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Da BET Cypher: Who Bodied it?

Now, the 2009 BET Awards are all over and all that, we have to say we were mighty impressed by Da Cypher, where all the rappers spit their raps to impress the audience.

This particular Cypha was impressive. I had KRS-One, Nipsey Hussel, Wale, Joe Budden, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Black Thought, Buckshot and others.

But the main question that we want to know is, Who BODIED DA CYPHER?

We have our opinions, but want to know yours. So we put the entire list of rappers down there and now it is up to you do decide who did the best job!

Watch the videos and then take the poll!

Da Cypher: Nicki Minaj, Buckshot, Crown Royyal & Joe Budden

Da Cypher: Wale, Nipsey Hussle, Gsan, KRS-One

Da Cypher: Mos Def, Black Thought, Eminem

QuestionsView Results

Stars Shine at BET Hip-Hop Awards

The stars were in attendance as tonight BET aired its annual Hip-Hop awards show from Atlanta.

 

Jay-Z took home the first award of the night for MVP of the Year, beating out Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Drake, and T.I. The Brooklyn mogul kicked off the show with an orchestral rendition of his Jeezy-assisted “Real As It Gets,” and dedicated his award to Mr. Magic.

 

Young Money star Drake took home Rookie of the Year honors, beating a strong nomination list that featured B.O.B., Wale, Kid Cudi, and Dorrough.

 

The self-proclaimed world’s most dangerous site, AllHipHop.com, took home Hip-Hop Blog Site of the Year over four other competitors.

 

Tiffany “Tiny” Cottle was on hand to accept two T.I. awards for CD [Paper Trail] and Collaboration of the Year [“Live Your Life” feat. Rihanna].

 

“To all rappers and critics, I’m coming back with a vengeance. It’s the king, b####!” Tiny and Grand Hustle members exclaimed from a prepared statement.

 

West Coast pioneer and Gangsta Rap icon Ice Cube received a standing ovation as a video montage preceded his receipt of the BET “I Am Hip-Hop” Lifetime Achievement Award. In his acceptance, Cube challenged his peers to create art with integrity, and not for sale to the highest bidder.

 

“We gotta do what we feel. We can’t be slave to video programmer, radio programmers, or A&Rs. We gotta be slave to our own creative minds,” Cube urged. “To all the older rappers, keep doing what you doing. Don’t let the industry push you out. As long as you got a tongue, u ain’t too old to rap. BET I hope you give out two of these, because I have a whole ‘nother life of work ahead of me.”

 

The show was highlighted by its anticipated cyphers, which this year featured strong verses from Joe Budden, KRS-One, Nicki Minaj, Mos Def, Black Thought, and Eminem.

 

All was not celebratory, as the show had to take a moment and acknowledge several deaths that have devastated the Hip-Hop community.

 

Busta Rhymes took time to offer condolences and celebrate the achievements of Mr. Magic, DJ Roc Raida, and DJ AM.

 

AM, who died in August of a drug overdose, was posthumously honored with DJ of the Year honors.

 

Below is a select list of winners from tonight’s broadcast. For the entire list, fans can visit www.bet.com/hiphop

 

A comprehensive recap can be found HERE.

 

Winners

Best Hip-Hop Blog- AllHipHop.com

Best Hip-Hop Collabo- T.I. feat. Rihanna “Live Your Life”

Best Live Performer- Jay-Z

Lyricist of the Year- Jay-Z

Producer of the Year- Kanye West

CD of the Year- T.I. Paper Trail

Rookie of the Year- Drake

Best Hip-Hop Video- T.I. feat. Rihanna “Live Your Life”

MVP of the Year- Jay-Z

DJ of the Year- DJ AM

Hustler of the Year- Jay-Z

 

 

 

Swizz Beatz Honored By Russell Simmons, Ethnic Non-Profit

Hip-Hop producer Swizz Beatz was honored by Russell Simmons and the Foundation For Ethnic Understanding (FFEU) last night (October 27).

 

The non-profit foundation was started by Rabbi Marc Schneier as a way to strengthening relations between ethnic community through face-to-face dialog.

 

Simmons currently serves as chairman of the organization, which has been in existence for over 20 years. Swizz, born Kaseem Dean, is a Muslim.

 

He told those in attendance that he was frequently profiled by police and security while traveling through airports.

 

FFEU has recognized other rappers in the past, including LL Cool J, who received the organizations Joseph Papp Racial Harmony Award last April at Simmons’ home.

 

According to reports, Swizz has offered to produce a record that Simmons, Nas and the FFEU are backing in support of Queens activist Erica Ford and her program “Bury Da Beef,” which aims to curb youth violence.

Soulja Boy To Drop Three Mixtapes On Halloween

Soulja Boy is following in the footsteps of Gucci Mane by releasing three mixtapes on Halloween.

 

The series will be distributed in a variety of locations on and offline.

 

“Paranormal Activity” is the first named mixtape and it is hosted by DJ Woogie and DJ Neptune. The opus offers guest appearances by Drake, Guccie Mane, Sean Garrett, Kanye West and others.

 

Soulja Boy made the announcement via his twitter account.

 

DJ Neptune told AllHipHop.com that fans will see the young rapper in a different light on the project.

 

“Soulja Boy is showing growth on these new mixtapes, if you want to evolve as an artist you have to try new things and I’m glad to be a part of this great project,” he said.

 

In addition to Soulja Boy, there are a number of mixtapes coming out on Saturday for the holiday.

 

Lil Wayne’s drops “No Ceilings,” D12’s leaks “Return Of The Dozen: Volume 2.” and a number of others are expected.

 

Preview: Ryan Leslie’s “Transition”

Ryan Leslie is one of the best self promoters around. Any avid YouTube watcher knows to check out his videos of beat making or promotional teasers of potential music videos since about 2004. With all the controversy surrounded by him and his love life, it’s fitting that his sophomore album is titled Transition. After dealing with a bad breakup, the album focuses on that in between time we all have after moving on from a deeply committed relationship.

 

On Transition, Ryan experiments more with sound by adding electric guitar and other instruments one wouldn’t expect from an R&B singer. The upbeat track “You’re Not My Girl” that has been getting light radio play is a hit simply because it’s appealing to the ear. The fast pace and lyrics make it so real to those friends with benefits relationships.

 

In other instances, he gets some help from his pals on Transition.

 On the track “Something That I Like” dares to rap, but receives help from Pusha T of The Clipse, which adds some extra spices to the song. His rapping skills are not quite up to s#### per se but on this song he manages to hold his own and it works. Another notable track is “Nothing” because the chorus takes the horn sequence from Jay-Z’s Roc Boy’s and turns it out.

 Outside of the music, you Ryan crafts a story on Transition.

 Throughout the album you see the transgression of Ryan pining for a lady and it going nowhere. It’s more of him trying to make a rebound situation into something more. With the hot syrupy smooth track “To the Top” it makes you want to dim the lights and cuddle up. The song “Zodiac,” deals with some rather cliche matters that has been rehashed on a lot of R&B songs. “Zodiac” is an exception on this work by Mr. Leslie.

 Overall, Transition is sweet and worth listening to. One of the reasons Ryan Leslie’s music should be appreciated is because it’s always positive. It’s seldom today to have artists have music a grandmother and child can listen to at the same time. . His work usually leaves listeners with a smile and bopping their heads to his simplistic beats. As long as he doesn’t try to rap on every track and stays true to his audience he’ll always do well.

 Transition is set to release November 3:

Tracklisting:

 

1.       Never Gonna Break Up

2.       Something That I Like (feat. Pusha T)

3.       Zodiac4.       Is It Real Love5.       Sunday Night6.       You’re Not My Girl7.       To The Top8.       Nothing9.       Guardian Angel10.    All My Love11.    I Choose You

DMX Speaks on Boxing Debut, New Album

DMX will become the latest emcee to enter the boxing world when he faces actor Eric Martinez this December.

 

In a recent interview on Washington D.C.’s 106.7 The Fan radio show, DMX (Earl Simmons) explained the origins of the fight and why he felt it wasn’t necessary to train for the contest.

 

“We got a phone call, you know, asking if I wanted to participate in it. Yeah, why not?” DMX stated. “I used to participate in…oh, nevermind. But yeah, I figured I could do it. I’m just going to walk in as it is, you know what I mean? It wouldn’t be fair if I trained.”

 

In a sport which suffers fatalities every year from head trauma, DMX was surprisingly unconcerned about fighting in Alabama, a state that has no organized athletic commission.

 

“I can fight for real though, so it is what it is,” X maintained.

 

Regarding his corner and entrance music, X revealed he hasn’t made any decisions yet.

 

“I have no idea [about my corner]…I haven’t even thought about that yet,” X admitted. “[The entrance music, I] haven’t thought about that either….More than likely I’ll pick one of my own songs, [like] ‘What’s My Name.’”

 

According to DMX, a new album will be in stores by the first quarter of 2010. Before his legal troubles and incarceration this year, the rapper had originally planned to release a Hip-Hop and gospel LP on the same day in early 2009.

 

The fight card, entitled Alabama Pride, will take place in Birmingham on December 12 at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex.

 

Tickets can be obtained through ticketmaster.com.

Kanye, John Legend Featured In New “Chicken Soup” Book

Kanye West and a number celebrity songwriters and artists are featured in the upcoming book Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind The Song.

 

Chicken Soup for the Soul partnered with Hollywood publicist/manager Jo-Ann Geffen for the book, which analyzes 101 popular songs.

 

The book is the first all-celebrity release for the popular brand, which has released Chicken Soup titles focused on a variety of subjects, including breast cancer, teenagers, sports, fitness, entertainment and other interesting topics.

 

The brand has sold over 112 million copies of various titles, which have been translated into over 40 languages.

 

Other songwriters featured in the book include Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Smokey Robinson and numerous others.

 

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind The Song is due in stores November 10 and will retail for $14.95.

Hip-Hip Rumors: Eminem and Asher? More on Jay/Beanie “Beef,” Amy’s New “Friend”

DISCLAIMER:

All

content within this section is pure rumor and generally have no factual

info outside of what the streets have whispered in our ear. Read on. THE DAILY TWO SENSE!

 

I have nothing much to say today. I guess I need some excitement in my life and sadly, that is determined by this rap game. Pathetic, I know. So, I am getting some readers hitting me up about the Beanie/Jay-Z stuff and I guess I will share that with you. Here is another one.

 

I was at the Powerhouse concert as well on 10/23/09 in Philly. I will say without a doubt that Beanie Siegal definitely came at Jay’s neck while performing a set with Jadakiss. The first time he spoke on Jay was when he was yelling ” I love you Philly. I love You! This my mutherf#@&ing city! Im gone run this town tonight! ” He repeated that several times.Of course everybody went crazy because he was talking about Jay. Then after Jada and the Lox performed, Beans started spitting the freestyle from the intro to Bliueprint 3. He specifically referred to the part when Jay said, “N##### want me to sit them on my lap, but I aint got a beard and Santa Clause aint black.” Beans said something to the tune of ” Nobody needs Santa Clause, F### that n####. Tell Santa Clause to get off my sack!” He repeated this several times and they eventually cut his mic off. At this point people started booing Beans and yelling get off the stage! Then everybody started yelling “Hova, Hova” People were not happy about him dissing Hov. Plus when Jay came out at the end, he was like “Ya’ll still love me Philly? Ya’ll not mad right?” Everybody went crazy of course. This is not an eyewitness from the nosebleed section. I was front and center for the action. So whoever says it wasnt directly aimed at Jay must not have been in the building! Sidenote- Beanie Siegal did seem to be a little intoxicated.

 

Philly people siding with Jay-Z instead of Beans…IN PHILLY? Scary!!

 

EMINEM AND ASHER ROTH – COLLABO?

 

Certainly, Eminem wants the younger generation to love him like us 90’s people. So, there is more and more evidence that Eminem is doing so by making strategic collaborations with new dudes. It started seemingly with this Drake stuff. But now, it appears to be taking an odd twist in the form of a rumored Asher Roth collaboration. Asher is doing some talking, but not specifically saying Eminem’s name. That makes me wonder. Who knows! I think it is a great thing and I don’t thing Jay-Z got enough credit for working with younger artists like Drake and J-Cole in a way that doesn’t compromise what he does.

 

ILLSEED’S QUICKIES

 

My homey Jazzy F. Baby hit me up and told me that he heard Lloyd may be going to Young Money. Maybe they should have just kept Omarion.

 

Obama’s not having his kids vaccinated for H1N1. Wonder why?

 

Bobby Brown is charging that Whitney Houston only got married to stop the rampant rumors that she was bi-sexual.

 

Melyssa Ford is reportedly working on a American’s Next Top Model Reality show. I pray it has nothing to do with video vixens.

 

EPIC FAIL OF THE DAY

 

There is so much wrong with this video, I don’t know where to start. Lookie here. You cannot just talk to people any old way these days. A mom and her sons continually berate a tranny, who was defending a gay dude. Well the tranny kept warning them and they all kept on joking. It was the tranny’s birthday tomorrow and they wouldn’t stop with the jokes so the tranny did what he had to do. See the fail.

 

 

LMFAO!!!!!

 

SIGNS THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END

 

K-Ci of Jodeci is really looking to be on that ish! Look at these video clips! Dude looks like a Chapelle skit, but it’s the real thing!

 

 

EPIC WIN OF THE DAY

 

My homey Sac Tha King is ne crazy dude! But I have to give him props. Apparently, somewhere in “South Central” (Cali), there is a person that still lives in the old South. The person has a Confederate Flag up like he’s about to fight the Civil War. Anyway, Sac wasn’t having it and did something. This is a three video series, but they aren’t long.

 

The Preamble – Sac Tha King shows the news reports and explains his actions.

 

 

 

Part 1- On his way to do the deed.

 

 

Part 2 – Taking down the “rebel” flags.

 

 

The man that has the flags up is so old, he looks like he died during the Civil War. Good gracias…you know he owned a couple slaves. They probably revolted on his a$$ and he’s still mad or something!

 

THE CLIPSE DO COMEDY!

 

 

AMY HAS A NEW SET!

Amy Winhouse is getting ready for a comeback and what better way than a fresh set of breast to get people’s attention.

 

 

Here she is before the job was done.

 

 

THEY DID IT – FOREVER!

 

Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian are not playing! They got their initials tatted on each other!

 

 

THE TWITTER FOLLIES!

 

Diamond and Princess of Crime Mob fame hve been beefing for years. Now they bring it over to Twitter…if you can make heads or tails of it…here!

 

# @DiamondAtl I just wanted to b da kat dat caught yo tongue, U always c me! 3d! See ya when I see ya! Keep talkin on ya lil pageabout 4 hours ago from UberTwitter in reply to DiamondAtl

 

@PRINCESSDIGITAL 2b quite honest Ibeen quiet abut a lot of ya lil tempertantrums. But jus had2letcha knw! People iswatchin. Dn’t getexposed

 

@PRINCESSDIGITAL same hea honey! Funny thngis I wus jus wea u wus 3wk ago, an udidn’t saynun at visitation, NOW UALL hard on twit. talk ish.

 

Fellaz I know sumone that can suck u OFF real quick! Let me knw if u NEED SUM ASSISTANTS, ill direct u to HER! Lol

 

@princessdigital WAKE UPPP!!! SLEEPIN IS 44444 DREAMERZ!! Lol!!

 

@THEGANGSTABOO imma do it on twitter, youtube, in front her, beside her! All dat ish!! I’m tyed of that MUT BARKIN!!

 

@princess digital!! AND QUIT TEXTIN MY PHONE BEGGIN 4 ME TO RAP BACK WIT U!! if u need a personal stylist hire one! 5star b####! Believe it!

 

@Princessdigital now now!! U betta simmer dwn little1 b4 u gt 2EXPOSED. B####! U need 2 b tryin to record a sng, so yo bills can GET payed!

 DIAMOND & PRINCESS, WE LOVE YOU!!!

They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!

-illseed

WHO: illseed.com

WHAT: Rumors

WHERE: AllHipHop.com, MySpace.com/TheIllseed

HOW: Send your rumors and ill pics to illseed at [email protected].

Master P: Making Change With No Excuses

Those who stopped following Master P’s career since the rapper’s No Limit heyday have a lot of catching up to do. The former founder and CEO of the influential New Orleans- based label may not rap as much as he used to, but his behind-the-scenes work in music, television and humanitarian causes have made the 40-year-old mogul busier than ever.

Having made numerous appearances on Fortune Magazine’s “40 Richest Under 40” list—in 1998, his estimated $56 million net worth earned a Guinness Book of World Records mention for Richest Music Producer—the rapper/entrepreneur used his wealth to help fund a number of different projects, most recently Better Black Television (BBTV), a “family-friendly” network set to launch in mid-2010 for which P will assume the role of Chairman/CEO.

As he prepares for the channel’s launch, the man known as Percy Miller has partnered with One Million Gifts, a charity aimed at feeding and clothing one million homeless people around the country and recently finished shooting the first season of “No Excuses,” a new VH1 show aimed at turning the lives of various downtrodden people around. In a lengthy interview, the businessman, entertainer and motivational speaker spoke with AllHipHop.com on the genesis of the show, why face tattoos are a bad idea and sends message to young killers.

AllHipHop.com: Can you talk about how “No Excuses” came together? Was this an idea you had or were you approached to do this?

Master P: This was something that I had been brewing for a while. It was about the changes that I made in my life and how I was able to be successful without making excuses. Also, it was knowing where I could end up if I didn’t change my life. Why do so many brothers end up dead or in jail and not realizing that if we just got out and did the right thing to better ourselves, that we could go a long way? I just had to break those cycles and show people that come from the places I come from that can say, “What can we do to make a change to survive to be around and grow up?” I figured out a way to give entertainment and education in one show that will hopefully save lives. This is the first positive, entertaining reality show on television.

AllHipHop.com: Unlike similar shows, this one doesn’t talk down to the person needing help. Was that tone a conscious decision?

Master P: Oh yeah, I’ve really thought about this and I want people to learn something from this. I think that education saves lives and watching other peoples’ mistakes can help save or change your life. This is something that our culture needs. All we got now in is entertainment and most of it’s negative. There’s a lot of African Americans that want to see stuff that make them feel good.

AllHipHop.com: How do you think “No Excuses” differs from T.I.’s “Road to Redemption,” which aired earlier this year?

Master P: I like that show, but this show is not just about a road to redemption. You got shopaholics. You got people that are overweight. I really liked T.I.’s show, but this show is about motivating people to go out and do what it take to better yourself. I think T.I.’s show was more about somebody getting in trouble and trying to change their past. But this show is not about the past. It’s about the future.

Don’t be afraid to grow up. If you in Hip-Hop and you have a kid, that means that now you gotta be responsible. You should think twice before putting tattoos on your face ’cause one day you gonna have to look for a job in Corporate America.

-Master P

AllHipHop.com: On the show, the topic of pride comes up a lot and some of the people you work with feel certain work is “beneath them.” How do you counter this way of thinking?

Master P: You gotta do what you gotta do, because your pride could take you away from your family. I’ve learned that firsthand from my brother [C-Murder, currently serving a life imprisonment sentence for murder]. He know he didn’t commit this crime but for him keeping it real in the streets and not saying who did it, where he at? He in the penitentiary. So sometimes your pride could kill you. My whole thing is: don’t let pride get in the way of what you want to do. Hip-hop artists got this “keep it real” thing like they on the streets now. You making money and making records! All those people that’s trying to feed into your ego, they not going to be there for you in the end.

It’s been a struggle for me the past eight years to keep doing what I’m doing right. What I’m dong right now ain’t about money. I realize you can’t take none of this with you. I’m about building a legacy and about changing other peoples’ lives. I’m teaching my people how to fish. I’m not giving them a fish. A lot of people in the community mistake kindness for weakness and that’s where we gotta draw the line. Ain’t nothing wrong with your legs and your arms. You got a great body. You in shape. Now go out there and find you a job.

AllHipHop.com: Were there any defining moments in your life that made you reconsider the negative path you were on?

Master P: I think that losing my brother—watching my mom lose her son—and then losing another brother to the prison system affected me and made me get harder on my kids now. It’s like, “Look. You got an uncle dead, you got an uncle in jail. Now you see this is what could happen to you if we don’t break these cycles.” Right now, C-Murder is a victim of a crime himself. He’s innocent on this case but because of his name, image and past, that’s given them the right to take him away off the streets. That’s why I get out here in the communities to try to help save these other kids. I’m trying to show y’all, “This is why I’m still here on the streets because I chose to do the right thing.”

AllHipHop.com: That being said, do you find it hard to stay connected to the places you grew up?

Master P: When kids see me coming back and I’m there, they know P come from here. They don’t think he better than us. He even know he don’t want to come back and live here. Guess what? I work hard because I don’t want to end up back here. Somebody who’s feeding you crap that you got to “keep it real” by staying here for life, they feeding you bullcrap. I’m feeding you the real. Anybody get a taste of the good life, they don’t want to be living back in that environment, but they can’t forget where they came from. That’s why I’ve always been connected and give back. I say to myself, “What can I do to put a smile on one kid’s face that might turn out to be better than me?” These people bought my music and allowed me to live the lifestyle I could live, so I could at least give back to their kids. There’s a lot of sponsorship money that Romeo could get that I couldn’t get because of my music. I realized that peoples’ lives are affected [by music] and I was part of the problem and I want to be a part of the solution. I owe this to my people.

AllHipHop.com: Do you regret any of the music you’ve put out?

Master P: I really don’t, but I know that I’m at a level of exposure that I worry about it [going forward]. Don’t judge me on my past. Judge me on the path that I’m going on for my future.

AllHipHop.com: You’ve spoken a lot about youth violence. What was your reaction to seeing the video of Derrion Albert’s murder?

Master P: We live in a violent world right now and without education, a lot of young people are making moves but they can’t think. I hope that people learn that this is not what you want to go through and send yourself or your family to. So now you’re in trouble. Now what? What are you gonna do? People are making excuses like, “They ain’t got nothing. They live in poverty.” Guess what? There are a lot of people that live in poverty that changed their lives and are successful right now. It’s easier to pick up a gun than to pick up a pen.

AllHipHop.com: What would you tell the kids accused of his murder?

Master P: I’d tell them they probably took a life from somebody that could have been the next president or somebody that could have changed somebody else’s life. That could’ve been one of your family members. But whatever you do, you have to suffer the consequences for it, so why not do right?

AllHipHop.com: Going back to music, do you ever envision a time where you’d go back to being a full-time emcee?

Master P: It’s like Michael Jordan. When he was in his prime, nobody could touch him and as he got older, I think a lot of people took cheap shots at him. They felt like, “Wow, I just beat the best man in the NBA.” I just feel that people would respect me more and I could offer a lot more to the Hip-Hop world in corporate America. I’ve been working on building a union for Hip-Hop because we have no retirement funds. Corporate America’s not gonna respect us if I’m on the stage.

AllHipHop.com: But Michael Jordan retired and came back to the game. Have you officially retired from emceeing?

Master P: I think you don’t retire from something you good at. I just think my fanbase is older and it’s a young person’s business on stage. Now me getting up on stage just to have fun, I’m fine with that. But me actually going out on tour, I don’t see that happening ’cause it don’t make sense to me. I can be the person behind a lot of these younger artists and offer y’all advice and give y’all more resources so you can get more money and people won’t be afraid of you because of the sacrificing that I and other artists done paid. People still be like, “You older now. What is you still doing rapping?”

AllHipHop.com: Any last words for AllHipHop.com readers?

Master P: Don’t be afraid to grow up. If you in Hip-Hop and you have a kid, that means that now you gotta be responsible. Hip-hop has to grow up now. You look at Russell Simmons and Run-D.M.C., those people are older now but living a good life because they realized they had to grow up. I don’t care who you are. You should think twice before putting tattoos on your face ’cause one day you gonna have to look for a job in Corporate America.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s go 40 years into the future. You only have one sentence to sum up your legacy. What would it be?

Master P: No limit. That’s it.