(AllHipHop News) Who says female rappers can’t get along? Two young femcees that have been making waves the last couple of years got together to remake Jay-Z and Kanye West’s 2011 hit song “Otis” off Watch The Throne.
Hustle Gang’s Iggy Azalea and Detroit native Angel Haze have been putting in work to create their buzz for their individual music, but now the only two females to ever make XXL’s Freshman Class list have decided to build together for at least one track.
The new collaboration dropped the same day Azalea went on a Twitter rant about how the media constantly pits female rappers against each other even when there is no personal beef between the performers. Apparently, Iggy feels she was misquoted in a recent article that made it seem like she had issues with Nicki Minaj.
ive always been a supporter and fan of NM and it is really f###### frustrating to me, that you cant mention another person without media
(AllHipHop News) For much of the 1990’s if you wanted to discover the next rising African-American comedy star all you had to do was tune into Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam on HBO. That Simmons executive produced program showcased some of the biggest stand-up comedians in the business like Bernie Mac, Dave Chappelle, Adele Givens, and Cedric The Entertainer.
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Simmons is now joining forces with HBO again. The “Godfather of Hip Hop” signed a two-year “first look” deal to create and develop new projects.
This means that HBO will get the option of reviewing any proposed projects developed by Simmons, but if the cable channel decides not to pick up the project, Simmons can then shop it to other networks.
Simmons is most well-known for co-founding the seminal Hip Hop record label Def Jam. He also produced the HBO programs Def Poetry and Brave New Voices.
“To blend in is not something that I seek to do anymore” – I Don’t Camouflage sat down with Ghanian-born recording artist, producer and composer Blitz The Ambassador to hear how his music mirrored his personal journey.
Blitz the Ambassador was awarded Vilcek Prize earlier this year, as a foreign-born artist who has made outstanding contributions in the United States, along with artist Yo-Yo Ma.
Chief Keef is a lot of things, but nice has never been one of them. Now, it seems like he may have his easiest beef ever…or the worst ever.
Seems like Katy Perry is no fan of Keefer. She tweeted something that she probably didn’t even know would lead back to a hardcore Chi Town Killer. She tweeted:
Just heard a new song on the radio called “I hate being sober” I now have serious doubt for the world.
You really cannot escape the eyes of the cameras in this day and age. You might as well just ante up, especially if you are as rich as Soulja Boy! It looks like dude just cannot stay out of some form of trouble. Check out the article that claims that SB hit a car with his red Bentley and jetted from the scene.
Big brother is ALWAYS watching you … and taking pictures … just ask Soulja Boy, whose red Bentley was impounded by the LAPD thanks to incriminating photos taken by a secret network of police cameras stationed around L.A., TMZ has learned. Our story begins on January 9, when a motorcyclist T-b#### a red Bentley in Hollywood … leaving the biker seriously injured … but the driver of the Bentley — who caused the crash by making a reckless turn — fled the scene. We’re told a witness — the victim’s friend — was so p##### off, he went back to the scene of the crime a few days later and nosed around, asking people if they knew who was driving the red Bentley. He struck gold at Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles … when a valet told the guy he knew the car well … it belonged to Soulja Boy, who frequented the area. The witness went to police with the info … and that’s when things got Orwellian. Turns out, the cops have access to a super-database of photographs taken by thousands of hidden cameras stationed on police cars, buildings and private vehicles all over L.A.. There are private companies that make money off the City by getting citizens and businesses to mount cameras for the database.One law enforcement source tells us the cameras are constantly taking photos of cars all over the city — and the average car is shot AT LEAST 1,000 TIMES PER DAY!!!So … the cops got the license plate number of Soulja Boy’s Bentley, ran it through the database and BINGO … a bunch of photos popped up showing the Bentley with damage that corresponded to the accident.Soulja’s Bentley is currently damage-free. Law enforcement sources tell us the operating theory is that the rapper had the car repaired on the sly to cover up incriminating evidence. So cops got a search warrant and a judge agreed there was probable cause to believe the Bentley was involved in the accident, so cops went and impounded the car.You’re probably as shocked as we are about the cameras … cops tell us they solve hundreds of crimes with these secret photographs. So even if you’re a law abiding citizen, you probably still pick your nose, so heads up.Cops would still like more evidence, so if you happened to be eating a delicious chicken and waffle combo on January 9, and witnessed the accident, give LAPD West Traffic a call.
They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry! -illseed.
(AllHipHop News) On Tuesday night, 8 of the 10 (11 if you count honorary member Chief Keef) of the 2013 members of the XXL Freshmen Class performed at the New York stop of Monster Energy’s Outbreak Tour Presents XXL 2013 Freshmen Live Tour. Dizzy Wright, Kirko Bangz, Logic, Travi$ Scott, Action Bronson, Trinidad Jame$, Joey Bada$$, and Schoolboy Q all hit the stage at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square.
Before the show began, a line of diverse Hip Hop fans stretched around 7th Avenue and West 45th Street waiting for the doors to open. Once inside the show started on time at 8:10 PM as the hosts for the evening, Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg and Cipha Sounds, arrived on stage to introduce the night’s performers.
AllHipHop.com was in the house to take in the rising emcees’ performances. Check out the recap for each Freshman’s performance below.
Dizzy made this year’s list as the “People’s Champion Winner,” and the Las Vegas native definitely put in work that night to live up to that title. Dizzy opened his set with “Solo Dolo” off his 2012 album SmokeOut Conversations. When Dizzy D Flashy jumped into the DJ Hoppa-produced “Local Weed Man” the cannabis friendly crowd was actively singing along by the time the hook came around the second time. It was clear Dizzy had the smallest following in the NYC audience at the start of the night, but it’s no doubt he left with a lot more fans by the time he left.
Kirko Bangz
Houston’s Kirko Bangz used the night to not only celebrate his selection on the Freshmen List, but he was also toasting another significant accomplishment. It was announced that earlier in the day his single “Drank In My Club” went platinum. Of course Bangz performed his million selling smash to the delight of the ladies in the crowd, and it was his featured hook on Meek Mill’s “Young & I’m Gettin’ It” that had the guys hype. Unfortunately, the auto-tuned backing track was louder than actual vocals throughout the whole performance, so most of the set was basically listening to the radio through really loud speakers.
Logic
Logic’s placement on the 2013 Freshmen List was arguably one of the most polarizing selections, mostly because a lot of Hip Hop fans had absolutely no prior knowledge of the Maryland rapper. But it seems that since appearing on the XXL cover his stock has risen, because the crowd was visibly excited when the 23-year-old made his appearance. His a cappella freestyles had mouths “oohing”, and his song “All Sinatra Everything” (which samples Nas and Jay-Z) had heads nodding. Logic performed his entire set without a hype man, and his energy started to trail off near the end, but he left the crowd with his personal mantra “peace, love, and positivity.”
Grand Hustle and Very GOOD Beats’ Travi$ Scott was the only Freshman that had live instrumentation during his show. Veteran producer and frequent Kanye West collaborator Mike Dean performed on both keyboards and electric guitar. Scott ran through his set of songs which included “Upper Echelon” from his brand new EP Owl Pharoah and “Sin City” from the Cruel Summer compilation album. Scott’s brand of alternative Hip Hop was an interesting addition to the line-up; once he actually appeared on stage. Most of the beginning of Scott’s set was performed on the floor in front of the stage leaving the a majority of the audience staring at a mic stand for about five minutes.
Action Bronson
Action Bronson
“I’m a hero in my hometown, baby,” raps Action Bronson on “Strictly 4 My Jeeps.” Going by the reaction of the crowd on Tuesday, that’s obviously a true statement. Every time the music playing between performances went down in the theater, chants of “Bronson, Bronson” reigned out. Once the Queens native hit the stage the energy in the place instantly shot up. AB opened with “November Rain,” his contribution to the DJ Drama hosted Gangsta Grillz XXL Freshman Edition. He went on to perform his verse from A$AP Rocky’s posse cut “1 Train,” and surprised the crowd by bringing out Riff Raff and Troy Ave. Once Bronson left the stage a noticeable number of the crowd left as well.
Trinidad Jame$
As Atlanta’s Trinidad Jame$ addressed the crowd, he made it clear he represents his native city, but he also let the New York City audience know he has a lot of love for the birthplace of Hip Hop. Moments into his set he shouted out The Notorious B.I.G. before breaking into his ratchet rap anthems. “Female$ Welcome” had concert goers, no matter their current relationship status, showing appreciation to side chicks everywhere. Without a doubt the most turnt up moment of the night came when Trinidad performed his YouTube smash “All Gold Everything.” The only way to top the excitement generated from “Gold” was for the Def Jam signee to bring out DJ Drama, B.O.B, and Travi$ Scott to close out his performance.
Joey Bada$$
It would seem like it would be an awkward transition to go from the slow southern delivery of Trinidad Jame$ to the East Coast lyrical style of Joey Bada$$, but emblematic of the musical preferences of this generation of rap fans, the crowd had no trouble following along. Joey kept the audience’s enthused as he went through “Waves,” “1 Train,” and “Unorthodox.” The Pro Era frontman also performed his new track off his upcoming debut album B4.DA.$$. Joey later had Fat Trel and Fredo Santana join him on stage, but the highlight of the set was the crowd rapping every word to the late Capital STEEZ’s verse from “Survival Tactics.”
Schoolboy Q
All it took was for the TDE banner to hit the stage for the crowd to break into applause. Moments later the West Coast label’s representative for the evening appeared before the crowd with plumes of smoke rising from his lips. Schoolboy Q had the pleasure of closing out the show, and the Black Hippy member didn’t waste time raising the spirits of the audience with his Setbacks track “#BETiGOTSUMWEED” and the Habits & Contradictions track “My Hatin’ Joint.” After teasing fans that A$AP Rocky and Kendrick Lamar were backstage ready to join him, he took on his respective collaborative songs with the two rap stars solo. Schoolboy hit Rocky’s “Brand New Guy” and the K-Dot assisted “Blessed” before performing his single, “Yay, Yay” off his next LP Oxymoron.
Schoolboy Q
All-in-all, the New York edition of Monster Energy’s Outbreak Tour Presents XXL 2013 Freshman Live Tour was a great representation of the next wave of rappers who are possibly on the cusp of serious stardom.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of AllHipHop.com
On May 23, 2000, thirteen years ago today, Eminem’s second major-label album, The Marshall Mathers LP, was released. I was a thirteen-year-old and in seventh grade at the time.
I’ll never forget how much of an impact that album had in the hallways of my middle school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Guys started wearing plain white T-Shirts and girls that had been reciting Britney Spears songs knew the lyrics to “The Real Slim Shady” word-for-word by Memorial Day. When I heard the album for the first time in its entirety early that summer, it was morbidly mesmerizing.
As I listen to that album today, it holds up incredibly well. I am now twenty-six and so The Marshall Mathers LP has been in my music collection for half of my life. And while some pop culture references may be dated, the lyrics, beats, and delivery remain some of the best ones that Hip-Hop has ever produced. I still play the album on a somewhat frequent basis, and recently came to realize that it is to Generation Y what Nirvana’s Nevermind was to Generation X: an example of artists becoming mainstream as a result of spitting in the face of it.
In honor of The Marshall Mathers LP’s thirteenth anniversary, I reflect on hearing it for the first time and what it’s like listening to it now. Some opinions have changed; some haven’t. Regardless, it definitely proved Eminem wasn’t a fluke and that he was, in fact, one of the most skilled emcees to emerge in a very long time.
May 2000:
I recall watching “EmTV”on MTV the weekend before Marshall Mathers came out, and after Eminem picked his favorite music videos and parodied MTV shows for a few hours, he did an interview with Kurt Loder. During their conversation, it became clear that the album was very explicit. But after hearing “Guilty Conscience” and “’97 Bonnie and Clyde” from The Slim Shady LP a year earlier, I remember thinking, “How much more shocking could he be?” But after I heard “Kill You,” I saw what all the hoopla was about. And that was just the first song.
By the time the album ended, Eminem was my new favorite rapper. The album was funny in a way that hardcore rap usually wasn’t (and still isn’t). My favorite lyrics were, “Cause if I ever stuck it to any singer in show biz, it’d be Jennifer Lopez / And Puffy, you know this / Sorry Puff, but I don’t give a f*** if this chick was my own mother / I’d still f*** her with no rubber / And c** inside her, and have a son and a new brother.” It was offensive and disturbing, but also a little clever and honest.
“Kim” and “The Way I Am” were powerful records, but the album’s best song was “Stan.” The way that he gave the perspective of a fan and then what it’s like to be the person that’s idolized was astonishing.
May 2013:
Eminem is still one of my favorite rappers and “Stan” remains one of rap’s best songs ever. And in addition to solidifying Eminem’s chops, the album also made a major contribution to the legacy of Dr. Dre. While he obviously gave Em his break, The Slim Shady LP only had a few tracks produced by him. The Marshall Mathers LP, on the other hand, had more and that is reflected in the quality of the album.
One of the reasons I think the album connected so powerfully with audiences was that Eminem put so much of his personal life into his songs. He got more specific- he didn’t just say Detroit, he said that ICP “ain’t seen a f****n’ Mile Road south of 10.” He didn’t just rap about a wife- he put a name, Kim, with it. Listeners knew about the relationship with his mother. By putting detail into stuff like that, he made his subject matter real people, places, and things, and that gave him a way to be authentic and make people really care about him.
In a nutshell, Eminem’s second Aftermath release is about the pressure of being in the spotlight. The rhyme that I now feel is the best is from the verse he closes the album out with, “If I ever gave a f***, I’d shave my nuts / Tuck my d*** in between my legs and cluck / You motherf***ing chickens ain’t brave enough / To say the stuff I say, so just tape it shut / S**t, half the s### I say, I just make it up to make you mad so kiss my white naked a**.” That pretty much sums it all up.
While Eminem has seen incredible success since The Marshall Mathers LP, it still remains his magnum opus. Yes, it is the fastest-selling solo album in music history and the winner of countless awards, but that’s beside the point. This is a great album because the music is really damn good and it deserves to be recognized for that more than the controversy it created or the commercial success it achieved.
Respect due.
What do you think of The Marshall Mathers LP? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
The word on the street is that the New York “Love & Hip-Hop” crew are not having it. Seems like the newest excursion/season of the highly ratchet show was to be taping recently. When it came to it, only a couple of people showed up. The rest are seemingly holding out for more money. After the second set realized the first set was boycotting, they left too in hope of caking off too.
K. Michelle has been added to the line up with her thick self.
They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry! -illseed.
Dr. Dre is one of the most successful entertainers in history, earning hundreds of millions of dollars by making great music. Much of this music moves because he has been able to successfully package urban/black culture, selling it to audiences around the world. One of the questions some have about those who readily use their blackness for profit is the following: What are you giving back to those who gave you so much?
It’s hard to know exactly what Dr. Dre is doing for the black community, but we all know where he made his greatest gift. Dr. Dre and music producer Jimmy Lovine recently announced a whopping $70 million dollar donation to USC to create a new degree. The program is one that pulls together liberal arts, graphic arts, business, music and technology. Dr. Dre’s donation is the largest ever given by any African American in history, and oddly enough, the money is going into the hands of rich white people.
As I prepared to give the commencement address at Simmons College, a growing HBCU in Kentucky with a very rich history, I heard a story about a group of ex-slaves who pooled their money to buy four acres of land so they could educate future generations. Without sacrifices like these, the school would not be giving so much to the community today. The school’s extraordinary president, Dr. Kevin Cosby, has not taken a paycheck for his work for the last eight years and readily speaks of how the school is located in one of the poorest districts in America. He sees his contribution as a chance to lift up the community around him, rather than simply milk the community’s resources.
If I could transplant Dr. Cosby’s brain into Dr. Dre’s body, black America would be changed forever. Also, had those ex-slaves been naive enough to give all of their money to the big white university down the street, the impact of their contribution would be minimal at best. One of the reasons that black Americans struggle economically is because we’ve been locked out of economic opportunities, while massive institutions like USC hoard the wealth to protect their own (take a look at the very low percentage of African Americans they hire or admit as students). Simultaneously, when we do have access to the resources necessary to begin our building process, we don’t feel inclined to support those who look like us. That’s the difference between the black and the Jewish communities: They teach their children to generously target their resources to protect them against oppression.
Some may argue that Dr. Dre can do whatever he wants with his money, and this point is valid: No one has the right to tell any of us what to do – a child has no obligation to care about his mother, a husband has no real obligation to provide for his wife, the list goes on and on. But the truth is that if you choose not to care about your community, then don’t expect your community to care about you. Black people have always been incredibly loyal and supportive of Dr. Dre, particularly those who made him the defacto King of Compton and Long Beach. It would seem that his greatest economic gift should go to them instead.
Another person who had something to say about the gift is Dillard University president, Walter M. Kimbrough. Dr. Kimbrough was once the youngest president of any HBCU in the country and proudly considers himself to be a part of the hip-hop generation. In an op-ed in the LA Times, Kimbrough openly asks Dre why he chose to give so much money to USC, as opposed to one of the struggling HBCUs that really could have used those resources:
I understood their need to build a pool of skilled talent. But why at USC? Iovine’s daughter is an alum, sure. And he just gave its commencement address. Andre Young — before he was Dr. Dre — grew up in nearby Compton, where he rose to fame as part of the rap group N.W.A. The Beats headquarters are on L.A.’s Westside.
Still, what if Dre had given $35 million — his half of the USC gift and about 10% of his wealth, according to a Forbes estimate — to an institution that enrolls the very people who supported his career from the beginning? An institution where the majority of students are low-income? A place where $35 million would represent a truly transformational gift?
Dr. Kimbrough is absolutely correct. USC’s endowment is over $3.5 billion, which gives this school more money than every single HBCU in America combined. Even more stunning is that the school’s endowment isn’t even in the top 20 in the nation. The point here, and I hope Dr. Dre understands this, is that white people have plenty of money and they aren’t going to use that money to help people who look like you. They don’t exactly need black people making donations, since they’ve already earned over a billion dollars from their African American athletes, many of whom have mothers who can’t even pay the rent.
Even worse is that much of this wealth was accumulated on the backs of slaves and black people who were locked out of the economic system. Schools like USC make it diffcult for black students to gain admission and even more difficult for black faculty to get jobs. The university sits down the street from South Central Los Angeles, a virtual war zone where prisons and funeral homes get rich from all the young black men being fed into the prison industrial complex. USC doesn’t use many of its resources to help these individuals, it simply uses Dr. Dre’s money to build higher walls so they can protect the rich white kids from the scary black ones.
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Black students at USC protest police harassment during a recent party on campus
I wonder if Dr. Dre knows that not only does USC admit very few black students, but the ones who are there are subject to serious racism and racial profiling. During a recent campus party, the LAPD sent over 70 police officers in riot gear with a helicopter to break up the party after noise complaints. All the while, the white kids were partying up in their fraternity houses without so much as a peep from the police.
Additionally, for Dr. Dre, his $35 million dollar donation (half of the $70 million he is sharing with Levin) is merely a drop in the bucket for a school like USC that is sitting on an amount of money that no HBCU will have for at least another 100 years. USC shed no tears when Dr. Dre’s baby brother was murdered in the violence that has poisoned the black community. They did nothing when his son died from an overdose on the drugs that were dropped into black communities in the 1980s. HBCUs have scholars working to solve these problems, and thousands of students who will graduate to fight for black America. USC does NOT.
Dr. Kimbrough goes even further to explain why USC was a questionable donation target for someone who grew up as a struggling black kid in South Central Los Angeles.
USC is a great institution, no question. But it has a $3.5-billion endowment, the 21st largest in the nation and much more than every black college — combined. Less than 20% of USC’s student body qualifies for federal Pell Grants, given to students from low-income families, compared with two-thirds of those enrolled at black colleges. USC has also seen a steady decrease in black student enrollment, which is now below 5%.
A new report on black male athletes and racial inequities shows that only 2.2% of USC undergrads are black men, compared with 56% of its football and basketball teams, one of the largest disparities in the nation. And given USC’s $45,602 tuition next year, I’m confident Dre could have sponsored multiple full-ride scholarships to private black colleges for the cost of one at USC.
Dr. Kimbrough made a courageous decision to write this article. There are some who might criticize him as a “hater” or argue with his right to question what Dr. Dre does with his money. But I’m not talking to those people right now. Instead, we must look at the facts: Dr. Dre, a man who has made hundreds of millions of dollars selling back urban culture to the world has made his largest donation to a predominately white university that doesn’t need the money and rarely admits black students unless they can play a sport. I love Dr. Dre’s music, but I am dying to ask my good brother, “What were you thinking?”
By the way, as schools like USC have gotten rich from black athletes, HBCUs can barely pay the bills. All the while, almost none of this money is returned to the black community, and multi-million dollar USC athletes like Reggie Bush have their integrity questioned for receiving a few hundred dollars under the table. The fact is that these schools rob black people blind, don’t give hardly anything to the black community, and laugh at the fact that we are ridiculous enough to turn around and give money back. If I were the president of USC, I’d be giggling under my breath and wondering how a group of people can have such little respect for themselves.
I think this is what some in the dotcom era might call an “SMH moment.” Dr. Dre is a brilliant producer, but this move just doesn’t make any sense. I hope he has something to say.
I’m so very glad that Foxy has stepped forward to destroy these rumors that Jay-Z was a “tranny chaser? and gave her STDs. TMZ broke out the response to the rumor. Read below:
RELATED: Is Foxy Lying On Jay-Z ?
Foxy Brown is FURIOUS over reports she trashed Jay-Z … telling TMZ she NEVER referred to Hova as a gonorrhea-infected “tranny chaser” … and now she’s threatening to sue.
Brown is referencing a report that first appeared on MediaTakeOut — which says Foxy recently went to a baby shower and started dishing about Jay-Z’s sex life to one of the guests — saying he secretly engages in g###### … and that she lost her virginity to him when she was 15 and he was 27.
There’s more … including allegations of a robbery, sex tape and STDs.
But Foxy says the report is complete BS, telling TMZ … “The atrociousness of this story sickened me to my stomach. Any and everyone involved will be contacted by my attorney.”
Foxy says, “In all my years in the music industry, these are the most disgusting and disrespectful allegations I’ve ever experienced. This fictitious story … with NO audio, visual or written interview, clearly was concocted with malicious intent.”
“Jay has only been wonderful to me and my family, a great friend throughout all the years I’ve known him and we had nothing but great success as a team.”
She continues, “Beyonce, his wife, has always been gracious and sweet to me … I will NOT let any undercover hater create discord and disrespect my name and reputation.”
“This disrespect will NOT be tolerated.”
Calls to MediaTakeOut have not been returned.
They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry! -illseed.
(AllHipHop News) J. Cole has been compared to Nas in the past and even embraced such comparisons with the cover art for his “Villematic” song back in 2010. However, Nas might have been a little let down by the precocious upstart’s single “Work Out” from his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story.
On his The Realness show, Peter Rosenberg informed Ebro that J. Cole may have a song on his new album Born Sinner entitled “I Disappointed Nas” about his reaction’s to Nas’ alleged criticism.
(AllHipHop News) On May 9th, 2013 the world lost a impassioned activist and direct link to one of the most iconic figures of the Civil Rights Movement when Malcolm X’s grandson Malcolm Shabazz was murdered in a bar fight in Mexico City, Mexico. Shabazz was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY on May 21st, two days after what would have been Malcolm X’s 88th birthday.
NewsOne released the funeral program which detailed his burial placement and a special singing tribute to the fallen activist:
Malcolm Shabazz was laid to rest today, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at 11:30 AM near his grandparents (Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz) at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, NY. He was surrounded by his mother Qubilah; his aunts–Attallah, Gamilah, Ilyasah, Malaak, Malikah, other family & very close friends. Surprise guest and friend, R&B recording artist, Jaheim, offered his condolences and sang acapella “I Miss You (For Moms)” from his 1st album entitled “Ghetto Love”. Malcolm and Jaheim met at a youth rally The Terrie Williams Agency hosted at a Queens Public Library many years ago.
Shabazz was allegedly beaten viciously over a $1,200 bar tab at the Palace bar on Garibaldi Plaza. Two employees at the Palace bar, David Hernandez Cruz and Manuel Alejandro Perez de Jesus are suspects in the homicide.
