While some have tried to use Nas’ scathing letter to Def Jam executives (https://allhiphop.com/stories/editorial/archive/2010/10/07/22425459.aspx) as more evidence to condemn the music industry’s exploitative practices I saw it as a teachable moment on the subject of artist responsibility – an opportunity to explain to today’s young artists how important it is to think more like an […]

REPUBLICAN WOMAN STAY AWAY FROM ME! The inspiration for this song came while attending Ignite 2010, a conference hosted by VIBE and The League of Young Voters in Atlanta on the eve of the BET Hip-Hop Awards. The purpose of the event was to bring together Bloggers, Artists and Community Activists to see what could […]

Troy Cle is the creator of The Marvelous Effect, a fantasy book & science fiction  series The Marvelous World Saga. After watching Kanye West’s “Runaway,” he was compelled to write this opinion piece and review. There is a special place where the disaster prone and eternally compelling Kanye West resides. It is a sacred place […]

Young Guru has been the sound man on some of the biggest records, including numerous Jay-Z records. At the recent seminar in Newark, NJ, which was hosted by Hakim Green of Channel Live fame, Young Guru gave the listeners one to grow on. The cornerstone of his 9-minute diatribe of the recording industry was artist […]

<!]]>If you live in California, today Monday (Oct 18 2010) will be your last day to register to vote. You can do that by going here.. http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm For many, with a messed up economy, unmet expectations and seemingly out of touch and unresponsive politicians, this has been a pretty dismal year in terms of choices […]

Def Jam is dying…. Thanks L.A. Reid! Middle fingers to you too!!!Antonio L.A. Reid, quite frankly, doesn’t give a curse word about Hip-Hop!!! He doesn’t get it. He fails to comprehend the holy institution that is Def Jam. How a Jewish guy named Rick & an African [American] guy from Hollis queens by the name […]

One of the oldest discussions in Hip-Hop is quite simply “Who Is The Best?” BET has taken that discussion and put it in a new special with a twist. “Who Are The Top Rappers Of The 21st Century?” is a new program by the network that presents a roundtable of DJ’s, artists, tastemakers and Hip-Hop […]

Nigeria At 50: Inside Storm 360: West Africa’s Hottest Entertainment Company (Part 2) Where else could one find 1) a star rapper who while at the top of his game is also earning his Master’s in Energy Studies 2) a rare talent who once lived in California but is now thousands of miles away – […]

Hello world. Time is ticking and I’m counting every second. Because of my new limitations, this unfortunately has to be my last letter. I don’t think people truly understand how much their thoughts and well wishes have helped me through this time in my life. Not everyone is as lucky as I am and it […]

Nigeria At 50: Inside Storm 360, West Africa’s Hottest Entertainment Company (Part I) There are many powerful symbols which represent the independence of Nigeria from Britain, not the least of which is the flag of the nation and of course its ability to form its own government. And obviously one cannot forget the image and […]

From: NasTo: LA Reid, Steve Bartels, Steve Gawley, Michael Seltzer, Joseph Borrino, Chris HicksSubject: PUT MY SH*T OUT!Peace to all,With all do respect to you all, Nas is NOBODY’s slave. This is not the 1800’s, respect me and I will respect you.  I won’t even tap dance around in an email, I will get right […]

Two monumental events are upon us. First is the annual Comic Con Convention in New York City, where tens of thousands of comic and sci-fi enthusiasts convene to celebrate art, story telling and the imagination with in each of us. AllHipHop will be present for the festivities.  For more information on Comic Con or to […]

“We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.” – Lord Palmerston, Speech To The House of Commons; March 1, 1848 As I return to providing advisory services to artists – before taking them on as clients – […]

What’z poppin! I hope that you all are well and as always, thank you thank you thank you for the endless love and support. I think by the time you all read this I’ll be 28 years old… feeling ancient in this b#tch! On that note, I do encourage you young people to enjoy your […]

 The whole rap game has been shaken up, but these latest sex tape allegations. So, I felt it was time to get down to the nitty gritty and count down the worst and best Hip-Hop Sex Tapes. Mystikal We’ve never seen the tape of Mystikal having sex with a former stylist, but we know it […]

If you take a quick glance at the hip-hop landscape and you’ll notice, things have gotten a little stale. I mean, there’s Kanye West making noise but most of the other big names seem to be on hiatus. The indies are grinding, making blips here and there, but are still under the radar for the […]

As I continue to prepare my full return to the industry with my forthcoming Hip-Hoppreneur ™ advisory service I’ve been having some interesting conversations and negotiations with artists, producers, managers, entertainment lawyers, publicists, and executives. The more I build and do business with these individuals, the clearer it becomes that there may be no relationship […]

 As if it wasn’t extremely difficult for us already, may I ask, “Why are we now putting tattoos on our faces?”  Do we not realize that a tattoo on our face will probably make our scarce options that more limited?   Or are we just so far gone that we just don’t care? When I […]

The Mixtape: The End Of An Era? For the last month two ‘non-albums’ have struck me as marking two eras in Hip-Hop: the Freddie Gibbs Str8 Killa EP on one hand, and the There Is No Competition: 2: The Grieving Music Mixtape 2 from Fabolous. Conceptually it is difficult to find a DJ involved with […]

Every year around this time many of us within Hip Hop take some time out and reflect on the life and times of Tupac Amaru Shakur as commemorate the anniversary of his tragic death Sept 13 1996. With each passing year its interesting to note that as a younger generation grows older, icons like 2Pac […]