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Doug E. Fresh Confirms Scientology Faith

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

Since its humble beginnings in the 1970s, Hip-Hop has had spiritual connections to established religious groups like Islam and Christianity.

However, legend Doug E. Fresh has emerged as the first Hip-Hop artist to publicly embrace the controversial faith known as Scientology.

Fresh confirmed the news via an interview with Essence Magazine, and stated he has been practicing the faith for the last 8 years after being introduced to it through former girlfriend and Hot 97 radio personality Miss Jones.

The faith was founded in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard, and uses a mythology centered on the belief that all humans are immortal through a life force/source known as theta.

Through the religion’s teachings, followers are taught to reach spiritual enlightenment by becoming one with their soul, known as the thetan.

Fresh, who has been an ambassador for Hip-Hop culture for over 25 years and has also incorporated religious themes in his music.

According to Fresh, he is the first Hip-Hop artist to join the religious movement.

“I am the first Hip-Hop artist to do it,” explained to Essence Magazine. “Isaac Hayes was a former coworker of Miss Jones and he told her about it,” said Doug E. Fresh. “I went with her to one of the classes. Miss Jones stopped going but I continued. I found it fascinating. It changed how I thought. I’ve learned how to look at things and not judge them but respect them and use it in a way that people understand that I respect them, show them love and respect their reality.”

Scientology is the object of much media scorn due to reports of brainwashing and a rejection of modern science for illness treatment.

But Doug E. Fresh is hopeful that he can educate those who’ve never studied the faith for themselves.

“Scientology is not a White religion. It is not just for White people,” Fresh told Essence. “Scientology is not written with disrespect toward God. It doesn’t worship something that is evil. It is scientific, mathematical, and spiritual. The Black community has to check it out and see what’s there. I’m not saying it’s for everyone, but you have to take a look. You may be amazed at what you get.”

Jay-Z’s Blueprint Moved Up To Tuesday Release

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

The release date for Jay-Z’s highly anticipated album The Blueprint 3 has been shuffled due to bootlegging and leaks on the Internet.

The new album will now be released this Tuesday (September 8) as opposed to the original date of Friday, September 11.

Over the past two week, songs from The Blueprint 3 – mainly those produced by Timbaland – landed on net.

More recently, the entire album was leaked, prompting Jay-Z to address the issue in an interview.

“I may be the most bootlegged artist in history,” Jay-Z told MTV News during a press conference. “It’s a preview. I’m excited for people to hear the album. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done, so enjoy it.”

Jay-Z’s benefit concert supporting the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund will continue as planned on September 11.

Is The Generational Gap Killing Hip-Hop?

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Uncategorized

Hip-Hip, as a cultural phenomenon, is older than 30 years now.

Some of the most commercially relevant and talented rappers are pushing 40 years old (see: Jay-Z and Raekwon) with fans that are young enough to be their children. On the other side, you have older fans that are 40 and up, that witnessed Hip-Hop’s growth spurt firsthand, and now compare and contrast their favorites with acts like Lil Wayne, Drake, Kid Cudi and others.

With the demographic widening, is the Hip-Hop generation at odds with itself because of the differences in age? Simply put, that which appeals to a 40-year-old is not likely to appeal to a 17-year-old even though the genre is the same. Hip-Hop has always prided itself on being a unanimous tool for unity, but the paradigm shift may have occurred recently.

AllHipHop’s Social Lounge will discuss this testy topic with some of the brightest minds in Hip-Hop and community. The AllHipHop.com Social Lounge is an opportunity to engage the Hip Hop community in an offline capacity. Hosted and moderated by AllHipHop.com co-founder Chuck Creekmur, this insightful panel discussion will address this “generational gap” and other matters. Panelists will include Immortal Technique, Killer Mike, Raekwon, Ras Baraka, and Saigon. The evening will also include a Q&A session and a closing performance (performer TBA). This event takes place at NJPAC in Newark, NJ on October 17, 2008. Click here to purchase tickets and for additional information.

Now, do you think there is an inter-generational gap that is adversely affecting Hip-Hop music?

DiscussionsView Results

Saigon

Killer Mike

Ras Baraka

Immortal Technique

Black America: The Final Destination

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Uncategorized

“Sometimes, I think it’s

just genocide. Watching all of your people die.”  

                                                      “Closed Eyes”- Marcus

Cox, NC artist  

  

I just peeped the new movie

called “The Final Destination” about this woe- is -me type

dude warning his homies about their impending demises and their frantic

attempts to beat the grim reaper. I’m not  sure why I spent $6.25 to

see the flick when, as a Black man, I get that every night on the evening

news for free…  

 

The gloom and doom forecast

for Black life started out in the 16th century with the misinterpretation

of scripture that condemned people of African descent to the curse of

being “hewers of wood and drawers of water.” It’s been pretty

much downhill every since.  

 

It seems that any news dealing

with Black folks is, overwhelmingly, negative except for the occasional

story of some lucky kid who “made it out the ghetto despite the

million- to- one odds.”  

 

Whether it’s stories about

unemployment or high drop out rates, Black on black violence or some

new disease that for some strange reason only attacks Black folks, news

from the ‘hood is, definitely, not all good.  

 

The sad thing about it is that

most of us have become so accustomed to our pitiful prognosis that we

have accepted the revelations, wholeheartedly, without even asking

why.  

 

And those of us who do try

to challenge the statistics are faced with the unenviable task of constantly

trying to decipher fact from fiction.  

 

Is the Black community, inherently,

doomed to the pathologies that plague us or do our own actions determine

our fate? Do we have the ability to develop strategies to relieve our

burdens or will even our best made plans be sabotaged by those who have

a vested interest in “keepin’ the Black man down?”  

 

People like Bill Cosby have

argued that if only Black boys would pull up their pants and stop listening

to gangsta rap then all would be right with the world. This is not much

different than WEB Du Bois’ argument in his 1897 essay, “The Conversation

of Races” that the greatest step to solving the “Negro problem

lies in the correction of the immortality, crime and laziness of the

Negroes themselves, which still remains an argument since slavery.”

 

 

Others have argued, quite convincingly,

that the condition of African Americans is not the result of Divine

Providence nor an accidental universal catastrophe but is a well designed

attempt to remove people with high levels of melanin from the face of

the planet.  

 

While this may be dismissed

by some as paranoia, as the character from the 80’s sitcom, WKRP in

Cincinnati, Dr. Johnny Fever, once said, “when everyone’s out to

get you, being paranoid is just a smart way of thinking.”  

 

After all the evidence is there.

 

 

As Malcolm X said at a Harlem

rally in 1964, known as his ‘By Any Means Necessary Speech,” When

you let the Black man in America know where he once was and what he

once had, why, he only needs to look at himself now to realize something

criminal was done to him to bring him down to the low condition that

he’s in today.”  

 

It is foolish to deny the fact

that segments in this country have offered ways to get rid of Black

undesirables over the years; whether it be lynchings, burnings, the

Tuskegee Experiment, COINTELPRO, crack and guns in the hood or the Hurricane

Katrina aftermath, the list goes on.  

 

While many of these incidents

may be chalked up to urban legends, the affect of rumors was taken very

seriously by the government.  In her book, “Heard it Through the

Grapevine,” Professor Patricia Turner writes that the Feds set

up “rumor clinics” during WWII to “prevent potentially

adverse hearsay of all sorts from gaining credibility.” Also, in

1968, the Kerner Report recorded the operation of  “Rumor Central

” operations to combat urban racial disorders.  

 

What is most troubling is that

many young African Americans have embraced their fate and adopted the

old Star Trek Borg mantra that “resistance is futile.”  

 

This is especially evident

in Hip Hop as rappers have developed a bizarre type of necrophilia.

There are hundreds of songs with the common theme of “just kill

me, already, and get it over with.”  

 

The posthumous success of rappers

Tupac Shakur and the Notorious BIG, both of whom seemed to predict their

deaths in their lyrics, are perhaps the best examples.  

 

This is not to suggest that

the entertainment industry’s exploitation of Black agony started with

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5’s, “The Message.” From

the blues to the the situation comedies /tragedies of 70’s shows such

as Good Times, the industry has painted a less than rosy picture of Black life. However, with changing technological advances, Hip-Hop allowed Black suffering to be embraced, globally.  

 

Regardless, of the cause of

our dilemma, our challenge is to find ways to restore the confidence

of this younger generation that they do not have to accept their prewritten

obituaries but they posses the innate ability to change their environment.

 

 

Maybe, we will find out that

Earth, Wind and Fire were right when they sang, “in our hearts

lie all the answers to the truth you can’t run from.”  

 

Until then, just like  in the

movie, being Black in America is  a constant, everyday struggle to cheat

death.  

  

 

Paul Scott writes for No Warning

Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at  [email protected]  

Hip-Hop Rumors: ‘Sup Wit 50 & Dre?, Maia Campbell Facts, Oprah Vs Chris Brown

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Rumors

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 want to thanks all of my people that sent me rumors. This was a

particularly dry week in rumors. By the time Wednesday came though, I

was sapped. Anyway, we got a few that were good and entertaining.

Yesterday, I got one that p##### me off.

It was the one about Maia Campbell. You know what, I am not on any

sort of pedestal by any stretch of the imagination, by virtue of what

I do. But I was disgusted by people yesterday. Sickened that people

were so ignorant as to put such a video on the internet and other

sites that pushed it to the masses. First of all, Maia Campbell is a

certified schizophrenic. And she does not take her medication – she

refuses to do so from what I have been told. From what I HEARD, she

may have had some issues with drugs, but that’s beside the point. Her

mother is the late Bebe Moore Campbell, a legendary author that passed

away heart-broken from cancer. Have some compassion in this world.

Karma’s real. (I’m screwed!)

MOVING ON!!!!

I tried to take a day off and got stopped in my tracks and told to

turn something in. LOL! Lets goooooooooooooooo!

MAX B- 75 YEARS IN JAIL!

Max B is going down in history as one of the…most infamous dudes in

the rap game. I am wondering though, what is plan C. From what I have

been told, Max has been appealing his initial conviction with his

gangster lawyer, but I don’t know if they are ongoing. Good luck

Bigavelli!

DETOX – I GIVE UP!

Did you see the Warren G interview that was posted earlier? Here is

what Warren said about the Detox album.

AllHipHop.com: Do you think Dre with Detox can come with anything

close to The Chronic?

Warren G: [Chronic] 2001 was better than The Chronic, it just keeps

going up, better and better. Chronic 2001 was incredible, the second

Chronic was incredible, and Detox from what I heard is incredible.

It’s tight, [Dre’s] got some s**t.

IF it is actually incredible, why the heck won’t they put it

out? This is driving me mad!

50 CENT AND DR. DRE BEEF?

Did you see the new 50 Cent video? Here is it:

video platform

video

management

video solutions

free video

player

Now, I never mentioned it, but I had previously heard that there was a

bit of creative friction between Dre and 50. Not, beef. I just heard

that 50 Cent was more like a regular dude and Dre and Eminem were

these eccentric type dudes now. Anyway, if there is something crazy

there, I hope they work it out. But, what was up with dissing Jay?!

That was a shot fired out of nowhere. Jay might want to put the doo

rag back on and go in the kitchen so people will stop messing with

him. Jay said something like, “You wanna stay hardcore, I throw the

deuce up.” 50 may have taken it personally. LOL!

JACKI-ON JACKS PROMOTER?

Uh OH! Jacki-O Stands Accused! The rapper known for her tattoos and

unique physical qualities has been accused of taking about $2500 from

a promoter in Phoenix, AZ. How do I know? The dude’s friend emailed

me! She was there over the weekend. Remember those pics of Shawnna in

a strip club? The same club booked Jacki-O to do her thing with all

the strippers around. Anyway, rumor has it, Jacki-O flew in to do her

set. The source I have said that she started beefing about the time on

her flight home. They told me, Jack was already paid the first half

of her money and was demanding the second half the day of the show. On

Saturday at about 4pm, they gave her the other half, they say. They

say they will be back like 8pm to get her for the show. You know where

this is headed, right? I am told that they came back and the

receptionist at the hotel said that Jacki-O had checked out about 4:30

and flew back to Miami. Basically, they accuse her of taking about

$2500 and the cost of round trip tickets! Somebody is heated!

WILL WU WATER GET METH IN TROUBLE?

I found a rumor that I thought was pretty funny. My homey Mikey T The

Movie Star told me that Method Man did a show out in Rhode Island.

And, according to rumor, Meth tossed a pair of full water bottles at

some kid in the crowd striking him in the face two times in a row.

Now, this is unconfirmed as of my writing this, so don’t go using it

as fact, blogmeisters. But, I am sure you are wondering why I thought

it was funny. I don’t. I misread it and thought Meth threw water in

the kids face and the kid accused him of throwing water – minus the

bottle – in his face.

OPRAH VS CHRIS BROWN

You might have seen this from People magazine. Chris Brown made a

comment about Oprah and O’s rep responded.

“I commend Oprah on being like, ‘This is a problem,’ but it was a slap

in my face. I did a lot of stuff for her, like going to Africa and

performing for her school. She could have been more helpful, like,

‘Okay, I’m going to help both of these people out.'”

O’s rep:

“Oprah is very appreciative that Chris Brown performed at her school

but she takes domestic abuse very seriously. She hopes he gets the

counseling he needs.”

ILLSEED’S QUICKIES

Some Jay-Z dates are starting to be announced and none of them mention

Eminem. This has the internets crying that maybe there won’t be any

tour after all.

I know about the beef with Slaughterhouse and Zino. Its just an

outrageous situation that I won’t even recognize.

Michelle Williams shot down the notion that there was a Destiny’s

Child reunion. I would think she, of all members, would want that to

pop!

Rumor has it the real reason The Dream and Christina Milian are

running to get married is because she is preggers! Man…I need a girl

so my life can be relevant.

Shoutout to Mike Epps, he is the new host of BET’s Hip-Hop Awards.

Katt Williams lost the gig for real this time.

I heard “As Real As It Gets” is the next song Jay-Z will release as a

single. Jeezy is featured.

It seems like the “outing” of Roxanne Shante is a lil’ chin check from

the music industry so that nobody tries to ever get a deal like this

pretended she got. (No shots)

SIGNS THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END

This is crazy. A man smashed a car into a sex shop just so that he

could steal a $300 sex toy.

PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!!!!

For more, go to illseed.com. Or just follow me at http://twitter.com/illseed

RAE, 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].

Diddy Hosts Star Studded Event For Raekwon’s OBFCL2

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

Sean “Diddy” Combs and a number of high profile rap stars will celebrate the release of Raekwon The Chef’s highly anticipated album Only Build 4 Cuban Linx II.

 

Combs has been tapped to serve as host of the release party, which will take place at New York hot spot Santos Party House.

 

Legendary DJ Kid Capri and Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg will spin at the event, which is being sponsored by Littles and Raekwon’s Ice H20 Records.

 

“I’m excited about this project. This is a true evolution from where we began,” Raekwon said. “I’m also overwhelmed by the love and support that I’ve received. My long time friend and Hip-Hop veteran, Diddy reached out to offer his support and agreed to host the event.”

 

A number of Hip-Hop acts have been confirmed to perform at Raekwon’s star studded release party, including Ghostface, Method Man, Beanie Sigel, Life Jennings, Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli and legendary rapper Slick Rick.

 

“All the artist involved, extended themselves for the release of my long awaited album because we all feel Hip-Hop as a whole is in need of unifying,” Raekwon continued. “Magazines are closing; online storefronts are struggling because music sales are down. It’s time for Vets like myself to set the trend and strengthen the lane. Dinosaurs like myself are supposed to create the blue print for the new breed to follow.”

 

Raekwon’s album Only Built For Cuban Linx II hits stores September 8.

D12’s Kon Artis Talks Tax Troubles

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

D12 members Kon Artis and Kuniva have run afoul with the IRS, joining a plentiful list of celebrities facing the same situation.

 

Of the two, Kuniva and his wife owe $137,702 in taxes on income earned from 2004-2006. Kuniva also owes $16,590 to the state of Michigan.

 

Kon Artist, aka Denaun Porter, owes $61,501 for unpaid taxed. In an interview with the Detroit News, he revealed that his debt could be wiped out in as little as two months.

 

“I’m not questioning the IRS,” Kon Artist told the Detroit News. It could have been a combination of not paying enough (taxes), it could have been them not accepting enough write-offs…Take my publishing checks. I’ll make money elsewhere…I’m done with them at the end of the year.”

 

D12 recently kicked off the “Dazed and Dirty Tour,” a nationwide outing that also features Hip-Hop duo Potluck.

 

The group is in Denton, Texas tonight (September 4) at the R. Bar.

 

Full tour dates are listed below:

 

Sept 04 – Denton TX @ R. Bar Sept 05 – Houston TX @ House of Blues Sept 06 – New Orleans LA @ House of Blues Sept 08 – Atlanta GA @ Apache Café Sept 09 – Charlotte NC @ Amos’ Southland Sept 10 – Richmond, VA @ Canal Club Sept 11 – Scranton PA @ Clarion Hotel Sept 12 – Worcester MA @ The Palladium Sept 13 – New Haven CT @ Toad’s Place Sept 15 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar Sept 16 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabodys Sept 17 – West Dundee, IL @ Clearwater Theater Sept 18 – Columbus, OH @ Skullys Sep 19 – Indianapolis IN @ Music Mill Sept 20 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection Sept 22 – Davenport, IA @ Red Stone Room Sept 23 – Maplewood, MN @ The Rock Sept 24 – Milwaukee, WI @ Miramar Theatre Sept 25 – East Lansing, MI @ Small Planet Sept 26 – Detroit MI @ Eagle Theatre

Raekwon: Only Built for Cuban Linx II (Album Review)

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Reviews / Music

Classics are “lightning in a bottle” occurrences. No matter how great an artist is, a musician can’t simply waltz into the studio and make timeless record after timeless record. A classic LP is the perfect storm, where various factors from technical skill to the artist’s emotional/spiritual state all come together in a perfect marriage of artistic expression. If an artist is lucky, they’ll get that experience once in their lifetime. If the music gods favor them, maybe twice. Those who’ve had it sometimes try in vain for the rest of their careers to recapture that vibe. Others, like Wu-Tang’s Raekwon, are pushed back to their former glory by outside forces.

For the past 15 years, the original Cuban Linx has been the Chef’s cruel mistress. On one hand, it’s his greatest triumph, the shining jewel of the Wu’s acclaimed catalogue and universally recognized as one of Hip-Hop’s greatest albums. But simultaneously, it’s overshadowed every work afterward, with fans dismissing everything as unworthy, subpar follow-ups. Well, Rae’s not running from Cuban Linx anymore. In fact, he doing what he claims comes easy, and that’s the NY Mafioso, cocaine-centered Hip-Hop that he popularized in the 90’s. But in 2009, can Only Built for Cuban Linx II (Ice Water/EMI) recapture the magic?

Immediately, your spirit is sent back to the summer of ’95 courtesy of the familiar rhythms on “Return of the North Star.” Papa Wu reprises his role as an aged Rae confidant, and leads right into the jaw-dropping Wu posse cut “House of Flying Daggers.” The track is classic Wu. From the pounding string instruments, soul/kung fu samples, and the near flawless verses of Meth, Deck, and Ghostface, the LP gets off to the perfect start for those doubting the Clan’s prowess in 2009.

What immediately strikes the listener about these introductory songs is how well Rae and the producers recreate the atmospheric, perilous reality of drug life from the original album. Whether it’s Pete Rock’s menacing chords accentuating a brutal kidnapping on “Sonny Missing,” or Marley Marl’s dragging guitar loop complimenting the Chef’s crack baking process on “Pyrex Visions,” you are completely immersed in the project after a few songs.

Some fans worried about RZA only offering a few standout tracks (“New Wu,” “Black Mozart”), but the Abbott excels here as an executive producer. Despite the mixed response to some of his experimentation over the years, the Abbott knows the Cuban Linx sounds fans were salivating for. Even more amazing, the legendary broadsmith is able to take the contributions of over 11 producers and sequence them to a mosaic tapestry for Rae’s unique perspective on the game.

Ghosface Killah fans will also be happy. On the OG version, Ghost delivered lyrically but also supplied memorable one-liners that contrasted well with the violent, dangerous stories (“Don’t play me like I’m holding a flower pot”). Here, Ghost shines on tracks like “Gihad,” were he weaves a hilarious tale of being caught jilting his friend through a pregnant girlfriend. It’s classic Ghostface, and you can’t help but crack a smile at how the Wally Champ ends the narrative (“Go in the freezer and get a steak for your eye n####, go put some baloney on your face…I don’t give a f### if you 25 you still my son n####.”). On “Penitentiary,” he returns to the ruthlessness of jail life alluded to on classic “Verbal Intercourse.” Throughout the album, Ghost remains an irreplaceable influence every few tracks, and ensures the listener gets a nice energy contrast from Rae’s laidback rhyme schemes.

Non-Wu guests are not a problem either. Jada and Styles P are at home reciting coke tales and go hard over a Scram Jones’s bass-heavy street banger in “Broken Safety” (“I used to move brown rectangles/Roll you a blunt to smoke you with Death’s Angels”). And Beanie Sigel crafts a vivid picture about the loneliness of incarceration on Icewater’s somber “Have Mercy.”

Even Dr. Dre’s two offerings of “Catalina” and “About Me” fit in. The former showcases Lyfe Jennings crooning on the inevitable end of weight pushing, and the latter features Dre’s trademark piano thumps and a cocksure Busta Rhymes (“I see the weakness in most of you n##### that be hollering/So I toned it down so these words be piercing your lower abdomen.”). Throw in Slick Rick providing the intro to “We Will Rob You,” and you have the big event feel you’d expect from an album of this magnitude.

When Raekwon goes at it solo, the album doesn’t suffer. “Fat Lady Sings” is a hard-hitting narrative of block appropriation, replete with soulful singing and lyrics that nod to the original’s LPs creative lines (“Shorty was a vet/Gillette solider/Shorty hit the neck/Blood squirting look like laundry detergent…”). “Ason Jones” as a worthy tribute to the late Ol Drity Bastard, and once again Dilla blesses this album from the beyond with production that illuminates the bittersweet pitch of Rae’s reflections.

The complaints are minor, in that “Criminology 2” fits the album better than “Mean Streets.” And surely some fans will want to burn Nas at the stake for not returning Rae’s calls for “Verbal Intercourse 2.” But considering Esco’s divorce situation, God’s Son should get a pass. His presence is missed, but nonetheless not essential to this album’s success.

Is Cuban Linx II the classic, genre-turning opus that was the original? No, but it’s as close as one can possibly get. As the great Chicago poet Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. stated, “This ain’t ’94 Joe/We can’t go back.” But that doesn’t mean one can’t tap those old spirits to assist in creating genuine, new art. Like Nas did on Stillmatic, Shallah Raekwon has done well by the legacy of his greatest work. Now, we fans should let him rest. The Cuban Linx saga is complete, and the Chef should be allowed to move on to other artistic endeavors if he so chooses. Well done, Rae.

Raekwon – House of Flying Daggers (feat. Inspectah Deck, GZA, Ghostface Killah & Method Man>

Raekwon – Ason Jones (P###. J-Dilla)

T-Pain Bringing Auto-Tune to iPhone

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: News

For the last several years, T-Pain’s Auto-Tune centered sound has dominated the Hip-Hop and R&B markets.

 

Now, the popular songwriter will bring that technology to the iPhone via a partnership with Antares Audio Technologies. Dubbed “I Am T-Pain,” the phone app will give the user the full capabilities of the Auto-Tune technology.

 

With it, fans can record their own versions of T-Pain hits like “Bartender,” “Dream Girl,” and “I’m Sprung.”

 

Once completed, the user can upload their songs to various social networking sites like Facebook and Youtube.

 

With Auto-Tune still immensely popular among artists, Antares marketing VP Marco Alpert argued that Jay-Z’s “Death of Auto-Tune” proclamation was premature, and failed to factor in how the tool has solidified itself in this generation’s music consciousness.

 

“It’s been great working with all of the incredibly talented people at Smule, and with T-Pain and Nappy Boy Enterprises to bring I Am T-Pain to the iPhone,” Alpert told AllHipHop.com. “T-Pain’s hugely successful use of the Auto-Tune Vocal Effect has made it one of the signature vocal sounds of our time, so it’s especially gratifying to be able to make the authentic T-Pain experience available to anyone with an iPhone. Maybe not so dead after all, huh?”

 

At press time, T-Pain is finishing up work on his fourth album UBER, the follow-up to his 2008 gold-selling LP Thr33 Ringz.

 

The “I Am T-Pain” app is available now for purchase at the iTunes iPhone App Store.

Warren G: The G-Files

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg)Category: Features

Warren G, the G-Funk architech, is back for the 0-9. The rapper/producer has pioneered for years in the 90’s with six LP’s and 10 million copies sold. Now, he hopes to usher in a new era for the West Coast. AllHipHop talked to Warren to get the current state of affairs and his new album The G-Files.

AllHipHop: You’ve stayed off the radar for a while. What have you been up to in that time?

Warren G: I’ve been working. Doing shows, doing reality shows, also doing my music at the same time.

AllHipHop.com: You have your own business entity?

Warren G: I have G-Funk Entertainment. That’s a production company slash label. What we do is we develop artists and what we do also is submit tracks. G-Funk scored “Harlem Nights” TV show that was recently on BET. We submit tracks for artists.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s talk about your new album, The G-Files, which will be released Sept. 29. Was it your goal to self-produce?

Warren G: Every record I’ve ever done, I’ve produced it. From day one, from first album to now. I’m a producer before an emcee. I just know how to rap. That’s what I do, man, is production. I mean, Regulate, Indo Smoke, Tupac … these are all records I’ve produced. I’ve been on that for a while. As far as this record right here, I produced 99 percent, the other 1 percent was produced by this cat THX. He did a song called “True Star” [featuring BJ], the first song after “The West Is Back.”

AllHipHop.com: Speaking of “West is Back,” it features Bad Lucc, who’s worked with up and coming yet somewhat underground LA artists like Diz Gibran, Bleu Collar, etc. The song symbolizes the west coming back. What do you think of some of these L.A. artists making a name for themselves?

Warren G: I mean, I like a lot of those dudes. I think they’re doing their thing. They just needed a harder push through whichever label they’re dealing with. They need a chance to be heard. They’re definitely representing for the west.

AllHipHop.com: You’re bringing out artists like Halla, Blacc Nicc and Cassie Davis. Who are they and why are they on the album?

Warren G: Halla is an artist trying to get in the game. Bad Lucc is another artist trying to get in the game and Blac Nicc is another artist unsigned trying to get in the game. Cassie a European, well Australian artist … who’s huge down there. And I’ve got BJ, who’s an incredible vocalist. I have Trevor Wesley, who’s another incredible vocalist. It’s a lot of people that I know who got a lot more talent than what I hear on the radio and don’t get a shot. What I do is put them on my record because I have a fanbase and I open my fanbase to them, and so they can picked up around the world, so they can get a shot at becoming a superstar. That’s why I work with these guys, but I also got Snoop Dogg, Raekwon, Travis Barker, Nate Dogg RBX, people that I really worked with from day one, except for Raekwon. And Raekwon is a cool cat and I bumped into him and we decided to do a record ’cause we’ve never done that. That’s what it is with that.

AllHipHop.com: Speaking of Raekwon and how your album flows from track to track. From what I heard, you have a song like the ‘420’ song which has a mellow vibe and right after you’re coming with Raekwon. The album has feels balanced, is that what you were going for?

Warren G: It’s like you said, when I started the record with “West Is Back,” that led into “True Star” and then I brought it back and changed the vibe. That’s what 420 is. Then we got right back – after the small break – we get right back into the groove (hums a melody). Then I get serious with the songs towards the end, then i come up again with “Crush” [featuring Ray J] and “Ringtone.” It’s like a pattern, that’s what you have to do when you make a record. You have to know how to keep it going.

Warren G: Regular featuring Nate Dogg

AllHipHop.com: That’s the Quincy Jones way of making an album. That’s kind of a lost of art. Now, you have a song called “Ringtone,” and some could say it’s more or less a cliche. What’s your response to critics?

Warren G: Yeah, but that’s what’s crackin’. Ringtones is selling a lot. So if I come with a song called ringtone, [fans] will be like, ‘hey it’s a song called ringtone, let me check that out.’ It’s not even talking about a ringtone. It’s talking about a girl and how she got her own ringtone and on her ringtone she may have Trey Songz or Warren G. And girls love their ringtones. So I decided to make a song about those girls that love their ringtones and love Warren G.

AllHipHop.com: So do you have a ringtone?

Warren G: Do you want me to tell you what mine is?

AllHipHop.com: Yeah.

Warren G: (Sings) Baby, what’s your phone number … You don’t remember that? (hums the melody). 777-9311, I want to spend a night with you if that’s alright. You don’t remember that?

AllHipHop.com: Not the artist. I know the song.

Warren G: It’s the Time. Morris Day and the Time.

AllHipHop.com: I was about to say Prince.

Warren G: I also got “Ain’t No Fun.” That’s one of my ringtones.

AllHipHop.com: It’s got to be one of the bestsellers.

Warren G: Oh yeah. Then I got (hums) ‘Sweet Dreams are made of these.” I made these ringtones myself through iTunes, then I put them on my iPhone and my BlackBerry.

AllHipHop.com: What’s next, an iPhone application like Snoop?

Warren G: That’s in the works right now. My boy is building it as we speak.

AllHipHop.com: That’s all the new rage. I gotta ask about RBX. I enjoyed the song you all did, it’s very hip-hop. Was that a recent collabo or has that been on your hard drive for a minute?

Warren G: It was a record I did for a video game, I forgot the name of it. I was running through songs and was like, ‘this is hard,’ and I was like, i’m gonna use this s###. Ain’t nobody ever heard it. And it’s up to date, right to what’s going. I’ve read something that a dude named Ironman said, that I dig back and pullin out old stuff. I have tons of music that I could’ve pulled out. It don’t matter if it’s old, as long as it bangs. Just like Tupac, he’s done tons of records and they’re just coming out now.

Warrren G: “This DJ”

AllHipHop.com: Yeah, with WIDEAwake (the company that owns Death Row).

Warren G: I don’t know anything about that (laughs).

AllHipHop.com: What do you make of Def Jam on its 25th anniversary?

Warren G: I’m just glad to be a part of it. When Def Jam was in a situation where it was going downhill, a Warren G album put them back in the game. From there, that’s why we are able to celebrate the 25 years of Def Jam. I feel happy just to be part of that and deal with Russell and Lyor when no one else gave was really dealing with Warren G. It is what it is (laughs).

AllHipHop.com: Is there anything you feel you still haven’t accomplished?

Warren G: I just don’t feel like I’ve got to that plateau where you just explode. Like with what T.I. did with that “Live Your Life” record. I haven’t got there. I probably have but I want to do it again. But if I not, I’m not tripping, because I’m also a producer.

AllHipHop.com: All it would take I would think is getting Rihanna on a track.

Warren G: Yeah I can reach out to these people, I’ve reached out to these people. But sometimes people forget. I’m not the person to chase somebody. When I call them once and they don’t get back in time, I just kind of forget about it and just keep pushing. When they call back, it’s all good but it maybe too late and I’ve moved on to something else.

AllHipHop.com: I just saw Ice Cube headline Rock the Bells. It’s his 25th year in the game as well. How do you feel as far as your longevity in the game, do you plan on going on tour and implementing the new record?

Warren G: Yeah, I’m getting ready to go on the road and promote this record.

Warren G “Crush” featuring Warren G

AllHipHop.com: You get asked about Detox all the time, but I want to ask about The Chronic. There’s a book forthcoming about the making of it from the author who wrote “Rollin With Dre” with Bruce Williams.

Warren G: I got Bruce’s book [Rollin With Dre].

AllHipHop.com: Do you think Dre with Detox can come with anything close to The Chronic?

Warren G: [Chronic] 2001 was better than The Chronic, it just keeps going up, better and better. Chronic 2001 was incredible, the second Chronic was incredible, and Detox from what I heard is incredible. It’s tight, [Dre’s] got some s###.

AllHipHop.com: Has Dre heard your album?

Warren G: No, he he hasn’t heard it.

AllHipHop.com: Alright, thanks for your time.

Warren G: No problem, buddy.