Big Tray Deee: Still Staying G’d Up
BIG TRAY DEEE’S G CONTINUES!
Ice Cube and Schoolboy Q Stop By For The Season Finale' Of SkeeLive
(AllHipHop News) On Monday January 28, SkeeLive concluded its season on AXS TV and for the finale’ host DJ Skee brought in TDE’s own Schoolboy Q and Hip-Hop legend Ice Cube. Schoolboy Q in promotion of his upcoming Oxymoron album (due February 25) performed “Collard Greens,” “Break the Bank,” and “Man of the Year” to a packed crowd. After his live performance, Schoolboy Q sat down with DJ Skee and revealed that although he won a Grammy by appearing on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis‘ “The Heist” album, he doesn’t feel that he won an award because he was just a feature. He also told Skee “it sucked” that his label-mate Kendrick Lamar lost on all of his nominations last Sunday at the Grammy Awards. Ice Cube also stopped by for a brief interview with DJ Skee, although he didn’t perform as hoped by many in the crowd. The legendary rapper/actor promoted his comedy movie Ride Along and plugged his upcoming May 13 release Everything’s Corrupt, the possibility of getting in the studio with Dr. Dre, and the filming the upcoming NWA biopic. Ice Cube also stated that he doesn’t care for the Grammy Awards and without mentioning Macklemore’s name, he he felt that the album which won for the Best Rap Album, shouldn’t have won. DJ Skee informed AllHipHop.com that he’s in the process of working out the next season of SkeeLive, so as of right now there is no official word on when the show will return. You can check out our exclusive flicks of the SkeeLive season finale’ including a clip of Schoolboy Q performing “Collard Greens” below! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGxkNhp5BEA&w=420&h=315]
Tray Dee and Goldie Loc To Reunite As KDAY's Krush Groove Moves To The Forum!
(AllHipHop News) Two legendary names will be partnering together this upcoming April as the iconic Hip-Hop station 93.5 KDAY will be teaming up with the hallowed grounds of sports and entertainment, the fabulous Forum in Inglewood, CA for Krush Groove 2014. “I look forward to continue this great concert tradition in a building (The Forum) which is just as legendary as KDAY,” said KDAY Program Director Adrian Scott in an exclusive statement to AllHipHop.com. The event will also be producing another great pairing as the soon-to-be released Tray Dee will be rejoining his longtime rap partner Goldie Loc for a reuniting of Tha Eastsidaz. At present time there is no word if there will be a complete Eastsidaz reunion but for now two of the Eastside Long Beach natives have been confirmed. Tray Dee has been serving what was originally a 12 year Prison sentence since 2004 but is now set to be released in March. In past interviews with AllHipHop.com, Tray Dee has informed us that his partnership with Goldie Loc was dissolved for personal and unknown reasons but it appears that all is now well between the two which is great news for West Coast rap fans. Also scheduled to appear at Krush Groove 2014 for the first time (and yet another great pairing) is Method Man and Redman as the two How High movie co-stars perform their classic jams together. Bone Thugs N Harmony, Too $hort, DJ Quik, 2nd II None, Daz & WC and the show’s first female headliner The Lady of Rage will round off the concert lineup (with more special guests to be included). Pre-Sale tickets for KDAY’s Krush Groove will begin on January 29 via Ticketmaster.
Kym Stylez: From A Life of Prison To A Life of Fashion
It hasn’t been an easy road to the world of fashion for designer Kim Stylez. Bad decisions early on in life, led Kym to a life of crime but despite all of that, she was able to learn from her mistakes and turn her life around to become a positive and productive force. This story is for all of those out there, male or female, looking for a second chance. Kym is proof positive that you can overcome and start all over again by renewing your attitude and applying the skills that you have been given. AllHipHop.com caught up with the Southern California fashion designer to hear her great little story. Here’s to the overcomers! You became a mother at 15 years old? Yes and I also lost my mother that year, so I became a mom while losing one. By the time my son was a little over a year old, I wound up in Prison. What did you do? I was robbing people. Was this like a straight thug “give-me-your-money” type of robbery? Yes. People always tell me that they can’t believe I was like that. My father is a lawyer, after all. What brought you to do that? It was sheer ignorance, lots of it, and desperation for funds. Part of it was rebellion and proving a point that I didn’t need anyone. I knew what I was doing wasn’t right. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I needed to stop. I didn’t have to go through a bunch of bad experiences to finally learn. I took that one lesson and grew from it. You took steps to start improving your life once you got out of jail? I actually started doing that during my rehabilitation period. I began to read books, pursue my cosmetology license and obtain my GED. I already knew how to sketch since I was an artist so that made fashion my focal point when I was released from Prison. I went back to school and attended Long Beach City College to further pursue my fashion goals. As soon as I did what my father originally wanted me to do, which was get an education, things started to fall in place naturally. So you are a natural artist? I loved comics but I could never bring one to life but the idea of it pushed me in to the fashion world by being able to sketch. I just celebrated my 10th year in the fashion industry. I’ve presented for two years in a row at L.A. Fashion Week. Angela Simmons recently wore one of your designs? She wore my “Lovers” T-Shirt on 106 & Park for a whole hour and I almost died. She also wore one of my pants with my name on the back of it. That was amazing. I had to grab my phone and post pictures on Instagram of her wearing the Kym Couture Kollection. I’m getting ready to have a Grand Opening In February for my Boutique store in Beverly Hills, so I’m real excited about that too. What’s your message for other young single mom’s out there? Love your children enough to do better for yourself. The well-being of your children comes first and you should do everything in your power to make that happen. And to those who have made wrong decisions that have landed them in jail? Don’t allow yourself to be labeled by others. People will try to label you and put you in a statistical group- don’t fall for that. If you’re a good person, it will come through. I can’t say that everybody that has made mistakes is a good person but if you are a good person it will come through eventually. Where can people find your work and learn more about you? You can learn more about me and my designs at www.kymcouturekollection.com and you can follow me Instagram @kymquaintrelle – especially because I’m addicted to that!
AHH Goes Behind The Scenes Of Crooked I's New Video!
Slaughterhouse member Crooked I shot a new video last week in North Hollywood, CA and AllHipHop.com was on the scene to check it all out! The video, directed by Eddie Patino, is for the “Sumthin’ From Nuthin’” song off of his latest release Apex Predator and Crooked took the time to chat it up with us about it in this behind-the-scenes exclusive. Guests in the video include Diamonique (from the movie End of Watch and a killer rhyme-spitter herself), Cecilia the Mamacita from L.A.’s 96.3 FM, Sloane Bone from Mo’ Thugs and members of The Horseshoe Gang. In addition to all of this, Crooked I is getting ready to embark on a tour with Slaughterhouse to support their upcoming new album and he’s preparing a book about his epic 52 Week Hip-Hop Weekly Freestyles that he released back in 2008. Watch our exclusive coverage below! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkK_35K2jfI&w=420&h=315]
Persian Poetry Flows Through The Veins of Azad Right
The West Coast is the home to so many talented rappers on the come-up and one of them is the Iranian/American story-telling lyricist Azad Right. As the son of well-known blind poet Majid Naficy and trained in classical music, Azad has been putting his creativity to use since early childhood and has brought that creative mind over to his career as a Hip-Hop artist. After a period of paying dues, learning, making mistakes and witnessing the advancement of his peers, Azad seems like he’s ready to take that next step in his career. With poetry flowing through his veins and a unique story to tell, AllHipHop.com sat down with the young gifted writer so that you can learn more about him. Ladies and Gentlemen, here’s Azad Right. How did the art of Hip-Hop become a part of your life? I lived in Venice, CA and grew up listening to Eminem, Dr. Dre and Nas. Those were my three introductions to Hip-Hop. I was surrounded by people that weren’t in to the inner-city lifestyle. I never took part in gangbanging but I could relate to the street poetry of Nas. With Eminem, I would print out these lyric sheets and highlight the patterns – the schemes were so intricate. At first, it didn’t make sense how he would rhyme something on bar one and come back around on bar four, so I highlighted it and wondered how I could get my stuff to sound like this. I spent the better half of my teenage years trying to master the multi-syllable compound rhymes. My mom’s boyfriend, R.I.P, would play 2Pac in the car and that also gave me an introduction to the culture. Around my high school years, I took it seriously and would go to open mic events and the Fairfax Poetry Lounge. I saw the come-up of a lot of the artists out here that are now on a high level. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xqf_f0AclY&w=560&h=315] Was there any clash between your Iranian culture and Hip-Hop? Just to give you a little background information on my family, my parents have both been politically active with beliefs that did not exactly line up with the Iranian government. My father never imposed anything on me but my environment caused me to think the way that I think. My Culture itself probably clashes with Hip-Hop but my parents are very open-minded. I grew up in Venice. My producer, who I grew up with, is Guatemalan and Puerto Rican. My other friends were white and black. The Iranian Culture came when I started putting music out they felt like they could relate to me because I’m doing what they have always wanted to do but they got f*cked over doing what they’re parents wanted for them. A lot have told me that they have a voice now because of me. Do you get any backlash at all? It’s been overwhelmingly supportive. I’m sure there are people that say things behind closed doors, but I don’t care. I love what I’m doing. I’m not where I want to be yet but I’m having a great time doing it. If you like it, then you like it. If you don’t, I don’t know about it. Your father is a blind poet? Yes and he is the single most influential person in my life. He inspires the passion for what I do. When I was younger I would go to shows all around the world with him. I would watch the reaction that people had to his writing. All walks of life are touched by his stories. He’s followed his dreams his entire life without sacrificing an ounce of integrity. He told me that whatever I do in life, as long as I do it one hundred percent, nothing else will matter. Actions speak louder than words. A lot of people say that sh*t but he’s really walking that path. Do you have a favorite poem of his that stands out to you? Yes I do, it’s actually a collection of poems that was dedicated to me called, “Father and Son.” There’s so many more too. The trials and tribulations that this man endured is – I don’t think even he’s at peace with it all. I still think that there’s a lot more that he wants to get done in his life. It’s inspiring to see someone who’s been at it for so long, still have a hunger and a desire to do more. Seeing him work on his poetry must have gotten you started at a young age. My mom just showed me a video of when I was 4 years old, sitting on a piano stool, writing journals. The journals were taken to Kinko’s to be copied and I would sell them out to family members on holidays. I was low-key getting my entrepreneur and writing skills going. When did you start to feel that your writing skills were really developing? I got expelled in High School because of a record that I participated in putting out which dissed a local gang that kept jumping my homies. Fortunately they let me come back after I completed an independent study to graduate with my class and go to Prom. There were 4 of us and one of them, whose name I won’t reveal, is in the NFL right now. Another is an MC from Los Angeles who is starting to do well right now. Looking back on that, we’ve all come a long way. I quit rapping for a while after that because I blamed rap and the Hip-Hop culture for getting me in to that situation, as opposed to blaming myself for being a f*cking idiot for doing that. I didn’t even know the people I was dissing. I was going off of what other people had told me. I felt like an a**hole after that and I had months and months to reflect on it. My parents wanted to move because I was getting threats from all […]
AllHipHop Flicks: Ride Along Red Carpet
Hollywood’s A-listers Come Out For Ride Along Premiere
VIDEO: Migos and Schoolboy Q visit Soul Assassins Radio!
Last Thursday (January 9, 2014), Atlanta trio Migos and Los Angeles rising star Schoolboy Q paid a visit to Soul Assassins Radio located at Burbank’s Backside Records. The show aired in its entirety Monday night on Sirius/XM’s Shade 45 and AllHipHop.com was in the house during the initial taping to capture some of the segments on tape. Migos touched on their recent “Live in Chiraq” video where the trio go through the streets of South Side Chicago and discuss their most prominent song “Versace” with Drake. TDE’s own Schoolboy Q came through later and chilled with the Soul Assassins Crew. They tried to get the features from the upcoming Oxymoron album but Schoolboy said that the tracklisting is dropping soon and he didn’t want to spoil any surprises. Watch below! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFObmQlrf_4&w=420&h=315]
Greg Mack Shares More KDAY History and Discusses Racism In Radio
We now conclude our two-part story with radio legend Greg Mack and for those who might dispute that, yes he is a legend. Back before the artists that you now refer to as legends became legends, they needed a home to be heard and 1580 KDAY was that place whether it was an East Coast rapper or local West Coast ones just looking for some love and to have their new songs played. The fire caught on at stations in other cities that were initially reluctant to give Rap a voice but the success of the format caused them to take notice and embrace the change. After 1580 KDAY left the airwaves (the weak AM signal couldn’t keep up with the FM stations that were adopting the Hip-Hop format), Greg Mack left programming and ventured in to the radio station ownership field and is currently back behind the microphone hosting his own R & B show every Saturday night on 94.7 The Wave. Read on as Greg challenges rappers and artists to become radio owners, gives his feelings on the current 93.5 KDAY station and talks about the racism that still exists in radio today. Put your reading glasses on once again and jump in to Part 2 of this AllHipHop.com exclusive. Click here for Part 1 Tell me about the time that you first heard “Boyz N Tha Hood” by Eazy-E before you premiered it on KDAY. I was at the Casa Camino Real and Dr. Dre came to the club and said, “Greg. I’m working with this new kid and I just did a record with him. He’s going to invest in me. I want you to hear this record and give me your thoughts.” We left the club and went to the car and popped in the cassette. We listened to it and I told him that it just might work but he needed to clean it up if he wanted it on the air. He agreed to clean it up and I agreed to try it out on the air. The kid was Eazy-E of course. That was about midnight and the next day by 2 pm, Dr. Dre had me a clean version. We played it and by nightfall it was the most requested record. People reacted to it quickly and it stayed number one for a long time. Even when Dre did a song with me and Eazy called “Radio,” it was the same thing. He called me and told me that he needed a DJ on it, so he had me listen to the record and I asked him what he wanted me to do. He told me to just talk and pretend we were on the radio. I did my part and he told me that was it. I was like, “In the first try?” And he said, “Yeah. That’s what I wanted. You nailed it.” I left, never signed anything, never got any royalties on it (laughs). I didn’t know that “m####” was going to be a platinum record. We were just cool like that. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3l5O2i3gUc&w=420&h=315] When N.W.A. started fighting with each other, were you involved in any way? You were cool with all sides. It was like you said, I was cool with everybody. I never got involved in the business side of things. Nobody ever came to you with their problems or frustrations? Yeah but only about this b*tch or that b*tch or lend me some money to help me pay for this abortion – but never really anything on the business side. I’m just a radio guy and people seem to forget that. The music side kind of propelled my name out there but that’s because the people that I played became stars. Salt-n-Pepa wouldn’t have hit if I didn’t play their B-Side “Push It” and the same with J.J. Fad if I didn’t play their B-Side “Supersonic.” I get all of that but that’s my DJ side. I didn’t go in to the studio and create anything. I don’t know how to make a hit. I’m just the radio guy. So many legendary acts came to you to break their records. Aside from N.W.A. there were acts like Salt-n-Pepa, Will Smith as The Fresh Prince, J.J. Fad and so on. Digital Underground, 2Pac, Big Daddy Kane – we can go on and list about 40 to 50 names. I’ve got a story about each and every one of them too. Big Daddy Kane, people don’t know that he was so shy and quiet. I’ve got so many stories. I’m praying that God allows me to write a book one day. There’s so much behind these people than what you see. What’s funny is that it’s all good stuff. There’s really no drama. A lot of the rappers are really good people but there’s an image that they have to uphold to keep street credibility but when you get to know them, they are really good people – even Suge Knight. I knew him before the world did and he’s a really good guy. It’s the same with Jerry Heller – he’s a great person. A lot of people in the business that have been characterized as evil, are actually good people. In Hip-Hop, a lot of bullsh*t gets said and people would rather believe the bullsh*t than hear the real story. I remember when MC Hammer and 3rd Bass had their beef, I had the group come to the station to get on the air with me and Hammer (who was on the phone) and we talked about it and I was under the opinion that we squashed it all. About 6 months later I was at a convention and their DJ Richie Rich came up to me and grabbed me by the collar. He was like, “Motherf*cker you almost got us killed! You set us up!” I was like, “What the f*ck are you talking about?” Come to find out after they left the studio that […]
Exclusive: Greg Mack Breaks Down The History of 1580 KDAY
No story about KDAY can be complete without going back to the beginning of where it all started and to do that you have to talk to the man responsible for putting together the format that would alter radio to this very day – Mr. Greg Mack. In the early to mid-80’s on an AM radio dial known as 1580 in Los Angeles, at a time when the music industry regarded Rap music as a passing fad, Greg Mack took a major step for street born genre by creating radio’s first Hip-Hop format. One could hear a rap song on the radio here or there or maybe on a Saturday night when programmers felt it was safe enough to play, but never could one wake up to the sounds of Run-DMC, The Fat Boys, and Whodini until 1580 KDAY made that all possible. In addition to being a force for Hip-Hop on a whole, KDAY was an outlet for local talent to shine as the station helped to create just about every West Coast star that came from the 80’s and early 90’s. In conclusion of our KDAY coverage of the past few weeks, AllHipHop.com sat down with the legendary programmer in a two part series to let him tell his story. Put on your reading glasses and get a Hip-Hop history lesson! You came to Los Angeles via Houston. First off, I was naïve to the streets when I came to Los Angeles. I’m proud to be a country boy and a lot of the rappers, gang bangers and people in the streets gave me a pass. They were like, “He doesn’t know he’s not supposed to wear Red or Blue so I’m not gonna whoop his a**.” When I first moved to South Central, I lived in mom’s backhouse. One day I was checking the mailbox and this lady came out and jumped on me because she thought I was taking her government check. I got her off of me and threw her over the fence. A crowd had gathered and I wondered what the big commotion was and they told me that this lady was my neighbor. I apologized and told her that I wasn’t trying to take her check and that I was only checking the mail. Later on some Crip approached me and asked me why I beat up his mom. He had a jheri curl and his hand on a gun. I had to explain the situation to him. Take us back to the beginning of your start at KDAY and how Hip-Hop became a music format for radio. I was a music programmer at Magic 102 in Houston so when I came to KDAY, I knew I could do the job. I did notice that everybody out here played their music loud, so if you wanted to know what everybody was in to, all you had to do was roll your window down and listen. I heard groups like Run-DMC and Sugarhill Gang and said to myself, “I think the people here like rap.” None of the stations would play rap except for a few times late at night. I met with KDAY managers Ed Kirby and Jack Patterson and told them that I would play the hits in rotation but I also wanted to experiment with Rap. They told me that I had to limit it to the night time and that’s how it started. Immediately with the first Arbitron ratings, they shot through the roof! After that they agreed to let me play a little bit of Rap in the afternoon, and then more as the kids began to eat it up. The record companies were p##### off at me because I was giving so much time to Rap when they were spending money on promoting their R & B artists. The major record stores were mad too because they weren’t carrying Rap – they thought it was just a novelty. The mom and pop stores and the swapmeets were making a killing because they were the only one’s willing to carry Hip-Hop. Even some in the community gave backlash saying that I was corrupting the youth by playing that music. I used to work with artists and actually made them change some of the lyrics for radio. I didn’t edit them or play them backwards. I had them go back in to the studio to change a verse. The argument was that even if you play a word backwards, the kids can still figure out what they were saying, and the artists would go back and change it. Even to this day I don’t understand why artists won’t do that anymore – just change the verse. Do it for the kids. You created the Mack Attack Mix Masters by taking local DJ’s from the party’s and clubs and putting them on radio. Where did this grand idea come from? I have a mentality of “there are no roadblocks, only hurdles.” When I came to Los Angeles, my sister told me about party’s that were being thrown by a crew named Uncle Jamm’s Army. I went to one of their shows at the Sports Arena and I could not believe my eyes. There were 8 to 10 thousand kids with nobody performing but the DJ’s. I had never seen anything like it in my life so I decided that I needed to get these guys to be a part of what I was doing at KDAY. I tracked down Rodger Clayton, the head of Uncle Jamm’s Army, and explained to him my idea of bringing them on to the radio. He told me that they didn’t need radio and that they were successful without it. I took that as a hurdle to my plan. The next Monday I had a meeting with people who were promoting their records and a guy came in by the name of Lonzo Williams who was promoting his group The World Class Wreckin’ Cru. I asked […]
KDAY's DJ Brandi Garcia Rebounds From Houston 97.9 Firing
BRANDY GARCIA KEEPS IT HOT FOR REAL HIP-HOP
Ice Cube Produced N.W.A. Biopic "Straight Outta Compton" Gets A Writer
UPDATE: THE N.W.A. MOVIE
KDAY's Class1c & DJ Dense Discuss The Station's New Sale
Folks are happy in Los Angeles because as we reported late last week, KDAY has been sold to a company that’s keeping it alive! Earlier in the year, the station was close to being sold to RBC Communications, who were looking to give Hip-Hop the boot in favor of a Mandarin Chinese format. After that deal fell through, Los Angeles company Meruelo Media stepped up to the plate to purchase KDAY and have made a commitment to bring growth to the station with the legendary call letters. AllHipHop.com paid a visit to KDAY and spent some time with the staff, including two of the most laid back and funny characters on L.A. radio: Class1c and DJ Dense of the Happy Hour (which airs from 3 to 7 pm). The two share their thoughts on the new sale, give a little insight about themselves and of course plug the station’s upcoming Fresh Fest concert (December 28 featuring The Game, Scarface, E-40, Ja Rule and more). It’s Happy Hour time! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JgbbZn7aoE&w=420&h=315]
Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, J. Cole & More Light Up Cali Christmas
Power 106 FM of Los Angeles held their annual Cali Christmas concert at The Honda Center in Anaheim on Saturday December 14th and brought out Hip-Hop’s brightest stars. The sold out event ran almost flawlessly with only slight delays here and there, which is pretty remarkable for an event of that magnitude. No fights and no drama to report, just everybody having a good fun time. Sage the Gemini and IamSu of The HBK gang represented for the Bay Area and kicked the night off as the crowd was still rolling in. They were shortly followed by DJ Mustard, Tee Flii and Ty Dolla $ign and performed their current radio hits together. Kid Ink was brought out next and of course had to show the crowd why he goes by that name (See pics below). B.O.B. was also in the house and performed a set highlighted by his 2009 hit, “Nothin’ On You.” Rick Ross was next and opened strong with his “B.M.F.” song and had the crowd going with his verse from Jay Z’s “F*ckwithmeyouknowIgotit.” Ricky Rozay was backed live by the awesome young group 1500 Or Nothin, who also happen to be accomplished producers. Big Sean was a surprise guest and came out for a few songs right after Ross and just before J. Cole. Backed by a live band himself, J. Cole performed “Forbidden Fruit” minus Kendrick Lamar, even though K. Dot was in the house. Was this fallout from the Control verse? Who knows. Cole also gave great performances of “Work Out” and “Can’t Get Enough” and then gave way to 2 Chainz, who really got the party going with “I’m Different,” “Birthday Song,” and “No Lie.” King Kendrick Lamar was the headliner and he brought his fellow TDE labelmates Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul with him as returning Southern California hometown heroes. For good measure, Kendrick even brought out Diddy to the crowd’s delight to cap off the festive night. Shout out to Power 106 for allowing AllHipHop.com to come through and be a part of this wonderful event. As always, we’ve got pics galore! Check out our gallery below.
YG, Nipsey Hussle, Ty Dolla $ign & Skeme Want You To Respect The West
On a cold Wednesday night out on the off-skirts of Downtown Los Angeles, the Cashmere Agency group and Adidas put together a showcase of West Coast talent for tastemakers and fans called “Respect the West.” Hosted by the beautiful Rikki Martinez of Power 106 FM, Respect the West brought out some of L.A.’s top rising Hip-Hop talent and spotlighted the new Mutombo sneaker by Adidas. As the warehouse filled with arriving guests, DJ Mustard (one of the hottest producers in the game right now) kicked the night off with his popular self-produced jams and threw in some of his favorite classic club jams for good measure to get the party started right. Inglewood native Skeme (who’s Ingleworld album drops on December 17) was the first artist to hit the stage and after a few dope cuts, blasted the spot with his DJ Mustard produced club anthem “T.O.” Ty Dolla $ign (who we just featured) was next and encountered some microphone trouble which limited his first song. After a mic trade, Ty was good to go for his next few songs and finished things off with his popular radio banger, “Paranoid.” At this point, two drunk females right next to me began to scream and fight with each other over God knows what. Just as blows were about to get thrown and I began telling myself that I’m too old for this sh*t, we were informed that a special guest was in the house and ready to take the stage. Houston’s Riff Raff came out to a great surprise even though this was a West Coast showcase. After one song, Riff Raff then gave way to the highly anticipated Nipsey Hussle, fresh off the release of his $100 Crenshaw mixtape. Nipsey’s number one fan must have been right behind me because this dude was eagerly shouting in my ear for a performance of “Hussle in the House” and eventually got his wish as Nipsey capped things off with the Kriss Kross sampled jam. YG, set to release his Young Jeezy executive produced album on March 18, finished the showcase off led by a performance of “Toot It and Boot It” with Ty Dolla $ign and his current DJ Mustard radio hit, “My N*ggas.” All in all, it was a fun night of entertainment by young West Coast stars in the making ready to make their impact on the World. I myself am looking forward to Skeme’s album next week. Whether or not you respect the West, these young artists and plenty of others are making a great case for it. Check out our exclusive coverage of the night below! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNRiGgjYL6Q&w=420&h=315]
Hip-Hop Stays Alive! L.A.’s 93.5 KDAY Sold To Meruelo Media
(AllHipHop News) Los Angeles Old School Hip-Hop Radio Station 93.5 KDAY was purchased by a group called Meruelo Media (also based out of Los Angeles) for an undisclosed amount on Wednesday December 12, although the new company is not set to take over until January of 2014. The good news for Hip-Hop fans is that the new owners plan to keep the station in its current format and also plan to invest in to its expansion, which could also mean a stronger signal – a longtime complaint of those in the L.A. area. The station was previously in a purchasing agreement with RBC Communications, who were planning on changing the station’s format to an all Chinese Mandarin format, however that deal fell through several months back. 93.5 KDAY is unique in the sense that they allow longtime fans of Hip-Hop to enjoy the music and the hits they grew up with which can no longer be heard on the radio, an outlet that tends to only focus on what’s current. It also gives a boost to artists who have catalogs of music in reaching audiences that were too young to remember their initial releases. AllHipHop.com would like to congratulate the staff of 93.5 KDAY and the new owners for doing their part in keeping Hip-Hop alive in the radio market. We also have exclusive interviews coming up with KDAY radio personalities DJ Brandi Garcia, Class1c and DJ Dense – so stay tuned for that!
Exclusive: Ty Dolla $ign Sounds Off On New EP And Imitators
Tyrone Griffin, better known as Ty Dolla $ign, started a fire in Los Angeles when he played a big role in ushering in a radio and club friendly sound which the streets called “Ratchet Music,” opening up doors for fellow hometown artists to break away from the traditional West Coast G-Funk and Gangster Rap, and getting them back on the good graces of radio and club DJ’s. After a few years of releasing free Mixtapes and a slew of guest appearances, the Taylor Gang/Atlantic Records artist is ready to make another splash with his new upcoming EP (Beach House the EP) and an album in the summer of 2014. AllHipHop.com caught up with Ty backstage after a recent show at Club Nokia with Dom Kennedy to see what’s going on in the world of Mr. Dolla Sign. Check out our exclusive interview below and a few flicks from the show and see why he’s referring to his crew as Death Row Records and certain other L.A. cats as Ruthless (no diss to Eazy). You have a new EP that’s dropping soon. Please tell us more about that. It’s called Beach House the EP. I’m keeping the Beach House name because it was successful as a free Mixtape series but now I want to make it as something that I can sell. It’s going for Pre-Sale on January 7 and available on January 20. You probably should’ve started selling your projects from the start. I wish I did but there were still a lot of people out there unaware of me. The free Mixtapes were for advertising. So what’s in for us on the new EP? Avatar 2. Avatar 2? It’s a sequel to Avatar – the best movie (laughs). Oh I see. You’re going James Cameron on us. What about an official album? I hope to have that done by June of 2014 so I can take the summer. I’m just trying to perfect it and it to the next level from Beach House the EP, because the EP is on another level than the Mixtapes. Earlier on stage, you jumped on the MPC and started playing something and you told the crowd that you produced YG’s first hit, “Toot It and Boot It.” I produced “Toot It and Boot It” and half of the songs on Beach House 1 and 2 – just like on the upcoming EP. A lot of people don’t know of your producing side. I actually taught DJ Mustard how to produce. I gave him the sounds and he passed me up on producing – so shout out to him. That’s my little n*gga, ya know? He teaches me sh*t now. The Student surpassed the Teacher. Exactly. You and DJ Mustard created a new path for artists on the West Coast, because there was a time when artists from the West couldn’t get on the radio, and that started to change after the “Toot It and Boot It” song. My big homie Big D, he put us all together; Me, YG, and DJ Mustard. We were all up at my old house in Baldwin Hills, at the top of the hill, and we would make music every day. We came up with this sound and people later on ended up calling it the Ratchet sound. Were you following a blueprint? Not really. I was listening to the Atlanta stuff because it was real popular at the time with 808’s and snaps. I took that and sped it up to how we were listening to music out here. The Bay was popping with the Hyphy sound at that time. I was on that same speed but I took the Atlanta drums and mixed it with samples because I love to sample. I like J. Dilla and producers like that. I took a little sample mixed it with some drums and made “Toot It and Boot It.” From there I just started exploring and made different types of beats from House to Cabana. DJ Mustard told me that I was tripping and to just make club sh*t and he went off on that route. Do you think that you get enough credit on the West Coast? It’s cool. I don’t care about that. I want to make good music and they are going to recognize it. The music will speak for itself. I’m not one of those dudes that will trip off it and try to get attention – I don’t give a f*ck. I’m going to make good music and all of my family is going to eat. I ask that because I saw a post on your Twitter feed where you were talking about Ty Dolla $ign and DJ Mustard imitators out there. That post was about others making up their own sh*t. That’s what we were trying to do. If it starts growing that’s cool, but try to make a new sound. I’m never going to try to copy what’s out and I felt that was the problem with music for the longest time. No matter which producer is hot at the moment, you’ve got a bunch of others trying to copy their sound. Everybody is copying each other but its better when everybody does their own sh*t. If you go back to the 70’s and listen to groups like Lakeside, The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind and Fire – they all had their own sound. We are the Pushaz Ink band and we make our sound, and so all of the other n*ggas that copy what we do, they lose – straight up. They say imitation is a form of flattery though. It definitely shows that we are doing our sh*t. Really, I’m glad to see dudes from L.A. on. When you look back at Snoop Dogg when he first came out, everybody was trying to copy the Death Row sound. It’s cool that we are out here and we are the new Death Row and these other n*ggas are like Ruthless (laughs). […]
Problem brings out T.I., Game, Tyga. Is He The Next King of L.A.?
Compton rapper Problem brought his Separation Tour back home to the city of Angels on December 4 and made a huge statement on his status and where his career is heading. “Diamond Lane n*ggas is a different caliber than a lot of these n*ggas out here and we are going to set that sh*t straight tonight,” proclaimed Problem after he brought out West Coast legend Too $hort, the first of many surprise guests. With a wall to wall capacity at The El Rey Theater, a young and diverse crowd with people coming in as far as Bakersfield, “turned up” with excitement that went against the longstanding notion about Southern California crowds being “too chill” at events. Hosted by DJ Amen and Abby De La Rosa (she’s a cutie by the way) of Young California, The Separation Tour (named after Problem’s latest mixtape hosted by DJ Drama) started off with Bay Area veteran Clyde Carson who capped off his set with his most popular cut, “Slow Down,” which still gets radio play even after 2 years. The night just didn’t belong to Problem. Young South Central L.A. crooner Tee Flii is a name that you need to remember because this kid is going to make waves in the future. Performing his popular DJ Mustard produced tracks from his AnnieRUO’Tay project and, Tee Flii had all of the young ladies in the palms of his hands, singing word for word, and screaming at the top of their lungs. Nipsey Hussle joined the youngster on stage as the two performed some of their recent collaborations. After Tee Flii’s performance, a young girl next to me told me that she was already starting to lose her voice and she didn’t know how she was going to be able to perform at work the next morning. Her voice seemed to have held up through the night because I continued to hear those ear-piercing screams – especially when Problem took the stage. Once considered just a mixtape rapper from Compton, Problem has really grown in to his own and is utilizing the potential that’s always been there. I know because I was given his original demo several years back when he was just a producer trying to make beats and I’ve seen the ups and downs of his career. After his single deal with Univeral Republic for 2008’s “Toe Up” was complete and the single didn’t take off as hoped, Problem went back to the drawing board and re-vamped his team and his sound over a period of time. The results have been outstanding because when he took the stage at the El Rey Theater that night, you could feel that a statement was going to be made with this show. His manager Pun had even given me a heads up earlier to be ready for some surprises. After opening with some tracks from The Separation, Problem’s first surprise was Oakland’s own Too $hort, the Godfather of all Pimps on the Mic – but that was just the beginning. R & B singer Tank joined in on the action when Problem brought a pretty young lady from the crowd on to the stage and surprised her with personal serenades. At this point another young female nearby began shouting out “oral” favors to Problem whenever he came near our section of the stage. Others joined in, although not as explicit. Girls throwing themselves at you is a sign that you are having a hell of a performance. Surprise 3 and 4, turned out to be The Game and Tyga, as the YMCMB labelmates came out to rock the crowd and voice their support for their Compton brother. I figured that was going to be it for the surprises and I was kind of glad too because my camera started to let me know that it was going to sleep very soon from all of the footage and pictures from the night. Surely enough as my camera was telling me goodnight, Problem brings out the last huge surprise – none other than T.I. I should have known this was coming especially since Problem has been sharing pictures on social media about working with Tip, including a session not too long ago with Dr. Dre. Thankfully there were others around me kind enough to share their photos with me and of course other video clips taped (Internets to the rescue). Overall it was an incredible night and I believe we’re seeing the new birthing of a King out here in Los Angeles. After all, there aren’t many that could pull off this kind of a feat. Problem has seen great success this year with his “Like Whaat” single and will be debuting a new one on 106 & Park this upcoming December 10. If he’s going to be the next King of L.A., he’s going to need another hit, so we will see how this new single does. If it does indeed take off as he hopes, watch out, because right now the dude is on fire. I can’t forget Bad Lucc. The fellow Diamond Lane artist really did his thing that night too as part of the show. I see you Lucc. Check out our exclusive coverage of the night. Shout out to Montze Rodriguez for coming through with the T.I. shots and @99point1percent for the video clip. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXsnbMs2n2U&w=420&h=315] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk-EBe3rj6A&w=560&h=315]
Exclusive Pics: Snoop Dogg Shuts Down Skee Live
SNOOP ROCKED SKEE LIVE!
Exclusive Pics/Video: Wiz Khalifa Pays A Visit To SKEE LIVE!
Wiz Khalifa was the latest Hip-Hop star to stop by DJ Skee’s “Skee Live” show on AXS TV and even created a trending topic on Twitter during his live performance and interview. After performing cuts like “Up” and “Black and Yellow,” Wiz sat down with DJ Skee and discussed his adjustments to being a new father, his upcoming album “Black Hollywood” (coming in 2014) and shared an on-air candid moment with Leonardo of the Ninja Turtles (See Below). In a moment that would make Cheech & Chong proud, Wiz also revealed during the interview that he goes through an ounce of weed per day. AllHipHop.com was on hand to check it all out and we’ve got some pictures and video! Be sure to watch next Tuesday as SKEE LIVE plays host to Snoop Dogg! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udqG_QE0u50&w=420&h=315]
