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RECAP: Brooklyn Hip-Hop Fest’s “Show and Prove Bowl” Delivers Multi-Generational Skills

By: seandrasims Updated Category: MOBILE
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(AllHipHop News) Brooklyn Bodega’s popular, annual celebration of Hip-Hop music and culture kicked off last night in Brooklyn, New York, with variety in mind for the light but enthusiastic crowd on-hand.

Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival 2012 (BHF’12) is currently in full swing, having begun its week-long festivities last night (July 9) with the annual “Show and Prove Bowl.”

The Bowl, a showcase for amateur MC battles and seasoned sets, was held at the borough’s well-known performance venue, Brooklyn Bowl. The night, which started with MC battles between some lesser-known, but fiercely competitive rappers early on, seemed to be about “showing and proving” that great rapping at any stage or age takes skills.

Jarobi and Dres of Evitan with a fan

Evitan (‘Native’ spelled backwards) – also known as Dres from Blacksheep and Jarobi from A Tribe Called Quest – were crowd favorites, as they remixed Old School samples of their respective group’s music with updated production and lyrics.

Late in their performance, the duo brought out a rap celeb lineup that included Craig G, Rah Digga, Homeboy Sandman, and Sadat X. and had the entire crowd involved in a lively call-and-response session.

Philadelphia’s Freeway performed a headlining set, featuring a medley of his Roc-A-Fella/State Property hits, and anchoring his show with a performance of “All My Life” as a tribute to Nate Dogg, the song’s producer and hook vocalist.

From his hometown, Freeway brought along rapper Jakk Frost for the ride, who joined him on two songs.

Tek of Smif ‘N Wessun and Dice Raw of The Roots

The “spirit of Philadelphia” was a running theme during the night, as longtime collaborator and composer for The Roots, Dice Raw, gave a brief, surprise performance during Young Guru’s nearly hour-long DJ set.

Young Guru

Young Guru, DJ and engineer to Jay-Z, opted for an Old School set to underscore the roots of his Hip-Hop influence.

1982 (Statik Selektah and Termanology) – with fellow rap pal REKS of Miami – ended the night with an uplift by joining M.O.P’s Lil’ Fame on his performance of “Ante Up”. From the VIP area, previous BHF’11 participants and femcees, Rah Digga and Eternia, took in the sights and sounds, along with M.O.P., Smif ‘N Wessun, and more.

Earlier in the night, Charmingly Ghetto from Boston was the winner of the “Show and Prove Super Bowl,” after beating out regional favorites, May’s preliminary winner 330 from the DMV (D.C./Maryland/Virginia) area, and April’s winner Rasheed Chappell from the New Jersey/New York area.

As winner of the “Super Bowl,” Charmingly Ghetto will receive a high-exposure opportunity to open for rapper Busta Rhymes at the BHF’12 final day concert on this Saturday (July 14).

For tickets or more information about Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival 2012, visit www.bkhiphopfestival.com.

Check back tomorrow and later this week for interviews with Evitan, Young Guru, and more.

Kid Cudi Reveals Features For “indicud”; Says He Will Produce 80% Of Album

By: JP DelaCuesta (@JPdelacuesta) Updated Category: MOBILE
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(AllHipHop News) At the beginning of June, Kid Cudi announced his third solo studio album indicud, and a week later, he made headlines by announcing it as a “double disc LP” and classified it as his version of Dr. Dre’s Chronic 2001 – in the sense that he would be producing a majority of the album as well.

Today (July 10), Kid Cudi took to Twitter to announce a number of features that the rapper, singer, and now procure has already secured for the album, which is expected to drop before the end of the year.

He tweeted, “Features thus far, Kanye, Pusha, Jaden, Kendrick Lemar, Chip, Cage, got something for Hov I wanna play him, still gotta link w 50 and Banks.”

The news comes a day after Cudi took to his Tumblr page with the announcement that he was producing 80 percent of the album himself as well: “Hope yall like the new jams. Comin soon! Im working extra hard to get this album out this year. Root 4 me yall, thats the goal. I feel like some people are just waiting for me to die. Not now, sorry y’all.”

Kid Cudi’s latest release was his collaborative album with Dot Da Genius, WZRD, released this past February to a mediocre response. It is expected that he will be featured heavily on G.O.O.D. Music’s upcoming Cruel Summer compilation, set for release on August 7.

STREAM: Aesop Rock’s New Album “Skelethon” Via Rhymesayers Entertainment

By: JP DelaCuesta (@JPdelacuesta) Updated Category: MOBILE
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(AllHipHop News) San Francisco-based MC Aesop Rock‘s first album in five years, Skelethon, was officially released today (July 10) on Rhymesayers Entertainment, and made available to both fans and listeners in a preview format exclusively on YouTube.

Aesop Rock was hailed as “Indie Rap’s wordiest wordsmith” by Rolling Stone, and his Skelethon, which was officially announced at the end of March, acts as the follow-up to his 2007 None Shall Pass album.

The new, 15-track album features guest appearances from the likes of Kimya Dawson, Allyson Baker of Dirty Ghosts, Hanni El Khatib, Nicky Fleming-Yaryan, Rob Sonic, DJ Big Wiz, and the Grimace Federation.

According to a Rhymesayers press release, “Aesop’s new album follows in the wake of several deep personal losses and highlights subject matter that deals with the sometimes-futile ways people try to cope with serious issues.”

“Skelethon is set to be both a showpiece for his illustrious career and a serious payoff for his droves of ever-patient loyal fans,” the statement adds.

Aesop Rock is currently on tour in support of the new album, and will be hitting Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Vancouver in the coming days, before heading to Seattle, Washington on July 20 for “The 2012 Capitol Hill Block Party.”

Check out a full album stream of Aesop Rock’s Skelethon below:

Aesop Rock’s new album Skelethon is available now for purchase on iTunes and other online retailers.

Ray Lavender Brings The R&B and Rick Ross Brings The Rap On “Hustla”

By: @KareemTaylor Updated Category: Alternatives
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R&B singer Ray Lavender is hard at work on his debut album, releasing something new, it seems, every week. Now, he’s back with “Hustla”, a Hip-Hop and R&B-infused record that’s still smooth enough to get the ladies to listen.

Check out the audio for “Hustla” below:

And, here’s the latest visual – a video for Ray Lavender’s “We Love”:

Big Hutch Discusses The Passing Of Above The Law’s KMG

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: MOBILE
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(AllHipHop News) Above The Law group member Big Hutch has issued a statement and regards to the passing of fellow group member KMG.

KMG, born Kevin Michael Gulley, was a founding member of Above The Law, which released records on Eazy-E’s legendary Ruthless Records imprint.

According to Big Hutch, KMG died from a heart attack while taking a shower.

“I would like to thank everyone for their condolences during this unexpected difficult time for myself, the group Above The Law, as well as our families and close friends,” Big Hutch said in a statement released today (July 10).

“I had received a phone call Friday night, July 6th, that KMG had collapsed in the shower from an apparent heart attack, but that fact is to be determined after we get the autopsy report. There was no foul play involved and my dear friend KMG’s death was simply by natural cause.”

KMG’s death was a shock to Big Hutch, who had just spoken with KMG and group member Total Chaos.

Big Hutch
Big Hutch

“It is shocking and tragic to all of us because he showed no symptoms that he was suffering from any type of heart disease or any type of other illnesses,” Big Hutch revealed. “Plus, I was just on the phone with him and Total K-OSS a few days prior discussing the new Above The Law album and my upcoming solo release with Psychopathic Records.”

KMG’s untimely death is a blow to Above The Law, which had been discussing a new group album, since Big Hutch’s re-emergence as an artist on Insane Clown Posse’s record label, Psychopathic Records.

“We were further discussing, as Above The Law, it was time to move on the with the project and were coordinating plans to do so; then this had happened,” a somber Big Hutch continued. “I also would like to thank everyone for their patience in me responding to media and other close online publications.”

Here is the rest of Big Hutch’s statement regarding the death of KMG:

KMG and I, as you all know, go way back since the best years of Ruthless Records and prior. He has been my right hand man along with Total K-OSS and his abrupt passing was just totally unexpected and shocking to all of us.

I personally have been in a daze since receiving the news and I just needed some time to myself and to put things back into perspective so I can re-focuse on the commitments and obligations I have to music and Hip-Hop.

If I hear anything else that our fans need to know, I will indeed inform the powers to be and get that information out to everyone.

Once again, thank you everyone for your caring concerns and the love you still have for KMG, myself, and Above The Law after all these years. And as with Eazy, we will continue to keep his memory and legacy alive through music.”

~ Big Hutch

D’Angelo And Mary J. Blige Hitting The Road To Co-Headline “The Liberation Tour”

By: JP DelaCuesta (@JPdelacuesta) Updated Category: MOBILE
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(AllHipHop News) Following his recent re-emergence and highly praised performances at the Essence Music Festival and last weekend’s BET Awards, D’Angelo has announced that he will co-headline the upcoming “Liberation Tour” with nine-time Grammy Award-winning singer, Mary J. Blige.

The pair have only revealed details for four East Coast dates; however, more are expected to be announced shortly. “The Liberation Tour,” which will kick off on August 18 in Virginia Beach, is currently scheduled to hit cities in New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.

As Billboard reported about D’Angelo, “the co-headlining tour marks another step in the comeback of the legendary, long-reclusive singer who played his first U.S. show in over a decade when he made a surprise stop at Bonnaroo last month.”

D’Angelo’s third studio album, James River, is tentatively scheduled to be released before the end of the year, and was worked on heavily by Roots drummer ?uestlove, who told Pitchfork late last year that the album was “97% done.”

Blige released her tenth studio album, My Life II…The Journey Continues, last November, and was recently featured in Warner Bros. film adaptation of the hit Broadway play, Rock of Ages.

In addition to the tour with Blige, D’Angelo is also scheduled to perform at Budweiser’s Made In America festival on Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia, headlined by Jay-Z and alt-rockers Pearl Jam.

Check out the current list of dates and cities for “The Liberation Tour” below:

8/18 – Virgina Beach, VA (Farm Bureau Live)
8/19 – Wantagh, NY (Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach)
8/21 – Boston, MA (Bank of America Pavilion)
8/23 – Holmdel, NJ (PNC Bank Arts Center)

For tickets and more information, visit LiveNation.com.

Hip-Hop Rumors: Is Floyd Mayweather Sr. Going To Train Drake For His Potential Fight With Breezy?

By: ginatorres27 Updated Category: MOBILE
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This Chris Brown vs. Drake potential pay-per-view fight seems to be growing some legs. Not only did the boxing promoters raise the offer from $1 million for the loser to $5 million for the losing party and $9 million to the winner of the match, but now we hear that they are offering Floyd Mayweather, Sr. up as the trainer. Mayweather, Sr. is, of course, the father of boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

RumorFix is reporting hat Celebrity Boxing guru Damon Feldman has signed Floyd Mayweather, Sr. to train either Brown or Drake for the bout.

Chris Brown has already accepted the offer to throw down with Drake, but promoters are still waiting for Drizzy to give them the green light to begin the process. $5 Milli to get in the ring with Chris Brown…should Drizzy accept? Even with Mayweather, Sr. in his corner, do you think Drizzy could hold his own against C.B.?