Young Chris- Bounce 101 produced by JS aka The Best

Young Chris- Bounce 101 produced by JS aka The Best
Download Link- http://www.mediafire.com/?fu3fpgoyavd...
This is apart of Young Chris mixtape 30 verses 30 days
This was Verse #20

50 Cent ‘Blood Out’ Movie Trailer

50 Cent’s latest big screen project “Blood Out,” is set for an April 2011 release. Check out the trailer for the film which also features Val Kilmer.

Jay-Z Coming to Oprah’s New Network

Oprah Winfrey is calling in all the heavyweights to launch her new television network, OWN, including rap legend Jay-Z. The hip-hop icon will appear on Oprah’s channel , as the subject of her new series Master Class.
During the one hour episode, Jay will open up about his humble beginnings in Brooklyn’s Marcy projects and tell stories about his rise to fame, while offering insight into the important lessons he learned on his way to the top.
The show is set to air at 2 p.m. as well as 7 p.m. EST tomorrow (January 1).
Tonight Jay and his buddy Chris Martin will be ringing in the new year together, as they are scheduled to share a stage in Las Vegas. Hov and Coldplay will both have their own solo sets during a three-day concert event celebrating the opening of the Cosmopolitan Casino and Resort. —Elan Mancini

JS aka The Best In The Studio....LIVE!!!

JS aka The Best shows us Dr. Dre's Detox album preview

We have all been waiting (a little too long perhaps) for the highly anticipated release of Dr. Dre’s final album, Detox. It’s been 7+ years in the making and 10+ years since Dr. Dre has released an organized body of work following his last effort ‘Chronic 2001’ which went 7X Platinum as of July 2008.
Listen: T.I. – Coming Back [Reference]
He first spoke of the project back in 2003, but the project has been met with many delays primarily due to Dre’s focus on artist development and other joint business ventures. After a few years of a lull, there was a revived interest in 2008 when Dre announced that ‘Detox’ would finally be released in the first quarter of that year. After MORE delays due to albums from his label mates, Eminem and 50 cent, the album has repeatedly been pushed back.
Listen: T.I. ft Kobe – This Is Detox [Reference] (Prod by DJ Khalil )
Legend or truth but it has been said that over this whole saga, Dre has produced over 400 tracks as he has been through many phases of inspiration during this period. Dre is known to be a perfectionist and some credit his inability to put out work because of his obsessive nature with quality and being wholly satisfied with every aspect of a song.
Listen: Young Knox – The Doctor [Reference] (Prod By Dr. Dre)
2010 is about to draw to a close and Dre committed to a release date in December 2010 but that date has been pushed back again due to recent leaks of tracks that were candidates for the final cut of the album. Quite a number of reference tracks have found there way on the internet and it has functioned to satiate the fan’s appetite for a preview of what to expect. Artists such as T.I., Ludacris, Nas, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I are known to have contributed writing in recent years. This summer around June, an unfinished version of ‘Under Pressure’ featuring Jay-Z was leaked and Dre got vocal about the set-backs that leaks contribute to the delay of the album. He commented saying:
“I didn’t get a chance to finish the record, the vocals are real rough, it’s not blended right and there’s not even a hook on the song. It’s not done, the music’s not done, it’s just one of those things we have to deal with today in this business because of technology and all of that. It’s real easy for somebody to steal your shit so what can you do?”
Listen: Dr. Dre feat. Jay-Z – Under Pressure
Also this fall another leak led Dre to take a more pro-active approach. ‘Kush’  featuring Akon and Snoop-Dogg was leaked but Dre decided to quickly finish up and master the song and release it as a single ahead of schedule A video was also recently shot and released.

Dre has an army of featured artists and producers that are contributing to Detox. So far, Akon, Snoop-Dogg and Eminem are confirmed features. As far as producers, Boi-1-da, DJ Khalil, Alex Da Kid, Scott Storch, and Denaun Porter are some of the notable talent that are slated  to be credited on the album.
Listen: T.I. ft. Nas – Topless [Reference] (Prod by DJ Khalil)
The new release date is set for February 2011 and with an official single accompanied with a video rotating on radio and TV, it feels like Detox will finally see the light of day. For me at least, I have to see it to believe it!
Check out other reference tracks below:
Listen: Crooked I – Say Dr. Dre [Reference] (Prod By Dr. Dre)
Listen: T.I. – Shit Popped Off [Reference]
-Medik

Cardiak Reveals Upcoming 50 Cent Collabo

Cardiak has had a thrilling 2010, after all he's responsible for the Lloyd Banks "Start It Up," track. Yea you may be familiar with his work. The producer caught up with ThisIs50 to speak on getting his start, his placements, and an upcoming 50 Cent collaboration for his upcoming album and plenty more.

Wale – Let’s Chill feat. Lloyd (Prod. Tone P) [CDQ]

@Wale‘s new single with Lloyd leaked a week or so ago, he put the final version on his blog.

DOWNLOAD: Wale – Let’s Chill feat. Lloyd (Prod. Tone P) [CDQ]

One And Only [Lloyd Banks November 2010 Magazine Feature]

IMAGES JIMMY FONTAINE
STORY BY BEN DETRICK
THIS STORY ORIGINALLY APPEARS IN THE NOVEMBER 2010 ISSUE OF XXL.
It’s a late September afternoon and Lloyd Banks is killing time in the XXL offices before a scheduled UStream interview. The 28-year-old lyricist is dressed with all the whimsy of the Grim Reaper: black Ralph Lauren polo shirt, black jeans, black Timbs. One wrist has a watch, the other a bracelet. Both are platinum and glitter expensively. Add his wardrobe to the permanent scowl, that growling delivery and a gallows sense of humor, and Banks makes an unlikely peacemaker. But his current single, “Any Girl,” features R&B singer Lloyd—an artist who was once part of Ja Rule’s Murder Inc., the most hated enemy of Banks’s crew, G-Unit’s many, many enemies. “It really just came out of the blue,” the crooner says of Banks reaching out. “I was a little surprised and caught off guard at first, but there was no hesitation. We met in the studio for the first time, and it was love, like it was our 100th song together.”
After spending a career as an enforcer, Lloyd Banks is trying diplomacy.
Now on the verge of releasing his third solo album, the Queens native has recently extended olive branches to artists who have experienced run-ins—at least peripherally—with G-Unit boss 50 Cent. Banks’s lead hit single, “Beamer, Benz or Bentley,” featured Juelz Santana (50 Cent beefed with the Diplomats founder Cam’ron), he’s been in the studio with Styles P (50 Cent feuded with Jadakiss of The Lox), and he linked up with Kanye West after the outspoken Chicagoan declared Banks “top 5” on Twitter (50 Cent and West battled in a sales competition in 2007). Since Banks has never been viewed as an artist who operated with total autonomy—his loyalty to G-Unit, his crew and record label, has always seemed to supersede personal ambition—this interest in expanding his sphere of influence is a new thing.
“Coming from a hustler’s mentality, we didn’t know to do anything different,” Banks says of the exclusiveness that characterized his early career. “I’d rather help somebody that I eat lunch with every day than to help anyone else. This is the first album when I’ve been able to be an artist and a fan.”
Sure, okay. But as G-Unit’s power has seemingly dwindled, might Lloyd Banks also be thinking about self-preservation?
If 50 Cent is more a bullet-resistant superhuman than a musician, Banks has always had a more subdued persona than his accomplishments might confer. He too was a hustler from Queens. He too has been shot. He too was a mixtape monster—his freestyle over Puff Daddy’s “Victory” instrumental, from 2002’s No Mercy, No Fear, is a hood classic. And he too surpassed the platinum mark on his solo debut, 2004’s The Hunger for More. But while Banks is respected as a deft rapper who strings together multisyllabic rhyme schemes and churns out punch lines, his success has often been discounted as the by-product of association. Like Detroit group D-12, which sold two million copies of 2001’s Devil’s Night, anyone who was close to the unstoppable trio of 50 Cent, Eminem and Dr. Dre basked in their reflected glow.
The Hunger for More did little to shake the perception that Banks was just a cog in a moneymaking machine. Despite topping a million in sales, its singles were less than memorable, and critical acclaim was moderate. Banks disagrees with this assessment. “My first album is heavily talked about as a classic album,” he says. “Not just for commercial success, but what it’s done. I’m one of the last New York artists to have a platinum debut album.”
What’s not debatable is that the early years of Banks’s career were charmed. His transition from a mixtape rapper to a successful artist with a half-million dollars in jewelry was swift and seamless. But things turned sour in 2006, when it came time for Banks to release his second album, Rotten Apple. A number of tracks leaked prematurely, after he lost a CD during a ménage à trois with two ladies in New York, and the hastily revamped version of the LP failed to match the sales or relevancy of its predecessor.
Around the same time, Banks was beset by family problems. His mother suffered a pair of strokes, and the body of his estranged father was found in Washington, D.C. The police ruled out foul play, but Banks was so dissatisfied with the reported causes of death—police meandered between heart failure, alcohol, and cocaine—that he considered hiring a private detective to investigate. “I think it was denial,” Banks says. “I lost my pops at a time where I thought it was going to be time to fix our relationship. I felt cheated. If he had got shot down, it would have been easy to understand, because you got those calls before. I was just confused.”
With his career and family upended, Banks retreated inward. He holed up in his home studio and went over six months without speaking to 50. “I was completely ready to say fuck it,” says Banks. “50’s whole thing was just, ‘Push on, push on.’ But he didn’t grow up with his mother and his father. Seeing my life pass before my eyes, it was like, no matter how much shit you have or how good you’re doing, you’re going to go through this and be devastated.”
Finally, Sha Money XL, who was managing Banks at the time, reached out to the MC and urged him to end his self-imposed exile. Even after reconciliation with G-Unit, the ground upon which Banks had built his livelihood continued to shift. In 2009, he was dropped by Interscope. 50 had warned him that dismissal was imminent, but it was still unpleasant. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little surprised,” Banks says. He believes it was a business decision but remains perplexed by the fickle nature of the industry. “When everything is doing good, tip-top, you thank everybody: ‘What’s your name? You put up posters? Thank you!’ When you don’t do good, everyone blames you.” These were dark days.
In early 2010, while working on mixtape tracks, Banks contacted Juelz Santana through Banks’s cousin John Depp, who was part of the Harlem rapper’s Skull Gang crew. Both artists were in need of a hit, and their unexpected collaboration generated a spark for not only their flagging careers, but also for the dormant New York City hip-hop scene. The independently released “Beamer, Benz or Bentley” earned over 500,000 downloads on iTunes and spawned remixes from Joell Ortiz, Fabolous, Slim Thug, Joe Budden and others. At a moment when most hip-hop artists were scrambling to make pop songs or R&B records, the record was unashamedly rap. Banks credits spending time in New York City nightclubs like Pink Elephant and Mansion for inspiring a record that resonated with partygoers. “I think the reason it caught on so quick was the ignorance of it,” he says with a chuckle.
The success of “Beamer, Benz or Bentley” earned attention, or, as Banks says, it put him “in the conversation.” He toyed with the idea of staying independent, but G-Unit Records inked a label deal so that EMI Label Services will handle distribution and Capitol Records will take care of radio promotion, video promotion and product management for November’s The Hunger for More 2 and Tony Yayo’s 2011 LP. Negotiations lasted six months, and, as a result, Banks maintains creative control and will receive, he says, a share of profits similar to what he would have earned doing it himself. “We were very impressed with what G-Unit did on their own with ‘Beamer, Benz or Bentley,’” says Jesse Flores, vice president of label acquisition and development at EMI. “He’s still technically independent.”
Banks may technically be independent, but he’s still affiliated. He remains a first lieutenant in the G-Unit platoon. Respected by the streets and battle hardened, Banks is a layer of insulation against any charges that his boss has gone too mainstream. It’s not an easy role to escape, and he’s faced with the delicate balance of being a strong team player while building up his own name as an individual talent. He knows this. “You can’t erase your history,” Banks says. “[50 Cent] took me from 159th Street [in Queens] and put me into the industry. Some people looking from the outside in think, He’s good regardless of whether he does music or not, not realizing that everything I’ve done, I’ve done on my own. If I didn’t need it, I wouldn’t have had to go through what I went through.”

Bangladesh Talks Producing For Pusha T's Solo Album, Future G.O.O.D. Music Collaborations

Wondering what Pusha T has in store for his much-anticipated 2011 solo LP? Here, producer extraordinaire Bangladesh—the mastermind behind Weezy's "A Millie" and "6 Foot, 7 Foot"—spills on lacing VA's #1 dope boy with heat and the possibility of more work within Kanye's camp.

(Video) Phony News Report of the Week…”Tupac’s Killer Arrested”

This is obviously a fake video.......Ford Escalade?????

7 Secrets To Playing a Great New Year’s Eve DJ Set

1. Play the year’s big records – This is no time for playing all your new stuff that nobody knows. People have chosen to celebrate the biggest night of the year with you – so if you’re a resident, play the tunes that have been biggest for you in the venue that year, or if you’re a guest, play the tunes that have been biggest in your scene. Using the history feature on your DJ software to look back over your year’s sets can be a great way to remind yourself
2. Play records with a time/new year theme – Find records that sample clocks, bells, chimes, anything that will make people look at their watches as you build up to midnight. A clever and slightly cheesy re-edit or remix can be just the ticket in the build up to 12am
   
   

   Armand Van Helden's remix of Faithless's 'Insomnia' has ticking, 'Big Ben' chiming, and a monster riff for NYE...
3. Don’t be scared to get on the microphone – This is one occasion when it’s good to flick the microphone on, have a count down from 10 to 1 (everyone will join in), and shout a heartfelt “happy new year!” across the place. Everyone will cheer and clap and enjoy the personal touch this gives
4. Consider stopping the music entirely for a couple of minutes at midnight – You could also raise the lights. All everyone wants to do is kiss their partners, snog a stranger, run around shaking everyone’s hand, hug, have a few words with their friends, have a toast… the wise DJ knows this, and will not be scared to give them time to do so
5. Make the first record of the new year the biggest one you’ve got – They’re yours again now. Hit them with something massive
   
   
6. Play your set as if people are only going to be there half the night – People often visit a few places on New Year’s Eve – different house parties, bars or clubs – so don’t expect them to be with you all night. Spread out the big tunes and make sure you don’t craft a 5-hour journey they’ll only hear half of
7. Listen sympathetically to requests – Remember that many people will come out on New Year’s Eve who don’t come out often the rest of the year, and these “fair weather clubbers” may ask to hear obvious or inappropriate records – plus they could be more drunk than usual! Be patient with them, smile and listen to their requests: They may just have good ideas for the kind of tune you wouldn’t normally play that is going to get the whole place rocking

New Music: Alicia Keys x Eve “Speechless”

Swizzy’s a little late than normal, but for this week’s Monster Monday, the missus sings beautifully about their newborn son, Egypt. The track also features E-V-E which samples the bridge from Yeezy’s ”Devil In A New Dress”.
http://hulkshare.com/7yu4owi506xy

Exclusive: T.I. Reveals Diddy Gave Him 'Castle Walls'

Apparently, it takes royalty to recognize the greatness in a king.
According to T.I., Diddy offered up the track "Castle Walls," featuring Christina Aguilera, for the Atlanta MC's album No Mercy.

MTV Shows

The Alex da Kid-produced record was originally slated for Diddy-Dirty Money, before the Bad Boy mogul thought it would be better for T.I., considering his tribulations.
"A funny thing about this record: It belonged to my big homey Puff first," Tip explained in an exclusive interview on "RapFix Live." "Puff, he acknowledged it, 'Yeah, this is my record, but you know what, I think this is a better fit for you. I think you should rock out on this one. I think this speaks volumes to where you are, what you going through, what you living and how you feel.' "
So, Tip took the track and penned a personal ode to his life, which has become clouded with controversy in the past year as the beloved star has exited and re-entered prison.
"See with the Phantoms and Ferraris in the driveway/ But you see it came in exchange of a sane man's sanity," he rhymes on the song. "Your vision jaded by the Grammys on the mantelpiece/ Just switch your camera lenses, you will see the agony."
The embattled rapper explained the song's inspiration: "I live the life that most would die for, but there's a lot of things that come with this life. People don't take that into consideration. There are a lot of things in this life that I would trade in a minute just for a slice of normalcy.
"I just listed a few things that they probably never viewed from that particular perspective," he continued. "Because I think people need to see things another way; they need to see it other than just celebrity. "
-Jayson Rodriguez

MIXTAPE: Nas – The Lost Tapes 1.5

@DjRellyRell


CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Producer's Corner: Red Spyda

From hits with Eminem, Royce Da 5'9", 50 Cent and Sheek Louch, the Miami native talks about paying dues, never dealing with A&Rs, and why video game money may be a misnomer.

For December's Producer's Corner feature, HipHopDX partnered with PMPWorldwide.com to look at a success story from their vast network of producers posting and selling tracks online. HipHopDX opted to profile Red Spyda from their list.
He shares a birthday with Jay Z, his favorite comic book is The Infinity Wars and he considers himself the music industry’s Bruce Wayne. He is also one of Hip Hop’s best-kept secrets.
Miami ex-patriot, Red Spyda made a move in the early thousands to the city so good it was named twice where he absorbed experience and shared conversation. Teaming up with DJ Whoo Kid and Stretch Armstrong upon his arrival in New York City, the producer formerly known as Rush knew his career was about to skyrocket incessantly.
The PMP Worldwide producer's discography is now heaving at the seams with records for the G-Unit roster, both old and new as well as long time nemesis of the camp D-Block. But being Red Spyda you are granted amnesty from the drama that coursed through the streets of New York encouraged by the supplier of his biggest check to date.
He may be recognized for street anthems such as Realest Niggas from 50 Cent and Biggie and the Eminem and Royce Da 5’9” track "Rock City," but there is a lot more to Red Spyda than Hip Hop. Telling his story and explaining his way of making himself heard, this jack of all trades, master of most, has ousted the middle men and done all the work on his lonesome.  And he isn’t stopping there.

HipHopDX: So what are you up to at the minute?
Red Spyda: Oh well right now I am working on a couple of things. I’ve been working with The L.O.X. on a new song that is coming out which will be a D-Block anthem, some stuff for [Fabolous] and just finishing off a mixtape with a new artist called CMR out of the Bronx who is part of the Evil Empire.
DX: Great to see you keeping busy, as the recession has to have had some effect on producers as well right?
Red Spyda: Yeah, there’s a huge difference in the music industry but there was even before the recession. Most of the artists I was working with four or five years ago don’t have the same budgets on the majors and some of them aren’t even on a major right now. It hasn’t really affected me because of the projects I worked on and the projects I continue to work on.
DX: How easy was it for you to get your start, as you have been active for a while now?
Red Spyda: It wasn’t easy at all and it’s never easy to get a start. But what I did, I am originally from Florida, there was a window of opportunity and they say success is when opportunity and preparation meet, but I was one of the first guys to leave Miami to go to New York City. I had been working with Trick Daddy and I started making a name for myself in Florida at the time DJ Khaled was down there promoting, so I got down with the guys locally and then when it was right I moved to New York City, which was in the early 2000.
Getting to New York City, the first thing I got was the Eminem and Royce Da 5’9" "Rock City" joint. It wasn’t easy, but I realized if I got to know the artists on a first name basis its always easy to get the records out with them when you have the relationship. I have never submitted a track to an A&R throughout my entire career; never…it’s a dead end.
DX: You really believe that?
Red Spyda: I don’t want to say it like that, but from my perspective. Say Ludacris is in the studio working on a project, I’m not in the studio to know what the project is, so I’m there making beats to give to some other guy who is there, but he isn’t telling me what they are looking for when they want something specific, all they are doing is asking for hits. Now through my journey I have met a lot of producers who send out beats to the A&Rs and it just doesn’t get done. I do think it is harder that way and you should just try and build the relationships.
DX: So basically creating beats with a specific person in mind having figured out what they are looking for through your relationship with them is the way to go?
Red Spyda: Exactly.
DX: Yeah but surely you have to be at a certain point in your career to be able to do that?
Red Spyda: No and I say that because success is information and what a lot of people don’t know is the industry are always looking for the new or the next thing. Again, when I was in Florida I got to know my local scene. I went out to the studios and to the clubs and got to know the deejays and the artists were there. It is not as hard as people think it is, it is just how you look at it. There are some tight camps though that won’t let you in, and I think for R&B it is harder.
DX: Can you give us a couple of names on the tight camps?
Red Spyda: [Laughs] No. But see, everyone knows me for the Hip Hop records, but see the advantage with Hip Hop is the emcee writes his records, well most emcees write their rhymes. They come to the studio, most of the time the rapper just needs to hear the beat or get a concept whereas with R&B and Pop projects none of them really write their own songs so the producer now has to deal with the songwriter. So for me its way harder to get those R&B records.
DX: You have worked right across the board haven’t you?
Red Spyda: Yes I worked with Amerie and Mya, but I think it was because I had already established myself as a Hip Hop producer. I also worked with Monica off the Hip Hop. But the original agenda for me as I am a musician, I play bass and keyboards, when I first came to New York City, I was doing the remixes. I did a remix for Amel Larrieux and Ruff Endz, where it works differently, but it was still hard to get on R&B projects. The writers pretty much control the artists and see a lot of people don’t really think about that.
DX: Obviously a strong connection of yours is DJ Whoo Kid, how did you connect with him?
Red Spyda: Well, I met [DJ] Whoo Kid through Stretch Armstrong, as I was signed to a production company when I first got to New York and Stretch and Whoo Kid were doing the mixtape thing. Now I didn’t really know what they were when I got to New York, except I knew [DJ] Clue was doing them and Whoo Kid was just starting off doing the mixtapes on Pro Tools. So when Stretch bailed on Whoo Kid because he got tired of them, Whoo Kid needed someone who could engineer the sessions. As a producer, I had learned to engineer and record, so I happened to be there when we needed someone. We cut a deal, I would engineer and he would get me better access to the emcees. The thing about the mixtapes was in the early days the emcees would rap over beats that were already out as that’s initially what they were. There was always a shortage of beats. I remember being in the studio with Jim Jones and Cam’ron, it was when [Black Rob's] "Whoa" was out and they were going over the same beat and that was when I came up with an idea. I said to Whoo Kid to put the freestyles over original beats and I would produce the freestyle as a different record. Whoo Kid looked at me like I was crazy. I said if it worked he had to put my name on there and start promoting Red Spyda, if it didn’t work, he would just cut me out. I was working with Mobb Deep and that’s how the [Notorious B.I.G.] and 50 [Cent] record came about.
DX: Proof then that you have to be forward thinking in business then?
Red Spyda: You need to have a sense for the business and I hear people talking about wanting to get on and they want to win and I ask what exactly is it that they want to win, I never understood that. What I understand is the songs on the radio right now if its going well and its just been released. This is me thinking as a producer now; if I don’t have my record to compete with what’s on the radio set to drop in the next six months to a year then I am not going to make it sound like what is on the radio now. I have to think this is what is going to work for the next six months or so, what is going to be next.
DX: Your tracks are definitely bass-heavy, is this down to growing up in Miami?
Red Spyda: Definitely, but I come from a family of musicians and I am also very influenced by the west coast; that’s the funny thing. Back in the early '90s Miami was a smaller version of L.A. Miami has palm trees; Los Angeles has palm trees, so in the era when we had Boyz N' The Hood, all the hoods in Miami were emulating that. I got used to the bass records in the early days but when I moved to New York I learned how to put aggression on the beat. We didn’t know you could dissect samples, we thought it was stealing. I never thought to take a record and chop it up and use the same kick that this guy used or whatever. I learned that in New York when I was hanging out with these guys in Castle Hill in the Bronx. That was where the aggression came from.
DX: It was the Whoo Kid connection that led you to G-Unit then I assume?
Red Spyda: The 50 connection was definitely through Whoo Kid and Stretch, but once I came to New York it was on as I knew I had to make the move as in Miami all we had was Trick Daddy, I worked on Trina’s album but there was limited things I could do and I was already doing the big ballas but it was limited. I thought if I was doing it in Miami then I could do it in New York, so I made the decision.
DX: An easy decision to make?
Red Spyda: Not at all. [Laughs] I got paid $1,500 for a beat which I made in 15 minutes and that was the motivation. I was getting paid for something I loved to do. I had wanted to go to L.A. but it was just too far and everyone used to eventually end up in New York anyway. It was a culture shock for me but it wasn’t too hard as every now and again I would talk to Buckwild and I want to say I was lucky. When I got down with Stretch he had ties with Eminem and my first taste of New York was when I had a Fab placement so I had actually met some of the right people before even getting to New York. Stretch had the radio show and every rapper I had seen on the TV and listened to on the radio was going to his studio, so it was really like a kid walking into a candy store.
DX: All yours for the taking right?
Red Spyda: As a Sagittarius, I am a thinker, you know Jay-Z is an analyzer and won't walk into something until he has it fully worked out and I am that way too. If I know I can’t win a fight then I am not going to show up. The hardest part was figuring out how to come up with the name Red Spyda as previously I was known as "Rush" and when I went to change my name people wouldn’t call me Spyda because they said it sounded stupid, so it was up to Whoo Kid to say he liked the name. Stretch didn’t like it and even when I did the track for 50 he named me on there as Rush.
DX: Yeah I have to admit Rush doesn’t really have the same impact as Red Spyda does.
Red Spyda: Exactly, it was cool when I was hanging out and on the social scene. You know Rush is like the Fonz, you know what I mean, [Laughing] but in the business it just doesn’t grab you. Everybody in the music business is a fucking weirdo to me, maybe not so much weird, more interesting and you get these names. I remember talking to Whoo Kid on the phone while I was in the supermarket and we were talking about artists, Ludacris etc., and the lady at the register was just looking at me because none of these names made any sense. Luda, Fab and this lady is just laughing and wondering who this joker is. So I told her I was Red Spyda and that was it.
DX: Do you feel being so heavily connected with G-Unit helped you?
Red Spyda: Yeah, definitely, because with 50, the record sold. I like to consider myself the Bruce Wayne of the music industry, so much in the background that I have a catalog that no one really knows about. I was working with Eminem before I was working with 50. People don’t know that because I don’t promote myself. Working with G Unit, they were promoting the name and I was making classic records out of the situation.
DX: When you are associated with a certain group or certain group of artists like you were with G-Unit, does it pigeonhole you to a certain degree?
Red Spyda: Well it brought me more work and what I did when the 50 thing took off; I had relationships with a lot of people they didn’t get along with. I had those relationships already though and that was the toughest thing with the G-Unit situation as 50 had a lot of beef. But because I laid the groundwork and had these records anyone who works on a project which sells what Get Rich Or Die Tryin' sold is good. And I was blessed to get on 8 Mile [soundtrack] before Get Rich Or Die Tryin'; I mean I saw a nice check.
DX: When it comes to beef between rappers, do producers tend to take a neutral stance?
Red Spyda: Not really, producers have amnesty. I stay in the background for two reasons. One, I don’t want to be bothered and two, because of the business side you only have to make one mistake and that’s it you will be making headlines because of that mistake. If you did all that work and got in a fight, that’s it, that is the story they run with. Most of the artists I have worked with I have the relationship. I was the lucky kid who barely made it. [Laughs]
DX: You have also been lucky in the video game world too right?
Red Spyda: Definitely and right now I am in talks with people as I am a 3D animator which I am very hands-on with and I say you should never pigeon-hole yourself by just submitting tracks for one thing.
DX: Those checks have got to be pretty serious when you see how those games sell.
Red Spyda: Not really. [Laughs] Let me tell you something about the gaming world, Melanie, people talk crap about the music industry but the gaming world – they don’t need us, and they let us know that. What they do, just so producers reading know, unless you are a brand, they will just license your track on the video game. The Grand Theft Auto I was on, I did a lot of those tracks, but what it was, and it was good marketing for me. To me, it shouldn’t always be about the money, some things like exposure will bring you money from other things. I wanted to comment about something I’ve been seeing on the Internet about producers not getting paid from certain situations. When I started out, working with Trick Daddy and those guys I didn’t have a name so I couldn’t go to people and demand money so what I did was look at this as a way to build the relationships and the as the value went up then I could charge and then I could charge more.
With Grand Theft Auto I got paid, I mean I didn’t get what I get from the music industry but because the video game did so well I probably made 15 more clients within a year, which equals a lot of money.
DX: But still those games do such crazy numbers.
Red Spyda: Right, 250 million [sold] for my first video game. Give me a nickel a game and I would be happy. But they license the track as you have to be a really big boy to get a percentage off the game, but they know it.
DX: Was it your usual blueprint of getting to know people that got you involved with the games?
Red Spyda: That worked with the music, but it was different with the gaming, as when I got on Grand Theft Auto I didn’t have that big a name yet and it wasn’t easy at all. That was something where I showed interest in video games and put it out there that I was looking to do something in that field; not easy at all.
DX: What are the plans then for you to expand your brand?
Red Spyda: Well the future is, I have my new company Spy Vision, which will provide a lot more visibility for me but not just the Hip Hop. I am working on a few things right now and I have my sights set on doing something with the Sy Fy channel. I have a comic book coming out, but the main thing is the 3D animation as I am incorporating my entire music catalog and going virtual with it. You have shows like The Boondocks, it has a cult following which is mainly comedy based but this will be more Hip Hop based where certain characters will be artists and take it to that world.
DX: Have you always been involved in animation?
Red Spyda: I was doing this before I was doing the music, I was a graphic artist.
DX: Is this happening in New York, you know, you setting up the animation company?
Red Spyda: No the first studio will be in Miami as New York City prices are too high for me. I am still based out of New York City, but this will start in Florida. There’s a lot going on so the recession isn’t really affecting me. You just have to come up with good ideas and keep yourself busy.
DX: The secret to you success?
Red Spyda: My legacy has been that I have never worked with the artist that is already established, which is one of the secrets to my success. Every artist I have ever worked with was on his or her way up from the underground. It is easier working with artists on their way up, as they want to work. A lot of up and coming producers want to work with big names. Me? I work with anyone.
-Melanie Cornish

10 Actors Who Turned Down Famous Roles

Roles make the rounds in Hollywood several times before it lands its actor.  Check out some of the huge films that big stars passed by; some for the good and some for the bad.

10. Denzel Washington as Curtis in Dreamgirls (2006)?

I could not see Denzel Washington playing Curtis in Dreamgirls, but it would’ve made the cast even more A-list.  Dreamgirls was “The Jennifer Hudson Movie,” saving the entire story. Nonetheless, Washington gave the right answer on this one and Jamie Foxx took the role.

9. Halle Berry in Gigli (2003)?

The movie that nearly ruined Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s careers is a role that Berry thankfully passed on. She was offered to play Lopez’s character. While she passed on Gigli, Catwoman was released in 2004… no comment.

8. Samuel L. Jackson as Morpheus in The Matrix (1999)?

We always think Sam Jackson never turns down a role, but he actually rejected Morpheus from The Matrix. The film went on to become one of the most successful films of all time.

7. Dave Chappelle as Bubba in Forrest Gump (1994)?

David Chappelle turned down the role as the shrimp-obsessed Bubba in Forrest Gump. He supposedly said no because he thought the film would “bomb.” Bad call!

6. Tina Turner as Shug Avery in The Color Purple (1985)?

Steven Spielberg campaigned to get Tina Turner to play Shug Avery in The Color Purple. Anna Mae declined saying she lived that life with Ike Turner. Spielberg had the right vision; Turner would’ve channeled her country roots and sang “Sister” from her Nutbush, Tennessee soul. Nonetheless, Margaret Avery was spectacular and nominated for an Oscar.

5. Jada Pinkett Smith in Charlie’s Angels (2000)?

Jada Pinkett Smith was the original angel, in the movie that starred Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore. Jada declined and starred in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled (2000). Bamboozled was a critical and box office disaster; however, it is one of my favorite Spike Lee films and I adored Jada in the role. Plus, Jada is Mrs. Smith… ain’t like she is struggling. Lucy Liu took Jada’s role in Charlie’s Angels.

4. Queen Latifah in Monster’s Ball (2001)?

Rumors have buzzed for years that Angela Bassett was truly offered the lead (the creators claimed Bassett was never approached for the role) in Monster’s Ball and turned it down because she felt it portrayed Black women in a negative light. Queen Latifah is the only actress who clearly said she had the role and wanted it, “I actually had that role before Halle. But they couldn’t set it up. It would have been me, Sean Penn and Robert De Niro.”

3. Cuba Gooding, Jr. in Amistad (1997)?

Spielberg wanted Cuba Gooding, Jr. to play Djimon Hounsou’s role in Amistad. A regretful Gooding once said, “Steven Spielberg came to me and said, ‘I want you to be in Amistad,’ and I said, ‘It’s a slave role; show me the money. I’m so a big thing,’ and he goes, ‘I can direct you,’ and I said, ‘No, I have to pass.’” Cuba admits he was too big-headed after winning the Oscar for Jerry Maguire.

2. Lauryn Hill as Deena Jones in Dreamgirls (2006)?

Over ten years ago, word on the street was that Lauryn Hill was picked to play Deena Jones (played by Beyonce) in the film version of Dreamgirls.  However, it fell through. I think Hill would’ve been a stellar pick for Deena Jones. She is immensely talented and more focused on the art than awards.
1. Dorothy Dandridge as Tuptim in The King and I (1956)?

This probably isn’t a movie you’ve seen, but the legendary Dorothy Dandridge pursued the role. When she discovered the role was not the lead and a slave role, she turned it down with her management’s advice. Dandridge, like many Black actresses of her time, was torn with playing a slave or maid. As Hattie McDaniel once said, “I’d rather play a maid then be one!” The iconic Rita Moreno took the role Tuptim and it was an international success. Dandridge once said she believed her turning down that character was the beginning of her downfall in Hollywood.

Still, Dandridge was one of the Black actors who set a standard and was selective of their movies. We don’t have to take what we don’t want. From Cuba to Tina, this is our decision… even if they made some regrets along the way.

-Clay Cane

Reek Da Villian Recalls Getting Put On By Busta Rhymes

After impressing Busta with a five-minute freestyle, Reek recalls hanging up on his platinum mentor when he called to sign him.

In October, Reek Da Villian held down a spot in BET Awards Freestyle Cipher segment alongside Mickey Factz and Zawcain. And while the notoriety that came with the appearance surely helped, Reek credits a much less desirable appearance for jump starting his Hip Hop career.

“Jail was the best thing that happened for me,” Reek recently told the New York Daily News. “When you go to jail it’s just you, you’re by yourself. “You have to meet new people, learn how to become friends with strangers and pick out who’s good and bad, and overall it just turned me into a man and it showed me what I didn’t want to do.”

Upon his release in 2004, Reek completed his bachelor’s degree and began pursuing a Rap career. He ran into Busta Rhymes in a Long Island clothing store a few years later, and freestyled on the spot for about five minutes in hopes of getting an A-list co-sign.

“He didn’t come off to me like the regular—you hear a lot of dudes all the time,” Busta explained. “He made sure the impression he left was an everlasting one. And that’s how I felt.”

Apparently the feeling wasn’t initially mutual. Reek was in disbelief when Busta Rhymes called him to follow up on the impromptu freestyle.

“I called his ass and he hung up on me,” Busta Rhymes added. “He thought I was a prank caller!”

These days everything’s serious. Busta enlisted the likes of Swizz Beatz to help Reek with his upcoming debut. In addition, to Busta and Swizz, Reek got a cast of all stars including Nelly, Method Man, DJ Khaled, Cam’ron and Vado to appear on his most recent mixtape, The Gift.
-Rashad Phillips

Chris Brown and Justin Bieber to Collab

Oh boy! The tweens are going to be all over this one. Breezy tweeted he and the Biebs will be dropping a new track together at the top of 2011. As he called it, it’s going to be a “banger/smash record”. Hmm! Kind of excited to hear this one!
@MarisaMendez

Swizz Beatz, “My World” [XXL Magazine Excerpt]

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS SHONTING
WORDS BY ADAM MATTHEWS
A few hours before his debut as producer-in-residence at NYU’s Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean commandeered a computer at a Williamsburg, Brooklyn, photo studio during a XXL shoot. There he conducted a meeting on Skype with a major athletic shoe and apparel company he’s been recently partnered with where he oversees the brand’s initiative to utilize 1970s graffiti artist turned downtown gallery star Jean-Michel Basquiat’s art to sell sneakers. As a well-known collector of both kicks and Basquiats, Swizz advised the footwear giant on how to tastefully incorporate the late painter’s work into their shoes. The hip-hop producer has a more permanent deal in the works with the line so is hesitant on blowing up their name before any ink is dry.
Swizz and his longtime business partner Monique Blake examined potential design mock-ups. As a rule, Swizz prefers simple backgrounds that don’t distract from Basquiat’s iconography. He looked through a few patterns and okayed them. “The yellow/black one, that’s 100 percent good to go,” Swizz said enthusiastically. At the end of the meeting, Swizz held an iPhone up to the webcam, with a picture of a Pump silhouette featuring a graphic that recalls the Twilight Zone logo, which he designed himself on his own computer.
The new moves in shoes is part of the extension of Swizz Beatz the brand. He is, of course, the superproducer who has crafted hit beats for almost every star in hip-hop from Jay-Z, to T.I., to Drake. Over the last 12 years, Swizz’s sound has evolved from the Ruff Ryders era’s popping drums, repetitive keyboard riffs and shout-along choruses (typified by DMX’s “Rough Ryders’ Anthem”) to a template that is decidedly varied, often futuristic, ever growing and far harder to predict. As Swizz explained later in the day to NYU students, he now considers himself a full-fledged producer, and not just a beatmaker. This means he oversees his own team of producers—situated under his new entertainment company Basquiat Music—which includes The Individuals, Ty and Snagz. So his songs are as likely to include a left-of-center drum-based track, like they did on Nicki Minaj and Eminem’s “Roman’s Revenge,” as they are to feature the classic Swizz Beatz sound, as on Jadakiss’s “Who’s Real?” The latter features Swizz on the chorus but was actually co-produced by Snagz along with Ty.
Swizz has applied these same curatorial instincts to the world of high-end goods. He’s locked in a deal as a designer and consultant for the British luxury car brand Aston Martin. In addition to the partnership with the sneaker giant, he has designed shoes and menswear for Christian Louboutin and a watch for Audemars Piguet. He is also developing his own art career as a painter. He began studying with the pop artist Peter Max five years ago and has since studied with the French gallerist Enrico Navarra and built relationships with his contemporary art counterparts Larry Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch, both of whom are known for creating art stars.
Swizz says Deitch, who runs the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and founded SoHo’s legendary Deitch Projects gallery, has even encouraged the budding artist to hold his own exhibit. But Swizz felt the time wasn’t right yet. “When they see my paintings, Shepard Fairey can say Swizz has been down for a while,” Swizz says. “[Graffiti artist] StayHigh 149, who is a legend, he can tell you that Swizz, he’s one of us, in a way.” He was also balancing the goodwill of his primary brand with his latest offering. “I want to be accepted, not because I am Swizz Beatz, but because I am Kasseem Dean, the artist.”
The common thread in all of Swizz’s endeavors is timing. “I like to be stealth,” he says. “I like to pick certain things at certain times… You give people time to digest, or all this work you are putting in will go right over their heads.”
A few hours after the shoot, Swizz slides out of the silver Aston Martin Rapide he designed himself, takes two quick bites of a sandwich and strolls into the Davis school. He prepared for the occasion by donning a letterman sweater and offers students an update on a lesson popularized by one of Davis’s other famous protégées, Whitney Houston: that learning to love one’s self/brand is the greatest love of all. “Everybody is their own brand,” Swizz says. “And every check is not good for your brand.”
Over the last two years, the Swizz Beatz brand has been juggling the complicated personal life of Kasseem Dean the person and the public scrutiny that comes with the more success he garners. He’s dealt with rumors of an affair with songstress Alicia Keys; gone through a tough divorce with the mother of one of his three sons, R&B singer Mashonda Tifrere; married Keys; and, on October 14, 2010, welcomed his fourth child into the world, he and Keys’s son, Egypt Daoud Dean. “I am just learning how to be a public person,” Swizz says. “Like, You know what,
I can’t do that, because of this. All bets are off the table with bullshit… Dealing with my previous situation, which is the hardest situation I dealt with in my life, just dealing with people looking at you in a way… That’s not what you’re used to. That’s not your everyday play. That’s not your character. So to have to deal with something that people don’t understand, don’t care to understand, but they finally have their chance to have something on you.

Young Chris – Trouble On My Mind

After assuring the world what happened at S.O.B.’s was an isolated incident, it is back to business for Young Chris. With trouble on his mind, Chris explains damn near every thing plaguing his mental at the moment. Hard times often lead to good music. Such is the case here.

 

Young Chris – Trouble On My Mind

50 Cent & Val Kilmer's "Blood Out" Coming To Theaters In April

With a new title, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's latest film is expected within five months.

Almost a year ago to the day, it was announced that Southside Queens, New York emcee 50 Cent was at work on a film with Top Gun and The Saint actor Val Kilmer. Then titled, Gun, the film now known as Blood Out is coming to screen in April, 2011 - according to ComingSoon.net.
The Lions Gate film is directed and co-written by Jason Hewitt, and has the following premise: "When big city detectives refuse to further investigate his kid brother's gang related murder, small town Sheriff Michael Spencer drops the badge and goes undercover to find his brother's killer and avenge his death."
-Allen Jacobs

Bow Wow To Play Ex-Con In Tyler Perry's "Madea's Big Happy Family"

In addition to releasing "Underrated" next year, Bow Weezy scores another major film credit.

Starring in Lottery Ticket and The Family Tree this year, Columbus, Ohio emcee Bow Wow is further establishing himself as an actor. The former So So Def star is now confirmed to star in Tyler Perry's next film, Madea's Big Happy Family. The April film also stars Lauren London and Perry.
Bow Wow will reportedly play "Byron," an ex-con in the film.
-Jake Paine

Sitdown With DJ Premier & Pete Rock

Sitdown With DJ Premier & Pete Rock from DJPremierBlog on Vimeo.

50 Cent – Sunday Morning [Full/CDQ]

New/Unreleased 50 Cent Sunday Morning. This Version is the closest you get to being Real. The other version out there are all edited to shit this is the best one we figure.
DOWNLOAD: 50 Cent – Sunday Morning Full CDQ

(Video) G Dep’s LAST Freestyle & Interview “Spittin in da whip”

This was filmed a few days before G Dep turned himself into authorities!!
@ItsLukieBaby

Clipse Reminisce on Childhood Christmases

Who got the most gifts back when the Clipse were just dope boys? Check out the video to find out!

Top 5 Christmas Rap Albums of All Time!!

The top 5 Christmas rap albums of all time!! Check the list after the jump…

1) Christmas Rap (1987)

This album features Run-DMC’s Christmas hit, Derek B’s “Chillin’ with Santa,” Sweet Tee’s “Let the Jingle Bells Rock,” and the playful “Dana Dane is Coming to Town” by Dana Dane… A great seasonal gift for fans of 80′s hip-hop.
2) Christmas on Death Row (1996)

Suge Knight dropped this Christmas compilation with help from Tha Dogg Pound, Danny Boy, Nate Dogg, and others.
3) Jim Jones- Dipset Christmas (2006)

“I wanted to make a Christmas album for kids in the hood and s*** like that,” says Jim Jones about A Dipset Xmas. It features reworked Christmas favorites as well as new unreleased material.
4) Gift Rap (2004)

Then Cross Movement’s Gift Rap delivers Christmas rap garnished with a bit of gospel.
5) A Very Special Christmas (1987)

A Very Special Christmas isn’t a full Christmas rap album but it features Run-DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis,” as well as timeless tunes from U2, Madonna, Eurythmics, and others. The best part is that A Very Special Christmas was recorded as a benefit album to assist the Special Olympics.
www.inflexwetrust.com

Songwriting 101: Importance Of A Climactic Moment

When you design something artistic, you’re usually looking to establish a focal point, some element that will pull people in to your art. For interior designers, that focal point may be a painting, a fireplace, a window – some item that serves as the central important object toward which everything else in the room points. Songwriters have the same task, but because songs exist in time, that focal point will be a climactic moment, an instant that says, “right here is what it’s all about.”
Some climactic moments are subtle, because they may have more to do with the quiet power of a well-chosen word or phrase. And in such songs, the climactic moment may be at different times for different people, such is the subtle nature of these kinds of songs. Think of “Fields of Gold” by Sting, and you’ll get what I mean.
Other songs, of course, hit you in face with glorious power, but these are often the songs that get ridiculed over time. Generally, people feel embarrassed when they can be emotionally over-manipulated by a song. We’re talking about songs like “My Heart Will Go On”, sung by Celine Dion, and almost every big hit Barry Manilow had in the 70s.
But every song needs something that serves as an emotional focal point. Like a hook, people will keep coming back to a song that grabs their emotions and makes them feel something. And when they can identify one moment that seems to stand out from the others, listeners will wait through an entire song to experience that moment again.
The best climactic moments in music are, in my opinion, the subtle ones. There’s a natural feel to a climactic point that just seems to happen, almost in spite of itself.
If you feel that your song is missing that special something, here are five tired-and-true ways to inject a climactic moment into your song:

1. Try a Key change. Be careful with this one. The semitone upward modulation (C  F  G  C  Ab  Db  Gb  Ab  Db) is a manipulative way of getting attention, and can sound awfully corny. But there are other ways to change key that provide a climactic moment (C  F  G  C  Eb  Ab  Bb  Eb)
2. Insert a pause. This can work well toward the end of your final chorus. Let the music build, insert a pause before the final line, and finish the song quietly. It provides an obvious climactic moment.
3. Temporarily remove instruments. Like the pause, reducing instrumentation for a chorus, or even just part of a chorus, creates a climactic moment when all the instruments pile back in for a final repeat.
4. Insert a solo instrument or instrumental gesture. Climactic moments don’t need to be short events; they can last for several measures. Add solo guitar or other instrument one of your final choruses to build its energy above what came before. It’s a very natural way of creating a higher energy level.
5. Improvise a higher melody. If your final chorus is just more of the same, try embellishing its effect by singing above where the melody was. Art Garfunkel does this at the end of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

You need not limit yourself to one of these devices per song. Adding a solo instrument right at the moment of a key change is quite common. But my advice is to remember to be subtle. Most songs don’t need to slap the listener in the face to have effective climactic moments.
-Gary Ewer

2010: The Demise Of Rap Battles & Time To Fight For Unity

Historically, beef and battling in as Hip-Hop as Apple pie is good ol’ fashioned apple pie is to America. But, will that continue as a new decade begins in 2011?

Salt-N-Pepa did it.
KRS-One did it.
Roxanne Shante did it.
50 Cent did it.

They all came up through the ranks of Hip-Hop, getting their true opportunity through battle/beef with another well-established entity in Hip-Hop.

The rap battle is truly tied to Hip-Hop culture in a way that is unique and special. Ultimately, it is a sport. In fact, from the beginning, the artistic battle served as a tool of culture that prevented people from fighting and killing each other in real life. The metaphor soon changed as people were being slain via hammering metaphors and viscous bars. KRS-One once boasted, "I don't battle to win or lose/ I battle to ruin your whole career." And, that he did to a number of emcees.

But, a curious thing has started to occur in recent history and the trend changed in 2010.

Rapper's stopped replying and began to ignore their competition, even those that had legitimacy in the rap space. Jay-Z has ignored The Game, Beanie Sigel, Peedi Crakk and even MC Hammer. He has barely made mention of them even though they all hold some serious weight in the game. He schooled Drake on "Light Up," where he said other rappers were merely starting "silly rap feuds trying to distract you." Even Nicki Minja subliminally dissed Lil Kim to death on songs like "Roman's Revenge" with nary a mention of Kim's name. And, now that Kim has returned fire with "Black Friday," Nicki still has nary a mention. I suspect Sun Tzu would be proud.

What is this new phenomena?

Is lyrical battling dead or is this something a new?

As rap has grown up a bit, it appears that the rappers have opted not to engage in the ways of old. Jay-Z is 41 now, Nicki Minaj is pushing her brand to a pop audience and frankly, cats just don't want to give their haters a stage to stand on. So, it is highly unlikely that there will be any more 50 Cent's birthed in our lifetimes. This new Jay-Z isn't going to say, "I'm about a dollar, what the f**k is 50 Cent" to his millions of minions. He'll certainly sublime them, but engage directly…nah.

Perhaps these backdoor wranglings are good for the game.

Once upon a time, rap battles were a genuine clash of titans, not a vital point in somebody's marketing plan. When Nas and Jay-Z's beef came to the surface, there were soft jabs and subliminals in a number of songs before it bubbled over. KRS-One's war against MC Shan and The Juice Crew was established in a real place, in a real time. Nowadays, every silly thing sets somebody off into a war of words and the public sees it as silly and juvenile. The Hip-Hop lover sees it as another act of immaturity from people that are probably too old and too established to be acting this way.

Speaking of the Hip-Hop Lover, when was the last time there was a beef that actually had anything to do with Hip-Hop? You, know - lyrics. Rick Ross vs 50 Cent was entertaining, but the rap phase of the beef fizzled out after round one. After that, it went into a whole new level of debauchery and controversy with 50 throwing everything at Ross, but the kitchen sink. 50 vs Kanye was a war of sales. Jay-Z vs Beanie was so personal, it pained fans of Rocafella Records. And Nicki Minaj and Lil Kim would be so much better if the two simply collaborated on a record. And, then there are the underground beefs that nobody seems to care about too much.

The point of this entire piece is to say that it is definitely time for unity.

Sure, it sounds corny, but I believe this year has been a strong indication that this is the path that will lead us to the Hip-Hop Promise Land.

UNITY!

It’s already here in many ways. Kanye working with Drake, who works with Jay-Z, who works with Nicki who works with Lil Wayne, who...just got out of jail. But, it isn't limited to the commercial rappers. Look at Big K.R.I.T., Curren$y, Yelawolf and Wiz Khalifa. They are all working together in their own way, which has galvanized their base of fans without murdering each other's career. Slaughterhouse is further proof of this. Joe Budden and Royce Da 5'9" had a beef at one point and, in joining forces with Joell Ortiz and Crooked I, they got Eminem's attention. Eminem and Royce, once best of friends, had one of the worst beefs. (At press time, that Slaughterhouse/Eminem deal had yet to be signed, but insiders swear it will happen.) Kanye, Cam’ron and Jim Jones were at odds earlier this year, but they just got together on a Christmas song. Hopefully, the point is understood.

I love where Hip-Hop is headed. Yes, I loved the Kanye West G.O.O.D. Friday series for its display of solidarity between the elite, all the while ushering new acts like CyHi Da Pryce in. 50 Cent won't be linking back with The Game no matter how much the Compton rapper pleads, but he's still shed a lot of his old angst towards cats like Kanye. Lloyd Banks wins in the end. I suspect even 50 knows that beef has run its course. He’s on everybody’s songs these days. The Game certainly knows and, to be honest, he made some solid points in his effort to rejoin G-Unit.

Truth is, a lot o acts have an even bigger battle ahead of them…the battle for a career in music. Clique up and lets do it. Beef for the sake of beef is dead stinkin’ and rotten.
-Chuck "Jigsaw" Creekmur

Fat Trel- Capitol City Cypher

T.I. Reacts To "No Mercy" First-Week Sales

The King of the South thanks his fans for their support in helping him garner a #4 debut.

Despite being locked behind bars for violating his parole, T.I. posted impressive first-week sales for his latest project, No Mercy, which debuted at #4 with around 160,000 sold.
T.I. thanked his fans accordingly, making a post on his website, trapmuzik.com. "What up world? First off I'd like to thank everybody again for going out and supporting the 'Hustle' yet again with No Mercy last week. I can't say enough on how much I appreciate the support and all the positive feedback. I read so many tweets, letters, reviews and comments that spoke volumes to how much love was still out there and how much respect still exists for my art and my passion."
Added Tip, "I put so much of myself into what I do. I even read over the negative comments cuz' that's the kind of energy I feed off of to adjust, evolve and improve my craft until it manifests into the closest thing to perfection on the next go-round. I love hearing your opinions on what songs you like most for the next singles. We are taking all of them into consideration as we decide right now on which direction to head in."
T.I. added that he would turn this experience into a positive one, writing, "I know this seems like an unfortunate set of circumstances to endure for a career with so much potential but remember adversity builds character and character takes you places money can't. I know what's in store for me in the future so I ain't trippin' and neither should you. For now all my love and best wishes to you and yours for the holidays. Y'all hold it down out there and I'll do the same in here. And continue to spread the word about "No Mercy" & Team T.I..

Take it light and Be Eazy,

Love - King."
hiphopdx.com