Saturday, December 30, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
Styles P injured in car accident, napkins involved....?
"New York rapper Styles P sustained a broken leg as the result of a road rage incident in Greenburgh, New York last Saturday (Dec. 23).According to police, the rapper was driving his 2003 Mercedes-Benz on Saw Mill River Road, when he was cut off by a truck.Police allege Styles P., born David Styles, then cut off the truck, got out of his vehicle and threw napkins at the window of the other driver, 50-year-old John Henson.As the rapper got back in his vehicle, Henson rammed the rapper, breaking his left leg.Henson was charged with second-degree assault. He told police that he feared for his safety after Styles P threw the napkins and reentered his Mercedes-Benz.Styles P was treated at Westchester Medical Center and released.Henson will appear in Westchester Town Court on Jan. 2. "
read it here
read it here
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Rest In Peace James Brown (1933-2006) -- NY Times article
James Brown, the singer, songwriter, bandleader and dancer, who indelibly transformed 20th-century music, died early today at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, where he been admitted on Saturday with pneumonia, his agent, Frank Copsidas, said. Mr. Brown was 73 years old and lived in Beech Island, S.C., near the Georgia border.
Mr. Copsidas said in an interview that Mr. Brown had participated in his annual Christmas toy giveaway in Atlanta on Friday, but had been hospitalized after a dentist he saw on Saturday for a routine visit advised him to see a doctor. Mr. Brown's condition did not seem to be life-threatening, Mr. Copsidas said. On the contrary, after cancelling performances planned for mid-week, Mr. Brown on Sunday night got his doctor's approval for going ahead with a show on Saturday in New Jersey and one on New Year's Eve at B.B. King's nightclub in New York. He said Mr. Brown used one of his best-known expressions to convey his determination to perform, saying, "I'm the hardest working man in show business, and I'm not going to let them down.''
Mr. Brown died at 1:45 am today as a result of congestive heart failure caused by the pneumonia, Mr. Copsidas said. Over a career that lasted more than 50 years, Mr. Brown did not only call himself "the hardest working man in show business." He also went by "Mr. Dynamite," "Soul Brother No. 1," "the Minister of Super Heavy Funk" and "the Godfather of Soul," and he was all of those and more. Mr. Brown's music was sweaty and complex, disciplined and wild, lusty and socially conscious. Beyond his dozens of hits, Mr. Brown forged an entire musical idiom that is now a foundation of pop worldwide.
"I taught them everything they know, but not everything I know," he wrote in an autobiography. The funk Mr. Brown introduced in his 1965 hit, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," was both deeply rooted in Africa and thoroughly American. Songs like "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Cold Sweat," "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "Hot Pants" found the percussive side of every instrument and meshed sharply syncopated patterns into kinetic polyrhythms that made people dance......read the full NY Times article here
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Throwback // Classic Mixtape "Roc-a-fella Hot 97 Freestyle Session"
"Pick out a quiet town & tie it down"
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Back in '99 or 2000 (I really can't remember), the hottest mixtape was this Hot 97 bootleg of the whole Roc-a-Fella crew invading the station on the Funk Flex show where all the young bols (Philly slang for the uniniated) spit their hottest 16, 32 or 100 bars for the whole Tri-State to hear. From Young Chris & Neef (Young Gunz) to Oschino & Sparks, Beanie Sigel & Freeway & M dot Bleek (Memphis Bleek) and co-signed by Jigga himself, the crew was destined to blow in the coming years. I vividly remember this tape / cd & cherished it to death, even went far as to bootlegging it & slanging it to all my peoples in VA & Jersey. Well here it is again, in rare form (mp3) for y'all to enjoy & reminsice on.
1. Memphis Bleek, Beanz, Freeway & Oschino - Who Shot Ya Freestyle
2. Sparks, Young Chris & H $ Bags - R.O.C. Freestyle
3. Beanie Sigel , O & Sparks - Kick In The Door Freestyle
4. Freeway, H $ Bags & Young Chris - Oochie Wally Freestyle
5. H $ Bags, Beanz & Freeway - I Shot Ya Freestyle/Keep It Thoro Freestyle
6. Memphis Bleek, Oschino & Young Chris - Oochie Wally/Dead Wrong Freestyle
7. H $ Bags & Bleek - Tonite's Da Nite Freestyle
8. Beanie Sigel, Freeway & Oschino - Y'all Don't Wanna Freestyle
9. Jay-Z - Hov Interlude
10.Beanie Sigel & Freeway - Comin' For You
11.Beanie Sigel, Bleek, Freeway,Chris, Oschino & Sparks - Quiet Storm Freestyle 1
12.Memphis Bleek & Jay-Z - Quiet Storm Freestyle 2/Outro
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Jeezy controversy on 100.3 The Beat cause Monie Love's firing...?
Monie Love is no longer working at Philadelphia’s 100.3 The Beat (WHPI-FM). The former rapper’s departure comes a few weeks after an on-air confrontation with Young Jeezy, where the two argued over whether Hip-Hop is dead. The argument ended with Jeezy abruptly leaving the studio. There is speculation that the incident is the reason behind Monie Love née Simone Wilson, leaving the show, however representatives at the station have not confirmed. Love has not confirmed either. The British-born rapper was a member of the popular 80’s and 90’s collective known as the Native Tongues. Her first album, Down to Earth, contained two Grammy-nominated singles, “Monie in the Middle” and “It’s a Shame (My Sister).”
*MY ALBUM OF THE YEAR* FULL REVIEW -- Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Forget the term, "Virginia Is for Lovers". Since the Thorton brothers (better known as Gene "Malice" & Terrence "Pusha T") made the move from the birthplace of Hip-Hop, Bronx, New York to Virginia Beach in the late 80's as a bunch of young'n's, the 7 City State's new (but unofficial) slogan is "Virginia Is For Hustlers". Fast forward to the early 90's, where an unexpected meeting with Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes led them to a deal with Elektra, in which they recorded an album titled "Exclusive Audio Footage" but unfortunately was permanently shelved. (It has since been leaked on vinyl only, good luck finding an official copy!!). The album being put on the back-burner never discouraged the Thorton brothers, or Pharrell & Chad for that matter, & around 2001, Arista Records came calling. In 2002, they recorded & released their classic street album, "Lord Willin" & the single "Grinding" which had non-stop radio spins across the Eastern border all the way through the Midwest & in to Cali. Unfortunately the Sony-BMG merge with Jive created more uncontrollable dilemmas unfavorable to the Clipse, which delayed the release of their sophomore album "Hell Hath No Fury". While the moratorium of the album release & the label limbo was going on, the two brothers hit the streets hard again, this time in the form of mixtapes. Teaming up with Clinton Sparks, they released "We Got It 4 Cheap" Volumes 1 & 2 respectively, which were deemed instant mixtape classics.
It is now the 4th quarter of 2006, & in rotation on my iPod is the long-delayed & viciously imagined Hell Hath No Fury. Through the 12 tracks of street corner tales & snow business, Malice & Pusha paint vivid audio images of the life of a hustler on the block, from pushing weight to being a stick-up kid & taking your g-packs over crazy steel drums, cow bells, korg synths to accordion keys. There is a strong presence of emotional arousal amongst the raw lyrics & gritty beats, & there is good reason for it too; after all the label drama they've been through. They elucidate their financial moral beliefs, even if they are un-ethical to the average American. It's the way of life for a hustler on the come-up, where you can hear this on tracks like "Momma I'm So Sorry", spitting from the heart "Youngin don't make my sales rise//I shoot you out ya Chuckers//Pusha hear the whispers of all you motherfuckers//Papa said stay free of them suckers//Minus the wicked jumper//Street balla like the Rucker//Skip To My Lou if you lookin for a couple//Roosters in the duffle//Keep the hood screaming CaCa Doodle Doo fuckers". BANANAS!! Pusha T injects such malevolent lyrics into these songs (read: malicious), you almost come to think homie has "post manic depression"; the intensity might just be to raw for the average head. Elder brother Malice is more focused on family & flossing, where he rhymes "Mirror mirror, who's the fairest?//Tricked a buck fifty on that horse and carriage//Must admit, nothing like these carats//Them hoes holla back just like they parrots//Down to the watches, alligator strap//Six different time zones, I don't set her back" on Wamp Wamp (What It Do). While 'serving the fiends' may seem unjustifiable, & incomprehensible, their swagger & where they stand in this Hip-Hop game is undeniable.
Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo only add extra flair to the pyrex pot of boiling crack rock beats, dissimilar to instrumentals they've provided for A-List artists (ie, Britney Spears, Kelis, or Jay-Z) in the past. The melodies are dark & ominous, it almost feels like you're in Hell, where the Clipse are the two Devils & The Neptunes are providing work music while their servants continue to pitch bricks to the consumers. My favorite tracks definitely have to be
"Trill" & "Chinese New Year" (which both merge into each other), where the latter is the new "stick-up kid" anthem. The chorus alone is sure to scare you, "I'm at your door, your eyes are like why are you here//Judging by my steel I got something to do here//Give up the money or the angel cries two tears//Front of your crib sounding like Chinese New Year" & Malice spitting lines such as "Let's play cops and robbers, and watch Heckler & Koch turn cops to martyrs//As well as niggaz wit plots to rob us//Try me, I'll turn this motherfucker into shottas//Wit them 911's revin, gunfire leave brethren remains like 9/11//And get the sounds of rounds dispensing//That clack up make 'em back up like it's invisible fencing". Trill on the other hand, is a straight up vile & despicable club banger, complete with distorted 808 drums & grinding remorseless synths. The ending song, "Nightmares" adds a bit of change from the anger involved throughout the rest of the LP, with a more soulful sound to it provided by Bilal. Spitting about the paranoia that comes with being a dope dealer, Pusha tells us "Everybody know me, it's like I'm a movie star//Virginia nights, sellin hard white//To sellin out shows, every gangsta love my flow//Still I creep low, thinking niggaz trying to harm me//Hoping my karma ain't coming back here to haunt me//Was it that nigga?, I took his powder with a smile//Praying to the Lord, the gun ain't pop and hit the child". These two brothers make music strictly for the streets, but it seems they have picked up another fan base & expanded their sound; from fashionists to hipsters, it seems a bit perplexing, but it is what it is. Their music can be related to anyone whom has done wrong in their life, which makes it an open invitation to pretty much everyone who can understand their pain & glory, & the sinister beats.
Mick Boogie + NaS & AZ - Executive Decisions (MIXTAPE) [LEAK]
01. Mick Boogie Intro
02. AZ Intro
03. On The Real 2006 (Mick Boogie Mix)
04. Don’t Hate Me Now (Mick Boogie Mix/Produced By Statik Selektah)
05. Hope (Produced By The Are)
06. AZ Interlude…
07. The City (Produced By Hasan Insane)
08. The Format Part 2 (Mick Boogie Mix)
09. Everything Is Everything
10. Get The Money (Produced By The Kickdrums)
11. Nas Interlude…
12. Life’s A Bitch (Delay Remix)
13. Music For Life (Mick Boogie Mix)
14. Word Play (Terry Urban Mix)
15. The Essence
16. AZ Interlude…
17. Serious
18. How Ya Livin'?
19. Carry On Tradition (Mick Boogie Mix)
20. Life’s A Bitch (Demo Freestyle Version)
21. AZ Interlude…
22. Executive Decisions
23. La Familia
24. Mo Money, Mo Murda
25. Phone Tap
26. Nas Interlude…
27. Livin' Thugs
28. Requiem Of A Street Dream (Produced By AC)
29. Brooklyn-Queens Shit (Lil Raskal Mix)
30. We The Flyest (Mick Boogie Mix)
31. Gimme Yours
32. Time
33. AZ Outro
34. Sprite Commercial (Bonus Track)
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Friday, December 22, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The Uncut Raw
Young Jeezy aka "Snowman BITCH!!, need I say more?" is your favorite trapper's favorite trapper. Born in Columbia, South Carolina & raised in Macon, Georgia a few miles outside of Atlanta, Jeezy has fulfilled the type of lifestyle that every MC from the hood rhymes about but has never actually lived. From catching a variety of gun possession charges to pushing more bricks then a guard at Fort Knox, this young aspiring "trapper" has put in time on the streets. I will be one of the few to admit, Jeezy is not the best rapper in the industry, or even from the South for that matter. His lyrics are mediocre & his subject matter is unexceptional. What sets The Snowman apart from other "street" rappers is that everything he spits is so raw & real. You can feel his pain & trife, his trials & tribulations flow immensely over dark instrumental backdrops. Throw in his trademark adlibs (everything from "That's riiiiight!" to the tenacious "Yeaaaaah!!!" & you've got what I'll call, Hip-Hop's first TRILL rapper. (For those unbeknownst to the term "trill", it's defined as "true" & "real"). Jeezy has just released his sophomore LP, "Thug Motivation 2: The Inspiration" on Def Jam, one of many albums from Def Jam to drop in 2006's 4th quarter; & has currently sold over 352,000 copies. (TO BE CONTINUED......)
Elliott "YN" Wilson on ABC News: Is Hip-Hop Dead?
Elliot "YN" Wilson, Chief Editor of XXL Magazine talks with Ron Claiborne of ABC News about the state of Hip-Hop & the provocative title of NaS' latest LP, "Hip-Hop Is Dead". click 4 video
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Clinton Sparks + Pharoahe Monch - The Awakening (MIXTAPE)
It has been a 7 year hiatus since Pharoahe Monch of Organized Konfusion fame has dropped an official album. Within these 7 years he has dropped various random singles here & there, most recently on the late J Dilla's latest LP, The Shining...in the form of the beautifully constructed cut called "Love". Most recently he has collaborated with mixtape king, Clinton Sparrks & DJ Boogie Brown to bring you this crazy mixtape, "The Awakening", which will be a prelude to his sophomore solo LP, named "Desire".
TRACKLISTING:
1 - Clinton Sparks Intro
2 - Shut Em Down Freestyle
3 - Pain Interlude
4 - Pain
1 - Clinton Sparks Intro
2 - Shut Em Down Freestyle
3 - Pain Interlude
4 - Pain
5 - Let's Go
6 - We Must Be In Love
7 - She's A Ho
8 - The Note
9 - Agent Orange
10 - Push
11 - Desire
12 - Stray Bullet Freestyle
13 - The Sniper's Skit
13 - The Sniper's Skit
14 - Gun Draws
15 - Glorious
16 - Down By Law
17 - Outro
REMEMBER TO PICK UP THE ALBUM, "DESIRE" IN JANUARY '07....
Monday, December 18, 2006
Skillz - 2006 Wrap Up
The 7 Cities of VA (& erryone in Hip-Hop), stand up!!! Once again, it's time for ya boy Skillz aka Mad Skillz to drop the year end (w)rap up. As usual, there's some pretty hilarious material he goes over..from Dick Cheney to Ne-Yo. Enjoy mufuckaz!!
FAV. LINE: ""NaS said 'HipHop is Dead' but northern cats, Spit y'all year tryin to bring New York back, y'all need to lighten up son get a hug, The only time NEW YORK came back was on the 'Flava of Love' ".
I give you....3 tracks from Styles P's upcoming LP
Styles P ft. Gerald Levert - Real Shit <-----Gerald Levert takes it to chuuch!!!!
Styles P ft. Jadakiss - How We Live (produced by Havoc) <-----Havoc blacks the fuck out on this beat here
ALLHIPHOP.COM Interview With Vida Guerra...Does She Have Beef With The Game!?
It’s pretty obvious that Vida Guerra isn’t a big fan of The Game. Perhaps she still has hard feelings about his song “Wouldn’t Get Far,” where the West Coast rapper refers to her as someone who would do anything to get near a rap star. In reality though, Vida’s shots are anything but cheap. For the right price, her infamous ample buttocks will grace the cover of magazines; and she can be spotted in a number of Hip-Hop videos, Bacardi billboard ads and starring in her own DVD. Whether you like her or not, you have to admit, she knows how to run a business. Her business. Getting to know the self-proclaimed pin-up model is quite a task, considering the multiple conflicting opinions. After escaping Cuba as a child and growing up in Jersey, Vida’s family worked to inspire traditional values and a career “like a doctor or lawyer.” After convincing her parents that modeling was merely a foot in the door, 27-year old Vida is now trying to get her fans to see beyond the booty and focus on her acting and musical talents. She is ambitious and, dare we say, smart, which makes us wonder whether we’ve underestimated the power of Vida Guerra. We sat down with Vida speak about a multitude of things, including her beef with FHM Magazine, her true thoughts on The Game, and those rumors of her rap career. AllHipHop.com Alternatives: When you got into modeling, did you think it would lead to so many opportunities?
Vida Guerra: Not at first. The first time it was just to do it, you know? It was an opportunity that was given to me and I said, “Ok let me just do this.” But after the response was so big I thought I could use this as a stepping stone to do all the other things I dreamt of doing, but never thought it was possible because my parents were a little pessimistic; especially coming from another country. It’s a really hard business to get into, and not a lot of people are lucky at it. I know other models and they don’t get the opportunities that I’ve gotten. I just feel so blessed and lucky. And I don’t question it either. I appreciate it and keep moving forward.
AHHA: So your parents were strict?
Vida: Oh, my parents were so strict. I was in my 20’s when I first appeared in FHM. My father flipped out on me. He couldn’t believe I was in a g-string and all these men were going to look at me in a sexual kind of way. But he knows how they raised me, and he knows I will always conduct myself in a classy way. A woman’s body, I think, is beautiful; and if it’s [a photo spread] done properly it can be a beautiful thing and not something with your legs spread open!
AHHA: How did you get around the whole parent / family thing?
Vida: They saw that I was serious about it. and I told them this was an opportunity for me to do other things that I wanted to do. Now my dad is my biggest fan.
AHHA: Does he see all the stuff that you do?
Vida: Yeah. He sees all the stuff. He didn’t see Playboy but he knows I did Playboy.
AHHA: What made you send your picture in the first place for the FHM amateur competition?
Vida: I didn’t send the picture in. My ex-boyfriend and his friends sent the pictures in. They pushed me. The first day they told me to do it and I said ok, but I never did it. So they did it.
AHHA: What happened when you got the call back? Were you shocked?
Vida: We sent them in March and I got the call in late August. It had been a long time. I did the shoot but I noticed the people at FHM weren’t really paying any attention to me. But then the issue came out and everyone was like, “Who is this girl Vida?” They wanted to know more and more about me. So they called me, after it hit newsstands, to do another shoot with them. They didn’t want to give me a cover at first. They said I wasn’t a big enough celebrity or name to give me a cover, but the pictures turned out really well and they took the chance. It was the best selling cover for that year. But right now I’m really upset with [FHM]. .......read more here
I FUCKEN HATE rumors, especially if this one is true....
Jadakiss, 1/3rd of the rap group The LOX is rumored to have signed a deal with Cash Money Records. No official word yet, so I will treat this strictly as a rumor, & I pray to ALLAH that there is not the slightest chance that this could be true. I mean, Jadakiss (minus the Paris Hilton track he was featured on with Fat Joe) is what I'd define as NYC Hip-Hop / Street-Hop in these days of the watered down bullshit. Keep it gully, straight to the point, no questions answered. C'mon Jada, NYC needs you!!!
Kid Robot X Mad Villain Vinyl Action Figure
Is this really what's good? I'm pretty sure all you Hip-Hop nerds will jump all over this. Mad Villain BKA MF Doom & Stones Throws Records has teamed up with Japanese toy maker / distributor, Kid Robot to collaborate on this one of a kind toy. The figure is expected to drop Jan. 11th 2007 to coincide with "Stones Throw's Chrome Children Pt. 2". It is approximately 8.5 inches tall & comes in two different colors. For more info and / or to order, visit http://www.stonesthrow.com/ or http://www.kidrobot.com/.
Freeway making his solo acting debut....
Rapper Freeway (Leslie Pridgen) is set to star in a new movie called "What We Do" (not to be confused with the hood anthem of the same name off his debut album, "Philadelphia Freeway"). Free has made past appearances in small roles on the straight-to-the-streets DVD, "State Property". Here is the official trailer, peep it.
J Dilla - Won't Do (Photo Slideshow + Video Premiere)
James Yancey aka Dilla Dawg bka J Dilla. R.I.P. Here it is, the video premiere of J Dilla's "Won't Do" video, off of his last album, The Shining, with special appearances by Talib Kweli, Black Thought, Common, D'Angelo. Floetry, Jill Scott & many other legends!! Please visit http://www.jdilla.org/ if you would like to donate.
DJ Drama, DJ Don Cannon & Styles P - The Ghost That Sat By The Door
Word!! That's right, a DJ Drama / Aphiliates X Styles P aka The Ghost "Gangsta Grillz" Mixtape for the streets. You can cop it here (& do cop it, it will be a good companion with your copy of his sophomore album, "Time Is Money").
Here is the Tracklisting for this street-bangin' mixtape....
01. Salute To Knockout
02. Air Of The Night
03. Ghost Who Sat By The Door
04. The Real Styles P
05. Show You How To Do This
06. The Blackout
07. Willie The Kid - Makin' Money (Feat. La The Darkman)
08. War Time
09. Return Of The Ghost (Feat. Sheek Louch)
10. The Old From The New
11. Live By The Gun
12. Interlude
13. Blown Away
14. Testify (Feat. Talib Kweli)
15. N!ggas Ain't Actin' The Same
16. Who Wanna Problem (Feat. Lox & Swizz Beatz)
17. J Hood - Tales From The Hood
18. Enemy Of The State
19. Super Stars
20. Jadakiss - Power Of Aphilliation
21. This Is How We Live (Feat. Jadakiss) (Produced By Havoc)
22. Real Sh!t (Feat. The Late Gerald Levert)
23. It's A Ghost Town
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