Man, I did something I don’t normally do with this one – research. I had gotten a tip that Foxy Brown had a new man that she was all over. She has posted a couple times about how much she “loves Artie Pitt.” You know who that is? He’s the dude largely behind the success of Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller! He’s the dude that reached out to me many years ago about Wiz after that Jim Jones / Pittsburgh beef rumor. So, I had to give Artie a second look when I was hearing that he was Foxy’s new object of desire.
Well, before the rumors get going, I’m here to let you know this one ain’t true. Artie is a happily married man. I’m not wondering if they maybe working on getting her over there with Wiz, Mac and Boaz at Rostrum Records. I don’t know.
They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry! -illseed.
(AllHipHop News) Flavor Flav is currently on tour with LL Cool J, De La Soul, Public Enemy and Ice Cube as a part of the Kings of the Mic tour, but he’s got a problem with one of his business ventures.
His fast food chicken joint has been slapped with eviction papers, according to TMZ.
Flavor Flav’s Chicken & Ribs in Sterling Heights, MI has been ordered to evict from the premises after failing to pay rent since the day it opened in December 2012.
The legendary rapper has two other chicken joints that have come and gone. The rapper/hype man has seen the demise of one chicken spot in Iowa of 2011 and another in Vegas later in 2012.
Flavor Flav’s Chicken & Ribs owes $25,000 and must pay soon or be kicked out. The amount is the total of rent, late feels and damages.
(AllHipHop News) Gunplay is one of the hardest people to categorize. On the surface, the heavily tattooed, boisterous gangster rapper comes off as an abrasive sh*t talker with a proclivity for violence. But, the man born Richard Morales Jr. is as analytical as he is hot headed, naming his new label after “secret government” Bildeberg Group, discusses the juxtaposition of religion and thug lifestyles on “Bible On The Dash” and loves him some fish.
The burgeoning star performed at SOB’s on Wednesday (June 12th) at sold out show. Gunplay performed a mixture of Triple C songs (along with Torch), fan favorites (it became a zoo for “Rollin”) and a few cuts from his recently released mixtape Acquitted.
The crowd was a mixture of die-hard Gunplay fans, opportunistic (and obnoxiously disruptive) rap groups (MMR, JERSEY CITY!) and casual rap fans. The superb acoustics and microphone clarity at SOB’s ensured that when Gunplay raps “been s####### on you fücks a long time time to pee now” everyone hears it clearly.
In an exclusive interview with AllHipHop Gunplay reveals that so far Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and Kendrick Lamar are confirmed to appear on his debut album Living Legend. The MMG/Def Jam artist also speaks on how recent gun control laws have him fearing for this mother’s life, the Chris Dorner conspiracy and beating a life sentence case.
Marc Ecko, creator of Complex Magazine, eckō UNLTD clothing, former grafitti artist now can add music video director to his extensive resume. Making his directorial debut with Big K.R.I.T.’s “Bigger Picture” song off K.R.I.T.’s latest mixtape free album King Remembered In Time, Marc manifests the idea of the “bigger picture” by taking viewers light years out of their own planet.
Ahh…why not. Its Friday. Its a slow day. I want to go out an play. So, somebody dissing Kanye always gets a look, right? Most recently, the one dissing Yeezy us Dres of the famed 90’s act Black Sheep.
Dres is the man in his own right, but I’m not fully sure why he went off on Kanye, considering there is so much more out there to jump on and attack. Here is what he said on Twitter.
Kanye West does not like black people….
drops mic.. makes coffee
besides not being crazy bout his music… i don’t agree with the message he sends our people.. at all… I hoped him to be a better artist and having a child with the biggest media w***e of our generation.. literally and figuratively… what a horrible message to young ladies
and those with anything to say… i question your walk.. do you see what’s happened to our music.. and i’m wrong? foh
Hip Hop – Pih Poh … its the voice of the people… these dudes DO NOT speak for me and my people… at all…
how do these dudes speak for you… when they won’t even speak to you… but some of y’all are cool with that.. smh… word?
In my very humble opinion… More Common less Cavalli .. I’m not trying to divide… i’m attempting to be the diversity we lack.. #staytuned
They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry! -illseed.
” “It was good for me to go to the god, Rick Rubin, and play him my sh–, ask him questions, and allow him to take this project to an entirely new level.”-Kanye West
(AllHipHop News) In his most recent New York Times interview, Kanye West told the interviewer “I will completely bow to anyone I respect.”It is safe to assume Kanye West probably bowed to Rick Rubin, the legendary producer and co-founder of Def Jam whom west enlisted to help work on his sixth studio album Yeezus. The wily haired genius spoke with The Wall Street Journal about the making of Yeezus, Kanye’s impressive recording skills and Kanye’s place in Hip Hop’s pantheon.
According to Rubin, Kanye asked for his help on finishing the album less than a month before it was due to be turned in and needed more help than the prolific producer expected:
Kanye came over to play me what I assumed was going to be the finished album at three weeks before the last possible delivery date. We ended up listening to three hours of partially finished pieces. The raw material was very strong but hadn’t yet come into focus. Many of the vocals hadn’t been recorded yet, and many of those still didn’t have lyrics. From what he played me, it sounded like several months more work had to be done. I joined the project because after discussing what he had played for me, he asked if I would be open to taking all of the raw material on and help him finish it.
Kanye was apparently not stressed about the impending release date in the face of a largely unfinished album as Rubin recalls in a recording feat that the producer of albums by LL Cool J, Metallica, Johnny Cash, The Beastie Boys and many others deemed “remarkable”:
We were working on a Sunday [the same day West attended a baby shower for girlfriend Kim [Kardashian] and the album was to be turned in two days later. Kanye was planning to go to Milan that night. Five songs still needed vocals and two or three of them still needed lyrics. He said, “Don’t worry, I will score 40 points for you in the fourth quarter.” In the two hours before had to run out to catch the plane, he did exactly that: finished all lyrics and performed them with gusto. A remarkable feat. He had total confidence in his ability to get the job done when push came to shove.
Looks like Stevie J made an honest woman out of Joseline Hernandez.
The couple reportedly got married in Puerto Rico this week.
Here is the image:
According to MediaTakeOut, Stevie J flew Joseline and her entire family to PR and they got hitched. Now, you already know that “Love & Hip-Hop” was there taping. Seems like everybody had to sign off on a confidentiality agreement just to attend. “They wedding was nice, but there were cameras everywhere and it was staged,” added the MTO source. I’ve already heard that the marriage may not be real at all. They say the marriage was interrupted so that cameras could get a better view of the lovely Joseline.
I guess Benzino wasn’t invited, considering he’s claiming he smashed Joseline.
R&B and Soul singer Raheem DaVaughn is out promoting his latest single “Love Connection” and his upcoming album, due for a summer release.
But three albums and fifteen mixtapes in, this doesn’t come without a new attitude toward the music industry, which has left a bad taste in DeVaughn’s mouth. He’s confirmed the death of Neo Soul, and instead, given birth to a new kind of genre: “Soul fusion”.
And while DeVaughn remains a student of the game, he admits: He’s not here to show us what R&B is, instead, he plans to show us what it can be.
In our interview, DeVaughn talks growth within his own career, gives props to Frank Ocean and Miguel for bending the state of R&B and later promises us that his new album, A Place Called Loveland, is his best work to date.
Why has it taken so long to get a new album from Raheem DeVaughn?
A lot of reasons. Mainly getting my business in order. I’m signed to myself now. I’m my own boss. Going into my fourth album, it’s real critical and will determine whether or not you’re going to be around. I really took my time in creating this album. I have a new management situation, working with Kevin Liles at KWL.
I’m really in the mode of setting up my career, following in the footsteps of Frankie Beverly and Maze. Making sure I have the right body of work, but also music is changing, how people get music is changing, labels are downsizing, so I’ve studied it. I’ve hired the right people to ensure the success I feel like this album should have.
In a recent interview, you said Neo-Soul is dead. What does that mean for your career?
Not to be misconstrued, I think people take that and run with it. The term Neo Soul was a phrase coined by Kedar Massenberg for artists he was establishing and branding at that time. I don’t agree with any genres of music, as far as putting titles on artists, especially black music. At the end of the day, the music is the culture and the culture is the music. People are going to gravitate to it. Take Hip Hop for example. No one thought it would go this far.
I don’t feel any pressure. That era doesn’t co-exist.
“Love Connection” by Raheem DeVaughn:
Are you creating a new sound, straying away from Neo-Soul?
At the end of the day, I don’t know what Neo-Soul is. I was never signed to Kedar. [laughs]
Early in my career, I was huge in Urban AC radio and I had an urban radio following. My audience is very diverse. I get three different generations at my shows. I’m soulful, whether I’m doing a record with Raekwon or Ghostface, or one of my own projects, the diversity is there but it’s always going to be soulful.
If you’re not singing conventional R&B songs, people want to put you in a category. I’m more like a soul fusion.
Are you impressed with the Miguel/Frank Ocean era of music?
It’s dope. They’re dope. It’s very soulful. It’s actually eclectic. But what do you call Frank Ocean or Miguel’s music? I don’t know what to call that. What type of label do you put on it? My campaign is really “R&B is not dead.”
I recently interviewed The Dream for my radio show. We both agreed that the early ’90s R&B sound is coming back, real strong. It all sounds like futuristic early ’90s R&B.
Is this what your new album is going to sound like?
I don’t know, man. It’s going to be consistent with what I’ve put out thus far, but I think it’s going to show a lot of growth as a vocalist. It’s going to show a lot more maturity. Both the songs I wrote and the songs I picked.
It definitely has the R&B alive feel to it. A retro, early ’90s, 2015, 2020, feel to it.
“She’s Single” by Raheem DeVaughn
If “Love Connection” is any hint to how the album is going to be, I think we’re in for a fun ride.
If Marvin Gaye was out right now, that’s kind of where he’d be with it. That’s what I was going for. I’m a huge fan of Marvin and Prince.
On a personal note, the first time I heard your second album, “Love Behind the Melody”, I was hanging out with a lady in Atlanta. Now, anytime I hear that album, I think of her. As you create your music, do you think about how some of us are having our first time to your album? It’s gotta be weird.
Yes, that’s what I live for. When I create these albums and make these singles, I want people to look back on this album twenty years from now and it reminds them of this summer. Or they’re fall 2013. That’s what we do as artists, we create a moment in time and a lasting impression. People remember their first love, a bad break up to making a new friend.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I bring people together through the music. That’s where I coined the “Love King” phrase. Every man wants to be the king in this place called love land.
You’ve always had a meaning behind your albums. Going into this one, is there a magical name or story behind it?
It’s called A Place Called Loveland. I feel like no artist is truly defined until they get into their third, fourth album. This will be my fourth album. With fifteen mixtapes out and four independent albums, three major releases, it’s like my 20th album in hindsight.
At some point, you have to take the fans and listeners to your place. This album is a relationship think tank album. Between the interludes and the songs on the album, I cover virtually any situation that can happen. You can put this CD on cruise control and just listen.
Lastly, in addition to making music, you’ve also taken up another trade as a radio host.
Definitely. I’ve been rebranding myself. Every thing is co-existing as one now. The Raheem DeVaughn Show; it’s an internet-based show and it’s also how I’ve been spending my last two years and a half. It’s been a great platform for me and another lane for my peers, for outsourcing their music. Brandy, Q Parker, Kendrick Lamar, Eric Benet, Miguel, just a lot of diversity. It’s on Sundays from 7pm to 9pm on www.blis.fm.
Thank you for chatting with us.
Thank you, man. You all have always supported.
A Place Called Loveland hits stores and online August 20th.
(AllHipHop News) Questlove sat down with Jeff Mao of Ego Trip for another installment of the Red Bull Music Academy lecture series.
The Grammy-winning bandleader of The Roots talks about his group’s resident gig on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, working with the Soulquarians collective, the 1990’s Hip Hop “civil war” between the underground and the mainstream, teaching at New York University, and a lot more.
Quest also jumps behind the drum set to demonstrate his process for creating music.
Put aside an hour and a half (or come back) to listen to the drummer/producer/ DJ talk about his storied career.
(AllHipHop News) Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt was scheduled to perform this afternoon at the annual Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, but the Los Angeles based emcee has come down with an illness and had to cancel his set. He took to Twitter to inform his fans.
To everyone at bonnaroo: im sorry i cant make it im really really f###### sick but i will make it up to tennessee as soon as i possibly can
Earl was set to participate in Bonnaroo’s first ever Hip Hop Superjam with RZA, Schoolboy Q, Solange, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Chad Hugo of The Neptunes, and special guests.
Hopefully Earl will be well enough for his upcoming dates at the Splash! Festival in Germany, and Openair Frauenfeld in Switzerland. He is also heading out on the “Space Migration Tour” with Mac Miller, Chance The Rapper, and Action Bronson.
For those concert goers at Bonnaroo interested in seeing Hip Hop acts perform, Wu-Tang Clan, Big K.R.I.T., Nas, Kendrick Lamar, and A$AP Rocky will be hitting the stage over the next three days.
With Father’s Day approaching this Sunday, AllHipHop.com has compiled a list of songs that discuss fatherhood from all different perspectives. Some are more favorable and respectable circumstances than others, but they all potentially lead to the same conclusion in the minds of listeners. That conclusion being what Furious Styles told his son in the 1991 masterpiece, Boyz n the Hood, “Any fool with a d*** can make a baby, but only a real man can raise his children.”
Salute to all the real fathers around the world!
The Pride and Joy of Being a Father; Ja Rule featuring Ronald Isley “Daddy’s Little Baby”
Ja Rule, with a solid assist from Ron Isley on the hook, expresses his love for his daughter and shows his support while also providing guidance and telling her not to become discouraged when facing adversity.
A Message to a Future Child; 2Pac “Letter to My Unborn”
Atop a sample of Michael Jackson’s “Liberian Girl,” 2Pac speaks to his hypothetical child in the event that he is not around to see the child grow up. Tragically, he was murdered and never did have children.
Fathering a Child in an Unfaithful Relationship; Usher “Confessions Part II”
Usher sounds very emotional as he sings about impregnating a woman he barely knows and jeopardizing his relationship with a woman he truly loves. In his mind, it’s a no-win situation for everyone as he sings, “Third thing [that comes to mind] was me wishin’ that I never did what I did/How I ain’t ready for no kid and bye bye to our relationship.”
Men Without Children Imagining Fatherhood; Jay-Z and Kanye West “New Day”
At the time of this song’s release, Jay wasn’t yet a father and Kanye hadn’t yet become a father-to-be. It’s fascinating to hear these two discuss how their life experiences shaped them and what affect that would have on them raising a family. Props to RZA as well for helping craft the beat to one of Watch the Throne’s most memorable records.
The Impact of Being an Absentee Dad; Big Mike featuring Scarface “Daddy’s Gone”
Track 13 on Somethin’ Serious has Big Mike and Scarface discussing the affect of a father’s absence from a few angles. Big Mike speaks on the enormous responsibility of single parenthood for young people and Scarface discusses the resentment of growing up as a fatherless child.
When a Daughter Gets to be of Dating Age, Nas “Daughters”
Like many fathers, Nas is anxious when his daughter starts to show an interest in boys. But what makes this song particularly powerful is that Nas recognizes that he wasn’t always the perfect father figure. Therefore, he is able to acknowledge that even if her daughter falls for a bad boy, he’d still see a bit of himself in him. It makes for a complex situation, but it’s clear that Nas’ love for his daughter trumps all.
Planning Parenthood, Common featuring Lauryn Hill “Retrospect for Life”
On one of Common’s deepest songs, he tackles the subject of his love interest’s abortion. And to make it even more powerful, Lauryn Hill’s vocals sample “Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer” by Stevie Wonder.
Biology Doesn’t Always Define a Father, DMC feat. Sarah Mclachlan “Just Like Me”
After learning that he was adopted, DMC reached out to Sarah Mclachlan (who he found out was also adopted) for his take on Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle.” The resulting song and video is a touching presentation recognizing that there is just as much love in adoptive families as there are in biological ones.
Be Responsible for your Offspring, Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs “Be a Father to Your Child”
The title says it all.
The Grass is Greener on the Other Side, Shaquille O’Neal “Biological Didn’t Bother”
In the beginning of the song, Shaq explains that his biological father had a drug problem and so him and his mother left him. Then he goes on to pay homage to Mr. Philip Arthur Harrison, the step father who really raised him from a boy to a man.
What’s your favorite “Dad song”? Sound off in the comments section below!
(AllHipHop News) After being arrested for gun possession on June 5th, 20-year-old Chicago rapper Lil Durk is set to be a free man again according Fake Shore Drive. FSD is reporting Durk will be released on bond on June 19th.
Durk currently has to remain in jail in order to serve out a sentence for another charge.
Prior to this month’s arrest, Durk pled guilty to a 2011 weapons charge where he served 3 months and then placed on parole.
Durk and his attorney have insisted that the “Dis Ain’t What U Want” performer is not guilty of the latest weapons charge, and another man has signed an affidavit claiming the .40 caliber handgun police confiscated actually belonged to him and not Durk.
Man, there were ’nuff people scared that Slaughterhouse was going to break up. But, apparently the crew has already addressed this rumor and stated very matter of factly that they are not breaking up. I assume they are going to continue do what they have been doing so far.
OK, breath a sigh of relief if you will.
slaughtaaaaaaa house.
They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry! -illseed.
I am very happy to say that this whole thing with AP.9 ends with a very good finale. Apparently, the boy AP.9 came up short recently. This may be the last time we hear from this dude unless he produces the sex tape he claims to have. But here is the prob. AP.9 apparently took a lie detector test and FAILED! Star Magazine administered the test to offer some concrete info on whether or not he was telling the truth.
Now, I know you can fail a lie detector test for a number of reasons, but until he producing something, he’s regarded as a home wrecker.
There’s a reason why Jarren Benton was named by Complex Magazine, as one of “10 Atlanta Rappers to Watch Out For” late last fall…
…he earned it.
Next up on indie label Funk Volume’s blossoming roster, give him a stage and he’s made sure that he’s owned it; from performances at the BMI Showcase, Southeastern Music Festival and at A3C, to opening for a string of artists including the legendary KRS-One and Lil Wayne, to a collaboration with Erick Sermon. In short, he’s been putting in work.
Now it’s time to let his first label offering; the highly anticipated My Grandma’s Basement, speak for itself.
AllHipHop.com: Now this isn’t your first project, but it is your first with your label; how did you join the Funk Volume team?
Jarren: I put out a video called “Schizo,” and Hopsin saw it and liked it. They took a liking to the track and reached out to me (laughs) but I didn’t see it until two months later, I’m terrible at checking my email. Later on I saw DJ Hoppa perform during SXSW (an annual music festival held in Austin, TX) and it seemed like he was really bringing back the element of Hip Hop I feel the game has been missing. He was a cool ass f###### dude, and the live show was full of energy. Once I saw that, it planted the seed.
AllHipHop.com: Check those emails! You went on to join SwizZz, DJ Hoppa, Dizzy Wright, and Hopsin over at Funk Volume as the sole southern emcee in the crew; what do you think sets you apart from other Atlanta artists?
Jarren: I still put elements of ATL in my music, but my lyrical content is different. No disrespect to anybody, and I mean anybody…but I do this. A lot of people can’t see me lyrically. I study this. I can go bar for bar with any rapper in ATL, (laughs before adding) don’t count Andre.
AllHipHop.com: People seem to expect a specific sound from certain regions; how have you escaped being pigeon holed strictly into the Trap music category that Atlanta itself made so popular?
Jarren: I listen to everything from Wu-Tang, Three 6 Mafia to UGK. I mix every element of Hip-Hop from all of these influences. If you like raw Hip-Hop, I got that. If you like to turn up, I got that too. Either way I’m giving quality ass bars. This is definitely the most diverse album that I’ve done to date.
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of which, the artwork for your latest My Grandma’s Basement has caused as much interest as the project itself. Clear this up for us, is that your actual grandmother on the album cover?
Jarren: My grandma is a ‘G. Like really, she’s cool as hell. Those aren’t props; that’s her liquor, her own turn up juices.
AllHipHop.com: You’ve already been featured by a number of publications including, Complex Magazine and XXL, and have been listed as an artist to look out for. What kind of response are you hoping for with your label debut?
Jarren: I just hope that it’s a stepping stone to something else, something bigger. I just want people to tune in and f### with me. It’s a blessing to even be noticed. I just want to let everyone know that I appreciate it. I remember when only 2-4 people would give me the time of day. I appreciate the blogs as well. For a new artist, every little bit helps.
AllHipHop.com: You actually started out in production before taking the solo route. Is that something that you would consider getting back into one day?
Jarren: I started out producing and used to do it for myself as well, I only stopped because it took too much to try to get the specific sound that I wanted for myself, so I started working with other producers when it came to do my own projects. But I’ll probably get back into it eventually and branch out into different genres. I listen to everything from Neon Indian to Radiohead.
I have to admit that at first I thought Ye was going to chart low with Yeezus. I couldn’t see the obvious marketing and promotion of it. But, it seems that his “no f**ks given” attitude and unconventional push has worked. They now say that Kamye is going to move about 500k his first week. That’s a lot of freakin albums for this approach. I get is though. Singles are a hard way of moving units, because people don’t have a lot of faith in albums these days. The mere fact that Kanye is going 100% against the grain of contemporary Hip-Hop makes this a win. Now, where does this put J. Cole? I’m thinking J. Cole won’t push 500k his first week. But, I’m hearing Cole has a better album.
for the record, Ye doesn’t care about sales or if outsiders like his music. And there you have it.
They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry! -illseed.
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