Only a few months ago, Rick Ross’ career momentum was momentarily crippled by a series of seizures. The unofficial official word connected his ailments to exhaustion due to working too hard. Fast forward to early ’12, Ross must be well rested and recuperated because he’s back with a new drop, the Rich Forever mixtape Read the rest of this entry »

Yeah, a small percentage of you have already pirated Common’s new album. But for everyone else, here’s a chance to listen to The Dreamer, The Believer and do it legally. Read the rest of this entry »

“Even through the unseen, I know that God watches/ From one King’s dream, he was able to Barrack us.” You’ve got to believe in something, right? Well, with “The Believer,” the fourth leak from Lonnie’s upcoming album, takes listeners to the steeple and reminds minds to never get stagnant Read the rest of this entry »

Even though SXSW took place in March, the release of Watch The Throne’s official tracklist has offered this footage new life and Vevo is poised to fully take advantage. Read the rest of this entry »

An arduous grind, numerous mixtape releases, a BET cypher and G.O.O.D. Music over everything is what lead Sean Anderson to this point where he can kick his feet up and enjoy the fruits of his labor with his debut studio effort, Finally Famous: The Album. Read the rest of this entry »

Covering “Rolling In The Deep” is a hell of a statement by any artist. It creates a natural comparison between Adele’s fiery original, one of the best songs of the year so far, and whatever effort that artist can manage to muster. Given Adele’s powerful voice, dynamic range, and the amount of natural, free-flowing emotion she brings to the table, it’s unlikely that anyone will be able to hold their own. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve got the tools at your disposal, why not use them? Gaudy in line-up alone, Kanye West may have just delivered the song of the year. Triumphant, well-packaged and commanding more attention than any publicity stunt or concert appearance, “All Of The Lights” is a conduit of empowerment from the uninhibited uber-celebrity into listeners who both love and loathe him. Read the rest of this entry »

Kanye’s kids are gonna love him whenever he gets around to having them. He’s definitely gonna be the one they run to after their mom tells them no. Earlier this week we were all on punishment due to someone’s itchy trigger finger. Read the rest of this entry »

They say all good things must come to an end. But there’s still that humanly instinct that feeds us the need to finish in flashes of brilliance. When your John Legend x The Roots album is set to come to an end, this will be the last song that you hear and you can tell it was designed to ride out in the sunset. Not overly cliché. Just two well-versed acts magnifying their respective talents in majestic fashion. Read the rest of this entry »

Spoiler alert: Consequence’s Movies On Demand will go down as one of the best mixtapes of 2010. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for the novice rapper to go over-the-top in the mixtapes for that undeniable buzz but the more established rhymeslayers generally resort to just rapping over popular beats and calling it a day. Well, apparently someone failed to tell Consequence that the vets weren’t supposed to care as much because his recent project G.O.O.D. Music, Nah Right & Universal Motown Present Consequence Movies On Demand sports material that most record labels couldn’t laud on their artist’s retail albums. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: MTV

Kanye West still doesn’t have a title for his forthcoming album but his concerns these days seem to be more prestige and luxury related. If his future black-op events are equally successful as the one that took place at NYC’s The Box this past Friday, then G.O.O.D. Music will officially be inventors of Hip-Hop’s first consistent after hours affair. Read the rest of this entry »

Nilanti by Derrick G

New York Rappers Talk Their Worst Summer Jobs [Village Voice]

Beach Boys Make Ridiculous Copyright Claim Over Katy Perry’s California Gurls [Techdirt]

Game Talks R.E.D. Album Delays, Fake Gangsters & “Butthurt” Fans [Complex]

Tweets is Watchin’: #lawrencefishburnethoughts [The BVX] Read the rest of this entry »

Unfortunately for Estelle, her immense talents and singing ability are a lost cause. She can’t do anything to make me take her seriously. Nope, not even putting out two videos – one featuring Nasir and the other, John Legend – for the same single. The cause? Read the rest of this entry »

This video comes off as more than just a video. It’s more like a condensed but powerful short film, courtesy of Rik Cordero’s wizardry.

“With a full cast of characters set in a fictional post-apocalyptic Europe just after WWII, Rik takes us through a bloody, violent and hopeless march toward the unknown. Ultimately it is the one character, a prisoner who’s inner fire truly burns brightly, who survives, and receives what is Read the rest of this entry »

Rawse brings along Hov & John Legend for what could possibly be the biggest collaboration (in name at least) on Teflon Don. What it brings in stature doesn’t make up for the lack of vigor which just isn’t present. Read the rest of this entry »