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Ice-T Dives Into DVD’s

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

Ice-T has delved head on into the world of DVD through his latest imprint, Final Level.The hip-hop gangsta pioneer has announced that he is dropping a pair of straight-to-video DVD’s, one to honor another legend and the other that caters to legends in the making.Jam Master Jay’s Scratch DJ Academy features the tragic DJ and other turntablists like Mista Sinista, A Trak, Green Lantern, Kuttin’ Kandi, D-Stroy, DJ Premier.In addition to JMJ and Ice, cclaimed radio personality MC Spice contributed to the DVD, The Night Sessions DVD will cater more the rappers of the music industry with freestyles, performances, interviews and exclusive video mixes from artists like 50 Cent & G-Unit, Camron & The Diplomats, Styles P, Ruff Ryders, Xzibit, KRS-One, Wyclef, Q-Tip, Mannie Fresh, D Block, Lil Flip and

many others.

Irv Gotti Reveals Details About Murder Inc. Name Change

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

Irv Gotti, Russell Simmons and Dr. Benjamin Chavis held a press conference today at the Rihga Royal hotel in Manhattan to announce a name to change to Gotti’s record label, Murder Inc.Gotti said the name change is meant to shed any negativity surrounding his business. He revealed that he initially intended to name the label Lockdown Records.When Gotti saw the story of the real Murder Incorporated gang on television, he decided to use it, hoping to create a name he could brand, such as Death Row or Bad Boy.After speaking with Minister Louis Farrakhan and Russell Simmons, Gotti decided a changing of the name would be best for his company.”I’m like damn we just made a classic record and they just want to focus on that word murder,” Gotti said. “We want to be good people. You gotta do what’s in you’re heart and you gotta do what’s right.”Gotti said that he wouldn’t drop the Gotti from his name because the name was bestowed upon him by Jay-Z.”Hopefully people will try to give us some of the kudos we deserve, not the negative bullsh*t” Gotti said as Ashanti and Ja Rule looked on. “When I say they…I mean the masses..its really the people outside of the hip hip world that don’t get it.”When fielding questions, a reporter asked Gotti’s opinion about Eminem and the ten-year-old tapes that recently surfaced featuring the multi-platinum rapper using racial epitaphs to describe black people.”I’m a defender of black women,” Gotti said. “You can listen to our records. Everything that we do is about a man and woman riding for each other, so I can’t give him no pass. Those words (his apology) are far worse than the tape. I aint riding with that. People know that we got probems with them. Where is C. Delores Tucker? Where is Dionne Warwick? It makes me question my faith in my people”Gotti’s statements contrasted Simmons’, who accepted Eminem’s public apology. Simmons’ acceptance of Eminem’s apology put him at odds with The Source and prompted the magazine’s co-owner, Dave Mays, to resign from the board of Simmons’ Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.The magazine invited Simmons, Gotti and representatives for Def Jam to a discussion on race and hip-hop, which Simmons accepted.

“Hip-Hop Immortals We Got Your Kids” Completed

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

Sock Bandit Productions, the company behind the hip-hop photography book “Hip-Hop Immortals,” has completed “Hip-Hop Immortals: We Got Your Kids,” a film that examines hip-hop and where the art form is heading.Rakim, Marly Marl, Gangstarr, Cam’ron, Killer Mike, Schoolly D., the late Jam Master Jay, Snoop Dogg, Pastor Troy and a host of others are featured in the film, which is narrated by Bonz Malone, who created the film “Slam!” and author of the “Hip-Hop Immortals” book.”Following the tremendous success of Hip Hop Immortals the book, we wanted to channel that same passion into a film very different from what hip-hop is used to. During the shooting I knew we were doing something groundbreaking, but I don’t think it hit me until I was in the editing room, putting the pieces together, that we had actually accomplished our goal,” said Kris Palestrini, Director and Editor of Hip Hop Immortals We Got Your Kids.Hip-Hop Immortals We Got Your Kids features over 80 minutes of interviews with and will be distributed worldwide by Image Entertainment. For more information, visit http://www.wegotyourkids.com.

Fredro Starr Explains 50 Cent Altercation, Joins Smurf & Domination

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

While Fredro Starr is preparing to star in “Torque,” the rapper recently grabbed headlines after getting into a scuffle with 50 Cent at the Vibe Awards.”It was an altercation. I can’t really speak on that because it’s a legal thing,” Fredro told AllHipHop.com. “It was an incident that happened between me and Curtis Jackson. Its been a rivalry since he started talking about Sticky Fingaz.”Fredro said that Onyx and 50 Cent were both brought up under the guidance of Jam Master Jay. Their relationship turned sour when 50 Cent made comments about Onyx group member Sticky Fingaz.”I just think its like a hood beef. He made a comment on Sticky and whatever happens to Sticky, happens to me.”Fredro revealed that he has formed a label with Domination and Bang ‘Em Smurf, who has been beefing with 50.According to reports, the dispute between Smurf and 50 started when Smurf was incarcerated and 50 refused to bail him out.”They not rockin’ with the G-Unit any more,” Fredro said. “I don’t know why, I don’t know what the case is, but I feel that Domination has a real talent. We sat down with Smurf and Domination and I am part of their company, Silverback Guerillaz. I want to help them build the (Southside Jamaica, Queens) hood back up.”Fredro said the altercation may have roots in his working with Smurf and Domination. “I guess 50 Cent feels that I am choosing sides,” Fredro said. “I guess whatever war they got, that I am in their war.”Bang ‘Em Smurf and Domination have released two mixtapes dissin’ 50 Cent and G-Unit.50 Cent was not available for comment.Fredro’s latest flick “Torque” is directed by Joseph Khan (“Fast and The Furious” and “XXX”) and hits theaters nationwide on January 16th.

MC Lyte Serious About Acting, Lands Deal With Pantene

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

Rap veteran MC Lyte recently landed a recurring role on UPN’s#### television show “Half & Half” and will appear as a character named Kai.”Yvette Lee Bowser, the creator and writer of the show wrote me in,” Lyte told AllHipHop.com. “I worked with her show ‘For Your Love’ and she really liked my [acting] work.”In addition to Half & Half, Lyte will star opposite Alan Payne and Elyse Neal in Playa’s Ball, which is will hit the big screen in February.”I feel like I’m just beginning. Like a whole new world has opened up to me,” Lyte said of her passion for acting. “It’s called living.”Through her Sunni Gyrl company, Lyte will venture into movie production. Shortly she will be seeking scripts to develop for the big screen.Lyte also inked a deal with haircare company Pantene. In addition to a nationwide tour, she will appear in a variety of print advertisements, which will run in Essence, Ebony, Today’s Black Woman and a variety of hair magazines.”The shows on the Pantene tour will take place every Saturday,” Lyte said. “Nikki Giovanni is on it as well.”Lyte is preparing to embark on a trip to South Africa, to host three concerts with Trina and Ludacris.”It’s easy to give up,” Lyte said of her longevity. It’s much more challenging to keep on going.”

Elephant Man: No Sleep

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

Some call him “Energy God”, others call him “Ele” but to most he’s known as “Elephant Man” -The dancehall star who is certain to have “superstar” added to his roster of names. Known for his infectious dancehall chat style, signature dance moves, and electrifying performances he has captivated both dancehall and hip-hop fans.

He has a new album, Good To Go, a hit single, “Pun the River Pun the Bank,” and he is getting constant air and video play with his “Get Low” [remix] collaboration with Lil’ Jon & The Eastside Boyz and Busta Rhymes. With all this on his plate already, its no wonder that “Ele”, “Energy God” or “Elephant Man” is posed to become a household name.

AllHipHop Alternatives: I know you probably heard this many times but tell me about the name “Elephant Man” and how it came about?

Elephant Man: Well the ladies name me dat. They call me anaconda “ The trunk”

AHHA: How about energy god? Cause I’ve heard it floating around?

E: Yea, energy god. I was given the name I think in 1990. I was given the name by leng “Supreme Promotions”

AHHA: Well I’ve been fortunate enough to see one of your electrifying performances and I know that a lot of people are gonna wanna know what it takes to put it together?

Like do you have a format? How do you come up with the outfits?

E: Well you know you gotta put your stuff together, you have to prepare for your shows, that’s how you do it you know. You gotta plan what you gonna do, you gotta sit down, you gotta figure out this is what we gonna do. You gotta call up the tailor, let him know that this is an event, that you feel yourself wearing that particular clothes and that particular hair style and that particular outfit and you know that Ok I’m gonna take it this way, I’m gonna start with this track, I’m gonna close out with this track. Whatever you see me.

AHHA: This is all from you or do you have a team of people who come up with the whole idea?

E: It is all from Elephant Man.

AHHA: Now about the dances, cause I know I’ve been trying to get into these dances and I think that I’m gonna have to take a class or something. How do you come up with them?

E: Well you know Jamaica is the backbone for every dance. In Jamaica, you know every dance in the world so you know in Jamaica we go to every party, we see what’s up, we see the dance, if the dance move and all dem stuff, so you know we just take it from there. We got our own dance unit so you know the latest dance come and we practice it and we do it.

AHHA: Well that’s what I’m trying to get to, the latest dance that come in, cause I know that you for instance started the “log-on” dance. Do you sit at home one day and come up with it or you say, you know what “I’m gonna do this and its gonna be called the

“log-on” dance.

E: Well we in the dancehall and we doing the dance and then we say we gonna call it that and we just name the dance.

AHHA: Oh ok, so do you have any favorites?

E: Yea

AHHA: Which one?

E: I love the “Pun the River, Pun the Bank”, I love “Signal the Plane”, I love”Fan Dem Fff”, I love “Online.” I love every one of dem.

AHHA: And all these are all your dances?

E: Yea.

AHHA: Great. How about DJing? How long have you been doing this? Cause I heard a rumor and you just said 1990 was the year you were named Elephant Man, so it’s been a while huh?

E: Yea, I’ve been doing this from when I was about 15yrs old, but professionally about 91-92.

AHHA: Ok, I’m gonna ask you about your thoughts regarding reggae music and the fact that its being influenced by hip hop tracks and collabos and stuff? How do you feel about that?

E: I feel good to see the hip hop collaborating with the reggae music. Its even doing good for the reggae music too because when people see that flavor, its like something they’ve never seen before and it creates a different melody to your ears and you know a different sound. I like that, the collabos and all that stuff.

AHHA: How about those hardcore fans who’re probably not feeling that , you know the ones that want to hear straight gully reggae? How do you feel about that?

E: If somebody call you to do a collabo with them, they should be glad because you’re not changing you’re part you doing reggae in their stuff. If you wanna go and do something else that’s your fault and your problem, but if they call us, straight reggae they gonna get.

AHHA: Ok, so you basically stay reggae and they do what they do?

E: Straight

AHHA: Ok, so tell me about the new album?

E: Yea, the new album “Good to Go” come out on December 2nd. I got 23 tracks featuring artists on it. You got like Elephant Man, that’s me, Lil Jon, Bone Crusher, Kiprich, you got like Elephant Man and Ghostface Killah.

AHHA: Yea

E: Elephant Man and Big Tigger from BET , Elephant Man and Sasha. Elephant and Jimmy Cozier, Elephant and Missy Elliot. Crazy.

AHHA: Sounds like you did a lot of collabs on the album.

E: Crazy.

AHHA: How bout producers? Who did you work with?

E: I work with Dave Kelly and Lil Jon.

AHHA: Oh you did?

E: Yea and all of them. Don Corleon and all of them.

AHHA: Ok, any touring plans?

E: I just came off tour.

AHHA: What tour was that?

E: That was the Higher Level tour.

AHHA: How was that?

E: Crazy.

AHHA: So does Elephant Man ever sleep?

E: I’m wondering. (Laughs)

AHHA: So explain to me real quick what would you consider to be a great day, like an irie day?

E: An irie day is like waking up and you know going on the beach, hanging out with your friends, digging into some fish and lobster, drinking some champagne and you know, go partying in the night, playing football (soccer) during the day, you know.

AHHA: Wow, a lot of stuff, I see you stay with the energy huh?

E: Yea, you gotta.

AHHA: Are they any other things we can expect from you, like for instance a “Shottas” type movie or an “Oliver” type comedy.

E: Yea, well we got “Third World Cop” Part 2 coming out, so you can expect that.

AHHA: Ok, so this is the last question I have for you. Is there anything you wanted to do other than being an entertainer? Like when you were young and you think about a career?

E: No, just DJing.

AHHA: So you just wanted to be a DJ?

E: Yep

AHHA: Any last words for your fans and new fans that you’re gonna have?

E: Yes. Love God and live. Love your mother, love yourself. Stay far from drugs and vote for the video “Pun the River, Pun the Bank” on BET.

Snoop, Meth Plucked For Kung-Fu Film

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

South Korean Kung-Fu Flick “Volcano High” is being re-worked for hip-hop enthusiasts and will include the voices of Snoop Dogg, Andre 3000, and Method Man.

The rappers will replace the local dialect that was featured in the original 2001 version.

The movie centers on a character named Kim Kyung-soo, a new student at Volcano High. Soon after his arrival, he realizes that the school is sharply divided into rival factions of sport teams.

Furthermore, Kyung-soo demonstrates highly skilled martial arts abilities when pitted against the “master,” who also happens to be the school librarian.

The movie features the same type of martial arts special effects that are featured in numerous Jet Li and Jackie Chan movies.

R&B divas Kelis and Mya will also lend their voices to the flick, which is slated for a December 21st release date.

Russell Simmons Drops New Cellphone

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

Russell Simmons’ Phat Farm has teamed with Motorola to release the Russell Simmons Phat Farm II Signature Motorola i733 phone.The phone comes with several exclusive features handpicked by Simmons including Phat Farm logos, a picture of Russell Simmons, and a picture in memory of Jam Master Jay.Ring tones include “Get Busy”, “In Da Club” and “One Minute Man.””Phat Farm and Motorola are leaders and innovators in their respective industries, making this alliance an excellent way to introduce ground-breaking products such as this phone,” Simmons said. “Customized

features and enhanced details make it functional without neglecting style; we’re thrilled with its superior design and capabilities.”

48 Months

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

Artist: The Unspoken HeardTitle: 48 MonthsRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: N. Context

“Anything worth having starts with a plan. Our plan was to make music, and to offer a different and honest perspective to the music. The ground work that we chose to lay the foundation of our plan is, in my opinion, quite revolutionary, simply because we chose to pluck our own hands from the deck, while others waited for the deal (pun intended)”-Asheru

Asheru and Blue Black of the Unspoken Heard, independently, have quietly been carving a niche for themselves which is beginning to have a resounding affect in the Hip-Hop community. From 1997 to present, they have toured world wide and have worked with a variety of artists from J-Live to Talib Kweli. If you haven’t heard of the Heard before, this is your second chance to get a first impression. Following up their 2001 debut album Soon Come, 48 Months is an anthology of recordings from 96-2000 “for all those cats that didn’t catch our stuff prior to Soon Come.”

From their first EP release Cosmology to the release of the Jamboree EP, 48 Months embodies The Heard’s continuing efforts at creating “that straight up Hip Hop. Right down the middle. Not too far to the right that we get ignorant. We are not too far to the left that you can’t rock our jams in the club.” With tracks like “Jamboree” and “The Music” they give you anthem resonating songs that can be played anywhere from the clubs to family reunions. “N#### Like Me” showcases Blue Black and Asheru’s emceeing skills with their ability to flip flows and effortlessly pass the mic. On “Setting Sun”, Blue Black breaks down the unspoken conversation between father and son as the son watches the father die. This is the other perspective to his “From Sun up to Sun down”; telling the same story but from the Son’s view.

Besides featuring The Heard’s earlier EP released songs, the album contains never before released tracks. “SoulJamboree” is a funky remix of “Jamboree” with the horns chopped up and the piano loop shortened with Asheru spitting different verses from his rhyme book. “Smiley Soul Dub Version” is an up tempo, house instrumental remix which can bump in your car, stereo or headphones. “How Ya Living” is the extension to “Trackrunners” where you are privy to Asheru, Grap Luva, J-Live and Sondia freestyling (not prewritten but free spittin’) over a hand clap and then beat box.

Without a doubt 48 Months is a solid “prequel” collection of The Heard’s work. The songs flow effortlessly into one another exhibiting their varying styles and subject matter. If you are longing for that 90’s Hip Hop feel this is where it’s at. “File our records in the, ‘I remember when s### was good this sounds like some early 90’s positive he got rhymes he got beats he’s mad cool I saw him at SOB’s that artwork is ill my girl likes this my mom likes this my pops knows that sample this is funky this is hard I put this on on my way to work I put this on when I’m at the gym I could bang this in my man’s system stop listening to that b.s this is what’s up’ Hip Hop section”

Lloyd Banks: Batter Up Part 2

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

AllHipHop: Ya’ll

have a strong force around ya’ll, can ya’ll enjoy life in that state?

Lloyd Banks: It’s

crazy because my success came kind of faster than an average artist. I can’t

go no where in New York right now. Like when 50 walks through the mall they

won’t care if he’s with his baby mother, grandmother, whoever they are still

going to run up on him. They not thinking about if they’re disrespecting him

all they see is 50 Cent. I’m to the point where I can go certain places but

even now it kind of grew, like I don’t have a record out, I don’t have an album

out, so therefore what I was killing the streets with were the mixtapes and

I was still getting that type of popularity off the mixtapes. So I’m feeling

like, sometimes you over grow other peoples expectations before your own because

I’m feeling like I’m not a star until I sell records, they’re feeling like you’re

a star already so while you still feel like you can go to Jamaica Avenue or

you can go to the mall, you already grew out through the expectations. It’s

kind of like a hard new process, you have to know when to be certain places

and when not to be certain there.

AllHipHop: Were

you there when 50 was in Philly for this Iverson stuff?

Lloyd Banks: Yeah

it was hard, they had locked the whole street down. In Philly the Reebok store

wasn’t the biggest store. So it was crammed up there, 50 he jumped on cars and

everything.

AllHipHop: Is it

true you are originally from Baltimore?

Lloyd Banks: I

was born in Baltimore. I was born on the run, I grew up in Queens. The only

reason why I was born in Baltimore was because my pops was on the run at the

time. He took my moms with him to Baltimore, I stayed there for about a year

or two then came back to Queens.

AllHipHop: Ya’ll

shut down the mixtape game and the problem now is that everybody is trying to

do the same thing that ya’ll did and everyone can’t do that. I’m kind of tired

of seeing that every artist has to have a full fledged mixtape

Lloyd Banks: Especially

artists who already have an album out. I’m doing that now for a reference for

what is going to come on my album every now and then. I’ll give them a hook.

When my album comes out there will be no more Lloyd Banks: mixtapes, I’ll still

be hitting mixtapes, I’m not going to put out just me because if you are hustling

back, you can’t be a platinum artist and then go and put out a mixtape. You

have to hit individually, give a few freestyles to this DJ, give a few freestyles

to that DJ because they own the market. I better get that award this year too

or we fighting.

AllHipHop: What

award?

Lloyd Banks: Best

New Artist on a Mixtape.

AllHipHop: Oh for

the Mixtape Awards, are ya’ll going to be there?

Lloyd Banks: Oh

I’m going to be there if I win, I might be there if I lose too, but I’m not

feeling that one. I mean who else. I gotta get that. It’s funny because I stretch

that point because I take more pride in that s### right now than any other award

just because that’s what built me. There’s a lot of people who know me only

from mixtapes. That’s more important to me than any Grammy or anything at this

point. Until I start selling albums, then I’ll want a Grammy. For now I want

the Mixtape Award.

AllHipHop: Do you

get sick of artists sweating you?

Lloyd Banks: It’s

cool as long as you know what relationships are what, at the end of the day

it’s all good. I got two records with Joe, a record with Eve, a record with

Missy, Mya, with Alicia Keys, I got a record with the kid Novel, got the Rah

Digga record. It’s so many features that I have, I got two Brandy records one

that’s going to be on the Barbershop 2 Soundrack that’s with me, Fabolous, and

Brandy it got to be a freestyle that turned into a record, and I got another

record for her album that’s coming out. So my features go on and on.

AllHipHop: You

could eat off that alone really

Lloyd Banks: Yeah

that alone, not to mention I’m Ghost writing too. Oh for who, (catches his-self)

I guess you can’t

Lloyd Banks: Ah,

a good Ghost writer never tells. I’m just saying I’m a Hustler baby I’m not

going to tell you.

AllHipHop: What’s

it like working with Eminem?

Lloyd Banks: Yeah

he’s the man, we click tight because he’s a lyricist. We click real tight. I

respect his opinion to the up most, he really listens. That kind of shocked

me because he was doing my verses and I was like damn, this is Eminem this dude

done sold a lot of records. From the first mixtape he knows the verses from

them. He’s a work-a-holic. Like we be staying in the studio forever.

AllHipHop: What’s

the future for you, where are you trying to end up?

Lloyd Banks: With

me I’m real business minded man. I don’t want to rap forever. 50 sold more albums

than n##### do in their whole career. Like LL Cool J been in the game for what

ten years, but this is his tenth album. Either or, it just takes that many records

to sell that many records. If I can have the success that I think I’m going

to have, I don’t want to rap forever. I want to learn the boards, I want to

learn how to produce, I want to have my own artists, I don’t want to rap forever.

I’m not going to be 30 years rapping. That’s not going to happen because I got

into the game so early, 10 years from now there’s going to be another Lloyd

Banks.

AllHipHop: Who

is your dream collaboration with, artist wise?

Lloyd Banks: It

will probably be Snoop.

AllHipHop: But

you already collaborated with him though.

Lloyd Banks: Yeah

I did, but I’m going to get him on my album, you know just a record with me

and him. When Snoop first came out I was still in school. We have similar ways,

like he doesn’t have to be the loudest person to be the most effective person.

He’s calm, you know he has the smooth aura about him that just shows people

don’t have to be hyper jumping around all the time. My style is kind of similar

off the record, on the track I’m a beast. Stevie Wonder too man, I want to do

something with Stevie.

AllHipHop: You

aren’t that hungry

Lloyd Banks: Oh

I’m starving. What I’m saying is you can finish your food in 60 seconds or you

can eat slow because the girls are around and finish in a half hour. I’m hungry,

but I’m hungry for bigger things too, when I go, I don’t want to be the rapper,

I want to be the entrepreneur. He [50] is an entrepreneur, he got his sneaker

coming out September 11, a Saturday morning cartoon "Beaver Street Gang."

It’s basically about a bunch a kids on an orphanage hanging out outside. It’s

like the new age Cosby’s, we’ll be doing voices, we also have a video game coming

out that’ll be coming out around next Christmas.

Lawsuits, Downloading And The Digital Revolution

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

Ayana Soyini, a

music promoter (www.goldeneyes.com), was served with a lawsuit for posting an

MP3 of a new Jay-Z song apparently given to her by Universal (rumor? fact?)

to promote to her constituency… Def Jam then sued; her website was shut down…

Chuck D wrote a response which she posted to her website… slightly inflammatory…

Peace Ayana, Chuck

D. from the mountains of Brazil where real black folk answer the greed of the

rich haves. Really they (Lyor, Russell) need to get a life.. and see the big

picture and think outside the box they are in.

So these cats get

the say so on what is and what is not promotion?

Do we wait for

the big white man to finally say its legit and cool, just as they finally accepted

mixtapes…which to me are no

different?

Again when these

companies went digital some knew exactly what they were dealing with in order

to triple charge the consumer. With digital comes liquid risk, and these Gestapo

tactics are stupid as immediately files are in Singapore, New Zealand, China,

Budapest and East St. Louis. What the f*ck is one American company gonna do

here when increasingly American opinion is becoming a smaller part of the world?

Earlier this year

there was a television commercial with a backing of what was obviously an older

Isley Brothers song. I fiended to find this song, and it happened to be ‘I Turned

You On’ which I bought in the stores in both catalog and the "Live at Yankee

Stadium albums. I’ve played it 1000 times. So much for people saying downloading

hurts, which proves that people will continue to support and buy was great,

not just barely adequate.

Def Jam built its

company on sampling and the swap meet trade to get people alerted on rap music,

all so Russell and Lyor could sell it to Universal for $160 million

They press up 5000-10,000

pieces of vinyl on most rap artists, shipping them to DJs in hopes that they

would play it over some radio….how prehistoric and $$$ wasting is this?

Video clips cost

$300,000-600,000 average, with no residual benefit other than promotional, plus

the fact that 85% of outtake footage is a waste, never used again and no one

seems to know where they are ultimately stored.

A Jay-Z promo record

is not as accessible in places like where I’m at now, Rio DE Janeiro Brazil.

The web promotes that beyond a shipment.

Some white business

cat(s) now navigates how word moves in the streets? Well maybe the streets were

his in the first place, eh?

I was told by these

same Universal legal cats, I wouldn’t see royalties ever..after 10 million records..because

of legalities. Well aint this a……"Cool" I said and began to tear

the whole **** down. They know my name and I know theirs and the truth is they

don’t give a damn about any of this…it’s a control issue of

the format.

Universal bought

MCA which bought Chess (pioneering label that recorded such greats as Bo Diddley,

Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Etta James, etc.) amongst many other

companies….how many Blues/Soul cats see Universal checks?

They shouldn’t

even dare go after you…as you’ve been trying to help in a progressive forward

manner..only simple minds stay stuck in old rules that no longer apply. So it’s

war with me. I deal with 50 countries…and connected into peeps like the World

Zulu Nation.

Universal’s Slave

pimp Doug Morris sicced LL and Lyor on me in DC last month. Here’s what I had

to say about that:

A Family Letter to Lyor and LL: The p2p File Sharing Senate Hearings in Washington

DC September 30th 2003

Well I don’t really

know what good to say. I think Doug Morris has pimped your brains out or something.

The R.I.A.A looked and called Morris who probably rang your bell thus you and

LL proceeded to do a tap dance in front of the US Senate with your strings in

his back, Doug Morris’ strings in yours and the R.I.A.A in his. Thinking that

it would neutralize the grassroots effort of all this.

I didn’t get into

this digital whirl for fanfare …you know me. I never sucked no ass to get

to a place…it’s about the art, integrity and commitment as well into the connection

to the world, because I refuse to be submissive to the corporate dominance and

collusion of the Radio networks, TV outlets and film, record and

media companies that now feel they own and dictate the culture.

This collusion

has stifled the growth of grassroots businesses who can’t afford to build themselves

without some drug dealer backing. Seriously you guys have separated yourselves

into the same aristocracy we rebelled against in the first place. Being that

I spend half my time outside Amerikkka and you have such international ties

abroad, we should know that stuffing your pockets and altering a domestic law

in the U.S. has little bearing on world thought, even in music.

The masses of the

people are important and somehow using mass media to control their thoughts

is becoming a more expensive task with dwindling result. The public opinion

swayed by propaganda, marketing, and promotion will not make the masses sorry

for perceived millionaires. It’s arrogance.. typical Amerikkkan arrogance that

increasingly is becoming a symbol of world angst and anti-opinion.

The haves over

the have-nots ..although it may not be true, it seems that you’re responsible

for keeping the artists of your company dumb or seemingly dumb to reach the

dumbed down masses to buy dumbed down product.

At the end of the

day the black artists remain childlike under your wings with no world opinion

whatsoever, pending the existence on "Soundscam" and units sold while

people still look to White icons like Bono, Paul McCartney, Madonna and even

"Governator" for the statements on where we really stand.

It’s hypocritical

for LL to say what’s stolen from him when 75% of his and most of our catalog

was also taken from musicians who never controlled their copyrights..

LL is family as

well as you musically speaking, but really your calling misses the points of

origin that allowed us to do this in the first place…

Some points:

I’m aware that

my copyrights were never really mine and were unprotected anyway to the point

of Universal lawyers saying I’d never receive a royalty from them again.Well

aint this the blues all over again

1. If I knew that

LL or any rapper was on some government hearing opposing my view, I would’ve

bowed out regardless because all they would do is play up two dueling blackmen

against each other..like they did. The last thing I expected was that you and

he would be positioned against me. Or maybe I should’ve expected it….yeah.

2. Def Jam and

other 80’s started rap labels were built off swapmeet and mixtaping throughout

the years, sampling and unauthorized usage, which made $$$$ for you to sell

the company in the mass millions..and now you wanna get righteous?

3. Isn’t Russell

a board member of Altnet (a company that does business with Kazaa)?…How many

sides of the fence do you guys play?…oh, the one that lands in the biggest

pile of cash?

4. The companies

knew that the second they digitized music into a CD that it was let out of the

bag unprotected and easily transferable. Its was a matter of time a compression

such as mp3 would roll along…we’ve all profited off that technology and now

you wanna say its evil?.

It aint bitterness

but its clarity. I thought that making music was a great way to make a living,

thank you. Aligning yourselves with the same peeps we fought against has

altered this game into "The Greed That Has To Make A Killing" so I

can survive. But others must have a grassroots of a chance (since most are shut

out from the club of the music business).

These conglomerates

have really have you in the wrong place on the right stuff you built and sold

your thing on..

If you have any

threats from Universal, or anyone, send them to me. They should be screaming

on their Nation’s President spending $87.5 billion dollars of their $$$

instead worrying about some damn record….

I’M VERY ACCESSIBLE

AND WAITING and can get my e-mail in a country of 80 million black people who

are puzzled at the backwardness of American blacks dancin the ‘electric slave.’

Juvenile: Brand New Day

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

Juvenile getting

back with Cash Money is like N.W.A. reunion that everybody longed for. Juve’s

return marks the return of the label’s greatest selling rapper and a mending

of past beefs – sort of.

While his foray

alone didn’t get exactly as he planned, the Magnolia representer is taking it

back to ’98 with his eyes fixed on the future.

AllHipHop.com:

What’s going on right now with ya’ll?

J: You know what’s

up, we trying to get this album out December the 23rd. Juve The Great man, you

heard me!

AllHipHop.com:

Why you call it that?

J: Because man

I gave them what they wanted, a lot of people say "when we going to hear

some songs like on 400 degrees? That was the Juve I know." I gave them

that same thing, Juve The Great, himself.

AllHipHop.com:

Your still the best selling artist that Cash Money ever had.

J: I know this

man.

AllHipHop.com:

What made you guys patch things up, are ya’ll patched up or is it just

straight business?

J: It’s straight

business man it’s not too much of a friendship, It’s just a fact.

Come on man lets do this business. Let’s get this business right and lets do

this and make some money.

AllHipHop.com:

Yeah, who made the connection, was it you or them?

J: Me. I was making

sure I was going to make the connection because of my lawyer. I would say my

lawyer made the connection.

AllHipHop.com:

So, is it a better situation than you had before money wise?I know you had beef

over the money.

J: Yeah, I am

not tripping.

AllHipHop.com:

So how are you trying to come out? The last album was almost another era ago,

Rap has changed.

J: I’m a

trendsetter myself and I always felt like that. I felt that I was a rapper that

could change the whole era and the way people do things so I just did me man.

I tried to branch out a little bit. Do different flows, different skills…

different topics.

AllHipHop.com:

What other crew members are going to be on the album?

J: I got Manny

n the first single and that’s really just about it. Everything else is

just Juve and UTP.

AllHipHop.com:

UTP, the group is still together? I guess some people thought it was a wrap.

J: Well people

thought it was a wrap because [Young] Buck made his move to G-Unit. The whole

thing with Buck leaving at the time, is I wasn’t straight and we always

had this thing if you had an opportunity come to you, you take it. You always

come back and look out for the captain.

AllHipHop.com:

So there’s no beef between you and Young Buck then?

J: Nah, there

isn’t no beef between Buck and me.

AllHipHop.com:

So your happy for him and he’s had a lot of success…

J: Yeah! No matter

what Buck does it makes me look good because I spent a lot of time with him.

AllHipHop.com:

So you won’t be on the album though?

J: Nah, unfortunately

when I was doing my album I was captivated to myself and he was traveling with

G-Unit.

AllHipHop.com:

So do you have a label situation that you’re trying to setup?

J: Yeah, right

on the nose.

AllHipHop.com:

Any detail about that?

J: I don’t

want to put to many details out there but we been back and fourth with Sony

and we’re to the money point. And if that don’t work I got a liitle

change.

AllHipHop.com:

So how are the people responding to you coming back? A lot of people were pretty

happy to see you back to where you started more or less because they want to

catch that old feeling back from the early days.

J: I knew my fans

were happy, because my fans really want to hear me and a lot of people who liked

Cash Money back then. So with me doing that, I know it was a good move for Skip

and Wacko too because we on the Universal system which is the best system in

the music industry. I want to take full advantage of that.

AllHipHop.com:

I remember your first video, it was one of the craziest videos I ever saw. It

was just raw, I was like "who is this dude he’s so ghetto?" How

different is that Juvenile to this Juvenile?

J: That’s

where I’m at to be honest with you. I’m on some other s###. I done

jumped the fence like 20 times on this album.

AllHipHop.com:

You recently had an issue with the law

J: I don’t

even want to get into that because that’s nothing major and that situation

been handled and taken care of. Somebody want to be on frontline, they want

to promote s### and I ain’t trying to give them that.

AllHipHop.com:

What are your views on the Internet, I heard you had a situation with a bootlegger.

J: I’m going

to be honest with you; it was a friend of mine that stole something from me.

You aren’t going to kill them, but you going to whoop em. That was more

personal if anything.

AllHipHop.com:

Are you open to more or less stay out of trouble?

J: I’m going

to stay out of trouble, Juve don’t get convicted for nothing. All the promotion

they put on TV, I jumped a bootlegger and stuff like that, you got to understand

that don’t hurt me. Not to be the most ignorant person in the world, but

some of my fans want to know if you’ll bust a m########### in the head.

AllHipHop.com:

Is it hard to maintain that rep?

J: I’m not

trying to maintain anything; I’m a people person.

AllHipHop.com:

So you and little Wayne have ya’ll managed to patch anything up? His last

album was 500 degrees.

J: We haven’t

never sat down and talked or anything like that. We still in the same building

but rushing him would do nothing, tripping’ like that.

AllHipHop.com:

Have you spoken to BG or Turk?

J: Oh yea all

the time. Not Turk so much because I don’t ever see him. Me and BG chill.

We really don’t talk about nothing. I be talking about how good he look

most of the time, because he done got bigger than a m###########. Him and my

dog Slim are working on the album.

AllHipHop.com:

So how ya’ll feel about New York do ya’ll enjoy it?

Skip: We come

through here all the time, over on 145th. We know where that herb at and everything.

AllHipHop.com:

So what’s the best thing about New York that ya’ll like?

S: That Purple!

AllHipHop.com:

Where ya’ll buy ya’ll jewels from?

S: From the projects!

(Laughs).

AllHipHop.com:

So ya’ll don’t go to Jacob or nothing like that?

S: I got a kid

out there at the Diamond Exchange we go get our own s### made. We got a cat

in Miami who does the same thing.

Chinese Government Repacking Mao As A Rapper

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

The Chinese Communist Party will repackage Mao Tse-tung as a rap artist, in an attempt to appeal to Chinese youth.Authorities feel that Mao’s influence is fading among a younger generation, whom they feel are more money oriented.Mao’s, the Two Musts, will be set to hip-hop music. The Communist party will also release pop versions of “The East is Red” and “Serve the People.”The albums commemorate the 110th anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s birth next month.

Jay-Z Concert: Madison Square Garden, Nov. 26

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

It happened so suddenly. I got a call about 2pm from AllHipHop’s Jigsaw who obtained tickets to the highly publicized Jay-Z concert at Madison Square Garden. Even though it was a weekday, it was a no-brainer. Jay-Z’s first concert to begin his trek into retirement was definitely gonna be a good look this Tuesday night. Jig and AHH’s Raze, already in NY, were going to meet me there. As I stepped on the New Jersey transit train, I noticed something that was unusual to me. I had been on this train, at the same time, many times before. It seems Jigga Man’s influence has boosted ticket sales for the train to 34th street. Everyone on the car I was in was heading to the concert. When I arrived, the scene was unbelievable. Women were dressed in their finest as if Jay himself would catch a glimpse. Fellas rocked their dopest throwbacks, furs, coats, expensive jeans and crispy white sneakers.

We entered the lobby at Madison Square Garden to an overwhelming crowd of people waiting in eager anticipation. The pack soon divided into legitimate ticket holders trying to enter and desperate fans scheming to create a way into the arena. The ticket-less fans kept trying to bumrush the doors until we were all met by New York’s finest and the National Guard. The whole spot was shut down and everyone was forced out of the lobby to re-enter the venue. We all grew angrier when Hova’s most famous joints seeped through the walls and into our ears. Finally after a 45-minute wait, we entered the performance area. (Some of those people were later arrested and Jay’s number was “retired” in the Garden.)

I sprinted through the hallways like OJ in the airport looking for my seating section. I walked in to see Jay and his Roc La Familia on stage doing some of their most famous crew classics. The show then yielded to a Philly thing as Free and Beans performed “Roc the Mic” and Freeway , Jay, and Beans spit “What We Do.” Pictures of Phillytown and Iverson flashed on the monitors above the stage.

I felt like I missed most of the show until Jigga said, “ We only a quarter of the way done….they gonna have to get the cops to get me outta here.” He spun right into Memphis Bleek’s#### “ Is That Your Chick” and a slimmed down sexy Missy Elliot came out, getting folks hype with her chorus to the song. Twista wrapped up the set with a mind-boggling verse that only an ear trained in hip-hop could understand.

Hov showed love to his loyalists by pointing them out specifically by the clothes they were wearing. He even humorously commented on one outfit saying “ I see you in the turquoise, but I don’t know if I would have worn that sh*t.”

Then Jay said, “You ready B?” The stage curtain lifted to a 7-piece band (The Roots’ Questlove & Illadephonic) with Beyonce and five dancers in sleek, shiny, short black skirts. The pair blazed “Crazy in love” and Beyonce went on to enthrall the crowd by performing “Baby Boy” and “Summer time.” Ghostface Killah shocked all of Madison Square when he appeared in a long, terrycloth robe with ‘Theodore’ in sequins written on the back and performed the once-thought bootlegged rap version of the song.

Jay returned on some grown man stuff. He glided in a snazzy black business suit and a white derby hat. I’m thinking, “This is why Jigga has the U.S. open.” Eventually, he tossed the derby in the crowd and minutes later a fight ensued. He then appealed to his “fans from day one” performing hits from Reasonable Doubt. I just knew he was gonna cut “Ain’t No N####” when Foxy’s part came up, but sho’ nuff she came out hype like a kid off punishment to do her verse. They shared a brief hug and Fox commented that she loved Jay. Um-Hmmmmmm! Jigga then performed ‘Cant Knock The Hustle’ with Mary J draped in a mink shawl and a low fitting Gucci hat. Mary assisted Jay on ‘Song Cry’ and Jay added a verse that solidified his position with Beyonce saying, “ I know the difference between a b*tch and a B ni**a.” As if we didn’t already know, Hov! Mary J proclaimed Jigga to be the greatest rapper of all time and, the way the show was going, I was becoming a believer. Mary blessed the audience with a short set of her own.

Jay returned with Pharell of the Neptunes to execute their most famous duets even though the sound went out on them. Didn’t matter to the crowd. They were singing with just the monitors as Hov barked at the soundman to get the sound back on. The Illadefonics band put the petal to the metal on ‘Give It To Me’ as the audience recited the lyrics word for word. When the sound abruptly burst back, it added incentive for the masses to turn the level of intensity up a notch.

I thought the show was winding down as Jay fired up the Kanye West-produced “Encore.” The crowd lived out the theme of the song to life chanting, “HOVA HOVA HOVA,” as Jay again exited the stage. They chanted Hova for about 5 minutes and then the noise ceased. Jay came on the mic and threatened to end the show if the noise didn’t step up. The fans immediately responded as a voice from the back belted out “Welcome to the best of both worlds.” Could it be? I thought Jay had cut him off after all the allegations. Damn, the stage lights blared in the back like an old Puff and Mase Video and Jay and R-Kelly walked out in all white velour sweats and snorkel jackets. They got it crunk doing songs to an album once considered a flop! (Gangsta!) The arena exploded. Girl went nuts screaming, “I don’t care, R! I love you!” R. Kelly went on to do some songs ending with “Step.” Kelly made the show overflow with too much rhythm and blues. Never fear, Jay returned with a different mindset.

He wanted to “vibe” with the audience now. With his Kenyon Martin Nets Jersey Jay Z made his intentions to buy the New Jersey Nets and bring them to Brooklyn known. “I’m in heavy negotiations to bring the Nets to Brooklyn. Real talk,” he boasted. After Jay handed his Jersey and hat to the front row attendees, his last song ended with “December 4th.”

“If you can’t respect that, your whole perspective is wack, maybe you’ll love me when I fade to black.” The words sounded strange to me, as I figured this might truly be Jay’s “victory lap” into retirement as on of the illest rap has ever seen. Judging by the sound volumes in Madison Square Garden, the fans of Shawn Carter don’t want him to fade into anything but another LP.

As the night ended, discussions began about who now is the greatest rapper of all time. Well, that’s a tough call. But, Jay-Z , on November 25, 2003 made history. I have never seen a show, or heard of a show that incorporated as many aspects of hip-hop music as he did this night. I have never seen a standing room arena focused on one individual awaiting his next to command. Jay split wigs with his crew, wooed the crowd with his charisma, and soothed the women with his charm. All things considered, in such a consistent career, Shawn Carter can now begin to lobby for the throne.

And, after the show, the streets of New York City became the after party celebrating the lyrical legacy of Jay-Z.

World Aids Day Today, Eazy-E Remembered

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

Today is the 16th Annual World Aids Day. Individuals and organizations around the world celebrate and discuss the progress that has been made against the AIDS Pandemic and use the day to raise awareness about the disease globally.The pandemic is affecting entire communities and whole nations. Worldwide, over 42 million people have HIV or AIDS.In March of 1995, legendary rapper and mogul Eazy-E succumbed to the disease. Before passing away, the founder of N.W.A., Ruthless Records and arguably “gangsta rap” as it is known today, Eazy-E released his final statement, warning people about the deadly disease.”Yeah, I was a brother on the streets of Compton doing a lot of things most people look down on — but it did pay off,” Eazy E said. “Then we started rapping about real stuff that shook up the LAPD and the FBI. But we got our message across big time, and everyone in America started paying attention to the boys in the ‘hood.”Eazy said that the rewards for being a famous rapper included cars, gorgeous women and good living. Eazy did not apologize for the lifestyle that ultimately consumed him, but warned his fans they needed to learn more about the disease.”I’m not saying this because I’m looking for a soft cushion wherever I’m heading, I just feel that I’ve got thousands and thousands of young fans that have to learn about what’s real when it comes to AIDS,” Eazy continued. “Like the others before me, I would like to turn my own problem into something good that will reach out to all my homeboys and their kin. Because I want to save their a#### before it’s too late.”In the final statement, Eazy-E warned that the disease was real and did not discriminate.”I’m not looking to blame anyone except myself. I have learned in the last week that this thing is real…It affects everyone…Now I’m in the biggest fight of my life, and it ain’t easy. But I want to say much love to those who have been down to me. And thanks for your support.”Eazy-E passed away on March 26, 1995 from AIDS. He left behind a wife and seven children by six different mothers.

Luke Campbell: The Man, The Mouth

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

Luther Campbell

has seen more in his 20 year career than perhaps any single person in the rap

game. He has seen the top of the game after coming from the bottom, straight

outta Miami’s Liberty City. Beef? Luke almost invented the concept. The rapper

took on the U.S. Government, a President, Senators, not to mention the rappers

he has taken on.

Now with some years

behind him, Luke is coaching a kid’s football team and raising money for programs

dedicated to improving the lives of kids. With a tell all book and 20th Anniversary

album on the way, don’t think Luke has lost his step. Miami’s original bad boy

is back.

AllHipHop.com:

I got this report on you coaching a high school little league football team

Luther Campbell:

Basically I’ve ran a program since 14 years ago in Liberty City. Really what

happened was people just found out that I was coaching the team that my son

plays on in Miami Lakes. For the last 3 years they been trying to get me to

coach. I’m like a founder of my program, so I was kind of caught up between

how would it look if. I’m the founder of my program which really, we go year

round baseball, football, basketball and track. I was kind of caught in between

okay, should I do it or should I not do it. I know so much about football. One

of the coaches got a team and they asked me to coach, so basically I’m out there

coaching anyway. I just went on ahead and got certified and started coaching.

The kids are 10 and 11. A 90 pound football team.

AllHipHop.com:

Do they know about your legacy in the rap game?

LC: Yeah a lot

of the kids know and their parents know. A lot of their parents grew up to the

music and after all, this year is my 20th anniversary. I’m pretty sure I might

of had something to do with them coming in to the world. They know the music.

I did a song for the Dolphins called "Run Ricky Run." What we doing

down here is I’m taking the song and r- doing it where we will sell the song

at the stadium and all the proceeds will got to the programs like the one my

son is in. Those programs run short of money every year. Hopefully my record

that I do, people buy at the stadium locally and donate all the proceeds to

these different charities to make sure they succeed.

AllHipHop.com:

What do you have planned for your 20th anniversary?

LC: I’ma do a 20th

Anniversary weekend. I got certain clubs real famous clubs down here. I started

off DJing at the parties so each one of the things that I started and that people

know about, we gonna re-live those things on the weekend.

AllHipHop.com:

I also heard you have some words for Snoop Dogg on your new album.

LC: I was a bit

offended by one of the little pranks they did on the show (Doggyfizzle Televizzle)

and they said I was a washed up rapper. I got a problem with that and everybody

in my camp had a problem with that. He was cool with us and we thought he had

enough respect for me not to do something like that, being that he’s on all

these "Girls Gone Wild" videos, which is a take off of my "Freak

Show" videos and our peep shows. On this album it’s gonna be a serious

emphasis on people like him saying slick things. The way I think, hip-hop needs

to be brought back into perspective as for what it used to be. I wanna give

my opinion about the state of hip-hop. I think a lot of that is missing. I’m

saying a lot of things to alot of people and hopefully they hear it and they

wont be offended by it cuz I aint doing nothing but telling the truth. From

Snoop on down to Puffy to everybody else. I got something to say. A lot of people

calling theirselves pimps. I’m adressing that. Saying you a pimp and your a

player. Its a lot of things I’m addressing on this album.

AllHipHop.com:

What is your take on that because the pimp is being labeled the new "gangsta"

of rap.

LC: I got a problem

with that. Its bananas that I sit there and I look at some of these magazines.

Guys talking bout they pimps and Don Juan giving out cups to everybody. You

can buy it online now and that makes you a pimp. All they need to do is define

what a pimp is. A pimp is a person who prostitutes women. The women sell their

body and they make their money and give it to the pimp and the pimp gives the

girl what he wants to give the girl. All theses guys are claiming that they

pimps and their not pimps. On one song they say they a pimp, the next song they

say "oh Ima take you shopping, buy you clothes, buy you this. That makes

you a trick and a pimp. I don’t get that, so I think it needs to be said because

aint nobody else saying it.

Did you ever get

into the pimp game at all?

LC: Never got in

the pimp game. People thought I was a pimp because I always had girls at strip

clubs and all my girls hustle. What I do is not pimping because I don’t take

their money. I pay them to dance for me. What they do on the side while they

are at a party, at a club, at a show and what they do on the side is their thing.

They pimping theirselves and I aint mad at that. That’s their business. They

don’t go and get with no rappers and then come to me and give me they money.

No no no . I take them out and I pay them. They automatically get their bread

and when they get to these sucker rappers who wanna be with a Luke girl, they

become one of their tricks. That’s some of the stuff that’s in the my book,

"Uncle Luke Campbell’s Chicken Soup." I’m telling stories on a whole

lot of people that was tricks. We got quite a few things going on. People gonna

be mad. They gonna be like damn. I’m calling it like it is.

AllHipHop.com:

Wassup with Gloria Velez? I interviewed her and she had some beef with you over

a video.

LC: That girl was

one of my dancers. All the other dancers went around danced after the show,

they have sex with men for money or other things. She was one of the very nice

looking girls and I got her on videos. I took her personally and I called her

from the strip club, because she was working in West Palm beach. Jay-Z came

down here and did one of his videos. They came by my office and was like "I

need some girls." Called her up and she called some of her friends and

we put her down put her in that video. Before she know it she blew up from that.

The Luke Freak Show Cancun video where we took her to Cancun with four other

girls, because we was shooting a tape with Ray Lewis, Cedric the Entertainer

and Vince Carter. All of these people are on this tape. All we were going to

do was the bikini contest. So we were shooting all around town and these girls

are doing wild sh*t. The Luke girls doing what they do and she was one of them.

She’s on the tape. She freaking eating p*ssy, getting her p*ssy ate, freaking

all the guys, freaking other girls, turning girls out. She’s on the f*cking

tape. The tape comes out, aint nobody got a problem and everybody’s cool. Now

she wants to get into the music business and she wanna tell these guys who she

with that all these rap executives just see her as the girl on the videos. They

don’t know she was a Luke dancer and then when they get her, they take her around

these cats showcasing her and then somebody pulls her coat. She feels like the

damn tape is f*cking her up and the tape really blew her up. I keep talling

her, "if you a freak and a hoe thats what you are." It aint like she

started right there. She was doing that before I met her.

AllHipHop.com:

So she signed a release for that?

LC: She signed

everything. We took her over there. Paid for her and everything that she was

doing. I tell all of them, "If I did something illegal take me to f*cking

court. It only take $35 to go file a lawsuit." Then when you do that, hey

just know what you are doing because I got a gang of f*cking lawyers. Then the

truth gonna really come out about your ass. All the Luke girls are proud of

being a Luke girl. They get in the doors most girls cant get in and then their

prices go up in the club.

AllHipHop.com:

So when does the book come out?

LC: We don’t have

a day on the book yet but its gonna be sometime next year.

AllHipHop.com:

Its already written?

LC: It’s being finished now. We tried to interview Queen Latifah for the book

but she kinda turned it down. Queen is my girl. I aint gonna f*ck with her because

we got some stories too. I respect why she would turn it down. Queen is fitting

to be our next superstar and I cant even f*ck with that. We got stories. I wont

even f*ck with them cuz she fittin to get with Will Smith. Ill leave that alone.

I’m getting everyone else. After the beef with me and Suge Knight, they came

down the superbowl weekend 95. We had a sit down. All that sh*t is in the book.

We had a sit down with Suge and a couple other people. He had snoop and Tha

Dogg Pound with him. That whole thing is in that book right thurr.

Diddy’s Sean John Cleared Of Sweatshop Allegations

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

The Honduran factory that manufactures the Sean John line of clothing for Sean “P.Diddy” Combs, has been cleared of charges alleging it was a sweatshop.The country’s labor minister and a team of inspectors toured the facility and uncovered no proof of the sweatshop allegations by U.S. based National Labour Committee.Lydda Eli Gonzalez, who is 19-year-old, came forward for the National Labour Committie and said that the area she worked in was surrounded by a metal gate, very high walls and armed guards.”We are under constant pressure,” Gonzalez said. “They call us filthy names, like maldito, donkey, b*tch, and worse things. You can’t answer the supervisors or they will fire you. It is very hot in the factory and you are sweating all day. There is also a lot of dust in the air. You breath it in, and you go into the factory with black hair, and come out with hair that is white or red or whatever the color of the shirts we are working on.”Combs denied all of the allegations and promised he would investigate the charges.Honduran Labour Minister German Leitzelar said that the charges were overblown and that the conditions in the factory did not match what they found after a six hour inspection tour.

Weekend Warrior

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

Artist: Biz MarkieTitle: Weekend WarriorRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Toshitaka Kondo<font face="verdana" size="2"

Hip-Hop is still fun. Seriously. If you don’t believe me listen to Biz Markie’s new Tommy Boy release Weekend Warrior. It’s an hour of funky fresh music that’ll take you back to fat laces and air-brushed t-shirts. I guess that’s not too far back since they re-issue everything nowadays, but you get the point. Although his flow’s a bit outdated, the music is refreshing and makes for a surprisingly strong return for the old school legend.

The beats are mostly mid-tempo and upbeat, fitting Biz’s simple flow and random thought patterns (“When I watch cartoons, I watch Johnny Quest/I wake up in the morning and shower with Zest”). Although the sung hooks sound a little overused throughout the rather long album, it’s a minor drawback.

Even with his ADD tendencies, he has the ability to stay focused on themes. He reminisces about Dapper Dan and African medallions over a happy guitar loop on “Throwback.” While “Friends” humorously looks at relationships in the same vein of his classic “Just A Friend.” Stripping away a woman’s emotional baggage on “Games,” Biz urges her to “do the right thing like Spike Lee.”

His more spontaneous work is also humorous and incredibly random. Anytime you can rhyme about shrimp-fried rice and beef and broccoli as on “Chinese Food,” and not sound completely ridiculous, that’s good. Although he ignorantly imitates Asian dialect at the end, it can be overlooked as part of his goofy and harmless demeanor.

Even when paired with more current stars like P. Diddy and Elephant Man on “Do Your Thang” and “Let Me See U Bounce,” he sounds as diabolical as ever. That’s ‘cause Biz is completely himself at all times.

Like good wine, old school rappers just get better with age. Well, at least some of them do. You won’t find any ill battle rhymes or cinematic crime narratives on Weekend Warrior, just fun hip-hop that feels good. Hearing a dude that’s closer to 40 sounding this good will make you mad Jiggaman is even talking that retirement s###. But I guess that’s why nobody beats the Biz.

Big Shots

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

Artist: CharizmaTitle: Big ShotsRating: 4 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Brolin Winning

The past year has been a good one for fans of early-nineties hip-hop. We’ve seen the release of some crucial, previously shelved albums (Dooley-O’s Watch My Moves, Pete Rock’s work with INI and Deda), and discovered new artists who flip the classic styles of old (Little Brother, Edan). The latest entry comes from Stones Throw mastermind Peanut Butter Wolf, who hits us off with the long awaited full-length from him and San Jose emcee Charizma. For those who don’t know the deal, the duo were signed to Hollywood Basic back in the day, but Charizma was killed in ’93, and the album never dropped. Stones Throw put out a few 12-inches from the project (“My World Premiere” was the label’s first release), and finally, the LP is here.

From the first track on, this s### is bangin’. Wolf’s production is relentless, loaded with up-tempo break-beats and absurdly funky loops, while Charizma goes all out on the mic, mixing vivid storytelling with mad metaphors and Big L style bravado. “Here’s A Smirk” starts things off right, rocking a stuttering guitar sample and snares with more punch than a young Mike Tyson. “Jack The Mack” employs a rubbery bassline and seriously live drums, while telling the tale of a flashy crack dealer who ends up catching AIDS. Charizma breaks down his player tendencies on “Devotion” an organ-fuelled, scratch-laden jam, and gives advice to the females on the horn-propelled “Tell You Something.” Grade-A braggadocio abounds on several tracks, especially on “Charizma What”, set to a neck-breaking boom-bap and jumpy piano loop.

While most of the album is on the fast and furious tip, the mellower joints are equally hot. “Talk About A Girl” is a short but sweet romance rap, and the self-descriptive “Methods” is straight classic, built on mellow keys and dusty vinyl pops, punctuated with tight SP beats and swift cuts. Other highlights include the raga-flavored “Soon To Be Large” and the ridiculously catchy “Ice Cream Truck.”

Recorded entirely between ’91 and ’93, Big Shots is just what the doctor ordered for heads who remember the days when rap music was about more than just flossing your shine or trying to out-abstract the next man. Had Charizma lived, there is no doubt that he would have been huge, his mic skills were extraordinary and his emcee name very fitting. With fifteen dope tracks and zero filler, this is easily one of the year’s best albums. Another triumph for Stones Throw, and a must-cop for any hip-hop fan.

Goapele: Dream Street

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

People might have a hard time pronouncing Goapele’s name but after listening to

the album they will learn what great music is. Her debut CD Even Closer

gives your 14 tracks of soulful, sensual, music that good for the soul. The

title track alone will force you press the repeat button and listen to it all day long.

Everyone has been singing the praises of Goaplele. She has become one of the

sought after talents. Her collaboration resume reads

like a who’s who in the Neo-Soul and hip-hop arena. Doing joints with Raphael

Saddiq, Soulive, E-40, the Hieroglyphics, and the list continues to grow and

grow.

Goapele was just recently awarded SF Weekly Award for “Best Soul and R&B

Artist.” And her song “Closer” will be featured be featured on the upcoming

Jessica Alba movie soundtrack, “Honey.” Allhiphop.com recently spoke with

Goapele and here’s what transpired.

Allhiphop.com Alternatives:

Do people mess up your name a lot? What are some of the worst translations

you’ve heard?

Goapele:

All the time all my life. A lot of times I’ve introduced my self as Cuapalay

which the “g” sounds more like an “h” and people may get confused and think I’m

trying to say popular or gospel or something that is just a regular word in

English that had nothing to do with my name. They look at me like “oh my

god I know someone didn’t name her that.” That’s not her nickname. There’s

different crazy variations of anything that could sound like Cuapalay since

it’s so unfamiliar. Anything that can rhyme with a word. It’s a South African

name it means “go forward.” It’s my grandmother’s maiden name.

AHHA:

What was the process for you to write the title track, “Closer?”

Goapele:

Closer was a song that was really was kind of a train of thought and a much

more spontaneous kind of song than anything I’ve written. Amp Live and Mike

Tiger who are both producers from the Bay Area produced the track and just

brought it to me and just said it’s a vibe track and I immediately really

liked it. And I was finishing the EP that I was doing and was finally gonna

get my music out there and was gonna finally let it go and let people hear

it and was really excited. The words for “Closer” just started coming to me

over the music and then just really informally went into the studio and

started recording it just as a rough idea because I wanted the feeling to

come across and we ended up just sticking with that first raw version. It

was more the feeling and a stream of self consciousness.

AHHA: What was it like meeting Prince?

Goapele:

I have been wanting to meet Prince for a long time. I have been a fan for a

long time and he came to the show at the Knitting Factory in L.A. and I

guess about maybe 2 months ago. It was definitely a surprise. I wasn’t

expecting him to come. I was expecting some other people to come and it was

a great turnout and a lot of energy and a lot of folks there and Raphael

Saddiq came and he’s come to a couple shows and that was just his offer. That

was really nice. That was kind of the icing on the cake at the end of the

show my brother came and said “Prince came, Prince is here lets go up there

and meet him.” I had heard that Magic Johnson was gonna come and Dre and

Raphael Saddiq and these other people so I was already just like so

flattered and excited and I had already been anticipating that. Magic

Johnson didn’t end up coming but he came to the next show. I just wouldn’t

have expected that and just to be such a big fan and have a surprise like

that is really touching and amazing. I went up there and talked to Prince a

little bit. I was nervous but I think sometimes when I’m nervous I seem

really calm so it was kind of a quiet conversation. I didn’t go crazy or

anything but in my mind I was just like Wow I’m sitting next to Prince right

now talking.

AHHA: Do you feel like you’ve moved closer to your dream?

Goapele:

I feel like I’m getting closer to my dream all the time if there’s really any

measuring point or in the goal or anything like that. Constantly I’m trying

to move forward and I can feel it a lot of the time. I feel like there’s been

a lot of blessings along the way and little benchmarks that just makes me

feel like this is happening and I’m moving more towards really what I’m

supposed to be doing.

AHHA:Who was your favorite person to work with?

Goapele:

As far as people that I have done shows with that I would like to work more

with is like Raphael Saddiq, and Talib Kweli. We did a show with The Roots

and that band is so phenomenal. Jazzy Jeff I really like . Dead prez, Mystic

and Eryka Badu and there’s a lot of people that I’ve met now as fans and its

been really good to get support and see that from a lot of them and I would

love to collaborate at some time. Especially when its mutual just artist

that I’m feeling and artists that are really feeling where I’m coming from.

I think it’s just a matter of time for me to do something with them.

AHHA: You’ve worked with E-40 tell me something about that?

I just met E-40 a little while ago. I really like him. He is on a remix of

“Got It” from my album and we did a song together on his album. I really

liked the song and I enjoyed the experience just getting to meet him and

getting to do something with him. I’ve been hearing his music for a long

time especially out here in the Bay and its tight to see him getting more

recognized for a lot of stuff that he’s done nationally and just how many

people say his words basically. I think he’s getting more recognized for his

contributions and the language and all that. It’s tight for me to work with

him.

AHHA:What kind of music has influenced your music?

Goapele:

I think when I, first of all I have a brother who became Dj Nemani, so I was

listening to hip-hop when I was a little kid probably before I started

really enjoying it by myself. I would say when I really started getting more

into it myself was probably the early 90s. EPMD and Redman and Tribe Called

Quest, and De La Soul. I would say the early 90s and mid 90s was my

favorite time in hip-hop and now theres a lot Mos Def , Pharoah Monch ,

Organized Confusion, Talib , Common , Outkast still have some of that

essence from the 90s. I think what I really liked about the music when I

started getting into was a lot of the old samples. Jazz and soul and I was

feeling that. Although it got a lot of people in trouble I loved that music

so its nice. Although now everybody knows about samples and a lot of people

are trying not to lose too much money and now I feel like there’s a lot of

good music in hip-hop that is going on right now just because live music is

getting big again. I love stuff that knocks and it’s nice when I can slow

down and listen to what they are saying and still appreciate it. It’s a lot

of hip-hop that I like but I don’t want to listen to sometimes because I

don’t want to hear what they are saying. I think that it’s easy to become

decent and I feel like its so male driven. It’s cool when what people are

saying and the music is beautiful and I think a good example for me would be

“Breathe In Breathe Out.” It’s interesting for me because when I first started

performing. First it was acapella. Singing sweet honey in a rock I don’t

know if you heard of that group. Then since my brother was a DJ started.

First thing I started going ouit to hip-hop events and started seeing over

the tighest hip-hop instrumental with my own words. Then later on started

writing more songs and working with a band which now I work with a band but

it was kind of a step by step process. Even closer I feel like it’s a pretty

large mix of live music and tracks and some of it its definitely hip-hop

influence some of it is more straight hip-hop and some it is more R&B and

Soul.

AHHA:

What do you enjoy most about the live performance aspect?

Goapele:

I enjoy just actually getting to sing the songs live off the album sometimes

in different versions or just switching up something here and there. It’s

the funnest when people are getting in the music and I can even expand to

more than what they have already heard. I just love the exchange when

people are right there. There can be a lot of energy at a live show and I

love singing at concerts . I think it’s really dynamic. It’s certain parts

that are mellow and certain parts that are higher and its just nicer to be

able to interpret the music live Its different than just listening to the

album. Its just different to be right there and be able to build on the

energy and make it more personal.

AHHA:

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Goapele:

Well I mean right now I’m just really trying to get the Even Closer album out

there . Its out there nationally but just performing more outside of the

West coast. That’s what we been more focusing on. I just look forward to

doing more stuff in the East and South and other spots and also get the

music out there internationally which is something that were working on.