“Barbershop”
“Barbershop”
“1 Clip, 1 Gun”
“That Groove”
“This Or That”
“Riding, Blowing, Sipping”
“The Usual”
“We Da Best”
“A Few Thoughts”
“Houston Song”
“On My Life”
“What I Need”
Hewlett-Packard and Monster Beats by Dre recently unveiled the HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition, the first laptop that finally brings the authentic studio sound where ever you go. The ENVY 14 Beats Edition is a second-generation product, built from the ground up and has all the tools to make the PC a more formidable foe for the MAC. For years, producers and artists alike have complained about the tremendous drop off in audio quality once their music exits the studio. Its almost as if the music flatlines the moment it reaches an MP3 player. With the HP ENVY 14, your favorite music is taken off the respirator, and given a life unseen to the average music lover. HP Vice President, Carlos Montalvo, sat down with AllHipHop.com and gave us the exclusive opportunity to demo their product. And from the moment he turned on the reference track, it was clear what would be trending in the near future. There was no need to interview Carlos. He was so excited about talking about the new ENVY, I gave him the stage. Here is your exclusive look into the inception of Beats Audio on the HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition. Hewlett-Packard Company Carlos Montalvo, Vice President Innovation Program Office Jimmy (Iovine) was looking a the paradox in the music industry; producers and artists spent so much time creating the perfect sound in the studio, as soon as it left the studio to an MP3 device, its not just the audio that was gone, the emotion was gone. You lose the essence of what the artist was trying to do. So Jimmy is looking out into the consumer space, at the same time we looked at the PC space and recognized that more people were turning their laptops into their stereo system. Were looking at data that youre average 18-34 year old is spending between three to four hours a day listening to music on their PC, at a time when PCs were still looked at as productivity devices, internet devices, etc. So it was really a melding of the minds, that we have an opportunity to take the PC and turn into the main media dashboard for a whole new generation of consumers; most of which have never heard good sound. To make great sound, we had to completely remaster the PC from the ground up. This was like going to a racecar owner and asking him what makes his car go fast; its not just the engine, the wheels, the suspension or the gearbox alone. You have to look at everything from the helmet, to the visor. If you step into the car and realize that there is something wrong with the suspension, you have to completely retune the entire car. So we started with a blank sheet of paper and looked at the entire audio pad from the source to the output and said, If we were to turn PC design into an audiocentric delivery vehicle, what would we do different? And from what weve found out, we had to do everything different. So the first thing we did was looking around the market for a programmable DSP (Digital Signal Processor). Because we knew that the way Dr. Dre gets his sound and how other great producers get their sound is by doing a mix, and doing another one, then another mix. So the thought of us getting to the sound the first time, and then shipping the product wasnt going to happen. We came up with a technology and a toolset to allow our engineers to sit side by side with Dre, Will, and Jimmy. We used In Da Club by 50 Cent as our reference track and over the next four months, we programmed the DSP to capture Dr. Dres unique audio signature. So Beats Audio is Jimmy and Dre tuning sound across the entire frequency spectrum, to produce the sound the way you were intended to hear it audio. We completely reengineered the audio pad in every computer that comes with Beats Audio. What you have hear with the Envy Beats Edition 6 ½ hours of battery life with the battery that comes with it; with the additional battery, 13 hours. You get big power, big sound with lean use of battery power. We decided to have a Beats on/off interface. When you turn Beats off, in essence the sound goes into flat; the same way if you walk into an untouched studio with default settings. Let me be clear, even the off setting on Envy sounds better than any product without Beats. This isnt about just tuning Hip-Hop or Pop music. HP Envy Beats Edition is about listening to all your favorite music for the first time.
“Wish You Ill”
“Lunch In Tha Flesh”
“Adore You”
(AllHipHop News) Raekwon and Damon Dash are in the process of filming a movie called C.R.E.A.M., a project directed by the Wu Tang rapper.
Raekwon told nymag.com about his intention for the movie.
I’m working on a movie called C.R.E.A.M. that I co-directed with one of my partners. We teamed up with [Damon] Dash, he said. Y’all gonna be hearing more about this movie that we’re putting together called C.R.E.A.M. It’s called Cash Rules Everything Around Me. It’s a lot of things transpiring right now, but I just want to continue to stay in my zone, stay focused, and keep working.
Rae said that his role is totally behind the camera, but he hopes to bring the musical cinematography to the silver screen.
I’m playing the outskirts on this one because I kind of feel like that’s where I’m at. You know, I don’t know. At this point, I probably won’t be in it, but we don’t know. I want to more or less capture the scenes from the outside looking in, because I want it to be something that people say is a classic, and they respect the storyline of where we went with it, he continued.
This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, even when we was making Cuban Linx II, I was already making it my business to obligate time to that, to putting the script together. It’s where it needs to be right now. So it’s just a lot going on, man. I’m just trying to be a machine. A roller coaster machine, man.
Raekwon also commented on his collaboration with pop sensation Justin Bieber and Kanye West.
I’ve been getting a great response. It’s been a couple of mixed feelings on the net. It’s all good. It makes me laugh to know how people feel about certain things, but for the most part, everybody appreciated it, he said. You almost feel like somebody wants to down you, but then when they hear it, it’s like you can’t really speak bad about it. Me, as somebody that’s an O.G. in the game, an old school legend, however you wanna call it, he gave me an opportunity to reach the young youth. And he’s a newb right now, so if he needs my assistance, of course I’m a be there to show my support.
For the entire conversation, go to nymag.com.
(AllHipHop News) R&B singer Ne-Yo is the latest artist to chime in on the arrest of rapper/actor T.I., who along with his wife Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, was charged with drug possession in West Hollywood on Wednesday evening (September 1st). Ne-Yo told the Associated Press that T.I. makes poor choices when it comes to the people he surrounds himself with, saying “nine times out of 10 when he gets in trouble, it’s not him, it’s the people that he’s with.”50 Cent also weighed in on the day the news broke that T.I. and his wife Tiny were busted with ecstasy and meth-amphetamines. “Tiny gotta take that charge. Say it was yours baby,” 50 Cent tweeted. T.I. and his wife Tiny were arrested around 10:40 PM on the Sunset strip, after police stopped the rapper’s Maybach for allegedly making an illegal U-turn. Officers searched the vehicle after allegedly smelling the odor of marijuana. A search of the vehicle uncovered a small amount of ecstasy and an unknown meth-amphetamine. Meanwhile, T.I. is reportedly heading to Atlanta, where he will soon face U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell, the federal judge who gave him a light sentence (one year in prison) for attempting to illegally purchase machine guns and silencers in October of 2007. Former Mayor Andrew Young weighed in on the matter as well. Young, who officiated T.I.’s marriage to Tiny in July of 2010, also served as a mentor to T.I. after his October 2007 arrest on the gun charges. The former U.N. Ambassador also co-signed Judge Pannell’s sentencing for T.I., who spoke to children about the perils of drugs and guns as part of his community service, which was also turned into a reality show on MTV titled T.I.: Road to Redemption. He wanted to do right but he had grown up in an environment where it was hard to define right according to American middle class values,” Andrew Young told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We never talked about drugs. We talked about violence and we talked about guns. We talked about family and we talked about community.
While many people from around the world are more familiar with Kid Cudi and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony when it comes to Cleveland hip-hop, many fans are starting to take note of one of Clevelands finest, Chip tha Ripper. Chip who recently finished up a nationwide tour, is currently working on a new project called Gift Raps.I just did the last four dates of my tour in a row out in Texas; College Station, Austin, Houston and Dallas. They all was packed, they all sold out, Chip told AllHipHop.com.But these werent the only shows that sold out on the tour. He also sold out dates in New York, where he brought out his fellow Cleveland rapper Kid Cudi.Its perfect now, when I do a show in Cleveland its crazy. I just had a show in New York at Santos, I brought Cudi out and it sold out,” Chip told AllHipHop.com. “I had performed there with Cudi, but it was like it was my show and that mothaf**ka sold out beyond capacity. Mothaf**kas couldnt get in.Gift Raps is a project that was completely produced by Chuck Inglish of the Cool Kids.Chip is finishing up some of the final tracks on the independent project.I got this Gift Raps album I am doing right now, Chuck produced that whole album. Its going to be in stores, iTunes and were doing it independent, an excited Chip tha Ripper said. We got some features on there we are still getting but its going down.”In related news, Chip and Kid Cudi have formed a group together they call The Almighty Glory Us, as the two have developed an unspoken appreciation for success, their Cleveland heritage, and similar musical tastes.I met Cudi four
years ago, and I heard his music and I didnt know he was hip to my
music, but we came out to the show in Chicago at the Metro on the Northsideand ever since then its been going down, Chip recalled. We
kind of recognized what we had to do. A lot of s### was unspoken, but
we knew we had to get it in. We were taking it serious on some next
level s###, not even just in the city.”I remember when [Kanye West’s] 808 and Heartbreak came out and we came and got Cudi from the airport and he was like Yo we should form this group.”Gift Raps is set to be released as a Slab Ent and Cake Recordings projects and will officially feature songs with Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks of the Cool Kids, Tennille and Boldy James.
(AllHipHop News) Rappers Eminem and Jay-Z kicked off a four-date tour last night (September 2nd) at Detroit’s Comerica Park. Over 40,000 people filled the stadium to catch a glimpse of the two famous rappers, who are doing two shows at Comerica Park and another two in New York at Yankee’s Stadium on September 13th and 14th. Atlanta rapper B.o.B. opened the show, with a half-hour set, flanked by the huge video set that takes a crew of about 300 to set up. Jay-Z was dressed in all black, and performed a medley of his best known hits, including “Big Pimpin,” “Forever Young” and “Hard Knock Life,” with the help of longtime associate, Memphis Bleek and a guest appearance from Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy.After an hour-long set, Jay-Z labeled the experience as “one of the best experiences” of his “entire life.”Eminem hit the stage shortly after Jay-Z, around 10:40PM and gave an energetic set of songs like “Won’t Back Down,” “Kill You” “Cleaning Out My Closet” “Lose Yourself” and others. During his set, which included a live band and The Alchemist as a DJ, Eminem brought out Trick Trick, D12, Drake, Lloyd Banks, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre, who promised fans that his highly anticipated album Detox “is coming.””I’m so motherf**king happy to be back,” an excited Eminem told his fans. According to reports, Rihanna and Lady Gaga are expected to hit the stage during tonight’s (September 3rd) show.
“Get Em Live”