Common // Current

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2 months ago

Lyrically Twisted presented by The Great Unknowns Presents, Ep XXVII

The artist spotlight this week is a hip hop artist from Pomona, CA. Tyrone Stokes aka Lyrically Twisted is known for his... more

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infoMania: Best clips from the week of 9.24.09

This week on infoMania President Obama is everywhere, every network has baked up a cake show, Bryan learns some important lessons... more

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Is Hip Hop Dead? Yes.

This week Sergio gets Jiggy Wit It and looks at the top selling rap songs on iTunes. On the list: New Boyz, Young Money, Pitbull,... more

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The Hip Hop Files

Martha Cooper was a photo-journalist living in New York City when she first began documenting the origins of B-boy (short for... more

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Megan Fox Exploited

The star of 'Jennifer's Body' is all over magazines this week and that means she's in 'We've Got You... more

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Asher Roth: The Hangover Interview

April 2009 was a poignant month for 24-year-old Asher Roth. His debut offering, Asleep In The Bread Aisle (Universal Motown), peaked at #5 in the charts boasting features from the likes of Busta Rhymes, Chester French, Cee-Lo, Beanie Sigel and more recently Keri Hilson. The Eminem comparisons were easy [and lazy] but the Shady co-sign was official [“At the end of the day, I think he's dope.”]; all was going well for this up-and-coming rapper riding on the wave of glory from being hailed as one-to-watch on the cover of XXL magazine’s Hip Hop’s Class ’09 December issue.

However, April was almost a key month for all the wrong reasons - four months ago Roth found himself at the centre of blogosphere-consuming controversy as a result of a tongue-in-cheek tweet about “hanging out with nappy headed hoes.” He explained soon afterward that the statement had been “an immature attempt to poke fun at an infamously moronic joke.” The incident now mostly forgotten, he speaks to HipHopDX about the impact of blogs despite the fact that he doesn’t read them, the impact of celebrity despite "not being one" - and the subsequent need to watch what you say when friend networks are no longer limited to actual friends.

HipHopDX: You’ve spoken in other interviews about it taking you a while to get into Hip Hop. Did performing come naturally to you?

Asher Roth: The performing aspect came naturally. I wasn’t even an avid show-goer and the shows I was going to were The Wailers, The Roots [click to read], I wasn’t going to these live underground Hip Hop shows you know where KRS-One [click to read] was performing. I wasn’t in that scene, I wasn’t in New York in the early ’90s/late ‘80s. So for me, I’m getting to a point now at 24 - and really started at 21 - really starting to be able to really appreciate it and really understand what was going on. Because at 13, 14, 15, yeah you’re listening but a lot of it’s just Top 40 stuff, a lot of it’s just the stuff they’re telling you to listen to, but now I’m actually cognisant and old enough to be like, "This is what I wanna listen to, this is why I wanna listen to it, this is what I like."

You get to learn about samples and what they’re actually sampling, when you hear Busta Rhymes [click to read] figuring out that it’s coming from [Al Green's] “Love & Happiness” like wow, I heard this completely before [hearing it] on The Coming and you’re thinking the whole time it’s a Hip Hop song but really is a soul and R&B song they’ve jacked. Learning how the whole thing works is something that’s been awesome for me. [Editor's note: Busta Rhymes' "Turn It Up" sampled Al Green's "Love & Happiness" appeared on When Disaster Strikes]

Read more on Asher Roth here.................
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1412April 2009 was a poignant month for 24-year-old Asher Roth. His debut offering, Asleep In The Bread Aisle (Universal Motown),... more

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2 months ago

Raekwon Reveals Bad Boy's Interest, Says He's Open Today

Under the supremacy of Hip Hop mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, two members of super-group Wu-Tang Clan, could possibly become part of the Bad Boy umbrella. Incessant rumors of Bad Boy founder P. Diddy signing Ghostface and Raekwon to his label have been around since the early '90s.

Raekwon, who recently recruited Diddy to host his album-release party for his fourth solo album, Only Built For Cuban Linx II [click to read], spoke to MTV about the rumors [click here].

"We did a show at the Palladium [years back], and Puff had security with him that was from Staten Island. When we got back to Staten Island, we bump into the kid, and he told us while he was up there performing, Puff said, 'I need them two. What I gotta do?' He was excited about working with us [and] signing us too. I don't know why it ain't happen, either. You never know," stated Raekwon. "I'm independent, baby. So let's get it right. Let's cut them checks, Puff. We know what time it is," he continued.

This partnership is not as atypical as some may think. Wu-Tang Clan members alongside P. Diddy and other Bad Boy affiliates have collaborated before, formulating hit singles. In 1994, Method Man was featured on the late Notorious B.I.G.'s classic album Ready to Die, after joining up for the single, "The What". This was followed by Method Man and Mary J. Blige's Grammy Award winning "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By". P. Diddy remixed the song using Notorious B.I.G.'s "Me and My Bitch", also from Ready to Die. Then, in 2002 Ghostface teamed up with P. Diddy as well as G. Dep, Craig Mack and Keith Murray for the 2002 hit single "Special Delivery" which appeared on Diddy's Platinum album, We Invented the Remix [click to read].

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding both Raekwon and Ghostface. Only Built For Cuban Linx II, which dropped September 8, was ranked the number one downloaded album via iTunes, as well as debuting in the top 5 slot on Billboard 200, selling over 67,000 copies in the first week of release. Ghostface is also preparing for the release of his eighth solo studio project, Ghostface Killah Presents Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City [click here], slated for September 29, as well as a nationwide tour kicking off October 2.

Read more on Raekwon here................
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9838Under the supremacy of Hip Hop mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, two members of super-group Wu-Tang Clan, could possibly... more

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2 months ago

Skyzoo: It's All Real Interview

Skyzoo has been a mainstay on the New York underground Hip Hop scene since 2005 and has not slowed down since. The Brooklyn native has earned the support of people like DJ Premier as well as 9th Wonder, who eventually signed S-K to his Jamla imprint, through Duck Down Records. The Salvation will mark the emcee's proper debut, and comes September 29th.

In an engaging discussion with HipHopDX, Skyzoo explains the magic of yesterday's Hip Hop that he keeps in his tool-kit to help make for a better tomorrow.

HipHopDX: You’ve released eight mixtapes and two LPs and are now prepping your debut…What is your favorite project so far?
Skyzoo: The Salvation. Besides it being the newest release, it’s also the one I wanted my entire life. There’s a saying: “You take your whole life to make your first album.” Since I was a kid and began rhyming, all you think about are your first album, what your cover’s going to look like, standing on stage and winning an award; this is that album. And as I got older, I thought more about what I wanted the album to consist of, what I wanted to talk about and what message I wanted to get across. All of that is this album.

DX: How was the creative process different for The Salvation versus the mixtapes you’ve done in the past?
Skyzoo: Well with the debut album, this is what it all boils down to so it was definitely more thought-out. Mixtapes are more about showing and proving, getting busy, nothing more nothing less but with the album it’s supposed to last a lifetime. You’re supposed to be able to listen to an album 10 years from now and say, “That was real,” no matter what genre of music you’re doing. My process was to get out all of the stories and emotions I ever wanted to let out.

DX: You have producers Just Blaze and Nottz on the album…Who else did you work with, and how’d you decide who made the final cut?
Skyzoo: It was me 100%, deciding what tracks made the final cut. Nobody came in and picked beats, everything from the orchestration to the sequencing of the tracklist, it was all me alone. 9th Wonder [click to read], Black Milk [click to read], Illmind [click to read] all contributed to the album. I got a few up-an-comers on there as well, like Eric G, Cyrus the Great and Best Kept Secret.

DX: Every beat sounds tailor-made for your flow and each song topic that it’s no shock you oversaw what tracks made the final cut. With so many dope producers, what was the process of elimination like?
Skyzoo: For the album I had a ton of concepts so of course, I wanted to find beats that matched what talked about. For instance, the song “Shooter’s Soundtrack,” I knew I wanted to make a record that was not preachy but that talked about how easy it is for youth to get a gun in the hood. So I wanted a melancholy, aggressive beat that was still musical. That was the main process for choosing every track that made the final cut, making sure it fully complimented what I was trying to get across.

DX: How much of the album has that '90s boom-bap influence that’s heard on your first single, “Beautiful Decay?”

Read the whole interview with Skyzoo here................
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1409Skyzoo has been a mainstay on the New York underground Hip Hop scene since 2005 and has not slowed down since. The Brooklyn native... more

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2 months ago

Remembering Roc Raida, A DX Obituary

In 2000, the present editor-in-chief of HipHopDX was working at Burger King. True story, though this is the first time I ever... more

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2 months ago

DX News Bits: Slaughterhouse, Jay-Z Tour Line-Up

With speculation mounting over the inclusion of Slaughterhouse [click to read] during Eminem’s verse in the video for... more

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2 months ago

Details Emerge On Rakim's Seventh Seal

November 17 is the locked in date for Rakim's [click to read] studio album return. The Seventh Seal will be approximately one... more

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2 months ago

Embedded Is Coming October 14th

Current Music Presents: Embedded is a six part special that puts you on the ground and behind the scenes with unrivaled access to... more

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2 months ago

Shomori Pass Performing Live with Two in Central, Bangkok

One of the most prolific performers in Asia, always looking to engage his audience and deliver the best on any given day..Checking... more

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2 months ago

Update: Jack Herer, Emperor of Hemp, marijuana hero, critical condition

Contrary to previous reports, Jack Herer is still alive. The Oregonian is reporting the activist is in critical condition at... more

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2 months ago

It's all RELEGATED Now....U know we are coming after U all Now..Whatta gonna do now???

The regulatin flow of our symmetery, tighter than clean cut crop circles, U bitches going beserk over our hurdles, u can't... more

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2 months ago

Murs Leaves Warner Bros., Talks New Projects

Los Angeles rapper Murs has left Warner Bros. records, after reports surfaced that he had been dropped from the label [click to... more

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2 months ago

B-Real Speaks on Sublime at Smokeout Festival

When the Smokeout Festival [click here] roster was announced to fans, some people became skeptical. That's because the roster featured Sublime alongside Slipknot, The Deftones, Methodman and Redman, Cypress Hill, Goodie Mob, Bad Brains, Kottonmouth Kings and The Geto Boys among others. The skepticism came because Sublime's lead singer, Bradley Nowell, passed away in 1996 and some fans weren't too happy with the band reuniting with a different lead singer, Rome.

In a video message to fans posted on September 17 on the Festival's MySpace page [click here], B-Real, who is helping promote the concert, spoke about the reunion and how it should be seen in a positive light.

"There are some people who feel weird about it," he said of the criticism that Sublime has gotten for joining the line-up without their original vocalist.

"I think that Sublime is taking the vibe of what Sublime is, what it stands for and what it meant to Brad and they're going to carry it on," he added.

"It's a reformation. They finally found a guy in Rome that they feel confident enough to bring Sublime back," he noted.

Aside from music, this year will feature much more, according to the site, including an expo.

"The SmokeOut Cannabis Cup & Medical Marijuana Expo will be one of the best consumer and trade shows in the hemp industry. [It] will be the ultimate destination for all advocates, businesses and consumers. This expo will feature leading businesses impacting the multi-million dollar hemp and medical marijuana industries such as: cultivation, education, legal rights, clothing, accessories, cosmetics, health benefits, arts, crafts and more. Non-profits, and eco-friendly exhibitors will be on site as well. This will be the biggest and brightest showcase for dispensaries, licensed physicians, political organizations and all members of the cannabis community."

The event will be held on October 23 and 24 in San Bernardino, CA. Fans who purchase tickets will be allowed to attend both days.

Read more on B-Real here..........
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9832When the Smokeout Festival [click here] roster was announced to fans, some people became skeptical. That's because the roster... more