been happier to have both stars within their reach.
Diggy, whose debut album Unexpected Arrivalis available in stores and on iTunes now, is currently promoting his new single “Two Up“, while KnightPKF is pushing “Smoovin” from his upcoming EP, Ladies Love Night.
The event concluded with the ecstatic teens pleading for Diggy and Knight to stick around and take photos after their performances, which you can see parts of below, as well as some pictures from the event. Naturally, the fans’ wishes were granted.
Nicki Minaj is officially tired of being compared to Lady Gaga. In a recent interview with ABC’s Nightline, Nicki said that she is “irked” by the comparisons, and that they have become “tiresome.”
Nicki was so annoyed when the journalist asked her about the comparisons, that she challenged the reporter to tell her why her and Gaga are alike. The reporter responded by stating the obvious – crazy get-ups and multi-colored wigs. But Nicki was not satisfied with that answer and told the journalist to “try again.” Nicki stated that she is an MC from Southside, Jamaica, Queens, which is totally different from Lady Gaga.
It’s interesting that Nicki still refers to herself as an MC and not a Pop star. Do you still consider Nicki an MC?
You can check out the full interview with Nicki Minaj and Nightline below:
“I Don’t Camouflage but I wear camouflage!” – Sadat X of Brand Nubian
Hip-Hop has traditionally prided itself on sticking out, but as of late, as the culture assimilates, that art becomes harder to put to canvas. Standing out in a crowd seemingly becomes synonymous with conformity, if that makes any sense.
Then there are those that push the envelope in other ways: fashion, culture, technology, music, and life. These are the ones that refuse to blend in and who set the barometer. This mark knows no age, genre, gender, or background. It’s universal.
“I Don’t Camouflage” is a new series from cultural rebel Aiko Tanyaka, a native of Japan now residing in Brooklyn, and she’s putting her own spin on nonconformity. The series has started with Sadat X,
Sadat X of Brand Nubian
Sadax X has worn lots of camo, but he still managed to stand out as one of the vocalists in the legendary rap collective, Brand Nubian. He speaks on the concept and what it means to him as he departs on a tour of Japan:
Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur of AllHipHop.com
AllHipHop’s leader-in-chief speaks about this come-up of one of Hip-Hop’s enduring brands. He also reveals parts of his life that have never been discussed anywhere else:
Rapper J-Lie
J-Lie says, “Do I look like I camouflage? Probably to a graffiti wall.” The young rapper explains his version of not camouflaging by talking as he gets the remainder of his body tatted up.
Rapper Juvenile is currently going through a custody and a child support battle with the mother of his 13-year old son, and is demanding a paternity test. Juvenile tells TMZ that he believes that he is the biological father of his son and is only demanding a paternity test as a procedural step to “get custody” of the kid.
“My son acts and looks just like me. I am doing this for procedural reasons to get custody.”
Juve allegedly owes $160,000 in unpaid child support, but he is claiming that he never established paternity when his son was born and didn’t even sign the birth certificate at the time. So if the boy is not his, he may not have to pay the over due balance.
He is also claiming that the boy’s mother has had sexual relations with other people, so there’s a small chance that he may not be the father.
But Juvenile has said that he “highly doubts” the test will come back negative … and says, “I love my son to death … I hope the test proves that he is mine.”
