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Jag Ft. Cassidy "Crazy"
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Soulja Boy and Chief Keef Ft. D Flores "Ugly"
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FEEL RICH TIP: Go from Hater to Player
Editor’s Note: “Feel Rich” is our partnership with QD3, the talented son of music legend Quincy Jones. “Feel Rich” is all about creating a healthy lifestyle for Hip-Hop culture – both the artists and the fans. Enjoy!
By Logan Noblin
Heading into his junior year of high school, Mike Patterson was set to spend the season warming the bench. The six-foot, 300-pound offensive guard had all the strength of a traffic cone with the football sense to match, and there might as well have been a canyon between him and the second string.
In an act of desperation, with just a week of practice left before the opening game of the season, Patterson’s coach sent the 17-year-old to the other side of the ball to see if he could fare any better as a defense tackle. An hour later, Patterson had the starting spot.
Now the stalky noseguard from Northern California earns over $4 million per year with the Philadelphia Eagles, and has served his time as one of the most feared down-linemen in the league. All he had to do was get in the game.
The point is that if you’re not in the game right now, it doesn’t mean you have to stay glued to the bench. It might take a little bit of patience, and a whole lot of work, but if a six-foot, 300-pound bowling ball could roll himself off the sidelines and into the spotlight, you can, too. Here are some tips to get you started.
Know Your Strengths – Patterson has become known as one of the quickest, most agile big-men in a league of superhuman athletes, but even his high school coaches thought he was weak on the offensive line. Chris Paul is lethal from the point, but you won’t see him posting up Dwight Howard in the paint any sooner than you’ll see Kevin Garnett shooting from the arc or Desean Jackson subbing in at fullback. Think about the plays and situations that you tend to do best in, and put yourself in a position to take advantage of your natural strengths.
Find Some Help – Once you figure out what position you should play, find someone to help you figure out how to play it. If you’re not getting the coaching you need, find a friend, a classmate, or a coworker to practice with. Getting honest feedback from someone who knows your game is the best way to improve your technique and start climbing up the depth chart.
Repetition – Practice, practice, practice. Pick a move that you like – a Derrick Rose ankle-breaker, a Reggie Bush sidestep, whatever – and run it in slow motion. Think about your form, think about your body, and make sure it’s perfect. Now, do it again. And again. Consistently practicing your moves and your form builds muscle memory so that when you bust them out in a game, it will feel as natural as breathing.
It’s All About Improving – If you spend your time thinking about scoring points or moving up the roster, you’re a whole lot less likely to do so. Instead, focus on your jump shot, or your ball catching, or the little things that will make you more dangerous in action. Once you take care of those, the depth chart will take care of itself.
Like what you read here? Follow us on Twitter , LIKE us on Facebook, and check out www.feelrich.com.
Skeme Ft. Schoolboy Q [BGA x 2] "Kidz With Gunz"
The Kid Daytona [BGA] "Pirates Freestyle"
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FRESH HEAT: Phreshy Duzit Ft. Cory Gunz and Rich Flyer "Make My Money"
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Ryan Leslie "Winning"
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Kent Money "God Bless" P###. By Hit Boy
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Buddy "Inspired"
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Trouble "Them B's"
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Bad Boy Signs New 18-Year-Old Texas Singer Megan Nicole
(AllHipHop News) Bad Boy Records has signed 18-year-old singer Megan Nicole.
Bad Boy founder Sean “Diddy” Combs and label President Harve Pierre signed Megan Nicole, who has over 1 million YouTube subscribers.
Megan Nicole’s covers of songs like Call Me Maybe and “The Lazy Song,” have helped her earn more than 250 million views on her YouTube page.
She is currently in the studio, recording new songs for her Bad Boy/Interscope debut.
“Megan Nicole is a complete package that I am extremely excited to add to the Bad Boy roster,” Diddy told AllHipHop.com. “She is a talented singer, songwriter, musician and entertainer. Megan Nicole is a perfect fit for the new future at Bad Boy.”
Megan Nicole was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Katy, Texas.
She made her debut in December 2009, with a cover of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody.”
“Megan is a great person, amazing artist and an enormous talent all around,” added Harve Pierre. “She has done an incredible job on building a solid fan base and we are here to enhance that and ensure her dreams come true. Welcome home Megan Nicole.”
Megan is currently preparing for a US tour with The Wonder Girls in fall 2012.
Police Investigate, Clear Suge Knight's Son In $100,000 Jewelry Theft With Lindsay Lohan
(AllHipHop News) The son of Marion “Suge” Knight has been cleared involving a $100,000 jewelry heist involving actress Lindsay Lohan.
Lindsay Lohan is a suspect in an incident involving $100,000 worth of watches and sunglasses that went missing a week ago.
According to TMZ.com Lindsay was at the Hollywood Hills home of Sam Magid did when the incident took place.
Magid told police yesterday that Andrew Knight and another friend told him that Lindsey handed them a bag with two or three pieces of stolen items wrapped in a T-shirt, during an all-night party at the home.
The actress, who was allegedly on Ambien, claimed that she was being framed in the theft and that the real bandit was Suge Knight’s son.
Knight and the other guest reportedly returned some of the stolen items to Magid, but a number of items are still missing from the Hollywood Hills home.
Police are continuing to investigate the thefts.
ALBUM REVIEW: Slaughterhouse's "Welcome To: OUR HOUSE"
Rating: 8 / 10
As mentioned previously, Slaughterhouse is obviously aware of the pressure that’s on them to deliver a project that makes them worth the wait. Ironically, the weight of the prolonged delay has somewhat enhanced the magnifying glass they were already under. Each one drew attention on their own: Royce Da 5’9 was known for his lyricism and his rift with Eminem that has since been repaired, Crooked I’s most recognizable feat to most was his Hip-Hop Weekly series that went for a year straight, Joe Budden’s Mood Muzik series, relationship woes, and more made him a lightning rod for conversation, and Joell Ortiz’s musical outputs with Novel (along with his Bodega Chronicles mixtape) all but catapulted him onto the radar for astute Hip-Hop heads.
Together, they’ve formed something that could be responsible for the resurfacing of the popularity of lyrics in rap again, and teaming with Marshall Mathers has done nothing but make their spotlights shine that much brighter. With the release of their second album and first major LP, Welcome To – OUR HOUSE isn’t the best album to be released this year, but it’s one of the more ingenious ones due to the amount of clever chances they take with its presentation.
Lyricism is still at the forefront for the majority of the songs. Crooked I consistently delivers struggle-free bars, even on the radio singles like “My Life” and “Park It Sideways”. The other members all have their highlights as well; Royce’s ludicrous lyrics shine on the Busta Rhymes-assisted (and Hit-Boy produced) “Coffin”, while Joell Ortiz’s heart-wrenching verse on “Goodbye” easily is one of the more memorable verses on the LP (not as a knock to the others; each verse on “Goodbye” is incredibly emotional, but Joell stands out), and Joe Budden’s aggressive verses on “Flip A Bird” and “Die” are among the plethora of highlights as well.
STREAM: Slaughterhouse – “Flip A Bird”
Lyrics, song concepts, and production aren’t truly the hangup here for some that will listen; the issue may be the presentation of the album as a whole. Some songs on the surface have a D-12’ish sound to them (“Throw That” being a prime example), but Slaughterhouse is far superior lyrically, and even in those “formulaic” tracks, the lyricism carries it (and shatters that thought to shreds if you pay attention). Also, the album doesn’t have ‘sections’ like most LPs out, and the only time some semblance of that happens is towards the end, but even that ‘party section’ of the LP (with “Frat House” and “Park It Sideways”) has the powerful “Goodbye” wedged in the middle of it.
STREAM: Slaughterhouse – “Goodbye”
At times the album’s dark, and other times it’s not, but it all comes together to make a memorable listening experience. Maybe that was their intention, to make sure that whoever heard the LP would remember it. There will be complaints due to their singles that they’ve dumbed down, but that’s a little inaccurate; to say that Slaughterhouse disguised the lyricism on a couple of tracks would be a more level-headed statement, and this is about as well as you can disguise it without actually dumbing them down. The fact this was accomplished in the first place is a feat in itself, but the bonus just so happens to be that Slaughterhouse and Eminem have created a dope LP.
Like the outro says, regardless of their record sales, they made it this far doing it their way. Only time will tell if that will be enough to garner another release in the future. Until then, give Welcome To: Our House a play with open ears and see what you think. If you’re more of a fan of the straight-forward lyrical approach like their first LP, then check their latest mixtape with DJ Drama, On The House.
Daily Word: Karma is a B…
Happy Tuesday, my centers of influence!
Welcome to the day you realize that your life is in your control! Today’s Daily Word is dedicated to Karma! There is a universal law that says, ‘What goes around comes around.’ It’s been interpreted in different ways like… ‘You reap what you sow’ and ‘Do on to others as you want done onto you!’
Being that the world consists of many negative people, the word ‘karma’ somehow was given a bad rap, like it only works one way…. The truth is that karma works in both directions! Yes, if you do wrong, wrong will come back to you, but if you always strive to do right, then that will be your fate.
It is said that the fastest way to getting what you want out of life is helping someone else get what they want… Believe it or not, but this is an absolute fact!! You want kindness then give it! You want to be happy, then help someone else be happy! You want to get out of a mess, then help someone out of theirs! You being selfish and only thinking of you is hurting you more than you even realize! Practice Karma!! Yes, she is a B!! But B as in Beautiful Thing! (If you use it right.) Go get what you deserve!! Begin giving it NOW!!!
-Ash’Cash
“Whatever we do lays a seed in our deepest consciousness, and one day that seed will grow.” -Sakyong Mipham
“Karma moves in two directions. If we act virtuously, the seed we plant will result in happiness. If we act non-virtuously, suffering results.” -Sakyong Mipham
“If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.” -Norman Vincent Peale
“Give up your selfishness, and you shall find peace; like water mingling with water, you shall merge in absorption.” -Sri Guru Granth Sahib
“Happiness, freedom, and peace of mind — are always attained by giving them to someone else.” -Peyton Conway March
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” -Anne Frank
“Everybody comes from the same source. If you hate another human being, you’re hating part of yourself.” -Elvis Presley
“The jealous are troublesome to others, but torment to themselves.” -William Penn
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” -Dalai Lama
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.
Kirko Bangz Gets Personal for New Mixtape “PK4 (Procastination Kills 4)” Dropping Next Tuesday
Houston MC Kirko Bangz has put the “drank” in his cup down to get more personal on his upcoming mixtape PK4 (Procastination Kills 4), which drops on next Tuesday, September 4 on Datpiff.com.
For his new video “The Vent,” which hit the net earlier this month, he strolls through his beloved Houston streets – while rapping over Big KRIT’s “The Vent” instrumental – about lost love and family teenage pregnancy. Always ready to represent for his state of Texas, Bangz recently appeared in Trae tha Truth’s new visual “I’m from Texas”, along with fellow Texans Paul Waul, Slim Thug, Z-ro, and Bun B.
“The Vent” is the only track to be revealed so far on the forthcoming PK4 mixtape. Watch Kirko Bangz’s version of “The Vent” below:
Beanie Sigel Releases "This Time", Talks State Property The Movement, Nas, and Rick Ross
It’s been a long, story-filled road for Beanie Sigel. From his days on Philadelphia’s Sigel Street, to his years with Jay-Z, Dame Dash, and Roc-A-Fella, to his current reuniting of State Property under a new deal with Ruffhouse/EMI, it has been an eventful ride so far for the “Broad Street Bully.”
Today (August 28), Beanie Sigel drops off his latest album, This Time, and actually, he is just in time. According to Beanz, time is of the essence in Hip-Hop and society – the tight male clothing, the too overt sexual imagery (he calls himself a “homophobe”), and the opulent lyrics of some of his peers these days had him feeling like he needed to do something fast.
His solution was to bring his own brand of Hip-Hop back to the table – via This Time – just before it’s too late. The State Property-heavy project has already achieved high marks for its first single, “The Reunion”, a feel-good, summer banger featuring most of his protege’ clique. The album has massive West Indian vibes, too, and memorable lines that show Beanie’s growth – in life and on the mic.
Beanie noted that he was really digging Nas’ recent release, and he added in a few counter-thoughts about MMG’s Rick Ross, and types like him that brag on things like “owning two Maybachs.” As for Beanie, he said he’s thinking more of the ‘hood, where people are broke and scrounging for chicken wings from the local Chinese takeout.
Time is also of the essence as Beanie Sigel counts down to his September 12 surrender date to federal prison for a two-year stint. When one considers he won’t be around for a while, his This Time album becomes all the more important.
It’s clear in his presence that Beanie Sigel is a man very much in transition. Watch his video interview below, and be sure to cop his This Time album on iTunes.
Check back for more of our chat with Beanie Sigel this week! Follow Beanie on Twitter (@BeanieSigelSP).
HIP-HOP VOTES!: #VoteReady Connects Hip-Hop and Congressional Black Caucus Over Voter IDs; Twitter Town Hall at 12PM EST
Editor’s Note: There are less than 75 days until voters nationwide will descend upon the polls to elect officials to some of the top offices in the country. This election year has been unlike any other in recent years past, and the critical issues that affect everyday citizens – like the economy, healthcare, and civil rights – matter more than ever.
AllHipHop.com is committed to helping convene the Hip-Hop generation at the polls. All this week, join us to learn about some of the ways OUR CULTURE is stepping up big to ensure the right to vote.
(AllHipHop News) New voter ID laws in various states have become hot-button issues for people who are deciding if, when, and who to vote for in the November elections. The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and AllHipHop.com have teamed up on #VoteReady with Black Thought and Questlove of The Roots, DJ Young Guru, Hakim Green of Channel Live, and more, to educate the public about the need to have adequate IDs and registrations when they head to the polls. 
#VoteReady leaders (including IMPACT and the Lawyers Committee) will host a Twitter town hall meeting today (August 28 at 12PM EST) to raise support for the campaign. Use hashtag #VoteReady to join the discussion. According to the CBC’s #VoteReady overview, “since the election of President Barack Obama in 2008, many states throughout the country have enacted or proposed strict voting laws that impose unfair restrictions on eligible voters across the country.” The CBC also notes that block the vote efforts through restrictive voting legislation could prevent as many as 5 million people from registering to vote and/or casting a ballot this election year. 
In Philadelphia, where Black Thought and Questlove call hometown, it is estimated that more than 40 percent of potential voters will be deemed ineligible at the polls due to ID restrictions. There are more than 204,000 unregistered African American voters in the swing state of Pennsylvania alone (and 6 million nationwide). The number of votes tallied from a large city such as Philly could literally decide the election results. To that end, the CBC’s #VoteReady Hip-Hop collective will do their part to raise awareness about the need to obtain a valid ID and register to vote. From now through election day, the participating artists will record and broadcast PSAs, participate in state Boards of Election rallies in Philadelphia and other cities along with CBC members and partners including Rock The Vote! on September 25, and send tweets to their loyal fanbases asking them to #VoteReady this November. Look for more #VoteReady coverage from AllHipHop.com. For more info on the CBC and initiatives such as #VoteReady campaign, visit www.thecongressionalblackcaucus.com. VIDEO: Havoc (formerly of Mobb Deep) talks about how he believes recent ID laws are designed to suppress certain groups of people from the polls:
Afropunk: What Hip-Hop Used To Be…And Will Always Be
Creativity perused through every nook and cranny of Commodore Battery Park on August 25 and 26, 2012. Innumerable shapes, shades, sounds, and flavors congregated at the Brooklyn playground for the Afropunk Festival 2012.
After the Afropunk cancellation of 2011, due to Hurricane Irene, the followers of the alternative music movement have anxiously awaited the return of the celebration.
None were disappointed with a lineup that included Erykah Badu and The Cannabinoids, Janelle Monae, TV On The Radio, Cerebral Ballzy, Toro Y Moi, Alice Smith, Reggie Watts, Gym Class Heroes, Das Racist, Spank Rock, and numerous others.
Believe it or not, it was so Hip-Hop.
Hardcore punk rockers Cerebal Ballsy performed Saturday with a ferocity that commanded the seemingly peaceful crowd into a mosh pit. Later in the evening, the atmosphere switched into a groovy hipster paradise for all to enjoy as Erykah Badu jammed. The next day, Janelle Monae put on a performance with enough energy to power Manhattan. The performers were awesome – all of them – but they were merely a reflection of the movement known as Afropunk and the people of it.
The crowd was multi-everything – multi-cultural, multi-colored, multi-faceted, and multi-fashioned.
I’ve been a lightweight community member of Afropunk, following the movement for many years. As a lover of all music, I was intrigued how it allowed me to find music particularly by African Americans that is overlooked by every mainstream outlet, including Black Entertainment Television. I was initially brought over after “discovering” an indie rock group there, but it quickly opened up an entire world to me, one that was hidden underground like the Morlocks. Sound familiar?
Hip-Hop, too, started out as an underground rebellious movement and a response to a lack of opportunity from the mainstream. Hip-Hop was long ignored until it continuously refused to accept the doors that were continuously shut. Eventually, those very doors were kicked in, even though it wasn’t really wanted. Change was forced upon the industry. Afropunk is doing that right now and it feels, looks and sounds so lovely, even when its ugly, gritty, and unwanted. Hip-Hop cannot let outside forces to define it, and those with conviction need to stay the course – those like Afropunk co-founder, Matthew Morgan.
Describing Afropunk is challenging, and certainly, the written word ultimately does it no justice. Below, you will find a number of images and videos that encapsulate what when down during an epic – and free – weekend in Brooklyn:
AFROPUNK FESTIVAL 2012 – Pictures by Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur’s iPhone
Afropunk 2012 Videos:
Erykah Badu
Janelle Monae as Introduced by Pharrell
Janelle Monae’s Ode to Michael Jackson
Erykah Badu and Yasiin Bey
Cerebral Ballzy
Reggie Watts
Hip-Hop Rumors: Is There A Lil' Kim "Behind The Music" On The Way?
The Notorious K.I.M. is rumored to be in talks with VH1 for a new VH1 “Behind The Music” TV special on her music career. The Queen Bee is said to be revealing everything, and is even said to be talking about her plastic surgery and her relationship with Biggie Smalls. These brand new VH1 “Behind The Music” episodes have been a lot more revealing. Will you be tuning in to see Kim finally open up about her career and plastic surgery?
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