tagged w/ Entertainmenttertainment
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When "Forever" dropped, it seemed to quickly become one of the most talked about singles of the year. Even before it hit the airwaves and Internet sites, people were arguing about who would have the best verse. In some ways, this was very similar to another release by four emcees. In Slaughterhouse's [click here] case, it was a bit different because it was an independent release but it also garnered some of the same scrutiny. Now, those two have merged in the video for "Forever" [click to watch].
In the video, directed by Hype Williams, all emcees go through their verses without major surprises. However, the final, a verse by Eminem, featured a shot of Slaughterhouse, dressed in al black, backing Eminem. As one can imagine, this led many to fuel rumors of a potential collaboration between Slim Shady and the self proclaimed Voltron Crew.
Miss Info [click here] has gone on to say that she's heard the move, one that placed the independent Rap group behind Slim, was a way to let fans know that the two parties were in negotiations. The talks have been that the crew may sign to Shady Records in the near future. None of this has been officially confirmed by any of the artists involved, however.
Meanwhile, Royce Da 5'9" is readying the October release of Street Hop, an album that has DJ Premier listed as its Executive Producer. Crooked I is prepping his solo project Mr. Pigface Weapon Waist. Joell Ortiz is working on new music as well and Joe Budden has been gearing up for his Great Escape.
Read more on Em & Slaughterhouse here.............
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9852When "Forever" dropped, it seemed to quickly become one of the most talked... more
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In 2000, the present editor-in-chief of HipHopDX was working at Burger King. True story, though this is the first time I ever admitted that publicly.
At a franchise just minutes outside of Pittsburgh, I was responsible for cleaning last night's flame-broiled garbage at 5:45 am, just long enough for it to get really caked on. They called me a "porter," and the only thing good about such a position is its name is shared by my favorite Stax Records producer and one of my favorite NFL mouth-pieces. My shift lasted until 2pm, and then go on to do everything from deliveries to being a fill-in personal assistant to my lifelong side hustle of flipping CDs excavated from pawn shops on to eBay for profit. I hated my job, word to Cam'ron, and unlike the Amityville franchise that De La Soul must have been frequenting, there were no bitties (of interest) here. My boss was the biggest dick in the world, and I refuse to eat at Burger Kings today, with Newark International Airport food vouchers being the lone exception.
This might not seem to have anything to do with Grandmaster Roc Raida, but I assure you differently.
Read more on Roc Raida here.................
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/columns-editorials/id.1411In 2000, the present editor-in-chief of HipHopDX was working at Burger King. True... more
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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... more
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After a controversial incident between members of the Wu-Tang Clan and Joe Budden left the latter rapper assaulted backstage at a Rock The Bells concert [click to read], Wu affiliates are finally giving more details about what happened that night. A member of Raekwon's Ice Water entourage, who goes by the name of Hanz, revealed that he was the one who punched Budden, his reason being that the rapper was being disrespectful.
The beef between Budden and members of Wu-Tang, specifically Method Man, Raekwon, and Inspectah Deck, stemmed from comments Budden made questioning Method Man's position on Vibe's Best Rapper Alive tournament. Since then, the tension between the two has created conflict, prompting a confrontation between Raekwon and Budden backstage at Rock The Bells last month.
"To say something about a nigga like Meth is crazy," said Hanz, explaining to VladTV why he assaulted Budden. "Meth don't fuck with nobody and that's my big brother...[Budden] got punched in his face not only for being disrespectful to my big brother Rae, but he got punched in his face because he tried to throw it off on Meth and throw it off on Deck and all of that's family."
Many wondered whether Raekwon had initiated the assault, but Hanz assures that his actions were of his own doing.
"I'm not gonna sit here and say Rae made me do it," he admitted. "That was a spontaneous decision on my own because I felt like he was being disrespectful to my big brother. Did it happen because of Rae? Yeah, because I'm not gonna allow someone to disrespect my big brother in front of me."
He went on to add that, although Wu members reprimanded him for his violent actions, he was not regretful for what he did. Joe Budden and members of Wu-Tang Clan have yet to speak on recent developments.
Read more on Raekwon here.................
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9818After a controversial incident between members of the Wu-Tang Clan and Joe Budden left... more
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“I want a girl with extensions in her hair/ bamboo earrings, at least two pair.”
Who can forget LL Cool J’s legendary ode to ‘round-the-way girls? At one point, rap music videos were filled with them—beautiful women who still managed to seem accessible. Women who you might actually be able to approach if you saw them walking down the street or at a club. But the girl next door types from rap videos of yesteryear are a far cry from the super-stacked beauties of today—so much so that they’ve taken on a new title of their own: video vixens.
They tend to have perfect hour glass measurements, flawless make-up, and sex-appeal that oozes off of the TV screen and magazines. A lucky few have even finagled their video appearances into complete branding opportunities, profiting from public appearances, calendars, and websites. These women’s bank accounts are being to look as stacked as their bodies.
But what some see as a celebration of womanly form (who can’t appreciate a well-sculpted body?); others see as flat out degradation. For many, it’s considered a giant step backwards for women across the globe. For the critics, ‘objectification’ seems to be a more appropriate term for what happens for these vixens than ‘appreciation’. It doesn’t help when scenes such as Nelly’s infamous booty-crack-credit-card-swipe in the "Tip drill" video are becoming the norm. The women are wearing less and jiggling more…but most women within the video vixen field insist that it’s a source of empowerment.
This week DX caught up with bourgeoning model Kimya to get her opinion on the video model industry, the stigmas associated with body models, and why many people are ‘confused about what socially acceptable is’.
Read more on Kimya here................
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/brains-beauty/id.102“I want a girl with extensions in her hair/ bamboo earrings, at least two... more
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Equally as famous as the artists they create tracks for some producers still like to lay in the cut and live a normal life. Their whole existence is housed within the four walls of their recording studio and as hard as it may be for the attention seekers out there to comprehend for producers like Nottz, that is just how they like it.
Hailed as "your favorite producer's favorite producer" Nottz has earned his stripes by crafting tracks for a diverse list of clientele. Void of nepotism his ability and originality are factors that allow this Virginia native to continue to thrive. As much as he enjoys working with the mainstream acts, he is quite happy to push product to an unknown dude from the hood. His musical backdrops know no boundaries and as he explains in this interview, it is this attribute that allows him to be the go to guy for the majors as well as the lords and ladies of the underground.
With the procurement of something abnormal being the aim of any entertainer who makes the acquaintance of Nottz, the likelihood of him ever changing his style is as far fetched as swine taking to the skies. He is what he does and stands by every sound he makes, how many can say that and truly mean it in the industry today? Called out by Masta Ace, hitting a home run with "Barry Bonds" and taking Tina Turner to a whole other level, Nottz gives Producer's Corner a 40-minute interview which allows fans and those intrigued by this man's basslines and samples a look into what makes him tick.
HipHopDX: You are working on your own album right now, how close to completion is that? How important is time management when working on something of your own?
Nottz: Well I am just waiting on a couple of tracks, so maybe another week or two. Time management hasn’t really been a problem really, as I am here in the studio everyday, all day. It helps me out working with people who have different styles when it comes to working on my project you know. Being that I am just getting my first album out, I get to venture off to work with lots of different sounds. Let’s say I am working on a project with Snoop [Dogg] [click to read], maybe I would bring a lil west coast vibe to the project because of that and it might encourage me to put a song on there like that.
DX: When working in the studio with artists on their projects and then going in and doing your own stuff, is it the musician within you that allows you to adapt, as some people have commented that at times it can be quite hard?
Nottz: No. [Laughs] It is real easy. I do this every day.
DX: Do you experiment more when it is your own stuff?
Nottz: Oh yeah. Definitely. Especially with the basslines. Now I am doing my bass lines like I used to do them in the '90s. I branched out a little bit, but now I am trying to go back to that Busta [Rhymes] [click to read] era.
DX: Why has it taken you so long to bring your own project out?
Nottz: [I] never had the urge to do it. Nobody around me really pushed me to do it. Darryl, my manager, talked about it but I never took it seriously. I said I would do it but it never really happened but now I am getting older it seemed the right time and it is coming out kind of crazy.
DX: Who is on there?
Nottz: Well you have Kardinal [Offishall] [click to read], Little Brother [click to read], The Game [click to read], Scarface [click to read], Bilal, Colin Munroe [click to read], Joy Denalane, Dwele, Asher Roth.
Read the whole interview here...............
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1400Equally as famous as the artists they create tracks for some producers still like to... more
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A woman who served on the jury in convicted rapper Corey "C-Murder" Miller's murder case [click to read] says that she was not entirely convinced of the rapper's guilt - despite voting in favor of it.
According to the Times-Picayune, Mary Jacob says she ended deliberations for sake of another juror - a 20-year-old woman who felt the rapper was innocent, but was physically and emotionally unable to withstand the "brutal" pressure from other jurors.
"This thing had to come to an end for this girl's health, her sanity," said Jacob, who cast the deciding vote to deliver the 10-2 verdict twice - the minimum required by state law for a second-degree murder conviction. "I believe what happened to Steve Thomas on the floor of the Platinum Club happened to her verbally," she said, referring to the 16-year-old boy C-Murder was convicted of murdering.
"I was more worried about this little girl than I was about Corey Miller," added Jacob. "Corey Miller will survive whatever happens to him."
"They literally made this 20-year-old girl so violently ill," Jacob continued. "She was shaking so bad. She ran into the bathroom. She was throwing her guts up. She couldn't function anymore. That's when I decided, the judge don't want to listen to me, doesn't want to listen to us? I told them, 'You want him to be guilty? He's guilty, now let's get the hell out of here.''
Neither Miller's family nor attorney have commented on the matter. Miller is scheduled to be sentenced today (Aug. 25) in a separate case for two counts of attempted second-degree murder in Baton Rouge at Club Raggs in August 2001.
Read more about C-Murder here.................
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.9687A woman who served on the jury in convicted rapper Corey "C-Murder"... more
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This will blow your mind!
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