Sensationalism and gossip are unbeatable parasites of headlines and attention grabbing. It’s a shame really, considering there are parallel opposites out there doing as much good as they do in irritation. Take The League of Young Voters for example. They work continuously to ensure that our children remain our future even in the dimming light of empty promises made by politicians and crumbling education system in the public schools. Read the rest of this entry »

“Do not bark up that tree, that tree will fall on you/I don’t know why your advisers ain’t forewarn you…” – Jay-Z

Pride has been the downfall of many great men in history. In the case of Bow Wow, it’s the reason he’s now $1,000 lighter in the pockets. Read the rest of this entry »

The BET Awards was what it was, which is about the same that can be said of any show of its ilk. Littered with lowlights (the Chris Brown/Rihanna joke gone wrong) and highlights (Patti LaBelle and Free), the show’s shining moment may have actually resulted in a skit. Kevin Hart continues to ride his wave of popularity and with the Real Husbands Of Hollywood, he may have stumbled on to something. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s honorable that Da Brat, unlike Shyne and Mystikal, hopped right back into the studio after a lengthy bid in the slammer. But Life After Death, though? Yung Joc recently had bouts with Biggie slander, and now Shawntae is trying to steal a chunk of Christopher’s Google searches. But we’re here for the music as previously stated, Chicago’s own is still serious about calling her rap time a career.

Assisting with the Brat resurrection is Twista, Jadakiss, Brandon Hines and your host, DJ Greg Street. The name may be borrowed but make no mistake that Da B-R-A-T is the original platinum female MC.

Download – Da Brat – Life After Death Mixtape

01. “Intro – Life After Death”
02. “It’s Brat (Tupac Back Remix)”
03. “West Side”
04. “Get It Get It” (Feat. Jadakiss & Brandon Hines)
05. “Racks (Remix)”
06. “Sure Thing (Remix)”
07. “Second Chance”
08. “Fab 5 Freddy”
09. “Dumb Stupid Crazy” (Feat. Twista)
10. “Motivation (Remix)”
11. “Look at Me Now (Remix)”

Download – Da Brat – Life After Death Mixtape

Unlike several others in similar predicaments, Da Brat isn’t suffering from post-prison blues and immediately reunites with her “Funkdafied” stepbrother, Jermaine Dupri. Ms. Harris and Chris Breezy have a little more in common than being light-skinned linguists but we won’t even go there any further. Read the rest of this entry »

Young Chris’ “Philly Sh*t” gets an extra large remix with the help of some Philly aggins and non-locals who get on the 215 tip to assist the homie. Read the rest of this entry »

See, you can’t totally fault Big Baby Davis. Not when his favorite rappers are giving Dougie instructions for dead presidents. You probably had no idea who the ruffians were behind the latest fifteen minute hit but with Jermaine Dupri, Bow Wow, B.o.B, Sean Kingston and Red Cafe all have lent their talents on the remix so you can use Cali Swag District for all your rap running gags for the remainder of 2010. Read the rest of this entry »

Regardless of who wins this year’s Band of Ballers Celebrity Basketball Tournament the event will be sure to entertain. If not for the exhibition, for the guaranteed trash-talk. Words have already been exchanged between Jim Jones, Jay Electronica, and OJ Da Juiceman to name a few.

Thanks to all who entered, but there’s only five pairs of tickets to give away so we had to select a few winners. And they are… *rustles envelope* Read the rest of this entry »

Basketball & Hip-Hop go hand in hand like sugar and Kool-Aid. For as long as I can remember, cats have aspired to make it in life either via gripping a microphone or by handling the rock on the court. So when I see something like the Band Of Ballers event going down, I know it’s authentic because half of these artists swear music wasn’t their first calling in life (and for some, it actually wasn’t).

The second Band Of Ballers Celebrity Basketball tournament that will take place in Atlanta on May 1st. Last year’s Band Of Ballers event (click here for highlights) was a huge success and saw Jim Jones and The Jones Family squad taking the chip. This year, they’ll be in the A, looking to defend their crown. Seeking to cut their reign short, there’s a motley crew of opponents on other celebrity teams featuring the likes of Jermaine Dupri And The So So Def Family, Shawty Lo, OJ Da Juiceman, Pill, Bad News (Jay Electronica, Sean Price, and Donnis), Steel Train, The Black Lips, Of Montreal and more.

Sounds good, right?

The bad news: Access is limited.

The good news: We’ve got you covered with FIVE pairs of tickets to share with TSS readers. Yep, you and a friend will be in the house on May 1st, provided that you have your own transportation. If you’ve got that covered, we’ve got you covered with access to the event. All you have to do is enter below.

Winners will be announced no later than April 28th. So and your friends should enter now to increase your chances.

RMF!

Below, a few photos of the participants but I really don’t think this is all. I’m already guessing a few of these squads will be trying to slip in ringers to play.

Splash got a hold on a batch of tracks which will be making appearances on a few upcoming Tapemasters Inc. mixtapes.  So consider this your inside track on these, so by the time the full/tagless versions surface you’ll have the leg up on what to grab & what to pass on. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Jermaine Dupri,

Please don’t taint Jola’s music or personality. Let him continue doing what he’s doing, which is providing weekend theme music for those “raised on YouTube…AC/DC, John Mayer and Coldplay.” Jermaine, all we need you to do is provide the capital and supportive assets (read: big-breasted white women for the videos) that the kid may need to make it. Let him coast his “I’m a goofy, Black suburban guy” lane as far as it’ll take him. If Asher can score a deal off rehashing Beastie Boys party themes, I’ll root for Jola just for the hell of it. Read the rest of this entry »

Creativity be damned.

Reaffirming the term “nothing is sacred” like a rapist reiterates birth control, Janet Jackson’s ex is telling MTV that he’s covering Quincy Jones’ classic R&B posse cut, “Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite).” Read the rest of this entry »

Never in history has infidelity been as positive to one’s career like it has with Usher Raymond. His magnum opus, the now legendary Confessions, was produced with infidelity being its main ingredient. Now out of a rocky marriage, Ush seems to be attempting to conjure those same feelings again with his new album Raymond vs. Raymond.

The mood surrounding this album was difficult to predict. At best, its buzz was average. “Papers” was certainly a quality record and a nice sample of what was to hopefully come. His appearance on Trey’s hit was a great way to close out 2009. However, when the “album” leaked a few weeks ago, the result was so-so at best. Fortunately, most of those records probably wouldn’t make the final cut anyway. “Foolin’ Around” was not found on the aforementioned leak, but already has the makings of an album standout. Read the rest of this entry »

CoCo Redd, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

My Five Favorite Things About Sesame Street [WWTD]

8 Racist Ads You Won’t Believe Are From the Last Few Years [Cracked]

WTF? Chris Brown’s ‘Graffiti’ Album Cover [Street Level]

Tayshaun Prince’s Ironman Streak is Over [Slam]

Where To Get The Best Coffee In America [GQ]

6-Year-Old Girl with Brain Cancer Hid Love Notes for Her Parents to Find After Her Death [Neatorama] Read the rest of this entry »

I almost crashed on I-94 the day my buddy told me he was reading an MTV News headline that noted Lil-jailbound-Wayne was making a guest appearance on the new Weezer album, Raditude. Read the rest of this entry »