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Mike Will Ft. Daz Dillinger and Kurupt “Who Fuccin Wit Me”
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Soulja Boy Sues Manager Over Contract
(AllHipHop News) Atlanta rapper Soulja Boy has filed a lawsuit against his ex-manager, claiming that he was coerced into signing “oppressive” contracts.
TMZ.com reports that Soulja Boy filed a lawsuit against his former manager Philip Ransom, claiming that he hijacked Soulja’s career.
According to the lawsuit, Soulja Boy was just 16-years-old when he signed the contract, claiming he was a naïve teenager.
Under his old deal, Ransom collects 5% forever, for the deals he negotiated while acting as Soulja’s manager.
Soulja Boy’s is also suing Ransom, claiming he gave up 50% of all of the rapper’s copyrights to his record label.
According to Soulja Boy, the deal he signed is “contrary to music industry custom and practice.”
Soulja Boy could have a chance since he entered into the agreement as a minor, but TMZ.com reports the deal is “industry standard.”
Ransom has filed a counter suit against Soulja Boy, claiming the rapper still owes money from the work he completed while acting as his manager.
J Bar “Circus Freaks Remix”
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Ester Dean “Where The Club Is”
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DJ Drama, Freeway, Celebrate Launch Of Philadelphia Hip-Hop Station Hot 107.9
(AllHipHop News) Popular Atlanta personality DJ Drama will return to his hometown of Philadelphia tomorrow (December 7), to help celebrate the relaunch of Hip-Hop station Hot 107.9.
In September, the station was flipped on the radio dial from 100.3 The Beat, in addition to being renamed Hot 107.9.
In order to be more competitive in the city, executives at the Philadelphia-based station brought in Q-Deezy, a Philadelphia native who is featured on Big Boy’s#### Los Angeles -based morning show “Big Boy in the Morning.”
Additionally, the station has hired several new executives, including radio executives Bjorn Henriques, formerly of The Philadelphia Eagles Radio Network.
In addition to DJ Drama, Freeway, Kendra G., Young Chris, Gille Da Kid and a number of local athletes are expected to attend the launch, which takes place at Whisper Nightclub in Rittenhouse Square.
Hot 107.9’s DJ Damage, Greg Nitty and DJ Touchtone will also spin during the evening.
Chartwatch: A Very YMCMB Christmas & J. Cole New Year
(Week Ending On 12/9/11)
Drake’s sophomore album, Take Care (YM/CM/Universal), remained at the #4 spot after selling 89,469 copies in its third week. The album is about 80,000 units away from going platinum, so expect Drizzy to reach this mark before year’s end.
After a 60 percent boost in sales for Kanye West and Jay-Z was reported last week in part due to Black Friday shoppers, the duo experienced a 33 percent decrease in sales this week after selling 21,215 copies. Their album, Watch The Throne (Roc-A-Fella/Roc Nation), actually moved up a spot to #31 despite the decrease in sales.
Lil Wayne’s The Carter IV (YM/CM/Universal) sold 20,264 copies this past week, and dropped from the 14th spot to #36 on the charts. The 68 percent decrease in sales – after a huge increase in sales last week – can be explained by the effects of Black Friday on the previous week’s sales. Still, the album recently achieved double platinum status.
These three albums are the only Hip-Hop albums in this week’s Top 50, as a number of albums found on the charts last week failed to make it back this week. However, J. Cole reached a milestone…
His debut album, Cole World – The Sideline Story (Roc Nation), remained absent from the Top 50 for the second week in a row, but this did not stop the album from officially going gold this past week. J. Cole is currently on tour overseas and expressed his gratefulness for this milestone over Twitter, “9 weeks later. Thank you is an understatement. GOLD World.” J. Cole’s week got even better when it was announced that he had been nominated for a Grammy in the “best new artist” category.
Curren$y’s Jet Life compilation album, Jet World Order (Jets International/iHipHop Distribution), which released last week, failed to reach to the Top 50. You can read AllHipHop.com’s review of Jet World Order here.
Yelawolf’s first album on Shady Records, Radioactive, vacated the charts after debuting at #25 last week with 41,826 copies sold.
Continuing the trend, Wale’s Ambition (Warner Bros.) also dropped out of the Top 50, after clinging to the 50 spot last week.
Dropping This Week (Week Ending on 12/9/11):
The Roots 13th album, undun (Def Jam), was released today. You can read AllHipHop.com’s review of the legendary group’s 13th album here.
T-Pain’s fourth album, rEVOLVEr (RCA/Nappy Boy/Konvict), was also released today. The 17-track album includes features from Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, and Wiz Khalifa among others. You can read AllHipHop.com’s album review here.
Dropping Next Week (Week Ending on 12/16/11):
Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg’s soundtrack to their upcoming movie, Mac and Devin Go To High School, drops next Tuesday. Watch the video for the lead single “Young, Wild and Free” below:
AHH Stray News: Birdman’s New Car, Fergie, Pitbull Get Live On New Year’s, RZA’s New App
(AllHipHop News) Cash Money Records CEO Bryan “Bird Man” Williams continues to indulge in his love for expensive cars, with the purchase of a new Lamborghini Aventador. According to reports, Birdman is one of several people who has ordered the new 2012 Lamborghini Aventador, which is valued at almost $800,000. According to the Aventador’s official website, the luxury car can reach a maximum speed of 217 mph and goes from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. The last car Birdman purchased was the red Bugatti Veyron which cost the rapper $2.5 million, while he allegedly bout a Maybach Exelero at a cost $8 million, although he allegedly decided not to purchase the car at the minute.
Rapper Pitbull has been tapped to perform alongside Lady Gaga, Hot Chelle Rae and Justin Bieber, during “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking New Year’s Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012.” Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark will broadcast live from Times Square in New York, while Black Eyed Peas group member Fergie will host the Los Angeles-based segments of the New Year’s Eve special. During the event, Pitbull will perform several selections from his latest album hit album, Planet Pit. The night will start live with a two-hour special hosted by Jenny McCarthy and Fergie, starting at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.
Wu-Tang Clan member The RZA has launched his new App named “RZA’s World.” The new App features wisdom directly from the RZA, exclusive content produced by the RZA and an area where fans of the rapper can engage in an interactive game of 3-D chess. The news comes as RZA’s new line of headphones heads into stores. The rapper recently released his Chambers by RZA headphones, which landed in stores last Thursday (December 1). RZA held a launch party in Los Angeles to celebrate the headphone line, which is being produced with Swedish company WeSC.
Check out RZA’s App below:
Inside Rule #2 – Ja Rule’s Prison Journal Entry
My first night here was crazy, inmates screaming, banging, and kicking the doors calling the male CO’s b*tch *ss n*ggas & f*ggots telling the female CO’s how they gonna f*ck em, throwing plates of food out their cells onto the floor LOL. WELCOME TO THE GREEN MONSTER! This type of sh*t would never happen upstate, at best you’d be in the box for a month at worst the infirmary. I even got into it wit these stupid n*ggas trying to assassinate my character talkin about I’m snitching to the guards and that I’m getting special treatment. I barked on these n*ggas and set em straight cause as a man there’s only so much you can take before you snap. At first I tried to ignore there lil comments until they started talkin sh*t like they gonna kick my door and all this clown sh*t. But the funny thing is when I started screaming on them lettin them know they got the wrong n*gga they got excited it was like that’s what they wanted to bring the hood out of me. That’s when I realized that I’m dealing wit kids they can’t be n*ggas my age cause that would’ve lead to instant confrontation not instant admiration. After I set em straight they wanted to talk & ask me about the industry I could tell they wanted to be my friend but just didn’t know how to go about it. So I chatted wit them for a lil bit before letting them know I was tried and ready to lay down. But as I layed I listened to them talk telling there life stories of how one was born in a crack house and grew up selling crack to his mother and how another watched his father get murdered rite in front of him by some dudes he owed money as they robbed his house and how they were now in jail for crimes of their own one for beating his girl friend the other for a murder. One of them them is 19 the other just turned 23 yesterday. Both with kids of their own. When will we break the cycle? WILLIE LYNCH LIVES ON… DAMN!
When I got here I was happy to see some officers of the same skin color not that I’m racist or anything but in this type of situation and where I just came from you’d be happy to see some of your own too. Prejudice does still exist trust me I’ve been treated and seen it people treated like n*ggers more in 1 month that I have my whole life I feel like a slave and even tho I haven’t heard anyone say it actions speak louder than words. As I walk through the door everyone staring like they can’t believe I just walked in cuffed from head to toe. Even tho I don’t feel like much of a star that’s all they see the star that has fallen. But as I look in their eyes I still see the love they still wanna meet me and greet me as if I’m on their own personal stage except there’s no screaming fans, fancy clothes & bright lights. Only screaming inmates me in my orange jumpsuit and little flash lights they shine in my cell at night.
It’s hard to feel good signing autographs and taking pictures in this predicament but I did it with a smile cause I love my fans and never say no, no matter what mood I’m in after the meet & greet they took me to my cell where I’ll be housed till my court date it’s not the best but it’s not the worst either they gave me some pillows and an extra mattress so I’ll live. This is my 3rd here and IA already came and got me to investigate my lil meet & greet. I basically told them to f*ck off and that those are good cops cause they really were nice to me last thing I wanna see is good people get in trouble cause they got an autograph or a pic from me. You wanna investigate something investigate the crooked Hip Hop Task Force that got me into this sh*t in the first place.
As I sit in my cell listening to their stories I think about me and my Dad and how I hated to love him for so many years and how I vowed to be nothing like him only to have my mother say “your just like your father” LOL. Which made me curious to know him and of course just as we start to get closer to one another he dies. But I have my closure I learned alot about him and him about me in the short time we spent together. Which makes me think about my kids and how I’m raising them I am a great father and I have broken the cycle even though I’m in prison the foundation has already been layed. I hate being away from them for 20 months but sh*t could just as easily been on tour for that long. I feel compelled I wanna help other kids break the cycle. I’ve been to 5 different prisons and all I see is n*ggas and I ain’t talking about black people I’m talking about ignorance. See the problem wit most people is they don’t smell sh*t until they step in it and by that time it’s all over your shoe and everybody is tryin to get away from you. Now you have 2 choices you can either wash that shoe or throw it away. A lot of people choose to throw it away meaning they didn’t learn sh*t but those that choose to wash that shoe tend to watch their step knowing how hard it was to get em clean. I think I’ll wash my shoes this time cause this sh*t ain’t me. R.I.P William Jeffrey Atkins
BREAK THE CYCLE!
Ja Rule’s new single, “Real Life Fantasy,” hits iTunes on December 13.
Album Review: The Roots – “Undun”
Rating: 8.5/10
Yo, first things first – if this album is your introduction to The Roots, you’re doing it wrong. Undun is The Roots’ tenth studio album, their ninth if you don’t count their ‘demo project’ Organix (1993), and eleventh if you count the collaboration with John Legend last year (Wake Up!). The point being, the band has been in the game for a long time, and throughout their long discography have changed their sound to maintain a much-appreciated freshness. Last year, The Roots were met with the question of being too old for Hip-Hop, to which group leaders ?uestlove and Black Thought repeatedly answered (and I’m paraphrasing here), ‘Becoming 40-year old artists, it’s important to come with music from a different perspective than we did 15 years ago.’
Undun is The Roots’ latest project, and it is a concept album. It tells the tale of Redford Stephens, a fictional young adult who is plagued by crime and tragedy growing up in a dangerous and hopeless environment that, in turn, represents our society today. All in reverse narrative. Even if you are a seasoned Roots veteran, Undun will challenge you, or any listener. Every line is a clue, every song is a story; each are all pieces to the young Stephens’ tragic life.
After the long hospital beeping indicating death in the appropriately titled, “Dun,” we are thrown into the eerie singing of Aaron Livingston (seriously, dude sounds like he’s straight out the Addams Family) and “Sleep.” “All that I am, all that I was, is history” and “Oh there I go,/ From a man to a memory” rapped by Black Thought help insinuate that Mr. Stephens has passed away, and is looking back on his almost seemingly pre-determined fate; “Like when autumn leaves fall down from the trees.”
The tone is instantly set here, largely due to “Sleep’s” excellent, creepy production, and leads the listener to the album’s first single, “Make My.” The best song on the album, the lyrics and single artwork both would suggest that Redford has been shot and is dying. Guest Big K.R.I.T. really shines here; his bass-filled Southern drawl finds a perfect pocket to fit in between Questo’s reflective drum work. The breakdown at the last minute-and-a-half oozes of soul with pumping synthesizer sounds and steady, but lively, snares.
Keeping the stellar guest features going, Phonte puts on his mean face in “One Time,” rapping “If you ever see me out in ya’ll streets/ Find another one to occupy” and Black Thought follows in line with “You say goodbye, I say hello/ First and last, hello-hello/ Now all of y’all elevate your glass.” The brashness of the record implies that Stevens has committed a crime, and the champagne-esque sounding “Kool On” shows Redford living the high-life of a gangster. The riffs and wailing sample in the backdrop proves a perfect canvas for Thought to flex his vocals: “The minute before the storm hit/ Is what I’m calm like/ Suited and booted for a shooting/ Like its prom night.”
Lyrics reign supreme on this album, and from the somber “The Otherside” (“Playing with the fire/ That burned my boy”), to the aggressive “Stomp” (“The wheels spin/ I’m looking for a sacrificial lamb”), and the introspective “I Remember” (“I’m looking back/ And y’all look the same/ Troy, Mark, and little/ What’s-his-name”), every line has a purpose. Everything is done for a reason on a Roots album. To avoid this being a spoiler, I will not delve into each and every song and dissect. Every track has its own message and paints its own picture to the story of Redford Stephens – all open to interpretation. That’s what makes Undun so damn intriguing. It’s like a bad-*ss jigsaw puzzle. What a line and, thus, a song represent can differ from opinion to opinion, and that’s okay. Above all, it’s all about how it sounds, and that’s the other half of the fun.
The Roots have never made a bad album, and this isn’t the first. Being Jimmy Fallon’s house band has been glorified practice for the group, and the instrumentation is sharper than ever here. It’s going to take some time, dedication, and lyric looking-up to fully understand the LP. The more you listen, the more you love. The last four songs (“Redford” to “Finality”) are all instrumental, each shorter than two minutes, surely pushing Hip-Hop fans to the edge. The album is gloomy and at times confusing, and the concept does limit The Roots from being the bouncy, jam session band we love. But this may be the deepest project The Roots have ever made. And that’s saying something.
Daily Word: You Only Live Once!
Happy Tuesday, my movers and shakers! Today's Daily Word is dedicated to living! If life was a professional sport, then we would be able to practice, play, win, lose, start-over, practice again, switch teams, win, retire, quit, or all of the above. Unfortunately, that is not the case! There is no practicing...you get no do-overs...and you can't switch teams!! The hand that you are dealt is the one you must play with, so it is imperative that you make the best of it!! You Only Live Once!! Stop waiting for permission to make it your best life!! You must wake up everyday with a determination that says today is my day!! You have no time to waste on what other people think or do!! This is your life and you must live it your way!! Procrastination is the killer of dreams, and no matter how many dreams it killed, you keep giving it a pardon!! Execute procrastination and know that right now is the only moment you have for sure!! Live life the best way possible!! So much so that when it's over it will be impossible to have any regrets!! Life is for living so make it happen now!! -Ash'Cash "We spend too much time living in the ‘what if’ and need to learn to live in the ‘what is'." -Rev. Leroy Allison "The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it." -Unknown "Life isn’t worth living unless you’re willing to take some big chances and go for broke." -Eliot Wiggington "Quit hanging on to the handrails. Let go. Surrender. Go for the ride of your life. Do it every day." -Melody Beattie “We only live once, but once is enough if we do it right. Live your life with class, dignity, and style so that an exclamation, rather than a question mark signifies it!” -Gary Ryan Blair "And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years." -Unknown "We're all here to do what we're all here to do." -The Matrix Reloaded 2003 "There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way." -Christopher Morley
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.
Ludacris Launches Educational Website for Kids
(AllHipHop News) Atlanta rap star Ludacris recently launched a new website called Karmasworld.com, dedicated to his 10-year-old daughter, Karma Bridges.
The website is an interactive world for kids, featuring original pop songs with educational lyrics, as well as games and stories that kids can play.
Karmasworld.com teaches children from grades 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 academic lessons about math, science and geography, as well as ethical and social responsibilities like manners, honesty and kindness.
“We wanted the site to be educational, fun and full of music that all kids will enjoy, but we also wanted it to teach kids more than just academics,” Ludacris told AllHipHop.com in a statement released today (December 6).
“The site touches on subjects like, the rewards of hard work and importance of learning manners as well as the idea that doing good deeds for others will bring good into your life – which is the meaning of the word Karma,” said Ludacris said of the site. “The music and lyrics, games and stories on the site are all original and were created by me, my daughter and my creative team.”
The games on the site range from easy to challenging, while some of the more popular games include, “Karma’s Crosswords,” “Mega Match,” “Smartacus Asks,” “Who Knows” and the geography game “Scrambled Continents.”
Album Review: T-Pain’s “rEVOLVEr”
Album Rating: 6.5/10
Much has changed in the industry since T-Pain’s Auto-Tuned hits like “Buy U a Drank” and “Can’t Believe It” topped the charts a few years ago. He also hasn’t released an album since Thr33 Ringz in 2008, instead staying relevant through a multitude of guest appearances on songs such as DJ Khaled’s#### single, “All I Do Is Win.”
This week, after much delay, T-Pain releases his fourth album entitled rEVOLVEr, a 17-track offering loaded with features and, of course, his signature Auto-Tuned singing. The types of songs on the album vary from slow, piano-filled ballads such as “Drowning Again,” to up-tempo electronic club bangers like “It’s Not You (It’s Me),” which features Pitbull. However, this album is heavier on the slow jams, and that ends up saving the album due to T-Pain’s club anthems not being as strong as they were in the past.
The T-Minus produced “Bang Bang Pow Pow” leads off the album as we hear T-Pain aggressively rapping about his money, (“Boatloads of cash / B*tch I’m overboard”), his lavish lifestyle (“Dropped the top on that Ferrari / Now I’m in California”), and women (“All these b*tches say I’m fly/ And can never touch the ground”). In addition, we also get a decent verse from Lil Wayne which completes the familiar “T-Wayne” persona. A few tracks later, T-Pain gets an assist from Pitbull on the electronic club banger “It’s Not You (It’s Me),” and it brings the tempo on the album to its peak.
After reaching its peak, the tempo is slowed by the Twitter-influenced ballad, “Default Picture,” as T-Pain romances with a woman “way on the other side of earth” from him. His use of Twitter lingo in the song – such as checking his mentions and timeline with her in mind – is clever, and he even sings on the hook, “I’m falling in love with your default picture.”
One of rEVOLVEr’s highlights comes on “5 O’Clock,” which samples British singer Lily Allen’s “Who’d Have Known.” The sample on the chorus of her vocals perfectly complements T-Pain’s Auto-Tuned “aahs” and “ayes,” in addition to the way he harmonizes with it. Wiz Khalifa provides a memorable guest verse, as he continues the theme of a certain early hour in the morning: “Club closed at 6, left around 4:30 / Yeah, so by the time I’m at your crib… [It’s 5 O’ Clock in the morning].”
The slow pace continues as the album progresses, only being interrupted by the Chris Brown collaboration, “Look At Her Go.” A few songs later on “Drowning Again,” we get one of rEVOLVEr’s best songs as we hear from an intimate T-Pain over a beautiful piano ballad and shy strings. The Auto-Tune is turned off on this track; it helps to increase the intimacy as T-Pain sings about love lost, and also doubles as reassurance that T-Pain can actually sing rather well without the assistance.
The last of the few standout songs on the album is called “Center of The Stage” and features singer/songwriter/producer Bei Maejor on the chorus and a verse from R. Kelly. These three bring their somewhat distinct styles together well, and Bei Maejor shines on the chorus.
Many think of T-Pain as an artist better suited for features, as he was featured on four Top 10 singles on the Billbo Hot 100 during a two-week stretch in 2007. He also won a Grammy with Kanye West for his singing on “Good Life” adding to the features argument. The fact that almost all of his past albums’ hits have included a feature also supports the same argument, which may very well be true.
In regards to rEVOLVEr, fewer club anthems and more slow jams illustrate an evolution in style from T-Pain, and with the album lacking a chart-topping signature hit like “Buy U a Drank,” a more intimate T-Pain ends up having to save the album through a few memorable ballads. Although the content on the album is similar to what we’ve heard from him in the past, the move to slower ballads works in his favor temporarily, as it saves the album from being a complete disappointment.
Check back later this week for AllHipHop.com’s full interview with T-Pain!
Egypt’s 2nd Annual Toy Drive A Success
National TV/ NYC Top Ranked Radio Personality, Egypt Sherrod hosted her 2nd Annual Egypt’s Give Back Tour, in partnership with Egypt Cares Family Foundation, WBLS 107.5 Radio, and Egyptsaidso.com.
Egypt launched the annual toy drive in 2010, as a way to provide well deserving, yet financially challenged residents of the NY/NJ area with joy through coat and toy donations.
This year, Egypt broadcasted live over six days from November 28-December 3, 2011, in Queens, Harlem, Brooklyn, Bronx and Newark and Plainfield, NJ.
Artists like Grammy Award Nominee Jordan House, Eric Benet, Love & Hip Hop Personality-Nancy “Mama” Jones, Nicole Paultre Bell, Newark’s Mayor Cory Booker, Bronx Borough President-Ruben Diaz, Jr. and others.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Egypt Sherrod
Eric Benet and Egypt Sherrod
Egypt Sherrod and Mama Jones
Egypt Fills Up Truck in Newark, NJ
Wale [BGA] Ft. 2 Chainz, Rick Ross and Trey Songz “Bait Remix”
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Wiz Khalifa [BGA] Ft. Snoop Dogg and Juicy J “Smokin On”
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Ace Hood Ft. Busta Rhymes and Yelawolf “Sh*t Done Got Real”
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HEATER OF THE DAY: Stak 5 Ft. Yung Messiah and Killa Kyleon “Cars and Clothes”
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Big KRIT “Sway In The Morning Freestyle”
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Gucci Mane “Ima Boss Freestyle”
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