Grandmaster Flash Talks Hip Hop's Expansion & Revolutionizing DJ Techniques (VIDEO)
(AllHipHop News) One of the advantages of Hip Hop being just 40 years old is the ability to still hear first-hand accounts from the culture’s forefathers. For example, Grandmaster Flash recently discussed his contributions to Hip Hop during an interview with Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy in the United Kingdom.
[ALSO READ: The Bronx To Be Honored At The Smithsonian As “Place of Invention” For Hip-Hop Legacy]
Flash was in the country to perform at the Meltdown Festival. During a sound check for his show, the DJ pioneer spoke about why he feels Hip Hop successfully spread across the globe.
“Hip Hop to me – from a musical perspective – is poetry to the beat of music, but it started with music first,” said Flash. “We were using all these different genres of music from some of the greatest bands in the world. So when it left The Bronx and left America it was already imprinted to be something pretty big. We just didn’t know that.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer later revealed what inspired him to revolutionize DJ techniques like punch phasing (clock theory) and back spinning (quick-mix theory). According to Flash, listening to instrumentalists like drummers get solos during songs set him on the path to creating a similar style for turntablists.
“That angered me to go into my room for about four years when I was a kid, and come up with some sort of turntable science on how I could take this incredibly brief moment that was the best part of the record in my mind, and expand on that,” explained Flash. “I would take a 10-second break and make it 10 minutes seamlessly, and that started the bed for rappers do what they do.”
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five are considered one of the early Hip Hop acts that helped the genre spread beyond its origins in New York City. Their 1980’s classic record “The Message” has been named one of the greatest rap songs in history by numerous publications. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
[ALSO READ: Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five Inducted Into Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame]
Watch Grandmaster Flash’s interview below.
Rick Rubin Reuniting With Kanye West For New Album
(AllHipHop News) Depending on your opinion of Yeezus, news out of Great Britain may cause either a fist pump or an eye-roll. That’s because Rick Rubin has confirmed he will be working with Kanye West again for the rapper’s next album.
[ALSO READ: “Kanye West’s New Testament” Short Film Released (VIDEO)]
Rubin spoke with Zane Lowe of BBC Radio 1 for an interview that is set to premiere throughout the week. According to NME, the co-founder of Def Jam revealed he has started collaborating with Ye for his seventh studio LP.
“He originally came over and said ‘I wanna come play you my new album’ and I thought we’d be listening to a finished album. Then we listened to about three hours of music, most of which didn’t have vocals, and at the end I was like ‘wow, so what’s it gonna be?’ I’m thinking it’s a year away and he was like ‘well, I’m putting it out in like 5-6 weeks’,” said Rubin about listening to an unfinished Yeezus. “It was just a funny conversation because it was completely normal to him, it’s just the way he works… today, Kanye West is coming in and we’re starting looking at vocal ideas for things for the next album.”
Speculation about the direction Kanye West’s next project will take has ranged from spoken word to soulful and dark to a Otis Redding/Mobb Deep sound. Ye’s tour DJ Million Dollar Mano did suggest in April that the album will have a different soundscape than Yeezus.
[ALSO READ: Kanye West Hit With $800,000 Lawsuit Over Sample]
Louie V Gutta Disses Meek Mill On "0 To 100 Freestyle"
(AllHipHop News) Two separate chain snatchings have caused a rift in Meek Mill’s DreamChasers camp. The Philadelphia rapper battled with his own artist Louie V Gutta recently on social media after Louie V lost a piece of jewelry in Atlanta and associate Slowbucks was hit for his chain at Hot 97’s Summer Jam.
[ALSO READ: Meek Mill Beefs With His Own Artist Louie V Gutta Over Slowbucks Chain Snatching]
The issues between Meek and Louie V have spilled over onto wax. After Meek threw a few subliminal shots at his former protégé on Drake’s “0 – 100” beat, Gutta fires back with his own version of the track which features him borrowing a classic Juvenile flow.
[ALSO READ: Meek Mill “0 To 100 (Remix)”]
Listen to Louie V Gutta’s “0 to 100 Freestyle” below.
J. Cole Announces Dollar & A Dream 2 Secret Tour & Drops "Lights Please" Video
(AllHipHop News) June 15th was the 5th anniversary of J. Cole releasing his The Warm Up mixtape. That was the project that elevated the North Carolina native into the collective consciousness of the greater Hip Hop culture.
[ALSO READ: J. Cole To Perform “The Warm Up” Mixtape During Summer Tour]
As part of the celebration for Cole’s second official mixtape, the rapper/producer previously announced he will be performing The Warm Up in its entirety during a summer tour. More details about the second edition of his Dollar & A Dream Tour have now emerged.
J. Cole will hit six cities, but the venues for each show will be revealed at a later date. Also, tickets are not being sold for the tour. Fans will have to follow J. Cole on Twitter to find out how they can get access to each $1 performance.
The Roc Nation signee also marked the five-year milestone by releasing the video for The Warm Up’s standout track “Lights Please.” The visuals were filmed in 2008, but Cole shared the video with the public for the first time while on MTV’s RapFix.
Watch the trailer for Dollar & A Dream 2 tour and the video for “Lights Please” below.
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Exclusive!!! New Video: Mishon "Legal Tender"
Columbia Recording artist Mishon releases the visual to “Legal Tender” off his Valentine’s Day EP entitled “The Gift.” Exploring the journey into a girl’s life that eventually becomes troubled. Through time she gives up on love, family, and goes into a haunting future that puts money over self worth. She goes through stages of domestic violence and prostitution for worldly and material possessions.
“Legal Tender” gives the audience a realistic depiction of what goes on in the lives of many young women. Although it exposes the dangers of prostitution as well as domestic violence, it also sheds light to a promising future where young girls can achieve success and true love if they veer away from a dangerous lifestyle.
Words From Mishon:
“I feel like this is what’s needed right now. I went through this situation with my ex so this song has always been special to me. After we separated she chose the fast life and lost who she was. I did this song a year ago and with the events taking place in Nigeria (#bringbackourgirls) and seeing some these young girls in U.S. choosing a fast life style; I decided to put a visual to the song. Hopefully, if at least one person sees this and it changes their life for the better, then I’ve done my job.” Check out the video below!
Jay Z Appears On New "Jungle Remix" In Beats By Dre Ad (VIDEO)
(AllHipHop News) Two of Hip Hop most successful moguls join forces for a brand new commercial. Jay Z adds his vocals to the Beats By Dre “The Game Before The Game” campaign.
The 70-second ad celebrates the World Cup being hosted in Brazil and features the song “Jungle Remix” by X Ambassadors and Jamie N Commons with a guest appearance by Jigga. The track can be downloaded at beatsmusic.com.
[ALSO READ: New Kanye West Music Featured In Adidas World Cup Ad]
Welcome to the jungle @S_C_
— Dr. Dre (@drdre) June 14, 2014
Watch the ad below.
Eve Married Longtime Mate Maximillion CooperToday, Reports
(AllHipHop News) Congratulations are in order for Eve, as the rapper has married her long-term beau Maximillion Cooper today, according to reports.
Bun B and others sent their congrats over social media to the couple.
Eve and Max announce their engagement in December of 2013 after a prolonged courting period.
While details are scant, they were reportedly married in Spain.
Max is one of the founders of the Gumball 3000 race, which Bun B and others participate in annually.
Joel ‘Deadmau5′ Zimmerman won the Gumball 3000 this year.
Ab Soul Reveals Track Listing For These Days…
(AllHipHop News) Ab-Soul’s album release quickly appreciates the the rapper has revealed the track listing for his album, These Days.
The album is chock full of guest appearances, including Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Lupe Fiasco, ScHoolboy Q, Action Bronson, Jay Rock and others like J. Cole and Terrace Martin on the beats.
The album spans a total of 15 tracks, seen below.
These Days… Tracklisting
1. “God’s Reign” feat. SZA (produced by Purity Ring)
2. “Tree of Life” (produced Curti$$ King and DJ Dahi)
3. “Hunnid Stax” feat. ScHoolboy Q (produced by Kenny Beats)
4. “Dub Sac” (produced by Dave Free & Tommy Black)
5. “World Runners” feat. Lupe Fiasco and Nikki Jean (produced by Tae Beast)
6. “Nevermind That” feat. Rick Ross (produced by The Kathy)
7. “TWACT” feat. Jinx and Short Dawg (produced by DNYC3)
8. “Just Have Fun” (produced by Like and Blended Babies)
9. “Kendrick Lamar’s Interlude” feat. Kendrick Lamar (produced by Terrace Martin)
10. “Closure” (produced by Sounwave)
11. “Sapiosexual” (produced by J. Cole)
12. “Stigmata” feat. Action Bronson and Asaad (produced by Rahki)
13. “Feelin’ Us” feat. Jay Rock and RaVaughn (produced by Skhye Hutch)
14. “Ride Slow” feat. Danny Brown and Delusional Thomas (produced by Larry Fisherman)
15. “W.R.O.H.” feat. JMSN (produced by Tae Beast)
PARTYNEXTDOOR "Her Way"
Jagged Edge's Interview With The Breakfast Club
Multi-platinum selling R&B group Jagged Edge is back!! Cues “I Gotta Be”, “Let’s Get Married”, and “Where The Party At”. R&B fans are you ready??? The quartet recently announced their forthcoming eighth studio album ‘J.E. Heartbreak Too‘. JE recently stopped by Power 105.1 in NYC for their first interview in promotion of the new project on Thursday. Jermaine Dupri joined the group for a great chat with ‘The Breakfast Club.’
The interview starts with the group talking about their hiatus and where the idea came from to come back with a sequel to their multi-platinum selling 2000 album J.E. Heartbreak. They also open up about what happened between them and JD and his label So So Def. Admitting it was all his issues with Sony at the time, JD took responsibility for their time apart, and expressed his excitement to be working with the group again.
Some highlights from the interview were the group talking about touring, them sharing their feelings on mainstream R&B today, being more like rappers that sing, past issues with Sisqo, dating LaTavia of Destiny’s Child, and more. Check out the interview below!
Hip-Hop Rumors: Did Nas Drop A Secret EP?
Yo…the internet is some BS sometimes. You know how I know? People are actually on the ‘Net trying to say this dude Old Droog is Nas! Remember when there were all these rappers that sounded like Jay Z? They didn’t last. This dude Droog is apparently a BK MC, not Nas at all. To me, he resembles Nas, bout definitely not Nasir. At any rate, check in out. He got the people talking.
No way is this Nas, but he doesn’t sound wack or anything so…enjoy.
At times, he sounds like Jay Elec. Maybe its Kay Electronica. You never know these days.
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
Illseed, Out.
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Highside Ft. Yung Joc & StarEasy "Stayed Down"
Kidd Kidd "Tattoos Over My Bullet Wounds"
Phlem Dot Stanza "Fi Fey Fo Fum"
#FreshHeat: Rich Quick x Archie Bang "#Breakfast"
Hip-Hop Rumors: A BIG Riff Between Jay Z & Kanye?
Kanye West and Jay are a helluva team. They are always interesting to listen to and to watch. All that great stuff. And YET…there are these persistent rumors of friction. It didn’t help that Jay and B didn’t show up to the big wedding. Seems like Kanye has been performing and when he performs, he has been removing all references to Jay Z from his rhymes. For example, on “Blood on the Leaves,” ‘Ye says “I don’t give a damn if you used to talk to Jay Z. He ain’t with you, he with Beyonce, you need to stop actin’ lazy.” On a recent rap, he said, “I don’t give a damn if you used to talk to … . He ain’t with you, he with Beyonce, you need to stop actin crazy.” He just didn’t say his name. And he apparently did that a few times. This has formulated rumors of friction. Well, that is Kanye’s “big brother” so you never know.
And then there is more to this rumor…from the tabloids, where they got dudes sounding like birds in these streets.
While many are speculating that Mr West is still fuming about the wedding snub, we hear the feud escalated over another matter. Apparently it was Jay who got annoyed because Kanye recently tried to offer marital advice, after wrongly assuming he and Bey were on the rocks following [elevator]-gate.
US sources told us: “Jay thought it was laughable that Kanye was trying to give him tips when he’s only been hitched two minutes.
“His jaw dropped to the ground when he got the call.”
“Kanye said he thinks Jay needs to stay focused on his marriage, ignore the negativity surrounding them right now and told him to ‘take care of business’.
“Despite the fact Jay agreed with the sentiment, he thought it was ridiculous that Kanye was trying to act like he knew it all.”
Do you really think there is friction between these dudes?
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
Illseed, Out.
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Email illseed rumors: ki*********@***il.com
Franc Grams – I'm Gone
#FrancGramsFridays returns yet another week with it’s latest entry “I’m Gone.”
J Maul – "Really Right"
Staten Island wordsmith J Maul, known for his work with famed producer Buckwild drops his track, “Really Right.” J Maul displays his lyrical versatility on the track that has a several sites online supporting this song in particular.
Look for his newest album, From My Mouth to God’s Ears online. Fans of Saigon, Torae and Skyzoo will enjoy this one. Maul is NYC to the core.
Kanye West Helped Chris Rock Name Upcoming Comedy Tour "The Black Plague" (VIDEO)
(AllHipHop News) In the 14 century, the Plague epidemic that ravaged Europe killed over 100 million people in the world. Chris Rock is hoping to just have people dying laughing at his newly announced “The Black Plague” tour coming this fall.
While on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Rock states that he will be embarking on his first stand-up comedy tour since 2008’s Kill The Messenger tour. According to Rock, the ominous title of the tour originated from the most controversial rap artist of the last 10 years:
Kanye [West] gave me that name. Yeah, the other day, we were hanging out. He gave me that name. We were listening to records or whatever and he said ‘black plague’. I said ‘oooh, can I use that?’
According to Rock, the tour should start late October or early November. Rock is hosting the 2014 BET Awards on June 29th, three days after Dave Chappelle performs the last of his upcoming nine shows at Radio City Music Hall, starting June 18th. During a July 2013 interview on Aisha Tyler’s Girl on Guy, Rock hinted at a joint tour with Chappelle:
The tour will happen. Maybe with Chappelle, maybe not. Who knows? We’ve been talking.
Check out Chris Rock explain “The Black Plague Tour”, why he is hosting the BET Awards +more below: