Internet killed the remix star and created a zombie wasteland of fruitless song extensions. Sure, they keep the infectious beat (typically the real star of the show) on the radio after the original has run its course, yet rarely do they top the initial record. (Yeah, you did your thing Nicki, but rare is rare.) Read the rest of this entry »

“This Atlanta b***ttccchh, So fly so gangster, but it’s glamorousssss.”

Welcome to Fulton County, where you will be greeted by your city guides T.I. and Young Jeezy. To get everyone accustomed with the surroundings, the duo drops the video for “F*ck Da City Up,” which appears on Tip’s mixtape of the same title. Read the rest of this entry »

“…Getting your shoes, coat and your hat tooken”* – Eminem, “Marshall Mathers”

A little more than a decade ago, Eminem posed that question wondering why the hell good old fashioned Hip-Hop battling had gone soft. In 2001, the answer was simple: Hip-Hop was in a weird post-Biggie/Pac panic where we were so scared of repeating the craziness that led to their deaths Read the rest of this entry »

Remember Jay-Z’s adlibs on dead prez’s “Hell Yeah (Pimp the System)”?

“We together on the same track now, baby, Whatchu gone call us now?”

In those two phrases, Jay summed up the revolutionary act that he, Stic Man and M-1 were undertaking by combining a respected “underground” mainstay with a “mainstream” MC who had taken his talents from the block to the Grammy awards. In the ten years since that track dropped, the lines between underground and mainstream have blurred Read the rest of this entry »

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and with that comes a rush of emotions. There’s women who love the idea and there’s those who eternally despise February 14. And there men who enjoy the day, if for nothing else, to keep their wife/girlfriend/friend with benefits happy. Read the rest of this entry »

The irony of Future comparing skrippers to real life magicians is (hopefully) not lost on anybody. They turn tricks, make objects disapper in the most random places and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see the bunny rabbit at the end of the night. Read the rest of this entry »

As Hip-Hop continues to evolve by gaining more and more influence from electronic music, the focus on lyricism seems to be lifting once again. But on “Strange Clouds (Remix),” ATL comes together and puts on a lyrical theater for the whole world to watch. Read the rest of this entry »

What else can you really say here? Ever since Tyga decided to dumb it completely down, the whole country’s seemingly been stranded in “Rack City.” So, while his audience is zombified and their brains are picked apart by vultures disguised as strippers, the YMCMB’s youngest in charge drops this 2006-esque remix to keep the buzz on his upcoming debut, Careless World: The Last Prince. Read the rest of this entry »

Dubbed as “the album before the album,” Maino partners with DJ Green Lantern and DJ Infamous to release his I Am Who I Am mixtape. The Bed-Stuy guy gets help from the likes of PUSH! Montana, T.I., Meek Mill, Wale and more. Read the rest of this entry »

Time hasn’t been kind to Memphis Bleek, but that doesn’t detract from one of the best group cuts of the 2000s. On “Round Here,” Bleek, Trick Daddy and Tip douse a Just Blaze beat in gasoline Read the rest of this entry »

While the original had Wayne, B.o.B offers up a different strain of “Strange Clouds” by inviting T.I. and Jeezy in for the song’s remix. Read the rest of this entry »

Outside of checking the dresser to find out you’re out of boxers, there’s nothing more difficult in the morning than hearing the alarm clock go off. Such a belief leads me to my next statement. If sleep is indeed the cousin of death, waking up before you’re ready is its sister. That’s why certain vices are needed to put the wheels in motion and get the day started on the good foot. Read the rest of this entry »

For somebody who resides in Atlanta, 2 Chainz wears a hell of a lot of scarves. But, when the money’s yours, you can “Spend It” on anything you please, including unnecessary flair and retakes of videos that came out five months ago. Read the rest of this entry »

There have been three occasions where I’ve almost posted LoveRance’s skyrocketing single, “Up,” but refrained. Maybe it was the mediocre 16 Jimmy Iovine made Curtis kick or the bland video directed by Kreayshawn. But now the city of Atlanta has given me two reasons to counteract my hesitation Read the rest of this entry »

Post-prison T.I. has been a single man demolition machine, relentlessly annihilating guest appearances left and right without regard to women and children. However, tackling your own project is always a whole different beast than loaning out a quick 16. Read the rest of this entry »