(AllHipHop News) California emcee Blu is almost ready to release his 20-track double disc Good To Be Home.
The follow-up to 2013’s York is packed with guest features including Prodigy, Alchemist, Evidence, Casey Veggies, Fashawn, Thurz, MED, Imani (of The Pharcyde), and many more.
“This is my most defining record ever,” stated Blu.
Good To Be Home will be available on double disc CD, double cassette, and 2xLP vinyl. 1000 units of a translucent gold vinyl will be sold until supplies last.
The deluxe limited edition will include Good To Be Home double disc CD, limited-edition translucent gold 2xLP vinyl with gatefold jacket, double cassette, exclusive T-Shirt, poster, two sheets of official stickers, five packs of custom matches, limited-edition “The West” 45 RPM 7″ vinyl single, and a custom retail bag. Only 200 units of the deluxe version are available.
Good To Be Home is scheduled for release May 20th. To pre-order the album click here.
Check out the cover art and tracklist for Blu’s Good To Be Home below.
Disc 1
1. Home
2. The Return
3. Back Home Again
4. Boyz N The Hood ft. Fashawn, Like & BeYoung (of Pac D##)
5. Whip Creme (Part One) ft. Definite, Big Dame, Co$$ & Swt Pea
6. The West
7. The 50z
8. The LA ft. Secret Service Agents
9. Summer Time ft. Bombay & Arima Ederra
10. The Summer / Angel Dust ft. LMNO and 2Mex (of The Visionaries) & Imani (of The Pharcyde)
Disc 2
1. Rap Dope
2. Dre Day
3. Red & Gold ft. Prodigy, Mitchy Slick & Phil Da Agony
4. Child Support
5. Well Fare ft. Thurz & Casey Veggies
6. He Man
7. Brown Sugar ft. MED & Oh No
8. Bobby Brown ft. Clutch, Mic Holden & Definite
9. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop ft. Alchemist, Evidence, Tristate, Planet Asia, Donel Smokes, Chace Infinite & Krondon
10. The West (Part Two)
(AllHipHop News) 50 Cent has a lot going on at the moment. The Hip Hop mogul is getting set to drop his album Animal Ambition on June 3rd. He also has a new TV show about to air on Starz.
50’s urban drama Power debuts this summer, and the Queens rapper has now released his own single that will serve as the theme song for the show. “Big Rich Town” features R&B singer Joe. The track is available for purchase on iTunes.
Power stars 50, Omari Hardwick, Naturi Naughton, Lela Loren, Joseph Sikora, and La La Anthony. The show will premiere on June 7th at 9 pm on Starz.
(AllHipHop News) Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ hit single “Same Love” garnered the praise of many pro-gay marriage advocates, but one supporter of same-sex marriage was not a fan of the track.
Parks And Recreation writer and stand-up comedian Joe Mande spoke with The A.V. Club on why he hates Macklemore’s song. After first stating that he believes “homosexuals deserve equal rights in every aspect of human life,” Mande goes on to explain why he picked “Same Love” for AVC’s “HateSong” feature.
Mande said:
I just think it’s a corny song. I said something to that effect a while ago and then a bunch of people on Twitter—his Shark Face Gang, which is what they call his fans—started attacking me, calling me a bigot and a homophobe. It’s so funny to me how close-minded Macklemore fans can be. They couldn’t understand how someone could agree with someone politically and also think he’s super corny…
I think it’s pandering and it’s sort of manipulative. I think he also is so self satisfied; there’s a gross element of that. He’s super corny, but it’s also a corny song and it’s being devoured by corny white kids who like don’t even listen to hip-hop and already believe in gay marriage, so he’s preaching to the choir, to kids in high school who are in the choir. I know it’s well intentioned and I agree with the sentiment of the song, but I feel the same way about that song that I feel about Bill Maher. I agree with what he’s saying. I just hate how he’s saying it…
He puts himself up on this pedestal like he’s the first rapper to be open-minded and that’s not true at all…
Another problematic part of the song is that, for being this anthem, he spends the first third of the song reiterating how straight he is. Like when he was a kid, he was worried that he was gay because he liked to draw, which isn’t even a stereotype… Just write a song about gay marriage; you don’t have to bring your insecurity or cross-hatching as a kid into it. It can be personal if you’re gay. But if you’re not gay, just say you believe in gay marriage. I feel bad for gay people that they had to adopt this song as an anthem.
Why are they talking slanderous about the homey Kanye West?
The most recent sh#t is that Kanye to the West is in a bit of a cash crunch. The rhetoric goes as follows:
Look for this A list couple who I can’t stand to have to sell their home. Oh yes, they will say they decided to live somewhere else, but the reality is he is having some cash flow issues and needs to sell the house as soon as it is finished. He hopes he can make it that long anyway.
In this report they assume its “Kanye to the” but they never say the name and that’s where I draw the line. I cannot co-sign this malarkey!
Anyway, people are saying its talking about Kimye, but that’s them.
“They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!” -illseed.
(AllHipHop News) The Tupac Shakur inspired Broadway musical has announced its cast. Kenny Leon’s Holler If Ya Hear Me will feature spoken word poet and star of the 1998 film Slam Saul Williams.
Besides acting Williams is also an accomplished musician and author. His last album was 2011’s Volcanic Sunlight. He has also worked with artists like Nas and Janelle Monáe, and Williams appeared on the Lyricist Lounge, Volume One compilation in 1998.
Other acts named to the principal cast of Holler If Ya Hear Me include Tonya Pinkins (Jelly’s Last Jam), Christopher Jackson (In the Heights), Saycon Sengbloh (Motown: The Musical), Ben Thompson (American Idiot), John Earl Jelks (Gem of the Ocean), Joshua Boone, and Dyllon Burnside.
Leon is directing the musical about two childhood friends and their struggles living in urban America. Tupac’s music and lyrics were used as inspiration for the story. It is not a biography of the iconic rapper.
The play was written by Todd Kreidler and choreographed by Wayne Cilento. Tupac’s mother Afeni Shakur is a producer.
Holler If Ya Hear Me previews at New York City’s Palace Theatre on May 26th, and officially opens on June 19th.
(AllHipHop News) Rapper 2vChainz pleaded not guilty in a drug case that could land him in jail for three years.
The Atlanta-based musician appeared in a Los Angeles court to make his statement of innocence.
Last June, he was arrested on the felonious charges after officers at LAX allegedly found codeine in his luggage. The drug is often used to create the popular drink sizzurp, reports say.
(AllHipHop Interviews) Yung Stet’s early introduction to Hip Hop came when he discovered a charismatic emcee who demanded all eyes be on him and declared it was him against the world. It was the rap icon Tupac Shakur that first inspired a young Stetson to pursue his dream of being a musical legend.
Being a child of Rockford, Illinois (a city about an hour outside of Chicago that did not have a Hip Hop radio station), Stet expanded his appreciation for 2Pac into researching other rappers and musicians of all genres. He would later use that exposure to grab sounds and styles associated with all regions of the country to create his blended brand of rap music.
Stet realized in order to make a name for himself in the rap world he would have to break away from his Midwest roots. So around the age of 18 he headed to Texas where he connected with Houston legend Lil Flip. The two rappers recorded and toured together, but Stet would eventually seek his own path in the music biz.
The 25-year-old artist now has several mixtapes under his belt, and he recently released his debut EP Becoming Legendary which includes the tracks “911” and “Renovation/Swag” featuring Young Money’s Lil Twist. AllHipHop.com caught up with Yung Stet for the latest installment of “5 & Done.”
You named your EP “Becoming Legendary.” That’s a pretty bold statement. What qualities do you have as an artist that is setting you on that path to becoming legendary?
I pride myself on really having a full package. I look at all the legends in sports, art, and history. Just being the term “legendary,” they were smart, groundbreaking, talented in multiple areas, and looked at highly. So when I started looking at the term legendary/legend it just stood out to me that’s something that I’d love to do. Legends were able to change the world. They were able to inspire, innovate, and create. Whatever field they were in, they were able to open doors, catch people’s attention, change things, and be beneficial to culture – from music to painting to creating cars.
For me, with my music having that full package I’m able to be in a category like that – a person that can do anything they put their mind to. I’m not saying I am a legend yet, but it’s on the path. I feel like with my music having that package of image, sound, lyricism, beats, everything, my full package is definitely on the road to becoming legendary. It also inspires me. It makes me have to go harder. I have to stand up to that statement. It’s a statement for me, but it’s also a statement for the people. Anybody can do what I do.
What’s the status of your Dream Team imprint?
Dream Team started as a clique of friends in my home city. It got popular and turned into a music group with me and a couple other people in 2005. I looked at it like I can actually turn this into something that can be a brand. I really took it seriously. I looked at the music, and I felt like I could really do something with it. I created the brand. I created the name. I had it licensed to myself in the state of Texas. I hope to expand it one day, because the term is loose. When it’s entertainment it can be anything.
Right now it’s just an independent brand that I have that has to do with clothing and different endeavors. It means something to me, because I created it. It’s even tattooed on me, so I have to keep rocking with it. It’s definitely something I want to keep working and building.
Yung Stet x Lil Twist
Listen to Yung Stet’s “Renovation/Swag” featuring Lil Twist below.
You have Lil Twist on your EP, and you’ve also been associated with Lil Za for several years. What’s your opinion on critics who blame them for Justin Bieber’s recent troubles?
They’re all young. Lil Twist is like my little brother. Lil Za is like my little brother. I’ve known them since they were young teenagers like 14. They’re really good-hearted people. I just look at it like everybody has to grow up. You learn from experiences, mistakes, and good things. I just hate that the media puts so much negativity on Twist and Za for Justin Bieber’s faults. Not even faults, because he’s just growing up in front of the spotlight. He’s young, rich, and successful. People are hoping to try and put negative things on him, but he’s his own man. I know first-hand that Lil Twist and Lil Za are not influencing him to do negative things. They’re just having fun. It’s more positive than negative in my opinion.
I don’t really place the blame on anybody. I know their families. I know where they came from. I don’t pay no attention to that. We laugh at it sometimes. We look back and be like, “Man, did you hear what they put on TMZ about you?” Twist will tell me how they’ll get a picture of them doing something or make up a story, and he’ll tell me how it really came about. I’m just like, “Dang, they’ll spin anything.” You really can’t believe what you hear, especially on certain sources.
On your song “911” you say, “I think I’m King James. I think I’m Dwayne Wade.” Do you have The Heat three-peating this year?
Definitely, I’m a super Heat fan. They say, “Aw, you’re a bandwagon.” I’ve been a LeBron fan since 2002 when I first seen him play in high school. Ever since Jordan, I haven’t been a fan of anyone huge consistently. So I became a fan of LeBron, and I followed him. I was a fan of him in Cleveland. Now I’m a diehard Heat fan. I go hard for them. I got the League Pass, and I watch every game. Most definitely we’re three-peating. I’m glad you asked that. Speak it into existence.
What else do you have in the works right now?
I’m with an independent label right now called Klassic Records. We’re working on a lot of things. We’re building the brand. I don’t want to be looked at as a one hit wonder. To me, I’m really an artist, so I like for people to hear all my music, all my projects. Instead of trying to catch a buzz off one quick single, we’re really trying to build a brand.
I’m always working on new material. I record myself. I engineer myself. I got my own studio, so I’m always working on new music. I got a new mixtape – volume 2 of Yo Beat Ain’t Safe. I take a lot of the hot songs, and put my own spin on them. A lot of times I hear records that I like, and I’ll be mad because I wish I could be on them. [laughs] When they hit the radio I think, “I wish I could have a 16 on this.” A lot of my fans love that, so I’m working on Yo Beat Ain’t Safe Vol. 2. Besides that, just building, booking shows. It’s all a buzz building process right now.
(AllHipHop News) If your bank accounts or life obligations did not allow you to witness Jay Z’s Made In America tour last year, you will be in less than two months. Today (April 8th), Signature Entertainment announced it will release Jay Z’s Ron Howard-directed Made In America documentary this May on DVD and video on demand.
The documentary chronicles Jay Z’s 2-day concert in Philadelphia back in September 2012 that included appearances from Kanye West, Beyonce, Skrillex, Janelle Monae and numerous others. Signature Entertaiment plans to release on DVD and video on demand on May 19th.
While the site states that the documentary will be released on DVD and to video on-demand services on May 19th, the iTunes preorder says its expected arrival will be May 12th. This could be indicative of Signature Entertainment proposed new model of releasing content. According to Billboard,Apple Inc.’s music chief Robert Kondrk had numerous talks with label execs during Grammy weekend in Los Angeles in January, proposing they release their albums exclusively to iTunes for the first week.
No word on if this is apart of Kondrk’s proposed release strategy proposed to record labels. Fans can pre-order the DVD and/or digital file on iTunes.
(AllHipHop News) This could either be the truth or another chapter of “Taking One For The Team”. Yesterday (April 7th), a police detective revealed that Chris Brown’s bodyguard confessed to punching a man outside a Washington hotel, but maintains Brown did not strike the man.
Parker Adams is currently suing Brown and the singer’s bodyguard Christopher Hollosy, for allegedly assaulting him outside the W Hotel in Washington, D.C. last October. During Police Detective Kimberly Metivier’s testimony at a hearing in the assault case yesterday, Hollsoy vehemently denied Brown had any physical involvement in the assault placed all the blame on himself. According Metivier Hollosy was “yelling on his own accord that he was the one who did it … and not to arrest Mr. Brown.”
Judge Patricia Wynn decided during the hearing to try Brown and Hollosy’s cases separately. However, Wynn also denied Hollosy’s attorney’s motion to suppress Hollosy’s confession to assaulting Adams on the grounds that his client had not yet been read his Miranda Rights.
(AllHipHop News) Zane Lowe and Nas chat about Illmatic during its 20th anniversary month. On BBC Radio One, Nas reveals copious secrets about Illmatic, the state of New York City during the time of Illmatic‘s conception and more.
One interesting topic the two spoke on is how New York City changed during the 80s to the 90s. One of the changes Nas noticed with New York City is the presence of organized crime, referencing former Mayor Rudy Guliani.
They wiped out the Mafia, early 90s in New York. For the most part, the Mafia is NEVER wiped out.
Always the perfectionist, Nas admits that there are rhymes for Illmatic that were never recorded because he lost several notebooks containing lyrics. Nas spoke on how he was given the rhymes back by a magnanimous New Yorker:
I lost a couple of books or A book, I cant remember. But, for fun I wrote in that notepad ‘whoever finds this I really need this. Send back to this address’ and I gave my address that was in Queensbridge. I said I was forced to kind of remember what I wrote there and then come up with the rest of it on my own. After the album is done and everything, I got this package with his this guy’s name and number.
Nas lost the rhymebook shortly after again following retrieving it again.
Nas reveals other Illmatic secrets such as Q-Tip suggested “One Love” be about his summer vacation. Nas also states that one of the beats Pete Rock gave him ended up on a future Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth.
Check out Nas’ full Zane Lowe interview on BBC Radio One below:
King Camil the Lyricist/Producer/Promoter/Engineer residing in California by way of Illinois #OutsideOfChicago is making his presence well known. King Camil has produced the majority of his own music but also working with Grammy Nominated producer Vudu Spellz. King Camil released the mixtape #MidWestCoast The #Midtape on datpiff, coast2coast and hotnewhiphop to #MidWestCoast The #30songalbum album featuring Snoop Dogg on Itunes, Googleplay & Amazon.
New Jersey native, Kev Decor, did ths song “Just Seen J.Cole” based on a true story of the time Kev met J.Cole at TLA in Philly. He spit a verse for Cole which ended up becoming part of this song. After he finished J.Cole told him “you have a ight flow…” Check out the song he did, pretty dope.
