First and foremost, thanks to all that entered the yU “Before Taxes” Giveaway. While we couldn’t bless everyone with goodies, three lucky cats will be receiving free goods. The second prize winner is Thaddeus Y. of Freemont, CA. Thaddeus will be receiving receive a signed CD copy of yU’s Before Taxes and a vinyl version of the album. The third prize winner is Andrew K. of Philly and Andrew gets a whole bunch of stuff out of the TSS goodie bag.

But for the big shebang, the grand prize winner is Pythian W. of Chicago. He’ll be receiving a signed copy of yU’s Before Taxes CD as well as a vinyl copy of the album plus the NikeID “Before Taxes” Dunks.

Respect to yU, Diamond District & the Mello Music Group for putting the giveaway together and our good friends Dan & Michelle @ Audible Treats for helping to make it all happen. Make sure to check out yU’s solo album Before Taxes and show your support by purchasing a copy.

RMF!

Welcome Boston, we’ve been waiting on you. As your reward for knocking off the top seed, you’ve been tasked with taking on a well rested Orlando team that’s gone through the playoffs so far looking like gangbusters. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to hand the Magic their first playoff loss. Four times.

With the King’s coronation put off for another year, we the fans, are in for a treat with the past two Eastern Conference Finals representatives vying for another trip back for the ultimate prize. In one corner, you’ve got a veteran group who’s championship window is rapidly closing. While in the other, you’ve a team looking to finish what it started last year, finally having the experience to go along with the talent they relied on this year. Regardless of who’s standing once the series comes to a close, the real winner is us the fans, who’ll be treated to watching two teams at full strength & playing at the top of their games at the right time of the season. Read the rest of this entry »

Asher dropped a pretty solid mixtape but you don’t care. Here, he created a video with a direct play from his debut album’s cover, and you still don’t care. Whatever sins he’s committed against you, scorned Hip-Hop junkie, this project will carry the cross. Sometimes an artist has to take an L to position themselves to get a future win. Read the rest of this entry »

How would you have liked to watch Iron Man 2 last weekend from the comfort of your home? Let me rephrase that. How would you have liked to legally watch Iron Man 2 last weekend from the comfort of your home? If the MPAA has its way that day may be on the horizon.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), saying it was “in the public interest” today approved a request by the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) to permit recent movies to be sent directly to American households over secure high definition transmission lines from their cable or satellite providers prior to their release on DVD or Blu-Ray.

I’ll spare you all the technical jargon, but what the FCC approved was the implantation of a selective output control (SOC) which would disable other non-secure outputs from accessing the movie, preventing any bootlegging. Read the rest of this entry »

The sneaker world, at least for me, has always been an intriguing entity. Don’t get it twisted, I love sneakers like the next person, but calling myself a “sneakerhead” is false advertisement. The only Jordan’s I know like the back of my hand are the X’s – my favorite pair in life. Yet and still, I don’t speak about shoes often because I’m not actually knowledgeable on the subject. That’s Gotty™, MZ and DJ Skee’s territory. Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to emerging artists, it’s hard to match the West Coast right now in terms of fresh faces produced. Throwing his hat in an already crowded ring, L.A.’s (by the way of Canada) Shane Eli is ready to vie for a few spins on your iPod with his upcoming debut albumThe Push.

Handling both mic and production duties for the entire project, Shane’s in full control of his destiny. His original production stands alone from track to track, giving him a diverse sound.  When he picks up the mic he’s no slouch either. While not to be confused with an elite emcee, he gets you from point A to B smoothly & can provide lines that Read the rest of this entry »

‘Just Wright’ Is Not Quite [Pop Matters]

Heroin About to Get a Whole Lot More Expensive [Gawker]

The Worst Possible NBA Jam One-Liners [SBNation]

Digital Retailers, Profit Per Song [Wesley Verhoeve]

Vans Archive Pack Summer 2010 [Sole Collector]

The Bloggers Who Are Reinventing Sports Media [Yardbarker]

Rapper X-Raided Stabbed 8 Times In Prison Riot Over Rap Album [AHH]

Law & Order Put $79 Million Into NYC Economy Each Year [Gothamist]

Men’s Jean Alternatives [AskMen]

Janelle Monae: Dreaming In Science Fiction [NPR]

Get Updates: Follow Us Twitter.com/TSS_Crew & Become A Fan On Facebook

Buy TSS Stickers [TSS]

Curren$y’s been doing this rap thing for a while now. After holding down the N.O. consistently for a decade, it looks as if Spitta is finally hitting his artistic stride after hooking up with Dame Dash & Creative Control. The video for “King Kong,” the first single off his upcoming album Pilot Talk, showcases the exuberant lifestyle of a Hip-Hop star on the rise with the calm, yet seductively smooth soundtrack carrying the visuals along with perfection.

If you’re like me, you have June 15th circled on your calendar with an Andrew Jackson tucked away ready to support one of the best doing it right now. Read the rest of this entry »

– Basketball is a team game (how else do you explain this dunk?). But similar to how quarterbacks & pitchers absorb the losses in their respective sports, the wins and losses fall on the star’s shoulders.

– Tila’s bringing real Hip-Hop back one DJ at a time & David D. will be there to capture it all for our enjoyment.

– Relive our adventures with B.o.B & peep his album review. Read the rest of this entry »

The Hip-Hop Chronicle sent over part two of their interview with Just Blaze & Alchemist. Pretty entertaining and revealing as the two beatmakers reveal which artists passed on certain beats (Bleek passed on “Oh Boy,” thank god), with the most “aww man” revelation being that Ghost passed on Jay-Z’s “Girls, Girls, Girls.” The clip also includes an explanation of Craig Mack lyric “Just…like…uniblab”, both guys remembering the first time they heard their work on TV/radio and the difference between the respective studio approaches of Jay & Em. Read the rest of this entry »

“I don’t need conflict, I’m a convict…”

Yo Shyne Po, this is how you come back to rap after being regurgitated out the belly of the beast. Fresh out of prison and into the studio, Black Rob releases “Ventilation” from his upcoming Game Tested & Streets Approved mixtape. Four years removed yet sounding like he never missed a beat. Read the rest of this entry »

An oldie but goodie by Mister Cee, originally released circa ’97 and remastered for 2010. Looking @ the tracklisting and listening warms the cockles of my heart © LC as I remember the impact several of these tracks had on mixtapes, radio, the streets and clubs. “You Ain’t A Killer,” “Keep Your Hands High” & “G.O.D. III”? Psssh. On the flipside, today’s rappers should take it as a lesson because half of the hits and their featured performers, we could put an APB out on their whereabouts. Read the rest of this entry »

Mary J. Blige to Play Nina Simone in Movie Biopic [Spinner]

Queen Latifah and Her ‘Personal Trainer’ Now Own a House Together [Gawker]

Awesome Art Made Of Stuff From Your Desk [Street Level]

Guy In Wheelchair Storms Soccer Pitch [With Leather]

Sarah Palin Wannabes Expose Themselves [TMZ] Read the rest of this entry »

For what it’s worth right now, Trey Songz may be the premiere name in mainstream male R&B. That may be a good or bad thing depending who’s asked. One thing is for certain, though: his grind has been a slow-cooked recipe for success. Kevin Liles assuming control of Trey’s career may be the best professional move for any artist in quite some time. There truly are “no ceilings” to the heights the native of Petersburg, Virginia can climb. Read the rest of this entry »

Couldn’t explain how this one made it’s way from the depths of my playlist and all the way to the top. All I know is “we the only ones, the only ones, the only ones…” has been stuck in my cranium for a few days now. Read the rest of this entry »