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The album which features the singles “Headlines,” “Marvin’s Room” and the recently released “Make Me Proud” featuring Young Money label mate Nicki Minaj, which is heavily anticipated across the net.

Thousands of copies have been downloaded over the past 24 hours, yet Drake remained cool about the leak on Twitter.

“Listen enjoy it, buy it if you like it…and take care until next time,” Drake tweeted.

Highlights of the leaked LP include the Just Blaze produced song, “Lord Knows” featuring Rick Ross, and the title track, “Take Care” featuring Rihanna.

Take Care is due in stores on November 15.

The same thing happened to Drake’s debut album Thank Me Later, which leaked to the Internet almost 15 days prior to the album’s release date.

It didn’t impact the albums sales, as the release moved over 445,000 copies in the first week and debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.

Tone Trump & Young Jeezy Link On “Afghan”

By: Mikey T The Movie Star Updated Nov 7, 2011 at 11:15amCategory: News

(AllHipHop News) Philly rapper Tone Trump recently spoke about his new single “Afghan,” that is crossing over from the underground mixtape market to the mainstream, thanks in part to a cameo appearance from Young Jeezy.

Tone Trump’s new single was released last week featuring Young Jeezy and according to Tone, the track is the start of a burgeoning relationship.

“I dropped the record last Wednesday and sent it to [Funkmaster] Flex and he dropped bombs on it. AllHipHop.com featured it as its ‘Heater of the Day.’ It’s a new wave for me, a new feeling,” Tone Trump told AllHipHop.com in an exclusive interview.

The rapper touched on the credibility the multi platinum recording artist Young Jeezy brings to the “Afghan” record.

“He’s so respected it brings a certain level of credibility to the record,” Tone Trump explained to AllHipHop.com. “A lot of the time, people don’t wanna give you props. I’m not going to lie, the big homie Snow Man [Jeezy] got on the record and I put it out the next week. I didn’t even ask ‘Snow’ to get on the record, he believed in the record and he knew what his impact would do to it. I was with Jeezy and he told me ‘this is just the beginning, this is stage 1.”

While there is buzz around Tone Trump’s association with Young Jeezy, the Philadelphia rapper is still an independent artist.

Follow Mikey T. on Twitter.

: Tone Trump and Young Jeezy’s “Afghan”

Hip-Hop Rumors: Is French Montana Signed to G.O.O.D. Music Now?

By: seandrasims Updated Nov 7, 2011 at 11:10amCategory: Rumors

New Jersey’s “Watch The Throne” concert was hosted at the Izod Center in East Rutherford this past Saturday (November 5), where Hip-Hop celebrities and connoisseurs like Angie Martinez were present to share their experiences via Twitter. The Hot 97 personality interacted with her followers, as she played “Guess That Rapper,” posting pictures of half faceless and back-turned artists.

Though Angie tweeted flicks of a few rappers, the main rapper in question for the night was French Montana. Martinez took to Twitter to post a picture of Bronx rapper French Montana and Kanye West posing together after the show with the statement, “U aint hear it from me…… #YesYouDid 🙂 lol.” Is this a hint that the “Shot Caller” rapper may be the newest addition to West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint?

One thing for sure is that French Montana is definitely a free agent. In 2009, the rapper signed to Akon’s Konvict Muzik, but left this year due to album delays. Along with the G.O.O.D. Music accusations, rumors have also sparked about French Montana possibly signing to Rick Ross’s Maybach Music Group and Diddy’s Bad Boy Records.

Daily Word: Knowledge is Potential

By: seandrasims Updated Nov 7, 2011 at 10:58amCategory: Lifestyle

Happy Monday Family!

Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life! Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to Knowledge! People use to say
with all surety that ‘Knowledge is Power!’ As we learn more and more about how success and greatness works, we now know that the saying is only half the truth!

Knowledge is only power if you use it accordingly!! Therefore, the proper saying is that ‘Knowledge is Potential Power! You can know all of the secrets to a prosperous and happy life, but if you do not practice it daily, then you will be as
powerless as the person who knows nothing!

Don’t take knowledge for granted! Be on a quest to learn as much as possible but be on an even greater quest to implement what you have learned! Everything you want in life is already your if you just decide that you want it!! There’s is a price to greatness!! Pay your dues, and keep the Change!!
-Ash’Cash

“In life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know.” -Anthony Robbins

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“How can you come to know yourself? Never by thinking; always by doing. Try to do your duty, and you’ll know right away what you amount to.” -Unknown

“Know where to find the information and how to use it – That’s the secret of success.” -Albert Einstein

“You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing, there will be no result.” -Mahatma Gandhi

“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“When you know what you want, and want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it.” -Jim Rohn

***BONUS*** – “You’ve achieved success in your field when you don’t know whether what you’re doing is work or play.” -Warren Beatty

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.

Brooklyn’s Boisterous B-Girl: Nitty Scott, MC

By: timsanchez818 Updated Nov 7, 2011 at 10:45amCategory: Features

Orlando, Florida native Nitty Scott, MC received the attention of a nationwide audience when she performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards in one of the show’s highlighted rap Cyphers. With her pretty looks, it’s easy to misunderstand this young female artist, but make no mistake about it – there’s an MC behind those dimples. Nitty Scott, who’s been residing in Brooklyn for the past few years, is set to release her latest project, Doobies and Popsicle-Sticks, in which she looks to display both her MC skills and record-crafting abilities, while establishing herself as a well-balanced artist.

AllHipHop.com caught up with Nitty Scott, MC to talk about her career up to this point. Nitty could very well be the next big name female artist, and only time will tell if she’s really got the goods:

AllHipHop.com: I like the uniqueness of your name. You put the comma and the MC title after your name just like a doctor.

Nitty Scott, MC: Yay, you get it! That’s exactly what I was trying to do. I was thinking about people that go to medical school, and they’ll have on their doctorate their name followed by MD. That certifies what they do. This is my way of letting people know that I’m certified and trained in what I do. I’m educated and experienced as far as being out on my own. I’ve been on my own since I was 17 in an unfamiliar city, and I look at that as being trained by the school of hard knocks.

AllHipHop.com: What was your name before that? I know that every MC has a beginner name.

Nitty Scott, MC: It’s so funny that you ask that, because I was just talking about that with my team the other day. It was so corny and didn’t even relate to me. I’m glad that it didn’t pop for me back then, because I would’ve hated to have been known by that name. My first rap name was Lady Hard-body! [laughter] I got that from my boy, and I kind of liked it. In essence when you think about it, there is nothing hard about me. When I go back and think about it, the name never fit me as a person. I ran with it at the time, and the first little mixtape that I put out around my campus was under that name.

AllHipHop.com: How long ago was this?

Nitty Scott, MC: I was around 13 or 14 years old, so this was a while ago. I started rocking with Nitty Scott in high school. That was more of a nickname, because my real name is Nitzia Scott.

AllHipHop.com: You were living in Orlando, Florida, but moved to New York City to further your career?

Nitty Scott, MC: Yes, that was the only reason. I was 17 years old and had begun to really take the craft serious and wanted to pursue it as a career. I looked around, and there wasn’t too many opportunities in Orlando. There wasn’t really a scene for what I was trying to do. For the lane that I wanted to create, I didn’t want to make radio hits and sell out that club – that wasn’t my vision. I had to take it somewhere I knew there was going to be a scene, and find the right circles to mingle with to do the kind of music that I wanted to do.

AllHipHop.com: But you were only 17! Weren’t you afraid of going to the Big Apple? The place of eight million stories?

Nitty Scott, MC: You would think that I would’ve been more scared than I actually was. Now that I look back and think about the move that I made, it’s something that I would never do now.

AllHipHop.com: So many things could’ve gone wrong!

Nitty Scott, MC: A lot of things did go wrong. Being the more logical adult that I am now, I wonder what I was thinking and how I was able to just up and leave like that. It was a pretty spontaneous move. I always had plans of going to New York City being this girl that was raised down South – I was very bored to be honest. I had dreams of going to the big city, I guess like a lot of suburban girls do. I always knew that I was going to take it to New York. I just didn’t really think that it was going to be in the middle of my senior year in high school at age 17.

AllHipHop.com: Your family must have freaked out!

Nitty Scott, MC: Yeah. I was really ambitious, and I felt that something out there was calling me. I just had to be out there. Legally, my parents could have stopped me because I wasn’t 18 years old. They could have told me that I wasn’t going anywhere. As disappointed and afraid as they were, they ended up supporting me. They told me to follow my dreams, and they let me know that I always had a home back there with them. It wasn’t as if I was running away and they would never have me back if I needed to come back home. Looking back, I thank them so much for not making it difficult for me. It has really played a part in the story that is unfolding now.

AllHipHop.com: It’s pretty impressive that in your few years in New York, you’ve been able to stand out and make a name for yourself. Some go a long time without being able to do that.

Nitty Scott, MC: I think that has something to do with a mixture of things. Aside from having talent and skill, I think that I represent something new and refreshing. When you think about the state of the game right now, there are so many young women and girls out there that need someone to relate to. That’s not to say that any other female entertainers are not doing what they should be doing. It’s more about the balance. There are so many different types of women living in this world that are living different types of lifestyles, and there should be the same amount of women in entertainment for them to relate to. I do represent a certain type of woman that is not being represented too much in Hip-Hop right now.

AllHipHop.com: You were tapped to be a part of 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Cyphers. Were you nervous going in? How did you prepare for it?

Nitty Scott, MC: I honestly thought when I first started my work on the Cypher, that I was putting so much weight on it. I was being a real nervous new artist. I wrote my verse at least three different times. I was running back and forth to my manager asking him if that particular verse was the one. I put a lot of weight on it, and I felt that it had to be one of the dopest verses ever written. I kept in consideration the audience that I was going to be speaking to. It was an audience that probably wasn’t aware of me. The day of the taping, I rehearsed a lot. As much as I thought that I was putting too much pressure on myself, I’m glad that I did because it ended up being a well received and well crafted verse. It did exactly what it was meant to do. Every take was smooth. Everybody around me from the BET executives to the artists felt that I delivered.

AllHipHop.com: Your next project is titled Doobies and Popsicle-Sticks.

Nitty Scott, MC: That’s my second mixtape, which is going to be released on 11/11/11. It’s basically a “farewell to summer project.” I just wanted to capture the essence of my summer and all of the different moods. A lot of people know me as a B-girl freestyle rapper, but I’m out to show them that I can craft good songs.

AllHipHop.com: When I see the word doobie, I’m thinking of something along the lines of Cheech & Chong.

Nitty Scott, MC: [laughter] It doesn’t stand for anything specific. It’s meant to be goofy and random. That was my summer diet.

AllHipHop.com: It doesn’t sound too nutritious.

Nitty Scott, MC: I know! It’s horrible.

AllHipHop.com: How often do you get mistaken for Lauren London?

Nitty Scott, MC: [laughter] I have never been mistaken for her. It’s awesome to be compared to her. Miss Info was the one that started that. She posted my “Monster” freestyle and put in the caption below that I was a Spanish looking Lauren London. Ever since, I’ve gotten a lot of comparisons but I’ve never been mistaken for her!

AllHipHop.com also hung out with Nitty Scott, MC at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival this past summer. Check out her video interview and performance below:

Left Brain of Odd Future Formally Charged with Assault of Female Photographer

By: Jake Crates Updated Nov 7, 2011 at 10:17amCategory: News

(AllHipHop News) Odd Future rapper Vyron “Left Brain” Turner has been formally charged with assault of a young photographer lastw eek during a show in New Orleans last weekend.

Photographer Amy Harris claims that she was assaulted during a show last week in New Orleans, at the Voodoo Festival.

Left Brain picked up a misdemeanor charge for hitting Harris in the head, breaking her camera and leaving a mark on her face.

The charge carries a sentence of up to six months in jail and maximum fine of $1,000 in the state of Louisiana.

While initially it seemed that Amy Harris wouldn’t press charges after statements made on her website.

Harris has re-evaluated her stance in a statement posted on her website.

“The unexpected turn of events, including an attack by Odd Future on my credibility and motives for discussing the incident, have caused me to re-evaluated my initial decision,” Harris wrote.

The concert promoters have even spoken out about this event and have shunned the violence by the group members towards the media.

“The VOODOO EXPERIENCE does not in any way condone the behavior of Odd Future towards the approved media assembled in the photo pit during the band’s set yesterday,” promoters said about the event. “Festival organizers would like to apologize to their media guests who experienced and/or witnessed this abusive behavior.”

Earlier last week, the group also was removed from New Zealand’s Big Day Out Festival, after promoters said gay rights groups in Auckland were opposed to the group’s controversial lyrics.

2012: The End of The CD Era?

By: seandrasims Updated Nov 7, 2011 at 9:00amCategory: Lifestyle

In recent weeks, news stories quietly announced that major labels are making plans to discontinue the recording and sales of music CDs in late 2012. Yet, as MP3s have taken over the market as the prevailing way to record and purchase music, there are still many – millions even – who purchase and listen to CDs on a daily basis.

As the CD prepares to meet its possible end soon, AllHipHop.com ponders the history of the little shiny, scratch-attracting disk, how MP3s have changed the music game, and how CD-lovers will fare when it’s all said and done.

A Brief History of the CD

Before 1980, those of us old enough to remember how music was stored will recall the handy but delicate cassette tape. A staple in the boom boxes of the 1980s, the cassette tape was a cheaper alternative to the bulky, dated 8-track tapes of the 1970s, and a much more compact and average user-friendly way to listen to albums than the vinyl records that dominated the industry for generations.

By inventor James Russell’s definition way back in 1965, a compact disk (CD) is a tool for digitally storing media. Beyond the simple technology, limited storage, and craftsmanship of tapes and records, his was an innovation that made it possible to record computer files, pictures and graphics, and most importantly, store a large amount of music or other data in a small size. Pioneer CD company Sony insisted that the world standards first created by eventual CD partner Phillips, were changed to ensure that a CD was large enough to hold the entirety of Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony – 74 minutes long.

The plastic circular CD is read and written to by a laser tucked inside a tiny slot called a CD drive, and over the years and 22 patents later, it has morphed into several types, such as CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-I, and CD-RW. As is the case with most new technology, the CD was not particularly known – or affordable – until TV and stereo manufacturer Phillips brought it to the masses in 1980.

In 1980, the CD hadn’t yet caught on as a highly popular or profitable way to sell recorded music, but in 1982, Phillips director Lou Ottens had already announced, “From now on, the conventional record player is obsolete.” Following suit, Sony was soon working in 1984 towards a portable revolution in music listening technology that would change everything – the “Discman.”

CDs Meet The Music

The first album pressed on CD was The Visitors by abba, and the first CD release was Billy Joel’s 52^nd Street, recorded and produced by Sony in 1982. Hardly anyone heard those first albums on CD in their homes, as the technology was still exclusive to mainly affluent consumers and industry buffs. A year later, as prices dropped, music labels began to trust that consumers would actually purchase players and drives. Soon, cassette tapes were (not completely) replaced by CDs, and nearly 1,000 music titles were pressed on CDs.

The first platinum-selling CD album came in 1985 – Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms – and according to BBC News, it is still the world’s most successful album on CD. By the mid 1980s, most major labels were on board with CD production; however, Hip-Hop, which was still fighting for relevance and respect in the music market, was largely left out of the first-year CD experiment.

Not long after came the first platinum-selling rap album, 1986’s Licensed To Ill by the Beastie Boys, and its sales peak was largely assisted by the new CD phenomenon of the time. DJ technology stayed on course, too; by the early 2000s, the first “scratchable” CD turntables were introduced to the market, allowing for DJs to have nearly the same experience as spinning vinyl; without, of course, the signature vinyl “hiss” that gives records their raw, distinctive sound.

Welcome The Digital Revolution?

Sales for music CDs of all genres peaked in 2000 at 2.455 billion; according to BBC News, in 2006, that figure was down to 1.755 billion, and CDs aren’t expected to rebound. In the early to mid 2000s, the evolution of mini disks, DVDs, Sony’s BluRay disks, and other storage types that were birthed from CDs began to signal signs that the format might soon be rendered obsolete.

In 2008, CD sales dipped to drastically low numbers, as the crunch of MP3 technology began its final choke hold on the CD music industry. Music downloading leaders iTunes and Spotify have revolutionized consumer purchasing – with a credit card and an Internet signal, one can download whole albums within seconds or minutes.

Undoubtedly, the MP3 age has had an enormous, business model-changing effect on the music industry. Major and independent music labels, stymied by dropping CD sales over the past decade, have scrambled to figure out how to market digital music while still profiting from CDs. After all, there is a large segment of the listening audience that has not embraced digital technology, and still relies on the CD-stocked shelves of Best Buy, Walmart, and other retailers. According to Apple figures, just five years ago, only 11 percent of Americans owned an iPod; in 2008, perhaps due to the recession, that number had dropped to three percent. Still, what’s old is old, and MP3 players have seemingly won the day.

Early this month, Sideline Music and countless other media outlets reported that the few remaining major music labels are planning to eliminate CD recording by this time next year. According to Sideline’s coverage: “The major labels plan to abandon the CD-format by the end of 2012 (or even earlier) and replace it with download/stream only releases via iTunes and related music services. The only CD-formats that will be left over will be the limited edition ones, which will, of course, not be available for every artist.” Reps from EMI, Universal, and Sony declined to comment on recent reports.

So, Now What?

For countless millions of CD-lovers, 2012 may mark the end of an era. And, some people may not at all be prepared for the revolution. Middle-aged and senior adults are least likely to have embraced the digital evolution of the past 10 years, leaving them vulnerable to having few options beyond the CD. In addition, the “digital divide” that already exists in low-income communities (hampered by no computers or Internet access), will likely increase from a lack of resources for poor people to transition to all-digital music and MP3 players.

Sadly, public collections in libraries, music institutions, and surfing Amazon may end up as the only ways to locate and listen to CDs that enthusiasts don’t already own. The end of the CD era, therefore, marks a somewhat sad transition into a new digital day. While cumbersome to travel with and store over the years, the CD played an early, eye-opening role in our envisioning how the advancement of technology would play out in our daily lives.

So, should CDs be eradicated forever, simply because the Internet and digital tools have overtaken our attention spans with their lightning-fast, nearly invisible, conveniently portable ways? Only time will tell.

[My 89-year-old grandfather, who owns an impressive collection of several hundred CDs, including everything from jazz to early rap, certainly hopes they don’t go away.]

Joe Frazier: Smokin Joe and Hip-Hop

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Nov 6, 2011 at 9:38pmCategory: Lifestyle

Boxing legend “Smokin” Joe Frazier is in serious condition in a Philadelphia, Pa hospital, battling liver cancer.

The boxing legend’s handlers confirmed the news yesterday (November 5), after questions about his health began to spread in the media.

As of press time, reports of the 67-year-old Gold medalist’s death are premature.

Joe Frazier became a household name in the early 1970’s, after a series of bouts with Muhummad Ali.

Frazier was born on January 12, 1944 in South Carolina but moved to Philadelphia at the age of 15, where settled and made an enormous impact on the local community.

His life and the effects of the three fights with Muhammad Ali, including the famous “Thrilla In Manilla” are chronicled in the documentary of the same name.

Joe Frazier’ professional record was 37-4.

His name has been immortalized in several Hip-Hop songs, including Wu-Tang Clan’s “Protect Your Neck,” Style P.’s “Blow Your Mind,” and Jimmy Spicer’s “Adventures of Super Rhyme.”

Occupy Hip-Hop: A Video Manifesto

By: seandrasims Updated Nov 6, 2011 at 4:45pmCategory: Uncategorized

With all this talk of “Occupation” across the globe lately, AllHipHop.com editorial contributor, TRUTH Minista Paul Scott, has had some choice words for and about the Hip-Hop community and music industry. Check his latest – a video declaring his official “Occupy Hip-Hop Manifesto”:

What are your thoughts? Need more info? Read up here on TRUTH Minista Paul Scott’s original editorial from two weeks ago entitled “Time to Occupy Hip-Hop.”

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott represents the Militant Mind Militia. He can be reached at mi*****************@***il.com or visit his website at http://www.militantmindmilitia.com.

Snoop’s Football League In Chicago Reportedly Facing Financial Trouble

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Nov 6, 2011 at 4:05pmCategory: News

(AllHipHop News)The Chicago division of Snoop Dogg’s Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL) is facing hardships, according to reports.

One of the teams from the area, The Pilsen Jets, was supposed to play in the Playoff’s today (November 6).

MyFoxChcago reports that the SYFL in the is allegedly tens-of-thousands of dollars behind in bills.

As a result, the team, which consists of boys aged 7-14, which was forced to end their season early.

The bills for the teams football pads, helmets and jerseys totals at $22,000 and remain unpaid, according to the report.

Fox stated that if the team took to the field today, the sponsor would strip the team of their uniforms and equipment.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” a parent named Betty Arias told MyFoxChicago. “I think it’s more humiliating for them to show up there and asked to take off the equipment, asked to take off your uniform right after the game.”

Reps for the SYFL were not available for comment as of press time.