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Does The Economy Have It Too Hot For “Ice?”

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

With the economy spiraling out of control, and unemployment rising at an alarming rate, people are tightening their belts everywhere to be wiser with their money.

The more well off are not immune to these times as most recently illustrated by the Bernie Madoff scandal which involved literally hundreds of rich and well off people being taken on a ponzi-fueled ride to financial crisis. One would think that Hip-Hop, which often reflects the world around it would also be affected.

In recent months we’ve seen a rise in chain snatchings and rappers being accosted, with Soulja Boy Tellem and Yung Berg being the most famous examples but not the only victims. In these trying times you wonder will we finally see the death of bling?

From the first golden era with legends like Slick Rick and Eric B. to the shiny suit era of Jesus pieces that “even got rocks in the beards and mustaches and “rocks on the stage looking like blue laser,” onto the Ca$h Money era of “Bling Bling” rappers have always rocked ostentatious and at times almost offensively decadent pieces of jewelry even during the hardest hitting economic times.

As recession becomes possible depression, how has that affected the bling? We asked Chris Hernandez (Jacob The Jeweler is presently indisposed), Director of Marketing at ItsHot.com for his observations regarding the current ice market.

AllHipHop.com: What are the current trends in jewelry buying? Between rappers and your regular customers, how has the market moved recently?

Chris Hernandez (ItsHot.com): In general even with sales and prices slashing, retail Jewelry sales are declining but the direct pricing market remains strong. When money is tight good customer service can make a difference in retaining your regular buyers.

AllHipHop.com: But what about the big pieces, like the Ghostface eagle bracelet, or the Terror squad iced out pendant? Have you seen a decline in the sale of the ridiculous pieces?

Ghostface: The Eagle Has Landed

Chris Hernandez (ItsHot.com): Surprisingly, large piece purchase sales remain about the same, but the consumer is more demanding that they get exactly what they want. They are paying more attention to what they are buying. There have been rumors on the streets that some of these chains are made with industrial diamonds and less than stellar quality materials, not to throw anyone under the bus. They are paying more attention to the quality now.

AllHipHop.com: Has the decline in sales involved moving to smaller pieces or just to less buying altogether?

Chris Hernandez (ItsHot.com): There are more purchases, but our average ticket price is down slightly. We’ve seen expansion into the less than $500 market.

AllHipHop.com: What do you see as the future trending in hip hop related jewelry?

Slick Rick: Ice King

Chris Hernandez (ItsHot.com): We see classier designs using better quality diamonds. No more pieces with a thousand wack gems that look crazy. Tight, well designed construction withwell-chosen jewels.Paul Wall: Still Smiling

Pharrell: Ice Ice, Baby!

Lil’ Wayne: What’s A Goon To A Goblin?LL Cool J: 4-Fingered Rings

The Recession Diet: How To Make To Through The Lean Times

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

Fact is the recession is the cornerstone of everything we are here in America at this moment. The economic crisis likely gave Barack Obama that last minute edge he needed to decisively win the United States presidential election. Young Jeezy benefited by naming his album after it. All of the news networks have scared the mess out of us by talking about this calamity for the last year or so nonstop. With the recession being all the rage, it is full time to make the apocalypse work for you! Enter: the Recession Diet.

America needs avoid sulking about how bad things are and focus on the positive sides of life, however scarce they may appear to be. Being scared and worrying uncontrollably will do absolutely nothing for you. I, illseed, have determined that I will lose mad weight until this recession is over. Here is how I plan to do it. (Note: this “diet” has no medical validity or otherwise, but it is something I am implementing right now. Take it as entertainment and opinion.)

1) I will not eat unless absolutely necessary. Not eating doesn’t mean you will immediately lose weight. In fact, you might gain – initially. But, after a while, your body will have gnawed away at its own fat in such a way that you lose a lot of pounds. An alternative is to eat so you are in a constant state of hunger.

This is going to hurt a bit, because your stomach is going to constrict in ways you didn’t think possible. The remedy is plenty of water, fruit and veggies from you local super market. Those will give you a healthy alternative to all the hormone-injected meats we typically consume.

When you need more: add hot sauce to anything that’s not sweet. It makes anything taste “flavory.”

2) Moving along, during this recessionary period it is going to be a mental strain to exercise physically. Notice I said mental strain…When you exercise, you are typically in a zone with nothing but your thoughts. When you are only with your thoughts, you think about the guy that just killed his family of six over his money woes. “No bueno.” Exercise and working out is really a mental activity that uses your body to achieve a goal. What happens when you can’t quite get over that mental hurdle?

You supplement your diet is the “Every Day I’m Hustling” exercise regiment (Shout out to Rick Ross!). This work out regiment involves chasing checks, going on job interviews at a relentless rate or networking every night possible. What this running out does is twofold. First, it allows you to keep your mind proactive, but it also keeps your body moving as well. Your body is actually burning a lot of calories as it runs around the streets in search of opportunity.

3) The final aspect of the Recession Diet is the inevitable: STRESS.

From the rich to the poor, stress is going to be a foe that you must make a friend. You must allow stress to take its course on your body, but you have to manage it carefully. So, as the stress goes to work, you will begin to lose weight fast, but if you succumb to it, you will lose an unhealthy amount of pounds. America is already a nation of overweight people, but that can all change in these truly lean times. Don’t listen to me, because you should listen to you doctor. This is just one way of coping with the times that has actually worked for this person.

“The Recession Diet”

1) Don’t eat until you must.

2) Exercise by running the streets.

3) Embrace stress

Zion I: Taking Mine

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

When

Zion I cut their debut release, Mind Over

Matter, in 2000, they garnered the respect of an underground community

looking for the next sound. Since that debut, the combination of un-earthly

production from AmpLive along with mutating lyrics from their dread-locked MC,

Zumbi, has yet to fail. 

 

Since

Mind Over Matter, Zion I has put out

five LPs marking their dominance in Hip-Hop as the advocates of spirituality

and freedom in our world of beef and violence.

 

Now,

after lending their efforts to a project with The Grouch of Living Legends

entitled Heroes of the City of Dope,

they are back to the original recipe as the group prepares to take over Hip-Hop

with the aptly titled The Take Over, dropping February 17th.

 

 

AllHipHop.com: Why The

Take Over?  What is going in

your minds at this point that you feel you need to swoop up the entire game?

 

Zumbi: It’s not so much like a military

takeover of Hip-Hop or something like that.  It’s not physical either like, “We’re gonna

take over!” It’s more us taking it on a spiritual vibe, you know? When people get possessed by the spirit it takes them over and

you got to do whatever you are given to do. We looked at it more like the

traditions through out Rap music history in terms of being in America. We are basically

paying homage to the music traditions that the ancestors layed down and that’s

why we called it The Take Over. 

 

We

also called it that because we feel like this is the complete and best work we

can do as Zion I.  It’s like the pinnacle

of what we are capable of because we really took our time on this record and

put the best foot forward, so to take over in that way too.  Also just to take over Hip-Hop and

bring it back to being just creative and fresh, not really chipping off

convention but just being original. 

The principles this culture was bounded on in this day and age, they are

a lot of times forgotten so we are just taking it back like that.

 Zion I “Juicy Juice” Video

AllHipHop.com: As we push farther into 2009 Hip-Hop has

been pushed in many directions, some being not appreciated as much by the

purists in our culture.  How has

this affected Zion I?

 

Zumbi: 

I feel like it’s forced us to stay on the cutting edge of what we do and

be grounded and humble in our lane that we follow in terms of the style we create.

Also, staying true to ourselves and why we even formed the

group in the first place is important. We chose the name Zion I because

we knew that it would help us maintain the focus in terms of us being uplifting

and bringing a positive message to people and being inspiring. What everybody

is really into is like escapism in the moment most of what they call

“commercial” Hip-Hop. Fans like stuff that represents the street and it’s like,

“I don’t give a f**k basically, if it’s about a woman or my money or my

lifestyle.” 

 

I’m

out of that system and that’s all cool because in this climate it kind of

reinforces what we do.  There seems

to be a lack of people trying to drop something for the head.  We want to entertain people and keep

them moving and just make stuff that hits hard but we’re also trying to sneak

some jewels in there so people can smile when they are at the show.  We don’t want people throwing up fists

the entire time because that’s not really what we are about.

 

“That’s the challenge of always being an artist, just staying hungry to the

game and not sitting back and saying, “Oh I got this.”  As soon as you say that there is a

youngster coming up that is hungry who will outshine you.” –AmpLive

 

AllHipHop.com: The Zion I sound has been ever changing

for the past decade.  What are you

trying to achieve differently that shows your fans you are on a new level of

music?

 

Zumbi: We included other aspects of our

personality in the concepts of this album. The way we come off on a record

usually is serious and there’s not too much humor.  Most of our stuff has a social political tone and all of it

is us, but I feel like this record is the most rounded

in terms of actually who we are and how we are in real life and how we get

down.  It’s not like we’re straight

hella militant all day long, we chill too and have a good time so I think this

record really represents all of those facets.

 

AmpLive: I thought it was more a combination of

all the albums.  I think we went

back to how we did Mind Over Matter

because when we did that we didn’t really care about what was going on we just

did music and brought in natural things that we listened to.

 Zion I and The Grouch are “Heroes in the City of Dope” –

AllHipHop.com: Is it easier now that you have such a

strong following to convey your strong messages and ideas?

AmpLive: I think as an artist it’s always a

challenge man.  I don’t think as an

artist you can sit back and say that it’s easy to do this.  My opinion is if you do that you might

get soft and you might not try as hard. 

And when you do that people will feel it and music is always about

energy and potential when your doing it and how much

your feeling and how emotional you are about your message.  That’s the challenge of always being an

artist, just staying hungry to the game and not sitting back and saying, “Oh I

got this.”  As soon as you say that

there is a youngster coming up that is hungry who will outshine you.  Then all of a sudden you’re second rate

and you got to make up ground.  You

always have to be on that edge of being creative and you know just being

humble.

 

AllHipHop.com: “DJ DJ” recently surfaced on the Internet.  Obviously the track has a “Planet Rock”

essence which was also conveyed by Common’s single

“Universal Mind Control.”  What do

you think of his efforts compared to your own?

 

Zumbi: We did “DJ DJ” before we had heard it [“Universal

Mind Control”].  I was on the Internet

one day and I saw “Universal Mind Control” and I heard and it is kind of in the

same direction but it’s kind of a different thing too because we are paying

homage to the DJ culture and how essential it is to Hip-Hop.  A lot of times in Hip-Hop it’s all

about the MC and the producer. 

Graffiti artists, DJs, and dancers don’t get as much recognition so it’s

paying homage to them.  Also that

song went through a lot of changes. 

It’s started out one way and then it continued to evolve and Amp kept

putting on different layers to it. 

I think Common’s joint is tight too it’s just that Hip-Hop is moving and

there are different aspects to it. 

People can be on the same wave length and they

catch that vibe and they just create.

 

“Hip-Hop is the culture we exist in but we grew up in it so it’s life.  Looking around and looking at the

world, the people I see aren’t rich and they don’t have 15 women hanging on

them and they don’t kill people everyday.” -Zumbi

 The Search & The Siezure Mixtape Side A – Zion I

AllHipHop.com: Is Afrika Bambaataa an inspiration to the music you make being that

he represented peace and all of your music has those same positive images/themes?

 

AmpLive: I mean I even went further then Bambaataa,

Kraftwerk was the real machine behind that stuff.

Like a lot of those songs were straight off of their albums.  I listened to a lot of that and I’m

really heavy into electro music so I wanted to combine all those elements.  Then when the song [“DJ DJ”] came

together I sort of saw how it was relating to what Afrika Bambaataa

was putting out.  In terms of the

inspiration, it was just electronic music and where it came from including the

Hip-Hop and the electronic Hip-Hop sound from the 80’s. 

 

AllHipHop.com: Positivity, spirituality, and freedom are

important topics that you push in your music.  Why do you feel these are so important especially when we

are in such a negative state in Hip-Hop? 

 

Zumbi: Well we make music about life.  Hip-Hop is the culture we exist in but

we grew up in it so it’s life. 

Looking around and looking at the world, the people I see aren’t rich

and they don’t have 15 women hanging on them and they don’t kill people

everyday.  Hip-Hop is very much an

extreme caricature of real life. 

People have those experiences and then Hip-Hop glorifies a certain

aspect of our reality as people of color, Black folks specifically.  I don’t necessarily have that

experience and I don’t uphold that. 

I look at life and what people are really living and that’s kind of

where the music comes from.  Just

because everybody in Hip-Hop is doing the same thing doesn’t mean I should

follow that.  I’m still Hip-Hop and

can be totally different, I can dress like a punk rock dude and still be

Hip-Hop just because it’s my culture. 

I don’t think Zion I is built on following anybody else, I feel like

we’ve always stood on our own to make good music.

The Tale Of The (Mix)Tape: Stat shatters his Checks & Balances, B.I.G. Gets Better

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

If any writer on this site tells you Hip-Hop isn’t in their soul, then they aren’t really a colleague of mine. We do this for real son. Why else do you come to the Tale of the Tape? You know at the end of the day, when the chips are down, and they are shoving music down your throat, The Honorable One got your back like the tag on the inside of your shirt collar.

This week, Tale of the Tape gets Bigger & Better with the Notorious One, and a sense of some Checks & Balances. We listen to artists who want to have the system smashed, get into ones ill mind, and check in with the next Boogie project. Fair warning to anyone who wants to be competition, we will Chris Brown you…allegedly.

 

Bigger & Better

Notorious B.I.G.

Peep It

Capitalizing off Biggie seems to be an easy way into the gaining the spotlight within the Hip-Hop conscious. Sean Combs made a career out of it. However, with everyone doing blends from Mick Boogie to your local pro tools amateur, it takes a bit of skill to actually stay on someone’s hard drive. Bigger & Better doesn’t hold up to its lofty title, however, there are a few gems (“Young G’s”) and of course, it’s the same B.I.G. lyrics you love (“Everyday Struggle”). Worth a spin or two, but I doubt this one holds tight.

Checks & Balances

Stat Quo

Heavy Rotation

 

Stat Quo has been getting better and better. His latest rash of mixtapes has been going to straight to the heart, giving topical humor and substance between the oft eye opening “YEAH” and a J Newt skit. Checks & Balances sees Stat go in once again; giving a mixtape that is worth listening to front to back. Headlined by tracks that feature the other Southern lyrical luminary Phonte and Midwest mixtape masher Royce the 5’9 (“Homage To Premier”), remixes (“Say You Will”) and listenable tracks (“Armageddon”), Stat Quo may have the chance to be looked among the best eventually.

 

SMASH The System

The Kickdrums

Heavy Rotation

 

There are actually producers who don’t scream for camera time. They don’t run in the videos screaming catch phrases. They don’t jump on the track just to talk the random tough talk. They just make good music. The Kickdrums are a part of that class of producer, with tracks from the criminally underrated Ray Cash (“Do Ya Job”), to brand new lyrical monsters Slaughterhouse (“Move On”). Just listen.

 

Before There Was Love

U-N-I

Peep It

 

The left coast, especially recently, has been quite the melting pot for the next class to develop. Hate it or love it, it also has some of the best representation of the new “hipster” Rap scene. U-N-I tends to make their presence known amongst a few of these beats (“Stakes Is High”), especially at the end of the tape (“Start My Day”). This group has plenty of potential, and hooking up with Mick Boogie is always good for your career. However, this one starts slow, and won’t stick in rotation for too long.

 

Blaps, Rhymes & Life v.2

Illmind

Heavy Rotation

 

Illmind speaks to a specific class of producer. The one time protégé of 9th Wonder has now become a sought after beatsmith in his own right. The industry seems to have kept their ear to the underground and everyone from 50 Cent (“Who Run It”) to Scarface (“It’s Not A Game”) to Diamond D (“Don’t Beg”) get a chance to work their rhymes over his beats. He is one of the producers to watch in 2009, but until his new stuff comes down the pipeline, take a listen to some of his best work in 2008 with Blaps, Rhymes & Life v.2.

 

TALE OF THE TAPE

 

Tale of the Tape 02.11.09

The Recession Diet: How To Make It Through The Lean Times

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

Fact is the recession is the cornerstone of everything we are here in America at this moment. The economic crisis likely gave Barack Obama that last minute edge he needed to decisively win the United States presidential election. Young Jeezy benefited by naming his album after it. All of the news networks have scared the mess out of us by talking about this calamity for the last year or so nonstop. With the recession being all the rage, it is full time to make the apocalypse work for you! Enter: the Recession Diet.

America needs avoid sulking about how bad things are and focus on the positive sides of life, however scarce they may appear to be. Being scared and worrying uncontrollably will do absolutely nothing for you. I, illseed, have determined that I will lose mad weight until this recession is over. Here is how I plan to do it. (Note: this “diet” has no medical validity or otherwise, but it is something I am implementing right now. Take it as entertainment and opinion.)

1) I will not eat unless absolutely necessary. Not eating doesn’t mean you will immediately lose weight. In fact, you might gain – initially. But, after a while, your body will have gnawed away at its own fat in such a way that you lose a lot of pounds. An alternative is to eat so you are in a constant state of hunger.

This is going to hurt a bit, because your stomach is going to constrict in ways you didn’t think possible. The remedy is plenty of water, fruit and veggies from you local super market. Those will give you a healthy alternative to all the hormone-injected meats we typically consume.

When you need more: add hot sauce to anything that’s not sweet. It makes anything taste “flavory.”

2) Moving along, during this recessionary period it is going to be a mental strain to exercise physically. Notice I said mental strain…When you exercise, you are typically in a zone with nothing but your thoughts. When you are only with your thoughts, you think about the guy that just killed his family of six over his money woes. “No bueno.” Exercise and working out is really a mental activity that uses your body to achieve a goal. What happens when you can’t quite get over that mental hurdle?

You supplement your diet is the “Every Day I’m Hustling” exercise regiment (Shout out to Rick Ross!). This work out regiment involves chasing checks, going on job interviews at a relentless rate or networking every night possible. What this running out does is twofold. First, it allows you to keep your mind proactive, but it also keeps your body moving as well. Your body is actually burning a lot of calories as it runs around the streets in search of opportunity.

3) The final aspect of the Recession Diet is the inevitable: STRESS.

From the rich to the poor, stress is going to be a foe that you must make a friend. You must allow stress to take its course on your body, but you have to manage it carefully. So, as the stress goes to work, you will begin to lose weight fast, but if you succumb to it, you will lose an unhealthy amount of pounds. America is already a nation of overweight people, but that can all change in these truly lean times. Don’t listen to me, because you should listen to you doctor. This is just one way of coping with the times that has actually worked for this person.

“The Recession Diet”

1) Don’t eat until you must.

2) Exercise by running the streets.

3) Embrace stress

Jay-Z and LeBron James Make Musical Donation to Mesa Arts Academy

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

This year’s NBA All-Star weekend will generate a deeper sense of fulfillment for Jay-Z.

 

The rap mogul, along with Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, will be on hand to donate 150 musical instruments to students at the Mesa Arts Academy.

 

The duo, who have partnered with the event sponsor Sprite Green, will also sign a donated piano that will be located in the school’s auditorium.

 

More than 200 students are expected to meet, interact with and perform for Jay-Z and James during the event.

 

In addition to the Academy, the instruments will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley.

 

For Ramon Elias, the donations will provide proper motivation for youth to fully explore their musical potential.

 

“Our kids love to perform, and we know the instruments and musical equipment . . . will be a great way to motivate the kids to go to class and come to the Club after school,” the Boys & Girls Clubs of the East Valley president told The Arizona Republic.

 

Located in Mesa, Arizona, the Mesa Arts Academy is a free charter school that blends arts and music from kindergarten through eighth grade.

 

The visit to the school is one of a string of events James and Jay-Z will attend during All-Star weekend.

 

The pair will travel to Phoenix to host their third annual Two Kings Dinner event on Saturday (February 14).

 

Although it wasn’t mentioned how James and Jay-Z became aware of the Academy, a spokesperson for the stars cited the duo’s desire to do something besides the dinner as their motivation to make a charitable donation to a deserving organization involving music.

 

James is among various NBA greats who will play in the All-Star game, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday (February 15) at the Airways Center in Phoenix.

 

Tip-off for the event, which will feature a halftime performance by R&B crooner John Legend, will be at 8 p.m.

J. Holiday: The Return of the R&B Thug

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Alternatives

What defines an R&B thug? Is the answer in his

vernacular or his mannerisms with people? Is it his way with women or his

dress code? Despite our eagerness to classify today’s modern singer as a thug

when we see their tattoos and stocking caps, these singers aren’t as

predictable as what you may assume.

Frustrated with life, dealing with the death of a loved one

and the rollercoaster ride of love are things that D.C.’s J. Holiday expressed in

his Grammy nominated debut album Back Of My Lac. It just so happens that he expressed his experiences with lyrics in

regards to sipping yack in the back of his Cadillac with the diamond in the

back, peppered with a few references to the herb and expletives to paint us a

picture of his life.

The crooner’s second project,

properly named Round 2, is a sequel to

what his fans enjoyed in Back Of My Lac. By keeping the team he used for his debut, Holiday fans should expect pleasurable content as

well as a few surprises that wouldn’t be expected.

AllHipHop.com Alternatives: You have the

great tattoos, the braids, stocking cap, the hat and a great persona. Do you

consider yourself an R&B thug?

J. Holiday: No, not

at all. I honestly wear the stocking cap because I’ve been growing my hair

since I was 15 and I’m kind of tired of it, but at this point it’s a part of my

image, so I do with it what I do with it. That’s just me. On the album I’m

dressing up a little more. It’s not because I’m following the trends but you

have to grow somewhere. At that point in my life that’s where I was at like

the jeans and the tennis shoes.

AHHA: What are your

thoughts on artists who change their image to go the route of the R&B

thug image?

J. Holiday: Like I

said: personal responsibility. If you portray that image and then certain thug

things happen to you—people always think its cool when something happens

to them and they get real humble about it. You live by the sword and die by

the sword. You reap what you sow. I try to make sure I do right by everyone

around me including the people that work for me and including the people that

don’t work for me like my family and my fans.

AHHA: Some fans

like that rough appeal, especially from an R&B singer. Do you feel

pressure trying to keep up with what appeals to your fans?

J. Holiday: When

you have artists that come out and some artists come out younger than others,

some come out when they are already grown, but I think your fans grow with you.

I think if anything does change about me, they will accept it. I’m not an

attention freak and I think those people who do those changes are trying to

gain that attention. That’s not even the kind of person that I am. I’m going

to just grow and where that is, that’s where it’s going to be.

AHHA: So you have

no thoughts on the artists that hump the floor, have a great bedroom body and

rip off their shirts.

J. Holiday: That’s

on them and that’s what they do. Some people need that for their show. When I

take off my shirt, I feel comfortable and confident in myself. I feel like I’m

sexy in my own right. [laughs]

AHHA: In regards to

your vocals and not the style, have you ever been told you sound similar to

Trey Songz?

J. Holiday: Definitely.

What’s crazy is before we went on tour I found out that his birthday is the

day after mine, so we’re very similar in a lot of ways.

AHHA: What was that

like being on tour with Trey? Was he what you expected?

J. Holiday: Actually I try not to prejudge people, but sometimes

you see stuff on T.V. and that’s not how that person really is. He was completely

different from what I thought. He was cool, he was chill. For anyone that

might have that bad impression on him, he’s a cool dude. I liked the fact that

we both went on stage and put in 100% every night. My biggest thing is when I

get on stage and the fans came to see a show and they came to hear you sing the

songs that they love. They don’t want to hear you up there playing around and

neither one of us did. We went all the way in every night.

AHHA: Back Of My

Lac has you up for a Grammy nod. Jazmine Sullivan came out this year

and she’s up for five nominations. That’s amazing for brand new artists. It’s

artists like you and Jazmine Sullivan who are putting pressure on the established

acts that got comfortable. How do you feel about the state of R&B that’s

been going on for these past years?

J. Holiday: I’m

just happy that R&B is getting back to R&B. You’ll always have those

consistent artists like Mary J. and Ne-Yo, but in other places it’s gotten a

little shaky. I’ve seen Jazmine Sullivan live and she’s dope. It’s good to see

the young people coming in and showing R&B the right type of love and not

making a mockery of it.

AHHA: What about

all of these artists coming out with dance songs and Super-Manning women on

their backs?

J. Holiday: [laughs]

I try not to even focus on it.

AHHA: But that is

the next generation. Rap, R&B, Urban Pop—whatever it is, that’s the

next wave that’s coming out. What you’re putting out now is what these kids

are using to help form their music.

J. Holiday: I do

try to do my part because if I focus on music that may not be going so well for

music, then that’s when my music will start to fall off. I just try to make

sure that I focus on what I’m doing and I keep people happy with the sounds

they love to hear. We got a lot of kids coming up now and we have a lot of

kids watching us. That’s what I’m focused on. You have to set a good example.

For the younger generation that’s coming out, they have to understand that one

day they’re going to have kids and they don’t want their legacy to be that and

only that.

AHHA: Getting

caught up with personal relationships and children can affect your career. How

do you stay grounded?

J. Holiday: I used

to work a 9-to-5 job before this, so I know how to work hard. We have certain

responsibilities and you got to do what you got to do. At the end of the day I

love singing, but this is my income. This is my job. This is what I’m

supposed to do. I’m supposed to get on stage and make sure that the fans are

satisfied. You can’t get caught up in the hype.

AHHA: Do you feel

at some point before you dropped Back Of My Lac that artists like

Usher fell off?

J. Holiday: Sometimes

as artist we have people who often forget that we’re human. It’s almost like

they believe the fantasy that they see on T.V. or forget that we have a real

life outside of what you see on T.V. Sometimes people just have situations in

their personal life and it can take your focus away. I can’t really speak on

what happened, but you got to be able to focus. Sometimes it’s hard and it

depends on who you have around you. That’s why I make sure my team around me

keeps me happy and not bring me down.

AHHA: “Be With Me”

was out for a while. Why do you think it wasn’t as big of a song as “Bed” or

“Suffocate?”

J. Holiday: At the

time that wasn’t about what people liked. A lot of people liked that song too.

I think at the time the situation I was in there were a lot of things going on

internally within the label with people getting shifted around, so people

couldn’t focus on getting the music out there. That’s really all that was. I

think everything happened the way it was supposed to. Nothing is a mistake.

AHHA: Let’s talk

about your new album Round 2. Your new single “It’s Yours” is out

now. Where were you trying to go when you did this song?

J. Holiday: People

want to be loved these days. I think the whole player phase is getting played

out. It’s just showing people you can be in love, have fun and live a cool

life. Everyone thinks the player life is cool and I love living a rock star

life but that doesn’t mean I can’t find someone to love as well.

AHHA: Do you feel

that people want love because they are getting older?

J. Holiday: You

have to. As a youngster you want to run around, but as you get

older—especially now that I have a daughter—I can’t just have any

type of female around her. If I do it would have to be somebody serious.

AHHA: You never

really did a club record. Does Round 2 have club records on it?

J. Holiday: There’s

definitely some tempo on there. There’s really no such thing as a club record.

Depending on the tempo, my songs aren’t necessarily “Jump around! Jump

around!” but I do have records on this album that have more tempo that could be

played in the club, but that aren’t necessarily club records.

AHHA: With Round

2 are you going to do collaborations?

J. Holiday: Right

now the only collaboration that I have is a song that I did with Rick Ross

called “Wrong Lover.” I got a song on the album called “Homeless.” It’s not

finished yet but we’re trying to get Mos Def on the joint right now.

AHHA: Did you make

an R&B version of Young Jeezy’s Recession?

J. Holiday: Something

like that. It’s really more focused on homeless people, but it’s just showing

awareness for the people who have nowhere to sleep.

AHHA: Your last

album you did some cursing in there, are you doing more cursing in Round 2?

J. Holiday: No, I

toned it down a little bit.

AHHA: Your mother’s

a preacher so I was wondering about that.

J. Holiday: Me and

her even had a talk about that. She was just like there are some things that

you just need to get off your chest. It’s just not about cursing like a sailor

all day, that’s how I felt in those songs. I knew that she would understand

that.

 

**To get the latest AllHipHop Alternatives Features, follow us on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/AHHalternatives**

Hip-Hop Rumors: Is Jay-Z Looking To Body Chris Brown! 50 Cent/Rick Ross/Khaled Dissed? Koch Records Gets Sued?

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

DISCLAIMER:

All content within this section is pure rumor and generally have no factual info outside of what the streets have whispered in our ear. Read on.

TODAY’S RUMORS! IS JAY-Z GOING TO KILL CHRIS BROWN?Wow.

Here is the latest mess-age. “[Jay-Z] hit the roof. Chris is a walking

dead man. He messed with the wrong crew,” according to a source with Us

Weekly magazine. The magazine is suggesting, from a sources’ suggestion

that Jay-Z is going to do bodily harm to Chris Brown for beating down

his princess. I don’t know. I do know that this is great

sensationalism. And, I THINK Jay-Z is smarter than to put that sort of

energy out in the street, because there is this thing called “motive”

in crimes. With that said, Chris Breezy is charged with felony battery

and something like making criminal threats. Jay has reportedly don

things in the past, but we’re looking at an older, more intelligent

person who probably won’t adopt a career in pop star assassination.

“Lets get it on!”

TROUBLE CONTINUES TO LOOMS FOR CHRIS BROWN

It looks like Chris Brown and Rihanna were having an argument right after the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party. When, Rihanna took his Lambo keys and threw them out of the window. When she did, and he couldn’t find the keys, Brown lost it. According to E! News, the rest went down like this:

He tried in vain to find the keys, then came back to the car, put his hands around her neck and, according to the insider, said, “I’m going to kill you!”

According to the source, the 20-year-old “Disturbia” singer told police that she lost consciousness, and when she awoke, Brown had fled.

According to the source, her right eye was blackened and badly swollen and she had hand prints on her arms. The responding officers were so concerned about her, they drove Rihanna to the hospital in their squad car instead of waiting for an ambulance.

Officers took two sets of photographs of the banged-up singer, one at the scene and the second after she was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment. Those photos were presumably among the evidence presented to the district attorney.WOW.

THE SUPER GEEK DISSES CHRIS BROWN!

WHO GOT RICK ROSS’ CARTOON REMOVED?

It was only a few minutes yesterday, but I saw it. The Rick Ross was like a digital treat, if you caught it. Within minutes of it launching, the plug was pulled on the video and it was removed from the net. Clearly, it is likely out there in some form or another. There are rumors around this. It seems like Rick Ross’ label Def Jam may have blocked his attempt to lash out at 50 Cent. The video had 50 and G-Unit doing some working out that was not heterosexual. Ross was fighting fire with fire! On the other side, I have people that insist it was 50’s work that lead to the demise of the Rick Ross video. I wonder who?

Here is the revisit link:

And here is the new Rick Ross diss song.

HAS 50 VS ROSS AFFECTED DJ KHALED’S JOB?

DJ Khaled, who is a VP or president at Def Jam, might be looking for a new position shortly. According to sources days ago, IDJ might be looking to replace him. The first name on the list seems to be Tony Neal, who is the president of the CORE DJs. Apparently several calls have been made to Neal to gauge his interest in the gig. I’m not really sure where 50 Cent comes into this other than he’s got a running beef with Khaled. That is nothing knew to anybody. More telling is the fact that Khaled’s first artist o Def Jam (Ace Hood) didn’t do well at all. He still da beeeeeeeeessssss. And, no he didn’t kill himself.

SPEAKING OF “DUDE”

Speaking of that dude that did. I talked to a source that was happy that it wasn’t DJ Khaled that killed himself in the white Bentely. They said his brains were splattered all over the inside of the car. Not pretty. Here is the video right before it happened.

KOCH RECORDS ABOUT TO GET SUED?

I heard there is like a class action-type of lawsuit that involves 12-15 producers, Jim Jones and Twista. There are allegations that they were never paid for the Bad Santa album that was released in November on Byrd Gang/Koch. I hear there will be a huge lawsuit filed within the next 30 days. Here s the run down as told by an anonymous source:

About 18 months ago, we submitted some tracks for Jim’s album on Sony. As you know, Dipse t(Jim Jones and Juelz specifically) have the worst reputations in the industry for not paying producers. I actually was in the studio with Jim 3 years ago when I overheard him say, “We don’t pay producers. We blow up producers.”

Some 22 year old lame that Jim had collecting beats for him called us and said they wanted 2 of my tracks for the Bad Santa album. We told them what dollar amount we wanted and told ‘em to send the paperwork over. To which these lames asked if WE could have it drafted up. This was a first for us. We knew we were dealing with some straight herbs.

3 weeks later Chris called us up and begged us to send the Pro Tools sessions and said they had to rush because they had to turn the album into Koch in a few days. We told them absolutely not without a check and signed paperwork. 2 weeks later the album comes out and my 2 tracks are on it. They straight 2tracked the mp3s they had. Not only me, but they lied and deceived every single producer whose beats they stole and put on the project.

Twistas manager (he manages a producer who has a track on the album) and myself have hired a firm out of NYC. We have reached out to all the other producers as well. We will be filing a lawsuit in the next 30-60 days. A Cease and Desist made no sense since the album didn’t even sell 5,000 copies.

After numerous attempts to reconcile this situation with Yandi (Jims manager) and Koch(who says they cut a lump sum check to Jim to pay all producers), we are forced to sue. And yes, we know Jim got the position of VP of A&R of the urban division of Koch. Which makes this story even more f**kin ridiculous.

ILLSEED’S QUICKIES

I was all set to switch and then this happens! The U.S. switch to digital television signals has been delayed until June 12th.

Rumor has it, Mya might be writing a tell-all book. The only thing is, I don’t know that I believe it. She seems very private these days.

Where the HELL is my Foxy Brown response to 50 Cent!?

Faizon ‘Big Worm’ Love has been charged with felony assault after a fight in Hollywood hotel last month. They wouldn’t let him in and he allegedly punched a man in the face. Gotta love it.

I heard Kid Capri might have caught a case. Yesterday, he reportedly was found guilty for the violation of two restraining orders and harassment in New Jerz! He wont be doing any time though.

Milk will no longer let Chris Brown wear the milk mustache. Radio stations are starting to pull his music out of rotation.

RANDOM QUOTES

Kanye West talks about Rihanna and Chris Brown (to E! News’ Ryan Seacrest):

“She has the potential to be the greatest artist of all time and, in that sense, I feel like that’s my baby sis and I would do any and everything to help her in any situation. I don’t want to speak more into the specifics with that situation, but all I’ll say is it’s just so devastating. I feel like, just as a person, I don’t care how famous she is or even if she just worked at McDonald’s, that should never happen. It should never come to that place.”

T.I. had a different take on it from his “space,” which is that of the offender:

“He’s [Chris is] cool, you know. He’s a little concerned about the situation, but he’s still the same Chris. I told him, ‘This too shall pass.’ “We’re celebrities, we’re entertainers, but we’re still human—all of us. Don’t expect us not to make mistakes, because we will.”

Chris Brown talks about living in an abusive relationship:

“He made me terrified all the time, terrified like I had to pee on myself. I remember one night he made her nose bleed. I was crying and thinking, ‘I’m just gonna go crazy on him one day…’ I hate him to this day.”

His step father talked to Access Hollywood and fired back and Chris Breezy!

“[Chris] has to take responsibility for his own actions.” When asked he thought Chris beat up Rhianna, he said “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

EPIC FAIL OF THE DAY!

OH BOY! This is a crazy rugged joke that my buddy ebonymystique told me about. A wife plays a cruel joke on husband in order to get Kanye West tickets for Valentine’s Day. The rest is internet history. See the vid!

OH DAAAAAAMN!

SIGNS THE WORLD IS COMING TO AND END

Somebody at Acme thought this was funny. If you look closely, the Black History Month Sale only includes items like corn bread, collard greens and grape soda. Ummmm…last time I checked “we” ate all sorts of foods. SMH at Acme.

I want some Whole wheat rice cakes on sale,  beYACH!

CHRIS BROWN TALKS ABOUT HIS MOTHER’S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

I hope this is a case of the cycle not continuing, but its not looking good.

Shout out to MarQuita AKA Pootie Scrawberry Life Saver! LOL!

SOUTH AFRICA STAND UP!

Check out this song by my people from South Africa! Da L.E.S – FIRE ft BONGZ, MAGGZ!

IF YOU ARE IN NEW YORK – GO TO THIS EVENT FRIDAY!

“DIGITAL: HIP-HOP: The Convergence of Urban Lifestyle and Social Media”

Panel Followed by Social Media Week Closing Reception

WHAT: In the final panel of Social Media Week, our elite panel of speakers will discuss the unique convergence of social media and urban lifestyle. The panelists and their respective companies have been on the cutting edge of utilizing technology to communicate, create and distribute their message. This discussion will dig into the current climate of each respective business and explore where they see the culture going in the next 6 months, 5 years and even 10 years down the road. Other topics will include Hip-Hop’s effect on the Internet, hangout spots online, going mobile, Web 3.0, the panelists’ latest must-have gadgets, widgets, RSS feeds and the future of the urban digital landscape.

The panel will be followed the Social Media Week closing reception sponsored by SocialMedia.com.

PANELISTS:

Amanda Diva – Artist, Television Host, Online Personality

Chuck Creekmur – CEO and Co-Founder of AllHipHop.com

Corey “CL” Lewellyn – CEO and Co-Founder of Digiwaxx

Alan Rambam – President and CEO of MobileBehavior

DJ Vlad – DJ and CEO of VLADTV.com

Miss Info – Radio Personality on NYC’s Hot 97 FM, Blogger and Hip Hop Journalist

Moderated by Jesse Kirshbaum, CEO and Sr. Talent Agent at the New Universal Entertainment Agency

WHEN: Friday, Feb 13, 2009

Panel 5:30-7 p.m.

Reception immediately following until 10 p.m.

WHERE: Santos Party House

96 Lafayette Street (Text “DigitalHipHop” to 83733 for directions!)

RSVP: http://www.pingg.com/rsvp/2353m3hw26nkac3q5

SHELZ CLOSES OUT THE SET!

My girl Shelz hit me with some news and info to close the day!

Radio Personality Says “No More Chris Brown” Songs

Cleveland radio personality Java Joel has communicated through press release that he will no longer be playing Chris Brown songs on his show; well until this issue of Chris’ “shakes out in the legal system.” He wrote that his listeners were pretty upset, but they took it a step further and suggested he no longer support Mr. Brown or his music. Java Joel agreed. Then the Program Director heard what was happening and said I agree too. So 96.5 KISS in Cleveland has shelved the Chris Brown catalogue completely, but just until his legal issues is resolved.

Mr. Cannon Has Another Job

He’s going to be hosting America’s Got Talent since Jerry Springer quit. The folk over at NBC say they have big plans for Mariah’s boo. I guess people can’t call him a leech now, huh? Good work Nick.

When All Else Fails, Question His Manhood…

I guess this is the lyrical follow up to that workout video.

When All Else Fails, Question His Manhood Too…

Is Somebody Writing This For Him?

If not, I’m impressed.

Email illseed at [email protected] …tips, drama, pictures, information and other stupid stuff. Hell, say hello!

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

DILLA, WE LOVE YOU!!!

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

-illseed

WHO: illseed.com

WHAT: Rumors

WHERE: AllHipHop.com, MySpace.com/TheIllseed

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

J Dilla Remembered 3 Years Later

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

Three years ago today (February 10), Hip-Hop culture lost one of its most innovative and influential producers in Detroit’s James Dewitt Yancey, AKA J Dilla.

 

Blessed with strong musical genes from an opera singer mother and jazz bassist father, Dilla started collecting vinyl at the tender age of 2.

 

The aspiring producer made a strong name for himself in Detroit early 90s Hip-Hop scene.

 

He formed fledgling groups with Phat Kat (1st Down) and the late Proof (5 Elementz) before settling with classmates T3 and Baatin in Slum Village.

 

With SV, Dilla would make his biggest musical impact courtesy of the critically acclaimed albums Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) and Fantastic, Vol. 2.

 

Dilla’s work attracted the attention of A Tribe Called Quest, who recruited the talented broadsmith to be a member of their Ummah (Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Dilla) production team.

 

With the legendary group, Dilla crafted several gems off Tribe’s platinum fourth album Beats, Rhymes, and Life: “Get a Hold,” “1nce Again,” “Keep It Movin’,” “Word Play,” and “Stressed Out.”

 

In addition, Dilla created numerous classic singles for other artists, such as De La Soul (“Stakes Is High”), The Pharcyde (“Drop,” “Runnin'”), Q-Tip (“Vivrant Thing,” “Breathe and Stop”), Janet Jackson (“Got ‘Til It’s Gone”), Common (“The Light”), and Erykah Badu (“Didn’t Cha Know,” “Cleva”).

 

Towards the end of his career, Dilla began to focus more on developing his emcee skills along with forming partnerships with up and coming artists and producers.

 

In 2003, he collaborated with Madlib for the well received Champion Sound project.

 

Starting in 2004, Dilla was officially diagnosed with lupus and TTP, a rare and incurable blood disorder.

 

The disease greatly restricted Dilla’s ability to tour and also resulted in a marked weight loss.

 

Sensing the end was near; Dilla immersed himself in his work, and successfully completed his celebrated final project, Donuts in 2006.

 

The album was released on February 7, just 3 days before Dilla’s death at the age of 32 from cardiac arrest.

 

Due to the outpouring of anguish from respected members of the Hip-Hop community, many curious fans sought out Dilla’s discography for the first time.

 

In the 3 years since his passing, Dilla’s legacy has grown exponentially, with many artists still referencing him in lyrics or outright using his prodigious back catalogue of beats for their work.

 

Dilla’s memory also stays alive with the J Dilla Foundation, which aims to find a cure for lupus.

 

J Dilla leaves behind two daughters, and younger brother Illa J, who just released his debut album Yancey Boys last November.

Q-Tip, J. Period Drop Free Mixtape ‘The [Abstract] Best’

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

Rapper/producer and former Tribe Called Quest front man Q-Tip is celebrated on a new mixtape produced in collaboration with DJ Period.

 

Titled The [Abstract] Best, J. Period’s latest mixtape is a combination of tracks from Q-Tip’s deep catalog, as well as remixes, interviews and new tracks from a list of popular MC’s, who pay homage to the Queens, New York rap star.

 

Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, Skillz, Talib Kweli, Prince Paul, Consequence, Pharoahe Monch, Black Thought, ?uestlove, Black Sheep, Kid Cudi, Blu and others are among the list of rappers featured on the mixtape, which was made available for free download today (February 10).

 

“I greatly appreciate the time and dedication J.Period has put into this mixtape,” Q-Tip said of the collaboration. “He has pulled together an amazing group of contributing artists, and I am honored that my music has been inspirational to all of them. The feeling is mutual.”

 

The [Abstract] Best is the follow up to the track “Q-Tip for President,” which their pair released in November in celebration of President Barack Obama.

 

The track went on to receive over 100,000 downloads, prompting another collaboration between Q-Tip and J. Period.

 

“Q-Tip has inspired a generation of Hip-Hop artists and fans, and I am no exception,” J.Period said of the collaboration. “In an era of short attention spans, there is a reason why Q-Tip’s legacy has survived so long: like any great artist, his music has substance. I hope this tape shows why his name should be mentioned among Hip-Hop’s all-time greats.”

 

Additionally, fans who purchase a limited edition Abstract Best T-Shirt designed by Fuse Green, will receive a free copy of The [Abstract] Best Vol. 2.

 

Both versions of the mixtape, as well as outtakes and exclusive interviews, are available for free with the purchase of J.Period’s latest line of 1gB Flash Drives engraved with the phrase “Mixtapes Are Not A Crime.”

 

Q-Tip’s latest solo album The Renaissance is in stores now.

Enter TwittaLand: Rules and Survival Tips

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

Picture yourself in a nice nightclub. All the industry’s elite is in the building, having a good time catching up. You’re an up-and-coming hustler from your perspective but a nobody to them. How do you even begin to network? There’s no one right answer for this question. Make it short and sweet though. You only got 140 characters to say what you have to say. And chances are, they won’t even respond.

Picturing this scenario may help you to conceptualize Twitter as an easy-to-use networking tool. The new site that’s taking the worldwide web by storm is only two years old. It’s the lethal uppercut to MySpace. It’s slowly making Facebook the second site you pull up. Here are a few tips, strategies, and updates to have you twittin’ correctly. Welcome to TwittaLand…

Following Vs. Followers

Unless someone’s profile is private, you can add people as you please. This means that you can be updated with all the haps on the people you follow. A&R assistants, producers, artists, managers, musicians, groupies, and regular down-to-earth supporters are networking daily. Business folks are there to maintain and make even more money! Major producers are trading twits with major artists on the regular. Watch your following vs. follower count though. You don’t want to have 500 following and 4 followers. Not a good look.

What to Twitter?

* Encouraging quotes, thoughts of the day, or spiritual upliftment. It’s like singing “We Fall Down” on amateur night at the Apollo. No matter how whack your twit is, you’re still going to get love because of it’s positive impact.

* Interesting new stories that the common person wouldn’t know about. People usually don’t have enough time but they are interested and concerned about the world around them. Include a link of the news story.

* Interesting video clips. Seeing believes with people. There are great video clips all over the net of old artists’ videos, water balloons getting popped in super 80x slow motion, or the one of the lion charging and drop kicking a hunter. Hilarious!

* Updates about all the moves you are making across your hood, city, and/or the world out there. Dj Jelly was just in Germany. Quest Love of the Roots just got back from Japan. Erykah Badu and Jay Electronica just got a beautiful baby live on Twitter! People are genuinely interested in what their contemporaries are doing in their personal/business lives.

What Not to Twitter?

The website’s first question, “What are you doing?” is definitely rhetorical! The majority of people aren’t concerned if you’re “…on the toilet”, “smoking dat good”, or “recording a hot hit that you can check out later tonight at _____________ (insert MySpace page). Here are some major don’ts that will get you “unfollowed’ in quick click of a mouse.

* Rappers! Don’t promote your newest mix tape single every time you leave a twit. That’s the very reason people are ditching MySpace! That’s one of the quickest ways to get dropped by even one of your most loyal followers. People are on Twitter to get away from annoyances.

* Don’t get upset if someone doesn’t respond to your @! Just like walking up on someone in the club, a person will judge your approach. If you are over-eager, cocky, or down-right desperate you will rarely get a response.

* Have your facts together when you speak of someone or to someone. Your not about to score points with Shaq if you tell him, “congrats on the Magic win last night.” Fool, that was 15 yrs. ago! Did you just get out the pen?!

* Don’t crowd a person. You might be cool but networking takes time.

AllHipHop’s Twitter-ers (I need to copyright that.)

AllHipHop.com – http://twitter.com/allhiphopcom

Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur – http://twitter.com/chuckcreekmur

Grouchy Greg Watkins – http://twitter.com/grouchygreg

Illseed – http://twitter.com/illseed

Kathy Iandoli – http://twitter.com/kAHHthy

Alvin Blanco – http://twitter.com/AquaAHH

Notable Twitter-ers to Follow

Ludacris- ludajuice

Shaquille O’Neal- THE_REAL_SHAQ

Quest Love of the Roots- qoolquest

TJsDJs- TJsDJs

Erykah Badu- fatbellybella

*Honorary Pick* Maya Angelou- mayaangelou

Stay tuned to TwittaLand #2 to get updates of Notable Twitter-ers: The DJ “Add”ition