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Today marks the six-year anniversary of the death of rapper Proof. Proof was one of the founding members of platinum-selling group D12, as well as the man responsible for Eminem’s success…according to Eminem himself.

Former labelmate Obie Trice recently shared a story about a trip he and Proof took to Las Vegas, where they happened to bump into Suge Knight and Proof tried to punk him. Check out the story below:

I remember we was in Las Vegas. We in the lobby, chillin’, drinkin’. Suge [Knight] walked in. I wanna meet the dude. F*ck all the dumb sh*t, ’Pac dead and gone, but this muthaf*cka had Death Row Records. I wanna shake the brother hand. Proof mad and sh*t. “What the f*ck you wanna shake his hand for?” He p##### at me. We get in a big *ss argument. He tauntin’ the dude. Suge smokin’ a cigar. Proof dancin’ around Suge, talkin’ sh*t. I don’t think Proof knew ’Pac like that, but he appreciated his music and his art. Suge like, let’s go outside. Proof like, “You said that to the last muthaf*cka and he dead” [Laughs].

R.I.P., Proof.

Check out “Dudey” aka “Difficult”, Eminem’s official tribute song to Proof:

J. Dash ft. Lara Johnston – Transformer

By: Steve Raze (@SteveRaze) Updated Apr 11, 2012 at 10:34amCategory: Multimedia / Video

Legendary Rapper Q-Tip Signs To Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Apr 11, 2012 at 10:24amCategory: News

Legendary rapper Q-Tip has inked a deal with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint and will release his fourth solo album titled The Last Zulu.

Kanye and Q-Tip already have a working relationship, as Q-Tip produced tracks on West’s last album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne with Jay-Z.

The deal also reunites Q-Tip with former Jive CEO Barry Weiss, who oversaw the label’s release of classic Tribe Called Quest albums like People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, The Low End Theory, Midnight Marauders and others.

In March of 2011, Barry Weiss took over as head of Island/Def Jam, which distributes Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint.

“I’m excited to be a part of the great iconic Def Jam label,” Q-Tip said in a statement. “I’m humbled to be a part of such a storied history. To reconnect with Barry Weiss is a great thing. As far as G.O.O.D. Music, I’m excited to solidify my working relationship with Kanye, and I look forward to all the opportunities that lie ahead in our partnership. I will do my best to present the most cutting edge music I can.”

According to Q-Tip, he is currently in the recording studio working on material for The Last Zulu, which has no release date as of press time.

“I am thrilled to be working with Q-Tip once again,” said Barry Weiss. “He is a respected voice in the music community as shown by his acclaimed solo albums and countless contributions to the work of other artists. His creativity continues to surpass all boundaries of hip-hop, R&B, pop, and jazz. We welcome Q-Tip to the G.O.O.D. Music / Island Def Jam family.”

Daily Word: Count Your Blessings!!!

By: seandrasims Updated Apr 11, 2012 at 10:11amCategory: Lifestyle

Peace and Blessings, my Blessed and Highly favored!

Welcome to another day that will bring you closer to your dreams and aspirations! Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to your blessings! Everything happens for a reason… Whatever situation you are in right now is purposely this way to help you get closer to what you really want!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly are all intentional and a part of the program! Most people mistakenly take their blessings for granted and allow the good to be overlooked! Don’t be tricked into thinking that your life right now isn’t good! If you go with the flow, you will realize that life is great!! You are exactly where you are supposed to be! As soon as you start to recognize just how blessed you are, you will begin to see more of what you want and need to see!

You are the creator of your circumstance! Change your outlook and allow the greatness to take its
rightful place! Life is not suppose to be difficult! We often over-complicate things, and in doing so, we make our happiness longer to attain! Take joy in who you are and know that who you want to be is arm distance away! Stay focused and Count Your Blessings! As Oprah once said, “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
-Ash’Cash

“Your imperfections and failures are as much a blessing as your successes and talents.” -Mahatma Gandhi

“When you fail to get what you want, consider that it just might be a blessing, enabling you to have something even better.” -Ralph Marston

“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place.” -C.S. Lewis

“Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.” -Paulo Coelho

“Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many – not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” -Charles Dickens

“When you become truly grateful for all the blessings sent your way, you will have little time to either mourn or complain.” -Hannah Moore

“It is not doing the thing we like to do, but liking the thing we have to do, that makes life blessed.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“Count your blessings and your problems….If your problems outnumber your blessings, count again….Chances are the things that you take for granted were not added up…” -Rishika Jain

TO HEAR THE AUDIO VERSION OF THE DAILY WORD – CLICK HERE.

Ash’Cash is a Business Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Financial Expert and the author of Mind Right, Money Right: 10 Laws of Financial Freedom. For more information, please visit his website, www.IamAshCash.com.

Singers Tank and Chris Brown are “Lonely”; Team Up for Third Collaboration Single

By: @KareemTaylor Updated Apr 11, 2012 at 9:18amCategory: Alternatives

The General is back! With a brand new album on the way, R&B crooner Tank is keeping the music coming. This time, it’s “Lonely”, a fun-filled track featuring Chris Brown.

This isn’t the first time Brown and Tank have collaborated to create a soulful thug’s masterpiece, as Brown joined him on 2011’s “Celebration (Remix)” and on “Foreplay”. It’s always a good listen when they team up. Check out the song HERE:

Tank’s This Is How I Feel album is due out soon.

Beanie Sigel On the “Philly Pocket” and Elementary School MCing with Black Thought

By: seandrasims Updated Apr 11, 2012 at 9:08amCategory: Features

Mention the word ‘Philadelphia,’ and Beanie Sigel immediately lowers his head and says, “Killadelhphia. Killadelphia.”

He could be referring to the City of Brotherly Love’s growing violence problem – a vicious plague not unlike that of other major cities around the country.

OR, he could be talking about the special crop of MCs that have come up within its borders, and the way they’ve “killed the game” throughout the history of rap.

You can hear it way back on 1989’s “Glamorous Life” with incarcerated, former rappers Cool C and Steady B, in the fun, storytelling bounce of Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, and in the passion and push of its new leader, Meek Mill. In recent months, AllHipHop.com has profiled some of the city’s best mic mashers, such as Black Thought, ?uestlove, and Dice Raw of the Legendary Roots Crew. Then there are the AllHipHop Breeding Ground artists: at South By Southwest, we caught up with Young Gliss, and at Black Thought’s home, we introduced The Wurxs – they’re all worthy offshoots of The Roots family. And, just this week, we spoke with Ryshon Jones about his unique place in the game.

What we know is this. There’s something about Philadelphia. Or Killadelphia.

Beanie Sigel, the “Broad Street Bully,” is a proud part of that long heritage of lyricism and unique vocal cadences. Under his leadership, State Property has added its own brand of battle and bravado to the mix. And, as you might imagine, he credits himself as one of the pioneers that helped yield today’s popular Philly sound.

The only other MC he’ll namedrop as the best to ever emerge from Philadelphia – or anywhere on Earth for that matter – is Black Thought. Beanz should know – since they rocked together as schoolboy MCs back in the early 1980s!

Watch our interview below with Beanie Sigel, and learn about the unique vocal flow now being coined as the “Philly Pocket” by the author (with a little help from Beanz). Then reminisce on his verse on The Roots’ 1999 smash hit, “Adrenaline” from Things Fall Apart:

Beanie Sigel’s new DJ Damage-hosted mixtape, Broad Street Empire Vol. 1: Lost Files, debuts on April 16, and his The Classic album is set for a summer drop. Follow Beanie Sigel on Twitter (@BeanieSigelSP).

Mixtape Review: Game’s “California Republic”

By: K1ng Eljay Updated Apr 11, 2012 at 9:01amCategory: Features

Rating: 7.5 / 10

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.

You can download it here, or here (tagless).