***News Flash***

Cleveland still has some ill feelings towards a certain basketball player. Of course, said basketball player could give two sh*ts about anything Cleveland thinks because lately, his new team have put it together while the Cavs, on the other hand, are doing their best impression an imploding meteorite. So go figure that since they can’t exact revenge on the court the next best thing would be to defer the cause to another, more capable set of hands. Read the rest of this entry »

While The Blueprint 3 was far from classical Jay-Z, this Concerto in Roc minor certainly brings the symphony to the Hip-Hop radio halls. It’s Bach meets Brooklyn, Rossini meets RiRi! No Kanyeezy though. His verse was much too vulgar for high society. If you’re unfamiliar with E.S. Posthumus, check their background. This is what they do best. Read the rest of this entry »

Claire Bella

America’s Shame: Confederates’ Defending Slavery [The Huffington Post]

Top 10 Worst Basketball Injuries [Dime]

Is It Still Cool To Be Black And Proud In Hip-Hop? [The Source]

David Simon On ‘The Colbert Report’ [Warming Glow]

The 15 Fans At Every Sporting Event [Sports Pickle] Read the rest of this entry »

We like quality footage. We also like J. Cole, the “lil broke nigga from the Ville.” Both are reasons why we post this footage of Jay and his protege J. performing “A Star Is Born” during The BP3 tour’s stop in Greensboro, NC. The only thing essential that’s missing is the crowd noise because there’s nothing like a packed arena hand-clapping in unison during that chorus. Read the rest of this entry »

I can already hear the bags rustling as you reach for tomatoes to throw. But this excerpt of Hovito’s sitdown with Interview gives a fuller explanation than the headline depicts. The whole interview is actually a good read if you have time to kill today.

Mitchell: If you think about all the guys in hip-hop that you came up with, you’re one of the only ones who is still here—and part of the reason is that a lot of those guys didn’t break out of that box you’re talking about. In fact, most of them are still in it.

Jay-Z: I think a big part of that is insecurity. You know, successful people have a bigger fear of failure than people who’ve never done anything because if you haven’t been successful, then you don’t know how it feels to lose it all. You don’t have that fear. So why do you think people get stuck in those boxes? It’s that fear of going back down. “I had success. I had a number one record. I had a number one album. I have to make this kind of record again or else I’m going to lose it all.” So that’s how you end up making the same song over and over. People find their zone, a place that’s comfortable, and they say, “I’m not gonna try that other thing. What if I fail? Then I’ll have to go back! What if I can’t get in the club anymore?” [both laugh] It’s difficult for me as well. The Blueprint 3 was the most difficult album that I’ve ever made.

Mitchell: Why is that?

Jay-Z: Well, what I was trying to do with this album—which is the same thing I was trying to do on Kingdom Come [2006]—is go somewhere that hadn’t been gone before, to try to chart a new territory in rap. The reason I’ve been grounded, though, and able to make albums, is because I’ve allowed my friends to come with me and voice an opinion. That’s who keeps you grounded—the people who have known you longest. People who don’t know you, you don’t know their motives. They smile at you all day, “Oh, that’s great. You’ve done it again! You’re the greatest!” And that’s not good for an artist. You’ve gotta keep the people that have been around you, who saw you when you didn’t have anything, so they have the confidence to say, “Get out of here. That shit is bullshit!” I welcome that.

[Via]

The album may have decreased in monetary significance over the years, but few can deny the calibration it stacks onto an artist’s creative worth. Who can come the most original, pick the best beats, wedge through that sliver of possibility of reinventing the wheel, all of those ideals factor into who’s really running this rap ish. Read the rest of this entry »

“FREEEEEZE!!!” Somebody care to interpret please?!?

Perfect song to usher in the new decade… or any year for that matter.  There’s a lot going on in the video, but the song still knocks and BP3′s shelf life Read the rest of this entry »

Much as folks could not seem to come to a consensus on whether or not BP3 was actually worth a damn, it was almost unanimously agreed upon that this track was completely out of place. That made most people on this side of the Atlantic uncomfortable. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, it seems to have had better reception as it wound up being a single. Read the rest of this entry »

At this point in my blogging career, there’s no need to describe situations as “surreal.” They aren’t, so using the word is hyperbole. Not to say that they aren’t unique and that doing this hasn’t afforded its share of opportunities that I know I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. If Jay could trip a referee @ MSG, I could have effortlessly reached out and tripped him up on Friday (thanks Laura @ 360). Read the rest of this entry »

WooHa with the win for this analysis of Jay-Z’s multimedia takeover for BP3.

“…As record labels marketing dollars decrease corporate sponsorships seem to give artist an outlet to market themselves to a different audience. As artist become brands, strategic partnerships with other companies are essential for their marketing plans. Read the rest of this entry »

Big city lights. The Blueprint 3. Black n’ white backdrop. With the warm-up taking place yesterday at Yankee Stadium, Jay & Alicia unveil their mini-movie with the expertise of the one & only Hype Williams. Read the rest of this entry »

The “Fall Classic” just went Hip-Hop y’all. Jay-Z, Lil Mama & Alicia perform a TV-friendly version of “Empire State Of Mind” before a Yankee Stadium crowd prior to Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night.

^ It is to this guy.

In the latest issue of The New Yorker Sasha Frere-Jones has declared 2009 as the year Hip-Hop died. His main reasons? The Blueprint 3, Raekwon & Freddie Gibbs of course.

If I had to pick a year for hip-hop’s demise, though, I would choose 2009, not 2006. Jay-Z’s new album, “The Blueprint 3,” and some self-released mixtapes by Freddie Gibbs are demonstrating, in almost opposite ways, that hip-hop is no longer the avant-garde, or even the timekeeper, for pop music. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: B.Scott

“Hov on that new shit
Niggas like how come
Niggas want my old shit
Buy my old album…” — Jay-Z from “On To The Next One”

(I guess I’m one of them niggas, then.)

The Blueprint 3 served up a glimpse of Grizzly Bear Jay. But for those who grew up on the “thug nigga ‘til the end,” the appetite for the real nigga shit wasn’t quite whetted, with the exception of “Real As It Gets.” Read the rest of this entry »

Photo Credit: Honey Mag

Fayetteville’s own Jermaine Cole exploded on to the scene in 2009 and began climbing your favorite MC’s favorite new MC list. Everybody was surprised by the new kid making waves, his lyrical depth and cadence, and that refreshing sound he brought to the Interwebs and radio this year. In reality, J.Cole has been manhandling the microphone since his mid-teens in North Carolina. Read the rest of this entry »