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Maurice ‘Mo Betta’ Brown: Hornification

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Alternatives
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From the windy city of Chicago’s and its blues, to the muddy banks of the Mississippi Delta in New Orleans and it’s jazz, to the concrete streets of Bedstuy, Brooklyn and it’s Hip-Hop, those in the know will tell you that Maurice “Mobetta” Brown is one of the best horn players on the planet. “Mobetta”, as they call him, has thoroughly been putting it down for music heads for years and now he’s back with a follow up to his 2004’s crossover release “Hip to Bop.”

A top ten release on the jazz charts at its time, the album is widely regarded as a contemporary jazz classic and an unbelievably sophisticated debut album for such a young musician.

Now Maurice Brown is giving listeners “The Cycle of Love.” The concept album takes listeners on a jazzy yet be-bop and Hip-Hop infused journey through the emotions and stages of love.

While the average Hip-Hop listener has likely heard the sounds of “Mobetta” unknowingly, in the jazz and soul world, Maurice Brown is considered a pioneer with respect to the melodic sounds he has been able to create and currently he is what many regard as the “first call” horn player in New York for Hip-Hop and R&B songs.

Jazz, soul, or Hip-Hop, Maurice “Mobetta” Brown has been nailing studio sessions in all three genres, collaborating with likes of artists such as Aretha Franklin, The Roots, Wyclef Jean, John Legend, De La Soul, Cee-Lo and Musiq Soulchild to name a few, guiding the listeners with what he calls “hornificaiton”.

Leaving New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the Bedstuy, Brooklyn resident is a member of the Brooklyn Jazz Hall of Fame and he continues to gain accolades across the industry for his arranging and songwriting capabilities. AllHipHop.com sat down to talk with Maurice about his success in the industry and his upcoming releases on his own label, Brown Records. Take a look at this Q and A with one of the industry’s most talented trumpet players.

AllHipHop.com: What good man? Where you at right now?

Mobetta: I’m in Bedstuy, Brooklyn. I’m over here in the heart of it all you could say.

AllHipHop.com: I appreciate you taking the time to link up with me. So getting into things here, you have your own label, right?

Mobetta: Yea, right now I am really focused on this project right now. It is definitely my plan to take on more artists later but I got to put this project out and I have another project after this one that I am putting out called “Mobetta & Soul’d U Out.” It is definitely my plan to come out with more music later, but I am focused on the “Cycle of Love” album right now. It’s a lot of work that goes into having your own label, but you definitely reap the benefits later.

AllHipHop.com: Right, so you’re originally from Chicago, you moved to New Orleans, essentially a “Jazz Mecca”, now you’re in Brooklyn, New York. What has the journey been like man? Can you describe the music in each city and how that’s shaped your style?

Mobetta: Yea man, it’s been an incredible journey. You know Chicago is the home of the blues, so there’s a lot of blues going on in Chicago, that’s a big part of my foundation. Then when I moved to New Orleans and that’s when I got to really soak up the culture and start getting a lot of the soulfulness, like the melodies, and getting the party going. That’s what New Orleans is all about. Every time I played there it was like I was the hypeman. I played and I got the party going. In New York, its like the best of the best are here so its like I was really able to refine my style here in New York. I was able to take all the element of each city and now here you have Maurice “Mobetta” Brown.

AllHipHop.com: You left New Orleans after Katrina was devastated right?

Mobetta: Yea I had to leave. I left all my stuff behind. I had nothing to come back to. So I said I might as well go to New York. I was planning on making the journey up here anyways but that definitely gave me a good kick to get me going.

AllHipHop.com: Now prior to that, you released the critically acclaimed “Hip to Bop” in 2004. How did that change your career? Looking back how did that album impact your career.

Mobetta: That album was definitely my start in the music business. A lot of people are putting their own albums out in jazz now, but I was doing it in 2004. I was one of the pioneers of putting out your own albums out in the Jazz game. If you looked up there on jazz charts; I was in the top ten next to Virgin and Blue Note.

AllHipHop.com: How did you do that? How did you compete with such heavy hitters like that as a smaller independent label?

Mobetta: The main piece to my success is that I do a lot of collaborations and I also do a lot of production. So I am really well connected in the industry with a lot of people. I am one of the first call horn guy in New York City right now.

“Daydreams” – Maurice Brown LIVE at the Harlem Gatehouse from Adam Barton on Vimeo.

I do all the horns for Wyclef Jean, Atlantic Records, so I’m on like Talib’s “Eardrum”, Aretha Franklin’s stuff, De La Soul’s new album, I did a project Nike put out, just got done with Cee-Lo, Musiq Soulchild, so I am all over the place. I did VH1 Honors, The Roots, Questlove.

AllHipHop.com: The Roots always cover different songs. What do you play when you play with The Roots? Do you jam out or do you have songs that you cover?

Mobetta: Oh man, it’s totally a big jam every time with The Roots. You never know where we are going to go. We always have a plan, but the band is such a vibe band, we go wherever the music takes us when I play with them.

AllHipHop.com: Who would you say that influences you or what Hip-Hop groups do you like that are out now.

Mobetta: I definitely like older Hip-Hop with more content and quality, but I definitely like what’s out now. I’m in to whatever catches my ear at the moment. Sometimes I will go with the more commercial stuff that everyone likes. I love Jay, Kanye and Talib, but I also look at production. I really like a lot of what DangerMouse is doing and a lot of his collaborations and what he does with Gnarles Barkley. Broken Bell the new group he has going on. There is just so much.

AllHipHop.com: What’s in your iPod?

Mobetta: [Laughs] I have so much music man, being a producer, I have music dating back man. If you saw my iPod you would trip out! I have a lot of soul, a lot of funk, and a lot of Hip-Hop.

AllHipHop.com: Yea so I saw you got the chance to work with Aretha.

Mobetta: Yea man I went in and arranged all the horns for her song in collaboration with John Legend. Produced by Gable Springsteen, he’s the Grammy nominated producer who did the song “Diamonds are Forever” for Kanye West. I basically went in there wrote some horn lines and arranged the horns section for the song and went in there and nailed it. They were really happy with it.

The key thing for me is that my melodies are really catchy. So that’s one of the things in the industry that people really like. Sometimes the horn line in a song is the only thing that you remember.

AllHipHop.com: So speaking of horns, you coined the term “hornification”, can you tell me about that term?

Mobetta: Yea “hornification” is basically what I do man. I come in to a session. They ask for horns and most of the time its just me by myself, they don’t have a whole horn section. So I come in and end up doing a lot of overdubs. I do the high horns, the middle horns, the lower horns, I bust out the flugelhorn which is a deeper sounding trumpet kind of like a cross between the trombone and trumpet, so I lay that down. Then it just allows the producer to master thick sounds like Earth, Wind and Fire horns, kind of, but with definitely a more Hip-Hop swag on it.

AllHipHop.com: You mentioned that you worked with Wyclef Jean. He is known to be in the studio for long hours and to be a great producer. Can you tell me about that?

Mobetta: Working with Wyclef and Jerry Wonder, that’s his main man, the bassist and producer. It has been incredible, I have picked up so many production tips from them. They are very musical people. They put music first before anything else.

The one interesting thing about Wyclef and his production that I find different from a lot of people is that he likes to record more from an old school approach as far as a live band. They start off as a live band and jam and then find the best moments and then they put it all together that way. Then they track it out so that’s why all of their music has such an organic feel to it.

AllHipHop.com: Right, that’s cool man. So you have been elected into the Brooklyn Jazz Hall of Fame and you have only lived in New York since Katrina, about 5 years. That’s unbelievable considering you haven’t even been in the city that long.

Mobetta: What is cool is when I was in New Orleans I got the Big Easy Contemporary Jazz Award, so that means I was representing contemporary jazz in New Orleans. I had the biggest club out there selling out, two shows every Tuesday. For 2 or 3 years I was doing that, I was selling out and that was really cool. I also got the New Orleans All Star Award.

So basically I settled down for a little bit. I am not so much searching for some place to get known, I am actually bringing something. When I got here people knew who I was, people were like, “Oh Maurice Brown is here in New York now?” From there on, I really got deep into the scene, I hooked up with Craig Kallman, the Chairmam and CEO of Atlantic Records, and he asked me to be the musical director for Laura Izibor for a whole year. She is a new artist on Atlantic, that was cool, my band backed her up until the end of 2009 and I had to stop because I have my international tour that I have set up where we are going all over the place. I’m going to Jakarta for the Java Jazz Festival; John Legend will be there, Tony Braxton. I am going to New Delhi, India, France, Croatia and Spain twice this year.

The journey continues man.

Mobetta: Yea with my label I have international distribution so my record is going to be everywhere with that. I already started pre-orders on my website, and my fans have been going on there and buying the album in advance. I have had so many pre-orders that it has basically been paying for all of my distribution costs for my album to get everywhere. So the fans basically have been paying for me to take “Cycle of Love” and spread it everywhere.

AllHipHop.com: Got to be exciting going forward.

Mobetta: Yea it’s an incredible feeling. Just being able to represent music and jazz in general. A lot of times people take jazz and may feel its too heavy, but the music that I write is very accessible and based on a pop form. So when you hear the melodies they are so catchy that it sounds like you heard them before. It’s like its own thing. It’s bigger than me, the music itself so it is a very humbling experience.

I definitely am living my dream and I definitely feel blessed. I don’t take it for granted to be able to touch people’s souls. It’s definitely a responsibility.

AllHipHop.com: That is something that people in Hip-Hop definitely don’t always take into consideration. The ability to touch people’s soul is serious.

Mobetta: It’s a huge responsibility, and you know your ego can get in the way sometimes, but you know you have to check yourself and let yourself know that this is all bigger than me. I am just a vessel here to deliver this message at this moment. I am the chosen one at this moment. I am definitely on the road and its incredible bro.

I am also doing a music video, which is very different for jazz. I am doing the video for the single “Time Tick Tock”, that has been an awesome experience. I also have a documentary that is coming out soon with Adam Bartran. So I think that will reach people too.

AllHipHop.com: How did you pick “Time Tick Tock” as your first single for your new album “Cycle of Love”?

Mobetta: For me the reason that I picked it was because there were a lot of songs that I thought could have been a single but I didn’t want to give off a certain vibe. But “Time Tick Tock” was the most “stop you in your tracks” type song that I though would make listeners stop and want to check out the album completely. The whole thing behind “Time Tick Tock” and the album “The Cycle of Love“ that its my interpretation of the different stages that we go through on our journey and quest for true happiness as individuals. So each song is a different stage in the cycle of love. So it’s a concept album, and that’s one of the reasons that it took me so long to put another album out since the last one. Since the hurricane, Hurricane Katrina put me back a little bit, but I didn’t just want to put out an album with just two or three songs. I just wanted to make an album where you would be able to just put it on and let it play through. So I really feel like everyone is really going to feel this album.AllHipHop.com: Do you have any collaboration that you are excited about coming up?

Time Tick Tock Teaser from Adam Barton on Vimeo.Mobetta: I did the remix for Puffy’s “Angels” with Jerry Wonder, but I got a lot of stuff coming up man. The next album is going to be the “Mobetta & Soul’d U Out.” album where there are singers and I am rapping on it. I think you are def going to feel that. On my current album, Chris Rob in on the keys, he used to rock with John Legend and went out with Stevie Wonder for a second.

Each of the guys on my album are not so much jazz names but they are more popular in the R&B and Hip-Hop world. AllHipHop.com: Gives music and Hip-Hop fans a lot to look forward to. A nice little network of musicians in New York collaborating can only be a good thing. Makes for some excellent music. Mobetta: The mailing list I have is sick and my crew does too. So most likely if there is a show up here and we all blast it all over the place like, “This is where it is, this is where it’s going down, ” 9 times out of 10 it’s going to be sold out.

This album is not your normal jazz album at all. Its definitely a cross over album to connect the dots to get people prepared for the “Mobetta & Soul’d U Out.” album that I am going to do. I didn’t want to go straight to the “Soul’d U Out.” album because I felt it was important for people to understand where I am coming from. So if they look at “Hip to Bop”, to “To The Cycle of Love”, “Soul’d U Out.” is next in the progression.

Jacki-O Prepping Autobiography ‘Relentless’

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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(AllHipHop News) Jacki-O will jump into the literary world with the release of her upcoming autobiography, Relentless.

The book will detail her rise to fame as a rapper to her work with people with disabilities as an Ambassador for the non-profit group Community Options.

Relentless is Jacki-O’s second book. Her first release, Grown & Gangsta, was released in 2008.

In April, Jacki-O will be in Mississippi April 15-17th as the headliner for Hip Hop and Books’ reading events throughout the state.

“It’s great to be coming back to Mississippi,” Jacki-O said. “The people showed me so much love, and I’m glad to be meeting my fans again and talking about the importance of reading.”

Other artists participating in Hip Hop and Books’ events include Jermnine Demouchette (James Demouchette Vs. The State of Texas) and Mr. Mean Mug (Tattoo Tears).

The schedule for Jacki-O and the Hip Hop and Books’ reading events are as followed:

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010

* 8:30-10:30a.m., Peeples Middle School (Jackson, MS)

* 11:30-12:30p.m., Morrison Academic Center (Jackson, MS)

* 2-4p.m., Meet and Greet/Signing @ Medgar Evers Library (4215 Medar Evers Blvd *Jackson, MS)

* 6-8p.m., Meet and Greet/Signing @ Appetizers Restaurant (3086 HWY 80 E * Pearl, MS)

FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2010

* 1-3p.m., Meet and Greet/Signing @ Pearl Public Library 2416 Old Brandon Road * Pearl, MS)

* 6-8p.m., Meet and Greet/Signing @ Appetizers Restaurant (3086 HWY 80 E * Pearl, MS)

SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 2010

* 12-3p.m., Hip Hop and Books Rally at Smith Park (Downtown Jackson, MS)

40 Glocc Lands Major Distribution Deal For Zoo Life Ent.

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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(AllHipHop News) After years of releasing mixtapes and developing a strong presence on the Internet, rapper 40 Glocc has landed a distribution deal with Fontana, the independent distribution arm for the Universal Music Group.

The West Coast rapper’s Zoo Life Entertainment will be distributed exclusively by Fontana. Artists currently on the roster include Gail Gotti, Village Boo, Lil Boo, Locie Locc and TipToe.

“I’m happy to be in business with Fontana and staff and glad my business hand and grind was respected enough to bring my Zoo Life label and brand amongst the world and cater to the fans independently,” 40 Glocc told AllHipHop.com in a statement. “Fontana is the way to go for me and the vision I have for my company…”

The debut release under 40 Glocc’s new union with Fontana is titled N.W.A. (New World Agenda).

“Everyone at Fontana is looking forward to working with someone so incredibly focused on his music and winning as 40 Glocc,” stated Fontana President, Ron Spaulding. “He is not only one of the most acclaimed West Coast Hip-Hop artists, but he’s also a true innovator whose label has come far in a relatively short period of time. Through our new collaboration, we will work with 40 Glocc to expand the playing field for Zoo Life across all mediums and platforms even further.”

Two new singles are also slated to hit the streets this month. “Damn” features Reality King and Ray J., while “Welcome to California” features a variety of remixes with major West Coast artists like Xzibit, MC Eiht, Kurupt, Mistah F.A.B., Yukmouth, Messy Marv, E-40 and others.

Hip-Hop Rumors:40 Glocc vs Young Money Part 3 Zillion! UK Denies Termanology!

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

TERMANOLOGY DENIED UK ENTRANCE!?

OK, I got some people hitting me up complaining about too many Jay-Z mentions. Well, tell me something that you want to see on the page! I can’t help it if Jay-Z appears on the rumors page a lot! I just write what I hear going on and apparently a lot of other people don’t have a lot going on! Oh, what does Jay-Z have to do with this? Nothing, but underground rappers have some things of note. For example, I was told that rapper Termanology was slated to go to the UK for a tour and all of a sudden, he was denied entry at the border or something.

40 GLOCC VS YOUNG MONEY PART 3, 398!

Uh oh….I am hearing something may be brewing and I hope it is not brewing. Let me see if I can get this right…I mean, wrong. No, serious…this is what I am getting. Apparently, some people in Young Money are not “scared” of 40 Glocc and his chin-checking ways. What I mean is, that lil’ incident where Lil Wayne didn’t get out of the SUV is making them look bad to this day. So, I heard Short Dawg is not on Young Money. Not Too Short. Short Dawg, the dude that was signed to Russell Simmons post-Def Jam label. So, I heard that Short Dawg has been taking some shots at 40 Glocc and others he’s down with. He’s not pleased with the “publicity” that they have been getting at the expense of Lil Wayne. Was Baby in that SUV too? I was never clear on that, but people were telling me he was. AnyWAY…what is that point in all of this? I don’t know, but let me continue anyway. This seems to boil down to a chain and about $7,000, which was stolen from somebody named T-Streets who is down with Lil Wayne. From what I understand he was robbed at a video for Lil Twist and Lil Chuckee. People are saying that somebody down with 40 Glocc took the chain. And guess what? They are all going to be down at SXSW in Austin next week. Pray for peace.

LIL WAYNE’S GOT AN ESCORT IN JAIL

Check out what I saw on Vibe.com:

Sources tell VIBE that contrary to some reports, Lil Wayne’s attorney requested protective custody for the rapper. However, there is technically no such thing at Rikers. In order to accommodate Weezy, he will be housed in general population at the Eric M. Taylor Center alongside inmates with similar safety risks. He’ll be shadowed with an escort wherever he goes.

“If he leaves for a haircut, the law library or play in the yard he will be escorted by a captain with a panic button on his belt to call for back up if Wayne gets attacked,” says a Rikers Island insider.

Every hour, Wayne will have the option to roam the quarters with his escort in tow, or be securely locked in his cell. The corridor where he is housed is currently holding 18 other inmates with a day room with a TV on one end.

ILLSEED’S QUICKIES

The dude Sammy “Scammy” Adams say that he really did indeed sell those 75k on iTunes. I never heard of dude until yesterday so I’m not writing about it any more.

I don’t care, but I hope he is legit.

Ne-Yo has been sued for over $700k for missing a show in Trinidad.

Stacey Dash said that she had sex on the first night with all of her…three husbands. Uhmmm…she may want to wait a while next time, unless her next man is illseed.

SIGNS THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END

OH MAN. I swear on everything, people are losing all sense of morality! Here is the latest in a series of SICK EVENTS. Paterson, NJ is on blast right now! A father and husband in Paterson stands accused of raping his five daughters and impregnating three of them in years of torture and domestic terrorism. YES…this is happening in our backyards, people! The man is 51 and is a crafty devil. After they were on his trail, he moved the entire family to avoid the authorities. This carried on for over a decade. He cut his family off from the outside world. The man now faces trial and everybody is trying to put him under a very big jail. His former wife said that he was trying to keep is daughters “pure” by having sex with them, keeping the bloodline in the family. OH-KAY. Oddly, his wife said the following according to the AP: “He said the world was going to end and it was just going to be him and his offspring and that he was chosen.” So, he’s got 6 kids from three of his daughters. Kids and grandkids at the same time. Sick. This dude is so sick, they aren’t even telling HIS name, because it will taint his kids, grandkids and wife for the rest of their lives.

EPIC FAIL OF THE DAY

I thought this dude was the All-American boy, but he said a woman that accused him of beating her…actually…”fell.” Roethlisberger go sit down somewhere until camp starts. You are in too much trouble. Peep the parody.

DISSING SOULJAH BOY?

Jason Fox? I’m not sure I know who that is. Anyway, he’s the dude of the moment that is dissing Soulja Boy.

RHYMEFEST’S FAIL

Rhymefest records at New York’s legendary Baseline Studios w/ super-producer Just Blaze.

Problems arise when Fest has unexplained troubles in the recording booth.

JAY-Z RUMORS, 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.

Sphere.Inline.search(“U4RJN4PF”);

Jay-Z To Attend Nets Groundbreaking Ceremony; Protests Expected

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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(AllHipHop News) Jay-Z is expected to attend a ground breaking ceremony for the Nets’ new arena in Brooklyn today (March 11) at Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn, New York.

The rapper, who owns a percentage of the team, will be joined by developer Bruce Ratner, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson to break ground on the construction for the construction of the Barclays Center, an 18,000-seat arena.

While some may welcome The Nets to Brooklyn, other property owners are planning to boycott today’s ceremony.

Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn will protest today in addition to challenging the project in court over private land being used by the state to develop the area.

Over 22 businesses and residents near Atlantic Yards will be evicted by the state if they do not voluntarily vacate their property by April 1st.“I am angry with our so-called political leaders who proudly stand by their abuse of power,” Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn spokesman Daniel Goldstein told New York’s NBC Channel 4. The Nets will begin playing at the new Barclay’s Center in 2012.

DJ Khaled Hits #1; Celebrates ‘Victory’

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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(AllHipHop News) Miami’s DJ Khaled latest fourth studio album Victory has landed at #1 on this week’s Billboard Independent Chart.

The album, which is Khaled’s fourth chart topping indie effort, moved almost 28,000 copies since its release on March 2nd.

Additionally, the album has already generated over 300,000 transactions.

“I’m so happy to have my fourth #1 independent album,” DJ Khaled told AllHipHop.com. “I’m so happy that my new single is on its way to be platinum and #1! Putting out four albums with incredible music is amazing!”

Victory also landed at #2 on Billboard’s Rap Album Chart and #14 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart.

The album contains the singles “Fed Up” and DJ Khaled’s latest, “All I Do Is Win,” which features T-Pain, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg and Ludacris.

The video for “All I Do Is Win” was recently added into rotation on BET, MTV2 and MTV Jams.

“Shout out to all my fans and all the artist thank you for everything,” a humble DJ Khaled stated. “I’m so excited about my single ‘All I do is Win,’ its the anthem for 2010! We the best!”

Ludacris, Bill O’Reilly End 8-Year-Feud

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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(AllHipHop News) Atlanta rapper Ludacris and Fox TV talking head Bill O’Reilly ended their feud at recent event they both attended.

Ludacris confronted The O’Reilly Factor host when he noticed O’Reilly’s name on a guest list for the event.

“The first thing I said to him was, ‘I want to meet the guy who has had so much to say about me, but knows absolutely nothing about me’,” Ludacris told RadarOnline.com. “I identified that I wanted to speak to him when I saw his name on the guest list. I looked at what table he was on, and I walked my a** straight to that table.”

Ludacris said that O’Reilly wasn’t expecting to see him and that when he saw the rapper approaching, the look on his face was “priceless.”

The rapper explained that he had conversation with O’Reilly, who has frequently attacked Hip-Hop lyrics.

In 2002, O’Reilly helped get Ludacris dumped as a spokesman for Pepsi, after he ordered his viewers to boycott the soft drink maker for hiring the rapper. “The conversation we had was confidential, however, let’s just say it was a good conversation and good came out of it,” Ludacris told RadarOnline.

The pair even teamed up for a charity event recently, but it was kept a secret.

Nicki Minaj & More Rip The Runway With BET

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Lifestyle
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From Nicki Minaj to Pooch Hall to Estelle and Willie from Day 26, lots of celebs hit the red carpet at BET’s annual fashion extravaganza, Rip The Runway. DrJays.com Live correspondent Modi made sure to ask everyone about the memorable (and not so memorable) fashion moments in their careers – check out the footage below!Who was your favorite artist? Rip The Runway, hosted by Pooch Hall and Nicki Minaj, airs on March 15 at 10/9c on BET.

French Montana & Bun B: Obama, Max B, Lady Gaga, Video & Music

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Features
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AllHipHop caught up with French Montana and Bun B in a sprawling condo on the set of the new French song “Bad Habits.” This is the first collaboration for the pair, but its not likely to be the last.

AllHipHop.com: So first of all can you tell us, tell Allhiphop.com and all the people watching how you guys got together? It seems like an unlikely pair.  

Bun B: Nah, we got a common friend, Akon. Akon is a friend of mine recorded on the last UGK album. Of course he’s signed to Konvict Music. I happened to be in Miami when ‘Kon and Pitbull was shooting the video “Shut it Down,” and of course French was in the building, we just chopped it up. We had mutual respect. I had seen him doing his thing by himself, doing his thing with Max [B]. You know me, I was doing my thing with UGK. He was like, “We need to f**k around.” I have a list of cats that’s pre-approved, that can get a 16 [bar verse], and French was one of them. It was just a matter of time before we ended up in the same room. He hit me up, I just happened to be in the lab when he hit me, working on a new mixtape. He’s like “I got the joint,” and I said “Send it over.” Then I sent it right back. He ain’t see that coming because whether I happened to be in the lab or not, I was feeling it. I sent it back and the rest is history. We in New York shooting the video. 

French Montana: Yeah, real talk. 

AllHipHop.com: So French how’s it feel to work with the legendary Bun B? 

French Montana: It’s a privilege man, it’s an honor. This is somebody. When I was in the trap listening to the King of the Trap.  

AllHipHop.com: Yeah, No Doubt.  

French Montana: This is someone you always looked up too. Rapper was the big homie man. Ain’t too much you can say man. The big homie, it is what it is. It’s just out of respect 

AllHipHop.com: We’re trying to get Bun to run for the Senate. 

All laugh

French Montana: A lot of dudes like Bun supposed to be doing what Bun is doing man. This is a perfect example that probably makes some of them like, “Yo, know what? I need to stop being bougie and really look out for those who deserve it.” Not everybody, but those who paved the way, those who’re doing real things. 

AllHipHop.com: We’re on the video set here, and we want to know, the concept of the video, the name of it, and what we’re going to see in a few weeks or months when it comes out. Can you speak on that? 

French Montana: The video is Bad Habits. Everybody got bad habits; drinking, smoking, whatever it is you do. You try to stop them but they keep coming back.  

Bun B: Keep trying to put this glass down, but I keep picking that yac up. [takes a sip out of a glass] 

French Montana: See what I’m saying? It keeps coming back. Once he heard it he liked the concept he just jumped on it. It’s a ill concept because everybody’s got that.  

AllHipHop.com: So what are ya’ll putting on a heist or what? (02:26) 

Bun B: Nah, the way I can see we just letting people ride the wave. So we showing them how we’re balling in the penthouse as you can see right now, 50th floor, and we’re going to show them the big cars. 

French Montana: Top of New York.  

Bun B: Like I said, we just showing how we ride the wave right now. I like the wave, I’m with that.  

French Montana: [Laughs] 

French Montana & Bun B – Behind The Scenes Of “Bad Habits”

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AllHipHop.com: For people that don’t know, we’re in the Trump Tower right now. Looking over the whole city of New York.  

Bun B: We’re not just in a hotel in downtown, we’re in the Trump Tower. This that 10 million dollar view right here.  

French Montana: I’m talking about glass steps, you might think you’re falling. Walking on water baby!  

Bun B: Walking the wave.  

AllHipHop.com: Speaking of wave, Max B, at least I believe, he popularized that phrase. I could be wrong.  

French Montana: Yeah. 

Bun B: Absolutely.  

AllHipHop.com: Could you give us a update on what’s going on with Max B? 

French Montana: Oh he good. His spirit is high. He in there hanging in the pill looking straight. You know the judge just gave him a date. He about to give him a date to go back to court, so keep prayers up, that’s all you can do. They try to sabotage rappers. You know it is what it is man. Free Max B!  

Bun B: Free Max B! 

AllHipHop.com: How you feel about that? It seems like every other day, T.I. goes in, somebody else comes out. Gucci goes in, Wayne’s going in…Do you really feel like somebody is really targeting rappers now? 

Bun B: We definitely on the radar, and we’ve been trying to tell cats for a long time that we was on the radar. Now people are really seeing it, that they’re really watching our every move. And what they want, they really want to catch us with big drugs and, really want to catch us merking somebody.  But, if they can lay us up a year behind some trumped up little charges, a little weed or, something like that, then they are going to take what they can get.  

French Montana: Stop showing all them guns online.  

Bun B: Real talk. They know we’re making an impact, they know we really talk to the streets, and they got a message that they trying to send that they don’t want us in the middle of. I’m a street dude, so they’ve been watching me for years. I’m on Rap-A-Lot so you know them black cars were following us for years. We’ve been rolling right and accordingly already, so I just been trying to put the young boys that’s coming in the game right now up on the game, just on how they need to move around. If you gotta go to a city…with a gun, if you ain’t got fam in that city that get you right and hold you down, you might not need to shoot around that way. Real talk.  

French Montana: Definitely. 

AllHipHop.com: And J Prince [owner of Rap-A-Lot Records], he dealt with it on a whole different level. 

Bun B: Yeah, that’s what I’m saying, black cars been following us, it’s just a matter of time before cats get pulled over, and don’t start sweating now. That’s just real talk. That’s just the world we live in. They tried to trump him up, on charges they didn’t stick. I tell my dudes everyday like, “Be smart about how you move,” and “You gotta move a certain way,” and you can’t move right like that then your probably don’t need to move that day.  

Bun B: Because somebody gonna get hemmed up, somebody can’t handle that time, or somebody gonna talk.  

AllHipHop.com: Now this seems like a union of generations and on the flip side it seems like there’s a lot of in-fighting going on in hip-hop right now. Can you guys speak on that a little bit? One example is Meth and Waka Flocka, they have words for each other a little bit.  

French Montana: That’s the funniest beef ever. [laughs] 

Bun B: I think the problem with that is just really miscommunication. We’re dealing with different generations of people that’s coming up through different times. I’m not gonna say nothing about what Waka said because he’s a grown man, if he needs to speak on his words, he can speak on them. We all grown, we all got our own opinions. I think we all just need to just chill and just do what we do. I don’t think young rappers need to have opinions about old rappers, and I don’t think old rappers need to have opinions about young rappers.  

I think if anything, it’s not like Waka don’t have respect for the generation before him because I know how he gonna give it up to me if he see me. But, at the same time, when you from my generation, you can’t go out and expect everybody to be able to relate to you and what you’ve done. For every Waka Flocka that may not look up to Method Man, there’s probably a 1,000 emcees that do. So I don’t think Meth need to lose no sleep over it. As far as Waka, he’s getting his money, so I know he ain’t losing no sleep over it. So I would just like for everybody to wake up tomorrow, and just keep pushing. I don’t see Wacka really having no beef with Method Man, I don’t really see Method Man having no beef with Waka Flocka. I think somebody said something that somebody might have not liked, somebody spoke back on it. Men is men, let’s move on and get money.  

French Montana: Get these lyrical rappers.  

AllHipHop.com: Yeah, yeah, Well Waka said –  

Bun B: Well, I ain’t gonna say diss lyrical rappers, but he, you know, talking about getting to the money. 

French Montana: Yeah, that’s right.  

Bun B: You know what I’m saying? But, you know, when people concentrate on lyricism and the artform, those are people that’s not concentrating on the money.  

French Montana: It’s just like hustling.  

Bun B: If they wanted to get the money, they could do what it takes to go and get that money. They can make their music, they choose to do something else. I give blessings to them and I give blessings to Waka, cause we all gonna eat, everybody is gonna eat. 

AllHipHop.com: You right about that. Now let me ask you guys musically, can you guys give us an update on what you’re doing? 

French Montana: I got that “Bad Habits”  that’s off the Mac & Cheese mixtape part two, DJ Drama, Gangster Grillz. It’s going to be coming out through Archer. And the album is coming out in summer, it’s called Excuse My French. That’s gonna be out real soon in summer, probably late summer it’s supposed to be dropping. We gonna keep cleaning the streets, man, give them what they need. I know Bun got the mixtape out right now.  

Bun B: No Mixtape (Bun’s new mixtape) baby! Yes sir! 

French Montana: Making history.  

Bun B: Trying to do something, man. 

French Montana: It looks different when you look at it. 

Bun B: Yeah, we just did it like a regular……[looks around] Where my copy went? What you did with that? AllHipHop.com: You said I can have it! 

Bun B: Naw, I’m just saying though! 

AllHipHop.com: Oh, aight, aight.  

Bun B: [holds up what looks like a homemade burned CD] You know what I’m saying, that’s the original packaging on it. We just did it like a cat making a CD. I get a lot of CDs handed to me like this, so I thought I would hand one back. We just trying to take it back to what cats did. Just put rhymes down, burnt the CD, and passed it out, hoped somebody felt it. That’s what I did, I put rhymes down, burnt it on a CD, and hope people feel it. I hope you feel that, Chuck.  

AllHipHop.com: Oh yes, you know, nobody’s getting this. [laughs] Now, Bun…last time we kicked it a little bit was at the Democratic National Convention out there in Denver. Watched Mr. Obama do a speech and we were both sending pictures out. Can you, in your esteemed opinion, give Mr. Obama a rating so far?  

Bun B: I personally think he’s doing a 9.5 job. Because nobody’s perfect, that’s the only reason why I wouldn’t give him a 10, because nobody’s perfect. He’s going to have his issues and problems and you definitely going to have people that don’t like you. It’s all good when people love you when the lights is flashing, and the cameras is on, and we all, having a big ball, and a big party, but then you know, when something goes wrong everybody’s quick to turn their back. 

But I think he’s doing a great job. I think personally with the first year he had was probably one of the roughest first year of any presidential administration. I think he handled it with poise. I think my man, he brought together the country, he brought together the party. I see real strong division in the republican party right now over conservatism, but with him, he brought the democrats together while the republicans are steady falling apart. I don’t think he’s a one term president. I think it’s too soon to be speaking on that. I think for the next two years he’s going to have the opportunity to really affect change in the country on different things. I know we concentrating on the health care bill and all that right now but, in the process of that, we’re going to get a lot of other things covered. And I think when it comes up time for reelection, we’re going to see what he put down, and we’re going to see the more potential he has to do more, and we’re going to elect him for another term.  

AllHipHop.com: I overheard you say you worked with Drake and Preemo on your new album. Can you speak on that?  

Bun B: Yeah, Preemo’s the homie man. Preemo’s been a good friend of me and Pimp C, long live the Pimp. Been a good friend of ours for years. We always had schedule conflicts since trying to work together on a UGK song. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to do anything as far as UGK was concerned, but we had a opportunity to do something on this album.  

Also working with Drake, of course, incredible young talent, taking the game by storm right now. We just really went in and tried to build up some s###. With me, it’s easy to send a hook and a verse over, but I kinda like to start things from scratch. That’s why the music with Drake is real organic, it sounds great. The stuff I’m doing with Justice League, and the stuff I’m doing with Premier, the stuff I’m doing with my man Steve Below, like, I’m not bringing in people to do hooks for me, if the producer has somebody that’s cool, but otherwise, I’m trying to build it from scratch. Start it from right there. I’m not bringing in pre-written rhymes or none of that. We’ve been able to make some real good music. I’m still going in right now, just left Miami working with Pharrell.  

AllHipHop.com: Yeah I saw the picture. 

Bun B: We put two in together yesterday, which was ill because the first song, he had the beat, and he had the idea for the hook, I played with it a little bit, and we put that down. And then the second one, he had a session with me, and he had a session with Shakira next door.  

AllHipHop.com: Okay.  

Bun B: So he went over to Shakira, when he came back I had laid like a whole other song on another beat, and he was like, “Naw we can’t even use this beat, this song too hard.” He’s like, “This might be the first first time I have to go and redo a beat because of the rhyme.” 

AllHipHop.com: Right.  

Bun B: You hear emcees redoing rhymes, but I never really heard of a producer having to redo a beat. So that’s some new s###…to me because believe it to me to beat the gave me was was hard. If you want to leave it alone I’m good, but if you want to change it, I’m better.  

AllHipHop.com: That’s what’s up.  

Bun B: You know.  

AllHipHop.com: And French, explain to me, working with Lady Gaga. She’s out the box regardless. 

French Montana: She’s out of here. I just got to put a blend to it, make sure we both connecting the same point.  

AllHipHop.com: Right, right, now is this for your album or your mixtape?  

French Montana: Nah nah nah, have Lady Gaga on the mixtape? Nah, that ain’t never gonna happen. Nah, Lady Gaga for the album. Doing that for the album. That’s going to be one of the singles, you know. I mean you talking about Gaga, you talking about a mil and a half a show. Like, that’s other kind of money. 

AllHipHop.com: Did ya’ll meet in the studio? 

French Montana: I met her at New Year’s, with ‘Kon. She had the New Year’s party, me and ‘Kon flew to Miami. Got with her Fountain Blue…She’s definitely a good person.  

AllHipHop.com: Yeah yeah, You know, she’s on the front page of everything. 

French Montana: Gaga’s that new. Gaga’s that other money, you know, like you can’t compare her to nobody. You talk about Madonna this and that, like, Gaga’s that new talent. Shout out to Gaga, shout out to everybody on Konvict, shout out to Akon. He’s definitely a mastermind behind a lot of good talent to come out. Shout out to him. We just going to keep making music, make it happen, we got the OG.

DMX Held Without Bond; Sheriff Calls For DMX To Do Time

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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(AllHipHop News) Rapper DMX will be held without bond in an Arizona jail until next week for violating his parole yesterday (March 9). DMX was arrested by the Adult Probate Department yesterday, after he was found to be in possession of cocaine.

In a court appearance yesterday, DMX accused police in Phoenix targeting him for arrest, harassing him and abusing his civil rights.

DMX is being held without bond until March 16th, when he will appear in front of a judge for a hearing.

DMX faces 5 unspecified counts of parole violation.

Joe Arpaio, Phoenix’s self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff in America,” is calling for DMX to serve serious prison time.

“We’ve been treating him with kid gloves. I think its about time to give him hard time,” Sheriff Arpaio said.

Netflix: The Future of The Music Business

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Uncategorized
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A few weeks ago, thanks to a gift from my big brother (and only a 20 minute sales pitch) I finally came out of the stone ages, better known as On Demand cable viewing, and entered Netflix nation. Now, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what the previous era had to offer in terms of channel variety. But similar to the feeling I get enjoying the many genre options of satellite radio only to get frustrated by an hour or so of badly programmed music; waiting and hoping every few weeks or each month for whomever selects the rotating playlist of cable’s premium viewing to get it right, is like gambling in Vegas – you lose more often than you win, and either way you’re never really in control.

I’ve known of Netflix for years, self-described as, “With more than 12 million subscribers, Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] is the world’s largest subscription service streaming movies and TV episodes over the Internet and sending DVDs by mail. For $8.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited TV episodes and movies streamed to their TVs and computers and can receive unlimited DVDs delivered quickly to their homes.” But what I never appreciated about them, until now, is the real business that Netflix is in – placing creative artistic works in hierarchies and categories that add value to them. In other words, it is not as much the movies and shows themselves that people value when subscribing to Netflix it is also the way the movies are 1) released and presented (listed by category and described clearly) 2) packaged and made available (through the mail as DVDs or instantly on your screen) 3) priced (the subscription options feel like an all-you-can eat buffet with the doggy bag!) and allow you to 4) ‘select’ the content (you don’t wait on the anonymous On Demand programmer to guess the right flicks each month).

It is these four areas that Netflix excels at, which the music industry has collapsed under the weight of, the past 10 years.

Certainly there are a few significant differences between the movie and music industries but there are a great many more similarities that allow for general comparisons that show that the music industry is going to have to arrive at some kind of a ‘Netflix’ solution’ if it is not only going to survive but thrive this decade.

The music business has three problems. First it simply won’t accept that music is a commodity now and it doesn’t know how to make music a complimentary ingredient in a larger offering. The second problem comes from the 1st one – because the industry wants to keep selling ‘music,’ alone, it wastes its time trying to determine its price by dominating the supply of music, trying to make it harder to get, in a world of technology that makes it more and more available and easier to produce (for more on this see my AllHipHop Hip Hopppreneur commentary, “The Free Era: Music As Ingredient, Not Main Course”). The third problem is created by the second – because the industry tries to limit the supply of music in order to make it more valuable, it has ended up fighting technological platforms – mp3, satellite radio, streaming Internet media – that would have allowed it to bundle music as part of offerings where it would become more valuable, not less.

And in a classic example of not knowing your friends from your enemies, the industry mistook the marketing phenomenon known as the CD mixtape and the community and taste-making institution known as the Mom & Pop Record store as threats, going to war with both before thinking through the consequences – there was nothing to replace them or the sales they helped generate in the industry’s leading genre – rap music.

Want more details of the suicide mission the major record labels have been on? How about the over 30 years of existence of the music video without ever figuring out a way to sell it?

The industry has all of the elements it needs to be a success, it only needs to get its foot out of its own way, rid itself of some prehistoric dinosaur-like individuals who want to keep doing things the wrong way and accept that some creative destruction is in order (practices, traditions, companies and whole business models have to go, and now).

Here’s how it could start.

The business has to realize that its future lies not in the four major record labels – Warner, Universal, Sony and EMI – but in the integration (not merger) of the best of five entrepreneurial ventures: Spotify, Rhapsody, iTunes, VEVO, and Promo Only.

Spotify (which is not available yet in the U.S.) and Rhapsody may not survive on their own but their category/hierarchy and subscription-based model is the future of the industry if record labels, moguls, and entrepreneurs realize that you can sell music if you bundle it properly. Spotify and Rhapsody, even more than iTunes, beautifully place music in categories and hierarchies that allow the customer to search and bump into creative works in attractive and intriguing ways helping them become their own program director, A&R, or record store owner (remember her/him? the expert you trusted who could always influence you to try something new or old you had never heard of). Similar to how Netflix nudges you in the direction of a good film, show or documentary, Spotify and Rhapsody (if it can get its tech issues together) are the best hope of the industry to add value to music as a commodity with a pay model that works – not purely advertising and not free – if priced right. Cooperating with iTunes and the iPod rather than competing with them makes sure that the subscription based model has mobility (people can take and enjoy the music where they want, and are not forced to be near a computer or accept a product that is not as good as what Apple offers).

VEVO (the service launched by Sony and Universal powered by YouTube, that makes the videos of its artists’ available) and Promo Only (a small company that services radio station programmers and DJs with new music and videos) if they make changes, have the potential to solve two issues the industry has struggled with – how to make money from the music video and the declining CD format (which is still a significant factor, just look at Sade’s first week sales and all of us with players in our cars). VEVO, while still experiencing technical issues at times, is using the vast music video archives and filling a void with the decline of video rotation on places like MTV and BET (who move to original programming) to attract advertising revenue (the only significant way VEVO currently makes money). This approach will bring in money but it won’t succeed long-term because the advertisers will eventually influence what content is available, and the edgier and more controversial content (more likely to be put out by the Independents) will not be signed and featured. You can learn more about my thoughts on VEVO’s chances for success by clicking here.

Promo Only has a great product – and delivers it on disc and MP3 format – but is forced to sell it only to a small market of elite industry taste-makers. That model is outdated. Consumers want the best new music first, new and old videos at the same time that radio station program directors and DJs get it. The days of waiting on a station or music selector to tell you something is a ‘world premier’ or ‘classic’ are played out. The sooner Promo Only and the industry that has strait jacketed it for too long can figure this out, the more they will see subscriptions pouring in from the masses.

The solution is not necessarily Netflix moving into the music industry, but the emergence of a Netflix like enterprise appearing in the music industry. And unlike VEVO it can’t be something that the major record labels control from the top down.

The time has come for a service and place where folks can pay a monthly subscription and enjoy music and videos – across time and across music formats – delivered in disc format via mail or available instantly online. If the music and videos can be bundled with interviews, celebrity and reality footage, documentaries, and concerts for instance, and packaged in ways that people can ‘rent’ or ‘buy,’ the music industry would have tapped a goldmine with customers able to get music when they want it, how they want it, and where they want it.

Of course this would mean caring less about selling music by the unit and industry chatter and gossip over first week sales and who is going ‘gold’ and ‘platinum.’

Personally, I’d trade bulk sales for higher profit margins any day of the week.

Now, a final point: change that revolutionizes an industry often comes from the outside.

The music business would do well to accept this.

As recorded in Reuven Brenner’s Rivalry: In business, science, among nations, history shows it was synthetic fibers and chemical additives that reduced the need for manual dry cleaning. Had the dry cleaning industry realized this it could have been ‘saved.’ Hollywood industry leaders scorned and rejected TV when it was invented. The result – many studios and theaters became extinct when the public decided to substitute TV viewing for movie going. The public wanted entertainment and rejected the arrogance of Hollywood that thought only it could provide it (sound familiar in how long it took broadcasters to utilize the Internet as a viewing platform). Gillette came to dominate the shaving products business when King C. Gillette invented the disposable blade in the 19th century, and realized that convenience was a factor in what people wanted, not just a close shave. Not surprisingly, as Brenner points out – it would be a pen manufacturer – Bic – that would threaten Gillette’s grip on the industry it revolutionized.

If history repeats itself, we may one day read a book that explains it was Reed Hastings and not Jimmy Iovine, Edgar Bronfman, Jr. or Lyor Cohen that pointed the way to the future of music.

Cedric Muhammad is a business consultant, political strategist, and monetary economist. He is also a former GM of Wu-Tang Management and a Member of the African Union’s First Congress of African Economists. He is author of the book, ‘The Entrepreneurial Secret’ (http://theEsecret.com/). He can be contacted via e-mail at: cedric(at)cmcap.com

AllHipHop ChartWatch:Sade Gets Knocked Off, Gucci Mane Returns

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Reviews / Music
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ChartWatch for March 10, 2010

“Your reign on the top was short

like leprechauns

As I crush so-called willes,

thugs, and rapper dons.”

                  -Christopher “The Notorious Big”

Wallace 

      Since

yesterday was the anniversary of his untimely death I think I’ll open

ChartWatch this week with one of my favorite Biggie versus.  Actually

I have a better one but after I edit it out for profanity it’s not

really worth mentioning.  I think this verse is fitting for the

charts because lately there have be a lot of rappers who manage to sell

for a week or two and then fall off.  I’m not saying any names

(this is not that kind of week) but just thought the verse was fitting. 

      We

open up the week with Sade who gets knocked out of the top spot by Lady

Antebellum.  Her latest album Soldier of Love moves another

76,000 copies and places the songstress in the number two spot.

      Next

up is a group that is real familiar with the top ten.  If there

is ever some type of mass nuclear incident the only things that will

survive are roaches…and the Black Eyed Peas latest album.  This

thing refuses to stop selling.  This week the group is at the number

eight spot with The E.N.D selling another 46,000 copies.

      I

know we’re AllHipHop but usually when an R&B/Soul artist enters

the top ten I’ll give the album a mention (i.e. Sade).  This

next artist doesn’t make the top ten but comes extremely close. 

(Plus I’m biased because we share some name similarities. I have to

support).  Raheem DeVaughn enters the charts at number eleven this

week with his third studio album, Love & War

MasterPeace, selling 42,000 copies.

      Directly

behind him is Lil Wayne with his “rock themed” album Rebirth. 

The newly incarcerated MC drops from the 6th to the 12th

spot and sells 30,000 copies this week.  Wayne’s record label,

Young Money, also charts this week.  We Are Young Money

grabs the 32nd position and moves 15,000 copies. 

      DJ

Kaheld’s, Victory, enters the charts this week at number 13.

The star packed album moves 29,000 copies which should make Florida

artist pretty happy.

      Jay-Z’s 

The Blueprint 3 takes a dip and lands at the 43rd spot

sellig 12,000 copies, and rounding out the top 50 is Gucci Mane with

his latest, The State vs. Radric Davis.  The Atlanta MC

was not on our charts last week but has managed to push his way up to

number 49.

      Now

for the albums dropping this week. 

Dropping This Week 

“Yeah, this album is dedicated

to all the teachers that told me  

I’d never amount to nothin’, to all the people that lived above the  

buildings that I was hustlin’ in front of that called the police on  

me when I was just tryin’ to make some money to feed my daughters”

      –

Christopher “The Notorious Big” Wallace

      Shame

on all those people calling the police and trying to keep the neighborhood

safe.  All jokes aside Biggie’s “Juicy” off of Ready to

Die captures the feelings of a young rapper getting his first taste

of success.  Hopefully some of the newcomers (and established artists)

in dropping can get some of that success with these latest albums.

      First

up is Ludacris with his seventh studio album Battle of the Sexes. 

The album was originally rumored to be split between him a Shawnna but

who knows what’s going on with the DTP camp right now.  There

doesn’t seem to be any bad blood because Shawnna is definitely on

the album along with Nicki Minaj, Lil Scrappy, Trey Songz, Flo Rida,

Lil Kim, Lil Fate, Gucci Mane, I-20, Monica, Ne-Yo, Diamond, Trina,

and Eve.  Ludacris usually gives a pretty solid album so fans shouldn’t

be disappointed with this one.

      Next

up is Los Angeles duo U-N-I with their latest offering A Love Supreme

2.0.  The album is said by the group to tackle the lust, love,

and hate of relationships.  The group takes their name from one

of The Roots songs (guess which one?) so you can tell where their heads

are at.  The album comes with a DVD that tells how the duo along

with their producer Ro Blvd created the album.

      Finally

we have Kidz In The Hall and their third album Land of Make Believe. 

The group has moved from Rawkus to Duck Down Records and have been pretty

noteworthy as underground Hip Hop representatives.  Hopefully this

album can start to push them more towards some mainstream sales.

Hip-Hop Rumors: Somebody Caught Stealing From Jay-Z?

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Rumors
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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.STEALING FROM JAY-Z?

OH BOY! You cannot steal from the boss. I am hearing a rumor that somebody recently got fired from Jay-Z’s camp for stealing a boat load of money from the big homey. Not really at liberty to expound, but sources are telling me this is true and that the person has been dealt with very quietly. Not sure if any legal ramifications are set to come down, but it doesn’t seem like it.

REMY MA IS GETTING OUT OF JAIL!

OK…I am exaggerating, but I am hearing that my beloved Remy Ma is working steadfastly on an appeal that she thinks will set her free. The rap mistress’ DJ DJBedtyme357 said:

There is a GOD…my BIG LIL SISTER, THE ILLEST FEMALE RAPPER EVER @FREEREMYMA just got her appeal granted. The wait is over HATERS!

Hopefully, she can get out and bring some order to the female rap category. LOL!

EPIC FAIL OF THE DAY- LMAO!

Oh…this is good. I straight up took this from jumptheturnstyle.com and they have giving me the biggest fail I think I have ever seen from a rapper. Basically, there is a kid named Sam Adams and he is a rapper from Boston. Never heard of the guy. So, apparently, dude debuts at No. 1 on iTunes and everybody in Boston celebrates…for a day. Basically, Sammy Boy allegedly went and purchased 75,000 copies of his own album to a single credit card. So, now nobody is feeling him and they are calling him Scammy Adams. They are speculating that his career is over and also…he’s got a huge bill to pay. Of course, he is already rich, we are hearing…so money is no object. Reputation is an object though.

SIGNS THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END

A lady really did this. This chick was trying to shave her private region and ended up causing a 2-car collision. The chick, 37-year-old Megan Mariah Barnes, was on her way to see her man in Florida and ran into a truck. Yes…she was shaving the choch at the same time she was driving. Here is the weird stuff. She was going to meet her boyfriend, but her ex-husband was in the car as she tried to shave. He was even trying to help hold the wheel. She was charged with driving with a revoked license, reckless driving, leaving the scene of a wreck with injuries and driving with no insurance. SMH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOWARD STERN GOES IN ON PRECIOUS!!!

Howard is foul for that, but there is some truth in what he says.

JAY-Z WORKER, WE LOVE YOU!!!

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

-illseed

WHO: illseed.com

WHAT: Rumors

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Ex-Wife Toya Talks Lil Wayne’s Jail bid

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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On Monday (March 8), Lil Wayne officially began a one-year prison sentence at Riker’s Island for gun possession charges. But with the sentencing being postponed several times prior (due to Wayne’s dental work and then a courthouse fire), it was an emotional ordeal for both his ex-wife Antonia “Toya” Johnson and their 11-year-old daughter Reginae.

“It was up and down, you know. One minute we thought he was going and she’d be sad and then he don’t go,” Toya told VIBE over the phone from Atlanta. “We [were] in New York like two times and we ended up turning right back around because he didn’t go.”

On the day the New Orleans rapper was finally sentenced, Toya and Reginae spoke to him but weren’t at the courthouse to say goodbye.

“The last day he finally went in, we didn’t go, so my daughter was like, ‘I wish I would’ve went.’ It was just too much. I just didn’t want to let her see that again ’cause both times she took it real hard,” said Toya. “So I was like, I’m not gon’ let her go this last time. I’m just gon’ make sure he talk to her ’cause I didn’t know if he was really gonna go. They kept pushing back.”

Wayne and Toya were high school sweethearts who got married in 2004 and divorced two years later. In 2009, Toya and her friend, T.I.’s fiancée Tiny, debuted their BET reality series, Tiny & Toya, the second season of which premieres on April 13.

With Reginae so accustomed to Wayne being available, even despite his busy schedule, Toya said the time away will be difficult, but that the rapper reassured them before going in.

“He just told me to be strong and don’t really trip. Don’t let her see me down,” said Toya. “At first my daughter would see me a little sad and you know kids they react off of your feelings sometimes, so he was just like, ‘Be strong, make sure you take care of her. Make sure she straight and keep her phone on all the times so I can call her. The time is gonna fly by.’

“The whole point of him being in jail is just not good for her—to say her dad’s in jail,” Toya continued. “But at this point it is what it is, and we just gotta make the best of it. I’ma take her to visit him and talk to him and she’ll get through this eight months. It’ll fly by. I tell her all the time, ‘Just call daddy and tell him you love him,’ and he’ll be home soon.” —Clover Hope