Any emcee who rhymes on beat owes a debt to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. When Hip-Hop was just a newborn baby this crew gave it a name, then brought a musical language and a culture which has since flourished into a worldwide phenomenon. Scorpio, along with group members Melle Mel, Kidd Creole, Cowboy and Rahiem pioneered the genre of Hip-Hop and opened many doors that anyone associated with the genre has since walked through.  In Part 1 of a two-part interview, Scorpio discusses a new series named Legends of Legends coming to AllHipHop.com that details a number of old-school rapper’s experiences and stories. AllHipHop.com had the pleasure of speaking to Scorpio about his experience with the Furious Five MC’s during the birth of Hip-Hop, and unfortunately, a strained relationship with group member Grandmaster Flash.  AllHipHop.com: What was your inspiration for this new Legends of Legends project?  Scorpio: Legends of Legends is an idea I came up with when I was speaking with Grouchy. A lot of interviewers ask questions of a lot of cats but they always have their own agenda and ulterior motives, they want to paint a legend the way they see them. And I thought it would be fair and righteous to have another legend speak to a another legend, because you know it is always going to come from a position of respect and never the intention to throw a cat under the bus or paint them as being something old school. I interviewed all type of cats. Big Daddy Kane, Rob Base, Cold Crush, Fantastic, its nothing for me to get anybody on the phone.  AllHipHop.com: This is so important because if these stories are not recorded they will be lost.  Scorpio: The stories are not lost, the legendary cats just need to be put in a light of respect. When it comes to the real media we don’t currently have no part of that. That’s why I’m so delighted to jump start this Legend of Legends show on AllHipHop.com. Because it ain’t like people don’t want to know, you can take a 16-year-old kid who might only know Lil Wayne or T.I. but they will be interested to know the real foundation of how Hip-Hop started. How what we did affects what they like today. All the rappers that came out and got hot ain’t really gave props to where it came from. Some of them stop at when they started listening to Hip-Hop. They listened to Run [DMC] and that’s when they fell in love with it, and I’m like cool, that’s great I got love for Run but then do you stop and think where did Run and them get if from? We feel like we should have a place at the table of Hip-Hop. If you look at any other genre of records or basketball, football, whatever, you see they always have positions for the Charles Barkley’s or the Julius Ervings‘, all the greats, they are always around the table that they helped build and they can still eat and earn a living. Where as Hip-Hop music is the first culture, the first music on this level to basically spit out the old school cats like, "You old and you can’t do it." We invented the game. We made the rules. And now they changed the rules like, "Oh this game ain’t for you, its for them." And we are the original ones who built it.  AllHipHop.com: The creators of this music, from the beginning, are mostly still alive and available.  Scorpio: We are walking amongst the cats. The cats that invented rock and roll most likely are gone, cats that invented jazz are out of here, but the true cats that invented Hip-Hop, the culture that is a world wide phenomenon, are still here. We are still walking amongst them. When groups like Run DMC started coming out, they came directly from our blood line, you can hear they whole flow, the whole style, the switch-over going from one MC to another. The Furious Five created that. After it got to a certain level cats started looking back and trying to define themselves like "We not like the cats that came before us because we don’t dress like them," and this and that and I think that’s when all of that first started. Them saying stuff like, instead of saying we dress like this A, B, and C and don’t point back at us like we fools or something. They basically opened the door for people to say "Oh you don’t have to respect the people that come before y’all?" And right now that same stuff that they was doing, people doing to everybody now. Just like cats can talk about Jay-Z, one of the most talented cats on planet earth to me, and all he’s done to build Hip-Hop and people will say "Check out old-head." What kind of disrespect is that? This generation is almost like you are supposed to be embarrassed to grow and to have wisdom. Like "Oh, you old." That attitude is the same reason there is so much drama in the streets right now. You have young cats that don’t care nothing about grandmas and aunties that are all caught up in that world.  AllHipHop.com: And you [The Furious 5] are in the f**king [Rock & Roll] Hall of Fame too.  Scorpio: That’s where its at. I understand that back then everybody might not know our group just by looking at us cause there wasn’t that much visual. But now there is 1000 websites and TV channels its easy to know who somebody is just on sight. Hip-Hop is blazing up the clubs and I’m just like wow where did this s**t go. Its almost like they want me to play big Willie style just to come in the club and be around this music I know I had a seed in creating. And I can still make just as well.  AllHipHop.com: […]

Admit it, you’ve missed Floyd Mayweather. His trash-talking and lavish lifestyle aside, “Money” Mayweather is one of the most skilled and gifted athletes sports have seen in the last 25 years. In boxing, pound for pound talent like him comes around once in a lifetime, and has guided Mayweather so far to a perfect fighting record of 39-0.  Mayweather retired in 2007, and left fans and critics wanting him back to face a handful of final challenges in the welterweight division. On September 19, 2009, Floyd will face number 2 pound-for-pound fighter, Juan Manuel Marquez in a bout to be televised on HBO PPV and live at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Now that he’s returned, Floyd is on record as stating “everyone can get it,” one by one. But in his early 30’s, does the self-professed GOAT still have what it takes to be boxing #1 pound for pound?  AllHipHop.com: Welcome back, champ. About a month ago when the fight was postponed due to your rib injury, you stated you physically felt fine but wouldn’t know for sure until you started having physical contact. How are you feeling now that you’ve been sparring?  Mayweather: I feel great. Once you engage in combat, you try to focus on offense and mixing up your arsenal to take as less punishment as possible. I’ve been working on a lot of offense [for Marquez] but my defense has always been tight. With everything in the sport of boxing you’re always trying to be a better fighter overall.  AllHipHop.com: Since you mentioned the focus on offense, how has your timing been since you’ve been out for nearly two years?  Mayweather: My team uncle Roger [Mayweather], Leonard Ellerbe, Rafael Garcia, Nate Jones, and Juan Blake has stated my timing has been tremendous, and it looks like I never even left the sport. I’m working extremely hard and pushing myself to the limit to come back better than when I left. The point is to come back faster, stronger, and be a complete, intelligent fighter. And this time of course an exciting fighter for the fans, because I want to bring [that] excitement to the sport. Of course for myself first, but the fans do count. The performance has to be there for them.  AllHipHop.com: As this fight shows, the field is open to you as far as fighters ranging from lightweight up to welterweight. A lot of people still bring up how good you looked at 140 pounds against DeMarcus Corley, Henry Bruseles, and Arturo Gatti. With guys like Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley at 140, do you feel you could still make that weight, or is your comfort level at 147 pounds?  Mayweather: I feel that all roads lead to Floyd Mayweather, so we’ll take one fight at a time. Marquez is one of the best fighters pound for pound, and Mexico’s best fighter. Mexicans have always produced exciting fighters and champions going back over a hundred years. My main focus is Marquez, you can’t overlook guys. I think when fighters tend to overlook guys they come up short. We’re going to execute the gameplan, get him out the way, and see where we go from here.    AllHipHop.com: This will be one of the biggest matchups of the year. Usually, you wage a lot of psychological warfare on your opponents to rile them up. But with Marquez, you’ve really laid off that. Is that because of your respect for him as a fighter?  Mayweather: No, it’s not that. That’s just versatility. Every fight can’t be approached and marketed the same. Some fights we’ll talk trash and other we’ll just go out there and do what we have to do.  AllHipHop.com: Just based on resume, do you feel Marquez will be the most skilled fighter you’ll have faced in your career?  Mayweather: [Pauses] Uh, I can’t really say since we’ve never engaged in combat before. Some I’m able to tell [beforehand]…of course he’s a very good counter-puncher and boxer. He’s solid, but I can’t give him the best until we have battle. Then I’ll tell you where he ranks.  AllHipHop.com: Even in retirement you were still present at a lot of boxing cards, and you co-signed light-heavyweight champion Chad Dawson as one of the future stars in the sport. When you look at him and other young stars like Andre Berto and Paul Williams, how do you think they carried the sport in your absence? And how was the overall health of boxing?  Mayweather: I have nothing but respect for all fighters going out there and working hard to put food on the table. But there’s only one Floyd Mayweather. I don’t believe everybody was born to be a flashy entertainer and sell tickets. And sell PPV’s like I’ve done. I think Dawson’s a hell of a fighter, and so are Berto and Paul Williams. You have to realize we all come from the same background and had to work our way from the bottom to the top. I have respect for these fighters trying to reach the highest level you can possibly reach, and that’s the Mayweather level.  AllHipHop.com: You made a profound statement during your last run in regards to marketing fights. You said that a lot of times you approach fights akin to a rap beef because that’s what people want to see and confrontation always sells tickets…  Mayweather: Well, boxing is entertainment. I’m in the show business. But also look at this; I’m in the check-cashing business! As far as PPV, I hold the record, and the highest grossing gate. [Writer’s Note: The 2007 bout with Oscar De La Hoya sold 2.4 million Pay-Per-Views and posted $120 million in revenue]. I’ve won six world championships, and did that all in a decade. So I’ve brought a lot to the sport of boxing. I took care of things inside the ring, and now have added a tremendous team outside on the business end.    AllHipHop.com: We can look at the 2005 […]

Since today (August 11) is considered to be the birthday of Hip-Hop by many, it is only fitting that this week’s Footage Fa Dayz features pioneering rap group The Beastie Boys.   This footage was shot in 1998, backstage at The Continental Arena in New Jersey. On the bill that evening was Rage Against the Machine, Chuck D., Black Star featuring Mos Def and Talib Kweli and of course, The Beastie Boys.   The Beasties were backstage playing a pickup game of 3 on 3 basketball just before they took to the stage. Adam “Ad Rock” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D.” Diamond breakdown the group’s origin, including how they came up with the name “Beastie Boys” in this rare clip of the group.   “It was probably like the stupidest thing we could think of at the moment. We met going to shows and going out to hear music at a young, impressionable age,” Mike D. said, revealing that the group started around 1981-83, as Hip-Hop started coming to downtown Manhattan.   Additionally, Ad Rock drops a bomb, revealing that he was instrumental in bringing a young, unsigned LL Cool J to Def Jam. “I made the beat for [LL Cool J‘s] ‘I Need a Beat’,” Ad Rock revealed.   The guys state that in the early days, they marketed themselves using the emerging medium of video, in addition to 12 inch singles, although the music was most important factor for fans at the time.   Mike D. also speaks about their split with Def Jam, although it’s obvious it’s a touchy subject for the band.   “We couldn’t work it out with them,” Mike D. said. “But everyone has their own story. Success to them and L and everyone doing their own thing. A lot of times when money gets involved, things get funny.”   It’s amazing to see that eleven years later, the Beastie Boys still function as a cohesive unit, delivering ground breaking material (like Awesome: I Shot That) to the forefront.   Millions of fans around the world are awaiting group member Adam “MCA” Yauch’s recovery from cancer treatment, which he will undergo in the coming weeks.   The group has postponed the release of their upcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Part 1. while MCA recovers.   Get well soon MCA, from AllHipHop.com     video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsfree video player

It was 36 years ago to this very day that a young Clive Campbell aka DJ Kool Herc and a handful of kids in a small, sweltering rec room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue on August 11, 1973 started a music and cultural revolution that changed the world forever! It began from very humble beginnings in The Bronx. Cindy Campbell (Herc’s kid sister) decided to throw an end of summer, back to school jam. Her big brother, DJ Kool Herc, performed the ground breaking art form of the Merry-Go-Round, playing the same 2 records, isolating the funkiest percussion sections, extending those 5 second break beats into 5 minutes of dance fury. He tapped his Jamaican roots where Island Djs at yard party’s would toast DJ Kool Herc individuals…Herc used the Mic to move the original Bronx house party crowd with photo by Joe Conzo shout-outs over the records, which began the element of Emceeing. Herc’s parties featured a new style of dance where people would up-rock or hit the ground to go off. Herc named these dancers “b-boys”. Soon DJ Kool Herc had to move the party outside from 1520 Sedgwick Ave. to Cedar Park. (Joe Conzo) Herc hot wired the base of a street lamp to juice up his Herculord speakers. Three thousand people showed up in complete darkness that summer night. Hip Hop would never be contained in-side again. (Charlie Ahearn) “August 11, 1973 changed the world. We wanted to celebrate the creativity, spirit and the magic of that night by unveiling limited edition product on this very date that includes rare images of DJ Kool Herc, The Herculords Speakers Driving Down Sedgwick Ave and Dj’s Spinning Vinyl at Cedar Park,” Ricco said of the images. Ray Ricco and Kool Herc own the clothing line Sedwick & Cedar. They recently unveiled a new line that features vintage images from the early days of Hip-Hop. For more information visit: http://www.sc73.com/

With New York rap fighting for relevance, very few rappers truly helping change the reality for the Big Apple. However, the underground scene has bred a handful of potential candidates in recent years, and Konvict Musik’s French Montana may just be the help New York needs. People may only know him from the widely successful “Cocaine City” DVD series he started back in 2002, but his gritty, street style of rap finally has people paying attention. It caught the ear of Akon, and now French is the next up on the platinum recording artist’s imprint. AllHipHop.com gets the latest from French on everything from growing up in Africa to how he feels about longtime friend and frequent collaborator Max B’s jail sentence. AllHipHop.com: Where did the name French Montana originate from? French Montana: A lot of people don’t realize I come from Morocco in North Africa, born and raised. I was over there until I was 13. France had tried to take over Morocco, not in my time obviously, but there are still influences there from the French culture. So when I came over here, the name French just kind of stuck with me. Then the Montana thing I just picked it up. There’s the whole cocaine connotation from the name of my DVD series with Tony Montana, plus I kind of bare a resemblance in the skin tone. So I tacked that on to the “French” part and voila, you got French Montana, the macaroni with the cheese! AllHipHop.com: What were the living conditions that you faced while in Africa? French Montana: It was horrible. It was a third world country. It was pathetic, honestly. There wasn’t too much to do but to turn to selling drugs and even then it was still tough. It was wild. I don’t want to paint the picture though that I was living with lions and all that. Like any city anywhere, if you have a lot of money, it’s a beautiful place. But for most, that’s not the case. My whole family is over there still. Just me, my mother and my little brother got over here. It’s what you make of it though. The schools, they were messed up. My mother used to pay the teachers off just to pa** me. AllHipHop.com: So you sure it was the schools and not just you? (laughs) French Montana: Don’t play with me! (Laughs) The schools was crazy though. Luckily my brother was able to come up through America’s school system and have it better than I did. AllHipHop.com: When did you come over here? French Montana: We made the move in 1996 when I was 13. We chose the Bronx because it just seemed accessible to everything. And the rest is history. “That’s my n***a….aside from all the rap stuff, that’s like my brother. It wasn’t even on no rap s**t, I lost a true friend. We’re fighting though.”-French Montana AllHipHop.com: You built an empire of sorts off the Cocaine City DVD series. How did you get started in that lane? What made you want to do that? French Montana: Being in the Bronx, being in New York in general, you’re bound to always be around someone doing something in music. Just through knowing people and being in the right place at the right times, I had gotten some good footage, and I knew some of my people had gotten some good footage too. I had already been rapping for a couple years just as a hobby, and I thought about it like if I put together a DVD of big name artists that people want to see, I can throw myself in on it too and promote myself at the same time I’m making money off of the other footage. No hustle makes sense to me unless you’re making money from it. I wasn’t gonna just be a rapper and be stuck all these years battling and all that making no money. The DVD thing looked like a win-win to me. So I had some money saved up just from different things and I put it all into the first DVD. Called it Cocaine City just because cocaine is worldwide…every city has it, just like they better have my DVD. It did really well so we went for a second round, and next thing you know I got the hottest DVD in the streets. AllHipHop.com: You’re approaching Volume 13 now and still seeing sales rise with each volume. What do you think made yours so successful, especially when the market was at one time so saturated with tons of “street” DVD’s? French Montana: I think mine did so well because I never followed anybody. I never watched anybody else’s…just had a plan in my head and did it my way. I’m all about visual…I watched many cla**ic movies growing up so I used all of my influences and put it toward my work. And it may sound cliché, but I went SO hard. That truly is the key. I drove down to Atlanta multiple times just to get some footage. I talked my way into VIP’s at clubs and would just never take no for an answer. I put myself out there and it truly paid off in the end. I didn’t care how impossible it seemed for me to get some of the footage I wanted. Where there’s a will there’s a way. Now look…. French Montana – “Why So Serious” video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsfree video player AllHipHop.com: When did you realize that it was time to take the shift from DVD as a priority, rapping as secondary to the other way around? French Montana: Once I saw the demand was there I knew it was time to really start pushing myself as a rapper. With the first DVD, people gonna be like who is this dude? Second one, they gonna be like oh yeah…I remember him. Third one they gonna be like ok, I recognize dude now, I like his […]

Listening to Bryan “Baby” Williams speak, you get a sense of a man who is at one with his inner and outer self. And if you’ve ever visited New Orleans, you’ll quickly see that he doesn’t lie when he tells you he is his city. He doesn’t ever get too agitated about any topic, even when it’s obvious he’s passionate about the subject. His laid-back Louisiana drawl, peppered with the signature drawn out “baaaby,” makes everything he talks about just seem cool and unforced. “Even the ease with which he refers to protege Lil Wayne as “his son” and expects everyone to know exactly who he is talking about. But at the same time, take one look at his track record and you know that he is a man about his business. The more visible of the two brothers behind Cash Money Records, Baby made his major label debut as an artist as one half of the Big Tymers with Manny Fresh in 1997, six years after he had released his first and only independent album, I Need a Bag of Dope. Since then, he has consistently stayed in the limelight, with an uncanny longevity powered by appearances on hit after hit. Still, his success hasn’t come without its fair share of controversy. The “5-Star Stunna” spoke to AllHipHop.com about what keeps him in the game. AllHipHop.com: So what are we calling you these days? Baby: I’m still Stunna, Birdman, whatever you feel. Baby, Bryan, whatever. AllHipHop.com: We’re gonna call you Bryan today, is that okay? Baby: That’s cool. Birdman would be even better. Bryan kinda more like… I don’t get to hear that a lot. AllHipHop.com: Do you miss Bryan? Baby: Really, I left Bryan about 20 years ago. AllHipHop.com: Do you have days when you wish you could go back? Baby: Not really, ‘cause Bryan lost a lot. So I try to keep moving. What I mean by lost [is] how I grew up. Somebody who grew up with me, they’ll know by Bryan. But besides that, I don’t really rock with it like that. AllHipHop.com: Is there a difference between Birdman and Baby? Baby: To me the names came with time and what we was doing. I always been Baby, that’s been like my real name. That’s all I ever knew is Baby, that’s what everybody call me. Birdman is just what you see on TV. AllHipHop.com: So Baby is the evolution of what Bryan used to be? Baby: Believe that. AllHipHop.com: You’re about to drop your fourth solo album… Baby: That’s my fourth one? It feel like more. I come from a group, so I look at all those albums too. It seem like a long time to just be done put four solo albums out. AllHipHop.com: How is this one different from everything else that you’ve done? Baby: I think everything we do, we try to grow with it. We wanna show progression and growth. That’s the only way, really, to survive. That’s the main reason why we survive: we show growth, we never dry, we try to be spicy, we try to be creative. With this album, ‘cause we been doing it so much, just tryna be creative, tryna stay above the rim. Growing. Still growing and letting the label grow; and us growing with the experience of life, we bring that to our music. Birdman f/ Lil Wayne – “Always Strapped” video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsfree video player AllHipHop.com: When Cash Money first came on the scene, it was almost like adding a chapter to Hip-Hop history. You guys played a big role in bringing Southern Hip-Hop to the mainstream. All these years later, how do you keep the sound fresh? Baby: Doing new stuff, not trying to do what we done did. We let the “Bling-bling” era go. That’s one thing we had to do. We had to let go what we already accomplished. You know everything you did last year don’t count for what you have to do this year. And our motivation is that we really have a love and a passion for what we do. My son wanna be the best, I wanna be the best at what I do. So, just having them ambitions and feeding our family and loving what we do… We don’t like to be like everybody else, we wanna be us, just in ourselves. And we know music. We been doing it a long time. We try to stay in the club with our music, that’s one thing we do. And just keep upgrading it every chance we get, and bring new talent in. “We know Youngin’ [Lil Wayne] is a beast, and that’s well accepted. But when you look at it collectively, we doing a lot. If you look at it individually, you missing the whole picture.” -Baby AllHipHop.com: How much of a role do the people who work with you on the music play in keeping the sound fresh? Baby: Nowadays, when people work with us, they bring their best. Back in the days, we used to bring the best out of people. Nowadays, people coming to you with they best and they be having beats for days. Everybody wanna work with you, that feel good. And everybody give you they best. It makes you wanna go that much harder when people feeling what you doing. AllHipHop.com: Who worked with you on the new album? Baby: My son Wayne, you know I don’t never work without him. I did a song with Lil’ Mack Maine, Drake. Just the family, I worked with people on our roster. AllHipHop.com: How about on the production side? Baby: Some new cats. Mr. Beats, that’s the one that did “Strapped.” I did one with Timbaland, Alchemist, Kevin Rudolph. Just some new people that we feel that’s hot. That’s something we always do. AllHipHop.com: What do you think is gonna surprise people most when they hear the album? Baby: Growth. People been following us so long. I don’t think […]

The viewing for founding Slum Village member Titus “Baatin” Glover is being held this afternoon (1pm-8pm) at Detroit’s New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church. In the wake of another sudden loss for Detroit’s close knit Hip-Hop community, several of Baatin’s friends spoke to AllHipHop.com about the colorful and eclectic rapper’s memory.   Baatin grew up along with future Slum Village bandmates J Dilla and T3 in the Conant Garden section of Detroit. The trio had an immediate impact on Detroit’s Hip-Hop 90’s community with their underground LP Fantastic Vol. 1. The 1996 offering was a seminal moment for Detroit’s music scene, and would help inspire the next generation of emcees from the region like Black Milk and Guilty Simpson.   “We lost a pioneer of Detroit Hip-Hop,” Simpson told AllHipHop.com “He was one of a kind and will never be duplicated.”   Baatin’s unpredictable and creative rhymes were a staple of Slum Village albums up until his sudden departure before 2004’s Detroit Deli, after struggling to cope with a schizophrenia diagnosis. His death is especially bittersweet for Slum member T3, who just a few weeks ago confirmed that Baatin was back in the group and recording songs for their reunion LP.   “Baatin will be missed. I’m glad we got a chance to work together before he passed,” T3 explained to AllHipHop.com “We lost another Slum soldier, a dear friend and a brother…He touched many lives. We love Baatin, R.I.P.”   Maureen Yancey, who lost her son James “J Dilla” Yancey to lupus in 2006, reflected on Baatin’s legacy.   “[My] deepest sympathy to the family friends and fans of Slum Village on the passing of Baatin,” she stated. “We loved him and his kind heart and spirit he will be forever be in our hearts.”   With Baatin’s funeral set for tomorrow (August 11) at Greater Future Missionary Baptist Church (10766 Morang Drive), Slum Village distributor and Barak Records CEO RJ Rice discussed his history with the group, and what he sees as the future of Slum Village.   AllHipHop.com: So how did you first meet The guys in Slum Village?   RJ Rice: I signed J. Dilla, T3 and Baatin in 1992. They were 17 years-old. We did [Fantastic] Volume 1. And then we did [Fantastic] Volume 2. And then of course JD left the group around 1998.   AllHipHop.com: Why did JD leave the group?   RJ Rice: Odd enough, he got tired of Baatin putting garlic on the bus. Dilla would call me at night when he was touring with a Tribe Called Quest. He said “man I am tired. Baatin, just keeps putting this garlic on the bus and I am tired of smelling this stuff.” There was a lot of fun kid stuff they would do. And then JD felt like he wanted to make more harder music. And JD never really wanted to be in a group. But he wanted to help his two friends, T3 and Baatin.   AllHipHop.com: How far do J. Dilla, T3 and Baatin go back?   RJ Rice: They go back to high school. They came to me in 1992 after we opened a record company and studio. They came to me and said they had this group they wanted me to check out. I heard the music and if you can imagine, Baatin is not there. It’s just JD and T3. And they are sitting across from my desk and I am saying “I like the music, let’s sign yall.” And they are whispering. So I asked “what are yall whispering about?” Then JD said you tell him. So T3 said “there is one more guy that’s missing.” I said “Do we need him?” He said “It’s Titus, Baatin. He’s not on the records, but we need him to get to the next level we want to get to.”   AllHipHop.com: Why was Baatin so important to the group if he wasn’t on the records?   RJ Rice: Well we had been meeting a week and I hadn’t seen him yet. When we finally met, I realized why they needed him. He’s a voice, he does characters, he sings, raps and takes the group left of center. So we record the group and all of sudden we finish Volume 1 and 2. Fast forward about 5 or 6 years. We finally get these guys going, then JD leaves. I put Elhzi in the group. That’s when Baatin started dabbling in the drugs. I knew he was.   AllHipHop.com: What was the made you notice he might be doing hardcore drugs?   RJ Rice: Because Baatin would always come to me by himself. He started to exaggerate. He would say ‘J I seen a dog 49 feet tall’, but that was sort of his personality. He did that before the drugs, but now it was more intensified and his emotions were more intensified. Baatin always kept it fun, but now for some reason was intense.   AllHipHop.com: What were some of the things that aggravated the group?   RJ Rice: The drugs were nerve racking to Dilla, but not to the point that that wanted to make him leave. He got the group to where they needed to be and he wanted to move on. We said JD go ahead and move on. We came with T########### and from there we had Selfish and we were very successful. That’s when Baatin’s behavior really started wearing and tearing on the guys.   AllHipHop.com: So the reports he suffered from schizophrenia. Was that true or was it the drugs?   RJ Rice: I think he was schizophrenic, but it the drugs that exasperated it.   AllHipHop.com: Was he doing more than crack?   RJ Rice: No one never knew and Baatin called me and this is the part about it that got me. Baatin is an original. They been with me since 1992. You gonna fall in love with people like him, no matter what they do, you can’t help it. […]

Imagine this: You grow up getting abused by a psychotic father that leads you to numb your pain with drugs. After spending time in a mental institution as a test subject for fluoxetine (an antidepressant), you trade the straitjacket for a microphone, and begin a critically acclaimed—if commercially overlooked—rap career.   That would be a quick glimpse at the life of Chris Palko, better known as Cage, a Definitive Jux-signed artist who’s experienced a long-winding, strange career for the last 16 years. His latest release, Depart from Me—a “hip-hop-influenced” experimental follow-up to the highly acclaimed Hell’s Winter—has garnered criticism from both fans and critics. (Not to mention the comments on the new “emo” look he’s been rocking.) But, despite a hint of irritation in his voice, Cage claims he’s not annoyed. “I don’t really care,” he says. “Everything is trivial to me right now besides music, family, and friends.”   A calmer, gentler Cage? Well, overall he’s in a better place both mentally and physically. The long-awaited Weathermen album is in the works, and his biopic project with Shia Lebouf is still happening. Although the death of Camu Tao has damaged his spirit, Cage says he hasn’t consoled himself with drugs. “I just got sick of doing that s###,” he says. “People change you know?” And change, at least for Cage, has been good.   AllHipHop.com: How’s the reception for the new album so far?   Cage: I got one s##### review from Pitchfork, but it’s not like I care about what they think. I got 4/5 in Spin. That means a lot to me than getting a 10 from Pitchfork. I mean I didn’t even know what Pitchfork was until they reviewed it so I could care less what they’re thinking.   AllHipHop.com: Don’t you think they had a point? The album received some negative feedbacks from the hip-hop crowd.   Cage: I don’t live for anyone else. And I damn sure not live for a bunch of f**king-s***ty-dirt rags, f**king newspapers, and f**king blogs. If you add up collectively, all these reviews, and all these opinions add up to like 40 people. There’s a bunch of Hip-Hop blogs saying, “Oh, this isn’t Hip-Hop.” I don’t give a f**k what some dude who doesn’t make rap records thinks of it. If you don’t even write music, or make music for a living, why do you publicly critique music? I mean I don’t think Hip-Hop music needs me or anyone else to expand it bigger than what it is already. And if you loved Movies for The Blind, and Hell’s Winter so much more than this, well, where the f**k was you when I was making them? I rather have a 16-year-old who found out my music two months ago and loves it than kids who loved my music for 10 years, and hate it now.   AllHipHop.com: What lead to this type of music in the first place?   Cage: I just got tired of making the same s**t as everyone else. What was I supposed to do? Use auto-tune?   AllHipHop.com: Were you happy with Jay-Z’s response?   Cage: Yea, good for him! For not f**king going the same route as everyone else.   AllHipHop.com: Obviously, the record is very rock-influenced. Can you tell me certain rock artists that you were influenced by?   Cage: To correct you, it’s a Hip-Hop-influenced record. It’s just a very different Hip-Hop record. I kind of wanted to take what I was doing as a rap artist, and turn rap on its side and kick it in the balls.   Cage – “I Never Knew You”   video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsfree video player   AllHipHop.com: Ouch. But I recall hearing that Nine Inch Nails was an influence.   Cage: No, not at all. People who are writing rap articles or whatever; their point of reference is so f##### up. What we said about the Nine Inch Nails influence was for one song called “I Found My Mind In Connecticut.” We had been listening to Nine Inch Nails a lot that week and there was a sound that was stuck in our heads, and we said, “This sounds so much like Nine Inch Nails! I’m going to write a Nine Inch Nails-style hook.” Yea, I grew up listening to them in the early ’90s and I still like them, but it’s not my sole influence. I grew up listening to Slick Rick. That’s how the record is inspired. I wanted to write visual stories, didn’t want to dress like a bum, and look different from the rest like Slick Rick.   AllHipHop.com: He’s definitely one of the pioneers who brought those factors out.   Cage: Yea, from angel dust, storytelling raps, being institutionalized, and caring about the appearance—I have a lot in common with Slick Rick.   AllHipHop.com: Tell me about the latest projects Cardboard City’s been working on.   Cage: We’re working on the new Weathermen stuff. I know there’s a song that leaked with Breeze, Yak, and El called “Reports Of A Possible Kidnapping.” The main project I’m working on right now is with me, and Shia. He’s in New York and working on the new Oliver Stone film Money Never Sleeps [Wall Street 2] and we’re going to be getting a lot of work done going towards the Cage film.   AllHipHop.com: Since you mentioned The Weathermen, can we expect an album? Cage: Yes, we’re putting music together for an album, and the lineup is: myself, Tame One, Aesop [Rock], Breeze Brewin, El-P, Yak Ballz, and Camu Tao who’s also on the record…also look out for Camu Tao’s record King of Hearts, which is an unfinished album.   AllHipHop.com: Did Camu Tao’s passing affect the creative process of Depart from Me?   Cage: I just kept going in the direction that we had been going in, which was a more rock approach. It seems like rap went to a more R&B route, so Camu and I decided to go onto […]

Welcome back to another week of AllHipHop.com’s Beat Melee. Thanks to all of those offering constructive feedback, insightful discussion topics, and big ups to the contestants. The homey Denada took some jabs last week for his sample heavy style but still came out on top with about 59 percent of the votes. JRB The Producer put up a great fight with an eclectic blend of sounds and ear jolting changes. The BeatDynasty.com staff does it’s best to incorporate all forms of music into the battles. Hip-Hop music has changed forms so many times since it’s beginning roots. Originally, rappers used a microphone to kick rhymes alongside a DJ who would spin disco instrumentals. Then DJs began to use smaller portions of the songs and loop them, which is where sampling began. With the expansion of technology and the money that Hip-Hop music could generate, some have switched over to a more keyboard based style of production. But it’s all Hip-Hop. From Just Blaze, The RZA, or Primo, to Timbaland, Dr. Dre, or DJ Quik. There are 6 million ways to do it. If your head nods, that’s the right one, whether you’re using dusty 45s or FL Studio. That being said… Denada earns the esteemed title of “16 Track Boarder” with his second straight victory. He’s halfway home to “Immortal Trackster” status. Check the battle below, vote, and comment. Let the games begin!!! Challenger Name: Ill Will The Champ (Drank King Productions) Where you are from: Columbus, GA (C-Town) Who is your favorite producer: GOD (The man upstairs be helping everybody make heat; we just vessels! Say I’m lying…) A description of your style of music: Words are dangerous. If I say one style I may haphazardly speak into existence something that would restrict my growth as a musician… (Sorry to the reading impaired… that was the long a** way of saying NO COMMENT) The best way for someone to contact you: kendricks1wh@aol.com or drankkingpro@yahoo.com marvgraindrumwrap piratehorndrum oneuwithdrum Reigning Champion Name: Denada Where you are from: Los Angeles/ Currently in Birmingham Alabama Who is your favorite producer: DJ Premier, Rza, Madlib, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Dilla, Flying Lotus, The Beatnuts, Beatminerz….etc A description of your style of music: Some head nod s**t The best way for someone to contact you: email — suazeone@yahoo.com ………. Rising Sun The Soloist The Joy Use the custom Poll below to vote, but don’t forget to also leave a comment. DiscussionsView Results

Since the inception of the Soul Assassins movement in 1992 the artist collective has birthed clothing brands, radio shows, records, internet ventures, and the most general parturition, a movement. Starting in 1997 the Soul Assassins took their artistry to the recording studio, crafting Chapter 1, which became a classic Hip-Hop acclaimed compilation. Now, in 2009 the group has reclaimed the spotlight with the recent, Intermission, an LP highlighting their new school protégés and their old school roots. AllHipHop.com sat down with their fearless leader, DJ Muggs, to pick apart the creative brain of the Soul Assassins and to find out the future of the west coast born collection. AllHipHop.com: I wanted to start with your point of view on the progression of the Soul Assassins from the inception in the early 90s to the present year? DJ Muggs: Well when we first started it was a bunch of rappers and producers/DJs as our extended family of Cypress Hill. It just grew into a collective of artists that got together to help with our career goals and personal goals in our lives. You see it too many times when somebody helps someone in their career and they go and blow up and never get back to pass that back to you. So at a certain point we decided that we’ve got to look out for each other and create our own economy within ourselves. As an artistic collective we reach out to all those artists, everyone from Mr. Cartoon to Alchemist to myself. AllHipHop.com: As the years have progressed and artists grown would you describe yourself now as more of a loose collective? DJ Muggs: Well everyone is pretty much a good person and everybody keeps themselves tight. We just grow and grow and everyone is working their hardest to do what they’ve got to do so that they can contribute. We’ve all been friends for a long time so we keep pushing it. AllHipHop.com: Speaking of present Soul Assassins, you recently dropped Intermission. The title isn’t fitting with the previous chapters, does this serve as a break between Chapters II and III? DJ Muggs: Yea, we’ve been working on Part III so this is actually the bridge. We didn’t want to keep people waiting until next summer so we decided to put this out right now. I don’t consider it part of the three chapters. I consider it like an interlude and a break from the other two. A lot of music we had sitting around on the computer so we wanted to put that out instead of letting it go to waste while we work on Chapter III. AllHipHop.com: Since you don’t consider it part of the “chapters” catalogue, couldn’t you have released it as a mixtape? It seems that is popular for artists who have material sitting in their computers to drop it on the net for free. DJ Muggs: Well that’s because I don’t like mixtapes. I think it’s a waste of time and I think it cheapens music. I think they’re good for new artists if you want to put your demo out though. If I would’ve done that it would have disappeared after two or three days and be gone. Putting it as an album it will be there forever. It will be on the shelves of record stores and magazines take it seriously, but most important people take it seriously. When it’s a mixtape, it’s just a mixtape and it gets overlooked on the desk. AllHipHop.com: One thing that people may overlook on the new record is your addition of your past musical endeavor, Dust. Why did you choose to include the Dust record for the album? DJ Muggs: Man I’ve got about eight or nine songs I’ve never used from Dust and I loved that record right there. I was playing it one day in the studio for the homies and people were like, “man let’s put that sh*t on the album.” And others were like, “na, it doesn’t fit the album.” Honestly thought, it fits the album because it is what it is and this is what it is so we put that sh*t out there. That’s actually a four track. It’s a four track demo and we actually tried going back and recording it in a big studio and cleaning it up and separating all the tracks but it didn’t sound right so we left that sh*t as a four track. AllHipHop.com: Speaking of Dust and your range in production, where do you feel you are at and will be at with it in the near future? DJ Muggs: Really now this year, I’m jamming s###. I’m gonna start making a little more music in a minute but for right now I’m just taking a break from music. We’ve got about three quarters of Chapter III done so I’ll take a few months off and just DJ. What’s inspiring me right now is I’ve been doing a lot of shows so I’ve been practicing everyday and letting these m############ in the tight pants out there stand at the screen and think, ‘look at this is art form man, you’ve got to put in practice, you’ve got respect this.” You play a professional sport you can’t suck, you can’t be wack. Music seems to be like the only thing you can suck and be wack but dress up and be successful. AllHipHop.com: Again, looking ahead, what is in store for Chapter III in the Soul Assassins catalogue? DJ Muggs: Chapter III is coming with a documentary that I’m doing right now with Soren Baker. Chapter III will be more like the soundtrack to the documentary history of the Soul Assassins. We’ve recorded music for it and we’re looking for the release next year. AllHipHop.com: Along with the documentary we’ve heard rumors of a possible memoir in the works – DJ Muggs: No that was a mistake in print; I don’t know who printed that. It’s just a lot of time and energy […]

The year was 1998 and Big Boi and Andre 3000 had just released their hit album, Aquemeni. In this clip, the guys are in front of Shatiniques Music, on the Eastside of Detroit.   The pair seem a bit antsy during the interview, as Aquemeni had just been certified platinum. The extra-animated pair reveal their future plans, including Big Boi’s Pitfall Kennels as well as Dre’s art business.   In the beginning of the interview, Outkast reveals their humble origins and how they made it into the rap business via a deal with Antonio “LA Reid” and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds’ La Face Records.   “We met in High School, we was about to shoot some pool down at East Point,” Andre 3000 revealed in the interview. “We hooked up with Organized Noize, producers of the first album, through a female, a mutual friend. They liked us. We dropped the album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, platinum, ATLiens, platinum.”   The group’s third album, Aquemeni, hit stores September 29, 1998. The album hit #2 on the Billboard charts, powered by singles like the controversial “Rosa Parks,” “Skew it on the Bar-B” and others.   Outkast has since ceased releasing albums together, although Big Boi has confirmed that the pair are planning a new album together.   Andre 3000 has an untitled solo album in the works, as does Big Boi.   And while Andre 3000 continues to pepper the rap landscape with stand-out cameo appearances, Big Boi’s career is coming full circle with Reid, as he is finalizing a deal with Island Def Jam Music Group.    video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsfree video player

Envision a desolate warehouse; everything about this building is nondescript. Let’s call this place corporate headquarters. Inside the hollow doors, a blinding spotlight shines down illuminating a wretched assembly line. There is a listless conveyer belt; it whines as it shoves forth prepackaged stereotypes. Container after container whirs by in an overwhelming fury. Within these shrink-wrapped skeletons are faux Hip-Hop reproductions. Robotic arms line each side of the conveyor belt; they’re positioned to snatch away any renegade instances of creativity and uniqueness that may have slipped past. These distinguishing traits are no longer necessary and are carelessly tossed aside. Innovation and creativity are sacrificed for a mass-produced sound. The corporation gives little yet reaps millions. That’s the cost-effective “Amerikkkan” way. Somewhere a greedy cash register laughs, cling cling. These warehouses are springing up around the nation. Hip-Hop is being hunted and transformed into an empty rap clone. Some MCs, like Brad “Scarface” Jordan are aware of this mutilation. Rather than entertaining the powers that be; Scarface has chosen to remove himself from that particular arena. AllHipHop.com: With your contribution to the game you have our respect and our ear; what would you say about the evolution Hip-Hop? How would you describe what it was in its infancy to what it has become today? Scarface: The 360 deal is f***ery. You’re giving up money all the way around. What ever you do the record company is there. That’s bulls***. My advice to any artist is to do what Lil Wayne is doing or what Soulja Boy is doing, maintain the rights to your s***. That 360 s*** is total f***ery. I wouldn’t dare even dream about doing a 360 deal. As a matter of fact, that’s some made up s***; that’s not even in the books. Well, with any kind of music that you f*** with, you got some great music and you got some not so great music. That’s Hip-Hop, that’s R&B, that’s Rock and Roll—let me give you an example. A Rock guy, his name is f***ing Meat Loaf, right. I think that he’s the absolute f***ing worst! But, people love Meat Loaf. You can think of the worst MC you’ve ever heard and people love it, you can think of the worst R&B singer you’ve ever heard and people love it. So, it’s all in one’s preference on what’s great and what’s not… AllHipHop.com: What would it take to get you out of “retirement” or this just a self-imposed hibernation period? Scarface: I don’t know. I don’t like it no more. I don’t like the powers that be at all. I don’t like it. AllHipHop.com: Are you so disgusted with them that you’ll stop making music, period? So personally, you’ve stopped all recording, or you won’t make another track for the public to hear? Scarface: That’s hard to tell. “I think the business side of Hip-Hop p##### me off. You know, the business side, the political side— the business side and the political side of Hip-Hop p##### me off.” -Scarface AllHipHop.com: After your work on Emeritus have you made any new tracks? Scarface: No. AllHipHop.com: Have you been back to the studio? Scarface: Nope, and I don’t plan on going either. AllHipHop.com: No? [stagnated silence] How can you love Hip-Hop and feel like that? Scarface: I think the business side of Hip-Hop p##### me off. You know, the business side, the political side— the business side and the political side of Hip-Hop p##### me off. AllHipHop.com: Do you feel as though you’re equipped as a business man to handle what was going on in the industry? Scarface: I don’t want to be equipped for it. AllHipHop.com: You just don’t like playing the game? Scarface: Yeah, I didn’t like playing the game, you know. You got to play the game fair. If the game ain’t played fair then—you could have it all and still lose everything. They don’t play the game fair. You got to play the game fair, man. Any game that you decide to play in life; you got to play the game fair. If you don’t play the game fair then nobody will play the game with you no more. AllHipHop.com: Is it inevitable for our respected MCs to stop making music because they’re disgusted with the bogus practices in the industry? Scarface: It’s so many things on what the industry is. Why would you buy somebody’s s*** when you can download it for free? AllHipHop.com: But that’s just one aspect. Some of these rappers don’t deserve to get their album purchased when they only have one good track and maybe a funny skit. I know you personally don’t get down like that; but, you have to look at it from both sides. Besides that what other industry practices don’t you agree with? Scarface: Like I said, I just don’t like the way that these record company owners and executives are playing god with a n**** career. AllHipHop.com: Why not embrace the indie route? Scarface: Why? AllHipHop.com: You will have full creative control; you’d be able to do everything on your own. You wouldn’t have to rely on the puppet master’s approval to get your creativity out there. Scarface: You know what’s so cold about the puppet masters? AllHipHop.com: What’s that? Scarface: The puppet master won’t admit to being the puppet master. That’s what’s so cold about the puppet master. Man, I’d rather not, there’s so many other ways, for me to— I’m so talented in other areas; so, f*** Rap, f*** Hip-Hop! I’ll say it again; f*** Hip-Hop. AllHipHop.com: But what about your fans; how can you say that? Scarface: My fans should say f*** Hip-Hop, too. Hip-Hop doesn’t even exist no more. Does it; is it Hip-Hop still? Is there such a thing? Define the word. “You was proud to go and buy a f***ing Ice-T record— “6’N The Morning,” Power. You was proud to go and pick up A Tribe Called Quest or N.W.A. You was proud of an Ice Cube or Kool […]

“I’m tired of saying the word Hip-Hop.Its just music, dog. Its what we chose to do with it. Its what Slaughterhouse chose to do with it. Its what Drake chose to do with it…Wayne. Its just music, dog. I don’t even think we should call it Hip-Hop anymore.” What more is there to say about M.O.P. aka the Mash Out Posse? Either you are with them or you aren’t. Either you love their frenetic, hyper-aggressive approach to music or you aren’t. But, Fame and Billy are evolving. They aren’t the same young guys that would (allegedly) stomp you within moment of meeting the Creator. They have seen things in the streets that would crush most spirits and endured the industry thrill ride like no other group. Whether down with 50 Cent or Roc-A-Fella, the group has remained consistent, and yet now they express startling new changes in their views of Hip-Hop music. In this interview, M.O.P along with manager Laze Laze take a look back to a classic era of Brooklyn rap and a glimpse into the future, where Hip-Hop has no label.   AllHipHop.com: Can you speak on the new album a bit?   Billy Danz: The Foundation. Taking it back to that. The foundation is the base of it all. Its were we built from. There is no better place to start or re-start than at the bottom so we can build our way back up.   AllHipHop.com: Do you think that’s what Hip-Hop needs to do?   Billy Danz: It ain’t about Hip-Hop. Its about music. Good music.   Lil Fame: I think Hip-Hop…our kind of Hip-Hop.. I think they got too comfortable. Too relaxed. And they say, “That n***a ain’t nice. He ain’t no threat. Let him do his thing.” Meanwhile this mother f**ker eating. And that s**t blew up like the swine flu. Then you can’t do nothing about it. Now you go n***as trying to do that kind of music. I ain’t mad at nobody, but just respect my kind of music. [Look’s at AllHipHop’s Public Enemy shirt] They stood for something. We stand for something. Them n***as wasn’t fashion, none of that s**t. [Public Enemy] was just raw energy. And they was n****s. And when I say n***as, I mean not in a disrespectful way. I mean, like they was us. We could relate to them. But they had a machine behind them. We never had a machine behind us. That makes us M.O.P. That makes us more determined.   AllHipHop.com: Did 50 try to change you? He doesn’t seem like the type that would try to change you.   Billy Danz: 50 was a fan like every other label that we signed to after the first deal we had with Select [Records]. Every other situation after that, was because the people [signing the deal] was fans. As far as 50 goes, they never tried to change us. Dame Dash, same thing….   AllHipHop.com: Everybody’s coming down on Dame Dash. He brought you all to the Roc.   Lil Fame: Dame a good n***a. Shout out to Dame. Dame is a good dude. He had a vision. After our first album, he tried to get is over there at Roc-A-Fella. Things ain’t work out. Dame always had love for our music. And he wanted to be apart of it. He’s still apart of it. But, the s**t ain’t work out. And, it ain’t work out because of us, because they had internal problems. That was their situation and we never dug into it like, ‘We hearing rumors and we hearing this and that.” Like, me and [Billy] can’t speak on our s**t [personal business] if we going through something. And they can’t speak on their s**t.   Billy Danz: Dame is a real good dude. I don’t know why people are sh***ing on him. I know what he and Jay were going through. That’s their problem. I haven’t heard anything, but If I do hear something, that’s not going to change my perception of Damon Dash, because I know him. I know him and he a good dude.   Laze: They didn’t build M.O.P. We already came in as what we were. And when that situation there [at The Rock] kind of changed, it was a hard sell. Dame was the new guy. “The crazy dude from uptown.”Jay was basically like our brother.   Lil Fame: We watched Jay-Z coming up. Like Jay and Foxy, Smooth the Hustler. Biggie. And we all used to do s**t together. We all came up at the same time. Them n***as just happened to blow. Biggie, Foxy – they just happened to blow and was out of the window. So, we always seen Jay around and when we saw him, we’d kick it or whatever. So, that n***a blowing was crazy for us. Biggie too. Like Big used to go hard.  We have like 150 songs on Big before he actually put out an album. On The Notorious B.I.G. :Billy Danz: We have like 150 songs on Big before he actually put out an album.  Lil Fame: We got a TDK tape of all Biggie s**t. That n***a was like, “Fame, son, I don’t give a f**k, I’m doing the R&B thing. Lil Fame: We got a TDK tape of all Biggie s**t. That n***a was like, “Fame, son, I don’t give a f**k, I’m doing the R&B thing.” I swear to God. I was like, “Yo, you buggin.’” When I heard him say, “My mom push a AK with minks on her back,” that n***a was still living in the hood and that n***a happened to blow? That s**t was amazing to me, because it takes a lot of guts to talk about s**t you ain’t got. And that s**t happened to come to life? We were happy for them. We wanted to be a part of that or them a part our s**t. Either way. The love was there.   AllHipHop.com: A lot of people […]

What up beat bangers?  Last week’s competition scorched up like a tar roof in Texas.  The homies Denada and Underground Lab Productionz went head up for the vacant title.  In the final tally, Denada took the belt under some public scrutiny. Denada earns the title of “Casio Banger” for his first victory.     This week Denada returns to defend the crown with some new tracks against a formidable opponent.  All comments and critiques are welcome.  With those constructive ideas, all producers and beatmakers can grow and perfect the craft.  Remember the criteria producers.  Variety of tracks, arrangement, and originality are key.  Add some drops and changes to your beats.  A nice hook, a beat break, extra snare kick, or a change in melody can mean the ultimate difference in selection.   Without further ado, let the battle rage on. Challenger  Name: JRB the Producer    Where you are from: Gresham/Britton’s Neck, South Carolina  Who is your favorite producer: Timbaland & Just Blaze   A description of your style of music:   I just want to add that most of my beats switch up almost the whole way through so if you listen to “Never Rain on Me” & “Different S**t” please if you can listen for a while. But I would simply classify my music as “future Hip-Hop, Pop, Techno, Rock, Polka, Trance, R &B, and Soul music”   The best way for someone to contact you:  jonb348@hotmail.com   www.pmpworldwide.com/jrb-the-producer   www.myspace.com/jrbtheproducer   www.twitter.com/jrbtheproducer    “murder everything moving” “never rain on me” “on some different s**t”   Reigning Champion    Name: Denada    Where you are from: Los Angeles/ Currently in Birmingham Alabama    Who is your favorite producer: DJ Premier, Rza, Madlib, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Dilla, Flying Lotus, The Beatnuts, Beatminerz….etc    A description of your style of music: Some head nod s**t    The best way for someone to contact you: email — suazeone@yahoo.com    “Deadly Medley” “So Slick” “Herb Garden”   Use the custom poll to cast your votes, but feel free to drop a comment or appropriate feedback.  DiscussionsView Results

Hailing from east London, J2K has created quite a name for himself in the underground scene. Renowned for his blazing mixtapes, the 26-year-old grime star has been creating ripples in the industry since 2003. Produced by TNT, the now infamous ‘Heat on the Street’ mixtape series made J2K hot property and a stellar feature on UK R&B singer Gemma Fox’s single ‘Gone’ would introduce the former Leyton Orient footballer to a whole new audience. J2K – real name Jason Black – is about to make his mark even deeper, with his new 8-track EP ‘Wake Up’ and the banging new single ‘Danger’. With both a solo and Roll Deep album in the pipeline, we caught up with the determined MC to talk about mainstream chart success, mixtapes and becoming the latest member of Roll Deep. AllHipHop.com: Tell me about your new EP Wake Up. J2K: It’s an 8 track EP and it’s out now. It’s unique as it’s coming out on the micro SD card, my thinking behind that was I see a lot of people listening to music via their phones, so I thought I could make a product like that. I’ve made videos for virtually every track on the EP, so you can see them on the SD card too. AllHipHop.com:What kind of sound can we expect from the EP? J2K: I did it while I was doing the Roll Deep album. It’s what I like to call ‘relative music’, meaning its music people can relate too. It’s never just pointless music, there are themes. You have your hype tracks on there, like the first single ‘Danger’, which is about trying not to let a girl get the best of you. I have tracks about getting away from everything, there are tracks that address various social issues – I’m just having fun with it really. It’s just the EP, so I’m not getting real deep on it, that’s for the album which is coming very soon. The album will have a Grime element to it, in terms of the sound and edge but it’s also quite varied. The album’s called ‘Old Enough To Know Better, Young Enough Not To Give A ****’. This is exactly where I feel I’m at right now. The older you get, the more you have to re-evaluate things – it’s not that you’re getting boring, you’re just growing up. AllHipHop.com: Would you consider yourself a Grime artist? J2K: Yeah I would but I do like to experiment. I feel that with Grime, you’re allowed to bring other musical elements to it. What people usually do is come from the Grime scene and turn around and say ‘I’m not Grime anymore, I’m an artist’. I do understand that concept but some people are not artists, they literally stand on the spot and just spit bars – that’s not that artistic. I’m saying yes, I do come from that but I also do other stuff. I’m into the performance element, I like to experiment. I just like to keep it fresh whatever the sound is. Grime is fresh; it’s some of the freshest music in the world to me. It’s not like American Hip-Hop and R&B – which at the moment is dying. I’m not saying I don’t like Hip- Hop and R&B but it’s not fresh right now, there’s nothing new; whereas Grime is always evolving. AllHipHop.com:Were you tempted to follow in the dance/electro footsteps of some of your fellow Grime contemporaries? J2K: I don’t knock people who do whatever they have to do but I don’t like to jump on a bandwagon just for the sake of it. If I was to do that it would have to be a track or beat I was feeling at that particular time. What tends to happen a lot is, when you go to these producers for a ‘crossover’ beat they’ll give you a similar beat to someone else. Why would I want to do that? I just can’t bring myself to do that. AllHipHop.com: In your biography you make reference to starting the mixtape trend in Grime. Can you explain? J2K: Obviously I didn’t start mixtapes, or the concept of mixtapes but in the scene where I was coming from it wasn’t being done, I was the first person to do it. The avenues at the time were pirate radio and raves and I was coming up but not getting regular radio slots, so me and producer TNT just started making full songs aside from just writing 16s for the radio, that’s how the mixtape came out. We thought let’s just put this altogether and package it, simple. Obviously the concept came from America but at the time in the scene, you would only have a CD out if you were signed or you might have a white label out. So I came to be known more for my mixtapes. AllHipHop.com: What are your thoughts on the UK scene right now – is it fresh? J2K: It is fresh but at the same time there’s too much of this jumping on the bandwagon taking place. AllHipHop.com: Do you think the ‘bandwagon effect’ is taking place because major labels are starting to take notice of homegrown ‘urban’ acts? J2K: Yeah to an extent also everybody is hungry right now. People saw the success of Wiley’s Rolex and then there will be loads of Rolex’s after that. You can’t duplicate that success. Record labels often latch onto anything, they’ll just try to follow rather than create. AllHipHop.com: Are you interested in mainstream success and being signed? J2K: Yeah of course I am! (Laughs) I’m not one of those guys either! I’ve always said, as long as I’m comfortable I’m cool. I keep it real to myself and that’s all you can do but people understand what I do – that’s the general feeling I get from the people who listen to my music. At the end of the day, you are the person who makes the music […]

Ja Rule is excited. For the past several years, the Inc lead artist has taken a back seat after dominating the early 2000s with a string of chart-topping hits. Now, Rule finds himself on the verge of releasing an official comeback LP this November. But first, he has a special treat for fans in The Mirror, the original studio album that has been leaked in various incarnations since 2007. Ja Rule is ready for a comeback, but are the fans ready for him? AllHipHop.com: Congratulations on finally getting The Mirror completed, I know you’ve been working on it for a minute. Ja Rule: Nah, The Mirror’s been done. We just had some issues with it, some leak issues. I ain’t that n#### to hit my fans with some s**t they heard. Even if two fans heard it, I’m not putting it out there for the public. So I went in and made a whole new album. The new album is crazy, but a lot of people didn’t hear Mirror. I’ve been getting hit on Twitter, Myspace, and Facebook with people asking about The Mirror. So I realized there are a lot of people who didn’t hear the s**t. So today they’ll get a taste of it. AllHipHop.com: So you’re the one leaking it? Ja Rule: Actually that’s not true. The album was leaked already. I don’t know how it got leaked. People could get it and hear it online. That f**ked up my whole project. But I just want people to hear the album who didn’t. AllHipHop.com: This is your first album in about 5 years. With the title, it alludes to facing the truth about yourself once you look in the mirror. What are the big truths you learned about yourself as Ja Rule the artist and man during this past half-decade? Ja Rule: It’s hard for the public to distinguish the truth. They get a persona that you portray or they see on screen, but that may not necessarily be the person that you are. Or they may only know you from the singles you drop and do videos for. A lot of fans don’t get to soak up the whole album. With The Mirror, I just wanted people to get an inside look to what it is like to be me and go through what an artist goes through period. AllHipHop.com: Not to make you feel old, but we’re right at the 10 year anniversary of Venni Vetti Vecci. Even amongst your biggest critics, that’s the album that many concede was executed well. For the fans who love that album, can they expect tracks like “Story To Tell” and “It’s Murda,” or will they get more “Mesmerize” and the other radio songs that took you to stardom? Ja Rule: The Mirror is really a compilation of complex and different records. They’re not all the same. I got records like “Father Forgive Me” on the album, and “Sing a Prayer For Me.” These records are completely different. I wanted people to feel those sides of me because I’m an artist that likes to grow with each project. That’s something that people don’t understand about artists. If you go to your job everyday and get bored at it sometimes, it’s the same thing with us, [especially] if you go in the studio and doing the same type of music year after year. You get bored and want to try something new and expand your horizons. When you hear “Father Forgive Me,” that’s me broadening my horizons and moving to something different. AllHipHop.com: Let’s go back to 2007 when you were first wrapping up this project. Were you getting a lot of resistance from Universal, since they were expecting those platinum hits, and you were now seeking to experiment? Was it a struggle getting them to see your vision? Ja Rule: It wasn’t really a fight. The situation just didn’t work, it wasn’t a marriage. Sometimes it’s like that. When you see a project do 5 or 10 million that was a project that had good chemistry all around it. Not just through the making of it, but after recording to the marketing and promoting of it. Those are special because everybody is in tune and wants the same thing. It wasn’t like that with The Mirror. I was new over there at Motown. They never got no money with me in the past. I was a Def Jam artist. There was poor communication on both ends. AllHipHop.com: We’re ending the first decade of the 2000s, and pretty much the R&B/Hip-Hop collaborations that people were slamming you for are making a resurgence like they normally do every few years. When you look at today’s scene, do you feel it validates you now that people are running or trying to run with the formula you perfected? Ja Rule: I said it in one of rhymes on Message to Mankind, “I gave birth to a style that’s way too common now/N##### cocktailed my s###/Got it all watered down.” [laughs] That’s how I feel about it. Like autotune. That was T-Pain’s sound. And now everybody uses it, and Jay puts out “Death of Autotune.” Now, T-Pain might have a hard time coming back with his own sound, because so many people saturated and made it not the s**t. I like autotune and think its some fly s**t. Roger Troutman was the first and T-Pain made it his own thing. With me, I didn’t create melodic tunes. There were people doing melodic tunes before me, but I made it my s**t. And that’s the difference. When I want to kick it up a notch and do something y’all can’t do, I do this. We can all go in the booth and spit and go hard at each other. We used to do that all day. Me and X used to go to different spots and battle rhyme. DMX was a battle rhymer back in the day. And with Cash Money Click we would go to […]

African Artists: Stormin’ Into The Hip-Hop World   For some reason or another, there exists the misconception that African artists cannot be authentically Hip-Hop, or that their sound is exotic—foreign to the indigenous Hip-Hop rhythm. Of course, like all misconceptions, this is grounded in falsehood. Any true Hip-Hop fan is aware of the contributions old school Jamaican Reggae music made in the conception of this cultural phenomenon we today take great pride in; but many might not be as enlightened about the storytelling and rhetorical contests Hip-Hop adopted from its African ancestry.  In spite of the passion and pervasiveness of ignorance in our society, no greater repellent has been more successful in pushing back against these claims than the blossoming of African Hip-Hop artists on international soil. Today, we look at four rising stars currently making impressive headway in the cutthroat, semi-hostile world of western Hip-Hop: K’NAAN “I’m so ridiculous, I gotta compose this order/ … I’m sorta like a reporter strapped to a little recorder/ The border having an order not to let me in/ In order for me not to cause a slaughter/” —K’Naan, “The African Way,” The Dusty Foot Philosopher, 2005. “So come now don’t you try to play the hero/ Around here we got pirates with torpedoes/ Alongside all the warlords and beardos/ The only city Ni**as blacker than tuxedos/” —K’Naan, “I Come Prepared,” Troubadour, 2009. I first heard about the Somali-Canadian MC K’Naan in 2006. At the time, not many were aware that the North African country from which this budding icon emerges was in terrible shape, following decades of Western exploitation of its natural resources, but circumstances have changed considerably recently.     Today, though most aren’t accurately aware of the truth behind the Somali piracy brouhaha, they know enough to trace where K’Naan’s fiery passion comes from. K’Naan is a musical jewel. And he knows this. Tales of Beatles and Rolling Stones stardom swirl around him wherever he goes. And he knows this. He has in his hands the power to control his destiny, and carve out a legacy that would arrest the attention of generations to come after him. And he knows this.  In truth, much need not be written about this great musician, for his reputation precedes him. When his debut studio album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher, was released in 2005, K’Naan’s talent was exposed to the rest of the world. The album was welcomed by most as a much needed hurricane of fresh air.     And even though his sophomore project, Troubadour, isn’t exactly of the quality and caliber many anticipated, that’s just K’Naan’s way of letting the world know that he doesn’t care “If Rap Gets Jealous.” My confidence in K’Naan’s music leads me to believe that 20 years from now, if the coffin of Hip-Hop isn’t officially closed, his energy and excellence would be studied as a blueprint for MCing.  M.ANIFEST “I’ve been through it—passports, no visas/ Being so broke, having to fill it with no reefer/” —M.anifest, “Babylon Breakdown,” Manifestations, 2007. “You’re dead wrong for twisting out my history like blunts in trees/ Like Public Enemy, Elvis ain’t meant ‘sh** to me’/” —M.anifest, “Sankofa (My History),” Coming to America, 2009. I first met M.anifest at a communicator’s conference earlier this year. We had just been through a few hours of intense training and exercise, and more work needed to be done. Plus, lunch was still fresh in our bellies. Understandably, fatigue had taken control of the room. (“The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”) So, “M dot” had an idea—freestyle and engage the audience in a way that borrows from the Hip-Hop tradition of call-and-response. “Represent, what? Represent, wh0?” he called, as the audience responded by repeating his words. And then, at that most unsuspecting moment, the Ghanaian native ran through a 2 minute or so freestyle that had me, as well as everyone else in the room—young and not so young—spell-bound and completely energized, pumped-up for the 6 more hours awaiting us.     M.anifest’s performance was more surprising, it seemed, because we had no idea an MC was present in our midst. His humility had checked at the door any egos brought along with him from Minneapolis, Minnesota. On that day, he was less M.anifest and more Kwame Tsikata —a progressive communicator who trains non-for-profits around the country in harnessing the power of social media to increase their efficiency.   But don’t get it twisted: The Brother is Dick Cheney-vicious on the mic. In his few years as a performer, M.anifest has shared stage with many greats including Brother Ali, Atmosphere, and K’Naan. The MC, once described by a hometown Newspaper as “smart as Talib Kweli and as funky as Kanye West,” released his first album, Manifestations, independently in 2007. The critical acclaim with which it was welcomed couldn’t have been more rewarding for this talented tenacious artist.   He is currently touring various parts of the country, and working toward the completion of a collaboration album with Ugandan Hip-Hop heavyweight contender, Krukid. The African Rebel Movement (A.R.M.) project is expected anytime soon, and with the great buzz surrounding it, the dynamic duo can count on a successful outcome when it drops. Amongst his many other devotions, M.anifest has his eyes set on finishing his long-awaited sophomore release, Coming to America, set temporarily for the fall. ASA “You suppress all my strategy/ You oppress every part of me/ … You don’t care about my point of view/ If I die another will work for you/” —Asa, “Jailer,” Asa, 2008.  “Tell me, who’s responsible for what we teach our children?/ Is it the internet or the stars on television?/ … So little Lucy turns sixteen and like the movie she’s been seeing/ She has a lover in her daddy/ She can’t tell nobody till she makes the evening news/” —Asa, “Fire on the Mountain,” Asa, 2008. If you’ve never heard of Asa, walk away in shame—hands-over-eyes. Now, Asa, the Paris-born, Nigeria-raised singer/songwriter isn’t exactly what you […]

Let’s face it. Groups today are a rare and endangered species in Hip-Hop. With every Voltron-united collective comes a natural urge for members to forge a solo path towards their own success, beyond the protective shadow of a former life. Although they have dabbled in outside collaborations and projects, the members of Slum Village remain rooted in maintaining a united front.   And with the return of group co-founder Baatin, SV is more focused than ever, as they travel around the country as part of this year’s Rock the Bells tour and gear up for the release of a new group album as well as solo material in the coming months.   AllHipHop.com recently caught up with T3, who weighs in on Baatin’s reemergence, why Slum Village members haven’t permanently gone solo, the Charles Hamilton/J. Dilla controversy and why the new SV album will not include music from his late group mate.   AllHipHop.com: How is it having Bataan back in the fold?   T3: The whole thing is I felt like the fans wanted Bataan to come back. And I felt like I really didn’t want to do another album without Baatin. I wanted his energy. So, like I say, I started my blues brother adventure and had to find all my band members. Which was Elzhi, who was on the road doing his solo thing. Called him up and told him we tryin’ to get this new Slum album done. Then I had to go find Baatin in the old neighborhood where we grew up at. I found him and he was ready. He seemed like he had his stuff together. So that’s how the whole wheel started spinning for this new Slum Village album because basically, for the last couple of years, we dropped an album but we were going through a lot of depression. Dilla passed and then Proof passed. I really didn’t feel like doing no music. I wasn’t inspired. I was really just going through my thing.   AllHipHop.com: So what ultimately motivated you to say ‘Hey, I’m ready to get the fellas back and do another Slum album’?   T3: I mean you can only be depressed so long before you either pull yourself up or it just tears you down. So after a couple of years, I don’t know man, I just started kickin’ it with my crew and I got inspired by the cats I was around, you knowwhatimsayin, with the music. Like Guilty [Simpson] or Black Milk or cats like that. They kept the motivation goin’. Then I started off working on my solo album and I just stopped that once this Slum Village [project] started going and I’ll finish that later. So that’s basically how it all got started. It was basically me, Young RJ and Scrap. And then we just rounded up everybody. Then we started to work on this album and try to map out some Slum Village music. And the difference between this versus a lot of our other albums is we got multiple producers, which we never do that much. It usually be one producer producing our whole album or maybe two. Like Dilla or when it was BR Gunner doing a lot of our stuff, which was Black Milk and Young RJ. So that’s how it usually we get down, but for this album we got Focus from Dre’s camp and we got Hi-Tek and then we got G-Rock. And then we got Madlib, Then we got Dave West. We just went out on the production…We were just working with people we had relationships with and we know they come with some classic s**t.     AllHipHop.com: What is the official name of the new album?   T3: It’s called Villa Manifesto. It’s just a Slum Village statement to the people. And basically we sayin’ we’ve been gone for a while. We kinda gotta break down where we been and what we been going through and, you know, address the people. So that’s what this album kinda doing in a whole. That’s why we decided to call it that.   AllHipHop.com: I’m assuming Dilla’s presence will be found on this album.   T3: Always. Always, but the whole thing about the Dilla situation is we got a few jewels that we never released. And that we kinda holdin’ until the smoke clears. Right now, it’s so much goin on with the Dilla estate and all this, a bunch of other stuff. Charles Hamilton crazy s**t. It’s nuts out here. Hip-Hop has gone crazy [laughs]   AllHipHop.com: Eventually time passes and things fade. I know people feel strongly about this Dilla/Hamilton situation. So much so that Michigan may not be the place for him. Do you feel that over time…?   T3: Anything is possible over time. I mean, like Chris Brown over time and whoever over time. Yeah. Over time, yeah, anybody can make it happen. You can reinvent yourself. You can come from another angle. Yeah, you know, anything can happen. Over time. When what’s her name forgot the lyrics. Over time we forgot. It happens. So yeah, you get over stuff over time. I’ll say that. I don’t know, man. It depends on how big it is because people ain’t still forgave OJ. Over time. [laughs] Let me just say it depends on how big it is and what you messin’ with…Over time certain stuff people ain’t gonna forget. Let me say that too.   AllHipHop.com: Let’s go back to this Villa Manifesto album. You mentioned the producers on there. You got a solid group of producers on there, including some of the unused Dilla beats?   T3: Naw. We didn’t put any Dilla beats on there. Not because we don’t have any or not because we didn’t want to put any on there. It’s just we waiting for the perfect time to put it out. We gonna do a whole Dilla album that we wanna do dedicated to the whole Dilla […]

After a spectacular night of satisfying a good load of die hard Wu-Tang fans in Raleigh, NC, Trife Diesel and Ghostface Killah sat down with AllHiphop.com for an interview after an energetic Method Man & Redman show. The kid Trife couldn’t have  named it better with the release of his anticipated debut album Better Late Than Never. Matter of fact, Trife deserves a pat on the back from Hip-Hop, proving that he still hold valuable weight in the game after all these years. You never know, by the way it’s looking, Staten Island may have something to bring the authenticity in rap back. Enjoy the roofless thoughts from Trife Diesel and his brother Ghostface- who couldn’t bite his tongue expressed with valuable words of wisdom. Take this pleasure Hip-Hoppers, for he’s finally here- and he proves it’s better late than never. AllHipHop.com: So you’re on this tour promoting your new album, how has it been so far? Trife Diesel: It’s good. We’re only like two days in. Last night we were in Asheville and tonight we’re in Raleigh. For most of the part, both shows were really good. AllHipHop.com: Better Late Than Never- that’s the name of your debut album. How does it feel to be finally out? Trife Diesel: It feels good you know what I mean. That’s why I gave the album that title because it’s been a long time coming, and now that it’s finally here, it’s been a long time coming. I rather it be late than not at all. AllHipHop.com: What took so long for the debut album to come out? Is there anything you benefited from the album taking so long to drop? Trife Diesel: It took so long because basically I didn’t have a label deal or whatever and I just had to make moves you know what I mean. I had to put the CD out. Appose to me just rocking with Ghost all the time, I just had to do my own thing you. That’s it. “I’m just tired of him running his mouth because he runs his mouth too much. He’s one of those n***as that will start drama in the hood and his boys wouldn’t even back him. I’ll tell Joe Budden to his face because I run with a strong team…” -Trife Diesel AllHipHop.com: One of the things I commend you on was the ability to gain respect from both mainstream and underground listeners. What approach did you take going into the debut album? Trife Diesel: To whatever I did- like when I write every song that I do, I just wrote mad songs and just the album together like that. There wasn’t any certain technique that I had to do. As far as when it got close to getting the deal or whatever, I made more music to revolve around the title. AllHipHop.com: One of the songs that didn’t make the album- which I consider a good crossover track was “Speed of Life” featuring B.o.B. and Inspectah Deck. Why didn’t it make the album? Trife Diesel: Oh that was like a sneak teaser you know what I mean. That wasn’t suppose to get leaked out you know what I mean. I don’t even know who leaked the track, but it wasn’t even supposed to go out. But, it got out and it’s been getting a lot of buzz off of that. To me, that was supposed to be stuck in the stash. But since it got leaked, it’s been good responses or whatever, and that’s what it is. AllHipHop.com: If I’m correct you have some lost albums right? Raw Footage being one of them… Trife Diesel: Yeah that was a long time ago. Raw Footage- I always play with a lot of names. You know, with me being a kid that recorded a lot, I always try to make names of albums and keep music on the side or whatever. Raw Footage didn’t make it, Stapleton to Somalia didn’t make it, and Put It On The Line made it. Now you have Better Late Than Never– that made it. So that’s basically what that was. I just keep a lot of names for my albums. Like the next album may be named Apartment 8P. AllHipHop.com: Now was any of the material on Raw Footage transferred to Better Late Than Never? Trife Diesel: Naw. AllHipHop.com: How did the past albums differ- I bet they differed a lot. Trife Diesel: Like Raw Footage- that was a long time ago. This Better Late Than Never, it’s like a more mature album. It’s just like why I changed my name from Trife Da God or whatever, but now it’s Trife Diesel. I’m a skinny dude, I’m not husky or anything, but Diesel is more of a state of mind right now. I feel stronger and that’s why I changed my name like that. So it’s Trife Diesel and Better Late Than Never. Like I said before, the fans- they just wanted that like “Why your album not coming out, why your album not coming out”. One person that asked me that day, I was like “Yo better late than never”, and that’s how that came about. So umm Better Late Than Never is in stores right now and it’s a blessing. I have Ghostface on it, Freeway on it, I have Royce Da 5’9 on it, I have my man Termanology it, I have Wigs on it, I have T.M.F. on it- Kryme Life & Tommy Whispers and it’s beautiful thing. I have 16 strong tracks. “We had to really struggle to get to where we’re at. We had to be a really be able to rhyme n***a. So n*ggas now are really getting on the easy way now. You have n****as like Trife Da God who’s been touring for mad years and n***s make it with a simple f**king hook.” -Ghostface Killah AllHipHop.com: One cannot deny your true authentic New York rap, so it’s only right to get your input […]

Dorrough is not your ordinary up-and-coming rapper. The rookie is out making a name for himself and gaining success that rivals veterans in the game, and he’s only had a record deal since early this year. The Dallas, TX native already has two char–topping singles back to back under his belt with “Walk That Walk” and “Ice Cream Paint Job” creating a huge buzz on both radio and television. But for those that know the man hit singles really shouldn’t be that big of a surprise. Dorrough was featured on fellow Texan artist Superstar’s local smash “Halle Berry”, which was reworked by Hurricane Chris this year and became a huge nationwide hit. Dorrough took the momentum from that collaboration as well as the buzz that he created from his mixtape grind and turned it into a record deal with E1 Records (formerly known as Koch) that included his own imprint, Prime Time Click. If early success is any indication of what’s to come it seems inevitable that sooner rather than later the whole industry will be walking to Dorrough’s beat. AllHipHop.com: What’s it like as a new artist to have two big back-to-back singles already? Dorrough: I mean as a new artist, first off I’m fortunate to be in a situation where I have two singles that are actually working, and not necessarily that they’re just big but the simple fact that they’re working. Seeing that it makes me want to work harder and come up with an album, which I already did. Seeing that, it really just inspired me to keep doing it. AllHipHop.com: What was the inspiration behind those two singles? Dorrough: mainly most of it just started off as mixtape tracks. With “walk That Walk” I was down at the HBCU college scene at the time and I was just going by different females and all the sororities and all that and the environment was what I was feeling and vibing to when I made the track. “Ice Cream” paint Job it was really just off the mixtape s### that I had been working and putting together and that was one of the songs that I ended up putting out and it just caught on. Really it wasn’t anything abnormal about me doing those tracks, I do a lot of songs and those were just the two that caught on. AllHipHop.com: I’ve heard that you’ve done over 25 mixtapes since 2005. How do you keep up with that pace and come up with material that fast? Dorrough: Man I mean at the time that like all I literally did. It was easy for me to have access to the studio and studio equipment and I would get different beats and put something on them and send them out to DJs. It really wasn’t that hard to get in contact with different DJs, it was just about me just doing the material and giving it to him and after that just getting on the mixtapes. AllHipHop.com: So you went to college right? Dorrough: Yea I went to Prairie View A&M, outside of Houston. It’s an HBCU. AllHipHop.com: When did you feel you were ready to stop school and pursue music fulltime? Dorrough: Man, almost when I got down there. Honestly it was like I was doing music full time even when I was down there. I didn’t stop going until fall of this year. My last semester was Fall 2008 which is last December. Basically when it all started taking off and I started just performing a lot. I really wasn’t able to be down at Prairie View as much as I should have been, so I just kind of felt like I wanted to take off a semester to avoid conflicts with the music you know. That’s when a label also came to the picture too. I got signed and from there kind of made it full time. AllHipHop.com: Would you say being around the college campus atmosphere and being able to push your music on the students helped you out a lot? Dorrough: Yea I man that’s what probably gave me the biggest buzz more than anything. I took advantage of that whole situation. I can’t even think of any situation that would help me out more than that because I was around everything that I needed to be around you know what I’m saying, especially with the music that ended up catching on. I would have to say definitely. “Ice Cream Paint Job” video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsfree video player AllHipHop.com: Where would you say you fit into the Dallas, Texas Hip-Hop scene right now? Dorrough: I’m trying to fit the standard right now, so whatever category that puts me in that what I have to say. AllHipHop.com: How did your deal with E1 Records (formerly Koch Records) come along? Dorrough: Well “Walk That Walk” had kind of got big in the South. Radio wise it was real big in Dallas and Houston. Then they came in and the started pursuing me after that and right after we negotiated a deal “Ice Cream Paint Job” was popping up on the radar in California, San Francisco. That’s one of the biggest markets you know what I’m saying. So with me having two songs in three big markets, huge markets and its two songs I guess they were kind of like well this dude busts, so being that they came and eventually they started working for records. AllHipHop.com: So I heard they gave you your own imprint with them called Prime Time Click? Dorrough: Yea Prime Time Click AllHipHop.com: What type of responsibilities does that bring on you? Dorrough: Right now I’m more about branding it and I’m more about branding it with myself. My point is to get as hot as I can and branding it as much as I can so when we start putting out projects people will respond to them. That’s all it is really its just trying to open doors. AllHipHop.com: Down South […]