Lil’ Boosie has been goin’ through some thangs.

The product of Baton Rouge’s streets has never been shy about telling his story. While most casual listeners know Bad Azz for his party singles like “Wipe Me Down” and “Zoom,” his followers know him as the ambassador to the Gulf Coast streets. Though Boosie has been able to leave his neighborhood for greener pastures, his personal life is as tumultuous as ever.

He’s currently under house arrest and facing a trial date set for September 28th while braving a tough promotional schedule and ever-volatile health. Still, Boosie took some time to talk with David D. about his album, Super Bad, his relationship with Webbie, his patented haircut and…interesting details about women.

This is definitely an interview you have to read & see to believe.

TSS: How’s it going man?

Lil’ Boosie: I’m alright, just chillin’ in New York taking care of this album.

TSS: Cool, I just want to start by letting you know I’m from Jackson, MS so–

Lil’ Boosie: So you know my struggle…

TSS: Yea, so let’s get into this album. Why is it called Super Bad?

Lil’ Boosie: Everything is a little better: my rhymes, my production. I got more features than I had last time. I reached out to the ladies more than on the last album. I’m getting more money, I’m more focused. If you’re with Boosie Bad Azz you know what it is. Read the rest of this entry »

No need to be alarmed. Donnis did rise to prominence rather quickly. And you know what? He’s just getting started. Read along to see what truly defines Atlanta’s next-up-to-bat as he’s poised to take his share of this Hip-Hop game with his new project — the 10.Deep sponsored Diary Of An Atlanta Brave.

The South just got a lil’ more lyrical…

TSS: You’ve managed to get well-connected within the industry off the strength of your talent, but does it feel like you’re playing catch-up with the fans?

Donnis: Yeah, most definitely. I feel like people who are already poppin’ know I have a knack for what I do and it’s just time to let all the fans know I get it poppin’ as a lyricist. And that’s what we’re aiming to do with Diary Of An Atlanta Brave.

TSS: When did you first know you were capable of being a full-fledged MC?

Donnis: No bullshit, I think I’m just now coming into where I need to be lyrically — to be able to compete, ya know? I feel like I always had the capability. And my goal is to compete with the ones that are winning. Not just the ones who rap just to rap.

TSS: So in a nutshell, you wanna be successful and you’re constantly improving? Read the rest of this entry »

Too often, MCs claim to be incorporate that “nineties feel” into their music but rarely deliver on such promises. Thankfully for most older fans, Truck North doesn’t know any other way to bring it. In fact, the Philadelphia freestyler was so headstrong, his mixtape — the stellar Truck Jewels — almost didn’t happen because mixtapes have become “too flagrant” as he so eloquently put it.

Get inside the head of a traditional MC who hates ringtone rap and where he thinks he measures up with Black Thought in terms of bar for bar explosiveness. He’s appeared on the last three Roots’ albums come to think about it…

TSS: So you’ve established your own footing with Truck Jewels. How do you feel about that?

Truck North: I feel good about it! I was an anti-mixtape dude. For obvious reasons of course. The game just got fucked up. I was like “Man, fuck it. I’m not gonna do a mixtape. I’m not gonna be like everybody else.” But it was dope though cuz it was all based off of people actually wanting to hear something.

TSS: And it stayed true to the actual mixtape format with some songs clocking in a little over a minute…

Truck North: Oh definitely! In and out! I know how my attention span is and I can’t expect somebody to devote an hour and forty-five minutes to my ego (Laughs). Thirty songs and shit…c’mon man.

TSS: Backtracking a little bit, where did you get your first national spot on a record. You were on The Roots’ [The Tipping Point]. Was that the start of it all?

Truck North: Nah, that was my first Roots album. The first thing I ever did that ever came out was some joint called “Bang, Bang” that ended up getting used for OkayPlayer’s True Notes Vol. 1 and subsequently ended up getting used for NBA 2K5. Read the rest of this entry »

Felicia Pearson was born to play her eponymous character “Snoop” on HBO’s The Wire. Discovered by actor Michael K. Williams (b.k.a. Omar Little) in a Baltimore club, the street-certified Pearson had no buffer zone between putting in work for her set and putting in work on the set. But cast as drug lord Marlo’s loyal assassin, Pearson and her riveting performances are forever seared in the memories of Wire aficionados.

Her tough life, five years of which were spent doing a bid for second-degree murder, provides a background story many rappers would sell their souls for. Instead of glorifying her checkered past, Felicia has transitioned into more positive things. She volunteers as a prison-visitor, works anti-violence and literary campaigns and runs a youth drama organization with Wire alumni Jamie Hector. Pearson is also an author, penning her biography Grace After Midnight. The inspirational book, which held down the #1 spot at the Essence Magazine Book Club, is in the midst of being reprinted. Felicia Pearson is also a rapper which immediately brings to question if there’s room in the Hip-Hop game for another Snoop?. The baby-faced actress thinks so, recruiting R&B singer Lil’ Mo for the single “Lovely” on her forthcoming yet-to-be-titled album. In addition, Pearson has the lead role in a new film helmed by Ed Burns and David Simon, the salient writing duo that produced The Wire.

The Crew’s Khalid Strickland hooked up with the laid-back Felicia “Snoop” Pearson to discuss Grace After Midnight, her pearls of hood wisdom and the line between reality and fiction on The Wire.

TSS: Congratulations on the success of your book.

Felicia: Thank you.

TSS: Explain the title Grace After Midnight. What’s the science behind that?

Felicia: Grace is my accomplishments now and midnight is my past history… just coming through the struggle, you know? And I just came up with Grace After Midnight.

TSS: What are your goals with this book?

Felicia: Just so people can understand me and my history and where I came from. Hopefully everything that I say, some of it will touch somebody and change somebody’s mind about something. It’s a lot of things out there that kids and adults go through that they can relate to in the book. They read it and hopefully see that I overcame a lot of things and hopefully they think they can do the same thing. That’s all.

TSS: Back when you were in the streets heavy did you have aspirations of being an author or actor? Or did you just go where destiny took you?

Felicia: I just went where my destiny took me.

TSS: What do you say to hood folk who can’t picture life beyond the block, as if that’s all they’ll ever have?

Felicia: Don’t think that at all because there’s a lot out here in this world. There’s a whole world out here. Like around my way, I used to think about that myself. Like, “This is all I’ma accomplish… just huggin’ the block” and this, that and the third. And God said, “Nah, there’s another way out and I’ma show you.” So just keep the faith and if you can dribble a basketball up and down the court or run a football… soccer, anything… just keep on praying on your dream and it will come true.

TSS: Many Wire fans will see Grace After Midnight and say, “Yeah, it’s a continuation of The Wire. It’s gonna be some straight gangsta, drug shit.” Is that what the book is about or should they curb their expectations a bit? Read the rest of this entry »

You probably hadn’t heard of Finale prior to his A Pipe Dream And A Promise release. He didn’t have the blog buzz, he wasn’t throwing out music for free as fast as he could record it, and he wasn’t forcing himself onto the masses in an effort to win folks over with everything but music. Instead, he has utilizing the the Bob Wylie approach; taking it one step at a time ensuring that each move is correct and not premature. It’s a method the Detroit native has used throughout his career, which as he describes in this interview is one unique to the rest of his peers in Rap.

Finale’s patience and self-discipline laid the foundation for his debut, the bluntly titled A Pipe Dream And A Promise. Recorded over a 5 year period the album plays out like a meticulously crafted collage. Boasting a dream team of producers from Nottz, Dilla, Flying Lotus, Black Milk, Oddisee and others there is surprisingly high level of cohesion that carries throughout, which is a direct reflection of Finale’s vision. The same precision carries into his lyrics, with each word in each bar playing a specific position and covering a wide range of topics rooted in reality. All the elements of a great album are in place, and it’s just a matter of time before listeners catch on. If it happened over night it wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be Finale.

TSS: I gotta kick it off with the most basic question; what originally sparked your interest in Hip-Hop?

Finale: I used to write a lot. All the way through High School I was always writing, but not even rap lyrics. But uh, after I graduated High School I went to Morehouse. When I was out there I linked up with a crew called who now goes by Shaman Works. I don’t really do the whole crew thing, but that’s my family. They showed me the ropes and taught me how to write bars and structure songs. That’s when I fell in love with rhyming and that’s when I knew that this is what I wanted to do. I remember someone gave me a tape of OC’s Jewelz and I just listened to that non stop for like two semesters straight. That album really made me want to write. Read the rest of this entry »

Ladies and gents, Wale has arrived.

After a few years of putting in work on a regional & underground level, his music was thrust into the spotlight with the release of several critically acclaimed mixtapes. And now, the D.C. spitter is ready to take it mainstream with his Attention Deficit album around the corner.

Even though his world has grown larger & his options expanded, Wale is steadfast in his determination to stay an individual in a world of collaborations and co-signs. Early one morning recently, he got on the phone with the Crew’s David D. to talk about this dilemma, the reception to his single, “Chillin” and which character from The Wire he is most like.

Wale: Hello?

TSS: Hey, Wale?

Wale: Hey, how you doing man?

TSS: What are you up to right now?

Wale: I’m on my way to New York from D.C. right now. (Brief yawn) I got a couple of photo shoots to do and interviews.

TSS: I hear you yawning, they wearing you out man?

Wale: Yea, man, I didn’t get home till late. We had a crazy show in D.C. last night.

TSS: Yea, I ran into you here at the Jugrnaut in Chicago a few weeks ago. You were doing an in-store and you seemed pretty tired then too. Has the tour kind of taken its toll on you physically?

Wale: Absolutely. I got two shows tonight and one tomorrow in New York. It’s been a lot of tough work.

TSS: Have you looked at this like boot camp for the tour you’re supposed to be going on with Jay this summer?

Wale: I think this is actually the hardest part right now. It’s just a lot of early flying. (Simulates a yawn) Going to bed late. Not eating right. Y’know, just eating whatever you can get your hands on because everything is closed.

TSS: Now, your “Chillin” video recently came out then didn’t come out and as soon as it came out you went to Twitter to kind of explain it. Do you feel like you have to justify a single like that to your core audience?

Wale: Naw, I mean. Not necessarily explain it. I think it’s important just in case everyone is not hip to what’s going on. I just gotta get them a little hip to it because some people understand what’s going on and some people don’t. Sometimes you gotta throw a little bit out there to say “look” so people get it now.

TSS: And you have this “Family Affair” video also coming out at the same time. Is this to reach some sort of balance to reach that side that doesn’t get it?

Wale: Naw, that’s what I do. Mixtape About Nothing is kind of my niche. I’m the creative song-writing guy. Or the go-go party record guy. I want to do something different because the concept of this album is attention deficit. It’s left. Or not necessarily left. It’s just to bring you in my world.

I feel like that was the best way to do it, because most people send out an invitation to go party and get the most popular girl to send out invitations. When you hear the album, you’re gonna hear a lot of those records that are like “wow, that’s an amazing record.”

TSS: It looks like you have Slim Charles from The Wire in the video.

Wale: Yeaaaah. Well, I grew up listening to him and his band growing up. He’s in one of the biggest bands (Backyard Band) in D.C. history. So, I grew up watching him and we became cool like three years ago. It was kind of a no-brainer when I got the record. I saw the treatment and I knew who I wanted to play that role.

TSS: How closely did you follow The Wire?

Wale: Oh, I’ve seen every episode.

TSS: Which character from the show is Wale? Read the rest of this entry »

With the constant attention last year’s XXL freshman class continues to get, much abandonment has befell on the original 10 that were knighted as the wave of the future. While most have relinquished their buzz, Atlanta rhyme animal Gorilla Zoe continues to King Kong the game with his unique brand of Hip-Hop. Still rattling cages from his latest album Don’t Feed The Animals, Zoe breaks down his grind which includes a movie by the same name as his album, his humanitarian work and why you can never write him off as a gimmick.

As Zoe speaks with the Crew’s TC, read to find out why the animal is still hungry.

TSS: So you made a noticeable 180° with the new album [Don't Feed The Animals] from “Hood Nigga” and some of your other material. What inspired the turnaround?

Gorilla Zoe: Well everybody wants to make better music, you feel me? I can make “Hood Nigga” in my sleep. But it was more like “Can I make real music? Can I create subject matter? How far can I stretch?” Anybody can make hood music or club records, that’s not hard. But can you make music that touch people’s souls. That’s what I was out to do. I have a new lane I’m creating.

TSS: Are you worried about alienating your established fanbase with the new directions?

Gorilla Zoe: Hell nah, they’ll just have to play catch up.

TSS: It’s safe to say “Lost” took everybody by surprise. You actually have days like that?

Gorilla Zoe: Oh yeah, I think it’s safe to say everybody has days like that.

TSS: Why did Lil’ Wayne get cut from the song?

Gorilla Zoe: Politics. Little label shit. They choose and pick want they want to release.

TSS: And the title Don’t Feed The Animals doubles for the album and the movie. What does that mean exactly?

Gorilla Zoe: It basically means don’t give them niggas no money. It’s a post warning. Feed as in food actually means the money. And it’s post because I already got the money but once you taste success, you want more success and that’s what it is.

TSS: The [Don't Feed The Animals] chain is one of the most creative pieces we’ve seen in a while but the buzz on the Internet is everybody’s curious what it’s made out of and some were saying it was just plastic. Read the rest of this entry »

Props if you know him from Emanon, and if it wasn’t until Below The Heavens with Blu that convinced you of Exile’s musical genius, welcome. Since the early 90′s the Los Angeles-bred and buttered producer has been steadily building a resume of work few can rival. From underground 12-inches to commercial gems (think: Mobb Deep’s “Pearly Gates”), he covers all ground with a sound identifiably his. Not to be outdone by his works with other artists, Exile has two solo albums of his own: Dirty Science and his latest conceptual masterpiece, Radio. Sampled purely from the radio (yes, you read that correctly), the aptly titled album is his first purely instrumental endeavor and without the use of vocalists.

Yet, Exile is able to say more than most rappers choose to. He is a true master of the MPC, with turntable skills to match. An innovator. A visionary. Smart. Humble. Funny and for real with it.

If my words sound bold, check the facts, and without further adieu…

TSS: What was the first instrument you got your hands on?

Exile: The first instrument was an accordion. I was living in my Grandfather’s garage and he would give me accordion lessons. It didn’t really stick though.

TSS: Have you applied some of those lessons to your music later in life?

Exile: Yeah, definitely. That was my first time really learning keys, and I still play keys today.

TSS: What about in terms of beat machines?

Exile: It was actually tape loops first. I had one turntable and two tape decks and I would loop em up. I think it was the “Genius Of Love” sample (Hums beat). Rewind it and then leave a silent part. I’d do that for like three minutes, so I’d have a tape of that playing over and over with silent parts that I had to fill in. I’d play that and then fill in the gaps. So I could take a full loop, put it into the other cassette deck and play that. Then I would record on the other one and put stuff on top of it. I pretty much had infinite tracks.

TSS: Damn. How long were you doing that?

Exile: I did that for a couple of years and then eventually I got a push button sampler and a 4-track. That was when I first started putting out music. Making tapes and I even pressed it up on vinyl like that. Then I moved to the Roland MS1 and then eventually the MPC.

TSS: How are old were you when you were looping the tapes?

Exile: Eighth grade, but I actually started scratching on one turntable in sixth grade. I had one one of those home stereo component systems with the tape deck, radio and turntable up top. What I’d do was press the tape button down while hitting the phono button so it’d act like a transformer button. I used to scratch Star Wars records and stuff like that.

TSS: Since you were creating and cutting up sounds so young, when did the idea of being producer really resonate?

Exile: I always wanted to be a Hip-Hop producer and DJ. Ever since Junior High I knew. I used to fantasize, like when I was getting ready to scratch, I used to fantasize that I was at a KRS-One concert and Kenny Parker was sick or something and KRS would call out, “Can anybody DJ!?!” And then I would start scratching like I was on stage with KRS-One. I don’t know if that has to do with anything, but I thought I would let you know that (Laughs).

TSS: So it’s always been in the plans?

Exile: Yeah, I mean I know this sounds strange, but I used to think like if I had to make a record with just noises from my mouth, like a record label said that’s what you have to do, then I would do it. Again, I don’t know what that means (Laughs). I guess it just shows how much I really wanted to do it that I would just fantasize on some weird shit like that.

TSS: Was there a turning point in terms of your sound and productions? I ask thinking about the earlier mellow Emanon stuff to the “Algae” joint and the more upbeat or electric stuff. Read the rest of this entry »

As a staple in Houston’s forever flourishing, refreshingly independent Hip-Hop scene, Slim Thug has enjoyed worldwide success while remaining true to his deeply rooted Houston heritage. With his sophomore record on the horizon and a brand record label gracing his CD’s, Slim Thug took his show and his new artists on the road for a nationwide press tour, eventually landing in the backyard and woods of Kentucky. After nearly an hour long detour and many missed turns and phone calls later, TSS Crew’s Landon A. sat down with the Boss of all bosses to discuss everything from Houston to codeine cultures, his newly signed artists and his forthcoming album, all over a few drinks and a fish sandwich.

TSS: Slim Thugga! What’s good? It’s been a while since you’ve been in the spotlight, it was about 2005 when you dropped Already Platinum, what have you been up to?

Slim Thug: Aw man, trying to put my team on man put my other artists on my Boss Hogg Outlaw label out. You know, build up the brand and all that. And at the same time go from one label to another; go from a major back to an independent. That’s what’s been taking up my time.

TSS: How’s the game changed since then?

Slim Thug: Man it’s changed a lot; you know a lot of people don’t hardly sell no records hardly no more you know what I’m saying? That’s definitely changed, which influenced me from leaving a major label. People always tell me “you crazy, you over there at Interscope, there’s no way I would have left” but if I’m at Interscope and I ain’t making no money then what am I over there for? They’re a big record label and can do a lot but if they ain’t doing it then I’d rather be at a smaller company where I get more attention and can make more money off of each CD.

TSS: Is it more important to you to focus on the target audience the label’s trying to push your record to or the people who’ve been riding with you since your Swishahouse days?

Slim Thug: Man that’s a good one, but honestly I don’t try to really cater to nobody. I kind of just do what I want to do man and that’s just me. If a person tells me they want me to rap a certain kind of way, naaah. I mean I’ll definitely listen and try to give them what they want, but at the same time I want to satisfy them and myself and show that I can do a little more than just that type of music. So I definitely don’t go in there with a mind frame of let me do it like this, I just go in there and do what I do and hopefully  you’ll like it. That’s how I do it every time. Read the rest of this entry »

Words By Lola P.

The young Leland Austin is in a good position right now. Even though the music industry is flooded with new artists who are finding every way possible to market themselves online, there is still the odd rapper who focuses on the physical audience around them. The audience they can see reacting to their music; the audience that can share their success with them. One of these new artists is Grand Hustle/Interscope addition, Yung LA.

Originally from South East Atlanta, he has made it his mission to make the nation take notice. His first single “Ain’t I,” a collaboration with fellow label mate Big Kuntry, created a huge buzz in the city, so naturally, a remix version with T.I. and Dro was recorded. More recently, the up-and-comer has been spending the past few months on promo tours and recording new songs for promotional mixtapes as well as his debut album, Futuristic Leland, slated to drop in summer of 2009. This album marks the beginning of a new relationship between Grand Hustle and Interscope as their first joint venture.

TSS: Okay so let’s just find out some more about you. A lot of people are familiar with your record “Ain’t I,” and the fact that you are the newest member of Grand Hustle. You come from what part of Atlanta?

Yung LA: South East Atlanta; a whole different area where Tip is from. He’s from SouthWest Atlanta.

TSS: Did you know anyone else on Grand Hustle before you got signed to the label?

Yung LA: Yeah I knew Dro personally before I got signed. A friend of mine introduced us. I’ve known him for about 3 years, and I’ve been signed for about a year and a half.

TSS: If you had to find yourself a new situation, who would it be?

Yung LA: I think Grand Hustle is the best situation for me period. Oh you mean if I had to pick someone else? I guess I’d be over at So Icey Entertainment.

TSS: Oh with Gucci? Why them?

Yung LA: Because that’s where I first started. When I first got into the studio and started recording I used to record with this producer by the name of Zaytoven. At the time, he used to also do beats for Gucci Mane so we were always in the studio together. If I hadn’t been with Grand Hustle, I would have probably ended up over there.

TSS: When did you start recording seriously?

Yung LA: I’d say about 18 going on 19. I mean I was doing my thing when I was younger but I’d say when I was about 18 (and I’m 22 now) is when I got serious.

TSS: When did you realize where you fit in [in the industry]? Read the rest of this entry »

2005 saw the rebirth of the Houston Hip-Hop renaissance. Local heroes Mike Jones and Chamillionaire rose to platinum prominence while familiar faces such as U.G.K. and Lil’ Flip rode the wave as well to make that Lone Star impression across the entire game. One rapper in particular, with his trademark custom mouthpieces and penchant for endless similes in his lyrics were among those most successful. Calling himself The Peoples Champ, Paul Wall indeed represented the masses with as he hit the million mark with his sales and collaborated with several big names outside of his regional sector.

Fast forward to 2009 and things have cooled down a bit for the H-Town All-Stars. But as Paul Wall explains “there’s no need for a comeback,” for he’s in one of the most comfortable positions of his life. Read along as the Iceman details his latest endeavors which include his latest LP entitled Fast Life and his continuing success in the jewelry biz. The man uses “grindin’” as a regular part of his vocabulary. Days off are for Ferris Bueller, not Paul Wall.

‘TSS, What It Do?’

TSS: So how’s Paul Wall these days?

Paul Wall: Well you know, just grindin’. Just came off the road and getting back in the studio preparing these mixtapes as my new album’s getting ready to drop on March 24th. It’s called Fast Life.

TSS: Your last album [Get Money, Stay True] dropped in ’07, but what were you up to in 2008?

Paul Wall: Really just grindin’. I had did a tour with my boy Tech N9ne and I did a tour by myself; just on the road, hittin’ the road, getting thangs poppin’. I started a clothing line as well called Expensive Taste and the website is I Got Expensive Taste and we kicked that off last year too.

TSS: Is that in conjunction with Travis Barker and Skinhead Rob?

Paul Wall: Yeah, fa’sho.

TSS: Even with all that, do you feel the urge that you need to make a comeback with Fast Life. Do you think you were too low key last year?

Paul Wall: Oh, naw. I feel like I’ve been on the scene because I’ve been in the face of people doing these tours from city to city so I’ve been puttin’ it down. All last year, nonstop grindin’ so hard in the streets so we ready to come hard with this one.

TSS: So what’s your angle this time around? What do you feel you’re bringing to the people?

Paul Wall: Well the Fast Life, the whole theme of the album is just the life we live of a grinder; a go-getter. When you grind 25/8 — 25 hours a day, 8 days a week, that’s how hard you grind and you ain’t stopping. From 9:01 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., that’s how you grind. And that’s just how it is. That’s what the album’s about: grindin’, gettin’ it and everything that goes along with it. Read the rest of this entry »

Killing time at the Highline Ballroom in NYC, I had just completed the interview portion of a Wale assignment. Surprisingly on-schedule, Scott Mescudi, better known by his stage name KiD CuDi, strides in with his crew for soundcheck. Just as I imagined a member of G.O.O.D. Music would be adorned, the “Day N Nite” rapper is dressed in a bright red ski vest, matching red Ushanka, slim denims and black/red Jordan IV’s.

I anticipate pretension, but needing a short quote or two to prop up the Wale piece, I saunter over to Plain Pat with a request to quickly speak to CuDi. He obliges and the protege & I head over to a table at a quiet corner of the venue to conduct an impromptu interview. Speed-typing away on his phone as we begin, I initially sense disinterest. Revealing his mastery of multitasking, he keeps both convos going strong, unrestrained as he opens up. Just as I imagine how his mentor Kanye was back in the day, CuDi’s simply a cool, regular-ass nigga.

TSS: You’ve said that you had the vision for your album Man on the Moon: The Guardian for some time. What exactly is that vision?

KiD CuDi: Well, I always wanted to make an album that was cinematic in nature as far as how it feels. When you go to the movies, and you watch like a drama or something, you can just close your eyes and feel the music—feel the movie—just through the emotion in the orchestra and the score of the film. And I want to bring that same emotion and same power into my music. I want it to be like you’re listening to a movie but without watching it. I’m trying to bring that same intensity so I’ve always had the vision to do a very cinematic album in nature since day one because I feel like no one has ever done that before. People have attempted and there have been hints of film references in music but to really effectively execute it, that hasn’t been done yet and I really wanna execute it properly.

TSS: So in reference to that, what’s the story behind the title?

KiD CuDi: It’s my birth and growing up, realizing my destiny, my journey, and internal issues that I deal with. A lot of self-conflict on the album. It’s a storyline but not so much. I think if you give the listener too much of a guideline, it doesn’t leave room for imagination. I want to leave it somewhat vague but at the same time keep it on track with the mood of each song.

TSS: T.I. and Luda are superstars and they had their album release parties here [at the Highline Ballroom] in NY, not ATL. Does NY still have to be won over?

KiD CuDi: Well, I feel like you have to win over everybody. It’s not just this town or that town, you gotta win over everyone and that’s what it’s all about. And in order to win over those people, you gotta win them over on a natural level,the organic level, because—I tell people this all the time—the kids are smarter nowadays. They know when some bullshit is gettin’ fed to them and they know when it’s organic.

TSS: How would you characterize this new wave of emcees coming into the game? Read the rest of this entry »

Dilated Peoples has been a cornerstone in Left Coast Hip-Hop since the early ’90s. Back then, the three man band catered to a relentless touring campaign leading to their first full-length record in May 2000 under Capitol Records. Now, free from the shackles of a major label, the three parts of Dilated have been pursuing their respective solo projects. Rakaa is gearing up for his first solo release, Babu is busy promoting the newest installment to his Duck Season series and Evidence is putting his unrivaled work ethic into overdrive promoting his newest endeavor, The Layover EP.

With one of the most heralded albums of 2007 under his belt, Evidence has cemented himself as a shining star in the stratosphere. The Layover EP marks the beginning of a ruthless world tour and the eventual release of his second LP, Cats & Dogs. But before he taxi’s down the runway to embark on his conquest, E-V cut it up with the Crew’s own Landon A. to discuss the EP, his video blog and his future as a Dilated Junkie.

Words By Landon A.

TSS: Yo What’s going on Ev?

Evidence: How are ya?

TSS: Good man how are you doing?

Evidence: I’m doing good

TSS: Where you calling from today?

Evidence: I’m actually at the crib in Venice, California

TSS: I don’t know if you remember around this time last year being in Lexington, Kentucky…

Evidence: Holy shit with Little Brother!

TSS: Yeah with Little Brother! I interviewed you on the bus before the show that night.

Evidence: Yeah, yeah I remember man!

TSS: They actually tore that venue down this year, which sucks because no Hip-Hop really gets to come through Lexington anymore.

Evidence: That sucks!

TSS: Alright, since we last spoke you’ve done a lot of cameo’s, a lot of guest produced spots and now you’ve got The Layover EP, which has garnered a lot of hype for an just an EP, can you explain why you’ve put so much behind something that’s essentially just building toward another, bigger project.

Evidence: There’s a lot of EP’s that I came up listening to that I didn’t necessarily feel were better than the LP’s that came after them, but were no joke you know? There’s a lot of them. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth’s All Souled Out, Ice Cube’s Kill At Will, Showbiz & A.G.’s Full Scale, Bone Thugs’ Creepin’ On Ah Come Up, Jurassic 5’s first release….ah fuck..Intoxicated Demons [The Beatnuts]… Just a lot of good ones man and I don’t just think that because it says EP it has to be a half step. I mean if you look at Illmatic, like I already knew what “Halftime” was and “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” was already out, and if you look at the intro it was just a beat and “One Time For Your Mind” was like a one and a half verse joint. Never in my life was I so happy to get six or seven songs and that goes down as one of the all time greats. I don’t want to erase the notion that just because it’s short doesn’t mean it can’t be crazy, if anything it’s harder to do.

TSS: This year you’ve had a lot of help from the blogosphere too as far as pushing your material and I heard you’re shooting a video for each song on the EP. Read the rest of this entry »

As one of the most trusted voices of subconsciousness for Hip-Hop artists, Anthony Hamilton still holds rank as one of the most consistent developers of the rhythm and blues circuit. Gearing up for his sixth solo album titled The Point Of All, Mr. Hamilton shows why his outlook on life allows him to be the best musician, husband, and overall human being possible.

But akin to the album’s first single with David Banner and the President-elect Barack Obama, he just plays it “Cool.”

TSS: So the name Point Of It All sounds pretty serious. Has Anthony Hamilton reached his breaking point?

Anthony Hamilton: The Point Of It All is me getting to a place where I’m starting to realize, not only am I in a relationship and been going through things but the WHY? of it all. Why am I going through it, what made me tick, what made me mess up, what made me do good. You know, what made her change, what makes love: love. All these things, raise curiosity. But we’re doing it to a different tempo this album. You don’t always have to be contemplating things to a slow groove. So we’re picking up the pace with this one. Just like the first single “Cool.” It’s very important to me for people to enjoy Anthony Hamilton and get the best of what I’m saying.

I’d say it’s like one of those Kanye West Graduation albums. You know like the same but different all the well. Not saying that was my intention but now that I’m thinking of it that’s what it is.

TSS: So will fans of the “soulful” Anthony Hamilton be disappointed? You’re not completely flipping out on them are you?

Anthony Hamilton: Aw naw! They gonna be extremely pleased with this one.

TSS: So what made you up and decide to work with David Banner?

Anthony Hamilton: Oh you know, that’s my nig. We both country as corn with polyester and polyurethane draped around it. We had been talking about collaborating forever and we finally made it happen. Read the rest of this entry »

Real talk…I didn’t know how my interview with Krispy Kream and Rah Almillio, the siblings collectively known as The Knux, was going to go. Usually, an artist’s music is indicative of their personality (or lack thereof). But musically, the duo from New Orleans is refreshingly unpredictable. For many Hip-Hop interviews, I chug a shot of espresso and brace myself for yet another drug kingpin-turned-rapper background story.

Not so with The Knux. Their self-produced debut album, Remind Me In 3 Days, is in stores now (courtesy of Interscope Records) and it’s just as colorful as my Q & A session with them turned out to be. Growing up in the gritty hood of N’awlins, The Knux listened to a diverse mix of rappers like Nas, Mobb Deep, Wu Tang, A Tribe Called Quest, Geto Boys and 8-Ball & MJG. To lure them away from the ever-influential streets, Krispy and Al’s mom enrolled them in their middle school’s marching band where they learned how to play instruments. The young brothers may not have stayed out of trouble, but they did hone musical abilities that would prove invaluable later on. Live guitars, bass, keys and drums play a heavy role in The Knux’s funky and futuristic beats; a perfect backdrop for their inventive lyrics.

So here’s the chat that I, Khalid Strickland of the Almighty TSS Crew, recently conducted with The Knux, who have earned a spot in my coveted, tough-to-crack MP3 rotation.

TSS: What would you like to accomplish with Remind Me In 3 Days?

Rah Almillio: Hopefully some more artists behind us will have the courage to do what they want to do with their music and not have no outside influences changing their shit; whether it’s the label or cats you hang with or whatever it may be. Basically, open the lane for more creative artists who want to do what they want to do. If we got to bear the burden for that…if we got to sacrifice album sales, you know what I mean? That’s basically what we want this album to be. Just that bridge for Hip-Hop cats and other genres. We have such a large buffet of different sounds on this album.

TSS: What can the uninitiated expect to hear on this album?

Rah Almillio: Really, you can’t expect nothin’ but what you could know is it’s gonna be some original shit. It’s some shit that’s going to bend your mind a little bit. It’s going to be some hard, hard, hard; our rhymes are something serious on there. We like…jump in the stars on our rhymes, you know what I mean? And you can find some very heavy production; not the beats, but like, production on a whole…some good songwriting. This album in particular is going to be the soundtrack of two hood motherfuckers from New Orleans being in Hollywood and adapting to the Hollywood atmosphere, so that’s what the album is about.

TSS: When did you guys start playing live instruments and what inspired you to do so?

Rah Almillio: Real, real young…as fuckin’ kids in middle school. And our mom started us playing these instruments because…In New Orleans, let me explain this to you, if your kids don’t really have nothing to do, they’re going to probably wind up selling drugs or fuckin’ shooting somebody. That’s just real and that ain’t even me over-exaggerating that. So my mom, she comes straight from the projects.

My mom is a good, good hood motherfucker so she knows she never wanted her children to be like the motherfuckers she knew when she was coming up, you know? So she put us in that shit early; in a marching band in middle school to keep us out of trouble and shit. It ain’t really work, but she tried the best she could to keep us out of trouble. So it was our mother who basically got us into playing instruments and shit like that. Playing in a jazz band and stuff like that, it’s not really a big deal in New Orleans because it’s a known thing. You got cats in the hood all day that’s like crazy on trumpet and all types of instruments. It’s like the norm in New Orleans to play an instrument.

TSS: Since Black folks pretty much invented and pioneered Rock & Roll, why don’t we acknowledge it the way we should? Why do niggas act like they’re scared of guitars? They see somebody pull a guitar out and they start buggin’. Read the rest of this entry »