The second video from A. Keys’ upcoming The Elements Of Freedom, the Jeff Bhasker & Plain Pat produced “Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart.” Album in stores on December 15th so I already know Read the rest of this entry »

Miguel Cotto got beat bad. And besides the first three rounds, he had nothing against Manny Pacquiao. Previous wins by “Pac Man” against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton were lopsided in his favor but beating a legitimate opponent such as Cotto establishes his status amongst the best of all time. Winning the WBO welterweight title, Pacquiao became the first fighter to win seven titles in an unprecedented seven different weight classes.

Bert Sugar’s Post-fight Commentary

But in all honesty, this story has already gone stale. Actually once the dust settled on this bout, all that came to mind was one name.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Obviously, Pac Man had to beat Cotto for this to happen, even though this wasn’t what the people wanted. It was just a rung on the ladder to the big one. “Money” Mayweather’s win over Miguel Marquez was a warmup to the inevitable. Paquiao proved his fight with Cotto to be the same.

Those aware of Floyd Mayweather know the boy loves to talk smack. He has already been quoted, calling Pacquiao “one dimensional” and admits that if he gets defeated it’s what the people want. You’ve got to give Mayweather props for talking shit and backing it up. But Pacquiao is as fast if not faster. Manny can take a punch from bigger fighters like Cotto and is nice with both hands.

The best part about a dude who loves to talk shit is when someone even better along makes him shut his bitch ass up. Manny Pacquiao may be that guy and for me I can’t wait for that day to happen.

I’m not sure how many reflect this sentiment, but P$C’s 25 To Life album was pretty damn good in my eyes. Hell, I even bought it. Without getting too much into it, we all know who the face of Grand Hustle is, but it is his longtime Bankhead cohorts, Big Kuntry, C-Rod and MacBoney who have always served as vital role players. That said, I was pleased to hear Mac was dropping a mixtape Monday entitled Mac Hussein.

The homie Burn One touted the tape as the return of the raw, uncut sound of ATL Hip-Hop, not the majority of material you hear today. Ultimately, that’s up for you to decide, but I do recommend downloading the tape if you need some music to serve as the soundtrack for your ride around town. If you’re still not sold, I’ve compiled a list of reasons to take three minutes out of your day and download this.

1. Production from 1500 or Nothin’, Zaytoven and Nard & B.

2. Features from Killer Mike Bigga, Kingpin “Skinny Pimp”, Mistah FAB, T.I., Big Kuntry, Young Dro and others.

3. You’ll be feeling like a D-boy in no time.

4. This was going to go with #1, but it deserved it’s own recognition. A nine-year-old, DJ Prophet, produced the intro. That’s right, he was born in the year 2000.

Say what you please, but Grand Hustle has talent on their roster. This may be beyond all realms of possibilities, but I wouldn’t mind another P$C album (or mixtape). I mean, you know who is coming home in t-minus four months.

Download — Grand Hustle Presents MacBoney – Mac Hussein Mixtape

Respect: Burn One

Like a month should ever go by that we would not show our support for LAD & WTK. Off that Gangsta Grillz: Living Notoriously. Read the rest of this entry »

Besides the Cashville affiliation, there’s a reason why Star’s material gets posted here. I enjoy the conversational style he uses periodically, sounding like he’s speaking to you from a few arm’s lengths away, slouched on a nearby couch and recalling an off the wall tale. Whether it’s based in truth or employing the writer’s license to embellish, it’s always told in a way that makes it seem like this rap thing is far too easy for him. Here, he drops one of his patented Starstyle’s over Cole’s banger. Read the rest of this entry »

Tomorrow, Pill and The Educated Villains (bookmark that for future use) will be delivering The Refill. Today, Skee’s delivering the dope, passing along “Gymnastics” and “Pistol Packer,” two tracks that he premiered on his show on Saturday. Read the rest of this entry »

I like this and find myself in agreement, so allow me to give my blog brother-in-arms Shake the e-podium.

If you remember… I attempted to light a fire under Atlantic’s ass by putting together a collection of B.o.B records that I thought could have formulated his debut album. After two killed links, the latest one is currently closing in on 10k downloads! And with the help of everyone spreading the link it seems it worked! As Atlantic has a full out campaign set for The Adventures of Bobby Ray (which is scheduled for an April release). I’ve said it countless times and will continue to do so, this man is one of the most talented artists doing it right now. And I’m glad to inform ya’ll that there is a huge record on the horizon (I gotta keep that a secret for now) and a single dropping sometime this month (and hitting radio shortly after). Looks like Bobby Ray’s time is now…

With that said, I wanted to put together another project for his fans, etc. A collection of records that dude has been featured on, etc. And just like last time, I kept all my URLs (outside of ArtByShake) and tags off as I know some of ya’ll sites won’t post with them there. And the whole point of this is to spread good music. So hit the jump and enjoy…

Download — B.o.B Presents The Features

Before you blow your paycheck on women and wine this weekend, I thought I’d pass around this notification that I received yesterday. On Monday, Jack Threads will be selling off Crooks & Castles goods. Read the rest of this entry »

I’d be remiss of recapping the NFL in week 10 without turning the back clock to Thursday night. Admittedly, there was a lot of pressure on Jay Cutler coming into the season. The Bears gave up quite a bit for his cannon arm, creating expectations of future Pro Bowls and Bears playoff appearances. Said high hopes ignored the fact that 1.) the Bears wideouts are crap and 2.) their D is getting by on rep and is average at best. Read the rest of this entry »

Rik Cordero and Three/21 got the cinematography on that chicken n’ biscuits combo of Clipse & Killa Cam that you’ve been craving. And they do a great job of capturing the ghetto fabulousness of the track itself. Malice spitting lyrics with a mouth full of yams. Cam hollering at shorties while they try to order at the register. Read the rest of this entry »

Hello Monday & Shennekia Grimshaw

Gabrielle Union In Maxim [The Cutie Blog]

The Hardest Video Games Of All Time [Ask Men]

Team Camel Toe [Yep Yep]

The Time That Bill Belichick Gave It To Me Prison Style [Don Chavez]

YouTube Effect: Making Money From Viral Videos [Time]

McDonald’s At Guantánamo Bay [Buzz Feed] Read the rest of this entry »

At this point in my blogging career, there’s no need to describe situations as “surreal.” They aren’t, so using the word is hyperbole. Not to say that they aren’t unique and that doing this hasn’t afforded its share of opportunities that I know I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. If Jay could trip a referee @ MSG, I could have effortlessly reached out and tripped him up on Friday (thanks Laura @ 360). Read the rest of this entry »

Honestly, for everything BET gets wrong, they’ve gotten a good handle on their Rising Icons show. From the majority of artists they’ve picked to the presentation, the only thing lacking is for the package to receive a frumpy little bow to top it off. It mixes new music with a scene reminiscent of an extended version of the musical scenes that used to close New York Undercover. Read the rest of this entry »

I can’t stand when  rappers let the beat ride out for anything over 30-40 seconds.  You’re a rapper, rap over it or get on with the next song.  But when real musicians do it, everyone is better for it.  War is one of those groups and “The World Is A Ghetto” is a great example of this. Read the rest of this entry »

The career of Wiz Khalifa is at an all-time high, literally and figuratively speaking. He’s no slacker stoner though. While fans are still catching a contact from his Burn After Rolling , he’s making power moves. First up, there’s getting fitted for his own line of caps with New Era® and then prepping for the November 24th release of his album Deal Or No Deal. Catch the buzz! Read the rest of this entry »