First off, AllHipHop would like to send its condolences to the family of Natina Reed. Natina was in the singing group Blaque and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ protege. She was the rapper in the group and is credited with writing their biggest hit, “808”. She also starred in one of the Bring It On films, and was on the short lived show, V.I..P with Pamela Anderson.
Over the weekend, Natina was hit and killed by a car in Atlanta, in what was originally being reported as a ‘hit and run.’ A new report has surfaced today in the Atlanta journal-Constitution that counters that original report and actually says that the driver was not at fault and reported the accident to the police himself.
“As of right now, it does not appear that the driver has any fault in this event,” said police spokesman Sgt. Rich Long.
According to the police report, Natina was walking on a poorly lit piece of road on Lawrenceville Highway (U.S. 29) in Atlanta at 10:30PM on Friday night, when she was struck by a red Honda Accord. Police are still trying to determine why she was walking on the highway so late at night.
Natina, who was only 32 years old, leaves behind a 10-year old son with rapper Kurupt. The rapper was devastated by the news and released the following statement to MTV News:
“Myself and Tren, Natina’s son, would like to thank everyone for their love and support during this tragic time,” he said. “This is a tremendous loss to our family. Natina was a great person and I wish everyone had the opportunity to meet her and know her as I did.”
Natina’s parents were on the local news and say that she was distracted and on the telephone at the time she was struck. You can watch the news piece on her tragic death below:
Prince Paul has always bounced to the beat of his own drum, whether it’s been as a DJ for the first Hip-Hop band Stetsasonic, producing the groundbreaking 3 Feet High and Rising album for De La Soul, or doing horror-rap with the likes of RZA.
Last month, the legendary producer teamed up with his son, P. For Real, to release a Hip-Hop comedy album entitled Negroes on Ice – once again showing that he’s not afraid of taking risks and trying something new.
AllHipHop.com caught up with Prince Paul and his son to talk about their new album and get yet another perspective on a successful father/son Hip-Hop collaboration (see also: Kid Frost’s Kid, Scoop Deville, Part 1 and Part 2). Read on:
AllHipHop.com: Prince Paul, it’s an honor to talk to you today. DJ P. For Real, hopefully you didn’t hear all of that stuff your dad was saying about you while we were waiting for you on the other line. [laughter]
Prince Paul: That’s OK. He’s heard it all before.
AllHipHop.com: Well, I don’t want you two beefing and making diss songs about each other. The last thing rap needs is a father and son diss battle! [laughter]
Prince Paul: Maybe we’ll team up and battle other father and son teams, like Master P and what’s his son’s name?
AllHipHop.com: Romeo.
Prince Paul: Yeah, Romeo. [laughter] That would be the most uninteresting battle ever.
AllHipHop.com: We don’t see too many father and son rap combos, but it’s nice to see whenever we come across it. Our site featured Kid Frost and his producing son, Scoop Deville, earlier in the year.
Prince Paul: It’s like all of the guys from the Golden Era are all old men now. I think what’s different with me and my son is that I don’t rhyme. He really doesn’t rhyme either. The first time he rhymed, I forced him to do it on this Negroes on Ice project. That was a painstaking process. We’re more like a production creative force.
AllHipHop.com: P. For Real, you followed your dad’s footsteps into the production side of things.
P. For Real: I grew up in the studio, so it was kind of natural. I wasn’t always nice. Not saying that I’m super-nice now, but I’ve figured things out.
AllHipHop.com: Your dad had a crib set up in the studio while he worked?
P. For Real: When he was working on The Gravediggaz album in the studio, he would be holding me.
Prince Paul: I remember I was working on Bulloone Mindstate with De La Soul – which we never completed together. I demo’d the album, but they completed it on their own. I was holding my son in the studio while sampling and blasting sounds at the same time.
AllHipHop.com: Did you ever think that your son would follow in your footsteps? Or did you have other hopes and dreams for him?
Prince Paul: I never really wanted him to follow in my footsteps, honestly. As a parent, your job is to project your children. The music business has so many ups and downs. When the getting is good, it’s good – but at the same time, when it’s bad, it’s bad. There are so many things that can happen. You’ve got to be strong, because feelings can get hurt when people diss you and use you. There are crazy women out there, drugs, and every possible thing. You look at your children, and you don’t want them to go through that.
When he started doing this, I really didn’t take it serious. I was like, “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” But I couldn’t stop him, and he kept going on with it, so eventually I had to pay attention and respect it.
AllHipHop.com: P. For Real, why did you follow in your dad’s footsteps instead of choosing another career path?
P. For Real: First, my dad is my role model and second, I love music. Watching him all of my life, I’ve always wanted to do what he did.
AllHipHop.com: But those are big shoes to fill. Your dad is a Hip-Hop legend, and with that comes high expectations. That’s a really big burden.
P. For Real: You have to create your own lane. If I try to make myself Prince Paul number two, then yeah, it is a big burden.
Prince Paul: Wow. You gave me some high praise. I got legendary status. I bet if you got on the phone with Skee-lo right now, you would say the same thing. [laughter]
AllHipHop.com: The “wish I was a baller” rapper? No, I wouldn’t call him a legend. I’d call him a veteran, but not a legend.
Prince Paul: That’s smart, but you’re a writer using words like “legend” and “veteran.”
AllHipHop.com: I feel it’s justified. You’ve got some great accolades and accomplishments there.
Prince Paul: I’m just happy to be somewhat relevant. When people don’t want to talk to you anymore, that’s when I get nervous.
AllHipHop.com: What I think is cool about you two is that I wish that I could have shared a Hip-Hop bond with my father. His genre of music was early rock ‘n roll, and although we shared a lot of love for music, we didn’t have a Hip-Hop connection.
Prince Paul: It was the same way with my father. We shared a love for jazz, but that was it. With me and my son, we love Hip-Hop, but there’s a lot of stuff that his generation plays that is crap. It’s garbage! Although we both love Hip-Hop, sometimes we don’t share the same tastes – if you even want to call some of that stuff Hip-Hop. [laughter] But he’s a lot savvier than a lot of friends his age, because he’s grown up on the old stuff. As far as today’s rappers, especially the ones that come out with one just one hit, I don’t know those too well.
AllHipHop.com: What about you, P-For Real? Is there anything about rap from your dad’s era that you can’t relate to?
P. For Real: I think all of that “yes, yes, y’all” is wack. The stuff that came out when I was baby like Public Enemy and LL Cool J, I like. When I was a kid, Nas’ Illmatic album was what my dad played every day when we got in the car.
Prince Paul: Curses and all. I didn’t care.
AllHipHop.com: Curses and all with your kid around? What was your reasoning for that?
Prince Paul: I was just playing hot music. It was a dope album. My son used to mimic The Beatnuts when I would play them in the car. I would also play De La Soul’s Stakes is High album, and I had nothing to do with it at all except for demo’ing it at the start. I thought it was a great album, and I would play it a lot for us. It was our bonding time together. What’s funny is that when P. For Real went down to Atlanta, his uncle took away his Nas album! [laughter]
P. For Real: He took my album away because there was cursing in it. That was wack.
AllHipHop.com: You two made this new Hip-Hop comedy album together. Was it a challenge working with you dad? Was he ever too hard on you?
P. For Real: There was always critiquing going on. This was my first time recording an album. There was a lot of stuff that I didn’t know about, and my dad would tell me to do it again. Plus, on top of the stuff in the studio, there were outside father and son things going on, too – like him asking if I finished with the dishes. [laughter]
AllHipHop.com: Were you hard on him, Paul?
Prince Paul: I think that my son had it easy. From my era, there are a whole lot of elements that come with paying your dues and earning your stripes. If you’re going to get in the booth, you’ve got to have some kind of talent, even if you’re my son. If someone is wack, they are wack.
This project represents me. I love my son, and I love the music, too. I have to make sure that whatever he does, it has to be to the best of his ability. I don’t know necessarily what his ability is, but as a producer, my job is to figure that out – even if that means making him re-record things over again. We recorded and re-wrote this album like a billion times. It’s still not what I hear in my head, but I know what his abilities are, and I have to respect that. Sometimes what I hear and what I want is probably out of this world. I’m a perfectionis,t unfortunately. That is a blessing and a curse.
AllHipHop.com: There used to be a lot of comedy in rap back in the day. Watching a few of the videos from your album made me very nostalgic of that time in Hip-Hop.
Prince Paul: That’s just who we are around the house. We joke around 24/7. Don’t walk into my house expecting to chill out and not get snapped on. Everybody has thick skin, and we laugh and joke. It was natural for us to do this kind of project.
P. For Real: Like he said, all we do is make fun of everything and each other.
Prince Paul: A lot of the humor on this record, some people get it and some people don’t. Some people that I’ve played it seemed like they didn’t want to be my friend anymore.
AllHipHop.com: Maybe they just expect the Prince Paul of old, and not the one now trying to do something different?
Prince Paul: Yeah, I’m doing something different. At the same time, have you ever watched “Adult Swim” late at night, and the comedy was awkward and different? And you wondered, ‘What the hell this is?’ That’s kind of like what this is.
AllHipHop.com: [Laughter] Maybe they just want your Gravediggaz stuff?
Prince Paul: I was talking to RZA just the other day, who happens to be on the record as well. I mentioned a new project that I wanted to work on with him. He didn’t give me a ‘yay’ or ‘nay.’ He gave me that basic, “Yeah.”
AllHipHop.com: Does that hurt a little?
Prince Paul: Nah, not at all. I’ve got a reputation that’s always left people wondering of what I’m doing. I did a skit on my last album Handsome Boy in which I had someone do an impression of RZA. He was on the album in one of the songs, but he didn’t know about the skit. While on tour, a kid approached him and told him that he was mad funny on the album. He thought the kid was talking about the song. Then finally he went back and heard the skit on the album and told me, “If it was anybody else, I would have had a beef with them.” He gave me a pass because I’m Prince Paul, and this is what I do. [laughter]
AllHipHop.com: P. For Real, I hope that you cherish this experience. When you have kids, you can show them this project that you made with your father.
P. For Real: Oh yeah, it’s a great bonding experience. He’s my best friend.
Prince Paul: Wow! That’s the first time I’ve heard that. I’ve got to give this interview props. This is something I’ve never heard before.
P. For Real: It’s a friendship and a bonding experience and (pauses), I really don’t know where I’m going with this.
AllHipHop.com: Do your friends ever try to get you to get a beat from your dad?
P. For Real: I’ve been getting that forever. It got worse when I got into a high school because that’s when people started to find out who my dad was. I would always get mixtapes from kids at school to give to my dad. I know my dad’s ear, so I knew what he would like and not like. I would listen to them first. It never made it past me if I knew that it wasn’t going to make sense.
Prince Paul: Oh, there was some crap that he brought me. I was like, “What is this? I can’t believe you are wasting my time.” But I’ve met up with some of his friends and suggested things and gave advice.
AllHipHop.com: What’s next for you Paul?
Prince Paul: I want to make a Prince Paul record. I haven’t made one in a real long time – a serious one. I’ve got so much music that I’ve saved up. I’ve got to put it out. It’s bothering me. I’m going to try to get that done and have it out sometime next year.
You remember the poor guy named G. Dep? He’s behind enemy walls after confessing to a shooting that ended up being a murder. G. Dep was the man, because everybody could see that – even though this happened a long, long time ago – he was genuinely remorseful for this travesty.
Fast Forward.
These days Dep is in jail for a long, long time. But, while he is there, he is expected to do a couple things. 1) He is appealing the decision that has him incarcerated 15-life. 2) He’s also expected to write a book on his life. Now, I admit I think Dep is an interesting dude based on his raps, but I’m not sure how he can hold down a whole book.
For now, I guess we’ll see and I’ll give you more on this “Special Delivery” later.
That depends who you ask, but I can tell you this, Nicki sure does have a lot of epic things going on in her life right. Aside from the “American Idol” gig, Nicki is about to be your next huge money-making reality star. The commercials for her three episode special on E! have begun airing, and the theatrics are highly visible. Nicki also mentions Mariah Carey in the commercials, so expect to get some light shed on that whole situation.
But what about Hip-Hop…right? Well, Nicki has just released a new single called “Va Va Voom”. The video was directed by famed Hip-Hop music video director, Hype Williams. I have to admit, I was hopeful that the song and video were going to be more of that Hip-hop Nicki, especially with Hype Williams involved, but after watching the video, that was just wishful thinking on my part. Check out Nicki Minaj’s new video for “Va Va Voom” below:
Unicorns, medieval garb, and sleeping princesses. Did you enjoy that sneak peek into Nicki Minaj’s fairytale fantasy world? She did rap on the track, but sure did a lot of singing, too. I can’t call it, though. Was that Hip-Hop? Is Nicki Minaj back on track to Hip-Hop greatness?
Wow. This is what you have to consider in the new era of 2012, eh? Apparently, a North Carolina man married a beautiful woman. He was so in love, but he and she went and had a child. And the child was straight up ugly!
When the baby was born, he accused her of being unfaithful, but soon realized that wasn’t the case. Still, this baby didn’t look like either of them. His Asian love had had extensive plastic surgery that dramatically altered her looks. She had over 100k in change to her ice grill. Peep:
That’s like a different person.
Well Jain Feng, the man, decided to sue, claiming he was tricked! He charged that she deceived him into marrying her under false pretenses. A very nice judge agreed and granted him a judgement in the amount of $120,000.00. Now, he can bless the baby when it gets ugly enough for plastic surgery. Caring is sharing.
(AllHipHop News) Incarcerated Hip-Hop artist Max B spoke with AllHipHop.com in recent days about the denial of his appeal, as well as his efforts to establish the “Pardon The Wave” campaign.
Max B’s goal is to obtain four million signatures in his effort to be freed from prison.
“We trying to get the petition on ‘Pardon The Wave’ signed,” Max B told AllHipHop.com. “We trying to go at the governor; we trying to go at the president. To the people that’s not signing the petition and screaming ‘Free Max B,’ that’s not wavy. Do the right thing; sign the petition.”
After three years, Max B says he is in good spirits, and keeping his mind positive after having his first appeal denied. He said he looks at it like the ‘first battle in the war.’
“Right now, I’m on post convictions. I’m still early in my appeal stages,” Max B explained. “This next appeal could take anywhere from 18 months…it could drag out for 10 years if I’m not on my game. But if I got the support I need, and everyone [does] what they’re supposed to do, I’m trying to get right back to court in the next 18 months to two years.
“This appeal right here, this is the one. This is kinda better than the first one, because I can come with different legal strategies. I just need the people to come out support the party and support the wave.”
“Hustle for death/no heaven for a gangsta” – “The Cool”, Lupe Fiasco
You see them hangin’ around the ‘hood late at night sportin’ the same gear: white t-shirts and saggin’ skinny jeans. At one point, they had spirits, now they are just zombies who all seem to be harkening to the same hypnotic call. Try to talk to them about real Hip-Hop, and all you get is blank stares and vicious growls, These are the walkin’ dead who have lost their souls. Just like the music that they have blastin’ in their headphones…
Although Hip-Hop once prided itself in promoting free thought and individuality, this is no longer the case, as many rap fans are just zombies following the trend that whatever the radio is playing at the moment constitutes real Hip-Hop and is good for the culture. A song could be straight garbage, but if it’s played enough, the walkin’ dead will swear on their graves that it is the best rap ever recorded.
Although, Nas upset many people in 2006 when he proclaimed that “Hip Hop Is Dead,” in retrospect, maybe it ain’t the music. Maybe its the people who listen to it.
The mission of the wicked has not just been to destroy a people physically but mentally as well. Like the creatures from the old zombie flicks, they really want to eat your brains. For example , during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the Africans could not be brought to the Americas as docile slaves until they first went through a “seasoning process” where their spirits were broken.
This same “breaking of the spirit” has been carried out in the United States through various means, ranging from drugs and the criminal justice system to the mis-educational system, all designed to create a populace of zombies that would not question authority but do exactly as they were told.
Hip-Hop has been used for this purpose as well, as those who claim they love the culture have had their spirits broken so much so that they do not have the courage to fight against the creatures of the night who are trying to destroy it. And the results of this are becoming ever more evident.
The once vibrant dance floor has become a virtual graveyard. The music that once celebrated Peace, Unity, and Love now glorifies misogyny, murder, and mayhem.
Like Brand Nubian said on “ Just Don’t Learn”, “We dealin’ with death in abundance/Dirty guns and /the pungent smell/of those who fell.”
Back in the day, Hip-Hop was a quickening spirit with the power to wake up the dead. Now, just listening to one verse of Ratchet Rap can send you immediately into an intellectual coma.
Hip-Hop has become the Haunted House of Wack. It’s just one big costume party with straight A-students dressing up like court jesters, and former correctional officers posing as Mafia Dons. Sad thing about it is that many rap fans can’t see that it’s all just a masquerade .
Also, as it’s been argued before, the rappers themselves are not totally to blame, as they are just little puppets being controlled by some evil puppetmasters (in the form of the heads of record labels) who hide behind the curtain and pull the strings
We have allowed the culture vampires to suck the life out of a once great art form, and nobody is trying to throw some holy water on Count Dracula to drive him back into his coffin.
Many don’t realize that what is now considered Hip-Hop is a result of a diabolical plan devised by some mad scientists in labs disguised as recording studios. In the name of greed and profit, the music industry has created Frankenstein monsters to destroy a culture that has the potential to liberate poor and oppressed communities on a global scale. Over the years, these monsters have taken different forms but their mission has remained the same.
The latest monstrous creation is “Roger Ratchet.” He is the personification of all that is wrong with Hip-Ho, a symbol of what happens when a culture loses its soul. Roger Ratchet is like the despised Disco Duck of the ’70s. He is the Hip-Hop equivalent of George Clinton’s arch nemesis, “Sir Nose D’Void of Funk,” who dedicated his miserable life fighting against “The P-Funk Mob.”
At some point, somebody has to exorcise this demon out of Hip-Hop. Whether they use a stake through the heart or a silver bullet, somebody has to return Ratchet Rap back to the dark evil pit that it slid out of.
In order for Hip-Hop to live, Roger Ratchet must die. So, on October 31 (Halloween), we are asking that the fans of real Hip-Hop join us in the “Death to Roger Ratchet Campaign,” as we bury Ratchet Rap once and for all.
Join us in yelling with a loud united voice: “Death to Ratchet Rap! Long live Hip-Hop! “
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott’s weekly column is , This Ain’t Hip Hop,” a column for intelligent Hip Hop Headz. He can be contacted at in**@*****************ed.com and on Twitter (@truthminista). For more information on the October 31 “Death to Ratchet Rap Campaign,” visit the official Facebook page.
Photo credit: Above “Hip-Hop Halloween” image courtesy of Dreamstime.
Welcome to the day that you realize your strength, and begin to use it to accomplish all of your
dreams and goals! Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to weathering the storm!
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, we all know that, as we speak, Hurricane Sandy has begun to wreak havoc on the Eastern Seaboard’s largest cities, forcing the shutdown of mass transit, schools and financial markets. She has been threatening a dangerous mix of high winds, soaking rain, and a surging wall of water up to 11 feet tall, and is said to potentially cost billions of dollars in damage and can endanger up to 50 million people for days.
While Sandy’s wrath sounds vicious – and I pray we all stay safe during her melee – there are people out there who are dealing with internal storms that need to be addressed! Some of us have been dealing with these storms for some time, and no matter what we do, we can’t seem to shake them off! Just like Sandy, some storms are unavoidable and have to be dealt with, but in the same breath, understand that it is these very storms that give you power to accomplish all that you have set your sights on!
The problem has never been and will never be the storm… The problem is your perception, and how we view the storm! Stop playing the victim, and stop wishing that life could be easier… Instead realize that adversity has been built into success and is the price you pay to get to the next level! To whom much is given, much is required!! Realize that after the storm is over, all of your dreams and aspirations will be yours! Weather the Storm!! You have come too far to let all of your work go to waste!!
-Ash’Cash
“If you want to see the sunshine, you have to weather the storm.” -Frank Lane
“Remember, the storm is a good opportunity for the pine and the cypress to show their strength and their stability.” -Ho Chi Minh
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” -Vivian Greene
“Celebrate your success and stand strong when adversity hits, for when the storm clouds come in, the eagles soar while the small birds take cover.” -Unknown
“You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.” -Edwin Louis Cole
“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” -Haruki Murakami
“We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.” -Helen Keller
“The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” -Robert Jordan
TO HEAR THE AUDIO VERSION OF THE DAILY WORD – CLICK HERE.
Ash’Cash is a Business Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Financial Expert and the author of Mind Right, Money Right: 10 Laws of Financial Freedom. For more information, please visit his website, www.IamAshCash.com.
(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop duo Pete Rock and C.L Smooth reunited in London last night (28 October) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their album, Mecca and the Soul Brother.
During the performance, the pair performed songs from their catalog which included “T.R.O.Y” “Straighten it Out” and “On and On.”
Pete Rock also played a DJ set in between tracks.
The group paid tribute to fellow Mount Vernon rapper, the late Heavy D.
Pete Rock stated that he would not be involved with music if it was not for the influence of Heavy D, whom he is also related to.
The show is part of a three night tour at London’s Jazz Cafe.
The duo are expected to perform on 29 and 30 October, with support from UK artist, Micall Parknsun, who is promoting his forth coming album, Me, Myself & Akai.
Watch Pete Rock and C.L Smooth perform classic tracks in the video below:
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