(AllHipHop News) Singers, songwriters and performing artists alike are collaborating with Internet media mogul Alki David to file a massive copyright infringement lawsuit, claiming CBS subsidiaries CNET and CBS Interactive possibly earned billions by distributing illegal file trading software.
The complaint is being spearheaded by Alki David and the Justice for Artists Coalition (www.justart.net, to fight for the justice of artists across the world.
David claims that CNET and CBS Interactive fostered and popularized the piracy of copyrighted works.
“CBS Interactive has made billions by inducing the public to break the law, by providing them the file-sharing software and step-by-step guides, on exactly how to do it,” Alki David said in a press release. “No one has held Defendant accountable for this. Until now.”
David accuses CBS Interactive and CNET of maintaining an ongoing criminal enterprise by distributing peer-to-peer file-sharing software and DRM removal software.
The lawsuit claims the illegal software came with many detailed reviews and tips on how to use the applications to copy known protected intellectual properties.
Artists victimized include Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Madonna and Britney Spears, PM Dawn, Slick Rick, Ron Brows, Sugar Hill Music, Luther Campbell aka Luke Skywalker, Pretty Ricky, Dough E Fresh, H-Town and many others.
“We have only scratched the surface. Many more rights-holders are coming forward representing tens of thousands of more intellectual properties but the verification process for identifying ownership is long and detailed, so we will keep on adding as we go,” said Alki David.
(AllHipHop News) Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s classic single “The Message” will be the first Hip-Hop recording to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“The Message” is one of 25 records selected by the Recording Academy’s strict governing body, which reviewed each record for its cultural impact and historical significance.
Additionally, to even be considered, the record in question must be at least 25 years old.
“The Recording Academy is dedicated to celebrating a wide variety of great music and sound through the decades,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. “We are especially honored to welcome this year’s selection of some of the most influential recordings of the last century. Marked by both cultural and historical significance, these works truly have influenced and inspired audiences for generations, and we are thrilled to induct them into our growing catalog of outstanding recordings.”
The Message was also the title of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s debut release for Sugarhill Records.
Upon its release, the group consisted of Grandmaster Melle Mel, Scorpio, Kid Creole, Cowboy, Rahiem and Grandmaster Flash.
In addition to Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s “The Message,” a number of other historical American recordings were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame as well.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech, Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes,” the Rolling Stones’ album Exile On Main St and recordings by Mahalia Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bill Cosby, Leroy Carr and Gene Autrey were also inducted.
Happy Monday, my Great Ones, and welcome to the first day of the rest of your life!
Today marks the beginning of a new day - the beginning of a life that only yesterday seemed distant! Today is the day that you say
goodbye to struggle, strife, trials and tribulations! It's time to let life know that you got the message, and you're ready to move on!
Many of us have the tendency to concentrate on our troubles so long that we don't give our blessings a chance to reveal themselves!! Let Go!!!
What's done is done, what's learned is learned!! Leave your struggles right where they belong and get busy living the life that is intended
for you to live!! This also means letting go off relationships that were meant to be let go of a long time ago! No matter how difficult it
may seem, holding on is most definitely holding you back! People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime!! Stop giving
lifetime access to seasonal players!!! Know when to separate and understand that not everyone fits into the master plan!! Enough is
enough!!
Your obstacles are only here to teach you strength and prepare you for your greatness! Don't get too acquainted!! Go to the
next grade once you pass the class!! Life is what you make it..... So, make it GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Ash'Cash
“Don't be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.” -Unknown
“Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” -Unknown
“Some people think it's holding on that makes one strong - sometimes it's letting go.” -Unknown
“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn." -David Russell
“Letting go doesn’t mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be.” -Unknown
“There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the endof the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.” -Unknown
“One day at a time - this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful itwill be worth remembering.” -Unknown
“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” -Joseph Campbell
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.
You, like many, were probably surprised to see singer Estelle pop up in the Cypher during the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards. She anchored her set, with strong “rap arms” flailing in time to the beat, and a distinctively British accent that sounded good for MC’ing.
2008-2009 cemented Estelle on the U.S. map – her single, “American Boy” with Kanye West climbed the charts, giving lasting power to her name and face among the new R&B landscape. What will surprise many American fans even more is that, long before Estelle ever pursued singing, she was a rapper in her native London, UK. Her appearance in the Cypher looked right, because it was right. Estelle’s been rhyming since she was a youngster, and later divulged that her mic-ready voice could carry a “bloody good” tune, too.
Estelle is a woman on the move. She fields this exclusive AllHipHop.com interview from the back of a chaffeured car, in between lamenting over the London riots, the recent loss of Heavy D, and yelling at her driver, “ I need to find a bank! Can we find a bank?” Bank is right – Estelle is hoping to cash in on her forthcoming album, All Of Me, and she recently released a mixtape, AOM: The Prequel, to keep fans satisfied in the interim.
While her new uptempo ballad, “Thank You,” currently climbs the R&B charts, AllHipHop.com checked in to get the inside album scoop and learn more about the UK Hip-Hop scene from someone who has studied it well – Estelle:
AllHipHop.com: Hi Estelle. How are you?
Estelle: I’m good, Seandra. How are you?
AllHipHop.com: I’m great. Thanks for taking a few moments with AllHiphop.com. You’re in New York now, so what are you up to?
Estelle: I’m doing a little of everything, some events and things.
AllHipHop.com: We’re in the midst of celebrating UK Week on the site, and I had to make sure that the “London Lady” herself was on the list of people that we profiled.
Estelle: Ohhh, thank you!
AllHipHop.com: Of course!What does celebrating the UK’s Hip-Hop and urban scenes mean to you?
Estelle: I mean, I think we have one of the most original scenes, one of the most eclectic scenes. You know, Hip-Hop isn’t strictly made up that “boom-bap.” It’s made up of many different genres, many different styles, different energies, you know? I think it’s one of the best. And, I think New York is one of the best.
AllHipHop.com: Okay, so the scene there has evolved, I would say, over the past two decades especially. What are some of the early Hip-Hop influences that helped to create your style, do you think?
Estelle: It goes back to like Monie Love and Roxanne Shante and them, to like Queen Latifah to Rodney P to Skitz, Jay-Z, early Jay, late Jay, now Jay. [laughter]. All of that…everything. I’m a big fan of music, so I listen to everything, as well as reggae, as well as different parts of Hip-Hop…Heavy D being one of the influences…Salt ‘N Pepa. And, some R&B stuff as well as the Hip-Hop stuff, you know?
AllHipHop.com: Were you familiar with Heavy D back in the day?
Estelle: I was, back in the day and presently. He’s heavy on my mind right now, definitely. It’s really sad. Really sad.
AllHipHop.com: Yes, it is a sad time. But, I want to talk to you about the pleasant surprise people received by you in the BET Cypher last month. That was shocking. We were in the audience and saw you, and we were like, “Whoa! Estelle’s about to spit? Okay!” [laughter] So, how did that come about?
Estelle: [laughter] I started as a rapper! Like, this isn’t anything brand new that I brought out. Anyone who knows me and is a real, real, for real fan, or if people Google me, they can see what I do. The first records I ever recorded were rap records, you know? All of the artists I’ve worked with know me as a rapper. So, the singing is kinda like, ‘oh, she sings, too.’ So they know me as a rapper from my first records.
[In 2002], I had a song called with Blak Twang called “Trixstar.” I was with a few other girls. I would do the singing on my own records because I couldn’t find no one who wanted to. So yeah, like, I’m a rapper! For me, I think it’s great that America’s finding out that I rap. You know, ‘cause I think people weren’t expecting it. They thought I was only a singer. They’re like, ‘is she gonna have bars, or any kind of soul or swag or anything with it?’
That’s like second nature to me. Before I go in the studio, my preparation is like a rapper. I don’t write like a singer; I write from a rapper’s perspective. Melody is just happens to be a detail that I have, you know? I think that’s the reason people like what I do…it’s very literal. I write from a rap perspective, very literally.
AllHipHop.com: I think people were surprised. I don’t think there are a ton of Americans who know you as a rapper. I watched the Cypher again, and in one of your lines, you said, “I came to America/ My shoes and my dream…” I love that line. You also said, we’re all dealing with the same problems, no matter where we’re from. So, tell me about your background.
Estelle: People who know me know that I had a career in London already. I just didn’t have a record deal. I had a career already…I was just in the UK. I have a healthy shoe habit! [laughter] I couldn’t move everything that I wanted with me, so I took all my clothes and I took all my shoes, and I moved, you know, to get it poppin’ over here.
So I know to some people I look crazy. I still have that underdog mentality, that hustle, even though I’ve “made it.” My faith and my energy wasn’t like, ‘I’ve done this already, I’m entitled to it.’ I was like, ‘I work; let’s go. This is what I do.’ You know what I’m saying? I think people didn’t quite know how to take me, so I said “I came with my shoes and my dream.” It’s like I came halfway established, but I still kept working ‘cause I had a dream. I knew I was going to have to work for it. That’s what that was.
AllHipHop.com: Well, I think you’re got a great rap voice and that really cool English accent lends to that really well. You even have the rap hands, you know, the awesome rap hands?
Estelle: [laughter] That’s what I’ve been doing…my whole life, that’s what I’ve been doing. People would be like, “Why are you doing that?” It just happens! I don’t know, it just happens. [laughter]
AllHipHop.com: Have you considered rapping more? Here, we primarily know you as a singer…
Estelle: Well, I do, at my shows, I rap a heck of a lot. I always bug out, like people don’t know. I halfway rap my songs. It’s like I sing on the records, and then I get on live, and because all I’ve done live are my shows, it shows me and that I’m really into rap music. I’m a rapper, and that’s all I’ve been, so everything I do, it has that energy. But I do, at my shows, on this new album…
This new album was like going back in time to when I first got in the game, and that was a far as like, being a rapper – writing bars and competing instead of saying stuff for the sake of saying it. I never got in the game to be famous, if that makes sense. I just enjoy that energy and the vibe that I would get when I went to do rap shows.
I used to work in a record shop, and it was just good vibes. It wasn’t about, ‘well, I want to be famous. It was a way to get my career poppin.’ It was about that, you know? For me, the whole energy comes from coming into the game like that. It hasn’t left me in my whole career; I don’t know how to do it any other way. Like I said, on the new album, I found the joy in it, why I started doing this in the first place. I enjoyed the energy, the battle, the competition of rap. It wasn’t about what prizes can I get today. I love this! This is what I do!
AllHipHop.com: That’s awesome. Well, I want to switch gears a little bit and ask you more about the UK. 2011 was sort of a monumental year of there with the London riots and revolution. So, in your opinion, what are some of the top issues facing young people in the UK today? What are they upset about?
Estelle: Well, it’s six in one hand and none in the other. They want to get on, they want to do things, they want to get it poppin’. On the other hand, [the government] wants to tell you you can’t get on, you can’t do this, you can’t do that. At the same time as they’re saying, “look, the opportunities are here,” they say, you can’t have access to them, you’re not qualified to go there.
There should be a level of respect, and it’s not given, especially to the young people, and I think that’s why they burned the place down. That’s why. They’re not given that respect, like, “look, we’re coming up next; we need to get on.” There’s a sense of hopelessness as well. Every single time I go home, every time, people are like, “Yo, I can’t get on!”
You can’t get on because everyone’s telling you you’re not the right shade. Everyone’s telling us that we ain’t from the right area, can’t get on because everyone’s telling us that there’s no money. What the hell?!? We’re young, and we’re just trying to get ours! They’re trying to tell us we’re nothing. I know, I feel the frustration. It happened 10 years ago; it happened 20 years ago. I feel it, I lived it, and I chose to move. [laughter]
But for the ones that don’t have the head space or the money to get up and do something like that, it’s hard. I get it. It’s really f*cking hard. Imagine being told, “You ain’t sh*t, you ain’t about to be sh*t. Your people may have made it, but f*ck you.” That’s the most frustrating thing to be told, and to be faced with everyday. I kinda don’t blame them. But I kinda am upset at the ones that want to mess with other people’s lives. They’re dumb. That wasn’t the way to do it. There has to be another way, because I don’t think that was the way to do it. But I can understand their frustration.
AllHipHop.com: Yeah, definite frustration. So do you consider yourself an ambassador? Do you think your music can help heal your nation?
Estelle: No, I don’t get myself in that, but I kinda let other people see what they see in my music. I feel like I’m a valid voice. I feel like people listen, I gues, when I talk, based on my celebrity. But no, I don’t want to put myself in that position of being the one to speak up. There are people out there that are doing a great job at it, and I support the hell out of those people.
There’s other rhymers that do a great job. You know, Kanye does an amazing job. Sometimes he’s too deep for the people [laughter], but he does an amazing job at telling the truth and things people need to hear. A UK MC named Kash, I think he does a great job as well. I give them guys that space and give them the props, because they are the ones doing it, you know?
AllHipHop.com: AllHipHop.com had some footage of you from back in the summer with 9th Wonder. What were you working on with him? And,tell me more about your album.
Estelle: The album is done. I got with 9th Wonder to do a couple of records for his rap CD… We’re real good friends, me and 9th. So it’s all love, always all love over there.
AllHipHop.com: So, tell me about the album, All Of Me.
Estelle: I got to work with a couple of UK producers. I worked with one guy called “Wood”; it’s the one I’m rapping on, because I just felt like I should do it. [laughter] It’s called “The Life,” and it’s like, “…what if I could go back again/ What if I could rap again?…” It’s about that energy and that period where I came from. Which is London, which is Hammersmith. It’s about why I got in the game, and he’s is one of my favorites. He’s a favorite.
The album is finally done – I’m like, ‘thank God,’ it comes out in February 28. I am excited! I’m thanking God, because I think you grow and you evolve, and that’s what every artist should put on their records – growth and evolving. I’ve done it. It won’t be another two years this time. [laughter]
AllHipHop.com: [laughter] OK, so late winter, February 28, people can’t expect the album. Well, I know you’re really busy and running around in this car right now. I want to ask you one last question. AllHipHop.com always asks people for their Top 5 Rappers Dead or Alive list. So, since this is wrapping up UK week, I want to ask you for your Top 5 UK artists who have influenced Estelle, the musician.
Estelle: Ooooohhhh! [laughter] Alright, ready?
AllHipHop.com: Yes.
Estelle: I better get this right, or they gonna get me! [laughter] I’ll start with Blak Twang. Rodney P. Roots Manuva. This is influential, right? Blak Twang, Rodney P, Roots Manuva, Kano, and Wiley. Yeah, that’s a good list!
(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop duo Mobb Deep premiered the video for their new single “Dead Man Shoes” today (November 21) on AllHipHop.com.
The video/single is taken from Mobb Deep’s highly anticipated EP, Black Cocaine.
The new video was shot by Dan “The Man”, who previously worked with the group on the video “Mac 10 Handle” from Prodigy’s album Return of the Mack.
“Usually when we hook up we do a horror style type of video,” Prodigy told AllHipHop.com. “This one came out great, we got bodies getting chopped up in the woods, it turned out great.”
Today, Mobb Deep began shooting an episode of AllHipHop.com’s long running webseries, “The Next 48 Hours,” which will follow the group as they promote Black Cocaine in the days before and after its release.
“I think most readers and fans like to watch the Next 48 Hours series. They get to experience what artists have to do to promote their project,” Prodigy told AllHipHop.com. “And it’s definitely cool for people who don’t get to see artists or participate in promo events. It’s like becoming a part of it without being there” Havoc added.
Although Yelawolf has been buzzing in the South since the release of his critically acclaimed Trunk Muzik mixtape (which has since been rereleased on Interscope Records as Trunk Muzik: 0-60), he didn’t capture the attention of most of the U.S. until his show – stealing Cyphers in consecutive years at the BET Hip Hop Awards. Combine that with his union with Eminem and Slaughterhouse, and Yelawolf suddenly has one of the most hyped releases this 4th quarter. With Radioactive, his official first offering from his Shady Records release, Yelawolf seems to be aiming more so for the crossover appeal than the normal trunk-rattling songs that he’s known for.
Don’t get it twisted by any means; Radioactive still has a few songs that resemble his older music, such as “Get Away” (with Shawty Fatt and Mystikal), the speaker-friendly “Hard White” with Lil’ Jon (because you really don’t realize how much bass that song has until you have speakers), and even “Throw It Up” with Gangsta Boo and Eminem. However, most of the songs here are more content-driven than in the past, and they may be what in the end makes or breaks Radioactive.
Songs like “Growin’ Up In The Gutta” and “Made in the U.S.A.” have strong social commentary, from Yelawolf narrating about a girl being exposed to physical contact too early by her stepdad, to illustrating the different facets of life in the United States. The most potent of the bunch comes with an assist from Killer Mike: “Slumerican Shitizen” serves as a sharp, pointed view a little more extreme than the previously mentioned topics, although it’s in the same vein.
Yelawolf never waivers in his flows and seems to mesh with whatever style of beat that the track requires him to (and the production switches heavily throughout Radioactive), and the features are solid as well. Not too many people can say they’ve had Eminem, Gangsta Boo, Kid Rock, Mystikal, and Fefe Dobson on the same album in their lifetime, if any.
However, the amount of chances (ahem, radio singles) that Yelawolf and Shady Records take on this album is almost maddening. There never seems to be a flow to the album, and it comes off as more as a schizophrenic compilation of songs than an actual Shady Records project. Yelawolf is definitely one of the best rappers to come out of Alabama in a very long time, and is one of the best technical rappers I’ve heard in the last few years (check the feature on Travis Barker’s “Let’s Go” for proof of that), but I’m not exactly sure if this is the album that his fans had in mind when he signed with Eminem.
Being from Alabama myself, it’s hard to levy criticism at Yelawolf, since I’m a fan of his music and have been for some time. The fact remains, Radioactive has a couple of incredible songs, but the tracklisting is also full of home-run swings that don’t connect as often as they should, and it’s sure to disappoint some of his fans that wanted more (me included). With the deviation from his older content for the majority of the album, and the awkward mix of songs in general, it’s definitely a different look from Yelawolf that could just as easily lose him fans as quick as they could win them over due to the amount of chances (or, radio singles?) that they take. I guess there’s more than one reason why it’s called Radioactive…
Yelawolf’s “Radioactive” debuts November 22 on iTunes and in stores.
K1ng Eljay is the founder of his site, K1ngEljay.com, as well as a contributor to GoWhereHipHop and editor for RapGenius.com. Follow him on Twitter at @K1ngEljay for more.
(AllHipHop News) Rapper Nicki Minaj was the big winner in the Hip-Hop category during last night’s American Music Awards.
The Queens, New York rapper bested both Lil Wayne and Kanye West in two different categories.
Nicki’s album Pink Friday was crowned Album of the Year, while the rapper was named Favorite Hip-Hop Artist.
Nicki was shocked when she accepted both of her awards during the AMA’s, where she also performed “Turn Me On” and “Super Bass,” with two speakers plugged into her curvaceous backside.
“I didn’t think I was going to win it,” Nicki told the crowd before offering some advice.
“Love yourself no matter what. There’s power in your peace,” the philosophizing rapper said.
Other performers during the AMA’s included Pitbull, will.I.am, Mary J. Blige, and others.
Taylor Swift and Adele were the big winner of the evening, taking home three AMA’s each, with Swift landing the coveted Artist of the Year award.
Other winners included Usher, Beyonce, Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, and Chris Brown.
Check out some images of Nicki performing and backstage at the AMA’s.
Nicki Minaj performing at AMA’s
Nicki Minaj performing at AMA’s
Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift at American Music Awards
They say good things come to those who wait. Fans of Young Jeezy have been patiently waiting for the oft-delayed, TM103, and now the wait is almost over.
On Thursday, Nov. 18, Young Jeezy hosted an ultra-private, ultra-exclusive listening party at the legendary Patchwerk Studios in Atlanta. Attended by hip-hop elite, the listening party was a chance for people to hear and pre-celebrate the album. Kevin Liles, Keri Hilson, Common, DJ Don Cannon, DJ Drama, were just some of the celebs in attendance. Ludacris and Nelly walked in halfway through the album and toward the end of the party, Akon came in as well, the listening event, sponsored by Ciroc, quickly became a true party.
But the subject at hand was the album, TM103, which has been delayed for almost two years. But, the album is coming on its scheduled release date, December 20th, which is the same date as Common’s The Dreamer/The Believer; both rappers attended each other’s listening events last week. At first listen to TM103, one can begin to understand why it took time, by the end of the first run through, it is clear that this album is a masterpiece.
Jeezy introduced and described each song beginning with the album’s intro track, “Waiting” Produced by Lil Lodi.
“I’ve had a lot of doubters. But, I’m going to be a leader in this culture and get this city to where it needs to be.”
“Waiting,” is a high energy, bass-driven track that sets the tone for the rest of the album. It is the song that makes you want to get up, get out, and get paid.
Killer Quote: “Bit*h, I was born hot/and that’s how I’m dyin’ nig*a.”
“This is What I Do” Produced by Drumma Boy.
“This is that Jizzle sh*t that y’all have been waiting on, so I had to go back and do it.”
“This is What I Do,” shows that Young Jeezy’s lyrical prowess has just continued to evolve. TM103 is him at his thug-est. This song, in particular, might get you locked up for cracking a hater’s head with a bottle.
“O.J.“ Produced by Lil Lodi. Featuring Fabolous and Jadakiss
“They say this is controversial. But, I figure, O.J. got away with what he was doin’, I got away with what I was doin’: killin’ that white chick like OJ.”
“O.J.” is a very controversial song. While Jeezy has never shied away from his past association with “that white girl,” his comparison of cocaine to Nicole Brown-Simpson is going to raise major eyebrows. However, it is a great song.
“Nothin’” Produced by Midnight Black
“It’s kinda hard, because I ain’t no friendly ni**a, but I ain’t no funny n*g*a. You get to this point where you feel like you just can’t be you anymore. Anybody who is doing something, got a lot of people who feel like you owe them something, this is what you tell them.”
“Nothin’,” is one song that got a lot of crowd response. It is about not owing people for your success, Jeezy tells the listener, “I don’t owe a nig*a nothin’.” Like most of the album, “Nothin’,” is motivational and aggressive.
“Superfreak” Produced by D. Rich and Shawty Redd
“I wanted to make a street record that the chicks would like but the ni**as would love.”
“Superfreak,” is a good song, it isn’t incredibly impressive. Wikipedia credits the song as featuring Lupe Fiasco and Wale, however, Jeezy didn’t mention that specifically, and the song didn’t play in its entirety.
“How We Do” Produced by Cardiak
With a hook that says, “All we do is smoke and fu*k/smoke and fu*k/smoke and fu*k,” this song is freaky and sexy. “How We Do,” will make Jeezy’s female fans blush and his male fans take his advice.
“Leave You Alone,” Produced by Warren G. Featuring Ne-Yo
“I got this chick but she real corporate. This song is for the chicks who love that thug motivation, but at the same time, fear it.”
As two important members of the Atlanta music community, any time Ne-Yo and Jeezy come together, it’s a celebration. With Warren G providing that perfect G-funk inspired smoothness, “Leave You Alone,” is another great song for fans will relate to.
“Way Too Gone,” Produced by Shawty Redd
“This song is about when things were good and great. It’s about how Atlanta was.”
“Way Too Gone,” brings up memories of the late 90’s and early 2000’s when there was nothing but money to be made and BMF ran the streets. “Way Too Gone,” is classic Jeezy with lines like, “What I spent last night/I coulda bought a Range Rover.”
“Trapped,” Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Featuring Jill Scott
“When I was coming up, It was my mission every day to get out of the trap, to get my family out of the trap.”
“Trapped,” is deepest and most introspective song on the album. It will tug at your heart. An amazing song, this song and therefore this album, will define Young Jeezy and make him a superstar. Jill Scott is singing and rapping on “Trapped,” which is so impressive that the only thing that the only thing you want to do when you hear it is grab your head.
“Higher Learning,” Produced by Lil C . Featuring Snoop Dogg and Devin the Dude
A smoker’s anthem; there are no two bigger representatives for smoking than Snoop and Devin. The song is good.
“I Do.” Produced by M16. Featuring Jay-Z and Andre 3000
“I hope y’all know that this really puts me on boss status,” Jeezy stated to the crowd, who laughed, “I had to make two phone calls. In this game, sometimes I really feel like it’s my wife. When I wake up, I gotta deal with her, when she get mad, I gotta buy her things.”
Dropped as a single on the same day as the release party, “I Do,” was the song that officially kicked off the party portion of the event. It played on repeat as guests mingled. The song features great verses from Jeezy, Jay, and 3000, the song is clearly a single and a great song.
“I came from a 2 bedroom trailer. It was so small, I could hear my momma thinking at night.” Young Jeezy told the crowd. Those days have long been in Young Jeezy’s past, and Thug Motivation 103 is the album that will define his future.
Sway DaSafo, not be confused with Sway from Sway & King Tech/MTV USA is one of the biggest rappers to come out of the UK, he has broken down doors with his witty word play, crazy double time flows and his signing with Akon in 2008.
He was one of the first rap artists to make a serious impact on an independent label and charted in 2004 with his debut single ‘Little Derek’ with no help from any major label. He has since toured with Dizzee Rascal and The Streets and has worked with a wide variety of artists in the UK from Giggs to Wretch 32 to Mr Hudson and the list goes on and on. In 2006, he won the BET award for ‘Best UK Hip Hop Act’. He has recently recorded with Talib Kweli artists and is intent on setting the bar very high with his new LP, The Deliverance.
AllHipHop.com was very lucky to hear a few tracks off the new LP – which is sounding massive to say the least. Stand out tracks include ‘Reign Dance’ produced by DJ Ink, ‘To Be Frank’ produced Raptor and ‘Table For One’ featuring up and coming vocalist Ed Sheeran and produced by Turkish. All of the tracks were lyrically dazzling and astute. However, the track which will be Sway’s biggest hit to date is ‘Century’ featuring Mr. Hudson and produced by dance floor goliath Tiesto.
We hooked up with Sway – in North London – for a chat about the development of the scene here in the UK, his background and how he got into music, his eventual link up with Lupe for ‘Break The Chain’, the Akon connection, the difference of styles here in the UK and London, and why someone from the UK is going to break North America:
AllHipHop.com: When and why did you start emceeing?
Sway: I started emceeing because I have always had a love for music, I have always known that I wanted to get into the music industry, and I have always had a love for English as well.
I was quite good in school, I was good in most subjects but English in particularly – creative writing, poetry, I used to spend extra time analysing that. I had a love for words – that with my love for music was just combined.
Originally, I wanted to just become a producer – produce records and help other people to rap. Because in the beginning, all of the rappers that I was looking up to at the beginning were all in America (when I was really young) and all I was being influenced by, was what was going on in the charts. All that I was being influenced by was American Hip-Hop.
AllHipHop.com: Which American Hip-Hop?
Sway: Oh, man! Back then (really far back), from the Vanilla Ices’ to the MC Hammers’.
AllHipHop.com: Kriss Kross? [laughter]
Sway: Exactly! I was a huge Kriss Kross fan. At the end of the day – these were good, decent pop songs that are all I had access to. It just didn’t sound right the whole English rap thing. So I was just always under the impression that I was going to produce beats, because the beats don’t have no accent.
AllHipHop.com: So you started producing first?
Sway: I started producing first – then freestyling over my own beats. Then the thing was I couldn’t really find rappers the way I wanted them to sound on my own beats. So I started rapping and funnily enough the rapping took the forefront over the production.
AllHipHop.com: What style of production was that – was that Hip-Hop, was that influenced by any other (genre)?
Sway: It was Hip-Hop, but it was influenced a lot by the Hip-Hop I was into when I was younger which the West Coast style of Hip-Hop was.
AllHipHop.com: Was that mid-90s?
Sway: Yeah, around that time. It was one of my favourite groups of all time Bone Thugs N Harmony. They were revealed to me through Crossroads, and then I went back through their back catalogue and their first album became one of my favourite albums of all time. I liked that sound, I liked the fact it was still musical but Hip-Hop at the same time.
AllHipHop.com: The double time flow as well?
Sway: I was brought up in the drum and bass era, the jungle era – I had a lot of family in the jungle game. My cousin is DJ Ink, Loxy is family – they were part of Metalheadz. I used to go round to his house and they would be DJing drum and bass. I was into Heartless (a UK garage crew), Skibadee all them guys, those were the people I was like ”woah – we can actually rap in our (London) accents and it can sound good”. My style was kind of like a mesh between the Bone Thugs N Harmony thing going on and also the UK double time.
AllHipHop.com: How much has the jungle/rave scene been an influence to your style?
Sway: It’s been a massive influence to me because I started messing around with drum and bass, I started freestyling over it, it developed my ability to be able to rap fast.
AllHipHop.com: Did you chat (rap) with (DJ) Ink at all?
Sway: Yeah, we actually formed a group called Fifth Element.
AllHipHop.com: That was around 2002, I remember that – that was when all the Adam F ‘Kaos’ stuff was going on?
Sway: Exactly, I mean it was quite early for that – to mix like lyrical Hip-Hop/raps with drum and bass beats – we were really ahead of the time for that. People just didn’t get it at that point. So we kind of called it a day on that and I just went back to my solo stuff.
AllHipHop.com: How much has pirate radio been an influence to your style?
Sway: Pirate radio in the early days was very influential.
AllHipHop.com: What pirate radio stations?
Sway: Heat FM, De Ja Vu, there was one radio station called – Raw FM, that Skinnyman brought me on. It was the first time that I was on radio and he brought me onto his show that he used to do every week – It was called ‘The Mud Show’. I was brought up there by Tibbs who was a member of my group and was also a member of The Mud Family which was Skinnyman’s collective. It enabled us to get heard, that along with the open mic sessions.
I’m not a grime MC and I would never consider myself a grime MC so I never came through the ranks strictly through pirate radio. I got my name through freestyle sessions in conjunction with some of the pirate radio stuff. It has been a great help to my career and definitely a great help to the scene.
AllHipHop.com: How did the ‘Lasers’/’Break the Chain’ (Lupe Fiasco) link up come about?
Sway: I’ll take you back that story goes quite deep – I was in South By Southwest about 4 or 5 years ago. I never knew too much about Lupe, I had heard about him and I had heard a few tracks here and there, I had heard he was a great rapper. Someone said to me ‘Lupe Fiasco is in town and he is a big fan of your music’. I thought “that’s really cool, because this is the same time ‘Touch The Sky’ came out and this is the guy on the Kanye West record and he is interested in me!
We went up to the Hilton hotel in Texas and I met up with Lupe and we clicked straight away, he is my kinda guy. He was excited about his music; he knew about my music, he played me the album (Food & Liquor) before anyone had heard it. He said “Jay Z is gonna get behind this”. He had just shot the video for ‘Kick-Push’, there was just great synergy between us, we chilled, we had a laugh.
You know, we have both had a lot of good moments and bad moments within the industry and we relate on a lot of different levels.
My Mum’s Christian and my Dad’s Muslim – he’s a Muslim as well; we speak about that, different aspects of life. We’re very similar and we click.
When it came to ‘Lasers’ – he hit me up Twitter, even though he’s got my number, saying; “Sway, I wanna get you on a verse for the album” (‘Lasers’). I was like “cool lets do it!” no questions asked. Whatever the tune was going to be about I was going to do it, because it’s Lupe and he’s my people and I respect him and I respect his judgement musically. He gave me the record and it was produced by Ishi and features Eric Turner.
(ED: this is the same production/vocal combination as the Billboard 100 top 20 hit and UK number 1 smash for Tinie Tempah, ‘Written In The Stars).
I was like; “It’s got me written all over it” and he said the same thing. “You are the only person I could think of to be on this record”. I didn’t even know that I was the only (other) rapper on the album – it was only until he made the press release that I was like “woah!”.
AllHipHop.com: What is going on with the Akon situation?
Sway: I am always gonna have a lot of love for Akon and I am still affiliated with the Konvict family and they have done so much great stuff for me. I was caught up in a crazy catch 22 scenario, where I was never actually signed to Akon in the UK – it was just in America. It kind of back fired on me and I kind of shot myself in the foot with that situation. Akon and ourselves had announced that I was in his camp and I still had this independent release pending to be released here.
Now I had this album that was more or less ready to go, now all the press was asking for Akon “Is he going to be on the album?”. If he didn’t feature on the album we would’ve had ‘egg on our faces’. You know, you can’t announce a signing and not have the person who is trying to push you throughout the world. That was a fight to get that record (‘Silver & Gold’) first of all, because obviously Akon has people he has to answer to.
They were like, “Why are you giving this record worth £150,000 – when you could sell that record for £150,000 – why you giving to a guy, who is going to make money away from you? You’re not entitled to anything he has got in the UK”.
But through hustle, bustle and belief with people like Georgio Tuinfort and Babs pushing it, people from that camp saying; “You know what, we’re looking after Sway”. We finally got the record. By the time we got the record, the momentum of the album, started to die down – because we waited so long for the record.
When we did finally put it out there, it was actually the same time that Akon was putting out his album (‘Freedom’). So the lead single we were putting out (‘Silver & Gold’) was competing with Akon under a major and Akon under our little label, so we didn’t get any support from radio, not much support from TV and the song went under the radar. People judged me off the back of that song – when I never got any support on it. But the song has gone onto sell over 40,000 copies/units with no radio and has collectively over 5 million youtube views. That song had the potential to be really big at that time when it was released. But people never heard it and things weren’t promoted in the right fashion.
It opened a lot of doors for me, being affiliated with Akon because he is a worldwide household name, he was on my mix tape and I met Georgio Tuinfort (who is under Akon) and he is now one of my co-publishers, I signed a deal in Japan and Australia off the back of my worldwide acclaim.
AllHipHop.com: Going back to what we were talking about earlier, how much do you think So Solid had to do with the evolution of grime and UK emceeing in general?
Sway: They have a great deal to do with the success of today’s market, they showed that there was a demand out there for British rap. There was others as well, you know Estelle she did her thing. She had ‘1980’ which was a big record over here before she went over to America, you had More Fire crew, you had Pay As You Go, you had So Solid. Even when you take it back to the London Posse and The Demon Boyz, Roots Manuva, Blak Twang. There just wasn’t a scene then, a collective (like there is now).
I could go on, the list is endless – but it shows, they are examples that there is a market for this and if we push it and we get the support it could blow up – like it has today.
AllHipHop.com: This leads onto my next question, what sort of effect did the original UK hip-hop (London Posse, Demon Boyz, Skinnyman), have on you but also the UK scene in general?
Sway: If it wasn’t for people like them, there wouldn’t be people like me, if it wasn’t for people like me there wouldn’t be people like Chipmunk. It is a domino effect. People have to open the doors, then people have to open it wider, some people run with it. People can say, Kool Herc is not making any money – but he was doing it when it wasn’t about money. He was opening doors for people like Jay Z. So that is why he still gets the recognition he so deserves. Not to say he was the only one, but he’s the name people seem to call out.
AllHipHop.com: How much do you think the grime scene has opened up the market for MCs in this country?
Sway: I think what the grime scene did was give the streets a voice, people from the council estate communities. They love Tupac, they love Biggie – but them guys are ‘over there’. That is the mentality for the people on the streets, these boys when you watch ‘Lord Of The Decks’ or ‘Lord Of The Mics’, these boys are ‘over here’ – people can relate to it more!
It started expanding and expanding – UK Hip-Hop didn’t really have that. UK Hip-Hop was kind of like ‘a sister Hip-Hop’. The fact that you even call it a UK version of something that exists, you are already making it second best, so with grime – it was the first of it’s kind. The great thing about grime and hip- hop is that they are actually the same thing but people like to differentiate it.
AllHipHop.com: Similar sort of thing, like crunk?
Sway: Exactly, nail on the head, mate!
AllHipHop.com: How do you think from a lyrical perspective or a sound perspective the grime MCs differ from the ‘road-rap’ MCs (K-Koke, Giggs) to the original UK Hip-Hop MCs?
Sway: I think it is down to individuals because you have people from the road, people like Wretch 32 who are very intelligent lyrically. Or Giggs – if you listen to the way he puts his words together. Yeah he might be talking about a lot of street s### most of the time, but he is intelligent the way he puts it together. It’s not ABC, he has a lot of clarity – he leaves a lot of space the way he puts it together, it’s intelligent music. It’s not a case of the Hip-Hop guys have got all the lyrics, it’s all about the individual artists. You know, you have guys in the Hip-Hop side of things, which are not as lyrical as Wretch. But then you have guys in the grime scene that can be as lyrical as Akala – it’s an individual situation.
AllHipHop.com: On that note, where do you see the London/UK MC going from now? What do you think can be achieved on a global level?
Sway: I think one of us is going to break America! I am not talking breaking, being about pop or being a member of a band, I am talking about standing their ground next to J.Cole, Lupe Fiasco, Jay Z, Jay Electronica on a record and become accepted like in the same way Slick Rick was accepted. Like in the same way people would love to do a track with Jay Z, because he is respected. Not for what they can gain in the UK, not because; “I wanna work with this guy, because I heard he has got a crazy buzz in the UK and I have never been to England before and I am trying to go out there and get English girls”. Someone who gets the respect – I have been fortunate enough to get that quite a lot. It just shows that there is room for that to happen.
AllHipHop.com: What artists are you feeling from the UK and globally?
Sway: I am feeling what Lupe is doing obviously, I like Rick Ross. UK wise, I have always respected what Akala has been about. I got some new artists I am working with who I think are hot – Klayz, Raptor and DC. There are so many people.
AllHipHop.com When was the new LP released – The Deliverance?
Sway: The new LP came out in September.
AllHipHop.com: What label – is it still independent?
Sway: Dot, dot, dot.
AllHipHop.com: I am gonna go for a generic Hip-Hop question – Top 3 MCs of all time, dead or alive?
Sway: Wow, you’re killing me. Tupac, Eminem and, I don’t want to but I am going to have to – Jay Z. His (Jay Z) catalogue is similar to Tupac and Eminem, so you can judge them equally. We don’t know what Biggie would’ve done if he was left to his own devices, after ‘Life After Death’ and the path he was going towards that real commercial route, anything could’ve been possible.
Sometimes it’s like a football player. (ED: Soccer player for the American audience) You can score one great goal or you could score a couple and if you can do that over years, continuously score goals there is something special. But if something happens and you damage your leg nobody is really able to know (what you are capable of). I am probably gonna get killed in New York for this, like I love Biggie and everything but he doesn’t stand up against Tupac, Eminem and Jay Z based on that.
AllHipHop.com: I got one more, top 3 LPs of all time?
Sway: DJ Quik – ‘Balance & Options’, Bone Thugs N Harmony – ‘E.1999 Eternal’ and Sway ‘This Is My Demo’
Be sure to check out the below links on Sway to keep up to date with his goings on and download all of the latest mixtapes on his site. Follow Sway on Twitter at @Sway_Dasafo or on the Web at www.sway.uk.com.
Jamie B-C is a writer and online music marketer, who has been passionately involved inUKunderground music since the late 90’s. He currently writes a blog which followsUKrave and Hip-Hop culture. Follow Jamie B-C on Twitter at @beatcultureldn or on the Web at www.beatculture.net.
(AllHipHop News) Jay-Z, recently named one of GQ’s “Men of the Year,” attended the 16th annual party held to celebrate the honor this past Friday night in West Hollywood along with his pregnant wife, Beyonce. The Hip-Hop power couple is expecting their first child in February.
At the party, Jay-Z spoke to People magazine, reflecting on his own childhood, specifically his father walking out on him when he was 11 years old. He made it clear that he wanted to raise his child differently to his father, telling People that, “It makes me a little paranoid because no matter what, I don’t think any person, or any male, goes into a relationship thinking that they’re going to leave or wouldn’t be there”.
Hov also went on to say how he plans on not making the same mistakes as his father, saying that in comparison to his father, he is “just a different kind of guy” and a “highly principled person.” Jay also made it clear that he plans on giving his child all of the luxuries that he never had growing up, reminiscent of his verse on the song “New Day”.
On this track from, Watch The Throne, he addresses not wanting to be like his father, most powerfully through the lines, “Cause my dad left me and I promise never repeat him / Never repeat him / Never repeat him.” With the experience of his father walking out on him, it appears that Jay-Z has learned a great lesson from it and is ready to raise his own child the right way.
“O.J.“ Produced by Lil Lodi. Featuring Fabolous and Jadakiss
