At first the idea of the Plantlife vocalist/producer Jack Splash spitting instead of serenading sounded a little unnecessary, but if “Rick James (Nasty With The Bass),” and the whole Heir To The Throne tape really, is any indication of what’s to come…damn. I need music to genuinely look forward to and be entertained by and Jack does just that. Read the rest of this entry »

If there was ever a self-explanatory song title, “Baatin (Missin’ U…)” says everything one needs to know before the first line is spoken.  But since knowing is only half the battle, Jack’s back and he’s taking a moment to pay respect to one of  his fallen comrades.  Unleashing heartfelt lyrics over piano chops and a beat that builds into something quite epic, he more than ably holds things down, looking back on his humble beginnings and his relationship with the recently deceased Detroit MC. Read the rest of this entry »

Karen Tysin Is One Reason Why Kittens Get Killed

Facebook Goes Lite and Tests Twitter-Like Version of Itself [Read Write Web]

Workers Want To Be Paid For Overtime Worked On Their BlackBerries [Silicon Valley Insider]

Pro Strippers Rip Miley Over Amateur Pole Riding [TMZ]

The Next Great Bailout: Social Security [CNN Money]

What Is Pitino’s Next Move? [USA Today]

Try To Interview Deion Sanders, End Up In Cuffs [SbS]

Hot or Not: The Knowles Sisters [Black Voices]

5 Rappers That Won’t Be Hanging Out with Oprah [Broken Cool]

11 Pieces Of Gear For Surviving The Apocalypse [Men Style]

How Outlet Malls Have Convinced Shoppers into Thinking They’re Getting a Sweet Deal [Alternet]

Patrick Kane’s Gaffe Good For Business For NHL [Open Sports]

202 Pictures Of Awesomeness [Yep Yep]

With This One Topless Picture We Forgive Sharon Stone for Basic Instinct 2 [Gawker]

Childless Man Released From Child Support Debt [CNN]

Baatin’s Friends Speak on the Slum Village Pioneer, Plus His Final Track [Suite903]

Friends Fan “Hallucinates” As He Watches Every Episode Ever Made In Record-Breaking 84-Hour TV Marathon [Daily Mail]

Cop A TSS Shirt & The Shipping’s On Us [TSS]

TSS on Twitter: TSS Crew | JohnGotty™ | Beware | Contra™ | Darius Sinclair™ | David D. |P. |Devin Chanda |Jesse H. | K1ng | MZ | TC

My main man, 50 grand & all that, Ronnie sent over this interview with T3 and the late Titus Glover aka Baatin of Slum Village Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Luke Price

“…Obviously/ I be out for presidents to represent me.”

It’s like cutting off a finger.

Every time an emcee from the D falls or even moves away it’s like cutting off a finger. It hurts. It’s painful. And everyone outside of Detroit sees it as bad but it’s just a finger, right? Just one. You got a whole hand of them remaining.

But you cut off enough fingers and you have nothing left to make a fist. Nothing to fight with. Nothing to grab onto. You’re rendered useless and the outside world looks at you like how pathetic and sad — you can’t help yourself, but you’re expected to stop complaining and deal with the proverbial hand you’re dealt. Read the rest of this entry »

R.I.P. to Baatin of Slum Village fame and condolences go out to his family and friends.  More details when they become available.

I’ll let Joey take over from here:

Just read Dwele’s tweet that Baatin of Slum Village has passed away. This is a sad day. T3 is the last living member of the original Slum Village, a group that has always loomed large in my life. SV is greater than it’s music. The group is emblematic of a sound and a region, yet even that isn’t enough. For me, Slum Village has long represented a strain of music, and a particular attitude about making rap records, that eschews so much of the bullshit which passes as music culture. Read the rest of this entry »