“Fix Your Face” is the breakout single from S.K. who has gained widespread recognition online for this song. Renaissance Republic artist/producer S.K.’s “Fix Your Face” is the first official track from his long-awaited EP, Speak Easy, which is set to release later in the year.
(AllHipHop Features) Hollow Da Don has been one of the premier battle rappers in the game ever since he dominated 106 & Park’s “Freestyle Friday” competition in 2006. The native New Yorker took home the show’s weekly battle crown seven times in a row.
Hollow parlayed that TV success to numerous battle rap league victories and an eventual co-sign from Young Money superstar Drake.
With a stat sheet that includes matches against elite battlers such as Arsonal, Big T, Illmaculate, Aye Verb, Hitman Holla, Tsu Surf, and Loaded Lux, Hollow still broke new ground when he went face-to-face with major label signee Joe Budden at Total Slaughter I.
There are two other top-tier battlers that Hollow has in his immediate lyrical crosshairs. In AllHipHop.com’s fourth edition of “Profiles In Battle Rap,” Da Dinininon shares his personal hit list, favorite battles, rap producers he has worked with, and one of his slept on lines from the match with Budden.
Hometown
Born in Brooklyn. Grew up In Queens.
Years Experience
Professionally, in front of a wide audience 7-8 years. In total battling period, about 12-13 years.
Style Known For (ie aggression, wordplay, punchlines, freestyle)
Untouchable is the best way to put my style. It’s unpredictable. You don’t know if I’m going to go punchlines, jokes… keeping opponents on their toes, not knowing how to come at me.
Crew
I wouldn’t call it a crew. It’s more of a movement – Loyalty Over Money (LOM).
Slogan
“Loyalty Over Money”
Leagues Competed In
I’ve done every possible league and dominated every league – 106 & Park, Fight Club, Grind Time, WRC, URL/Smack, Total Slaughter.
Mixtapes/Albums
Loyalty Is A Way Of Life, Money Changes, Loyalty Don’t. I decided to stop making music to just focus on battling. I still write. I just haven’t recorded. I ain’t really been in my bag lately. I’m just letting it flow. I might drop singles, but I don’t plan on dropping a whole project.
Favorite Battle (Participant)
Me vs. Big T
Conceited vs. Arsonal
–
One Of Your All Time Hottest Line
In the Joe Budden battle I said, “You know who the hell is Joe?/That funny Martin episode/He talk about that hoe tell (hotel) when in the end/He’s fighting with the rat.” They didn’t catch that. A hotel is actually an “inn.” In the end of the Martin episode, he was fighting with the rat in the hotel.
Your Battle Rap Mount Rushmore
Me, Loaded Lux, Murda Mook, Illmaculate
One Mainstream Rapper You’d Like To Battle
Anybody that’s a lyricist. It ain’t about attacking the mainstream. I’m definitely trying to go at an Eminem, Cassidy – lyricists that I respect. But there’s no official mainstream rapper that I’m gunning for.
Name One Battler You Think Could Possibly Beat You On Their Absolute A Game
Any top-tier battle rapper. Anybody you name. That’s what they don’t understand about battling. Everybody wants Jordan to have 63 points against Boston, but he may have different nights where he might have 32 and 10 rebounds. It’s still a good night, but they don’t appreciate it because they want to see the classic night they remember that you got famous off of.
Different nights you are going to have great performances. It’s just a different type of performance. That goes to say, with anybody that’s a top-tier battle rapper – as long as they’re on their A-game and having a great performance – you’re not going to beat them. You know who the top-tier cats are.
Artists You’ve Worked With Musically
I’ve worked more with producers like Alchemist, Chuck Inglish. I was just in the studio with Scott Storch. I mess with a lot artist too, but I’m just not the collab type of guy. I’m the guy that chills, kicks it, and if I’m feeling the vibe, I’ll hop on the track. I hate to force the issue. This is when I was doing music. Like I said, I’m not doing music anymore. I’m not a rapper.
Your Battle Rap Hit List
Charlie Clips first and foremost. Maybe even Mook, if he wants to jump in the way and get stupid. It’s still “ABG” – anybody can get it. No exceptions.
Top 5 Emcees DOA
Not in order: Biggie, Pac, Eminem, Big Pun, Pimp C
Do You Prefer To Participate In A Debatable Battle Or A Clear Victory?
Honestly, it depends on how much you really hate the person. If you hate the person you’re battling you want to win no matter what. If you’re battling somebody you respect, a classic will always be the best, because those are the ones that get talked about the most.
Where Do You See Battle Rap Going In The Future?
It’s just going to get bigger. At the end of the day, it’s going to be a sport that’s respected like any other sport. That’s what we’re hoping for. We don’t expect it to change the world and bring peace. None of that is going to happen with battle rap. It’s an aggressive sport. It’s underground. We just want to get respect, because we respect rap and music period. So we want to get respect in the same breath.
Follow Hollow Da Don on Twitter @hollowdadon and Instagram @DonLennonLOM.
Read other “Profiles In Battle Rap” articles here.
What other battle rappers would you like to see featured in AHH’s “Profiles In Battle Rap” series? Share your picks in the comments section below.
Chase N. Cashe collabs with AraabMuzik for “Araab Crazy”.
(AllHipHop News) Young Money/Cash Money Records is just digital flexing. Yesterday, Funkmaster Flex was named the Content Creator and Director of the label’s new website Stunnalife.com and the accompanying Stunnalife app.
The new website and app will contain all of Cash Money/Young Money artists’ music and news. Last April, Flex partnered with Loud Digital to release his InFlexWeTrust app which exclusively distributed his Who You Mad At? Me or Yourself? mixtape.
Flex’s app has accumulated over 500,000 downloads in under a year and a half. In a press release, Flex stated he is “excited to partner with Birdman on this venture. He has built one of the biggest machines in music, and he creates superstars, so moving forward together is a no-brainer.”
The Stunnalife app will be available on Google Play and iTunes App Store this Fall along with the release of the website.
Chicago rhymer Veto Vangundy drops the sequel to his From Pain To Glory mixtape. His latest effort The Last Hope is a 15-track project that features production by Black Metaphor, BolotheProducer, and fellow Chicagoan Csick. The project also includes the buzzworthy single “Keep It Wu.”
Theophilus London releases the Brodinski & Club Cheval-produced first single “Tribes” featuring frequent collaborator Jessie Boykins III from his upcoming VIBES! album which hits stores this fall. The single features artwork shot by legendary designer, artist and photographer Karl Lagerfeld.
Plies releases a new track called “Blue Hunda”. Produced by League Of Starz. Look out for his album Purple Heart coming soon.
(AllHipHop News) Ja Rule…Hip Hop’s Bill Cosby? MTV has announced that Ja Rule’s family life will be documented in a new reality TV show entitled Follow The Rules.
The half-an-hour reality TV show will focus on Ja Rule raising his three children with Queen Latifah and Irv Gotti as two of the executive producers. While Rule states “family tradition will never be the same again b*tch” in a press release for the announcement, MTV’s President of Programming Susanne Daniels has loftier adulation of the show:
Ja Rule is the modern day reality rap star version of Bill Cosby’s role from ‘The Cosby Show.’ He embraces a unique parenting style with his teenage kids that feels fresh and funny.
There is no word on when the show will premiere. Check out a preview of a few scenes from Follow The Rules below:
ATM Family Presents 12 Rounz “Rapido” From Hartford CT the newest single off the Mixtape “The Miissing Piece” out now.
Rumors have been flying about here, there and everywhere that Future was stepping out on Cici with his stylist, Tyrina Lee.
Ciara called off the couple’s engagement and the two haven’t been spotted out together in months, but sources are saying that they are living together again and want to “work things out for the sake of their child.”
Recently a source for E! News gave more insight in to what’s going on behind closed doors with the couple, “They are working things out and are supposed to be getting back together,” the source said. “She really cares about Future and still loves him. She is going to try for her family.”
Should this couple stay together for the sake of Baby Future or should they go ahead and let it go?
(AllHipHop News) Understatement of the year alert: G-Unit does not forget its enemies. During a recent interview earlier today (September 4th), G-Unit discusses why Game will not be apart of the G-Unit reunion, responds to Floyd Mayweather Jr’s $750,000 challenge and more.
Jimmy Henchman, longtime associate of Game was sentenced to life in prison on October 25th, 2013 over cocaine trafficking, witness tampering and money laundering. Tony Yayo was arrested in 2007 over allegedly slapping Henchman’s teenage son. Before calling Game a “snake that won”, Yayo explains on Ebro In The Morning how Game’s connection to Henchman rules out his inclusion in any G-Unit reunion.
I just feel like with the Game thing it’s like y’all know what it is. He was messing with Jimmy Henchman. It’s deeper than rap. Y’all keep asking that dumb question when his OG’s had FEDS knocking at my door. It’s like the industry, y’all don’t get it, ’cause it’s the streets.
Yesterday (September 3rd) Mayweather Jr challenged 50 Cent to donate $750,000 to Mike Brown’s family. Buck revealed that he turned one of his lyrics from “Ahh Sh*t” addressing the Mike Brown shooting into a shirt. 50 Cent addressed Mayweather’s challenge by revisiting his original challenge:
Tell him to read Page 3 in Harry Potter. Same 750 [thousand] for Page 3 in Harry Potter.
Check out the full interview below:
Waka’s wifey Tammy Rivera posted a pic via Instagram yesterday letting the world know “daddy was home,” but from the looks of things, they couple may be takin’ shots (literally) at coked out couple Stevie J and Joseline, after Joseline attacked Rivera on the LHHATL reunion.
Photo Cred: StraightFromTheA
The post has been removed, but the damage is already done, we know EXACTLY who y’ll taking aim at.
Brooklyn emcee D.Prince releases “Never” featuring crooner Johnny Blue and produced by upcoming Swedish visionary Ibra Heem. This song will appear on D.Prince’s upcoming project Black Sinatra, slated for release in November.
Gahdamn its only been a month…
MediaTakeout is reporting that the couple is a few weeks in to their first pregnancy, and considering Remy Ma was locked down for 7 years, they probably both had some pressure built up.
An insider for MediaTakeout Remy was spotted out and about at Jeezy’s album release party in NYC and she accidentally let the cat out the bag and wasn’t sipping’ anything either.
If the news is true, CONGRATS!
(AllHipHop News) Hard to see paradise through all the tweets. Yesterday (September 3rd) Nick Cannon took to his personal Twitter account to publicly address the rumors of him divorcing from his wife Mariah Carey.
On August 21st, Entertainment Weekly’s The Insider quoted Nick Cannon as stating there was “trouble in paradise”. Before refuting he gave The Insider that quote, Cannon stated he never made any statement regarding his marriage yet does not refute reports that he and Carey are set to divorce:
For the record I NEVER have, nor will I make a statement regarding my marriage.
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) September 3, 2014
Because my family & I haven’t been forthcoming with personal information, people are quick to paint negative pictures and spread rumours
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) September 3, 2014
What infuriates me most is to hear people slander @MariahCarey . I will forever be in debted to her for blessing me with our children… — Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) September 3, 2014
And finally, “Trouble in Paradise” is the dumbest phrase I’ve ever heard! I would never say that sh!t
— Nick Cannon (@NickCannon) September 3, 2014
(AllHipHop News) Each and every day another celebrity realizes that Twitter is real life. Tuesday (September 2nd) TBS canceled Cee Lo Green’s The Good Life unscripted reality show after only one season.
Hours before TBS cancelled Green’s show, Green apologized publicly on Twitter for controversial tweets regarding rape following pleading no contest to furnishing ecstacy to a woman in 2012. Women’s rights group Ultraviolet petitioned TBS and parent company Time Warner to have the show canceled.
(AllHipHop News) Def Jam recording artist Jeezy dropped his latest studio album this week. While the critical response for Seen It All: The Autobiography has been fairly good, the question still remained what would be the commercial response for the Snowman’s 5th major label LP.
[ALSO READ: Jeezy Discusses Reason For Settling Feud With Former Rival Rick Ross]
Hits Daily Double has crunched the numbers, and the industry site is predicting Jeezy’s new effort is expected to sell between 90,000-100,000 units opening week. That total will not be enough to top Maroon 5’s V (145-155K) for the number one album in the country.
However, if those numbers hold Jeezy will continue his streak of breaking into the top 3 on the album chart, and he’s close to selling over 100,000 copies in his initial week for the fifth straight time.
Each of his previous four albums opened at 1, 2, or 3 on the Billboard 200; Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (#2 -172,000), The Inspiration (#1 – 352,000), The Recession (#1 – 260,000), and TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition (#3 – 233,000).
[ALSO READ: Wiz Khalifa Earns First #1 Album With “Blacc Hollywood”]
(AllHipHop News) Singer-songwriter Blu Cantrell was taken to a hospital earlier this week after she was found running through her Santa Monica neighborhood around 2 AM. She was allegedly screaming about being poisoned by gas.
[ALSO READ: Hip-Hop Rumors: Blu Cantrell Makes A Suggestion About Jay-Z]
According to TMZ, police officers were called to the scene and eventually took Cantrell to a local hospital. She is undergoing a psychological evaluation in the facility.
Cantrell is best known for her 2001 chart smash “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” off the So Blu LP. The Grammy nominated performer’s last studio album was 2003’s Bittersweet.
The Rhode Island native becomes the second early 2000’s singer to make the news over the last few months for being found outside by police.
Farrah Franklin was arrested for disorderly conduct in July after the former Destiny’s Child member was allegedly discovered to be highly intoxicated in a stranger’s yard.
[ALSO READ: Former Destiny’s Child Member Arrested For Disorderly Conduct]
(AllHipHop News) Jay Z’s 2009 hit single “Run This Town” will be given new life as the theme song for the NFL’s Thursday Night Football telecast. Roc Nation songstress Rihanna returns to lend a hand for the intro as well as Oscar nominated actor Don Cheadle.
[ALSO READ: Beyoncé To Jay Z In HBO Trailer: “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” (VIDEO)]
Jay and Rihanna cover the “Run This Town” vocals for the opening sequence, and Cheadle will provide original narration each week. The three stars filmed the segment that was produced and directed by 28-time Emmy Award-winning producer Pete Radovich.
“This open combines one of music’s biggest stars with one of the most dynamic actors in Hollywood,” stated Radovich. “The energy that both talents provide gives the opening to every Thursday night the big-game, primetime feel it deserves. It is a dream scenario for any director.”
The Thursday Night Football schedule kicks off September 11 on CBS when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens. Games will also broadcast on the NFL Network.
[ALSO READ: Eminem & Rihanna Finish Monster Tour In The ‘D’]
Watch the video for “Run This Town” below.
(AllHipHop News) Suge Knight has finally addressed being shot six times at a Los Angeles club in August. In an interview with TMZ, Knight talked about the incident but refused to discuss if he saw the gunman.
[ALSO READ: Photos Of Suge Knight’s Bullet Wounds From L.A. Shooting Hit The Net (PICS)]
“Even if I did [see who pulled the trigger], I don’t think that’s really important – who pulled the trigger and who I seen pull the trigger,” said Suge. “I’m doing extremely well. I’m happy to be doing well. Whatever happens, happens.”
[ALSO READ: Police Say Suge Knight Was Target Of Shooting; Source Says Streets Will Take Care Of Shooter]
Listen to Suge Knight’s interview below.