Tag: Hip hop

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YO GOTTI: Behind The N9NE

We recently told you about Yo Gotti’s new project CM9.  Well here is an inside look at how it was made in 9 days, the team who helped him put it together, his home in the Hollywood Hills, and details of how he got started in the rap game.  The work ethic and the story behind what drives him will give you a new perspective on Gotti as an artist and entrepreneur.  “Everybody was big time drug dealers,” he explains. “My daddy was a big time drug dealer. My momma a big time drug dealer, her boyfriend. I think my upbringing set the tone for exactly who I am. I was raised by hustlers.”  yo-gotti-white-friday-cm9-album-cover-art

Check it out below:

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Stream the debut album Siya Vs. Siya below

We all know Siya from the hit tv show Sisterhood of Hip-Hop, but now the lyrical brooklyn spitter has finally dropped her debut album titled “Siya vs. Siya” on Tank’s label RnB Money.  Features include Sage The Gemini, Lyric Wright, Ashley Rose, Jake & Papa, and Kreesha Turner.  Check for “The One”, “Weight Up”, “Watch What You Say”, and “New York, New York.”  We can tell she took her time crafting this project and attempts to show her versatility, especially since we know she will be compared to the other brooklyn stud Young M.A.

“I wanted to show that I am my only competition,” she says. “I’m a firm believer in you becoming your worst enemy over time. I think everyday as human beings we wake up with a chip on our shoulders someway somehow, trying to overcome the struggles that we’re going through.”

-Siya

Stream debut album below and buy on iTunes <—click here

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BET HIP-HOP AWARDS 2016

Before i start let me say that this is my post, my opinion and if you do not like what i have to say, get your own platform!  Now that that is out the way……Ok BET, what happened to the red carpet event?  I honestly look forward to that every year.

Overall, i enjoyed the awards and i think it was a great idea to bring some old and new artists for the cyphers.  More cyphers than usual, BUT ima hip hop head so it’s cool.  I expected Khaled to scream through the entire show but he didn’t and for that HE THE BEST!  Not enough awards were given out..what happened to best collab, best video, best producer so on and so forth?  I also would have like to see Rae Sremmurd perform but hey, there is always next year and i hope to be able to attend one of them very soon 😀

I see where they were going with the whole show by introducing us to a lot of new artists whose names have been buzzin’ thru the streets, but people were unsure of who they were.  The awards were also about letting us know how powerful we were in the midst of all this police brutality, drug use and abuse, respecting ourselves and the importance of voting.  Which in my opinion, honestly, do not matter because they both have their own agendas and don’t care about our communities and our youth.  The US is in a tight situation with this election.  I don’t trust any politician but just make sure that before you go off of the words of how other people feel, do your own research and build your knowledge from there.  We can’t expect anyone to save us, we gotta save ourselves and change the world, build businesses and invest back into our own communities.  BET will show awards 25,352 times over the next week so make sure you tune in if you missed it!  AITE….

HERE ARE THE AWARD WINNERS AND CYPHER PARTICIPANTS IN ORDER

Lyricist of the Year-Kendrick Lamar he honestly deserved that award and im proud of him.

Track of The Year: All The Way Up-Fat Joe, Remy Ma, French Montana & Infrared

Hustler of The Year-DJ KHALED

Best New Hip Hop Artist: Chance The Rapper

Cypher #1, Millyz, Jaz The Rapper, Chris Rivers

Cypher #2: It was dope to see Omillio Sparks and Freeway back on the scene.  Philly bishhhhh!  Freeway sound like 2001 again and even talked about his kidney failure, but looked very healthy!  and then BEANSSSSS blazed the cypher!! These new rap fans don’t know nothin’ bout that ish right there…lol ijs.  Notice how its only the old school rappers who only speak on how unattractive and feminine this sagging and yaki braid style looks.  Don’t allow these artists to persuade and confuse you, that mess ain’t cute.

Cypher #3: Don Q, Russ, Ace Boogie with Da Hoodie, Kent Jones, Nick Grant

Cypher #4: Sam Black, Ms. Jade, Young M.A., Dave East, Kur,

Cypher #5: Oswin Benjamin, Locksmith, Stic Dead Prez, M-1 Dead Prez,

Cypher #6: Bre-Z, Yazz The Greatest, Biv and Devoe

Cypher #7: Aaron Cooks, 3D Na’tee, Jidenna, Consequence, Rain910

Cypher #8: Lil Wayne and Chocolate Droppa LMAO thats all ima say .. u shoulda watched 😛

HIGHLIGHTS AND NO SO HIGH LIGHTS

For the old heads, Betty Wright was definitely a highlight and she killed it.. minus the second high note but hey…that Ms. Wright so she gets a Major pass lol

Lil Yachty….i was shocked that people in the audience knew the words… and then here comes D.RA.M. with a poodle… really? O.O dont get it confused, i actually took a listen to his earlier tapes and was impressed with his ballots.  But what you see on stage is just for show, im convinced lol.  He actually has a sound that i could maaaaybe get used to.

Big K.R.I.T. -Very Powerful Young Black Brother, use your words to make aware and teach!! Artists like this don’t get the shine they deserve because they not talking about bad bishes and molly. Come on Black people, take our voice back!

I am Hip-Hop Award Honoree: Snoop D-O-Double G, The Dogg Father, Uncle Snoop…The Godfather of Rap!

Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage please dont let Snoop gas yall.. go sit yo ass down some where ewww.

BET Hip Hop Hustler of The Year: DJ KHALED major key alert

LECRAE yaaaaassssssssss!

I DO NOT CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS..DESIIGNER is one of my fave new artists because there is something powerful in being yourself.  Nobody can be you better than you! Timmy Turner just shows why you should give him a fair chance.  The End lol

The BET Hip Hop Awards 2016 Green Carpet at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on September 17, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia.

desiigner dram fatjoe gucci jeezy mrbentley remy snoop ti youngma

attends the BET Hip Hop Awards 2016 Green Carpet at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on September 17, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia.

21-savage cardi-b conglomerate erica-mena migos rock-paper-scissors

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Gucci Mane has “Everybody Looking”

Gucci Mane debuts his new album “Everybody Looking” fresh out the joint and has everyone checking out his new weight loss and perfect smile.  Gucci says he is super sober now and the industry needs to get used to it because “it’s here to stay.”  STREAM the new album below:

Features include Drake, Kanye West and Young Thug.


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Independent Film ‘Dope’ Premieres At Sundance Film Festival

‘Dope,’ the coming of age comedy-drama for the post hip-hop generation, made a splash over the weekend at the annual Sundance Film Festival. Directed by Rick Famuyiwa who is known for his work with ‘Brown Sugar’ and ‘The Wood,’ this film follows Malcolm, a young hip-hop fan with a garage band who is faced with different challenges each day living in Inglewood, California.  Featuring young stars such as Shamiek Moore, Quincy, Chanel Iman, Zoë Kravitz, and A$AP Rocky, the film will definitely reach today’s hip-hop generation. Rounding out the cast are a few rappers and major actors, including Tyga, Vince Staples and Casey Veggies, ForestWhitaker, Rick Fox, and Tony Revolori. Music contributed to the film came from a few industry heavy-hitters such as Pharell.  After its premiere at Sundance, the film gained a $7 million deal with Open Road Films and Sony so we should expect the movie in theaters some time very soon. Check out the ‘Dope’ trailer below.

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Q-Tip Schools Iggy Azalea On Hip-Hop

In a show of support for Azaleia Banks’ rant/interview over the appropriation of black culture and her ongoing beef with Iggy Azalea, A Tribe Called Quest MC, Q-Tip, reached out to Iggy via a series of tweets. The tweets were essentially a hip-hop history lesson put into laments terms the socio-political origins of hip-hop and how the culture is directly affected when used by other races. Q-Tip shared the following tweets with Iggy:

HipHop is a artistic and socio-political movement/culture that sprang from the disparate ghettos of NY in the early 70’s. Coming off the heels of the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT and approaching the end of the Vietnam war it was a crossroads 4 America specially for blacks in the US. our neighborhoods were PROLIFERATED w/a rush of HEROINE, our school systems here in NY dungeon traps with light for learning. blk men some of whom didn’t return from tours of duty n the ones who did came w/war baggage (agent orange, addiction, ect..). these men had families but due to these events and throw into the mix the public emasculation…they proved to be handicapped parents. The surrogate parents? The STREETS. the streets of gangs, crimes, and the hustlers coddled us and swept us up but! Being a spirited, rhythmic & expressive people music art dance outlined our existence. it proved a way for us to exhault to scream to dance to laugh and find OUR VOICE. we weren’t at the time skilled musicians as kids. We had records, turntables, ideas and INGENUITY. being natural chemist we took from whatever was availed to us and we created something mighty and special we cut breakbeats back n forth we took a hybrid of Jamaican toasting along w/ radio jock rap( hank Spann, Gary Byrd, ect.) and we put our rap down..it was a neighborhood thing really. Black and Latino Kids were carving out their space and it became infectious. eventually Keith Cowboy coined the phrase hiphop . Yrs later the first rap record was recorded and now we r movingbut during these strides this country still had the monster of racism and racial insensitivity breathing and ruling. believe it or not young black n Latino lives specifically weren’t acknowledged in mainstream American culture unless Ofcourse..the convo was abt gangs , being criminals or uneducated. And hey! Like I stated early our families were rushed our schools  sucked and we were left to put devices to survive. but HIPHOP showed that we had DEPTH, fire, and BRILLANCE the music was undeniable! It moved from NY N became national and even GLOBAL. hiphop now was FOR EVERYBODY!! All of those who cld relate to the roots, the spirit, the history, the energy.. It reached YOU. it touched your spirit n took u up. We magnetized you! That’s what BRILLANCE does. now u are fulfilling your dreams … BUT! you have to take into account the HISTORY as you move underneath the banner of hiphop. As I said before hiphop is fun it’s vile it’s dance it’s traditional it’s light hearted but 1 thing it can never detach itself from is being a SOCIO-Political movement. U may ask why … Well once you are born black your existence I believe is joined with socio-political epitaph and philos based on the tangled and treacherous history SLAVERY alone this is the case it never leaves our conversation… Ever. WeAther in our universities our dinner tables our studios or jail cells the effects still resononates with us. It hurts… We get emotional and angry and melancholy. did u know president Clinton was the ONLY PRESIDENT to apologize for it? did u know that remnants of slavery exist today thru white privilege? When certain “niceties” r extended your way because of how u look? Isn’t that crazy? I say this 2 say u are a hiphop artist who has the right 2 express herself however she wishes. this is not a chastisement this is not admonishment at ALL this is just one artist reaching to another hoping to spark insight into the field you r in. I say this in the spirit of a hopeful healthy dialogue that maybe one day we can continue I’ve been on twitter a long time and this will probably be my last series of tweets pretty much but I’m Kool with it as long as I got to share this w u. Zzzzzzz’s up! Peace!

 

Welp! We hope she gets the picture now. We’re sure she’s not the only one who learned a little something from Q-Tip.

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Wale Becomes Creative Liaison For The Washington Wizards

Most artist know that getting endorsements or starting other business ventures is how you really make a coin. Wale has jumped on board and has become the Creative Liaison for NBA team Washington Wizards. His responsibilities include:  putting his personal stamp on team merchandise, be involved in charity events, help with promotional work through social media and creating content for Monumental Network. (Monumental Sports & Entertainment owns the Wizards, the Washington Capitals and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.) Continue reading “Wale Becomes Creative Liaison For The Washington Wizards” »

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French Montana Announces Album Release Date For “Mac & Cheese 4”

Although the media has been focused on French and his personal life, having broke up with Khloe Kardashian and getting a divorce, he has still been working on his album ‘Mac & Cheese 4’. He stopped by ‘Sway In The Morning’ and announced that his label has picked Dec. 16 to be the tentative release date.  Continue reading “French Montana Announces Album Release Date For “Mac & Cheese 4”” »

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Funkmaster Flex Working On A New Book About The Notorious B.I.G.

Funkmaster Flex is a huge part  of the hip-hop culture, he has been in the game for many years. According to HotNewHipHop, Flex is teaming up with journalist Karen Hunter and publisher Simon Schuster to write untold stories about the great late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. Continue reading “Funkmaster Flex Working On A New Book About The Notorious B.I.G.” »

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Bun B Receives Congressional Recognition

Congresswoman and Houston Representative Sheila Jackson Lee has awarded Bun B with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition in regards to his work with the University of Houston-Downtown motivating students and residents to vote. He has also received praise for his lectures on  Religion & the Culture of Hip Hop at Rice University, where he has been speaking since 2011. Continue reading “Bun B Receives Congressional Recognition” »