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The Top Ten Black Power Themed Rap Acts…according to Marcus Reeves

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Features
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Even though real Hip-Hop can seem like it has gone to the pallbearers lately, its legacy is safe in the good quills of brilliant writers like Marcus Reeves. As a feature writer and editor, Reeves was an integral part of The Source Magazine’s Mind Squad during the magazine’s golden age. From there, he hit the ground running and his by-line appeared in The Village Voice, Rolling Stone and Vibe, among other high end media conglomerates.

 

A decade and a half on the grind, Marcus penned the comprehensive Somebody Scream: Rap Music’s Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power (Faber & Faber), a thorough document of the major acts and movements of Hip-Hop’s storied timeline. This proven scribe enlightened us on his top ten rap groups that make us proud to be young, gifted and Black.

 

 

1. PUBLIC ENEMY

 

“It’s not just because of the message, but because of genius behind what they were. The Bomb Squad was a genius production team. They way Chuck D formulated everything with Flavor Flav being the comic relief, S1W’s giving you the visuals of movement, and Terminator X being the sound power behind the whole thing was like Funkadelic or what James Brown put together as far as the super group concept.”

 

 

2. RAKIM

 

“Before Public Enemy, Rakim introduced not only a new way of saying a rhyme, but a new language that the rhyme could be in. When “Eric B. is President” came out, it was a taste for what was coming. It was a new type of sampling sound. It sounded like an old record and it was funky. Then there was the way Rakim rhymed, which was very musicianlike, very much like Coltrane, There was off rhymes. There was multiple rhyming words. Then he would drop Five Percent messages in there. When ‘My Melody’ came out, you heard a new black language that just changed the game completely. ‘Now tear it up, y’all, and bless the mic for the gods.’ When he said that, I was like, and I wasn’t one to think this, ‘Oh my god, did he just the say the Black man is god on the radio?’”

 

 

3. KRS-ONE

 

“He introduced a new consciousness of rap to music. [Even though] he came out with stuff like ‘Criminal Minded’ [and] ‘The P is Free,’ he also had stuff like ‘South Bronx’ which was going at Shan, but it was also trying to clarify the history of Rap, saying that we’ve come this far, but let’s keep it grounded where this thing is from. And also there’s ‘Poetry.’ I was in high-school when that song came out and I was like, ‘Wow, he’s calling rap poetry.’ He’s letting you know that we understand the power that we have as rappers and we’re gonna remind you as well.”

 

 

“Where Public Enemy would actually say it, N.W.A would get in the costume of the people and then let that costume speak for itself.”

 

4. N.W.A

 

“Besides introducing gangsta rap, they were, like Public Enemy, a highly conceptualized group. Public Enemy wanted to take the group and use it as a means of raising the consciousness, promoting knowledge and social awareness. N.W.A was like, ‘We’re gonna take your voice and we’re gonna take the voice of the gangsta to show you how desperate things are.’ It was part serious and part comedic. They used that voice as a means to critique the same community that they began to speak for. ‘Dopeman,’ while it’s basically showing you an archetype of somebody who is killing the community and who gets massive respect from the community, criticizes the Black community for giving that man that much power because of a substance. It’s a very high minded way of critiquing society. It just was a little deeper than what Public Enemy was putting out. Where Public Enemy would actually say it, N.W.A would get in the costume of the people and then let that costume speak for itself.”

 

 

 

5. X-CLAN

 

“N.W.A and Public Enemy were the Black Panthers. X-Clan were what you would call the Organization Us [or US Organization].  Back in the 60’s, there were the Panthers, all kinds of revolutionary nationalists. Organization Us with Maulana Karenga were cultural nationalists. They came up with Kwanzaa. They’re thing was freedom through Black unity, self-awareness through going back to your heritage and your roots to recapture that Africanness of your culture. X-Clan picked that up and turned it into their own concept for a rap group. Not only did they turn into a concept, but they turned into a dope language that just worked. My favorite song is ‘Grand Verbalizer.’ The stuff he’s talking about—if anybody else said it, it would be weird. ‘Stalkin’, walkin’ in my b######## boots, livin’ off the earth eatin’ herbs and fruits.’ They’re talking about living off the earth and making it sound cool. ‘Chilly and Magilla, chocolate and vanilla/How can polar bears swing on vines with the gorillas? Please.’ It was secret language, but you understood it. He’s saying the same things, bragging about himself, but he was also talking about heritage, and dissing the white power structure calling them polar bears.”

 

 

 

“Big Daddy Kane was the Jay-Z of his day, somebody who was flashy, but had enough street cred to speak politically on behalf of his audience. He was that guy who walked the fine line between being flashy and being knowledgeable.”

6. BIG DADDY KANE

 

“Big Daddy Kane was a Five Percenter. He was the Jay-Z of his day, somebody who was flashy, but had enough street cred to speak politically on behalf of his audience. Big Daddy Kane was bigger for other reasons. He changed the game and the whole concept of the punch line and created the whole idea of metaphors. He’s a pioneer in his own right, but as far as speaking the language, he was that guy who walked the fine line between being flashy and being knowledgeable.”

 

 

7. MOS DEF

 

“He can just drop it. If you ever listen to the album they did together, Black Star, he’s talking about shooting holes in the sky until she bleeds sunshine. That’s the kind of poetry that Mos Def brings to political awareness. He drops it in a sensible way for the gangster rappers, positive rappers, or the guys trying to be alternative. You can’t listen to him and say he’s preaching to you. When he did ‘What’s Beef,’ he’s right. Beef is ‘what George Bush would do in a fight.’”

 

 

8. TALIB KWELI

 

“As a writer, he’s just incredible. He has learned how to take a whole concept—right now, they say you can’t be too preachy and you can’t talk down to hustlers in the street—and present that same picture a gangster rapper shows you, but show it to you as an emotion, without telling you it’s an emotion. His biggest example is ‘Get By.’  “We sell, crack to our own out the back of our homes/We smell the musk at the dusk in the crack of the dawn.’ He paints the picture and says, ‘Dude, you’re doing this because you wanna get by. Do you wanna continue doing it?’ But he presents it in a poetic way. It’s like sunshine coming out of the radio. It’s the equivalent of a rapping Stevie Wonder.”

 

Get By – Talib Kweli

 

9. SALT-N-PEPA

 

“I’m sorry they just…did it. Besides challenging society, they challenged Hip-Hop to rethink what a woman MC could do. She could sing, could talk, the power she could have and the audience she can reach, just hands down. They’re number nine.”

 

 

10. JAY-Z

 

“Because he has age, power. He basically mixed street consciousness and political consciousness all in one. He’s been doing it since the beginning. He’s been able to do it and he still does it well. It’s Jay Z…it’s all I could really say.”

 

 

2008 MissTape

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Alternatives
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Every year there are a ton of tracks that you hear over and

over again on the radio and blasting out of car windows. You may hate those

songs with a white-hot passion (“I Kissed a Girl”), but you still know every

word since they’re constantly being drilled into your head while you’re trying

to buy a burrito or when that girl from your office gets a call on her cell.

Even when it’s a song you like (“American Boy”), sometimes, you just need a

break.

 

Luckily, those that are willing to look have plenty of great

material to enjoy at those times. Some are obscure remixes or from lesser-known

artists. Some are from people you know well, but since you never got around to

listening to their album, you only really caught the singles. Maybe they’re

more deserving of the attention than the stuff that everyone actually listened

to, but in a way, their obscurity is part of what makes them fun.

 

You’ve surely got your own mix, but here are ten (ish) of

the top tracks on ours.

 

Honorable Mention: Jackie Moon – “Love Me Sexy”

from Semi-Pro

Nobody’s gonna confuse Will Ferrell with John Legend anytime

soon but this brassy, ‘70s-style slow jam would’ve been a classic if it was an

Earth Wind & Fire single.

 

10. Madonna – “Ring My Bell” from Hard Candy

(Bonus Editions)

A bonus track from Madonna’s album (depending on which

version you bought), the leftover Neptunes beat is way better than any of that

bullsh*t that Timbaland gave her.

 

9. Erykah Badu – Honey (Seiji Remix) (12” Only)

Seiji jumps back and forth between big, broken beats and

black-hole bass on this trippy remix of Erykah’s single-turned-bonus-track.

 

8. Vampire Weekend – “The Kids Don’t Stand a

Chance” (Chromeo Remix) (B-Side)

Just the right amount of Chromeo’s ‘80s Pop layered on top

of Vampire Weekend’s Baroque Rock single is a fun last-minute entry for two

great bands who should be back on ‘09.

 

7. Raphael Saadiq – 100 Yard Dash from The Way I

See It

Saadiq executed his Motown era concept perfectly for his

album and if you slipped this in to your auntie’s record collection, you could

easily convince her it was a long-lost Smokey cut.

 

6. Santogold – “Get It Up” (Radioclit Remix) ft.

M.I.A. & Gorilla Zoe from the Top Ranking mixtape

Who knows how an old Gorilla Zoe verse ended up on this

otherwise new track from Santi and Maya but it’s still dope. The embrace of

Afrobeat was one of the best things to happen to American pop lately.

 

5. Nikka Costa – “Loving You” from Pebble to a

Pearl

Long before you’d ever heard of Amy Winehouse, Nikka Costa

was injecting her modern attitude into classic R&B and she continues to do

so with this perfect cover of another slept-on classic from Johnny “Guitar”

Watson.

 

4. Solange – “Valentine’s Day” from Sol-Angel

and the Hadley St. Dreams

A strange little love child of Diana Ross and Andre 3000

that was way better than anything Sasha sang this year – it’s time to

stop calling her “Beyoncé’s little sister.”

 

3. Diplo – Brew Barrymore from MadDecent.com

Diplo flips the “Mystic Brew” sample that Tribe used for

“Electric Relaxation” into something for the dance floors from Baltimore to

Brazil.

 

2. Warrior Queen – “Things Change” (12” Only)

Attention DJs: when you do that Dancehall part of your set

where you play Patra, Capleton and Chaka Demus and then blend out with B.I.G.’s

verse from “Dolly My Baby”, start throwing this somewhere in there just to mix

it up.

 

1. 88-Keys – Wasting My Minutes ft. KiD CuDi from

the Adam’s Care Files mixtape

A hilarious internal debate over whether of not CuDi should

leave his incredibly fine girlfriend who also happens to be as dumb as a brick

– a great pairing of one of the year’s most underrated vets with one if

it’s most promising rookies.

AllHipHop Alternatives 2008 MissTape

AHH YEAR IN REVIEW: Who Was The King Of The South In ’08?

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Reviews / Music
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There’s one life / One love / So there can only be one king

 

Nas

“The Message”

 

For our purposes, Nas’ rule of one will be modified to a rule of four. Every year there are a handful of artists from each region that leave an indelible mark on Hip-Hop through their hard work, determination, and quality of music. But alas, there can still only be one “king” for each region, an emcee whose impact extends beyond his peers.

 

Here at AllHipHop.com we’ve compiled the top emcees from each region, based on the work they’ve done throughout 2008. From there, the staff through a consensus vote selected one rapper from each coast as the 2008 “King” for that region. We start with the always race for crown of the South. Let the debate begin.

 

Young Jeezy

Atlanta’s trap star proved he wasn’t a one dimensional rapper with The Recession; Jeezy’s stab at addressing the economic woes currently plaguing the nation. With tracks like “My President,” “Circulate,” and “Put On,” Jeezy’s third album gave long-time fans glimpses of the familiar bird play while giving enough mainstream appeal to reach new fans. “My President” in particular, Jeezy’s celebratory song on Barack Obama’s win, drew mainstream coverage from such news outlets as CNN.

 

In November, Jeezy ventured to the polls in Adamsville, GA to pontificate on the importance of voting. Throw in appearances on the #1 records “Love In This Club,” and “Spotlight (Remix),” and you have another successful year for Atlanta’s Young Jeezy.

 

Standout Songs:

“Put On,” “Circulate,” “My President”

 

Plies

The self-proclaimed “Goon” of Hip-Hop kept extremely busy this year by releasing Definition of Real, his second album in less than a year. The Ne-Yo assisted single “Bust It Baby Pt. 2” earned Plies his biggest hit ever and his second consecutive gold album.

 

Not ready to rest on his laurels, Plies surprisingly announced his third album Da REAList a mere six months later released on December 16th. That album already has momentum courtesy of the popular protest song “Pants Hang Low,” the single “Put It On Ya”. If all goes well, expect yet another Plies album in 2009.

 

Standout Songs:

“Pants Hang Low,” “Put It On Ya”

 

Rick Ross

Ross kicked off the year strong with Trilla, his number one Billboard album. With a new love interest, Foxy Brown, at his side, all seemed well for Miami’s “Boss.” That was until an explosive expose revealing that Ross spent two years working as a correctional officer. Ross compounded the issue by first denying the allegations. While embarrassing, fans continue to support the rapper’s work, as evidenced by Ross winning Best Rap Album and Best Rap Artist at the 2008 Ozone Awards.

 

Even now with a four million lawsuit pending for the rapper’s alleged assault of DJ Vlad, over coverage of the correctional officer fiasco, Ross’ career remains in good standing going into 2009.

 

Standout Songs:

“The Boss,” “Here I Am”

 

T.I.

T.I. experienced the best and worst of times in 2008. In February, the Bankhead native was sentenced to a year in prison and a thousand hours of community service stemming from his conviction for possessing illegal firearms as a felon and attempting to buy guns from a federal agent.

 

Throughout the year, Tip also faced taunts from fellow Atlanta rapper Shawty Lo, who took every opportunity to question T.I.’s Bankhead roots and qualifications to be the king of the South.

 

Despite the pressure, T.I. delivered one of his biggest albums in Paper Trail, which debuted #1 with over 560,000 copies sold. The single “Whatever You Like” remained at the top of the charts for seven weeks. The all-star single “Swagga Like Us” featured Tip outshining his elite peers and earning two Grammy nominations for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

 

Last month T.I. ended the year on a somber note by testifying in the murder trial of his best friend Philant Johnson, who was killed senselessly after an Ohio concert in 2006.

 

Standout Songs:

“Swagga Like Us,” “Live Your Life,” “What’s Up, What’s Haapnin’”

 

Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne’s 2008 has been the stuff of legend. Two years of countless mixtapes and guest spots culminated with Tha Carter III, the most anticipated Hip-Hop album since 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’. Wayne’s effort broke records by selling over a million copies in his first week. The album’s first single “Lollipop” hit number one, giving Wayne his first number one single. The remaining three singles (“A Milli,” “Got Money,” and “Mrs. Officer”) all hit the top ten singles chart and kept the album in the top fifty albums chart months after its release. To date the album is already certified double platinum and the best-selling Hip-Hop album of the year.

 

Along with musical success, Wayne also celebrated the birth of his son Dwayne Carter III this past October. With over sixty guest appearances throughout 2008 and the November release of The Dedication 3, Lil Wayne’s popularity and demand will continue well into 2009.

 

Standout Songs:

“A Milli,” “Got Money,” “Lollipop”

 

 

The Verdict:

While Lil Wayne did the bigger numbers and was literally everywhere we turned, we had to give it to Atlanta’s own T.I. Dude came back from what seemed to be a career and life ending legal situation and dropped a stellar album in Papertrail. If that’s not what a king is made of, then please show us different.

 

2008’s Biggest Stories #3: Trick Trick Vs. Yung Berg and The Gay COmmunity

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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Detroit’s Trick Trick, the self-proclaimed “villain” of

Hip-Hop, made himself one of the culture’s biggest talking points this year

courtesy of one-sided feuds with Yung Berg and the gay community.

         

Over the summer, talkative rapper Yung Berg was mercilessly

beaten and relieved of his trademark Transformer chain mere moments after

stepping into Trick’s Plan B nightclub.

         

In an exclusive interview, Trick denied responsibility

for the attack while at the same time making his disdain for Berg known.

         

“First of all I ain’t no jack n*gga. I don’t need to

jack nann n*gga to get what I gotta get,” Trick told AllHipHop.com in August.

“Karma’s a muthaf*cka so I’m not taking no n*gga’s s###. I earn mine. I don’t

need that piece of sh*t aluminum foil chain the b*tch had on no way.”

         

The beating left a battered Yung Berg unable to

complete a scheduled performance for Hot 102.7’s Summer Jam.

         

Later, Trick admitted that it was his crew that

committed the assault. However, he insisted Berg deserved it for his alleged

disparaging comments about Trick and dark skin women.

         

“I saved that n*gga’s life. He would probably be dead

right now or in a coma if I hadn’t ran over there and pushed the lil homies back

so they could quit stomping this n*gga,” Trick elaborated. “You can’t be saying

‘f*ck Trick Trick’ and you don’t like dark skin women. I was gonna school the

little n*gga to the ropes of the game! If you gonna take some notes, take notes

from an OG. The lil homies got that trophy [the chain], I don’t want that sh*t.

I don’t have any problems with the little n*gga. I [just] don’t like him, and

he ain’t got to never come back to this b*tch.”

         

Although Yung Berg has since remained mute on the

incident, Trick Trick as recent as mid December was seen sporting the

Transformer chain at an Atlanta concert.

         

Three months later, Trick Trick turned his venom on an

unlikely target, the gay community.

         

Prior to the release of The Villain, his second studio album, Trick unexpectedly blasted

the homosexual lifestyle and barred gays from purchasing the LP.

         

“I’m a go on record right now with this. Homosexuals

are probably not gonna like this album,” Trick stated to AllHipHop.com in

November. “I don’t want your f##### money any g###### way. I don’t like it

[homosexuality]. Carry that sh*t somewhere else.”

         

The album featured a self-titled track deriding gay

activists Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell, referencing them as “d###

b*tches” and vowing to send a “scud missile right through their f*cking cruise

ship.”

         

The Detroit rapper carried his venom over to the issue

of gay adoption, stating “He goes both ways/Either way he’s gay/Ain’t no other

way to say/He’s a f*ckig f#####  so I’m

lettin’ off my AK/Bust ‘em in his forehead/He ain’t worth lettin’ live/A man

and a man shouldn’t raise another man’s kids!”

         

Right on the heels of Proposition 8 banning gay

marriage in California, the Gay and Lesbian community was infuriated by Trick’s

unprovoked comments.

         

“I really can’t get past the fact that Trick Trick

calls himself that name,” stated Camilo Arenivar, founder of the alternative

LBGT site OutHipHop.com. “With all the homework he did on Rosie’s cruises and

gay adoption, he should have found out that a ‘trick’ is a word heavily used in

the gay community to describe what a gay hustler turns to make a buck.”

         

Trick remained defiant in spite of the mounting

criticism, refusing to succumb to what he alleges is the growing acceptance of

homosexuality in mainstream society.

         

“It’s just that every time that you turn on the TV,

that sissy sh*t is on,” Trick countered. “And they act like its f*cking okay.

The world is changing for the worst when sh*t like that happens.”

         

Despite this and the high-profile Yung Berg assault,

Trick Trick’s The Villain received

little fanfare when released and failed to crack the Billboard Top 200.

         

It remains to be seen in 2009 whether Trick Trick can

foster more attention to his music, or if the Detroit rapper will continue to

spark controversy for statements and actions outside of the booth.

Hip-Hop Rumors: Ransom Slaps Joe Budden’s Best Friend?

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.

TODAY’S RUMORS!RANSOM SLAPS JOE BUDDEN’S “BEST FRIEND”?????

There is a video on the internet the supposedly shows Ransom talking about Joe Budden. I will say it once and I will say it twice, these dudes are acting like little kids. But, since I do the rumors, I am going to enjoy this and pray nothing serious happens. So, you saw the last video, which many deemed as “ether.” Well, Budden and his crew taped an attack on Ransom. Ransom ran to his crib and let some shots off in the air apparently. Joe and them didn’t run, but didn’t shoot back either. So in this new video, Ran is talking about how they did get at him, but they didn’t bust back. Shouldn’t he be happy they didn’t fire bullets back at him? I would, because I still believe in “fair ones.” But cats don’t do that anymore, so they went up to somebody that’s really cool with Joe Budden, in response to Joe and crew coming to his ‘hood. And they ALLEGEDLY slap him on tape. The reason why its allegedly is because the video runs for a few minutes and then just STOPS as Ran and his goons are up on some dude at his crib. No sort of slap was ever shown on the net to my knowledge. IF it was, send it to me so I can see it. I definitely like to see people getting slapped. 

What does this all lead too? Who knows!

Maybe that Macy Gray song -“Slap A B***h” could be the new theme song for Ran and crew? Click here for that.

MY DAILY TWO CENTS

AllHipHop has a bunch of year-in-review stuff on the site. If you don’t know, now you know! Here are some links for your reading, viewing and commenting pleasure. There is more to come! As always, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING – al*************@***il.com.

Change Is Now: AllHipHop’s Year End Spotlight – 2008

AHH YEAR IN REVIEW: Best & Worst Moments in ’08

CLASS OF ’88: Rakim VS Big Daddy Kane (must read!)

Really? 2008, REALLY? (the year end edition)!

The Last Word: 2008 Edition

NEW JAY-Z “GO HARD”

With DJ Khaled!

NAS PERFORMED FOR 3 HOURS? NEW ALBUM?

Nas is reportedly working on a new album, where he seems to be planning “Ether” part 2. At a concert in New York, he said he is going to address some “tight pants, lyrically declined play-in-rappers.” It was something like that. Who could he mean? I think I have an idea, but nobody’s names was mention so I won’t say. The homey QCityGunna said that Nas rocked for three hours! Mister Cee was on the wheels of steel and AZ even popped up to do “Life’s A B####,” “Affirmative Action” and even “Phone Tap.” Apparently Nas has been over in Africa and his voice was messed up. So Busta Rhymes came to the rescue with some water and told the crowd that NAS is the BEST that ever did it. I think we need him for the Top 5 Dead or alive!

ILLSEED’S QUICKIESClick here for the Epic Fail of the Day. “Load Lage.” LOL!

I heard 50 Cent’s reality show has been unceremoniously canceled.

Rumor has it Nelly wants to lock it down with Ashanti, but the Momager (her mother and manager) doesn’t really want that at this time.

Jennifer Hudson has been confirmed to perform at the 2009 Grammys. Glad to see her slowly easing back from tragedy.

Soulja boy moved about 45k in his first week sales. He was actually campaigning for a milli like Lil Wayne.

T-Pain recently said he is about to “pull a Kanye” and do a country music CD.Also, Vaughn, not Von, is Ty Ty’s (Not Ta Ta’s) brother and he manages Ne-Yo. That is why they were together.

JOE BUDDEN VS RANSOM PART 591

This beef is still stupid, but Budden went in a bit. Lol at “you skinny fat.”

I believe that dude that said, “I will come to your house.” “You will evacuate Jersey City IMMERJATELY.” That’s not a spelling error. I wanna see the footage. Uh, now what is Ransom gonna say back?

SIGNS THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END

A South Philadelphia man has redeemed my belief that there is very little “brotherly love” in Phillytown. A man got so p##### that a father and son were talking during a movie that he shot the dad. This was during a Christmas showing of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” James Joseph Cialella Jr., a 29-year-old, pulled a .380-caliber gun and let the heat blow over…over-talkative people – a father and son, no less. He was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and weapons violations. I mean, I hate that too…but I’m gonna snitch to movie management, before I try to kill somebody and catch a case. Good thing the dad survived!

RON BROWZ BRINGS BACK NY HIP-HOP?

No disrespect to Bussa Bus, but it’s a pretty sad notion that Ron Browz is the one bringing NY back. He doesn’t even rap!

BURNING MONEY IN A RECESSION?

If you burn money period, you need to have your brain checked. Burning it in a recession and you are something brand new to the world. These guys claim they set fire to 100k whent they could have given it to the needy. Here the desired attention:

JAZ-O AIN’T MAD

Jaz-O is the man that’s not mad. I want that to be a column on AHH.

REPUBLICANS SENT OUT THE FOLLOWING VIDEO.

How cool are the Republicans to send out out “Puff The Majic Negro,” a racist song about Barack Obama. It’s not even FUNNY. SMH. Tennessee’s Chip Saltsman is running for Republican National Committee and thought it was funny and satirical. He sent this to a few of his friends. Defending himself, “I think most people recognize political satire when they see it,” Saltsman told CNN. “I think RNC members understand that.” UH-HUH.

HERE YOU GO – BIG DADDY KANE, SHAN, ROXANNE AND THE JUICE CREW – “JUICE CREW CHRISTMAS”

My homey from the Heavy Spitter reminded me of this Christmas song. Roxanne Shante references Eartha Kitt. Rest In Peace, Catwoman!

DEDICATION TO EARTHA KITT

THESE TWO!

They are my new fave couple, because they always seem like they are having fun!

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

OBAMA, WE LOVE YOU!!!

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

-illseed

WHO: illseed.com

WHAT: Rumors

WHERE: AllHipHop.com, MySpace.com/TheIllseed

HOW: Send your rumors and ill pics to illseed at al*************@***il.com.

– allhiphop rumors

AHH YEAR IN REVIEW: Who Took The Biggest “L” In ’08

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Reviews / Music
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When you look at all the events that occurred throughout the entire calendar of 2008, it is clear this year will go down in the books. From a social and political vantage point, we have the biggest presidential election in history with a man of color winning.

 

On a music note, we had Lil Wayne selling a million units with the release of Tha Carter 3. But in the midst of these and other great highs, people were taking losses left and right.

 

The Republican Party tasted spicy defeat with Barack ethering McCain and with George W. and the flying hard bottoms. Outside of catching the ever looming brick, some rappers had it real tough.

 

Dudes got sucker punched, others got their jewelry yapped, and some even got hit with serious jail time. With that said we asked who truly took the biggest “L” in 2008. While the answers might vary, it is clear the ominous “L” strikes in various shapes and forms and nobody is safe.

 

Kardinal Offishal: All my ex-girlfriends, non-believers and all around b#### made n****s took the biggest “L” in 2008!

 

 

 

 

Black Milk: John McCain, and that’s all I need to say about that.

 

 

 

 

 

?uestlove: All the people whom I talked on the phone to on the campaign trail who showed their blatant ignorance to the idea of “an Arab running my country”

 

Joe Budden: Come on you got to ask that? Well Yung Berg had a bad year. He had a rough ’08 [laughs]. That’s not even funny. I’m laughing as to feel bad for him. It started out really really funny, like a punchline and a diss but as the year went on I started to feel bad for him.

 

Sheek Louch: [laughs] I don’t know son.

 

Mick Boogie: I think a lot of the one-hit wonders took a big hit in ‘08; as opposed to ‘07 when it was the year of the corny, dance single. It seemed this year that tapered down a little bit; which is great.

 

Charles Hamilton: Yung Berg; just an overall L for him.

Corey Gunz: [laughs] I’m trying to keep things positive. I don’t know how even know how to answer that question right now.

 

Alchemist: Who took the biggest L? Man, this is my boy but maybe it’s Nelly? It could be LL as well. And these are people I look up to; these are Hip-Hop legends.

 

Paul Wall: O.J. First he wrote a book hypothetically snitching on himself. Then he got caught stealing his own sh*t. Now he moved to a six by six luxurious box for the next fifteen years. Damn.

 

Shawty Lo: The American people took the biggest loss in ’08.  It’s a recession going on and a lot of people are out here suffering. You got people that want to work and provide for their families but can’t because they’ve lost their jobs, lost their houses, transportation gone, it’s rough.

 

D Nice: I’m not afraid to answer this because I’m a DJ and I have to be honest. Nelly is my man, but I think he definitely caught a brick. I don’t know if it was his fault, maybe it was the timing. Timing is everything, but that album caught a bad one especially from coming off selling so many millions of records.

 

That’s serious brick. It may be a tie with LL though, because that Exit 13 was a brick too. And the thing is crazy with LL, the record he had with The Dream (“Baby”) wasn’t a bad record.

 

Chamillionaire: Jesse Jackson not knowing that camera was still rolling, that Sarah Palin interview, and OJ Simpson’s tears are all tied for third place. Any Republican that claims to be racist would have to be in second place for the biggest loss because not only did a Democrat win the race for Presidency, but “that one’s” race happened top be African American.

 

The number one loss has to be whoever invented auto-tune. Homey should have purchased a copyright, some instructional booklets, and some licensing agreements because he would be richer than Bill Gates right now.

 

Killer Mike: Honestly I think Remy [Martin]. Free Remy and free Shyne! She was poised to be a female force 4 real. Whether n****s want to acknowledge or not she had a crazy mix tape, some dope viral videos and a whole Remy Ma Campaign. The Court hitting her with time took a mother, a wife, hold your head Pap, and a dope ass Rapper. Honorable mention also to my home girl Da Brat. Stay Up. 

 

 

Juelz Santana: Dam who took the biggest L? I don’t even know. I’ll axe that one out. If I had an answer I would say it, but I don’t even know.

 

Slim Thug: I don’t know man. I’m not going to say Yung Berg because anyone can get robbed. That ain’t sh*t. If a n**** got a gun or something, there’s not much you can do. I don’t give a f*** who you are.

 

 

Gully Creeper Creator “Ice” Shot Dead In Jamaica

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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The Dancehall fraternity suffered a severe loss early Friday morning: Just hours after most celebrated life and love on Christmas day with family and friends, dancer, Ice, was murdered.

 

“Ice,” real name David Alexander Smith, was best known for his internationally acclaimed “Gully Creeper.”

 

The dance took the world by storm after Bad Boy’s dancehall artist, Elephant Man, released a song of the same name and Jamaican Olympic Gold medalist and world record holder, Usain Bolt showcased the dance after each track win in the recent Olympic games in China.

 

According to police reports, the 36-year-old dancer, of Zenna Avenue in Kingston, was shot and killed by gunmen at a bar on Newark Avenue in Kingston on Friday morning.

 

Police said that around 7:55 a.m., Ice was at the establishment when men armed with guns entered.

 

The men immediately opened fire, killing Ice on the spot.

 

The police who are investigating reported that the Champagne Mitsubishi Lancer which was driven by Ice was taken by his attackers.

 

Smith, is the second Jamaican dancing icon from the “Black Roses Crew” to be murdered in recent years: the first was Smith’s dancing mentor, Gerald “Bogle” Levy.

 

Levy was gunned down at a gas station in Kingston in January 2005 and his case remains unsolved.

 

In June of 2005, Ice was among a group of men arrested and charged with murder, arson and several counts of shooting.

 

<param name=’>

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/usOng5eye4A&hl=en&fs=1 ” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”425″ height=”344″>Usain Bolt doing the Gully Creeper in China earlier this year.

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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WL_VNI6kUYk&hl=en&fs=1 ” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=”always” allowfullscreen=”true” width=”425″ height=”344″>Elephant Man’s “Gully Creeper” Video featuring “Ice”

ALBUM REVIEW: Keyshia Cole – A Different Me

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Alternatives
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Just about any artist who survives long enough to get a

third or fourth album tries to promote it as some sort of departure—more

mature, more casual, more soulful, more fun, more classic, more modern, more

whatever. Most of them are lying and merely offer more of the same but, to her

credit, Keyshia Cole is making a genuine effort to retool herself with A

Different Me [Geffen]. The new Keyshia

still needs a little work, but she’s at least on the right track.

 

Generally, Cole is aiming to move past the image of a girl

gabbing about her no-good man while she’s doing straight-backs on her baby

cousin’s hair. From the outset, “Make Me Over” certainly does just that by

acting as the first truly upbeat thing she’s ever done. “Let It Go” was

something you could wave a glass of cheap champagne to but the first couple of

songs here are (in theory) truly designed for dance.

 

Since A Different Me

is effectually Cole’s attempt at a Pop record, the soulful girl who used to

belt her pain out to the cheap seats takes a bit of a back seat. Even when Cole

does still “skew urban,” it feels a little more like those late ’90s Bad Boy

records that led the crossover movement for so many R&B singers. “Oh-oh,

Yeah-Yea” with Nas and “Playa Cardz Right” with 2Pac are great throwbacks to

that era—even with the stupid names—and “Oh-oh” especially is a

top-tier track for both the album and performer.

 

While her commitment to the concept buys her a little

credit, she doesn’t really prove that the Pop-ish sound is a good look for her.

Ron Fair’s influence is noticeably stronger on this album and a handful of

these tracks sound like demos for the Pussycat Dolls (“Please Don’t Stop,”

“Erotic”). While those girls wouldn’t have “sung” those records anywhere nearly

as well as Cole does, they would’ve felt more natural.

 

Keyshia Cole deserves the chance to blossom and grow into

the perennial act that she could potentially be so while A Different Me doesn’t quite place her in a spot she can inhabit

comfortably over the long term, it’s not an outright failure. Cole is capable

of pulling off this act in a general sense but she’s built for much

more—she’s taking a respectable shot, just perhaps at the wrong target.

Keyshia Cole – “Playa Cardz Right” ft. TupacA Different Me

AHH YEAR IN REVIEW ’08: All Star Review Of Tha Carter 3

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: Reviews / Music
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If you were to ask any fan of Rap music what the biggest album of the year was, Tha Carter 3 would most likely be the most common answer, and with great reason. In 2008, Lil Wayne would be an unavoidable force in music.

 

With a flood of mixtape material and countless guest appearances, he dominated the air time and developed a cult following in one fell swoop. But even with that immense momentum behind him, the question if whether or not he could and would deliver a classic with his sixth studio album Tha Carter 3 still remained.

 

Off top C3 seemed doomed as many tracks prematurely leaked unto the internet. Heading into the official release, Wayne gave the streets “A Milli” as an appetizer. An unconventional track featuring an automated and rather repetitive chorus, “A Milli” wasn’t embraced instantly.

 

Additionally, the first radio single “Lollipop” strayed away from the world play and mastery of flow that made Weezy a mixtape phenomenon with its poppy feel and less than perfect use of auto tune. But nevertheless both songs were diamonds in the rough as “A Millie” would singlehandedly become every rapper’s favorite instrumental and “Lollipop” would hit number one on the charts. Now everyone was a believer.

 

Upon its release, Tha Carter 3 would sell over a million copies within its first week. A monumental feat to say the least, this milestone achievement would make his claim of being the best rapper alive that much more credible. But did C3 meet the gigantic hype? We thought it was good but not great.

 

Other media outlets disagreed; even jumping on the bozack with claims of classic before its release. Now with a couple of months for everyone to properly digest it, we put it to a real test. We put in a couple calls, sent a few emails, and flew a kite or two and got his peers to chime on whether or not Tha Carter 3 was all that. Who else but us? No-one.

 

Black Milk: Listened to that album like two times since its been out, not saying it wasn’t good but compared to Tha Carter 1, its no match. I even still listen to Tha Carter 2 every once and while. I think Wayne definitely deserved every unit that was sold of Tha Carter 3 because I can’t think of one artist that put in as much work and dropped as many verses and mixtapes leading up to there debut in Hip-Hop history. 

 

I think we all was caught in the hype whether a person wants to admit it or not, but when the album dropped, for me personally I thought he probably should have kept some of those mixtape verses. Overall I think “A Milli” is still a dope song to this day and the “Dr. Carter” joint was an ill concept too.

 

Kardinal Offishal: Tha Carter 3 was important for Hip-Hop, because it showed that with proper artist development which no label does anymore, including his own, you can build a story and a demand. Wayne was able to spend time working the net, shows, mixtapes, magazines etc. and make a name for himself before the album was even near a release date!

 

At the end of the day, people were magnetized by this kid who claimed to be “the best rapper alive” and wanted to see what the album was going sound like in comparison to all the legendary mixtapes and appearances. Wayne gave you Wayne on Tha Carter 3 so the only people who were disappointed were those who weren’t sure of who Lil Wayne was.

 

He’s an ill lyricist who has certain “addictions” and is attracted to a lifestyle which some see as dangerous. That’s what u got on the album, some verses that sounded like he had the “cup” in his hand half full and some that sounded like the “cup” was half empty [laughs].

 

Basically, there was something for everybody on that album; concepts, beats, the infamous “swag”, and a good ol’ dose of extra testosterone. You may not have f***ed with the whole sh*t; but whatever you didn’t like, somebody else did.

 

Wale: Ya’ll are trying to start some beef or something AllHipHop? I think it was great for Wayne because he challenged himself with his content. Well done Mr. Carter!

 

 

 

?uestlove: I got respect for anyone who keeps longer hours than I do. Post 2000 art has discounted “good” or “bad” or opinions in general. The new standard is “was it effective or not effective?” Carter 3 was effective.

 

 

 

Juelz Santana: I liked it, I love Tha Carter. Sh*t was hard. But to be honest my favorite out of the all of them was Tha Carter II. I love Carter 3, but my favorite was 2. But Carter 3 was a more mature Weezy and I love it for the time it came out and for how much he’s grown and to sell over a million records. It’s like the things you have to do to get these things.

 

I love part two for a lot more personal reasons. So you know, that’s pretty much it. Carter 2 is a lot more harder I would say. This album is hard too, I liked the way he moved on it. But that’s just my personal opinion. Like with me, when I got an album coming out I know I got to go with a radio single, I rather put out a harder record know what I’m saying? But you know what the game requires and what you have to do meet certain standards you dig? That’s what it pretty much is.

 

 

Joe Budden: I liked it. I liked it, but again I don’t know if I was the right guy to answer the question? I wasn’t ever caught in the Lil Wayne hype? So when I went into the album I wasn’t expecting – the bar wasn’t set so high for me. I bought the album, I put it in the car; it was one of the first albums I played in the car in a long time.

 

I really enjoyed it except the f***ing Martian bullsh*t (“Phone Home”). For a guy that put out as much work as he presented throughout the year, I think he delivered. Like I wasn’t expecting the greatest rapper in the world to give me all of these crazy crazy lyrics; I just thought it was entertaining. He went left, he went right; he went hard. My favorite joint was “Tie My Hands”.

 

 

Sheek Louch: Lil Wayne album was hot man. I think he’s doing his thing. He’s grinding man. I don’t know him personally but he sound like a good dude. ‘Kiss got him on his new album and say if you need him on a record, he’ll do it that night. It’s like that with him; he’s not running you around all crazy.

 

 

Charles Hamilton: I used to listen to Wayne. Dedication 2 was a classic mixtape to me. He defined the mixtape rapper. When it came time for C3, he had already started taking himself too serious. The fire was gone it seemed. So when the album dropped, artist to artist I bought it to support.

 

It was a mixtape over original grade A beats. Does that make the album wack? Whatever makes it wack is what makes it great. I have my opinion on Lil Wayne himself, but I never met him to say what’s on my mind about him. I’m starting to learn that lesson more and more [laughs].

 

 

Mick Boogie: I thought it was his best album to date. I don’t know if it’s a classic but I thought it was an amazing growth and he also showed he could make real records and not just mixtape material.  

 

 

 

Corey Gunz: I thought it was his best release. It was well put together. I was supposed to make the album but I’m not going to throw him under the bus. But when I first heard it I bugged out. Sh*t is fire.

 

 

 

Alchemist: I mean I thought it was solid. I guess I’m a little biased because I was able to get down and give him something for the album. But in banging the album I really like what the other producers did on there. I like the Swizz joint, I think it met up to the expectations as far as him putting out a record that signified him as an artist. It seems he’s been bigger than his records for the last two years getting on everyone’s record and smashing them. He deserves it, I don’t think anyone grinded as much as he did in a couple of years.

 

 

Paul Wall: Weezy F Baby set the standard for all rappers with this album. He killed it. He’s one of the most creative artists in music. He does whatever he wants and doesn’t give a damn what people think. Before he started putting auto tone on his vocals it seemed like mainly something that only T Pain did, but after Wayne everybody started doing it too.

 

I’m sure if I would have came out with “Lollipop” I would have got laughed out of the Rap game but Wayne set it off and made a huge impact. Also on songs like “A Milli” he doesn’t rap the usual traditional sixteen bar verses and there’s really not a chorus, yet it was still a huge song for ’08. That shows that he’s trying new styles and changing what we think of a normal rap song. He definitely lived up to his potential. He’s on top of not only the rap game but music in general. It’s a great thing for Hip Hop.

 

 

Shawty Lo: Yes, I think Wayne’s album matched the hype, he’s a very talented artist, he’s one of the greatest right now, if not the greatest. He made a complete all-around album. You can put it in and listen to it from the beginning to the end.

 

 

D Nice: Let me tell you, Wayne’s album totally lived up to the hype. The album was crazy but “A Milli” was probably my least favorite as a DJ because of the eq’s, it was driving me crazy to play that record. I would blow systems with that song. It became a frustrating record to play but overall that dude’s album was brilliant.

 

I may not agree with him lyrically on every song. But the fact he took chances on certain songs and he talked about a lot of different things, it was a great album. I’m proud of Wayne and he definitely deserves it. A lot of these dudes will say I made my album in a week, to me I’m not impressed with that. I’m more impressed with people taking a chance, I feel that way about Kanye’s record.

 

 

Chamillionaire: Anyone that says it didn’t match up to the hype is hating on Wayne because he had the bar set higher than the cost of a Dr. Dre track and he jumped over it with flying colors. Everyone knows Wayne can spit but in the past the only thing people could use against him was the fact that his singles and albums didn’t match up to the high standards.

 

The album had dope ideas, plenty of lyricism, and he still managed to have success in this auto-tuned Pop world we are living in. I would hope that anyone who disagrees would be able to show me someone that did it better in ‘08.

 

 

Killer Mike: Did Carter 3 match the hype, 1milli sold ya’ got damn right it did! Hype is about numbers and hit songs and Wayne produced both and congrats to that weird lil’ syrup sipping ‘dro puffing Martian Rap phenomenon for doing so. I however as a Weezy listener since Cash Money, I want my fugging Hot Boys reunion, still regard The Carter II as his one and only classic.

 

F*** these new stans. “Hustler music”, “Shooters”, Money On My Mind”; best rapper alive the lil’ n**** was spazzing and making sense [laughing] Whoa all ya’ll new listeners grab that and Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik and EFIL4ZAGGIN too. Bye Um Gone [In Lil’ Wayne Voice].

 

 

Slim Thug: I think it lived up to the expectations, I was definitely satisfied with the record. I think he did a hell of a job on it. I think he definitely did what he was supposed to do and it had enough hits. For all the anticipation, I think he actually answered it and delivered.

2008’s Biggest Stories #4: Diddy Accused Then Exonerated In 1994 Tupac Shooting

By: Grouchy Greg Watkins (@GrouchyGreg) Updated Category: News
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14 years ago, a shooting happened that forever altered the course of Hip-Hop history and the lives of three of its most significant artists – Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G. and Sean “Diddy” Combs.

On November 30, 1994 Tupac Shakur was shot five times, pistol-whipped, and robbed in the lobby of the Quad Recordings Studios in Manhattan.

His friends, the Notorious B.I.G., Sean “Diddy” Combs, and Lil Cease, were present in the studio at the time of the robbery.

Over the last two years of life, Shakur publicly accused Diddy, Biggie, Jimmy “Henchman” Rosemond, and several other New York rap figures of masterminding the crime.

The accusations culminated most famously with “Against All Odds,” Shakur’s final track off the posthumous Makaveli album.

The details of the incident remained confined to hearsay and innuendo until this past March when Los Angeles Times writer Chuck Philips published an explosive piece claiming that Diddy knew in advance that Shakur would be shot at the Quad.

The allegation was based on FBI documents detailing statements from James Sabatino, an informant and alleged son of a captain in the Colombo crime family.

Sabatino claimed he told Diddy personally that Shakur would be assaulted at the studio and that he later did business with the mogul during the 1997 “No Way Out Tour.”

He also allegedly planned the attack with current Czar Entertainment CEO Jimmy “Henchmen” Rosemond.

Despite Sabatino currently serving a 12-year sentence in federal prison for racketeering and wire fraud, writer Chuck Philips insisted he was a reliable source and the incident is what sparked the East-West Hip-Hop feud.

“Tupac was mostly right about what he wrote about [in his songs],”” Chuck Philips told AllHipHop.com in March.

“Tupac’s shooting at the Quad was really a catalyst for everything that happened afterwards including his own death and including the death of Biggie. It started the whole thing off and if you lay it out in a timeline which I do, you can see; it’s obvious and kind of sad for two guys to be this talented. I ended up with a much larger story than imagined,” Chuck Philips said.

Diddy immediately refuted the claims, calling them irresponsible on the part of the Los Angeles Times and Philips, who years before wrote a story claiming Biggie had ventured to Las Vegas to personally order Tupac’s 1996 murder.

That story was later discredited by eyewitness accounts.

“The story is beyond ridiculous and completely false,” Sean “Diddy” Combs told AllHipHop.com’s Grouchy Greg. “Neither Biggie nor I had any knowledge of any attack before, during or after it happened. It is a complete lie to suggest hat there was any involvement by Biggie or myself.”

Rosemond, long accused by some of being involved in the shooting and named as a conspirator on Tupac’s “Against All Odds,” pointed out that the story had no merit when one analyzed the writer’s credibility.

“In the past 14 years, I have not even been questioned by law enforcement with regard to the assault of Tupac Shakur, let alone brought up on charges,” Rosemond explained. “

“Chuck Philips, the writer who in the past has falsely claimed that the Notorious Biggie Smalls was in Las Vegas when Tupac was murdered and that Biggie supplied the gun that killed Tupac only to be proven wrong as Biggie was in New Jersey recuperating from a car accident, has reached a new low by employing fourth-hand information from desperate jailhouse informants along with ancient FBI reports to create this fabrication,” Rosemond continued.

Diddy and Rosemond’s claims proved true when the Smoking Gun website exposed that Philips’ article was based on forged FBI documents from Sabatino.

Furthermore, the LA Times admitted that James Sabatino’s alleged role as a confidant of Diddy and Rosemond was also a lie created to add authenticity to his story.

Although the story was retracted and a lengthy, public apology was given to all involved, and the LA Times was highly embarrassed.

The incident marked the second time a high-profile story involving Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. was proven wrong based on unreliable sources from writer Chuck Philips.

In the fallout, the LA Times laid Chuck Philips off his longtime staff position, citing budgetary constraints.

Diddy and Rosemond were and likely still are contemplating legal action against the Times for what can be considered libelous accusations made against them.

To date, there has been no investigation into whether similar disinformation was supplied to Shakur while he was incarcerated after his 1994 conviction.