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Drake Hired A Vocal Coach For ‘Away From Home’ Tour, Says Producer

(AllHipHop News) Two weeks ago, the Internet lit up at the sight of a leaked track from Drake’s anticipated debut, Thank Me Later. “Shut It Down,” a So Far Gone-lite record featuring The-Dream, was reported in September as Drake’s official lead single before any word of “Over” had surfaced.While the overall response to “Shut It Down” was more than favorable, Stadiumred producer Omen, who worked on the track with Drake’s right-hand 40, told VIBE that version heard on the Net had a few elements absent.“[‘Shut It Down’] is still missing some ingredients. It’s missing a full Dream verse and a full rap verse from Drake,” he says. “The leaked version wasn’t the way it was supposed to be presented. It was just something that caught on so quickly… I don’t know how the hell radio got it. Drake’s [rap verse is] basically playing around with the song’s concept more, not really telling a story, but just talking to the ladies.”Omen also revealed that “Shut It Down” was the first song Drake recorded for Thank Me Later in the early fall. Though he’s still unsure whether other tracks he co-produced with 40 made the final cut, from what Omen’s heard of the album, he says fans can expect more hip-hop than heard on the mixtape that made Drake famous.“It’s more rapping than So Far Gone… a lot more rapping. Even if he is singing it’s just the chorus. ‘Shut It Down’ has probably the most singing on the album and then he has another one with a Sade vibe that’s dope,” he says. “He’s definitely improving his singing too. He just hired a vocal coach that he’s working with during The Away From Home Tour. This is going to be one of the top hip-hop/R&B albums out this year. I can feel it.”The 33-year-old Harlem producer added that he spoke too soon about “Shut It Down” being Drake’s first single.“I jumped the gun [Laughs]. What happened is everyone was real excited and saying this is the single, but you know how the industry works, when an album’s being recorded there’s always going to be other producers that bring something different,” he continues. “It still was a very good song to be in the single contention. It could be second, could be third. I’m not sure which, but I’m sure it’s going to be a single.”Omen first worked with Drake in 2008 on the track, “Overdose On Life,” off Drake’s second mixtape, Comeback Season. Drake’s major label debut, Thank Me Later is scheduled for release on June 15. —Tracy Garraud

Wale, K’naan, and Sage Francis To Play Atlanta for Indie Concert Series

(AllHipHop News) Independent promotion and production entity Rival Entertainment has announced 2 special tour dates featuring Wale, K’Naan, and Sage Francis.

The shows will be split up with Wale and K’Naan performing tonight (April 8) at Atlanta’s Center Stage venue.

Wale previously headlined an Atlanta show in 2008 as part of the city’s annual A3C Festival. Last year, he was accompanied by B.o.B. in an Atlanta show that featured the last public performance of T.I. before serving a one-year jail sentence on weapons charges.

Wale’s debut LP Attention Deficit was released last November, charting in Billboard’s Top 25 and to date selling close to 100,000 copies.

Somali-Canadian artist K’naan has seen his international popularity expand with the release of his well-received 2009 sophomore LP Troubadour. Songs such as “ABCs,” “Dreamer,” and “Wavin’ Flag” has been used to promote the video games (Madden 09, Fight Night Round 4), the NFL Draft, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Sage Francis will make a rare Atlanta appearance on June 19. An underground star for over a decade courtesy of projects like the Non-Prophets (with Joe Beats) and his “Sick of” mixtape series (1999-present), Francis will be promoting his 4th solo studio album Li(f)e, set to be released on May 11.

In addition, Rival Entertainment will showcase cult animation favorite Aqua Teen Hunger Force in a unique live performance on May 15 at Center Stage.

Tickets for the Wale/K’naan show can be obtained tonight at the door for $20.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com, while Sage Francis tickets can be purchased at www.ticketalternative.com.

Below are the remaining dates for the Wale/K’Naan tour dates:

4/13: Cleveland @ House of Blues

4/14:Columbus, Ohio @ Newport Music Hall

 

Wale Performing Tribe’s Electric Relaxation in Atlanta (2009)

 

Hip-Hop Rumors: Juelz Loses Lawsuit!? Swizz’s New Baby? M.I.A. Disses Gaga!

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 DAMN MEDIA!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes the fans are the “new media,” because they push us to say things that aren’t true! Like somebody sent me one line of an Eve quote and made it seem like there was a beef with Nick. Here is the full quote”

Here is her direct quote, “Trust me, no one’s competition for me and that sounds cocky but I seriously live in such an Eve world. And not in a crazy-everything-is-me-bubble, it’s just that I’m building an empire,” the 31-year-old says. “I go on Twitter and people say ‘Yo, knock Nicki Minaj out of the box, but ultimately we’re all helping each other and I’m happy seeing these chicks in the game. It’s too much testosterone. When I see another female, my immediate reaction is not ‘Oh I gotta go and get my s### right.’ I got 900 other things going on. I can’t keep worrying about what’s coming up behind me.”

Sorry, I don’t know the source.

M.I.A. DISSES LADY GAGA!

 

Here is what M.I.A. said.

 Are they even interested in making money from music anymore? Lady Gaga plugs 15 things in her new video. Dude, she even plugs a burger! That’s probably how they’re making money right now – buying up the burger joint, putting the burger in a music video and making loads of burger money.

    Do you think those programmes and the internet have destroyed the mythology around popstars?

 

    I don’t know. Again, there’s Lady Gaga – people say we’re similar, that we both mix all these things in the pot and spit them out differently, but she spits it out exactly the same! None of her music’s reflective of how weird she wants to be or thinks she is. She models herself on Grace Jones and Madonna, but the music sounds like 20-year-old Ibiza music, you know? She’s not progressive, but she’s a good mimic. She sounds more like me than I f###### do! That’s a talent and she’s got a great team behind her, but she’s the industry last stab at making itself important – saying, ‘You need our money behind you, the endorsements, the stadiums’ Respect to her, she’s keeping a hundred thousand people in work, but my belief is: Do It Yourself.

 SOURCE

JUELZ LOSES A LAWSUIT?????

I got this letter in the mail and I guess I’ll let them explain what happened. There are some grammatical issues, but I didn’t touch this letter to keep it sanctified.

Im Writing on Behave on Loud And Wyld Entertainment.. Were are the ones that had the lawsuit against juelz santana in regards to the allentown pa crocodile rock  show in which juelz never performed or made a date up. Well Its been a long 3 years and yesterday we went infront of a federal judge, in Philadelphia.The federal Judge awared us Judgement.I will not disclosed how much we were awarded but we won!. I would like you to let the people know that these rappers are getting out of hand when dealing with small promotors. See they dont pull that s### on live nation or Concerts east or the jewteam be on there a####. Well we got a jew team too But hes no Jew and his name is Paul Gardner.. Also we like to thank Attorney Igway out of philadelphia for doing a great job..

SWIZZY’S OTHER BABY?

I can’t keep up anymore. The rumors are sickening! This one is really a bit wild, because it alleges that Swizz Beatz has a baby from some Russian chick. The baby is supposedly two years old and Swizz-n-Alicia have been an item for about that time. Clearly this would overlap his marriage to Mashonda. He allegedly met the woman at a London club in 2007. After their tryst, he bounced and she couldn’t contact him for paternity until now. He reportedly took a test and hes the father. They even say Alicia was there for support. I dunno.

ILLSEED’S QUICKIES!

 Question: What happened to CRS – thr group with Lupe, Kanye and Pharrell. They were supposed to have an album called God Unwilling. Nothing popped!

Shout out to Gotti from Fayatteville, NC!!!!!

How ill! Rick Ross is dropping another album in June  and has a new single coming next week.

Whitney Houston has denied that she has had any issues with drugs that has lead to her canceling her shows. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

Nicki Minaj’s fans are spazzing that she dropped out of the tour with Rihanna. What should upset them more is that Nicki probably won’t drop until September.

Fans are now questioning whether or not it’s actually Lil Wayne writing them from jail! I think it is, because its in Weezy’s druggy tone. Lol…I’m kidding. On the real, Lil Twist has confirmed that its really Wayne.

Speaking of Wayne. Guess what his job is in jail? He watching other inmates and tells if they trying to kill themselves. This is the dude that wrote a song “I feel like dying.”

Mannnn…they saying Tiger smashed he 21 year old neighbor. Dude was just running WILD! 

Justin Bieber – who is this kid? Who is listening to him? He’s killin the game right now.

Yo…The Dream is trying to buy a part of the Atlanta Hawks. They really running up in the NBA.

I heard Coolio has a tattoo on his head like Baby from Cash Money.

Drake has a problems if Kanye drops in June.

 BRANDY AND FLO RIDA?

 WTH? Flo Rida and Brandy are dating? SMH!

 

 She says:

 “I’ve seen the photos of me and Flo Rida. It doesn’t matter how we met. We met. I don’t want to say that we’re a couple. I can definitely say that he’s somebody in my life and I’m definitely interested but I’m not serious with anybody.”

“I don’t play around with the whole cheating thing. Please don’t do that. I don’t like that. At all. I’m so scared of that. I’m scared to give my heart away.”

This pic reminds me of when Yung Berg had jokes about Flo’s hairline.Source VIBE.com

KRS-ONE TALKS; LISTEN.

At a recent gala for the Hip-Hop Museum, there was some controversy. Nobody quite seems to know what it stems from, but KRS-One spoke on it. Peep it.

 

 

LOOK WHO LOST MAD WEIGHT AND LOOKS GREAT!

 J-Hud!

 

 EPIC WIN OF THE DAY!

 This Taiwanese boy sounds better than Whitney Houston!

 

 

You go boy! LMAO!

 

EPIC FAIL OF THE DAY!

Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins fought over the weekend, but Poor Roy didn’t make a damn dime from that beating he took at the hands of Bernardo. Why? Look at the math below. Hopkins is lucky he served as the promoter with Oscar De La Hoya. What a suckfest that fight was.

 

According to badlefthook.com:

 

The sad thing about the fight is that Jones won’t make anything. Let’s assume for a second that the 6,792 in the building actually paid for their seats (we know that’s not true) and that the seats averaged $300 a ticket (a figure higher than reality). That would mean the gate was $2 million. If the expenses to rent the building and promote the fight were $1 million, that means $1 million is left. Now, let’s figure it sold 100,000 pay-per-views at $49.95 apiece. That’s about $5 million. They have to split 50 percent of that with the cable and satellite operators, so that leaves $2.498 million for themselves. Add the $1 million from the gate and the $2.498 million from the pay-per-view and you have $3.498 million in profit. Given that the contract called for the first $3.5 million in profit to go to Hopkins and Golden Boy, it’s almost certain Jones fought for nothing. Actual revenue will likely be far less than I’ve described above.

 SIGNS THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END

 God help us.

We are going to need to arrest people on several counts of stupidity. This dude Willie Ferris. Dude is so stupid, he needs to be examined for lead poisoning or something. So, dude Ferris pays a h00ker to give him a “menu of favors.” She took his $50 bucks and got down in that White Castle bathroom. But dude thought he was supposed to get a lay and some other things for his hard-earned money. Instead, he got a couple kisses and she sunk to her knees. Well anyway…this fool called the police and said the lady of the night robbed him. The cops got there and his story fell apart.  911? Really? Damn Willie…you one dumb SOB.

LOL! EPIC FAIL OF THE DAY!

 This is stupid, but I guess I will recognize it. These people love the racist sign, because its still there. SMH.

 

 

HERE YOU GO!

 Melyssa Ford in the next issue of VIBE.

 

M. FORD, 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 al*************@***il.com.

Rapper Nicki Minaj Drops Off Of Rihanna’s Tour

(AllHipHop News) Nicki Minaj will not be heading out on the road with R&B singer Rihanna’s “Last Girl On Earth Tour,” the rapper revealed today (April 7th). On Monday, organizers of Rihanna’s “Last Girl On Earth Tour” announced that Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha were opening acts on the 25-date tour, which kicks off on July 2nd in Seattle, Washington.  According to Nicki, she is going to use the time to finish completing her upcoming debut full-length album. Barbz I’m sorry 2 say I will not be going out on RiRi’s tour. I’ve decided 2 use that time 4 the completion of my album. Hope u understand,” Nicki Minaj Tweeted today. “Barbz, Thx 4 understanding. And Thanks to Rihanna 4 being a sweetheart and extending this great opportunity 2 me. Support the show! Luv, HB.”Nicki Minaj recently debuted “Massive Attack,” the first single from her album

The Top 10 Skinny Jean Culprits in Hip Hop

Ah, the skinny jean. In the 20th century, it began with punk rockers. Then skaters, rocks bands like The Strokes, and women embraced this cut. Finally, the hipsters caught on, rocking their dirty skinnies with equally dirty white canvas kicks and vintage tees. The HipsterSoon after developed the “hopsters.” Very similar to the hipster in style, hopsters are more influenced by hip hop than rock, and are generally more colorful with their gear. The HopsterAs menswear naturally became more tailored in recent years, the skinny jean crept its way into the wardrobe of your average Joe and your hip-hop head. Some rappers, like Jay-Z, have stayed true to their baggy jeans (although we have noticed his denim slim down a little), while others have jumped aboard the skinny train. We have broken down the top 10 skinny-jean-wearing culprits in hip-hop today—check them out and share your thoughts in the comments section! 10. Trey Songz  9. Usher 8. Ne-Yo  7. Chris Brown  6. Kanye West  5. Pharrell  4. Bow Wow  3. Lil Wayne  2. Kid Cudi  1. New Boyz 

Hip-Hop Rumors: Redman Married! Whitney Houston Sick? Bone Crusher Down With Bushwick!

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.

REDMAN MARRIED!

Illseed Exclusive! I want to give a very happy congrats to Redman aka Reggie Noble! Redman and his long-term fiancée finally sealed the deal and jumped the broom. I don’t have any images of the blessed day, but as sure as snow is white, this is true. God bless!

BONE CRUSHER x BUSHWICK BILL = NEW ALBUM?

I don’t know how this came about, but there is a crazy rumor that Bushwick Bill and Bone Crusher are working on an album together. Honestly, I’m not sure how this will work. I don’t know if you know this, but Bushwick is also reportedly doing a Gospel rap album. And Bone Crusher is supposedly more of a rock star than a rap star these days. Anyway…I hope they chill and just do their solo projects. I’m sure they won’t if there is any truth to this.

WHITNEY HOUSTON IS SICK!

Whitney Houston canceled her concert yesterday night because of “a chronic rhinopharyngitis and an infection whose cause was not identified”. Doctors are still checking what’s wrong with her. For those that don’t understand: rhi·no·phar·yn·gi·tis (r n -f r n-j t s). n. Inflammation of the nasal and pharyngeal mucous membranes. Nevertheless.. I guess we will see.

R. KELLY MISSES SHOW DUE TO SON!

R. Kelly’s pretty much on the low as I can see it. I think it may be that his reign is coming to a close. But he was supposed to be in Paris, but he couldn’t make it. The show got canceled because his son has polyps in the throat and must undergo surgery to have them removed. So, Kellz is doing the father thing. No jokes from  me!

ILLSEED’S QUICKIES

I was told that the Eastside Boyz are still trying to release an album with no Lil Jon. A single with DJ Unk? Rumors say.

Funny how Eve is sending lil jabs Nicki’s way. I don’t think she’s going to engage with the pitbull in a skirt.

Shout out to Paula Patton and Robin Thicke, who had their first baby yesterday. The boy’s name is Julian Fuego.

Suge Knight is going forward with his law suit against Kanye West. What ever happened to the Yukmouth situation?

ICE-T BUSTS UP INTO ALLHIPHOP’S IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE VIDEO

LOL! Where were these guys!?

ALLHIPHOP.COM TALKS TO DMX’S WIFE!

“I know him better than the knows himself,” she says. She explains the book she wrote on her life with DMX. Peep it.

SO SO DEF HELPs HAITI 

Q da kid of So So Def crafts “Save Me” – a Haiti quake awareness song. Clef raised $10 mil for his homeland.

 

REDMAN, 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 al*************@***il.com.

AllHiphop ChartWatch: Badu Moves Units, and Ursh Tops Charts

ChartWatch for April 7, 2010                It’s

R&B week in the top ten.  Ordinarily

I don’t included R&B acts in the charts because this is a Hip Hop site but

there’s not a lot of Hip Hop on the charts so here we go.  At number one this week is Usher with Raymond vs. Raymond.  The A-town crooner (that’s a word I don’t get

to use often) sells 346,000 copies of his comeback album because of successful singles

like “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home)”, “Lil Freak” featuring Nicki Minaj, and “Papers.”  

                Next

up is the recently controversial Erykah Badu. 

But c’mon…was it really that controversial?  It’s Erykah Badu.  She’s an artist that’s kind of known for

being out there.  This is the same woman

that dated Common, Andre 3000, and Jay (when’s the album coming out?)

Electronica (and after seeing her video I don’t blame them…at all). Well, good

music is good music, and 112,000 people purchased New Amerykah, Part Two (Return of the Ankh) pushing it to number

four this week.

                Next

up is Monica who drops from two to six selling 80,000 copies of her latest

album Still Standing.

                That

means the only representative for Hip Hop in the top ten is…drum roll please…The

Black Eyed Peas.  This week the group

sells another 43,000 copies of their hit album The E.N.D which I just refuse to believe.  Are you telling me that there are 43,000

people out there that haven’t purchased this album? Forty-three thousand?  I

think everyone on the face of the earth has this album.  When new mothers are leaving the hospital the

nurses hand them their baby…and a copy of The

E.N.D.  Immigrants entering the

country get a green card…and a copy of The

E.N.D.  Its written into the

healthcare bill that insurance companies can’t discriminate against people with

preexisting conditions…and all new patients must get a copy of The E.N.D.  I don’t even listen to this group but I checked

my ipod the other day and guess what was there? The E.N.D.  The Peas hold the

ten spot this week and I’m sure another 50,000 people will discover this album

next week.

                Moving

beyond the top ten we have Ludacris who falls from six to eleven but still

manages to sell 39,900 copies of his latest, Battle of the Sexes.

                He

is followed by Method Man, Ghostface, and Raekwon with their collaborative album

Wu Massacre (that’s right…they

almost made the top ten).  The trio sells

39,600 copies this week and claims the number 12 spot.

                Lil

Wayne was number twenty last week.  He’s

number twenty this week.  His rock experiment,

Rebirth,  moves another 25,000 units and is followed by

his label Young Money.  The group album, We Are Young Money, drops from

thirty-four to thirty-nine selling 14,000 copies.

Dropping

This Week

She’s the kind of girl you think about in bedB****** Betty givin’ real good h***B*** a l*** n**, r**** n** in her jawS**** on her cheeks is all ya sawShe could b*** more h*** than a whale blows waterB******* Betty make your d*** get h*****

–     

Todd “Too Short” Shaw B****** Betty

Quoting Too Short seemed

like a much better idea when I started out but, as you can see above, the

veteran MC isn’t the cleanest lyrically. 

That still hasn’t stopped him from becoming a commercially viable artist

given that Shaw has been releasing full length albums since 1980.  This week the Oakland MC releases his 19th

studio album, Still Blowin.  There is never too much to say about a Too

Short album.  If you like him then you

already know what the album is about so pick up a copy.

Next up is, arguably, the

hardest working man in Hip Hop this year. 

Madlib is on schedule to release 12 Beat Konducta mixtapes, has already

done some work with the likes of Strong Arm Steady and Guilty Simpson, and now

releases another jazz album under the moniker Young Jazz Rebels.  His first jazz album for this year was

released under the name The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion

Ensemble and titled Miles Away.  This new album is called slave riot so if you’re into Madlib then pick it up.

                That’s

it for the week.  Pick up an album or

two.

Russell Simmons Teams With Trenton Mayor To Create Peacekeeping Force

(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons has teamed with the Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, to help bankroll a peacekeeping organization of citizens in the city, after a 7-year-old girl was gang raped last month. Simmons told The Trentonian that he will provide half of the funds for a new program being introduced into the city titled Educating Neighborhoods to Obey Those in Authority (ENOTA). The program was launched by Captain Dennis Muhammad in 1985. Muhammad has also worked within the Hip-Hop community, helping to mediate beefs behind the scenes, in addition to working with young men from troubled communities across the country.Simmons costs to launch the program could be as much as $50,000, while the Mayor’s charity, the Trenton First Initiative, would cover the other half of the expenses. According to The Trentonian, the peacekeepers will wear orange jackets and carry special cards to identify themselves as participants in the program, which has been successful in Delaware and New York. “We want to get men from the community and train them so they can move through the streets, so they can exude a positive attitude and presence,” Simmons said. “Their job is not to patrol in the same way that police patrol.”Mayor Palmer has also offered his support for the rally that Simmons is hosting this Saturday (April 10th) in Trenton at the Lighthouse Outreach Ministry.“There’s so many people that want to do something,” Palmer said. “They’re outraged, they’re mad, but beyond that, they want to be able to help now and in the future, to try to, hopefully, stop some of the behavior, especially by young people.”The effort is an attempt to heal the city after the shocking news that a 7-year-old was gang raped by seven men, after her 15-year-old sister sold herself and the girl for sex during a party on March 28th. So far, six individuals have been charged and police believe there are more assailants.

Kardinal Offishall Wants You To Stop Comparing Him to Drake

When most people think about Toronto hip-hop, Drake is usually the first person who pops into mind. The second? No doubt, Kardinal Offishall. But the 33-year-old rapper who released his debut album, Eye & I, when Drake was just 11, told VIBE he’s tired of hearing bloggers devalue his work and pin him against his fellow Canadian.“My whole career hasn’t just been about exposing me, but exposing my city. It makes me mad that we have [Drake] who was able to break out from being local, into an international star and as soon as he’s number one, they try to put [us] against each other. That’s crazy to me. It aint doing nothing positive for my city.”Offishall, who recorded the track, “The Last Hope,” off of Drake’s 2007 mixtape,Comeback Season, isn’t discouraged to hear people belittle his success and dub Drake as the only hot MC from Canada. “People who make those comments are very, very few and far between. The accomplishments I was able to do, I’m super crazy proud of,” he continues.“I remember when [Funkmaster] Flex one time said I was the only thing coming from Toronto and I said ‘Nah, there’s a lot of MCs’ and he was like ‘Nah.’ Then the next year Drake got his buzz out. It’s one of those things that’s whatever. I’m into the music. I don’t really care about who gets credit, who’s the best. I’ve always been in this game to outdo myself. As long as things don’t stop me from getting my paper, then I’m good. Right about now, music has turned into a real tabloid. S### don’t really make sense.”Though Offishall hasn’t spoken to Drake since early ’09, he makes no qualms about voicing his admiration for him. “When that dude makes music, it stays in your head and will not get out. He’s very talented. You can’t front on the boy,” he says. “We’re two totally different artists, but we’re both from the same space. He aint done nothing to me, I aint done nothing to him. It would be different if we sounded the same, but we both try to invent different types of music.”Just don’t bet on the two recording a single anytime soon. “It’s one of those things where you never know, maybe in the future we’ll be able to do some s###. But it’s one of those things where he’s doing him right now and I’m doing me. Just because you’re focused on your own s### doesn’t mean you have animosity towards the next n####. The n####’s dope.”Offishall is currently recording his fourt album, Mr. International. He and Drake were both featured in K’naan’s Canadian Haiti tribute, “Wavin’ Flag.” —Tracy Garraud

DJ Woogie of SOD Money Gang: 1000 Mixtapes and Running

From getting his big start as a DJ on Shadville Radio with DJ Whoo Kid to now being the official DJ for all of Soulja Boy‘ Tell ‘Em’s mixtapes, as well as the tour DJ for SODMG artist Jbar, DJ Woogie has quickly grown to become a well respected mixtape and tour DJ in the Hip-Hop industry.  Having also traveled to Dubai, London, Tokyo and many other cities across the globe, Hip-Hop fans across the world collectively recognize the talents of the Scranton, Pennsylvania based DJ that has been able to accomplish so much over the course of his 12 year career.Since 2003 DJ Woogie has stayed relevant by touring, releasing over 1000 mixtapes and continuing to produce for several artists in the game. DJ Woogie has collaborated on mixtapes or projects with, Eminem, G-Unit, Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Young Buck, Swizz Beatz, DJ Scream, Ca$hi$, Fat Man Scoop, Sean Kingston, Max B and nearly every member of the SOD Money Gang.  Due to DJ Woogie’s drive and continued growth, the list of artists that DJ Woogie works with seems never ending.AllHipHop.com:  Just so that our readers know, tell us how DJ Woogie got into DJing?DJ Woogie: Well, I got into Djing when I was about 14. My 0lder brother had some equipment and I just used to play around on it, scratching the records. At the time, it was cool and new to do. From there, at like 15, I started getting my own equipment, and began to DJ bars in my local area [Scranton, PA]. I’m thinking, “Man, I’m 15 and I’m djing clubs and stuff like that!” It felt good. Then, I expanded to mixtapes when I was around 17-18. Around that time, it progressed to doing CD’s. But, I remember a lot of DJ’s like (DJ) Clue used to put out cassette tapes. I used to cop the tapes before the CD was even out.AllHipHop.com: Really?DJ Woogie: Yeah. We used to go to New York constantly! Just to go to the parties out there, meet and network with people, and as I got older, I began saying to myself, “ That’s where it’s at. I got to start doing tapes!” At that moment, is when is started doing my own [mix]tapes and that’s when things just exploded! Before I got down with [Eminem’s] Shadyville, I used to do distribution for DJ Whoo-Kid throughout PA [Pennsylvania]. So, he [Whoo-Kid] always used to say, “ Yo, when I start my DJ crew, I’m gonna put down, cause I see your work. You’re a grinder.”AllHipHop.com: That’s definitely good look, man. So, what was your experience like working more closely with Shadyville and collaborating with G- Unit?

DJ Woogie: Like I said, I got down with Shadyville when DJ Whoo-Kid made the crew. We had a show on Shade 45 [Sirius XM satellite radio], and DJ Me-Mel was one of the more popular DJ’s in the group. Me, Noodles, and DJ Epps were on the mixtape side of things, and I grew to be popular quick. Everybody knew who I was because I was consistent. It [the mixtapes] got a lot of attention due to the way Whoo-Kid branded the market. It got respect. When you said that name, people respected it. Set aside the beef that 50[Cent] had with a lot of the down south rappers, we couldn’t play certain records. We couldn’t play [The] Game; we couldn’t play Fat Joe or Rick Ross. Those kind of tracks, we couldn’t do because those records are affiliated with artist 50 had beef with.  So, for the publicity and the fame, Shadyville was a great name, but on the DJ side, we had a lot of limitations, and things of that nature. Overall, it’s a great team to be a part of, and I’m glad that I had my time there. It was a wonderful time there over at Shadyville, and I want to thank everybody for everything that they did for me over there.AllHipHop.com: With that being said, what came next After Shadyville?Woogie: When you grow, you know, you can only work on some ones corner but for so long before you need your own block; before you have to make moves. Step things up a notch. You know what I’m saying?AllHipHop.com: Definitely.Woogie: That’s when the move came about for S.O.D. [Stacks On Deck] Money Gang.AllHipHop.com: Tell me about S.O.D. Money Gang. You’re the official tour DJ, right?Woogie: I am the official tour DJ for Jbar; Soulja Boy’s official mixtape DJ. Nobody else does his [mix]tapes but me. AllHipHop.com: What does S.O.D. have coming up right now?Woogie: Me and Jbar just left from being out in Miami! But, we got a lot going on. His [Jbar’s] album is coming. We just shot the video for “Daze”.  We just got Hot 97 FM in New York to premiere it on the radio, and other Hip-Hop stations. So as of right now, Jbar’s record is doing really well. S. O.D. has a lot coming out with Soulja Boy’s new album this summer;  Jbar’s album this summer.  Soulja Boy’s headlining a tour this summer and Jbar is on that tour. So its gonna be crazy this summer for us!AllHipHop.com: Can you tell us about Soulja Boy’s upcoming album at all?Woogie: It’s gonna be “Legendary”.  He has a lot of hot records on there, Like the song I just sent you guys [AllHipHop Dot Com], called Making The Cut that is on the album.  You know, Soulja Boy has grown since the time he did Crank Dat  to now in March of 2010. He’s grown a lot. He’s learned a lot more about the rap game, and said that himself in some of his raps. He said that he learned more, and people thought he was wack. He became more versatile, and look at him now.  Everybody wants a favor; everybody wants a freestyle, or a feature. People used to sleep on the kid, now everybody is on ‘em more or less to say! AllHipHop.com: Now, how did you end up linking up with Soulja Boy?DJ Woogie: Well, I linked up with Soulja Boy when I was still with the Shadyville DJ’s. I called YUMS, cause I remember seeing a couple people wearing it. That was when Soulja Boy first got down with YUMS and YUMS first started. And, as a DJ I was shaking a lot of mixtapes as a DJ like This Is 50,  Shade 45,  and different things. So, YUMS hit me back one day and was like, “yo,  we’ll send you some clothes, and you should promote us a little bit. “We [YUMS] see you travel all over the world.  I been to Dubai, Paris, Russia, Switzerland; the Middle East, DJing by myself. So, they were like we want to give you clothes to wear on your tours and s**t. I was like, “Cool.” They[YUMS] also happen to realize that I had a partner that works with hoodpromo.com that does DVD’s. He’s a videographer. And YUMS happen to say, “ Yo Woogie, we’re at the Magic Convention Center in [Las] Vegas, and Soulja Boy is the lead face for our clothing line. He’ll be out here with us for three days, can you come out and film everything for us.” I said yeah, fly me and my partner down. He’s the film guy.AllHipHop.com: Right.DJ Woogie: So, we went out there, and we’re at the MGM Grand Resort, out in Vegas, and I first met Soulja Boy. They were like he’s coming down; we need you to follow him [Soulja] from here to the convention, all around the convention, when he’s talking to stars, and at the YUMS booth, and that stuff. So, at the booth, Soulja Boy was taking pictures with everybody for God knows how long,  so E-X and me sat down by the counter and people couldn’t see him for a while. And I was sitting next to him, and I was like, “ Yo man, you know, I see you working with [DJ] Scream, and you got to send me your music.”

AllHipHop.com: Okay.DJ Woogie: This was before I even got down with him. He [Soulja] was like, “ Yeah, no doubt. You know Im a big Internet kid. I see you out there, man. I know you’re grinding, I’m going to start sending you my music.” So I said, all right cool, and we exchanged T-mails from our Sidekicks.  So I waited like 2 days after we were out there[Vegas] for those 3 days, because I didn’t want to be jocking him too much.  Then, I hit him up on some business tip, like “Yo, its Woogie.” And he just started sending me music from that day on! Whenever he leaked it[music], he would have me included in the e-mail to Scream. After that, I just stepped into it like, “ C’mon man, let’s do some tapes. I see you only did 2 tapes with [DJ] Scream. King of the South and some Superman Tape you did when you first came out. Let’s start flooding these cats. You do a lot of freestyling on the internet with Jbar and A-Rab on You Tube, so let’s put it on wax and start pushing these tapes.” He [Soulja] was like,” I’m feeling you! Let’s do it!” From that point on, before I even got down with the crew, he used to hit me on my phone like, “ Woog, let’s drop. Woog, Let’s drop.” I was like  let’s do it, homie, you know what I’m saying!AllHipHop.com: Without question.DJ Woogie: So,  I was on the phone with Jbar, I told Jbar, “ Yo Jbar,  you gotta speak to the homie Soulja Boy. You guys see my work ethic. I been doing everybody’s tapes; you gotta get me put down with S.O.D. officially.” He was like, “ Imma holla at the homie, and see what’s good.”So, not even a week later, Jbar hit me back and said, “ Soulja said you’re good. Welcome to S.O.D. Money Gang.” I was like, “Word?!?”, and all of a sudden, like 20 minutes later, He [Soulja Boy] started blasting it on Twitter.  “” Everybody welcome DJ Woogie to S.O.D. Money Gang, Meet the S.O.D. Money Gang member””  and so on.  And I didn’t get it until an hour later, and it was mad messages on it.  Everybody’s like “ Yo Woog, where are you?” “ Soulja has been trying to get a hold of you, Welcome”. Greeting me, you know. Everything just took off from there.AllHipHop.com: I heard you mention S.O.D. going on tour. Are all of you going on tour together, or how is that worked?DJ Woogie: This summer will be my first road tour with them. Because he [Soulja] appointed me to officially DJ for Jbar and s**t. Jbar already told me like “ Woog, once we go on the road, I want you to DJ all my s**t.” All the other artists as well.  But, this is my first year on the road with them. I already started a promo run with Jbar. AllHipHop.com:: That’s what’s up, Woog! So, you mentioned that you have toured all over the world, can you speak about how that happen and what that experience was like?DJ Woogie: Well,  just linking. I have an agent overseas, P.H.I. Promotions. He is a booking agent. He’s my agent through contract. You know, he books a lot of artist;  a lot of down south rappers and people who gets s**t poppin’. He books for other clubs.  And He[P.H.I.] booked Hot Road at the time when I was at G-Unit, and I was DJing for him. I opened up, I think I was DJing in the club, and they really liked me, and my boy told me like, “ Damn, I didn’t know you could DJ that good.” I was like, “ Yeah, this is what I do for real, man.” So, he was like that he was going to try and book me some shows. He booked a couple by myself, and other clubs on the scene started coming at him, asking for me to DJ. People started hitting him up, requesting me, and asking for me.  Then, he started booking me shows, and people would hit me up directly, without the agent. Like if it was one show on the weekend, I would just book it myself, but if it was two or more, I would let my agent do it.  Like if it was 4 or more shows he would book all of it. Book the flights, and everything, that way I don’t get lost or miss flights. He just organized it all for me.I still get people that hit me up personally. Now that I’m with Soulja Boy, people just tend to find my contact information, my Facebook, my Twitter, my MySpace, and be asking stuff how much would it for us to book you over in France? And, how much do you charge to DJ like this? So, I call my agent, cause he has a connection of people all over, and ask him like, “ there are some places that want to book me in France, can you get me more shows?” And, he’s like “Yeah. Have them hit me up, and I make sure there are a couple more shows.”AllHipHop.com: That’s great advice and something other DJ’s can take note of for sure.DJ Woogie: Keep grinding. Don’t ever stop grinding because regardless of how bad s**t may seem or may get, everybody has their down days, Just keep grinding, and it will work out for everybody. You never know whose hand your gonna shake. That’s why I’m continuously networking because you never know what position that they’re  in or who they know that could help your career. So, you got to shake hands with everybody, man.AllHipHop.com: Can you tell us about the Willie Da Kid mixtape?DJ Woogie: Willie Da Kid’s new mixtape is out now, and it’s a big thing! DJ Drama has been re-twitting it. The whole Aphilliates camp; I’m also trying to get in that, but we’ll see. But, the whole Aphilliates Camp is loving the CD. Everybody has been twitting and hitting my back like the CD’s hard. We just put it out. Me and Willie Da Kid have been boys for a long time now, and me, him[Willie] and LA Da Darkman have always been talking about getting up and doing this project. Willie has been overseas with Drama, getting booked for Drama’s album and singles, and been performing them. So, we finally  got the chance and sit down when he[Willie] got back and be like, you ready to get this tape together. He went in and did 16 exclusive joints for me.  There’s Drama all over the tape. It’s a crazy tape! So, you can definitely check that tape on www.datpiff.com. Wille Da Kid: The Cure.  Oh, Shout out to Jo-Jo Simmons too. Be on the lookout for that mixtape too.AllHipHop.com:  Whoa… Jo-Jo Simmons! Really? Cause I know he’s dropping a album soon called, “ Most Improved Rapper”.DJ Woogie: Yeah!  He just text me, and I was supposed meet him in New York to talk about it in detail, but things been kinda hectic with my schedule. But, I’m definitely gonna put that tape out with him.

Jill Scott: A Short Convo

2010 may turn out to be a career year for the irrepressible Jill Scott. The critically-acclaimed vocalist is set to co-headline a much anticipated tour with platinum crooner Maxwell, which will kick off in May. There’s her starring role in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married, Too? a film sequel that’s managed to sidestep lukewarm reviews by raking in more than $30 million over the weekend—$5 million more than initial estimates. And then there’s Scott’s upcoming album The Light of The Sun, a summer project that she calls her most experimental and sensual album to date. But lately it seems the veteran performer has been grabbing just as many headlines for her candid views on everything from interracial marriage to her dislike for T-Pain’s Auto-Tune contingent. As usual, Scott doesn’t fail to disappoint.

VIBE: Tyler Perry is quite the polarizing figure when it comes to critics and movie fans. What do you think has been his overall impact? Jill Scott: Tyler gives all of us a real opportunity to be people. Just people, not particularly Black people. You see the color of us, the shape of us, the size of us, you see all of those things. You see the entire entity. And I appreciate that. Maybe not in everything, but the [Why Did I Get Married films] allowed us to be shown just as couples going through some stuff. You can be any race in the same roles and it wouldn’t really matter. We are discussing marriage. We just so happen to be Black.

You’ve been pretty up front about your apprehensive view of marriage following your divorce and broken engagement. Did you use any of that emotional turmoil for the Why Did I Get Married films? During the first film, I was going through a divorce. So, yes, you use everything in your life as an actor. That’s our job, as crazy as it is, to use our experiences just to make the scene work. I’m a method actor as well as a method singer. Whatever it takes, it really doesn’t matter.

What’s been most surprising about recording your new album? Making this album has been very freeing because I normally labor over what I say and how I say it. I think it could be the time in my life; it could be my son… I don’t know, but there are things coming out of my mouth. I’m like, Hey! There are some catch phrases that I know women and men are going to use. I like this energy. I’m on a little more rock this time. There is some swag up in there and some sensuality that even makes me blush [Laughs].

Wow, Jilly from Philly is getting it in, huh? Well, I listened to some things a few days ago and I was like, “I can’t believe I just said that!” Like I said, I’m a method vocalist. So sometimes in the course of the record, I even have to drink a little more [Laughs] to get a little loose. I don’t know what I’m going to say, but I want to say it. There’s a bubbling in my gut to speak. This is the project that really defines who I am as a person. 

You started off as a poet in Philadelphia in the early ’90s and you’ve also dabbled in writing rhymes. Do you find yourself breaking into a spontaneous freestyle when you’re alone at the house? [Laughs] We do freestyle in the studio. It’s not something I would share with everybody. Sometimes I come off the head. But I’m not an MC. I’m a poet and a vocalist. But I have to add that I’m ready to hear some real MCs. Please, I beg of you. Just say something, give me a story. It can’t all be about money and women. That’s why I love what Jay Electronica is doing. He is so fresh with the lyrics. He is the truth. —Keith Murphy for Vibe.com

Andre Berto: Staking His Welterweight Claim

Three months ago, Andre Berto had the biggest fight of his career in front of him. On January 30, Berto was set to face Shane Mosley in an opportunity to become one of the premier stars of the welterweight division.

Then tragedy struck.

A devastating 7.0 earthquake ravaged Berto’s native Haiti, resulting in the death of 8 relatives a little over 2 weeks before fight night. Distraught and unable to focus on combat, Berto decided to withdraw from the fight, paving the way for Mosley to face Floyd Mayweather on May 1.

Today, Andre Berto’s mind is clear and back on boxing. This weekend, the WBC titlist seeks to put the division back on notice in a risky comeback bout against southpaw spoiler Carlos Quintana, who holds upset victories over previously undefeated standouts Paul Williams and Joel Julio. If he succeeds in spectacular fashion, are superstars like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao next in line?

 

AllHipHop.com: You lost 8 family members in the January Haiti earthquake. With such a devastating emotional loss just a few months ago, what made you know this weekend was the time to make your in-ring return?

Andre Berto: Yeah, I went back to Haiti to give aid. And I had to take some time to get my mind right. I took about 6 weeks to reflect on things in Haiti. It was an intense trip and needed my mind together. Now I’m focused and it’s time to get back in there.

AllHipHop.com: When you went down to Haiti after the quake, what did you witness?

Berto: It was crazy, just completely different from my last experiences. It was like a war zone. A lot of planes were coming in trying to bring cargo and supplies. Walking through the streets you saw building after building just crushed and pancaked down to the floor. In the hospitals and streets I helped, and saw a lot of death and broken bones, man. A lot of pain. At the same time, I saw the strength of a lot of people who survived. They adapted and did the best they could under the circumstances.

 

AllHipHop.com: Not that Haiti isn’t front page news anymore, do you still see a lot of people as you tour the States still devoting energy to the essential rebuilding period?

Berto: I always figured that would happen news-wise. But I still see a lot of people showing the effort. There are still a lot of nurses and doctors going there to help. So the support is still there where it counts.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s move on to the fight this Saturday (April 10) against Carlos Quintana. Was he the first pick for you and your team?

Berto: They brought me a few names. But I think Quintana is a fighter with good credibility. There’s bigger name guys that I wanted to fight, but those guys in my division are already tied up with matches so I had to fall back on that. So that made Quintana the best available competitor regarding quality at this time.

 

 

AllHipHop.com: Now how are you approaching this fight? Quintana has 2 losses, and the one that stands out to me in particular is the Cotto loss where Miguel walked him down. Is that something you’re looking at being that you’re likely to be stronger than him?

Berto: That’s true, [but] there’s a lot of different ways of going about it. Cotto walked him down with power. Paul Williams caught him with a long shot. I’ll have to have different strategies. Sometimes he likes to stand there and bang it out. Everybody knows that’s my forte. And the same time, he also likes to move around and box. So I’ll be ready for anything he tries to bring to the table. I know how to box, bang, have power, so I have all the tools needed to come out with the victory.

AllHipHop.com: This will be your third consecutive fight with a southpaw, and your second fight since your 2009 Fight of the Year candidate with Luis Collazo. What have you learned since that encounter about how to handle southpaws?

Berto: The Collazo fight I didn’t take it as serious and that was almost my downfall. That’s normally what older fighters count on, and that was the first time I ever did that. I kind of got on my high horse and on fight night he came and brought it. I know how to fight southpaws, and have been doing so for years and training with guys like Winky Wright. I had to get back on the grind.

And then when I had the fight with Juan Urango I made it look easy. So I just had to get focused and with the gameplan.

AllHipHop.com: Before the fight with Shane Mosley was canceled, you had built some animosity towards him after Mosley proclaimed he’d end your career. Is there still beef there or do you know just look at it as words said just to hype the fight?

Berto: It kind of ruffled my feathers because I know how Mosley is. Before he showed good faith towards me, always at my fights and praised me. He always tried to be close to me and said I reminded him of himself when he was young. So he had some real off the wall things to say about me, and I knew that wasn’t him.

But recently he’s still doing things out of his character due to the guys around him. They’ve been pumping him up. But he has a big fight coming up with Floyd, but if he ever gets in the ring with me I’ll handle him.

AllHipHop.com: What direction is your camp looking to head in after the Quintana fight? The scene is a lot different from when you last fought: Margarito is gone, [Zab] Judah is out of the welterweight picture…

Berto: Yeah, but there’s still a lot of opportunities out there still. But right now my focus is on Quintana. We’ll have to get past this and it is a tough fight. But after that I expect a lot of big fights. The welterweight division is the hottest in boxing and the one to watch.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s get your prediction on the upcoming superfight with Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley.

Berto: It’s going to be a good fight, man. It’s tough to call. Mosley has the speed and the power. Floyd has everything else. Floyd is very technical, and if Shane lets him get in his groove and comfortable, it’s going to be a long night for Mosley. But if Mosley imposes his speed, size, and strength, it might be a tough fight for Floyd. But I’m leaning towards Floyd in this one.

AllHipHop.com: The Everlast shirt you’ve been marketing looks really good. Is that a design you came up with yourself?

Berto: Yeah, we pretty much did that as a relief fund right after the earthquake hit. All proceeds go to that. Tons of people purchased it and showed their support. It’s on Everlast and we’ve been doing our part on my site to continue that awareness.

AllHipHop.com: I remember you issued Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocino to a charity boxing match last year. Did he ever answer you?

Berto: [Laughs] I saw him out in LA recently. It’s still up to him. He’s always up to a lot of different challenges. Maybe this summer we can get something together for charity. But yeah, I still haven’t forgot!

AllHipHop.com: Has HBO or anyone else approached you about locking up with Paul Williams. You guys are both young and even though he jumps around in weight, his claims he can still make the welterweight limit if need be.

Berto: I’ve heard about it, but me and Paul have the same team when it comes to the management end [Author’s Note: Both are managed by Al Haymon, who also works with Floyd Mayweather]. So they’re trying to keep us away from each other unless there is a lot of money in the pot to grab. Right now we are in separate lanes doing our things.

AllHipHop.com: Closing thoughts for the Knockout Nation readers?

Berto: Everybody make sure they tune in on April 10. It’s going to be an event! It’s a special card so don’t miss it.

Andre Berto vs. Carlos Quintana airs this Saturday (April 10) at 10:30PM EST. The card follows the 10PM debut of Mayweather-Mosley 24/7.