“Run Ricky Run,” produced by Fame School Slim, has been tearing up the streets of New York for months now and finally Manolo Rose has given us a video for it. Based on cult classics Boyz In The Hood, Juice and Menace II Society, “Run Ricky Run” was directed by Shatek.
DJ RellyRell released a behind the scenes video today where he broke down the making of the beat for Fabolous’ “Gone For The Winter”, one of the lead singles off “The Young OG Project”. Relly explains what samples he uses as well as the instrumentation. Purchase Fabolous’ “The Young OG Project” on iTunes now!
News broke that Fabolous and girlfriend Emily B are expecting another bundle of joy. So everything should be all good right?
Fab’s recent Instagram post may be hinting at trouble in the relationship:
Maybe it’s just a reference to his newest album. Whatever it is, its got the people wondering…
Reem Riches remixes the classic “Darkest Light” riff found in the Lafayette Afro Rock Band song. You might remember Jay Z sampled the song on “Show Me What You Got” and Wreckx-N-Effect flipped it back in 1992 with the assist from Teddy Riley and and young Pharrell Williams on “Rump Shaker”. Reem Riches gets “Nasty” on the track talking about eating up a chick after the club and wanting to wife the chick of his dreams.
Facebook went down earlier today (Jan. 27) and users unable to login or access thier profiles and news feeds.
The outage, which also made Instagram unavailable, affected users in United States, Asia, the UK and Australia and lasted for an hour. The social media giant released a statement to USA Today saying that the glitch was their fault and was not a result of any third party attack.
“Earlier today many people had trouble accessing Facebook and Instagram. This was not the result of a third party attack but instead occurred after we introduced a change that affected our configuration systems. We moved quickly to fix the problem, and both services are back to 100% for everyone.”
Facebook and Instagram are back up and running.
2014 Forest Hills Drive is more than the name of J. Cole’s latest album, it’s also the address of his home where he spent part of his life growing up at.
Although Cole’s moth roost the house, he was able to buy it back and plans to turn the home in to a safe haven for single mothers.
During an interview with The Combat Jack Show, Cole detailed his plans for the home.
““Nah, I don’t really live there,” he said. “What we gon’ do, we still working it out right now, obviously it’s a detailed, fragile situation I don’t wanna play with. My goal is to have that be a haven for families. So every two years a new family will come in, they live rent-free. The idea is that it’s a single mother with multiple kids and she’s coming from a place where all her kids is sharing a room. She might have two, three kids, they’re sharing a room. She gets to come here rent free. I want her kids to feel how I felt when we got to the house.”
Still, Cole joked about the unwanted attention the property has gotten since the album release.
“By the way, tell people to stop going to my house and sitting on my roof taking pictures,” he said. “And they stealing the f###### street sign.””
After dropping two surprise tracks in the wee hours of the night (“High Fashion” ft. Future and “Nothing But Net” feat. Young Thug & PARTYNEXTDOOR), Houston rep Travi$ Scott has announced he is hitting the road for a month full of concerts in March with Young Thug tagging along. The Rodeo Tour will kick off on Mar. 1st in Santa Ana, CA and will pass through cities like Chicago, New York City, Norfolk, Charlotte, Houston, Los Angeles and wrap up on Mar. 31st in Seattle, WA.
Lend your ear to the two new tracks below and then peep the tour dates to see when Travi$ Scott and Young Thug are coming to a city near you.
The Rodeo Tour
March 1 – Santa Ana, CA – The Observatory
March 2 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theater
March 4 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theater
March 6 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
March 8 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall
March 9 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall
March 10 – Toronto, Canada – The Danforth Music Hall
March 11 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
March 12 – New York City, NY – Webster Hall
March 14 – Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero Theatre
March 15 – Silver Spring, MD – Fillmore Silver Spring
March 16 – Norfolk, VA – The Norva
March 17 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
March 18 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
March 19 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall
March 20-22 – SXSW
March 23 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
March 24 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
March 26 – Phoenix, AZ – Live Wire
March 27 – San Diego, CA – Observatory Northpark
March 28 – Los Angeles, CA – Club Nokia
March 29 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Theater
March 31 – Seattle, WA – Showbox
NephLon Don and DJ YRS Jerzy team up with The Kidd QDH for a smooth release titled “Perfect Time’N”. They feel like they have been building and building for some time now and it is the perfect time to take things to the next level. There is alot more to come with NephLon Don and DJ YRS Jerzy including shows, music videos, more releases and overall more to come. Keep in tuned with these artists via social media to see what they are working on. Take the time out today and listen to “Perfect Time’N” you will like what you hear.
Photo by Robin Lori
Comedian/actor/music artist Jamie Foxx, singer Janelle Monae, legendary R&B group The Isley Brothers, and designer Tommy Hilfiger were among the honorees awarded at the 23rd annual Trumpet Awards. The event was held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and will be aired Feb. 21 on TV One. Founded by Xernona Clayton to celebrate and honor African-American achievers and those who support the African-American experience, the annual Trumpet Awards event salutes accomplishments in law, medicine, business, politics, the arts, civil rights, sports, entrepreneurship, entertainment and other fields.
Photo by HYOSUB SHIN / HS***@*JC.COM
Honorees also included MLB Hall of Famer Lou Brock, Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold W. Donald, PVH Foundation President Guy Vickers, Morehouse School of Medicine President Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice and Sunshine Holdings Chairman Franklyn R. Wilson. Luminaries, such as former Atlanta Mayor and U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young and his wife Carolyn Young, boutique owner Monyetta Shaw, “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast members Cynthia Bailey and her husband Peter Thomas and singer-actress Jasmine Burke, walked the red carpet.
The evening was hosted by the lovely four-time boxing world champion Laila Ali and “The Biggest Loser” trainer Dolvett Quince. Honoree presenters included Lou Gossett Jr., Roland Martin, Quvenzhane Wallis, Egypt Sherrod, Cathy Hughes, Naturi Naughton and Laz Alonso. The Trumpet Awards featured musical performances by Avery Sunshine, Chante Moore, Leela James, ConFunkShun, The Bar-Kays, former “American Idol” champ Ruben Studdard and Debora Cox.
Xernona Clayton stated, “We’re going to keep inspiring. We’re going to keep educating. We’ve got to keep fueling the fire with the burning desire to do better.”
Emilio Rojas drops “Nada” Ft. Joell Ortiz as the first single from his upcoming project “Life Got In The Way”. The record was produced by Bizness Boi & Derelle Rideout.
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Apparently N.E.R.D.
Taken from the official soundtrack for The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water, N.E.R.D drops some pretty interesting visuals for “Squeeze Me.” This is just one of the three singles N.E.R.D has supplied for the soundtrack. The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water also features tracks “Sandy Squirrel” and “Patrick Star” named after two of the film’s main characters.
Tetsuo & Youth, Lupe Fiasco’s 5th studio album, proves he’s no longer the quirky new guy cool with Kanye West. It has been a bit of a bumpy ride for the Chicago native. Tetsuo & Youth comes off the heels of two lukewarm efforts, leaving Lupe hoping to recreate the success as well as the critical acclaim of his debut album Food & Liquor, and his follow up effort The Cool.
The album starts with the intro track “Mural” (after a short instrumental track) with an almost nine minute sparring session where Lupe exhibits a seemingly endless barrage of lyrical jabs, hooks, uppercuts and any other punch that can be thrown. Tetsuo & Youth has a number of high points. Lyrically Lupe doesn’t disappoint one bit. He attempts to show layers even metaphorically in ways he never has before. There are a few points in this album that leaves one to think that Lupe could have been a star in the 90’s Golden Era of lyrical MCs. There are also points in the album like “They.Ressurect.Over.New” featuring Ab-Soul and Troi that leave you a bit disappointed less than halfway through the song.
The main quandary with Tetsuo & Youth is not so much the production, as much as it is the production for the most part sounding the same. There is no real change in tempo from start to finish. The album becomes at times monotonous, leaving listeners primed to miss a few hot lines that are drown out by the musical repetition. You find yourself remembering a superior line of Lupe’s, but not remembering which song to find it on because they all kind of run together. The flow of an album is very important, and I guess it could be said that the album flowed too well. It actually damages the overall cohesiveness by doing so.
Tetsuo & Youth is overall a really solid album. Lupe shines lyrically with witty punchlines and creative wordplay. Song by song the production holds up. I could have done without the attempt at trap music, but other than that all of the production risks seem creative. Lupe Fiasco fans will be delighted to hear his new outlook on the world. The album is definitely worth a listen.
Lyricism: 8/10
Production: 7/10
Cohesiveness: 6/10
Overall: 7/10
Twitter: @FillUpBanks856
Instagram: @AlmostFamous856
After releasing his critically acclaimed debut album Boy Meets World in 2009, Fashawn went silent. Now that he is signed to Nas’ Mass Appeal Records he has gotten his second wind and is gearing up to drop to his sophomore effort. The album, The Ecology, is set to be released on Feb. 24th and will feature Nas, Dom Kennedy, Aloe Blacc, BJ The Chicago Kid with production provided by Exile, Beewirks, The Alchemist and more.
The same week of his album release, the west coast spitter will be embarking on a 26-city tour along with SonReal, Exile and EarthGang. It kicks off on Feb 26th in Los Angeles and continues through New York City, Toronto, Boston and even includes a few dates at the South by Southwest festival.
The Ecology is available for pre-order.
Peep the album’s track list and his tour dates below.
The Ecology:
1. Guess Who’s Back (p###. Beewirks)
2. Confess (p###. Exile)
3. Something to Believe Feat. Nas & Aloe Blacc (p###. DJ Khalil)
4. Higher (p###. Exile)
5. To Be Young Feat. BJ The Chicago Kid (p###. Exile)
6. Golden State of Mind Feat. Dom Kennedy (p###. Exile)
7. Letter F (p###. The Alchemist)
8. Place to Go (p###. Exile)
9. Man of the House (p###. Quince Tones & Jo Caleb)
10. Out The Trunk (p###. Exile)
11. It’s A Good Thing Feat. Aloe Blacc & Choosey (p###. Exile)
12. Mother (p###. Exile)
13. F.T.W. (p###. Exile)
Fashawn Tour Dates (with Exile, EarthGang and SonReal):
2/26 — Los Angeles, CA — Echoplex
3/3 — Vancouver, BC — Alexander
3/4 — Seattle, WA — Crocodile
3/5 — Portland, OR — Peter’s Room
3/6 — Eugene, OR — Wow Hall
3/7 — Oakland, CA — Leo’s
3/8 — Sacramento, CA — Harlows
3/10 — Boston, MA — Middle East (Downstairs)
3/11 — New York, NY — SOB’s
3/12 — Philadelphia, PA — The Barbary
3/13 — Toronto, ON — The Drake Hotel
3/14 — Pittsburgh, PA — Club Café
3/15 — Chicago, IL — Reggie’s
3/16 — Grand Rapids, MI — Stache
3/18 — Kansas City, MO — The Riot Room
3/19 — Austin, TX — SXSW
3/20 — Austin, TX — SXSW
3/21 — Austin, TX — SXSW
3/22 — Jacksonville, FL — Jack Rabbits
3/24 — Atlanta, GA — Masquerade (Purgatory)
3/25 — New Orleans, LA — Parrish Room @ HOB
3/26 — Houston, TX — Studio @ Warehouse Live
3/27 — San Antonio, TX — ACMC
3/28 — Dallas, TX — The Loft
3/30 — Denver, CO — Cervantes (Other Side)
3/31 — Albuquerque, NM — Launchpad
4/1 — Phoenix, AZ — The Press Room
4/2 — Orange County, CA — Constellation Room
Kentucky police are reportedly looking for Kevin Gates in hopes that he can give them some leads on a shooting that happened at his show in the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 25th.
During his Lexington, Kentucky gig at The 4 Seasons, a shooting broke out leaving a few concert goers with non-life threatening injuries. One person was wounded while the others were hurt when people began stampeding towards the exit after the shots rang off.
The shooting didn’t stop the show, though. After most the crowd left, Gates went into the remainder of the audience and performed three more songs before he made his exit.
Since the NOLA rapper was on stage during the shooting and had a good view of the crowd, Kentucky police are hoping he saw what happened and can give them some information.
It’s reported that Gates has not responded to the cops’ requests.
Kanye West will be making a stop at Ellen this week to be a part of her birthday extravaganza episode. During their sit down, Yeezy is expected to talk about his family life, the making of his latest Paul McCartney-assisted single “Only One” and dish some details about his upcoming album.
On the show’s website it reads:
In an exclusive appearance to talk about his new song, new album and extraordinarily “Good Life,” KANYE WEST is here! Who better to toast Ellen on her out-of-this-world birthday event than a man with the “Power” of music, who can “Run This Town” with his bold personality, and “Touch the Sky” with his endless charisma?! Kanye returns following the release of his new single “Only One,” a touching tribute to his daughter North, told through the perspective of his late mother and featuring Paul McCartney. Ellen will also find out details on Yeezy’s new album, and of course, the latest on his little girl and beautiful wife Kim Kardashian West!
Tune in at 4 p.m on Jan. 29th to see Ye’ chop it up with Ellen. UK crooner Sam Smith will also be stopping by to hit the stage as well.
Yeezus visited Ellen last year when he premiered the visual for his “Bound 2” video featuring his now wife Kim Kardashian-West.
Originally from New Haven, Connecticut, Haze Da Punter mixes East Coast lyricism with the boast of Southern flare. While simultaneously promoting his latest single “A1”, along with his mixtape and his album titled Rolling Stone new coming rapper Hze Da Punter gives fans something to look forward to as he primes for his Rolling Stone project. Production on this one is clean as Haze delivers a song about the ladies being classy or strong enough to hold her man down.
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Atlanta artist/producer duo ILLClinton present the third release from their #ILLClintonTuesdays series. This week the brothers drop off the socially relevant track “Free.”
Chris Brown has not been having a good month. First, five people were shot during his club appearance in San Jose, CA. Then, someone tried to sell his San Bernardino County Jail ID card on the internet. Now, Breezy’s joint tour with fellow crooner Trey Songz and Tyga has been postponed due to his probation being revoked for not getting permission to go to San Jose, CA for that fateful club appearance.
The judge refused to give Brown permission to travel, which leaves him confined to Los Angeles. Plus, he now has to complete the remaining 100 hours of community service stemming from his 2009 case regarding his dispute with Rihanna.
[ALSO READ: Chris Brown Is An Identity Theft Victim]
The “Autumn Leaves” singer took to his Instagram to notify his fans that the tour has been pushed back and to apologize.
“I would first like to apologize to all the fans and people who have been supporters of me and all the music over the years. The beginning of the BTS tour has been moved to later dates now. The judge would not sign off on my travel to do the tour until I finish these last 100 hours of community service. I promise that I am busting my ass doing it everyday until it’s complete. This is the most disappointing news I’ve gotten in a while. Everything happens for a reason so I wanted to personally inform my fans. The show must go on. Out of 1000 hours I only have 100 left. I will work my ass off to complete it and I will be on that stage. Once again I’m sorry for the delay. I love yall! We will let yall know the dates that are changed. It’s not cancelled. Just moved around a couple weeks.”
The tour was supposed to start on Jan. 28th in Hampton, VA. There’s no word on the new tour dates yet.
Former Making Menudo & XFactor star, Carlito Olivero, releases the lyric video to his popular single “Pon Ya Body,” produced by Dem Jointz. Carlito Olvivero shows major love to his Mexican and Puerto Rican roots in his new visuals. Both Maximilian Shelton (graphics/editing) and Denzel Whitaker (cinematography) do an awesome job bringing the lyrics to life.
Keep up with Carlito by following him on Twitter at @Carlitosway89.
While many professional battle rappers essentially try to parlay their success from the lyrical sport into a career as a recording artist, Hollow Da Don will be the first person to tell you that has not been his motive. One of the greatest battlers in the history of the culture has been content with not dropping a full project since 2011’s Loyalty Is A Way Of Life.
That break is now over as the New York City/Houston rhymer returns with his new aptly titled EP I Don’t Make Music, I Battle Rap. Fans of the L.O.M. representative get two sides of the emcee as he presents tracks by the comedic leaning Hollow Da Don and his more socially aware side known as Don Lennon.
“I recently began making music again after a 2 year hiatus. I decided to make a few parody songs with a few songs from ‘Don Lennon,'” Hollow tells AllHipHop.com. “He’s an alter ego who talks about social issues and injustice in America… You pretty much get the best of both worlds. It’s like Public Enemy meets the Migos.” [laughs]
The first single from I Don’t Make Music is a tongue-in-cheek take on the bass heavy, drug mentioning style of rap music regularly found on modern mainstream radio. The Ghxst Beats produced “Yola” is Hollow’s droll version of the popular self-described “trash” promoted in some of today’s Hip Hop songs and videos.
“‘Yola’ is a parody making fun of Trap music, but it’s very catchy,” he says. “[In the video] I’m doing wild stuff like cooking crack on a grill out a flower vase and rolling around on a rooftop with a shopping cart.”
The 6-track I Don’t Make Music, I Battle Rap includes the Hollow cuts “The Screw (Slowed & Chopped)” and “Bad Rapper+Great Beat=Freestyle.” The conscious minded Don Lennon makes appearances on “Stereotypes” and “Revolution.”
Purchase Hollow Da Don’s I Don’t Make Music, I Battle Rap EP on iTunes.
Follow Hollow Da Don on Twitter @hollowdadon and Instagram @DonLennonLOM.
Watch the video for “Yola” below.
