I’m really starting to like this Lara Lavi chick who runs WIDEawake/Death Row.

This past Tuesday she made good on her word and gave us the first installment of material from Tha Row’s coveted vault. Now, in even grander fashion, she’s released the tracklist to Snoop Doggy Dogg: The Lost Sessions Vol. 1, a collection of unreleased tracks from Tha Doggfather which I would’ve probably traded my beloved Air Penny II‘s for back in the day. Read the rest of this entry »

As most of you know by now, former powerhouse record label Death Row was on the auction block earlier this year.

Within months of copping the company’s somewhat depreciated assets, Lara Lavi, current CEO of WIDEawake Death Row, has already initiated new releases from the label. Amidst praise and neighs alike, on September 1st the first album distributed will be a reissue of Dr. Dre’s Chronic, called Chronic Re-Lit. While technically this is old news to most of you, the update is in the audio below. Read the rest of this entry »

The DubCC forums have been dropping new, unreleased Pac like an overflow from Santa’s sleigh this week. Read the rest of this entry »

Fourteen years, zero albums.

You know the familiar tale of Dominick Whitfield, better known as Crooked I. Yet, the futility of the second stat should be overshadowed by the achievement of the first figure. Lasting relevancy in this fickle game of rap politics and fleeting celebrity ain’t no joke.

On a March evening, Crooked is recording at Premo’s studio in midtown Manhattan. No, he’s not at work on his debut, but rather the upcoming album from Royce Da 5’9′, another sublime lyricist suffering from major-label shelf woes. In fact, the commonalities are shared by all the members of Slaughterhouse, the rest of whom—Joey and Joell—will arrive later. But before the group lays down another lyrical massacre worthy of its namesake, Crooked chops it up with the Crew’s Devin Chanda to talk Death Row to Detox, Long Beach to New York and Muscle Records to Slaughterhouse collaborations.

TSS: So how many tracks into the album so far?

Crooked I: With Slaughterhouse? Basically man, the Slaughterhouse shit—we got a lot of tracks in. We just been leaking shit. I don’t know if we officially started an album. It’s like we just workin’.

TSS: Getting the chemistry down…

Crooked I: Yeah, just workin’ man and havin’ fun because that’s the thing about the business—the business is so shady sometimes that you can’t have fun anymore. And right now, we just find it fun to record records together. So we doin’ that right now. I think our first move might be an EP—just something for the collective, about 7 crazy joints, and working with producers who are actually producers. They gonna come in there and say, “Hold on, we gonna put the hook right here, we gonna do this right here.” I think the EP is really gonna set the standard—change the standard—of ’09 music.

TSS: What’s the standard right now?

Crooked I: If you ask me—what I hear on the radio, what I see on video—if I had to say out of the 100% of Hip-Hop that’s out there, I gotta say at least 87% is garbage. That’s not balance. We need balance restored to the game. Back in the day, it was like you had your steak, potatoes, green beans—you had everything you need. Now, it’s just like a bunch of sides—you ain’t got no main course no more. So we definitely trying to restore some sort of balance.

I’m not mad at rappers who make songs about dances. But the thing about it is back when Kid N’ Play did it, they actually knew how to rap, knowhatimsayin’? When Shock G. said, “Do The Humpty Hump,” it was funny—it was all fun and games—but Shock G. knew how to rap. It’s different now. People make up dance songs and they don’t how to rap.

It’s crazy, because more and more people are sinking. It’s like we not rapping no more. It’s like ever since Lil’ Wayne did “Lollipop,” which was a good song—huge success for him and I’m sure the bank account is on happy status right now—but since he did “Lollipop,” then T.I. came with “Whatever You Like” and Kanye came with 808′s, that’s three of the top emcees in the game right now—singing.

It’s not no knock towards them because they do what they do—I got respect for all three of those dudes—but I wanna hear them rap. As a fan, I don’t wanna hear them sing. So, I think what we gonna do is make people wanna jump back on that mic like, “Nah, fuck that. Put a beat on, nigga. I still know how to do this,” that type of shit.

TSS: As niggas who can rap, will you guys have any dance records then?

Crooked I: No, no records about a dance (Laughs). That’s strictly off-limits. We’re not having no records about dances, but we’ll have joints that people can dance to because that’s what it’s all about. It’s not like we trying to be super-hardcore dudes who don’t wanna have fun and make music that people enjoy. We wanna give these fans—this new era of fans—the same kind of feeling that we had when we was growing up 10,11,12,13 listening to Hip-Hop. We wanna give them quality emcees that they can debate all day and night about who’s the best. We wanna give them that feeling. I don’t think they really got that feeling. They almost there, but they not quite there.

TSS: As a youth, who did you debate about? Read the rest of this entry »

The excitement of Notorious is sure bringing videos out the woodwork. Let’s just hope that his pron tapes stay in the vaults to which they lay. According to The Kaos Effect, here’s the scoop on the video:

The 411 Knowledge & Entertainment Show had the opportunity to sit down with one of the Greatest Rappers of All-Time to discuss his journey. The show was hosted by radio personality Ryan Cameron at the Roxy in Atlanta in 1994.

And here’s the audio.

But wait there’s more. Read the rest of this entry »

Still in it’s infancy, 2009 hasn’t lacked for excitement as we knock the cobwebs out our brains while recovering from our holiday stupor.  So take a look back as we recap the past week and either reflect or catch up.

On Sunday we caught the newest Fat Albert short and found out Superman had a thing for sistas.  We paid our final respects to a Jazz legend and visited a graveyard of another sort.  Tales of Biggie Smalls started off Monday as we drew a line in the sand on Notorious.  We prepped for Lil’ Wayne’s appearance on First Take, which turned into discussion on critique vs. hate.  50 Cent must have forgot it was 1st Quarter as he dropped a new song.  Kanye stayed on the design tip, while Lily Allen showed hers.

Tuesday unveiled the results of The Hip-Hop Blog World Cup.  We may not have won Read the rest of this entry »

“Picture Me Rollin.”"Unconditional Love.”"Hit Em Up.”"Pour Out A Lil’ Liquor.”"How Do U Want It.”

The list of songs goes on. And apparently, so does life. Read the rest of this entry »