Friday, August 27, 2004

The "Why" Remix and BOBW Tour Info

First off,here's todays banger:the much anticipated "Why" remix with Styles, Nas, and Common. I'll go ahead and tell you Commons got the best verse.

New heat this week: a new Kay Slay tape and DVDs from SMACK and Dipset.

Tour dates are leaking for the Best of Both Worlds Tour,aka Jay-Z's Four Million Dollar Gamble Tour. Speaking of Jay, "Streets Is Watching" is getting (officially) released on DVD in October. It took these guys long enough;the 'hood DVD edition's been on the block for like two years now.
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Wednesday, August 25, 2004

Kool Nu Jazz and New Heaterz

My interest in Lauryn Hill going on tour this fall immediately evaporated when I read the tour was sponsored by Kool cigarettes-the same company that needed a court order to stop using hip hop to market their cancer sticks to kids. Now I can forgive Lauryn for that Unplugged album, but this is going be a lot more difficult to overlook. You can find tour dates for Miss Hill and her nicotine pushing codefendants here,or hear her new song "The Passion" here.

Now for some Heaterz:
Ja Rule ft Fat Joe and Jadakiss:"I'm From New York" (left click)
Papoose:"Footsteps" (mp3,right click and save)
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Monday, August 23, 2004

Mixtape Review

DJ Envy & Big Mike: Ahead of the Competition 3.7
Standout tracks:
Camron,Jim Jones and Juelz Santana:"Go Back to Church": The Diplomats bring it to Pastor Betha,comedy ensues.
Styles P:"8-25-03": The Ghost gives us another anthem over a Neo produced track.
Nas:"Streets Disciple": After this track, the buzz for the new album has moved from "feverish" to "deafening".
Jay Z:"Ignorant Shit":This widely circulated heater is finally making the mixtape rounds.
Cam'ron:"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun":With nonsense like this and "Push It",Cam's singlehandedly killing all anticipation for his next album.
Game ft Kanye West and Ludacris:"Whole City Behind Us":The first repeat- worthy joint I've heard from Game in a while (I was getting sick of hearing him use "gangsta" in every line). Add the radioactive verses from Luda and Kanye, and you've got a banger.
Kanye West ft Mase and Common:"Jesus Walks Rmx": Think of some remixes that were better than the original(Scenario,Flava in Ya Ear,Get Money,ect). This song belongs in that category.
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Sunday, August 22, 2004

And 1 Mixtape tour/New Game track/Dime Time

I hit up the And 1 Mixtape game at the MCI Center yesterday, the DC team got trampled 118-98. Spyder's the new addition to the And 1 team.

Heard Westside Story, the first single from Game. It's another Dr. Dre- produced banger with 50 Cent on the hook.

Now some Dime Time:check kimberlyfisher.com and chanyalive.net.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Grand Theft Auto,Hip Hop, and Nip/Tuck

Some critics feel the depictions of Black people in Def Jam Fight for NY and the the upcoming Grand Theft Auto sequel are racist. Will these scholarly opinions stop me from copping the new GTA the first day it drops? Nah.

Speaking of Grand Theft, some characters in San Andreas will be based on Tupac, Eazy E,and Missy. Based on this,they've gotta add a Suge Knight character. That, and the Death Row catalog from '93 to '95 as a radio station option.

I was watching Nip/Tuck last night and the storyline reminded me of a recent post at Buttercup's blog.

Check the Talib Kweli interview with Tavis Smiley.



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Monday, August 16, 2004

Just another Monday

Can't wait to hear the "Why" remix with Nas and Common.

You can help Hurricane Charley victims at lilfliponline.com

Is it too early to organize a Guerilla Black boycott?

There's a Kanye interview here;looks like he shelved some of his trademark arrogance for a change.

So much for the Jay Z/Shyne/Foxy "supergroup". According to a recent phone convo with Miss Info on Hot 97, Shyne's fronting on Foxy. Has she considered dropping an album on the strength of her own talent, as opposed to always looking to be somebody's "Bonnie"?
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Friday, August 13, 2004

Friday Roundup

Jay Z's officially part owner of the Nets. He's also doing a Footlocker in-store on August 30th in Miami to celebrate the release of the new S. Carters.

Former Bad Boy President Kirk Burrowes has been charged with laundering drug money.

Nas is performing in Central Park this Sunday.

Fat Joe's Terror Squad team repeats as Rucker champions with a victory over the Ruff Ryders squad.

Puff's flagship Sean Jean store is almost ready for its August 29th grand opening. Diddy's also preparing a political documentary with MTV.

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Thursday, August 12, 2004

On Shyne and What's "Real"

Though the albums only been out for two days now, I'm going to go ahead and declare Godfather Buried Alive the most overrated album of the year. But the tons of accolades being thrown upon it have very little to do with the music,and everything to do with Shyne's image. "Shyne's so real!" and "Shyne's realer than 50" are the central praises you're most likely to hear when you ask someone's opinion of the album. I was going to do a real elaborate post on the growing emphasis on image over skills,but since its Thursday and I've got Business to tend to,I'll sum up my feelings on the issue with these observations:

1. The deluge of bubblegum rap and cookie-cutter "gangsta" caricatures in hip hop has left millions of rap listeners starving for any semblance of musical authenticity.

2. To satisfy that hunger, industry execs would rather give fans easy-to-market albums filled with edgy "ghetto realism" instead of music with lyrical substance. Whereas "real" used to be about artistic integrity,now its about how willing an artist is to act out whatever mayhem he depicts on record. Or his crack dealing past,or how many times he's been shot/who he's shot, ect,ect. Take your pick.

3. How long will this obsession with "what rapper's the realest" last? Hard to tell, because as long as MC's have a price tag on their souls, A&R's will be all too willing to cheapen the struggles of Black youth-all for the sake of marketing mediocre music disguised as "real" hip hop.

Enough of me and my soapbox,though; I've got to get on my grind.

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Sunday, August 08, 2004

Quick news and Dime Time

MTV's hosting a $50,000 MC Battle at the RPM Mixshow Power Summit in September. So far Ness, Rah Digga, Shellz, Jin, Jae Millz, Remy Martin, and Cassidy are slated to participate. Should be interesting;Jae Hood and Grafh need to get added to that list though. Hopefully MTV doesn't get on that "no cursing or you're disqualified " bullshit.

Check the L.A Reid article at msnbc.com.

Now for some Dime Time: check tomikaskanes.com, mariamoore.com, and yourchynadoll.com.


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Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Books,Beef,and More

What's beef?
Bill Cosby vs Hip Hop? Ma$e vs Diplomats? Shyne vs 50?O'Reilley vs Moore? Take your pick.

Heres an interesting post on Russell Simmons at the Hip Hop Summit in Boston.

Jada signs on to the Pepsi Smash Tour.

Aaron McGruder's new graphic novel Birth of a Nation is a must-have. It's based on the premise that the Black town of East Saint Louis secedes from the Union after after a computer glitch disenfranchises a thousand citizens on election day. From designing new currency(whose face should go on the new nations nickel- Biggie's or Pac's?) to choosing the new flag (a White Jesus in the center of red,black and green Black nationalist banner),McGruder details the initial growing pains of Blackland with some of the most potent satirical jabs of his career. Bottom line- Birth of a Nation is "Boondocks" on a whole 'nother level,and an essential read.
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