Just for kicks, Mayer Hawthorne has delivered Impressions: The Covers EP for the listening public. Free as the air we breathe, the EP features his unique spin on cuts from Chromeo, The Isley Brothers and Electric Light Orchestra and others. Read the rest of this entry »

While I’m not sure if LeBron and the Heat dispatching of the Celtics ranks alongside Jordan having to overcome the Pistons, a lot happened during and after last night’s Game 4 to help erase the lingering questions and criticisms of Miami’s squad. The action centered around James and, as far as denouements go, most everything panned out in his favor. Read the rest of this entry »

How does one go from a technicolor wild child to a madame of the Monochrome guild? Well, for Amanda Diva, there may be some correlation between that and a waning relationship with Hip-Hop, both as an artist and fan. The movie Brown Sugar coined the popular phrase “When did you fall in love with Hip-Hop?” With “Catch Me,” Diva ponders the inverse of the question Read the rest of this entry »

“This Way” serves as a complimentary piece to the previous movie trailer, revealing more of the pieces that make the man and artist. The track catches Stix shifting from “just rapping” to actually using Fate’s beat as the paper for which he pens a three minute portion of his autobiography. Read the rest of this entry »

Haven’t had a chance to listen to Warren’s newly released Dreamcatcher yet, but that’s okay. I’ve been playing his music and watching his progression for almost two years now and feel pretty safe in saying the tape’s worth the hard drive space. The South Carolina cat handles much of spotlight here, but a few other good guys – most notably Big Pooh, Skewby and Burn One – chip in for support. Read the rest of this entry »

Tisha Marie

Attack Of The Cicadas [Nashville Scene]

Batman Was Arrested in Michigan [Gawker]

Child, Please! The 10 Most Misbehaved Celebrity Kids [Vibe]

This May Be The Greatest Bill Murray Photo Ever Taken [Uproxx] Read the rest of this entry »

Viacom allegedly banned the video for “Red Nation” from MTV and BET, according to Game’s Twitter statements. But, that’s what too much soo woo’ing will do and you can count on executives’ uneasiness with Jayceon and Weezy call off every variation of Blood imaginable. Read the rest of this entry »

My best friend’s stepdad is a living legend. There’s just no other way to put it. He’s one of those old guys you love to hear talk, especially after a few drinks. Scotch on the rocks is his beverage of choice. No mixer, no chaser, none of that “punk sh*t y’all young boys do nowadays,” as he likes to say. He’ll talk about anything from fashion, to sports, to movies to anything in between. If you really want to see him in rare form, however, ask him about women. Read the rest of this entry »

Noted as the lead single to All 6s And 7s on a few sites, “Mental Giant” sounds more like it might be Tech N9ne’s street single. Not that it’s a bad thing. Realistically, as amped as this long-lost cousin to Neezle’s classic “Einstein” is, Tech didn’t pay out of pocket for his album’s A-List guest features to put out this typical, high-octane flow show as the radio single. Which is also O.K. Read the rest of this entry »

Wiz and his Taylor Gang cohorts revamp Weezy and Ross’ “John.” Read the rest of this entry »

“The difference between me and you is…I actually believe every muthaf***in thing I say. From the bottom of my heart. ‘Cuz it just is.”

Confidence can be a very elusive state of mind. To know you will succeed despite evidence to the contrary or have no fear of the consequences that accompany failure is, for many of us, only a fleeting oasis between long bouts of anxiety and hesitance. Read the rest of this entry »

A few months ago, I told Va$htie that she was a topic of conversation between my twelve year old daughter and I when discussing how limitless the world can be if you use your mind and imagination. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been known to be on the glass is half-full side of the Nicki Minaj spectacle, but I’m not oblivious that the disclaimers her critics throw at her hold validity. Few will argue that Kim played herself last year by dissing the Young Money starlet as a last resort to relevance. But imagine if Nicki really acknowledged Kim and if they were to go bar-for-bar in the fight club, would the more popular Ms. Minaj be able to emerge as victor? Read the rest of this entry »

Respect due to SPIN for recognizing our work here at TSS and David D’s amazing headline. In 2011, receiving any credit for your work from other outlets is virtually nonexistent. Read the rest of this entry »

When I was fourteen, my main hobby was obsessively raiding the used CD store. Countless afternoons and allowances were spent devouring every album I’d ever seen on anyone’s list of Hip-Hop classics and my attention rarely diverted to other genres. But in the midst of all the rhymes and beats, I did manage to stumble across a group that still stands as my favorite band of all-time: The Doors. Read the rest of this entry »