Sade and Badu are releasing material. Lauryn’s been spotted doing dates overseas. It’s only right that D’Angelo make an appearance. And while I haven’t seen an official proclamation regarding a return or an album, “1,000 Deaths” sounds promising. Funky and finespun, the music is intriguing given all of the layers of sound working together at once. Read the rest of this entry »

Every now and then I’m sure the great majority of us find ourselves on a Tupac kick. You run through the classics, watch the videos and take in the wisdom from his interviews. By the end of it, you’re left in amazement as if it’s the first time you’ve ever heard him speak. Regardless of where he ranks on the hotly contested, yet purely fictional “G.O.A.T.” list, Afeni’s revolutionary offspring is one of the most influential Hip-Hop artists ever. Read the rest of this entry »

Certain people let video games take advantage of their lives. Others take advantage of those people. Case in point, The Energy Commission’s ‘official’ music video for Activision’s acclaimed first-person shooter, Modern Warfare 2. That’s right, a music video for a video game. We’re not talking Pa Rappa Da Rappa either. Read the rest of this entry »

Turk sent me the following message earlier in the week regarding today’s matchup of the league’s past two NBA champions.

“Look yo….. I don’t ask for much nor do I make demands. But this Sunday there needs to be a post for the game. This is THE rivalry that tops all rivalries. Forget whose shoes your wearing or what ever stat you can pull out yo ass to say whose better. It comes down to two things IMO: wins and championships. Grant us this post for old times sake.”

Permission granted. Talk your shit.

I could have spent a countless amount of time and bandwith pulling pictures from American Apparel’s Best Bottom Search and reposting them here. But I figure you deserve the pleasure of filling your voyeuristic desires without interference. I didn’t see too many Horse Award recipients but there are several serviceable sets of assets to be seen (Amen). Read the rest of this entry »

If you can’t tell by one of my previous picks, I’m all about the groove right now and this Stardust house classic fits the mold. I’m charged, Joe! Read the rest of this entry »

Along with the previous footage of the show’s recap and Grip’s performance of “Jockin’,” here’s a additional footage shot @ last Friday’s 808…Vol. 2 release party. Shot by the eagle-eyed visionaries @ The SP Agency. Read the rest of this entry »

You’d think that Apple had another beloved money maker up their sleeves when the often rumored iPad finally saw the light of day. But the iPad’s backlash ranging from unabashed naysayers to the everyday citizens of Apple’s reality distortion field have swarmed the innanet like no other product in the Corporation’s recent memory. It almost looks like Steve Jobs & co. set themselves up worse than that hapless “comedian” blessed with Jamie Foxx’s “I Am Your Conscience” routine. Sad thing is the contraption isn’t even a week old and the e-mischief is still rolling.

The folks at college humor keep the hate rolling in this flick. Some of the jokes inside are easy front runners such as (max)iPad-type putdowns and punchlines of the “useless piece of shit” variety. But I chuckled when ‘ol girl said it’d make Amazon’s CEO commit suicide. Add that to the play on Apple’s clean backdrops, overt enthusiasm over joke possibilities and Charmin soft rock and you have a decent parody to click through. Keep in mind that these cats scratched the surface here. Let’s not get into what makes nerds hate this thing.

SP The Ghost and Sheek sounding in good form over this rambunctious Green Lantern production, highlighted by a key PE sample for the chorus. Read the rest of this entry »

For The Weekend, Kamille Leai

Hipster Trends We Hate [AskMen]

David Stern’s Ridiculous “Gun” Hypocrisy [Sports Frog]

DJ Khaled Talks Shyne Collaboration, Spits Buju Banton Rhymes [Vibe]

Doctors Are Addicted To ‘Every Drug Under The Sun’ [Telegraph UK]

Cancer Cure Can Wait, 3D Porn Comes First [Film Drunk] Read the rest of this entry »

Been waiting on the CDQ of this. And even though it sounds like the levels still are a little off, it’ll suffice for the time being. Sean drops a suplex on Radric’s original, adding his own dose of flavor. Read the rest of this entry »

Every few months, Gist will appear on the scene with a new mixtape or, in this case, a video. Even though he caught a bad break by the Dips breaking up, he’s still pursuing music, as evidenced by “No Plan B.” Midway through, Gist abandons the beat and goes acapella.

If there’s still someone looking for a “that old Cam,” traces of his style can be found in Gist, who’s always shared a similar vocal tone and delivery as his Harlem homeboy.
If I were in an A&R, I’d consider snatching up the kid up before he decides to go another route.

Initially, I was going to post footage of LBJ’s four blocks last night because they were certified, each one looking more like a volleyball spike than a block. But then that one kid would come in and criticize us for being pro-LeBron.

Instead, I chose this Kevin Durant, wearing only one-shoe, swatting Aaron Afflalo’s layup. If you’ve ever tried jumping on a hardwood floor with no shoes on, then you know this isn’t an easy feat, no pun.

Seen: The Big Lead

Lito with another audio offering and an update on upcoming projects.

Following the successful release of The Tenn-A-Keyan 3.5, an early 2010 “Mixtape of the Year” contender, Starlito has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Living In The Past a project that will feature Star rhyming over instrumentals from the pre-2000 era is set to drop on Valentine’s Day (2/14). While Renaissance Gangster, a street album with beats provided by DJ Burn One is due to drop the following day, 2/15. And Starlito’s Way 3: Life Insurance is scheduled to drop on 3/13 & has the makings to be his best work yet. When it’s all said & done that would mean Lito will have dropped 8 tapes in 10 months. And the result of all this could go down as one of the best 12-month runs of consistent quality music that any 1 rapper has had in recent memory. [DGB]

Star, reference LC’s quality product theory.

While I’m all for the material and it’s made for great riding material, it’d be good if all those tapes were filled with better than average material but they’re not. Most of the recent offerings have been weighed down by a lack of direction and the featured appearances are heavy distractions. I’ve had to download, knowing in advance that I’m going to have to use a sifter to shake loose all the gravel to get the gold.

Sure, mixtapes are still a valuable tool in this rap thing. If the mixtape is your marketing plan to a bigger payday, clean them up and make sure they’re showing your best product. That shit with Drake and Gucci? Pure luck similar to throwing dice against the wall. If you’re working this hard, a good structured attack trumps just grinding hard to say you’re hustling.

Yep, voting with my dollars again.

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Download — Starlito – “I’m Beaming (Ugly Girls)”

Stray Shots

The Doppelgangaz – 2012: The New Beginning

Big Zik – The Equation

Von Pea – Audible Silence: The Words Anthology

Neako – Junk Food

DJ Fingaz Presents – Streets On Lock Mixtape

Rumorz – The Souloist (Mixtape)

C.Keys/Infamous MC – Reconstruction Mixtape

Alicia_Keys-The_Element_Of_Freedom_(Empire_Edition_EP)

Digital Scale & DJ Rell Present Lil Boosie – Redemption Mixtape

The Best In The Business…The Bit B: Volume #1

Bun_B_-_Underground_King

Stray Shots

Everyone loves a rookie’s story. Some pan out to become superstars. Others find themselves as permanent punchlines. In Hip-Hop, it’s the same pressure on a different platform. Music relies directly on the consumer’s feedback to determine how much success, if any, the artist will see. If the fans aren’t appreciative, neither are record labels. The music industry’s gift and curse, some would say. In today’s climate, J. Cole, Freddie Gibbs, Pill, Wiz Khalifa, Drake and others are all making strides in the positive direction at the current moment. Read the rest of this entry »