The capital S…t-a double l e-y has one helluva street team and marketing angle. In the city that never sleeps, the brains over at Creative Control give him some facetime by sticking his likeness where applicable. Remember, graffiti is one of the main components of Hip-Hop culture and the beard still sticks out in the night’s wee hours. Read the rest of this entry »

Still glowing like a Mario star from his contribution to 24 Hour Karate Ski, the enigmatic Rugz D. Bewler is flowing himself into his second solo project of the year. Wielding his streams of consciousness like a lightsaber in the Clone Wars, SAVE BEWLER: The Memoirs of Muhammad Mc’Fly looks to keep the excitement building in the RDB era. Read the rest of this entry »

Spitta, I owe you your next pack of rolling papers my man. It doesn’t happen all that often. As a matter of fact, the last time it actually occurred slips my memory at the moment. What is “it” I’m referring to? A music video making a song better. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s rare in the days of green screens and redundant themes that music videos are treated as a medium for storytelling. Providing the outlaw yin to the original video’s metaphorical yang, Erykah & Rick embark on a journey too big for one song to contain. Read the rest of this entry »

Pretty Flaco, Ski and the full-sounding Spanish horns all mesh really well together on this latest from 24 Hour Karate School, entitled “Cream Of The Planet.” That release date? Not holding my breath but if it happens… Read the rest of this entry »

Directed by Coodie of Creative Control, a new video for “Ginger” from Chicago’s L.E.P. Bogus Boys and their upcoming street album, Don’t Feed Da Killaz 3. TC actually was on the set in Miami but he won’t tell what all took place. The only info I’ve gotten is that the sexy something in the clip goes by the name of Mirtha Michelle. Read the rest of this entry »

Another day, another mention of Curren$y and Pilot Talk and that’s okay. After Wayne stole his style and ran with it, Spitta went underground and built his own following. So while he’s had tremendous viral success during that time, he’s never been the recipient of this much (loosely) scripted promo and mainstream support throughout his whole career. Read the rest of this entry »

Words by Kid Potential

Everywhere you look — in magazines, on blogs, in some of these offices — everyone is talking about change in the industry. In the short history that is Hip-Hop, no company has exemplified that change like Def Jam. They have produced countless artists and been the fuel behind the some of the most iconic brands in music. Today it seems the label that once conformed to no one’s rules, must restore its formerly flippant demeanor with one of its most disgruntled ex-employees: Damon Dash. Read the rest of this entry »

“And the streets say Jigga can’t go back home/You know when I heard that?/When I was back home…” — Jay-Z – “Streets Is Talking”

With Creative Control Stalley took a slight detour to stop by his alma mater while on the way down to Columbus for his show at Skully’s today. Checking in with his old basketball coach, he took a brief moment to reminisce on his humble beginnings and accomplishments on the hardwood. In the 10 years since graduation, I think I’v been back to my old school a maximum of three times & they all probably came within my first year out. I’m sure the longer you’re away, the more awkward that return visit is, but it’s always good to go back and see those influential figures in your life. Read the rest of this entry »

Creative Control bestows us with another studio flick as Stalley and Ski Beatz perform a mock session of “Harsh Ave.” This is a grimier Stalley than I’m used to hearing as he rhymes about the streets of his hometown Massillon, Ohio. It’s cool for a click (as are most CC offerings) since Stalley isn’t a pedestrian on the mic. Additionally, Ski’s work on the boards always makes for a worthwhile listen. Speaking of Ski… Read the rest of this entry »

As much as I love Taz and the whole SRCP, there’s no way I could have been on set for this one. I can listen to “Southside Blood Cuz’n” maybe three or four times repeatedly when I’m here and trying to get into a zone for working. But imagine having to hear it repeatedly over the chorus of a 12-16 video shoot? On second thought, it’s those repeat plays that sometimes make a song likeable. Who knows. If I ever run into Coodie & Chike, I’ll ask them how it made them feel. My guess is the response will be “tripped out.” Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wondered what Stacey Dash’s other two wishes were? Obviously, one of them was to be eternally young and beautiful. Behind the scenes of Stacey Dash’s photo shoot with Karin + Raoul magazine. Creative Control on the cameras and Curren$y on the tunes. Read the rest of this entry »

A beast on these beats on a basis that’s more consistent than the quality of his catalogue, Curren$y compliments the big city lights on this Creative-Control-created commercial for “King Kong,” the first single from his upcoming album, Pilot Talk. Read the rest of this entry »

While the admissions office at Ski’s 24 Hour Karate School continues to d!ck around, pause, it’s not stopping the students from getting their homework done. Clocking in from a little neighborhood you may have heard of–Harlem, meet Rugz D. Bewler. Scoring a 2400 on his RAP’s, it’s not hard to tell how he earned a spot at Ski’s accredited institution. Read the rest of this entry »

With the help of Coodie & Chike for Creative Control, Halsted gets visual with the intro from track from his latest mixtape (download it here). Short & succinct, I’d say this clip is more about continuing to build facial recognition for fans than the song itself. The lyrics & Mikkey’s commanding voice, they already spoke volumes. Read the rest of this entry »