Mann E Styles – "Free Throw" [P### by Duane DaRock]

Hip Hop producer and veteran, Duane DaRock, who has worked with Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, The Game and more teams up with B-more implant Mann E Styles to produce the new street anthem “Free Throw”.   Mann E Styles is emerging onto the Baltimore hip hop scene as a budding new emcee and he  is currently working with Duane DaRock on his yet to be titled mixtape that is set for release at the top of next year. Check out “Free Throw” below. This is an infectious beat simple and plain and the flow is pretty clean too. We will be checking for more from this Maryland rapper as it rolls in. He almost sounds like Masta Ace if you ask me.

NYPD Shooting Of An Unarmed Brooklyn Man Ruled A Homicide

On Nov. 20th, unarmed 28-year Akai Gurley was shot and killed by NYPD officer Peter Liang in a stairwell of the Louis H. Pink Houses in the East New York section of Brooklyn. A medical examiner has now ruled this death a homicide, NBC reports.

[ALSO READ: NYPD Kills An Unarmed Brooklyn Man]

While Liang and his partner were at the eighth floor landing, Gurley entered at the seventh floor landing, which startled Liang. He had his flashlight in one hand and his gun in the other and accidentally fired his weapon, hitting Gurley in the chest. Gurley stumbled down to the fifth floor where his girlfriend sought aid for him by knocking on doors. By the time Liang and his partner found the two 911 had already been called. Gurley was pronounced dead at Brookdale Hospital.

The stairwell is said to not have had properly working lights and there are reports that it was “dimly-lit.”

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said this was an accident and called Liang a “total innocent.”

Gurley’s death sparked outrage in his Brooklyn community and over this past weekend when 250 people marched outside of the 75th Precinct, where Liang is stationed.

 

Hip-Hop Rumors: Charlie Sloth Signed To MMG?

Its  pretty much been all but confirmed that Charlie Sloth has signed with MMG.

The English DJ and rapper left a memorable impression on MMG boss Rick Ross last week when he visited the UK for BBC’s 1xtra Live in Birmingham.

GRMDaily reports:

“It’s likely the initial interest sparked from Rozay’s side during an interview with Sloth, where Charlie explains how he has “dethroned everyone in Hip Hop in Europe. In a similar fashion to what you [referring to Rick Ross] have done with the artists, I’ve done the same with DJ’s.”
To which Ross responded, “Ima tell you something, I like that attitude, and if you haven’t yet you surely will, you MMG now.”

Check out more footage of Rick Ross co-signing the DJ:

FRESH HEAT – MJ "Family First " ft Twista & GLC

As we approach the holidays, Chicago singer/rapper MJ releases his holiday inspired track “Family First.”  Joining MJ on the track are Chicago mainstay GLC and notorious Midwest word flipper Twista. The song will be featured on MJ’s upcoming debut project ChicagoParis set for release next year.

“For those that don’t know GLC is a legend out here. He worked with Kanye back in the day and he’s just someone in Chicago thats so well known and respected. He didn’t have to do that man, but he did,” MJ explained.

MJ is expected to release several songs and videos in the coming months with his ChicagoParis project on the cusp of its release. “I opened up for Twista in Atlanta and I told him that I was working on some new material and then when I started recording this song I immediately thought of Twista and GLC. Both of them were on the College Dropout with Kanye so I thought it would be sick and so I sent it to them and they loved it.” MJ explained.

 

Macklemore & Q-Tip March In Mike Brown's Honor; August Alsina Cries Over No Indictment Decision

Last night’s decision by a grand jury to not indict officer Darren Wilson on charges in the shooting death of 18-year-old Mike Brown caused an uproar and a new wave of riots in Ferguson. However, people in Ferguson were not the only ones affected. As they rioted through the streets, rappers Q-Tip and Mackelmore participated in peaceful marches while August Alsina shed tears at the realization that it could have been him.

When a TMZ reporter spoke to Macklemore, he said “It’s not about me. It’s about Mike Brown.”

Q-Tip lead a peaceful march through Times Square in New York City while also releasing his frustrations via Twitter.

While on tour, August Alsina became emotional about the decision and shed tears after having a moment of silence. “I’m emotional ’cause I could’ve been that n—a that they killed,” he said trying to hold back tears.

?#MikeBrown another brother who didn’t #MakeItHome A video posted by Yungin’ (@augustalsina) on Nov 11, 2014 at 1:14am PST

Watch on Instagram

Breeding Ground: Chicago Emcee Tink Takes A Stand With "Tell The Children"

After Timbaland predicted big things for rising emcee Tink the young Chicago native quickly delivered; sparking an impressive buzz and signing to her new mentor’s Mosley Music Group record label.

Now she has returned to voice her own frustrations with the turmoil in Ferguson, collaborating with the super producer on a new track titled “Tell The Children.”

https://soundcloud.com/timbaland-thursdays/tell-the-children-1124-v3

Watch Salt-N-Pepa Star In A Geico Commerical

To continue to push people to save 15 percent or more on car insurance by switching to Geico, the auto insurance company has called on hip-hop pioneers Salt-N-Pepa.  The Queens trio revamped their 1986 hit “Push It” for the latest Geico ad. In the 30-second clip, watch Salt, Pepa and Spinderella pop up on the football field, a Lamaze class and in an elevator to encourage everyone to push it.

Lucy Pierlett Ft. TreaZon & C Rich – "Mary Jane"

Lucy lights one up with TreaZon on her new single “Mary Jane”. TreaZon hits the ground running on his first appearance on record since his scene stealing performance on “Prone To Sin” from Quest’s “Searching Sylvan” album. Additional vocals by Chicago crooner C.Rich. The Keeynote produced cut is the third release from her forthcoming project “LP” arriving at the top of 2015.

Check out the visual for “Mary Jane” below:

Darren Wilson's Testimony Has Been Released

Since officer Darren Wilson will not be charged with the murder of Mike Brown, the testimonies of the grand jury and Wilson have been released by St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch.

In Wilson’s testimony, he gave his account of the situation that led up to Brown’s death. He said he felt threatened by the teen, comparing him to Hulk Hogan and a demon. Wilson encountered Brown because he was walking in the middle of the street with a friend. Wilson says he then saw the 18-year-old with a box of cigarillos, which made him believe Brown was associated with a robbery at a store where cigarillos were stolen.

Wilson said he ordered Brown to get back but he approached his car and was punching him in the face through the car window.

Page 13

He then grabs my door again and shuts my door. At that time is when I saw him coming into my vehicle. His head was higher than the top of my car. And I see him ducking and as he is ducking, his hands are up and he is coming in my vehicle.

I had shielded myself in this type of manner and kind of locked away, so I don’t remember seeing him come at me, but I was hit right in the side of the face with a fist. I don’t think it was a full-on swing, I think it was a full-on swing, but not a full shot. I think my arm deflected some of it, but there was still a significant amount of contact that was made to my face.

Page 16

And he said, “Hey man, hold these.” And at that point I tried to hold his right arm because it was like this at my car. This is my car window. I tried to hold his right arm and use my left hand to get out to have some type of control and not be trapped in my car any more. And when I grabbed him, the only way I can describe it is I felt like a five-year-old holding onto Hulk Hogan.

Prosecutor: Holding onto a what?

Hulk Hogan, that’s just how big he felt and how small I felt just from grasping his arm.

Officer Wilson then describes where he felt that Brown was reaching for his gun.

Page 29

He grabs my gun, says, “You are too much of a p#### to shoot me.” The gun goes down into my hip and at that point I thought I was getting shot. I can feel his fingers try to get inside the trigger guard with my finger and I distinctly remember envisioning a bullet going into my leg. I thought that was the next step.

Wilson says he later fired two shots from inside his car and Brown took off running. He says he chased him until he stopped by a light pole. He said once they reached the light pole, Wilson ordered Brown to get on the ground but he instead turned around, made “a grunting like aggravated sound” and began to come towards him.

Page 34

At this point it looked like he was almost bulking up to run through the shots, like it was making him mad that I’m shooting at him.

And the face that he had was looking straight through me, like I wasn’t even there, I wasn’t even anything in his way.

Page 35

And when he gets about that 8 to 10 feet away, I look down, I remember looking at my sites and firing, all I see is his head and that’s what I shot.

I don’t know how many, I know at least once because I saw the last one go into him. And then when it went into him, the demeanor on his face went blank, the aggression was gone, it was gone, I mean I knew he stopped, the threat was stopped.

All of the documents, including Darren Wilson’s full testimony, the grand jury’s testimonies and the accounts of the witnesses are available here.

Te-Money Ft. King Lil G – "Loyalty”

Te-Money releases his new single “Loyalty” featuring fellow L.A native King Lil G. The song is produced by DJ Smash Kash and is a follow up to Te-Money’s recent single “Real B####” which featured Too Short. Expect an early release from him in 2015.

New York Times Forced To Issue Correction For Fake Kanye West Quote About Kim K's *ss

(AllHipHop News) The New York Times is regarded as one of the most respected news organizations in the world, but even the 160-year-old paper falls victim to false stories. That was the case when the Times recently published an article about Kim Kardashian’s behind which used a fictional Kanye West quote from the satirical website The Daily Currant.

[ALSO READ: Chuck D Questions Art Education In The U.S. After Release Of Kim Kardashian Nude Photos (POLL)]

Columnist Joyce Wadler wrote a piece in the Times‘ Fashion & Style section titled “Fear of Kim Kardashian’s Derrière.” In the article, Wadler referred to Kanye saying, “My booty is like Michelangelo level, you feel me? It’s like a sculpture. It’s like something that should be sitting in a museum for thousands of thousands of years. Kim? She’s got a nice ass. But it’s not at that level.”

The problem is that statement was taken from The Daily Currant‘s fake story, and Wadler did not credit the website. The New York Times was forced to print the following correction:

An earlier version of this column was published in error. That version included what purported to be an interview that Kanye West gave to a Chicago radio station in which he compared his own derrière to that of his wife, Kim Kardashian. Mr. West’s quotes were taken, without attribution, from the satirical website The Daily Currant. There is no radio station WGYN in Chicago; the interview was fictitious, and should not have been included in the column.

This is not the first time West was involved in an erroneous quote controversy courtesy of The Daily Currant. Last December, the site posted a fake news story that included a bogus quote from Kanye calling himself “the next Nelson Mandela” not long after the South African leader’s death. The article was widely circulated on social media as being factual.

[ALSO READ: Article Quoting Kanye West Saying He’s The Next Nelson Mandela Was Fake]

Jay Z & Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Met During Cowboys-Giants Game

(AllHipHop News) Earlier this month Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant became one of the newest members of Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports. The Roc took on Bryant as his $11.8 million five-year rookie contract expires at the end of this season and negotiations between Dallas and their pro bowl player are still ongoing.

[ALSO READ: Dallas Cowboys Star Dez Bryant Joins Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports]

Jay actually met with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at the New York Giants/Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday. The two businessmen spoke briefly on the sidelines at MetLife Stadium. The question was: Did Jay and Jerry discuss Bryant’s future in Dallas? Jones addressed the conversation.

“Yeah, I was working on a halftime deal with him for Thanksgiving,” said a winking Jones. “No it’s good. He had just been to the stadium and entertained there. He’s outstanding.”

[ALSO READ: Jay Z’s Looking To Sign Tennis Prodigy Francis Tiafoe To Roc Nation]

Killer Mike Addresses No Indictment Of Officer Darren Wilson During Concert (VIDEO)

(AllHipHop News) Atlanta rapper Killer Mike has been one of the most outspoken Hip Hop figures about the killing of teenager Micheal Brown at the hands of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. The Run The Jewels member appeared on CNN in August to discuss the shooting, but after prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced Wilson will not be charged in the death of Brown, Mike once again spoke about the Ferguson situation live in concert last night.

[ALSO READ: No Indictment For Officer Darren Wilson In Mike Brown’s Killing]

“We usually come on to Queens’ ‘Champion’, but I gotta tell you today that no matter how much we do it, no matter how much we get s**t together, s**t comes along that kicks you on your ass, and you don’t feel like a champion,” Mike told the crowd. “Tonight I got kicked on my ass when I listened to that prosecutor. You motherf**kers got me today. I knew it was coming. I knew when [U.S. Attorney General] Eric Holder decided to resign it wasn’t going to be good.”

Mike’s voice began to crack as he talked about being fearful for his 20-year-old and 12-year-old sons. He goes on to add it’s no longer time to play the “race card.” For Mike, the real societal issues that need to be addressed are poverty and the military-industrial complex or what he refers to as the “war machine.”

“There’s one thing I want you to know. It’s us against the motherf**king machine,” expressed Killer Mike.

[ALSO READ: Killer Mike Talks Militarization Of Police & “War On The Black Male” (VIDEO)]

Watch Killer Mike speak on officer Wilson not being indicted below.

Big Krit Talks "Cadillactica" 1st Week Numbers + J. Cole Releasing His Album With No Promo

(AllHipHop News) Big K.R.I.T.’s latest album Cadillactica opened with over 43,000 units sold in its first week and debuted in the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The Mississippi rapper/producer spoke with DJ Smallz about the sales numbers for his sophomore studio LP.

[ALSO READ: AHH Album Review: Big K.R.I.T. – Cadillactica]

K.R.I.T. touched on how his previous LP Live from the Underground received a bigger promotional push than Cadillactica, but the success of his new project shows he has built a strong, supportive fan base.

“There are people that actually went on NPR and streamed the album, but they still went out and bought the record. That says a lot. To stream your album for free, and people still double back and still support it,” said K.R.I.T. “I feel like even my album was under shipped, based off of this hard to calculate how many people will go in the store and buy the album. It’s an uphill battle, but slowly but surely people are finding out my album’s out.”

The “Pay Attention” performer was also asked about fellow emcee J. Cole’s decision to release his upcoming album 2014 Forest Hills Drive with no singles and very little mainstream promotion.

“Some people have the marketing team, the push to do that. Some people don’t,” stated K.R.I.T. “That’s all about how you maneuver, I guess, in the beginning and having the right team put together, how you built your fan base.”

The 28-year-old Def Jam signee goes on to suggest that not all artists should take the route Cole is attempting with his third album. K.R.I.T. added entertainers that have a strong social media/online presence have a better chance of being successful with a “no promo” project release.

[ALSO READ: J. Cole Announces New Album “2014 Forest Hills Drive” Is Dropping This Year (VIDEO)]

Watch Big K.R.I.T.’s interview below.

Swizz Beatz & Nabiha To Headline "VH1 + SCOPE 2014 Party" At Art Basel Miami Beach

(AllHipHop News) Recording artist and producer Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean has been tapped to headline the third annual VH1 + SCOPE 2014 Party at Art Basel Miami Beach. Swizz will close out the party with an exclusive DJ set. The event will also feature a live performance by Danish singer-songwriter NABIHA.

Art Basel week also serves as a platform for the fusion of art and music. Along with appearances by Swizz and NABIHA, VH1 + SCOPE Miami Beach will include an art installation by Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic.

SCOPE art show selected Mestrovic’s “NOESIS” for the Art Basel exhibit. “NOESIS” combines calligraphy with audio and video projections. Hand painted paper will drape throughout the venue from the entrance and to a truss tower of the event’s main rotunda space. 

VH1, MTV, LOGOtv, SCOPE and FIAT teamed together for the “Driven By Art Contest.” Beau Stanton was chosen among artists from across the country to present his work at SCOPE Miami Beach. He will also receive $2500, a round trip ticket to Miami, hotel stay, and VIP access to the VH1 + SCOPE Party. Stanton’s work will also be wrapped on a Fiat 500L that can be found cruising the streets of Miami Beach.

FIAT will also launch its “Driven By Art Scavenger Hunt” experience to Miami Art Week attendees. The “Driven By Art Scavenger Hunt” will give fans the chance to win access into the invite-only VH1 + SCOPE party.

As the wrapped Fiat 500L travels through the streets of Miami Beach, art fans will be able to track the whereabouts of the vehicle by following clues posted on VH1’s social media networks. The clues will help followers locate the Fiat 500L, and the first few hunters to meet a Fiat brand ambassador at the location will be invited to the party.

VH1 + SCOPE 2014 Party is scheduled for December 5th.

Def Jam To Release "Top Five" Soundtrack Featuring Tracks By Jay Z, Kanye West, DMX & More

(AllHipHop News) Chris Rock’s forthcoming movie Top Five will hit American theaters on December 12. Three days before the film is released (December 9) Def Jam Recordings will digitally release an accompanying soundtrack. The album will include some of the biggest Hip Hop classics from the label’s catalog.

[ALSO READ: Producer No I.D. Promoted To Head Of A&R At Def Jam]

Besides Rock, Top Five also stars Rosario Dawson, Kevin Hart, Tracy Morgan, Cedric The Entertainer, J.B. Smoove, Sherri Shepherd, Anders Holm, Romany Malco, Leslie Jones, Michael Che, and Jay Pharoah. Questlove of The Roots served as the film’s executive music producer and original music score co-composer (with Ludwig Göransson).

[ALSO READ: Chris Rock’s Top 5 Movie]

Check out the tracklist for the Top Five soundtrack and a trailer below.

  1. “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” by DMX
  2. “When I B on tha Mic” by Rakim
  3. “Doin’ It” by LL Cool J
  4. “A$$-ETS” by Young Chris  feat. Rico Love
  5. “Push It” by Salt-N- Pepa
  6. “It’s Murda” by Ja Rule
  7. “N***as In Paris” by Kanye West & JAY Z
  8. “Children’s Story” by Slick Rick
  9. “On My Block” by Scarface
  10. “The Champ” by Ghostface Killah
  11. “How I Got Over” by The Roots
  12. “We Gonna Make It” by Jadakiss
  13. “Fight The Power” by Public Enemy

Mike Brown's Family Releases Statement Regarding No Indictment Ruling

A grand jury composed of one black man, two black women, three white women and six white men; have finally revealed their verdict, choosing not to indict Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown.

Following the announcement, the Brown family has released a statement via their lawyer:

“We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions. While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change.  We need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen. Join with us in our campaign to ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera. We respectfully ask that you please keep your protests peaceful.  Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction.   Let’s not just make noise, let’s make a difference.”

The parents of Michael Brown will hold a press conference November 25 at 11 a.m CST in order to provide additional comments.

This story is still developing.

 

No Indictment For Officer Darren Wilson In Mike Brown's Killing

As people stood outside of the courthouse, some with their faces covered, blasting loud music screaming “F–k the police,” the decision that they feared was revealed.

It was announced by prosecutor Bob McCulloch (Nov. 24) at a press conference that no probable cause was found to indict police officer Darren Wilson on charges for the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Wilson fatally shot Brown on Aug. 9th in Ferguson, MO.

Before McCulloch revealed the decision, he said many accounts given by witnesses conflicted with the physical evidence or completely refuted the physical evidence and the autopsy. He said many said that they saw Wilson stand over Brown and shoot him in the back. His autopsy results showed that he had no gun shot wounds to his back. There were three autopsies conducted and they were all consistent, McCulloch says. Witnesses later revealed that they gave accounts of hearsay or what they thought happened.

The jury consists of six white men, three white women, two black women and one black man picked randomly in May before the incident occurred.

Since there will be no trial, the testimonies will be released as well as audio of the final ten shots fired during the incident. Wilson is reportedly resigning from the police force.

The city of Ferguson anticipated this decision would provoke another round of riots and have taken cautionary actions. The city was locked down today, with people leaving work early, stores closing, even the public mail system being shut down. Schools are also closed tomorrow (Nov. 25).