Although he’s heaped mounds of material onto his scoreboard in such a short period, “My Own Worst Enemy” may be the first actual glimpse of the inner workings of the cerebral cortex, which resides in Radric Davis. Over a subtle and bouncy Drumma Boy hood symphony, Gucci seemingly takes the high road as he skates over his thoughts of Young Jeezy dissing and his responsibilty to keep things peaceful if by all means possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Since the last basketball-related post I did was lambasted, I figured I’d throw up something undisputed.

Thanks to Will “The Thrill” Bynum and his Spud Webb-like vertical, my Detroit Pistons have been plastered all over ESPN for good reason. I was watching the game live last night and actually missed this early dunk-of-the-year candidate by a split second, as I was screwing around with this friggin’ place, but luckily my man George Blaha got excited enough for all of us. Not to mention, Willy B did it AGAIN in the third (without posterizing Tyson Chandler, however).

As the homegirl Natalie likes to say over @ Need4Sheed….”That’s Bynumite!”

The song’s title couldn’t be more accurate for 6th Sense. He just recently brandished his own form of weaponry, and now he’s hopping on Chemistry beats for more scientific methods. Read the rest of this entry »

Along with DJ Skee, we’re proud to bring to you Jack Splash’s Heir To The Throne Vol. 1. On the surface, the mixtape is a motion picture in audio form, inspired by scenes seen after living in both L.A and Miami. It’s energetic, eclectic rhymes spiced with doses of rap, funk and traces of techno. Read the rest of this entry »

If you ask Gotty ™ about Wale, he’ll be sure to tell you that he’s been a fan since the kid was kicking freestyles in fifth grade or something.

Me? I was late. I didn’t become a fan until Wale dropped “The Kramer.” It was his ability to take a topic (the “N” word) that was being run to the ground by every rapper with a pulse at the time and add an emotional layer to it that few could put in their songs. Read the rest of this entry »

Wyclef has arguably released his best body of work since The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II A Book and half of you kumquats just stopped and stared. If his career was considered deceased, he got his resurrection on with this one. Read the rest of this entry »

The next incarnation of the Jordan series will release in February 2010, marking the 25th edition of the sneaker. In the video, Tinker Hatfield & Mark Smith, the two minds and hands behind the molding of the Jordan 2010, explain the inspiration and design process. Read the rest of this entry »

This is good. It’s not overwhelming, but it does succeed in striking a balance a balance between the money, materialism and the ilk that permeate the basslines of most songs. It’s Dres, employing a dash of irony for a sobering reminder to listeners Read the rest of this entry »

Without fail, saying the name “Waka Flocka Flame” brings a devilish grin to my face. It’s simplistic, ignorant yet brilliant, similar to how I wish I had started calling myself Flavor Flav before William Drayton grabbed it. If you’ve yet to understand the connection & appeal of the likes of Waka & OJ, seeing may be believing and the video is typical of the adrenaline-stirring chaos they inspire. Read the rest of this entry »

Beauty Monrose Could Get It

The Twenty-Five Most Valuable Blogs In America [24/7 Wall St.]

What Were Black People Talking About on Twitter Last Night? [The Awl]

OJ Da Juiceman Reveals Mixtape With Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka Flame [MTV]

The 10 Worst Heisman Winners of All Time [Bleacher Report]

Dwight’s Critical Blogging Costs Him $15k [Slam]

The Five Breakfast Cereals Most Ripe For A Big Screen Adaptation [Pajiba] Read the rest of this entry »

Since Trackstar is Crew, I’ll him tell his own story behind the concept for this mixtape.

“Since Jay-Z stopped worrying about being the best and declared himself the greatest, many people have claimed the title of Best Rapper Alive, but few as often as Lil Wayne and Royce Da 5’9″. While Wayne is a global superstar and Royce owns the underground, they seem to share similar taste in beats — “D.O.A.,” “I’m Me” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” as notable examples. I went ahead and put together twelve rounds of Nickel and Weezy facing off over the same beat, threw in a boxing motif, and now I’ll let the people decide.”

And the most I’m going to even attempt to add to that is this is worth a fuckin’ listen A.) for Track’s setup and B.) to hear these two guys literally rip each beat to shreds.

Trackstar The DJ & The Smoking Section Present Lil Wayne Vs. Royce 5’9 by TheSmokingSection

Download – Trackstar The DJ and TSS Present Best Rapper Alive? (Royce Da 5’9″ Vs. Lil Wayne) | Alt. Link

First off take a long, hard (II) look at the picture above.

Notice the date?  Friday the 13th, as in four days prior to Before I Self Destruct hitting store shelves and about 400 days since the first stalled it’s original single “Get Up” surfaced.  I was wondering what 50 had up his sleeves to add a little buzz to his release.  Lord knows a building single, decent album & accompanying movie aren’t enough for Boo Boo.  He used little brother last time, so big brother is only the natural progression.

Seeing as how he’s been playing chess ever since GRODT, I wonder how long he’s been building up this all out assault on Jay-Z?  I mean what other business would him and Beanie Sigel have to talk about on a song?  Countless videos have been floating around the net about how 50′s wanted to sign Beanie to G-Unit for a few years, but Jigga’s pride wouldn’t let that happen.  It would also go a long way as to explaining why Beanie felt compelled to go at Jay seemingly out of the blue.  Bean’s may see it as initiation into G-Unit, but 50′s been waiting to go all out at Hov for a minute & Sigel’s situation* is the perfect springboard for that.

As well as a great way to bring some attention to Before I Self Destruct.  Think about it, 50 needs to make his albums into an event because the music isn’t strong enough to pull people in on it’s on.  Not that the music isn’t quality, but the persona of 50 Cent surpasses the music at this point.  His interviews, assaults on lesser rappers, movies & insights on the music industry keep people entertained & him continually in the public eye.  The music is secondary at this point.  I think if he kept all the extra curricular activities goings and didn’t put any more music out most people would be none the wiser.

TC summed it up with this gem the other day: “I don’t think anyone of you care if this gets a 1 or a 5 lol.”

A telltale sign that he’s reached retirement age in rapper years.

*Of cousrse I could be wrong and “I Go Off” was just made for the sake of making great music.

Whatever it is that has rejuvenated Snoop, I’m for it. Maybe it’s what he’s not doing anymore. Anybody seen the Bishop Don Juan recently? Anyways, “Upside Down” finds Boss Dogg alongside Nipsey & Problem over a marching drum beat.

Sidenote: I told Legend a couple of weeks ago, “Gangsta’s Life” has been on constant repeat. Snoop & Hussle need to stay making music together right now. West up and all that there.

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Download — Snoop Dogg Feat. Nipsey Hussle & Problem – “Upside Down”

Obie’s back with his first full length since the departure from Shady Records. For Special Reserve, Mr. Trice gets with MoSS – the first producer signed to the legendary DJ Premier’s Works of Mart production company – allowing the beatsmith to handle all the sounds for the album. “Got Hungry” features frenetic production Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not sure if I have a true bucket list of performers I’d like to see, as I’ve seen the majority. KRS? Yep and it was amazing. The Roots? Baddest yet. The Wu, both as a whole, the solo sets and splinter groups? Yep, yep and yep. PE @ their peak. Cypress Hill when they first lit the blunt. Saw The God MC in A, as well as my favorite nigga Bigga. Kanye? Yessir. I’d like to catch Boosie but it looks like I’ll be waiting a couple of years for that.

“Who’s the best emcees? Biggie, Jay-Z and Nas…”

That’s where it gets cloudy for me. I’d obviously remember if I saw Biggie and I don’t recall that. Specifically Nas and Jay are hazy for me. I think I saw Nas around the time of whatever album “If I Ruled The World” was out and his pink suit was in. I remember him doing one of the shortest sets for a headliner ever. And in my mind, I swear I saw Jay perform during the Hard Knock Life tour. But coincidentally around the time the millennium was threatening to wipe away the earth so I was partying like it was indeed 1999, my system filled with the adrenaline that fast living creates, alcohol and other stimulants.

So in recent years, I wiped my list clean and started anew. And on Friday, I’ve been afforded “media access” (quotations because I’m not sure what media access means) to see Jay-Z, along with Wale & J. Cole, as they come to perform @ Vanderbilt University for the Nashville stop of the current tour. Read the rest of this entry »