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One of the more interesting characters in Rap and Hip-Hop would have to be the 1017 Brick Squad representative, Waka Flocka Flame. Whether it’s his point-blank stance on things such as Hologram Tupac or music in general, Flocka seems unable to give people any less than the ruggedness he’s become known for, and it’s one of the reasons he seems to be more relevant as of now than his labelmates (Gucci Mane, OJ Da Juiceman, Wooh Da Kid, and Frenchie). With the arrival of his second LP, Waka seems to be swinging heavily for the fences and radios, making Triple F Life: Friends, Fans, and Family a mixed bag, at best.

To be clear, if you’re listening to a Flocka album for the lyricism, you’re doing it wrong in the first place. There are some artists who never try to be more than what they are, and Flocka’s said before that he’s not that type of artist. The quicker you accept that, the more enjoyment you’ll find in his music. However, even by loose standards, there are a few songs on Triple F Life that come out of left field, such as the radio-ready “Get Low” (which features Nicki Minaj, Tyga, and Flo-Rida), and the awkwardly placed “Fist Pump” (featuring B.o.B). They’ll be huge on the radio, but typical Waka fans may not appreciate it as much.

Thankfully, there are typical Waka songs here as well. “Lurkin’” features an assist from Plies and combines everything good about Waka into one song, from the aggressive hook and ad-libs to the riot-inducing lyrics that’s gotten him this far musically. “Let Dem Guns Blam” features a solid verse from Meek Mill, “I Don’t Really Care” serves it’s purpose and features a cameo from Trey Songz, and of course, “Round of Applause” with Drake is still as oddly addicting as ever. The good songs, however, still don’t cover up the blatant “Crossover” radio singles that disrupt the flow of the LP, but there’s no denying that Waka has several singles here that could impact any type of radio station.

And maybe that’s the issue. Waka’s Triple F Life: Friends, Fans, and Family is a grab bag at best, with some songs staying true to what he’s done in the past, and others taking huge risks. Granted, those risks (most notably, “Fist Pump”) could pay off extremely well, but the album as a whole seems to have little to no direction whatsoever. Don’t get it twisted; the album’s not bad, and there are songs present for every type of Flocka fan, but if you’re looking for an album as entertaining as his first, you won’t exactly find it here.

What do you think of the album? Leave a comment below.

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Ice T Explains His Method of Creating "The Art of Rap"; Film Hits Theaters June 15

By: seandrasims Updated Jun 15, 2012 at 9:04amCategory: MOBILE

(AllHipHop News) Ice T’s Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap documentary premieres in theaters today (June 15), and the buzz it has already created has the industry hinting at awards and sequels. In a recent interview in California, Ice T told AllHipHop.com:

“Is there anything that I wish I could have done again or different? I’d have to say not really. It’s perfect to me. The only thing is that I could have cut the same two-hour movie with absolutely different clips, and it would be just as good. It would a mirror image of the movie with different pieces of KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, and Rakim. I could probably make 10 movies from different clips that can sit side-by-side with each other.”

In the video below, Ice T talks to AllHipHop.com’s Chuck Creekmur about the way he went about crafting a film that eventually whittled down two hours of interview footage from each of 52 rappers into a two-hour film:

Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap hits theaters today. According to Hip-Hop activist Davey D, Ice T’s directorial debut is a must-see for Hip-Hop fans,

View the trailer below:

VIDEO: Maybach Music "Self Made 2" Listening Session

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Jun 15, 2012 at 9:01amCategory: Features

Maybach Music Group hosted a listening session for their upcoming compilation album Self Made Vol 2.

A number of celebrities, executives and artists gathered at New York’s club Sin City. Attendees were flanked by exotic dancers, who entertained during the evening, which was sponsored by CIROC.

Check out some video (including Drake before his brawl with Chris Brown) from the evening below:

Maybach Music Group Self Made Vol. 2 Listening Session

Melanie Fiona and J. Cole Team Up For "This Time" Video Shoot; Mel's Got It Going On!

By: @KareemTaylor Updated Jun 15, 2012 at 8:57amCategory: Alternatives

Recent Grammy-winner Melanie Fiona is back with her latest video for “This Time” featuring J Cole.

This No I.D-produced tune “needed a little energy”, Fiona says, “and I just reached out to Cole!” Fiona admits she “loves” Cole, and they got together and collaborated once again – the first collabo was on “Beautiful Bliss” also featuring Wale.

No word yet on when the official video will be released, but here’s a behind-the-scenes look:

Hip-Hop Rumors: Is Chris Brown Going To Press Charges Against Drake?

By: ginatorres27 Updated Jun 15, 2012 at 6:50amCategory: MOBILE

The aftermath of the Chris Brown Vs. Drake “bottle melee” looks to be even messier than the actual altercation itself. Chris Brown’s rep released a statement to CNN that implies that Breezy is pursuing his options to press assault charges on Drake. Check out the statement below:

Brown, his model girlfriend Karrueche Tran and other friends “sustained several injuries,” Brown rep Jeff Raymond said. “Chris and his party are cooperating with New York authorities who are pursuing this incident further.”

TMZ is reporting that Breezy has already spoken to detectives and has presented evidence showing that Drake and Meek Mill were the aggressors. Chris is not currently a suspect, but rather “a witness and a victim.”

Drake, who reportedly started the whole thing by putting his middle finger in Chris’ face while saying, “I’ma whoop that ass,” had his rep release a statement yesterday saying that he had nothing to do with the physical altercation. Drake has also been “cooperating” with authorities, but we do not know if he has spoken to cops – it appears his representatives have had conversations with detectives. Cops say that Drake is currently not a suspect.

In related news, photos of a woman who was injured in the “bottle melee” have been released by TMZ, and she looks a hot bloody mess. Check out the photos below:

Drake, Breezy, Meek Mill, and the venue better get their lawyers ready, because I’m pretty sure they are going to have quite a few lawsuits heading their way.

Jay-Z Opening New 40/40 Club In Barclay's Center

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Jun 15, 2012 at 6:22amCategory: MOBILE

(AllHipHop News) Rap mogul Jay-Z is expanding his 40/40 Club in New York, inside of the Brooklyn Nets’ arena.

Jay-Z announced today that the 9,000 square-foot restaurant will open inside of the Barclay’s Center.

The 40/40 Club at Barclay’s will only be accessible to ticket-holders during a variety of events that will take place inside of Barclay’s Center.

The new venue will also only be open when there is a concert or sporting event at the Barclay’s Center, according to reports.

The new 40/40 Club in the Barclay’s Center is scheduled to open on September 28.

Jay-Z also has a deal with the Delaware North Corporation, to bring his 40/40 Club to airports around the country.

Hip-Hop Rumors: Footage Of The Chris Brown Vs. Drake Altercation Surfaces

By: ginatorres27 Updated Jun 14, 2012 at 8:34pmCategory: MOBILE

Shaky footage from the NYC club where Chris Brown and Drake had their altercation last night has surfaced. In the footage, you can see Chris Brown’s security guard, Big Pat, getting cracked in the head with a bottle. Club security then comes over and escorts him out of the VIP cabana. The footage isn’t very high quality, but it does show you a little bit of what happened last night.

Who was the girl going crazy in the video? Could it have been Chris Brown’s girlfriend, Karrueche?

In related news, Chris Brown has sent his first tweet out since the deleted tweets about the incident early this morning and has come out to defend Meek Mill! Check out his tweet below:

Well, Iguess Meek Mill was telling the truth when he said he wasn’t involved. This story has more twists and turns than a roller coaster.

Chris Brown, Meek Mill Make Peace; Drake Investigated

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Jun 14, 2012 at 8:15pmCategory: MOBILE

(AllHipHop News) R&B singer Chris Brown has apparently exonerated rapper Meek Mill of any wrong doing during a brawl between the singer and Drake last night (June 14) in New York.

Chris Brown suffered a nasty gash on his chin, after being struck by a bottle inside of W.i.P, after his entourage brawled with Drake and his crew inside the venue.

Early reports suggested that rapper Meek Mill started the altercation and eventually struck Chris Brown with a bottle.

But the two men agreed that Meek wasn’t involved via Twitter tonight (June 15).

“Me and @MeekMill ain’t on that b#######. Real respect Real,” Chris Brown tweeted.

Meek replied to Brown’s message immediately, after denying involvement earlier in the day.

“We just getting money,” Meek Mill replied.

According to the latest reports, representatives for Drake are now cooperating with the investigation into the brawl, which sent several people to the hospital.

One female partygoer required 16 stitches after being hit by a flying bottle in the club and five others were injured.

W.i.P also suffered major damages as a result of the fight.

RECAP: "Club Paradise" Hits the Jersey Shore; Drake And Crew Perform For A Rain-Soaked, Sold-Out Crowd

By: JP DelaCuesta (@JPdelacuesta) Updated Jun 14, 2012 at 8:04pmCategory: Features

As the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey started filling up on Tuesday night (June 12) and the rain began to fall, one thing was inevitable: this Club Paradise stop was going to have to be one of the tour’s finest to make up for the wet, cold, and muddy fans suffering outside of the amphitheater’s shelter.

The second-leg of Drake’s super-successful Club Paradise tour currently features 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, French Montana, Waka Flocka, and J. Cole, and with a lineup such as that, every member of the sold-out crowd knew that they’d be in for a special night of seeing their favorite artists performing some of their most well-known and hottest records for four hours straight.

Regardless of attendees still finding their seats when 2 Chainz hit the stage promptly at 7 pm, the night’s first performer held nothing back energy-wise and delivered a short-set full of his current hits like “Riot,” “Spend It,” “Got One”, and his verse from G.O.O.D. Music’s current smash, “Mercy.”

Shortly after 2 Chainz’s set, MMG’s Meek Mill touched down and ran through records like “House Party,” “Burn”, and “Ima Boss. With the energy already at a high, leave it to Waka Flocka, who was backed by a live band and some interesting set design, to turn up the show’s dial to 11 as he blazed through hits like “Oh Let’s Do It,” “No Hands,” which featured a live drum remix during Wale’s verse, “I Don’t Really Care”, and “Hard In the Paint” – the latter two of which he performed as he was making his way through a crowd of ravenous fans.

At one point, after he returned from his adventure in the crowd, Waka did a record that was fittingly appropriate for the Jersey Shore locale, his new record from Triple F Life, “Fist Pump.” Waka, who released his sophomore album on the day of the show, closed out his set with: “If you ain’t my friends, fans, or family, then f*ck you!” He later exclaimed, “Thank you, and I love you all to death!”

J. Cole, backed by a live band that included two keyboards, one drummer, one DJ, and a bassist, was up next. The North Carolina MC showed the crowd of thousands how a real artist evolves and matures, not just in his music but in his stage show, which was flawless.

Cole got his charismatic set started with a verse from “Dollar and a Dream”, and then went right into the up-tempo tracks “Who Dat” and “Blow Up.”

He continued his set with his currently in rotation “Nobody’s Perfect” followed by “Work Out” and his verse from Beyonce’s “Party.” “In the Morning”, sans Drake, was next followed by the MC’s biggest record to date, “Can’t Get Enough”, which he used to close out his set.

The crowd had gone nuts for almost three hours at this point, and the man behind the entire tour, Drake, had yet to even take the stage. And then it happened. With “Lord Knows” blaring through the speakers, Drake greeted the crowd and stormed through records like “I’m On One” and “Headlines”, before taking a short break to honor one of his recently deceased friends with a poured out bottle of Hennessy and “Crew Love” bumping in the background.

The highly-energetic and infectious set continued with “records like She Will” and “Up All Night”, before 2 Chainz came out to perform his current single, “No Lie”, followed by Waka Flocka who hit the stage for “Round of Applause” alongside Drake. After a Rihanna-less “Take Care,” Drake brought out Mavado to accompany him on a few songs and then perform a few of his own Reggae hits.

Meek Mill then returned to perform “Amen” off his recent mixtape Dreamchasers 2 with Drake, followed by an encore performance of “Ima Boss”. Shortly after, French Montana hit the stage and performed a brief set that included “Choppa Down”, “Everything’s A Go”, and “Stay Schemin”.

Drake followed up his guests tracks with his own “Miss Me” and “Make Me Proud”, before going into a short intermission that saw the Toronto native and YMCMB general shouting out individual fans in the audience. “HYFR” and “The Motto” were next, and just as the clock hit 11 pm, Drake fittingly closed his headlining set with the first single from his debut album Thank Me Later, “Over”.

Check out some pictures from the NJ stop of the Club Paradise Tour below: