In only true turntablist form, DJ Scratch put on one of his world-famous performances at Club Society in St. Louis during the 2008 DJ Technology Retreat and Convention. He kicked-off the finals for the convention’s DJ Battle, as well as a show with St. Louis’ own Jus Bleezy and Yo Gotti, with an out of this world DJ routine. Removing his jacket and revealing a Superman t-shirt, to accompany the Superman theme as his intro music, DJ Scratch commenced to putting on a show that St. Louis will remember for years to come. Scratch, who is also a successful music producer, has been putting in work as a professional DJ for over 20 years. Back in 1988, shortly after winning the New Music Seminar Battle for World Supremacy DJ Championship, Scratch joined RUN DMC’s Run’s House World Tour. The late legendary Jam Master Jay of RUN DMC became Scratch’s mentor and converted him from a raw battle DJ to an all around performer. In exchange, Scratch taught Jay routines that he performed with RUN DMC. When the tour ended, Jay recommended Scratch to EPMD and after they witnessed his phenomenal tricks at their first show, they hired him on the spot. More recently, Scratch was responsible for providing the flamboyance to Jay-Z and now P Diddy’s stage shows. Having mastered the art of deejaying and performing on all seven continents, DJ Scratch started to pursue his second love, producing. He has produced such hits as the New York Anthem “On My New York S**t” by Busta Rhymes, EPMD’s “Rampage”, 50 Cent’s “50 Shot Ya”, and a long list of Hip-Hop classics. He has 3 Grammy nominations and over 40 Gold and Platinum awards to his credit which makes him responsible for the sale of over 50 million albums to date. We caught up with Scratch after his crowd-pleasing performance in St. Louis to discuss his upcoming production work, his new independent project as well as his plans for the future… AllHipHop.com: DJ Scratch, how you doin’ my brotha? DJ Scratch: I’m good man AllHipHop.com: Hey, that display you put on tonight was incredible, it was crazy! I definitely respect you for being one of the fore-founders of deejaying in Hip-Hop and this thing that we call true turntablism. I know you’re deejaying all over the world but what’s going on with you right now man? DJ Scratch: Well production wise I’m working on LL Cool J’s album right now, Exit 13, that’s the name of his thirteenth album on Def Jam as well as Busta Rhymes new album of course, it’s called Back On My Bulls**t… AllHipHop.com: The “On My New York S**t” was crazy. DJ Scratch: Thank you, I’m 95 percent done with working on an instrumental beat album called Somethin’ To Spit To. I’m going to release that independently and it’s going to be on iTunes also, you have to buy the whole album, you can’t just pick one beat and that’s for cats that wanna rhyme over that real hard gritty s**t because they’re not making that right now. Most of the beats that are being made right now don’t even have snare drums in them so I’m just making this for the real emcees out there that are starving for that gritty s**t and they’ll have an opportunity to spit to my beats so it’s called Somethin’ To Spit To.AllHipHop.com: I was telling you earlier that you basically inspired an editorial I wrote about the button pusher DJs that you discussed when you were on Rap City with DJ Q45. What’s your take on today’s DJs as opposed to the DJs from the era that we came up in? DJ Scratch: It’s easier for the DJs now. The technology’s a lot better now, that’s basically the difference. We learned to crawl before we walked, we learned the right way. Nowadays, the DJs just take off running, without learning to crawl and walk first. So that’s the difference and it shows on stage, it shows in the clubs, it shows on the radio, it basically speaks for itself. AllHipHop.com: Now I know when you were on the Hard Knock Life tour you did the routine with the Freddy Mask cuttin’ up Big Daddy Kane saying, “Imma play Jason” and more recently I’ve seen you at B.B. Kings in New York doing a routine cuttin’ up Busta sayin’ “Pants is Saggin’” while simultaneously pulling your pants to make them sag. Tonight you showed us your routine with the Black Sheep “Pick It Up” where you actually picked up the turntable and you stopped and started the record while you had it suspended in mid-air. You got anything else up your sleeve that you can give us some insight on? DJ Scratch: I’ve got tons of tricks man, I can’t do every trick in every show, because of the time restraints, so I have to spread it out from city to city. A lot of my routines have become fan favorites. If you go to a show to see a rapper or singer, you wanna hear your favorite song, my routines have become songs, they wanna see the “Friday the 13th”, they wanna see the “Pants Is Saggin’”, they wanna see.. AllHipHop.com: The wanna see the Superman like tonight! DJ Scratch: Yeah, they wanna see the Superman, they wanna see the Jason mask but I always give them something different also. They definitely wanna see those routines that they heard about or they saw on television or on the internet, they wanna see it in person because a lot of people be like, “Yo that s**t ain’t real, is he really doing that? Is he really picking the turntable up?” AllHipHop.com: (laughs) Yeah, I witnessed it tonight, it’s real. DJ Scratch: Those tricks have become fan favorites, like I said, I got tons of tricks. The sh*t that I’m doing right now, some of those tricks are 20 years old. Whatever trick I do now is as old as […]

When Masta Ace announced that A Long Hot Summer would be his final solo album most fans thought they’d have to settle for old albums and spot tour dates to keep them going. However, with the help of Punchline, Wordsworth and Stricklin, Ace looks to continue building on his legacy in hip-hop with the underground super group, EMC. The crew of lyrical technicians came together in 2001 on Masta Ace’s Disposable Arts Tour. After touring together and collaborating on numerous records together their brotherly bond was cemented with the groups formation. The release of EMC’s new album, The Show, signifies a new piece of Hip-Hop history in the making.AllHipHop.com: What does EMC mean?Masta Ace: We don’t really have a set meaning for it. It means different things to different people.Punchline: We want the people to come up with their own meaning. As a matter of fact on the song, “What it Stand For,” we give a bunch of things EMC could possibly mean. But we leave it up to the fans to decide. [eMC “What It Stand For” Video]AllHipHop.com: You’ve been in the game for about 20 years. The obvious question of course is, why form a group?Masta Ace: I said I wasn’t going to do anymore solo projects. But I’ve known these dudes for a few years. I did a lot of shows between the albums and at least one of those artists would come out and I’d bring them out on stage and people got used to seeing us together. Then the fans started talking about the group idea. They were mentioning it when they’d come out to the shows or on my website or MySpace. We threw it out there on the Internet and we had a good reaction to it and that encouraged us to move forward. We did it because we thought it’d be fun. The group idea was a natural progression of the relationships we all made from being on the road together. It’s not just about the music with us, we are pretty much like brothers.Wordsworth: We been touring with Ace since like 2001. We’d be doing shows and the fans loved it. They saw the natural chemistry we had. They kept saying it so we were like let’s do it. AllHipHop.com: Usually these “super-groups” fail due to creative differences, money disputes or egos. Was any of that taken into consideration when the group was formed?Punchline: There ain’t no egos. There’s none of that over here. We all have that mutual respect and anyway it’s more than just a group. With us it’s more than the rap thing. Like Ace mentioned, we’re like brothers so we don’t really have to worry about any problems like that.AllHipHop.com: Ace, MC Shan was trying something similar to this in recruiting underground and upcoming MC’s for what he called “The New Juice Crew.” What did you think about the idea and did it serve as any inspiration for this project?Masta Ace: There’s no new Juice Crew. There’s only one Juice Crew. If you want to do something with a group, do something new. I mean I understand the feelings of nostalgia that he might have. At one time Shan was the biggest thing out. But you have to learn to redefine yourself. If I would have kept on doing things related to the crew and refusing to let go I wouldn’t be here. This group project is the next step. And from here there’s more to come.AllHipHop.com: What does each member bring to the group creatively?Masta Ace: I bring with me the experience of five albums. I’ve seen so much and been a part of this so long that I can share what I’ve learned about performing on stage, being on the road, dealing with the label situation from the distribution to everything. I been there so I have a lot to give. Punchline: I bring the humor. I’m kind of humorous when I rhyme. Humor with a little bit of that edge.Wordsworth: I think I bring the energy of coming with different ideas and concepts when approaching the music. AllHipHop.com: What is the creative process like for you guys specifically when you were making the album?Wordsworth: The ability to email beats and stuff really helps a lot. We all have the ability to record from our homes as well. So I’ll get a beat, we get beat CD’s from producers like everywhere we go. So I get the beat and email it to Punch. Punch will do his verse or whatever and send it to me and Ace. Or Ace will have a concept and send it to me and Punch. So we work things out and it still all comes together naturally. Punchline: It usually goes down real easy. We all know each other and been around each other for a while so it kind of happens.AllHipHop.com: A lot of underground and old school artists are making a good living touring overseas. All of you have been on tour before so which do you prefer?Masta Ace: Home is always home but overseas is always a good experience. They have a real thirst for the music. And I think it’s because over here we get it too easy. We got too much Hip-Hop. They jam over there. They wild out. We perform over there and they sing the words. They stage dive, break dance, and have mosh pits and all that. Even on the business end. Promoters over there treat you good. The money is always right. You never have to worry about a cat trying to front you on some paper. Punchline: It’s always crazy to see the power of the music and how it affects people. That’s always been crazy to me when you’re on stage and a bunch of people that don’t even speak your language are that into what you’re saying.AllHipHop.com: With the industry being what it is today is there any nervousness about being a part of something like this?Punchline: Not […]

Whatever insecurities Dizzee Rascal is dealing with he has managed to discard them with a  f**k em’ banner. When speaking to Dizzee you get no sense of him having any diffident qualities. Perhaps it is the ghettos of Britain that preserved and groomed his confidence and morphed into his music. Whatever the case, Dizzee has characterized his style of music as being “Ravey Hip-Hop”. He goes on to say that “It’s very banging and can be hectic at times but I’m always saying something.” Always saying something indeed. Saying things like how he “is Hip-Hop at its fullest” and that award shows are no more than “glitz and glamour”.    Since the UK release of his most popular album to date Math + English, Dizzee has faced the usual woes of success; judgment from the closed minded individuals who want you to keep doing the things you were doing before you had a plan. There also are the opinions from the Hip-Hop snobs who aren’t ready to accept the mix of Hip-Hop with the animated hectic sound of new-age rap. Despite the typical blockades the haters have thrown at him, this underdog can fill up a concert. The criticism might lead one to ask: Is he Hip-Hop at it’s fullest? AllHipHop.com: There are not many young Black rappers from the UK that are crossing over into America’s mainstream. Do you feel any pressure to be a representative of the life you came from?Dizzee Rascal: No pressure. That’s what I got from American Hip-Hop. It was a sense of where they were coming from. It was almost like they were drawing a picture. That’s why I got involved as well.AllHipHop.com: You will be touring soon. Do you have a different game plan for the tour in America versus the UK who is already familiar with you?Dizzee Rascal: Yeah that’s starts in May and it is going to be with El- P. I’m going to work hard like I always do and make sure it’s hot like always.AllHipHop.com:  Your album Math and English has an April 29th release for the U.S. Are you nervous at all about the reaction of the U.S. audience?Dizzee Rascal: Not really nervous. America is another place for me. It just means so much because American Hip-Hop has had such an influence over me. I want the world.AllHipHop.com: You do not have the typical gangster rap sound.  Where do you think you fit in when it comes to American Hip-Hop?Dizzee Rascal: I got some street action. I’m Hip-Hop at its fullest. It is about surviving and pushing forward as always. AllHipHop.com: It seems as though the British Awards do not have much respect for Hip-Hop. Many of them do not even have a category for Hip-Hop.Dizzee Rascal: Some of them do. Say for instance the Brit Awards didn’t.  I don’t really think it matters man. If you take away all of the glitz and glamour it really just is a few people. F**k em’. AllHipHop.com: Do you think that it might hinder Hip-Hop as far as crossing over and having respect in Britain?Dizzee Rascal: When I was growing up there weren’t many categories on awards for Hip-Hop and people still went platinum. It plays a part. But in comparison, 50 Cent and Kanye West sold ridiculous amounts of albums last year in Britain. It’s not reflecting what’s really happening.AllHipHop.com: On the newest version of your album, you are supposed to have two new tracks. What can we expect from these two new tracks? Did you do something particularly different on them?Dizzee Rascal: They did not get finished in time for the first release. They are a reflection from when I was a kid just driving around being up to no good. AllHipHop.com: For those who have never heard your style of rap music, how would you describe it for them?Dizzee Rascal: Edgy, very energetic. I have the influences of Three 6 Mafia and Timbaland as far as their beats. I haven’t worked with them yet. I did work with Bun B from UGK. AllHipHop.com: What was the experience like working with Bun B?Dizzee Rascal: He is one the people who made an impact on Hip-Hop. For them to be embracing me like that it just means that I am taking that next step. Especially being from where I’m from. Its not like I paid them a lot of money to feature, it was genuine. [Dizzee Rascal f/ Bun B “Where Da G’s”]AllHipHop.com: Are there any other American rappers you would like to work with?Dizzee Rascal: Loads. Peedi Crack…AllHipHop.com: Peedi Crack, that’s interesting. Some would argue that he is not one of the most popular rappers here in the U.S. Why would you choose him? Dizzee Rascal: I heard him on the mixtapes a while ago and his flow is untouchable. His swagger and the track would be off the hinges.AllHipHop.com: You focus more so on the talent you think an individual has rather than his popularity.Dizzee Rascal: Definitely. I respect popularity. That is what it takes to maintain a mainstream audience. But I know that there are some ill rappers out here. Akon, GhostFace Killah, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, the list goes on.AllHipHop.com: Are you still part owner of the record label Dirty Stank? Dizzee Rascal: Exactly. I’m working with some new artists I’m going to put out. Newham Generals. They are getting radio play and will have an album out in April.AllHipHop.com: You receive a lot of acclaim as far as word of mouth about how dope you are but the album sales do not match the praise you receive. How do you deal with that?Dizzee Rascal: That’s just how it is today. I was in Australia doing a tour about three weeks ago. I only sold about 7500 records there. But the concert had about 25,000 people in a tent. That is like 16 times what I have sold. So you have to look at it like all these people did not buy the album but they like me […]

I got at Afrika Baby Bam of the Jungle Brothers to explain himself. I am a fan of the JB’s from way back and was startled at some of the rumors that had leaped from the online community. So, I reached out to the dapper dressing fellow to see what exactly was going down with those photos circulated on the Native Tongue founder and his new movement. In case you didn’t know (or care to know) Baby Afrika has a new clique called Pagan Society. Here is what the Hip-Hop legend had to say -word for word. There seems to be some subliminal verbal jabs on individuals and very blatant bolos thrown at Hip-Hop itself.If it helps, according to Merriam Webster, a “pagan” is “1: heathen; especially: a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome), 2: one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person.” “In the wake of the death of Hip-Hop as an authentic culture, from the ashes rise Pagan Society. Before Hip-Hop had a name it experimented and mixed together existing genres of music to evolve into itself. It was a rebellious movement that later conformed and allowed itself to be pimped by corporate interest who initially gave it the cold shoulder.  It had more juice when it was underground and only those in the know were up on it. Now it’s been reduced to one hit wonders and token puppets who are being used to sell everything but music. We the people of Pagan Society are not nostalgic underground backpacking culture vultures, Hip-Hop groupies trying to bust a rap star nut for our ego’s sake so we can say we f##### her too; correction some of us are culture vultures. Nor are we trying to create another sub-genre of the style to get you gassed up on the new cookie cuttin’ s### we baked to get your deflated dollar. We’re a movement with leaders that are opening the gates of hell and letting out a fury of creativity that has no boundaries. The way you thought the world would be before your brain got child molested by social norms. Like the internet we are not regulated by rules. We’re Pagan and everything we do is Pagan! We’re not studio gangsters and we’re not fake self-righteous conscious rappers. We’re demons on the loose taking all you fake, pretentious, industry-n****s to hell for your own good. We say whatever we want and do whatever the f**k we want because we’re Pagan. We Paganize every THING until your brain can’t remember what it was ‘told’ to call it. The leaders of our movement are B.A.M.(BadAssMuthfuka) (Baby Bam) and 2nen Bladez. Both made attempts to save the cash cows from going to the slaughter house. But the grass was too green on the other side of the fence for cash cows to resist. After the platinum plaques, the rented jewelry, the rented cars and MTV crib houses, the chicken commercials, the energy drinks, the clothing lines, the Grammy’s, the Oscars and the layaway b***hes, they watched the skeletons of these cash cows get dumped back on the streets where they came from like toothless crackhead ex-convicts released from puppet purgatory. Like Martin Luther King these cows under the control of crafty poverty-pimps fought to be integrated in the systems date-raping machine. To be prisoners in the Pretty Hate Machine’s asset column for a few grains of grass. Well now it’s time to mow the lawn and the PaganSociety is in charge of waste disposal. We have Bone Collectors, CultureVultures, ScavengerHunters, and GrimStoners. Like Haysuess(Jesus)- as if such a person really existed- you won’t find us in any Temples of hiphop because they’re all hollow vessels of corruption and bogusness. Any crusader purist of Hip-Hop’s past are just hollowgrams; ghosts in the machine screaming “yes yes yall” hoping to evoke the spirit of Kid Creole. And you won’t find us singing like Magilla Gorillas in the window telling the world we’re “Crazy” even though we know we are. And we do like corruption by the way but only when we’re doing it. You might call us demons not because you view us as something bad for you. The opposite is true- we’re demons because we’re something good for you that you don’t want to eat, but what could be worse than all the b####### you already ate. We know some of you’d rather have a K.West d**k burger in your mouth because you thought a gay-rapper could save Hip-Hop. But you found out that it was just neatly packaged dissolved-middle-class-low-testosterone-throwback-Black orphan-Emmanuel Lewis-Cosby-Kid-era-junk-food-rap-for-the-Soul? We predict certainly, because we know that after you get in bed with us, everything you experience through your six primitive senses will be sent back as a message to your brain that says, “Pagan.” Every bit of your essence including what little bit of collective soul society has left will tell that what your experiencing is Pagan, Pagan? PAGAN! We welcome all 65 billion sheep on the planet to your new world – PaganSociety! “Be Pagan and Proud!” We hate when you’re fake but we love when your PagaN.”P.S.101–Baby Bam aka B.A.M. aka BadAssMuthfuka THE JUNGLE BROTHERS[The Jungle Brothers “My Jimmy Weights a Ton” – Q-Tip on production][The Jungle Brothers “40 Below Trooper”] [The Jungle Brothers “Beyond This World” – yes, that is Chris Lighty]

In the heart of downtown St. Louis, just blocks from the famous Gateway Arch and directly across the street from the St. Louis Cardinals Ballpark [Busch Stadium], DJs from all over the country and a few from as far as Germany, South Africa and Japan converged upon the elegant downtown Hilton Hotel to participate in the 2008 DJ Technology Retreat and Convention. The event, hosted by Jus Bleezy Entertainment, included seminars displaying the most recent technology and software, an informative panel discussion, networking opportunities, parties, and exhibitions like the new Serato/Rane video system presented by DJ Commando and an intense DJ battle. DJ Kut of Power 105.1 in New York, DJ Kay Slay The Drama King of Hot 97 New York, DJ Scratch of EPMD and DJ Eddie F from Heavy D and The Boyz were a few of the legendary DJs in attendance. The mission of the conference, which was reminiscent to the Jack The Rapper conference that took place in the 80s and early 90s in Atlanta, was to inform DJs of the latest technology, but simultaneously, stress the significance of the DJ. In recent years, the club, street, and mixshow DJ have relinquished their power by allowing the powers that be, most of whom have corporate interests and no idea of what’s hot on the club/street level, to control the DJ’s music selections on the airwaves. Jus Bleezy, a rap artist from the tough Northside of St. Louis, wanted to not only show the DJs love by inviting them to the ‘Lou’, but emphasize the importance of the DJ regaining their power and “taking the game back.” Bleezy addressed the DJs in the Hilton’s ballroom with a heart-wrenching unscripted speech that displayed his passion for the music and his appreciation for the DJ. “I wanna thank everybody on a global level for coming out and being a part of the foundation of the groundbreaking DJ Technology Convention and Retreat.”  He went on to say, “Everyone that attended this first one is laying the foundation for this event in years to come!” AllHipHop.com caught up with a few of the DJs in attendance to discuss their take on the 2008 St. Louis DJ Technology Convention and Retreat… DJ Kut Power 105.1 New York City – St. Louis Native AllHipHop.com: The convention’s been a big success man! Give us your thoughts and opinions on how everything has been going thus far. DJ Kut: One of the first things that comes to mind about this convention is it’s one of the first that’s ever been done in St. Louis, usually people don’t do things like this here. But I have to say, and I would be a b***h a** n***a if I didn’t acknowledge Tony Neal for doing a conference here in 2005 and he gave me an award as being one of the St. Louis pioneers so I gotta acknowledge that. For St. Louis people to come back and do it the way we did it this year was much needed. People are here from all over the country as well as Germany, South Africa, and Japan and it’s all about growth.  A lot of valuable information was given at today’s panel discussion. A lot of people got a lot of knowledge from people like DJ Scratch, DJ Kay Slay, legendary DJ Eddie F turned producer, artist Murphy Lee, yourself DJ Ol’ Skool K, and my man John C from Superadio Networks. These are people who’ve been in the game and started at a low point and ended up in a high position and aren’t done yet. I hollered at my man Jus Bleezy from St. Louis, we go back like fourteen years, and we put this convention together and did something historic in St. Louis. The panelist didn’t sit there and be anti-social, they sat there and gave out the blueprint on how you can make money in this game. They dropped a lot of jewels man and that’s one of the biggest things.  I want people to leave here being able to apply what they learned in their own market, then they have to reach back and teach somebody else. You gotta reach back and help the person that’s coming after you. The whole thing is to help educate and help the next generation of DJs coming up and also bring back true turntablism. DJ Sir Thurl 100.3 The Beat, St. Louis, Mo. – Derrty DJs AllHipHop.com: Being from right here in St. Louis, the home of the 2008 DJ Technology Retreat and Convention, tell us a little about the deejaying scene and the whole Hip-Hop scene in the ‘Lou’. DJ Sir Thirl: It’s natural for them to bring this conference to St. Louis. This is like a breeding ground for DJs. DJs above me like DJ Kut breeded us and we had to get to a certain level to be respected. That’s why DJs and deejaying is big in this city. I’ve been deejaying for 15 years and I was deejaying for eight years before I even knew what a BPM was or anything like that. My man DJ Kut put me on and he taught me the game and I used to open up for him all of the time and start the party so I got the name “The Official Party Starter”, and after doing that for a while the radio came and got me! DJ Ken One Tokyo, Japan – DJ Battle Finalist AllHipHop.com: You were in the DJ battle here and out of 16 DJs, you came in 2nd place that’s really good. How did you like the whole experience of coming to America for the first time and competing in the DJ battle? DJ Ken One: The DJ battle was very fun. I love to scratch, I think scratching is a language, a universal language. When I scratch people get excited and cheer for me so I like that a lot. Deejaying is very big in my country. DJ 5 Starr – Baltimore, Maryland “The […]

With the release of the hardcore classic Once Upon a Time in America, Smoothe Da Hustler took hardcore Hip-Hop repped with Brooklyn sensibility to another level. With the success of “Broken Language,” Smoothe, and his brother Trigga the Gambler, seemed poised to become the superstars they wanted to be. But sometimes what we want is not what fate has planned. After label troubles and family issues, Smoothe found himself at a crossroads that would put his chase for mainstream success on hold. After taking a few years to get his house in order Smoothe Da Hustler has a few things to get off his chest as he continues on his path to greatness. With the release his new independent album, Violenttimes Day, fans are sure to get an earful of that hardcore they’ve been waiting for. AllHipHop.com: What was it that made you want to be a part of Hip-Hop?Smoothe: I started listening to s**t my father was bringing in into the crib. Soul Sonic Force, Melle Me and all them cats. There was this Allstar networking s**t going on. Like they was going into the neighborhoods getting n****s for these shows. I had a few n****s I was f***ing with back in the day called I.B.M. These n****s was dancing, doing all kinds of flips and s**t. Then we did a group called Guess Riders. We entered into the Allstar talent thing and kept winning first place. First place all the way up to the nationals. When we were at the nationals doing our routine I jumped out of a flip and grabbed the mic and did a freestyle about Guess. We were the Guess Riders so we wore a bunch of Guess s**t all the time. So I grabbed the mic and start busting and we ended up winning first place in the dance competition and in the rap competition. I was always rapping on some hallway, hangout s**t but that was my first real crowd performance. They were loving the s**t so from that point on it was like I’d found a new love. It wasn’t serious though because at the time I had so much other s**t going on. But that was my intro to the game as far as me finding something I could do that I liked. Plus hearing the response to certain s**t I was saying, the reaction from the crowd was crazy. That was my momentum.AllHipHop.com: So you quit dancing and started recording?Smoothe: This cat you might know of, DR Period had a studio in our area. I used to stop by his crib every once in a while just to see the n****a. I’d come through and spit about just s**t I’d be seeing or going through on the street. He was always like, “Yo, you dope. You need to put that real life s**t on a beat or something.” So every once in a while I would stop through but son was always doing something. Then I got into a little trouble and he said, “Before you go in come through and lay a few joints and I’ll jazz the s**t up.” When I came back home I had a little buzz already. [Smoothe the Hustler “Bklyn, I’m From NY”]AllHipHop.com: One of the songs you’re best known for is “Broken Language”. How did that record come about?Smoothe: We would freestyle like that around our way. Well, I can’t say we but me and Trig used to freestyle like that in the hallways. DV Alias Khryst is our right hand man. He was like our MPC. This n***a would bang out a beat on the walls and we’d just go at it for hours in the hallway. We did it on some more “I can out do you” type s**t. When we got the track it wasn’t even thought of at the time. We were trying to figure out what to do with it. So I took it back to the lab and me and Trig started freestyling to each other. After we sat down and we heard it then we were like, “Okay, this is where it’s at.” It wasn’t how dudes do today with the, “Oh, I’m going to plan to do it this way.” It was on some let’s try this new style and see how it feels. And the s**t worked! “By the time I got back to New York I had the buzz. I mean we were drug dealers at the time so we already had the rapper look.” AllHipHop.com: That song was different from everything out at the time. Was it hard trying to get people to stand behind it?Smoothe: We pressed up a single called “Hustlin’”. We been talking about hustling for years. Early in the game like ’92 or ’93. At that time the labels were like, “Nah, I don’t really know where this can go. Oh, and change your name. Smoothe Da Hustler isn’t going to work.” I was like, I’m not changing my name. I already had an album done. But all the labels at the time were basically on the same s**t. And, matter of fact, “Broken Language”, was the B-side. All the labels was sh**ting on “Hustlin’” and “Broken Language” like, “I don’t know what we’ll be able to do with that. There’s no hook, you guys are talking about some of the worst things in the world. Where are you getting signed with this?” But we was like the streets is going to love this s**t. But they were still like no. So we pressed up a bunch of [records]. We went down south and ran through the college network. We were like if you like it, bump it. By the time I got back to New York I had the buzz. I mean we were drug dealers at the time so we already had the rapper look. By the time we got back up n****s was calling like, “How much these n****s charging for a homecoming?” I […]

Here we go again. First off, last week was another classic melee. Both producers brought their “A” game, but Chuck LaWayne ran off with the victory in the end. His sampling techniques put it over the edge.This week was crazy and we acknowledge in advance that somebody will be upset in the end. It’s a tough decision because with all the submissions and different flavors, it’s difficult to just narrow it down to only five. They all came in so dope, we extended the playlist, however we’re not able to put all the usual information up due to space constraints. B.I.G. is a legend and he’d be proud of what was done with this acapella. MaestroKid KonnectTwenty20Ent.TheConnectFraternaltwinzBIG O BEATSLongevityThedisillusionistLEEN_1212SixteenbarsJ-GanfeelitallVote and Critque away, this one is difficult.

Call them the Fantastic Four. Except, their superpowers were not the result of cosmic radiation but a byproduct of an appreciation for the fundamentals of Hip-Hop lyricism; wordplay and delivery. Composed of VA’s Malice and Pusha T of the Clipse and Philly brethren Ab-Liva (formerly of Major Figgas) and Sandman, this fearsome foursome call themselves the Re-Up Gang. Riding a Pyrex and powder laced pair of critically acclaimed albums (Lord Willin’ (2002), Hell Hath No Fury (2006)) and a rep bolstered by staggeringly potent volumes of their We Got It for Cheap mixtaptes—the latest being Vol 3: The Spirit of Competition—the Re-Up Gang is motivated by a love of creating dope rap music. No pun intended. Now rolling with Columbia Records in 50/50 joint venture for their Re-Up Gang Records, Pusha, Malice, Ab-Liva and Sandman spoke in depth about everything from the beef with that guy from New Orleans, to being independently major, to their exasperation with former home Jive, down to how they are their own greatest inspiration.AllHipHop.com: Alright, so Volume 3’s been out. How’s the feedback been?Malice: It’s real good, it’s been a long time coming. A lot of people have been waitin’ for Volume 3. A lot of success on Volume 2, Volume 1 also was hot and the feedback we get is everyone saying Volume 3 definitely lived up to, if not exceeded Volume 2, so we’re happy with that.AllHipHop.com: Obviously you were aware of the success of Volume 2, is that part of the reason why it took a little longer to drop Volume 3?Pusha-T: Yeah, we had all intentions, with all the albums that were dropping, to come out a little earlier because the whole theme and the whole premise behind Volume 3 was “the spirit of competition.” So we was goin’ to take all the albums that dropped — Jay, Kanye — everybody who was supposed to drop but didn’t drop – take all their beats and black out on them. That was what it was supposed to be, but a lot of albums came out and the beats weren’t there. So we were like, “Damn, what are we goin’ do?” So then we had to go back to diggin’ in the crates and finding the “Scenario 2000” record and going back to “Rainy Dayz.” We were doing this s**t off of inspiration; like the records that inspired us and so on and so forth. Hopefully hoping we were going to get inspiration from the joints that did drop, but didn’t.AllHipHop.com: So did y’all sit around  and think like, “I like this beat” or… “Scenario 2000″…Sandman: Everybody in the studio, you know what I mean? Somebody Gmail open and somebody done sent us a bunch of beats, Liva on that datpiff.com, rappin’ that kind of stuff up. What was heat we used, you know what I’m saying? Sometimes when a CD’s done we remember beats like, Damn we should have used that! But for the most part we took what we had and the nostalgia, like T said, that was just about how we felt.AllHipHop.com: On this current “album” it seemed like y’all focused on the entire line up being represent, except for the solo tracks of course.Sandman: The difference is on Volume 1 Malice had laid back a little bit. Me, Pusha and Liva was always on everything though, like we’ve never not been on the same song. And all the CDs are that way too — outside, our solo songs — so Mal came on Volume 2 crazy, we got classics and we did the same thing.Malice: Let me explain that though. I can explain why I wasn’t on Volume 1. Because I wasn’t trying to hear mixtape nothing. I had just come off a high horse, album out ,you know what I’m sayin’? I didn’t even understand, “What you talkin’ about a mixtape?!” Get that album out and let’s rock like we been doing. So it took me a minute to digest the fact that we were pigeonheld [sic] for a minute and just to keep the buzz and keep everything rolling and to stay relevant I had to get on a mixtape. AllHipHop.com: So now y’all got the Re-Up Gang album coming next spring, how’s that looking?Pusha-T:  Yeah, umm. Re-Up Gang album is great. I think we got a good deal of the body of the album done. You know it’s just us blacking out over records. We sit as a collective, pick beats and this is sort of new for us [at least for] the Clipse because we never went through the process of: throw a beat over there and then we go pick it up. You know, really having to pick from anywhere, out of any batch. Sitting at home with like 20 CDs, CD got 30 tracks on it and there’s one hot one and that’s number 19.Ab-Liva: Gmail got a hundred beats in it. [laughing]Pusha-T: Yeah, that s**t gets tedious to me. I can say for us…Malice: Yeah, we’ve been spoiled.Pusha-T: We’ve never seen nothing like that.Sandman: On the flipside we never had, I never had the luxury…Ab-Liva: Just having beats brought to you it’s crazy, with hooks and all that. We come from the era…me and Sand, we come from the era of just getting with a bunch of producers and trying to see who had what and where and turning it into something. So when we started this album we had that mind state to get with all these producers and hear what they got. They might only got one joint, but if it’s that one joint that we’re going to turn into something so we brought all our beats, sat down, went through ’em, picked the joints that we liked and started building  from there. It definitely started coming together crazy so we just kept that formula and just rolled with it.AllHipHop.com: Who are some of the producers that made the cut?Sandman: We got this guy named THX. He do his thang.Ab-Liva: […]

DJ Toomp has quickly become a fan favorite, even though the veteran producer has been a staple in Hip-Hop since the late 80’s with MC Shy D. N Zone Entertainment caught up with DJ Toomp as he produced the beat that Jay-Z would eventually use for “Say Hello” from the Brooklyn rapper’s American Gangster album. The video offers clues into the method to the Grammy Award winner’s madness. Now, Johnny-come-lately-types understand why Toomp has been tapped by Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Glasses Malone, T.I. and others. The making of “Say Hello”: To craft his hit, Toomp used “The Love We Share Is the Greatest of Them All” to act as the skeleton to ‘”Say Hello.” Ironically, Jay-Z’s former mentor/rap partner Jaz-O used the same sample in a joint called “Friends Betrayed,” which appears to be a commentary about his former friend (Click here to listen to “Friends Betrayed”). About 2:30 minutes into the song, you will hear the original sample of Tom Brock’s original Toomp used to craft “Say Hello”: Read AHH’s previous interview with DJ Toomp.

Name: Massah David Job Title: Vice President of Events & Marketing Company Name: MVD Inc. Industry: Entertainment Location: New York City Job Description: My job consists of creating concepts and handling production for all of our signature events; which varies from the smallest detail such as the color schemes and wording for our invitations to the location selection, décor, and overall flow for our events. We produce gatherings ranging from spotlight intimate dinners to large award after parties. It is my responsibility to ensure that each affair is unique and personalized for our clients, which include: The G.O.O.D Music Family, Def Jam Records, Entertainment Weekly, GQ Magazine, AllHipHop.com, etc. In addition to event planning, I also come up with ideas to assist with the branding and marketing of MVD. Length of time at job: 1 year and 7 months How did you get into this position? I became interested in my current position while I was working as the Urban Marketing Manager for TVT Records. I would always assist MVD with concepts for each event, but after working on the 2006 G.O.O.D Music GRAMMY party it became evident that event planning would be my dream job. After the GRAMMY event my sister and owner of MVD, Miatta David mentioned my coming on board; within a few months I was sent an official offer to head the events division.   Explain the hardest aspect of your job: The most difficult aspect of my job is dealing with a client that will not allow me to produce an event to the best of my ability. It is typically a middle man that does not necessarily know nor understand the vision of their superior and is afraid to present new options or ideas to him/her. It becomes extremely frustrating because you end up with a mediocre event that had amazing potential, but did not turn out the way it should have because of a client that refused to listen. What do you love the most? The creative process is what I love most about my job. Coming up with new and fresh concepts for each event, and watching my vision come to life. I love creating a rare experience for our clients and their guests, from the time they receive their invitations to the models greeting them as they walk through the doors of the event; I always want to leave people with something to talk about. What is your greatest accomplishment? So far my greatest accomplishment is receiving a BizBash Event Style Award nomination for Best Invitation Design. Even though we didn’t win, it was a great honor to be recognized by such a powerful staple in the event industry; it is like a new artist being nominated for a GRAMMY. Where do you plan to go in your career from here? From here I plan to expand our events division, and broaden focus to entertainment as a whole i.e. film, fashion, etc. Offer a special quote or jewel to somebody that wants to be in your position. The best advice I can give to anyone wanting to be in this position would be to intern. Hands on experience is the best way to learn and excel in any industry, there are certain things you just can’t learn in a textbook or classroom. Education/Experience Level: I attended Howard University majoring in fine arts, wanting to gain hands on experience in the music industry I decided to leave Howard and move to New York. I entered the entertainment industry in 2001 as an assistant for artist management company Family Tree/Miss Boss Lady Ent. In 2003, I embarked on the next phase in my career by accepting the position as A&R liaison for Bryan Leach, Vice President of Urban A&R at TVT records. Within a year, I transitioned from A&R to marketing, where I found my true passion assisting with campaigns for TVT multi platinum artists Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz, Ying Yang Twins, and Pitbull. And I was quickly promoted to Urban Marketing Manager after only two years. Your Years Of Experience: 1 year and 6 months as an event planner, 7 years total in the entertainment industry   Professional Affiliations: N/A Any professional groups you are a member of: BizBash, International Special Events Society Final or additional statements: Nope!  

Posted up in Seattle on a breezy Saturday afternoon, One Be Lo awaits an evening performance as he discusses his formula for a humble rap career. The Pontiac, Michigan wordsmith’s life thus far has been a whirlwind of worldwide touring and networking, having no real promotional vehicle to drive concertgoers other than himself. Lo possesses an unshakeable swag – a man of substance with a good heart. “You could be this amazing artist or this amazing producer, but if you’re an a######, people don’t care about your beats and your rhymes,” he explains. “A lot of people are so caught up in their own ambitions, the only thing they think about is the opportunity. [Fans] are people, and when you talk to people and treat ‘em like people, they’ll support you forever.””When you talk to people and treat ‘em like people, they’ll support you forever.”[One Be Lo “War”]One BeLo’s story could be perceived as a series of calculated steps. Any emcee who is “unsigned” by textbook definition might have given up long ago, had their successes not been marked by songs about dance moves or Billboard chart-toppers. However, Lo has spent the greater portion of his successful rap career on the “no plan” plan. In other words, go with the flow and let the music speak for itself. So far so good. A decade ago, following a stint in prison, Lo (then OneManArmy) and former fellow inmate Senim Silla formed the critically acclaimed rap outfit Binary Star. Despite their short-lived success, Binary Star left an imprint on Hip-Hop through their heavy doses of SAT words glazed by simplistic underground beats of late ‘90s production. As creative differences led to the disbanding of Binary Star, their story remains open ended. One Be Lo shook the industry by his third solo LP, 2005’s S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. (Sounds Of Nashid Originate Good Rhymes And Music), a work that declared it’s “step your game up” time for the run of the mill rapper. Lo’s cunning wordplay showed an emcee on the rise looking to merge Hip-Hop lessons with a good time. His most recent release R.E.B.I.R.T.H. (Real Emcees Bring Intelligent Rhymes To Hip-Hop) introduced a sharpened storyteller, always super-lyrical, but backed by intense beats that effortlessly carried from the car to the club. His next step, L.I.F.E. (Lo Is For Everybody), has no definitive clock to punch until the quality is there. “I’m just working on music right now,” explains Lo. “When I feel [L.I.F.E.] should come out a certain time, it will.””I literally live it and breathe it and sleep it and drive it and eat it, so my job is Hip-Hop.”[One Be Lo “Born & Raised”]As One Be Lo continues to make his mark as a citizen of the world, his unstoppable performances and personable demeanor solidify his notoriety. While his next moves are far from scripted and rely more on the mantra of where the day takes him, Lo is still shocked that he even made it this far. “Sometimes when I’m on stage, I’m thinkin’ about where I came from…and it’s overwhelming,” he admits. “Hip-Hop is my life. I literally live it and breathe it and sleep it and drive it and eat it, so my job is Hip-Hop.”

The battle rages on. Last week we had a head to head match up with Assassin the Chief and Furious Styles. Most of the comments gave props to Furious’ originality but the vote tally went to Assassin the Chief for being what people would want to hear. Both producers deserve props for those banging tracks.  For the next submission date ( Saturday March, 15th) we decided to switch it up a little so pay attention.  Instead of just beats, we are tapping you track masters for remixes. This will really separate the true producers from those beatmakers sending us their top three Mp3s.  So in tribute to the Notorious B.I..G. download this Biggie acpapella ( Kick in the Door) from this link below and create a masterpiece from it. The top 5 remixes will posted next Wednesday and the battle will commence.http://www.divshare.com/download/4010291-94dNow for this week, the rules for selection are as follows.  * You must be a AllHipHop.com community member ( sign up is easy)*You must not be a professional producer with industry placements*Submit your remix to BeatDynasty@gmail.com from Saturday until 12am Tuesday.* Complete the following form and include it in the emailName:  ( The producer name you go by) Community Name: ( The username you login with) Hometown:  ( Where you are reppin’) Main weapon of choice: ( What is your main tool or equipment) Length in the game: ( How long you’ve been doing beats) Brief Description of yourself: ( No more than 4 sentences. You may include your myspace address, but no other promotional text) Beats will be Judged on: Creativity: The drum patterns, the instrument flow, the vibe. Originality: Is this different or just the Timberland, Kanye, Neptunes, rip-off!!? Marketability: Can we imagine someone rhyming or singing on this beat? Structure: Changes, bridges, hooks etc.. The winner each Wednesday is determined by the community votes in the comment section. Members may also comment on the beats and provide creative,constructive, positive feedback.  Members may comment as many times as they like, but their vote will only be counted once.  Official winners will be announced in the following battle. Voting for the battle stops at 12am est Saturday, however you may continue to comment.Contestant #1Name:  Real Rellz Community Name: real_rellz Hometown:  Goldsboro, NC Main weapon of choice: Reason 3.0 , Roland Fantom X6 Length in the game: since 99′ Brief Description of yourself: I’m Just a cat from NC makin his way thru the ranks of this music thing. I finally decided to take it serious in 2005 and from now on..”here come dat raw”   www.myspace.com/realrellzJack MoveUnorthodox What a NightContestant #2Name: CHuck LaWayne   Community name: Chuck LaWayne   Hometown: Chicago   Main Weapon of choice: Fruity 5, M-audio keyboard controller, and tons of records   Length in The Game: I’ve been doin this for 4 years now.   Brief Discription of yourself: The next to take the Chi by storm since that guy called West! Mark my words. (www.myspace.com/chucklawayne)Dead PresidentFriday NightReflections

Before Del the Funky Homosapien debuted as a solo artist he ghostwrote for N.W.A.’s ace writer, his cousin Ice Cube, who put him to work on AmeriKKK’s Most Wanted. Surrounding himself with brilliance even as a teenager, Del’s debut album, I Wish My Brother George Was Here, was well received. But it was his second album, No Need for Alarm, which established him as the spearhead of a modern Hip-Hop movement located in Oakland with his Hieroglyphics crew; cultivating an original sound while experimenting with various distribution structures.Firmly independent, Del has succeeded in many incarnations, whether he is in the mainstream as a cartoon character in Gorillaz, or underground with musings of a futurist pugilist on Deltron 3030. On March 11th Del will release his latest self-produced solo album, 11th Hour, on Definitive Jux, courtesy of El Producto. Del has left crazy broads and heavy drugs behind him while building a homespun digital arsenal similar to other fellow Handsome Boy Modeling School alumni. Currently out supporting his album, the rapper who will never turn actor says his Hiero crew will be dropping a surprise new album with Prince Paul next. Shhh.AllHipHop.com:  What are you working on, man? Del the Funky Homosapien:  I’m doing a little bit of promotion right now. We are working on a new Hieroglyphics album right now. It’s pretty much done.  Also, me and El-P is trying to do an EP called Del-P. The song “Offspring” was the first time we worked together and I’ve been knowing him for years since then. That was a big reason why I [wanted] to go to Def Jux. If it was another company I might not wanted to do it. But since its Def Jux, I respect his hustle. AllHipHop.com:  What does Def Jux have to offer you, Del? You are already a star. Del:  This fool said I’m a star. When the last time you checked? I am not no star, dude. What they are offering me is that I can even talk to you right now. This would not be popping off if it wasn’t for Def Jux. AllHipHop.com:  I have to ask, did you really date Jerry Garcia’s daughter? Del:  Yup, Trixie Garcia, she was cool. In the late 90s, we kicked if for a while. I still consider her one of my good friends. AllHipHop.com:  There was a story that you saved some girl’s life? Del:  (Laughs) Sort of. This ho that I was f***ing with, b***h tried to hang herself in my garage. Twice. I had to cut her down. She had deep disturbing mental problems. Like she be wiling out, blacking out, doing all kind of crazy ho s**t. So I guess she got to the point that she couldn’t stand herself no more and decided to just kill herself. In my house. AllHiHop.com:  So do you attract crazy women? Del:  Man, s**t I don’t know. I guess I kind of like them kind of crazy but now that was kind of too crazy. AllHipHop.com: Did you approach 11th Hour differently from Both Sides of the Brain? Del:  My main theme was to keep it funky. Keep the attitude funky, keep the music funky. I wanted to have some Hip-Hop feel to it too. Lyrically, I wanted to make some s**t that the average person could feel like they could love Hip-Hop again. I feel like fools just started getting hella complex and technical and people couldn’t feel us. The way I tried to do it, I didn’t try to make it to where you know “I got a club song”, “I got this song” like that. I tried to make everything overall like if you wanted to get into it you could. And if you want to get deeper into it you can get deeper into it. AllHipHop.com:  What is it about your new flow that you are trying to get across? Del:  I am a lot more direct with what I got to say. At a certain point it just occurred to me that if you’re so smart how come you can’t say something in a way that I can understand it? Once I thought about that I started spitting in a way that there wasn’t no extravagant effort to get into the s**t. I felt like I was doing too much. I took heed and was like, “Let me pump my brakes a little bit and let you know what’s really on my mind. That wordplay s**t is played out, everybody can do that. That’s the whole underground s**t.” I was like, “What’s going to separate you?” I tend to look at things different than the average person. I think that’s my gift and I try to put that in my raps. [Del the Funky Homosapien “Workin’ It” Video]AllHipHop.com:  Before you recorded your first album with Ice Cube what did you do? Del:  He had me writing before I started recording. I did “Gangsta’s Fairy Tale,” “Who’s the Mack,” I wrote a lot of Yo-Yo’s s**t on her first album [Make Way for the Motherlode]. Just to kind of get my feet wet and get a taste of what it takes to get into the business. I appreciated that chance to just soak my toes real quick. AllHipHop.com:  Was “At the Helm” about Ice Cube? Del:  Nah, who told you that?     AllHipHop.com:  The internets. Del:  Oh hell nah, that was just a typical situation, if you grow up in an urban community you come across these situations. That’s the type of s**t I usually rap about. I don’t rap about it from a glorifying point of view. Some of these rappers try to make it seem like if you pushing keys of coke or whatever you just the man and you never get caught, never get popped. I’m not like that, I try to show the consequences of what happens when you want to be a fool out here. A lot of my songs is like that. AllHipHop.com:  How did […]

Rick Ross: The AllHipHop Interview, Pt. 1AllHipHop.com: Once you have a certain amount of success, your lifestyle changes. With that being said, can fans expect your lyrical content to change on this album?Rick Ross: When it comes to making concepts and records there’s different places you want to take people. Me, naturally, I talk about what I know, what I was good at before the music. There was three things I was always good at: football, hustling, and writing raps. So it was either or. I quit football, never really quit on the streets because I had to stay alive. That’s what it was. The reason I was able to chase my dream, was able to finance it, and put as much into it as I did and do whatever it was I needed to do. I’m one of those dudes that, once I make my mind up, it’s not going to be that hard for me. On this go round I still kept it street but I took it to another level. I showed a lot of different aspects of it. It all boils down to winning. Starting over here without s**t and then grabbing everything off the table. [Rick Ross on What Motivates him to Make Music]AllHipHop.com: When chasing a dream, everyone has their moments when they’re ready to give up. But you were already out there getting money. Did you ever have a point when you said forget music; I’m going to continue doing what I do?Rick Ross: I’ll be honest, I never said f**k the music. That’s what made me embrace the music. I bought my first crib when I was 22 years-old. I was swerving Beemers and Benzs. I was doing my thing. That was my white Beemer that I shot “Hustlin’” in. So I never said f**k the music because I had my homies doing three life sentences Kenneth “Boobie” Williams, Blackboy, the Boobie Boys. He made America’s Most Wanted. That’s my partner who personally inspired me. That’s who told me to leave the streets alone. One of the last things he told me before he went to federal prison was, “Ross, keep doing what you’re doing to emulate the greats.” So all I absorbed, that B.I.G. that Tupac, was on. We were really living that music. It wasn’t a game. So I told you what it was. If you doubt it, you’re crazy. If you think n****s ain’t rich already…like when Jay came out saying ROC that was already our slogan because we were rich off cocaine. When you broke down the abbreviation that’s what it was for us. That’s who taught me to stay focused. When I talk to this man with three life sentences those words he told me encouraged me more than anything. He talk to me and those words had so much meaning and passion that I can’t even repeat it. This is a dude with three life sentences who only get to come out his cell once a week. But when he calls he sounds like he’s around the corner. He never on the phone begging. I was around real G’s. So when I say Trilla, that’s what I’m talking about. He faced serving three life sentences and didn’t testify. Never cooperated and you can’t point the finger at many people and say that. S**t, Google it. When I tell you I seen n****s with a mil in cash on the floor, I seen it. It wasn’t nothing I wanted to brag about but, I seen it. I knew seeing that I would either grow up to not be s**t or I would have s**t. It was my decision to make. So me getting money ain’t nothing new. That’s why I’m always going to be separate from other artists that only had one album. MTV was at my crib for MTV Cribs they were filming like, “Damn. You got all this with just one album?” I’m like don’t ask no questions just film. I hustle different. A lot of muthaf***as be on internet sites and blogs. I don’t know n****s who log on. When I made my music I never thought about Myspace. I never thought about AllHipHop.com. When I walk outside, there’s the n****s I was making the music for. See this s**t. All my cousins used to come from out of town in the summer and I’d ride through the doe poes and let them see the ‘64’s sitting out there like it’s Cali. N****s never been past Ft. Lauderdale but got everything they got and that’s from the work. I showed them where the police knocked down all the telephone lines to keep people from riding down the streets because two officers got shot in the head on New Year’s Eve. I took them there, I showed them. On the back of my album I took them to the graveyards where the caskets sit off the ground. Look on the back of my album. You can’t see it good but it’s an overflow. They can’t bury n****s quick enough where I’m from and that’s what I showed them. I started my album like I do my day. I started with a hustle. I start with a hustle and I end with a prayer. So that’s what it was for me. That’s real Miami s**t right there.  AllHipHop.com: You mentioned caskets resting above ground because people were dying to quick to be buried. After seeing something as powerful as that, don’t you feel like it’s time for a change in the way we think and the messages we put out?Rick Ross: I think when it’s time for that, all of that’s going to come. I ain’t the one to be preaching to nobody yet. What I can do is give young kids in the ghetto inspiration. That if they commit their life to anything they want for ten years you can take my word you’ll be successful at it. I’m a firm believer in that. If […]

After coming into the game on the strength of a heavy street buzz and a presidential cosign from Jay-Z, Rick Ross beat the odds with the runaway success of his hit single “Hustlin.” His debut, Port of Miami, went on to near platinum status and his ringtone sales were beyond a million. Not bad for a rookie season. The self-proclaimed Boss is back with a new album, Trilla, a documentary about snow in his native city called M.I.Yayo and is still delivering more features and side hustles than you can think of. Some might say Ross trying to do too much. But when you’re coming from the bottom, with hustle in your blood, too much is never enough.AllHipHop.com:  With your first album you had a widely popular single, “Hustlin’”. Was there any pressure to come with a single just as big when making this second album?Rick Ross: “Hustlin’” was a big record but a lot of the songs on Port of Miami and after were big records so there wasn’t really any pressure. This album I really focused. We were blessed to get close to a million sold with only two videos and was still beating up the streets with it. Now it’s time to re-up. That’s what we’re going to do March 11th, change the game baby. AllHipHop.com:  The album is entitled Trilla. What does that mean? Rick Ross: Trill is a term we been using down south. I’m sure you heard Bun B use it. Pimp C been saying that since forever. You know in the Texas/Florida panhandle, that’s what we say. And I just put my twist and my spin on it. I kind of took a little from Michael Jackson’s Thriller album and put that on mines and that’s how we came up with Trilla. Shout out to Bun B. That’s my uncle in the game.AllHipHop.com:  Most people are familiar with the image of Miami being girls, cars, sun and all sorts of pretty things. But do you feel that artists don’t do enough for the other side of Miami where people are struggling?Rick Ross: Nah, I ain’t going to say that. I just felt like that was my position to fill. To represent the other side of the bridge, that 305, M.I.Yayo. And actually, on March 25th we’re releasing M.I.Yayo the documentary. I got over 7 million hits on the site. People been waiting for this for like two years. March is going to be a big month. Believe that. [Rick Ross On His Movie, M.I.Yayo]AllHipHop.com: What was the motivation for the movie and what can fans expect? Rick Ross: It’s just my way of paying homage to the n****s that set the trends. The G’s that showed our generation how to do it, showed us what making real paper was. They showed us that you can make an excuse about it being where you’re from or what your momma ain’t got or your daddy ain’t got. There ain’t no excuse for you letting that determine what you’re future is. So I was thinking about Kenneth “Boobie” Williams, Convertible Bert, dudes I mentioned in my rhymes and whose lives I talked about. When I say they names so many of their family members came up to me like “Ross, yo Bert love that. I was thinking the streets forgot about him.” Me just traveling outside the country and going all over the U.S. people always asking what’s up with the other side of the bridge. I mean in Dublin, Ireland and Germany. So I was like, Wow, I see what I’ve got to do. So we put the team together and started filming the documentary. We started talking to dudes and it got to a point where dudes was like, “Show me love! Put me in there!” that boosts your moral when you’re on the yard. So I said I’d go a little further putting this documentary together where I’d show a little love but also educate the people to the streets where I’m from. So when they hear me mention certain things in my records they think ,“Wow, Ross loose.” Nah, I ain’t talking imaginary s**t. When I say 100 ki’s that’s what I seen. That’s what was there, thousands. N****s was getting money.  That’s what Miami was built off of. It was nothing seeing a Porsche in the hood. You already know what time it is. We grew up with that same appetite. That was going to be my final destination. In my yearbook all my teachers signed it death, ajil, or prison and all kinds of little notes like that. I went back and read my s**t and was just like wow, that’s what they thought of me. AllHipHop.com: You played sports, rapped, and were really heavy in the street life so what made you want to get into music?Rick Ross: It started with me being a fan of Ice Cube listening to AmeriKKKas Most Wanted. Buying Luke Skywalker vinyl. I was in the 3rd or 4th grade when I bought my first vinyl of his. But I not only played it I actually read the directions, read the addresses and all that. I started saying to myself, “Wow, this n***a got all these b***hes and money and it’s coming from wherever this is, from this s**t he’s doing. I was interested as a kid. I was infatuated with music from the west coast all the way to what Big Daddy Kane and them was doing in the east coast and I just absorbed it. I used to save my lunch money and that’s what I bought with it. So the older I got the more I began to realize these n****s is talking about the same s**t I see. That s**t is going on right here, n****s was shooting last night. So listening to the music I just made a connection with it. It came to a point when I was like, “I can do this.” I can tell them I seen that. […]

Russell Simmons has some questions to answer regarding his recent ringing endorsement of presidential aspirant Senator Barack Obama. In a previous feature, Simmons told AllHipHop.com a plethora of rock-solid reasons for his support for New York Senator Hillary Clinton. He did not endorse the former First Lady, but it certainly sounded like a co-sign when he said, “My brain has been with Hillary Clinton a long time.” Now, Simmons explains why he changed his mind, why he’s not flip-flopping on his friends and why Barack Obama is the best man to lead America. AllHipHop.com: First of all I sat with you in Detroit and we talked your views and opinions on the election at that time in January. And we talked about politicians on the scene, like how you went to yoga with John Edwards, how you had Hillary Clinton’s personal number and Bill Clinton’s for the last 10 years. And you mentioned all the things you have done [with Clinton] in the past and it came very shy…just shy of an endorsement for Hillary. Russell Simmons: If I remember correctly, Kimora endorsed Hillary at that time. AllHipHop.com: That’s correct. Russell Simmons: For very good reasons. At the time I still hadn’t spent any time with Obama and it’s not a personal choice. The fact that I had a kind of a faith in Hillary Clinton’s work has not gone away, that’s still a fact. I still believe she’s a great candidate and she would make a great president. But I’ve come to believe there’s something spiritual about Barack’s campaign. Also, it gets people not involved in the process to become involved. At that time I also thought that navigating yourself through Washington would be very helpful with the legislature for legislative change and I thought that was something politically Hillary Clinton was very strong at. But I’ve come to feel that when a lot of people are involved in an issue, and I have a lot of examples of this, that the people come out and make something important; the general population follows too. And when you’re just silent and it’s just the politicians and lobbyists coming out it’s difficult for them to do things on behalf of the people. So the fact that so many people are engaged by Obama’s campaign when their viewpoints at least today are very similar to the spiritual components of Obama’s campaign, it’s inspiring to a lot of people. And hopefully it means something to the rest of the world as an image of American not only tolerance but diversity and inspiration to a lot of the world to see a person of color cross foreign policy. I think either of these candidates would be very different, especially Barack Obama. I think his ideas about conflict resolution are very good, his idea to have open dialogue [are] very good. AllHipHop.com: Right, I agree with that. I heard him speak — I heard an excerpt from his speech, which one of the most important things he talked about was the prison reform issue and he talked about retroactive reform and that’s something no one has talked about. He’s talking about in the case of the Rockerfeller Drug Law allowing people, their sentences, to be reduced retroactively, so that’s a step forward from the other candidates, McCain and Hillary Clinton. A number [of] issues like that politically but the greatest inspiration is the fact that so many young people and so many people from the aisle, independents and Republicans are coming together almost like a private endorsement, a private serious endorsement. You know I worked for the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding because I believe more than any revolution is the evolution of consciousness of the human mind. The most important thing and the only thing that will have human beings survive on this earth is the evolution of consciousness. Greater than any revolution. So the change politically is beckoned in the mindset. “I believe more than any revolution is the evolution of consciousness of the human mind. The most important thing and the only thing that will have human beings survive on this earth is the evolution of consciousness.” AllHipHop.com: Are you suggesting this is more of a public endorsement on behalf of the people where maybe privately you still endorse Hillary Clinton? Russell Simmons: No, no, no, no, no. I went to the poll and voted for Obama. I had to have a compelling reason to come out and it was my conscious that said I have to come out to support Obama because I believe he is the right person to lead. And that spiritual component to his campaign is the leading factor. There [are] many political factors but the leading factor is the spiritual component and the transformative component he’s brought to American politics. In other words, people who were not interested in voting because they felt apathetic are now changing their minds because of his candidacy. AllHipHop.com: Do you feel that spiritual notion supports criticism that people like Hillary and others think about Obama supporters having a flowery, Utopian feeling that’s not really indicative of knowledge of the political process? Russell Simmons: Well, no. I think I know a lot about their opinions and I know a lot about Washington and I know a lot about the politics that they’re promoting and how similar their ideas are, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I am different from that way. That’s why I believed early on in Dennis Kucinich. I have a lot of faith and a little less fear. Faith is critical and I think faith is a critical component. Not religious faith, but spiritual faith is critical. You’ve got to believe all creation comes because there’s faith in some possibility and to have a person who’s a leader who makes you have that kind of faith is a critical component of the campaign. AllHipHop.com: How does collective faith work politically? If [Obama] believes he can have health insurance for […]

Out in the wild wild West, it’s been said that the older artists in the rap game don’t bring up any of the younger generation and in return the rappers lean in years don’t show their elders enough respect. Two artists from the West Coast who are dispelling such ways of thinking are O.G. Inglewood rap star Mack 10 and upcoming Watts sensation Glasses Malone. Signed to Cash Money Records through Mack 10’s Hoo-Bangin’ label, Glasses Malone is set to release his debut album The Beach Cruiser which is spearheaded by the DJ Toomp produced single “Certified” featuring Akon. With the song gaining steam across the nation, on the set of its now completed video the veteran and the rising star took the time to discuss their working partnership, the Beach Cruiser album and Mack 10 putting his own album on hold in order to guide prodigy to the winner’s circle.     AllHipHop.com: Let’s start with Mack 10. Do you have a release date yet for your own Soft White album?Mack 10: No man. I’m riding this Beach Cruiser thing out and once that is done I can concentrate on my own thing. I’m focusing too much on Glasses’ album right now to even focus on mine. “People hated when I signed with Mack, saying that he never put out this rapper or that it never worked out for them.  F**k y’all, look what’s happening.” AllHipHop.com: April 1st is the release date for the Beach Cruiser album correct?Glasses Malone: That’s the date that the label gave me. It’s coming out though. That’s what Mack 10 does. He gets with Baby [of Cash Money] and they decide all of that. I’ve been chasing this way too long to be worried about when it’s coming. Right now we are big and the song is up to 2,000 spins without a video yet [note: the Certified is now completed, see below]. The video is going to play in a lot of different places. When the label says it’s time for the album to go, it’s going to go. I’ve got the “Certified remix” knocked out already with Kam, Bun-B and Lil Wayne.AllHipHop.com: What’s it like working with Mack 10 as your boss?Glasses Malone: How can you not respect a n***a that understands what you are trying to do?  I mean, we argue but the n***a is always cool with me. Because of this game a lot of nights I couldn’t sleep and figure out what was wrong and he’d be like, “Don’t trip. You’ve got this.” The n***a has been right all of the time, so how can I argue with that? AllHipHop.com: A lot of rumors get spread online and I’ve seen some state that Cash Money is going to drop you and not put you out. How do you respond to that?Glasses Malone: I laugh. People hated when I signed with Mack, saying that he never put out this rapper or that it never worked out for them.  F**k y’all, look what’s happening. They said that Cash Money couldn’t work with West Coast artists but what’s happening now? The hateful rumors are probably being started by artists that are mad – mad because this isn’t their Bentley or because this isn’t their video shoot. Mack 10: Glasses reminds me a lot of myself. This video shoot reminds me of my first video, “On Them Thangs.” I look at him and I see myself sometimes so I tell him, “I’ve already stepped this way so don’t step here or step around this because there are problems here.” I can guide him through. Ice Cube helped me out but I am a little more hands on. Glasses can’t do nothing but win. [story continues below]AllHipHop.com: Mack 10, give us an insight from making that transitional role of artist to executive. Mack 10: I was an executive after my first record. It ain’t nothing but ballin’ man. You’ve got to be smart about it and ball out – it’s marketing. To be honest, I like this a lot better than being on stage. I just never had someone before that I could pass the torch on to.     AllHipHop.com: You are used to the wax battles but I imagine now you have your office and boardroom battles. Mack 10: Not really. It’s good right now. We are having our way – completely our way. It was hard at first but we were never wrong about anything so now people back up and let me do what I do. AllHipHop.com: So you really feel that you chose right with Mr. Malone?Mack 10: There are a lot of rappers out there, you won’t even know if they exist ten years from now but Glasses isn’t a novelty-type of rapper. He’s here to stay – and that’s what attracted me to him. To me he was the best around. There were dudes that rapped faster but Glasses is one of them dudes that have a little bit of everything. This dude is going to the Hall of Fame when he’s done – all he has to do is stay healthy – and that’s real! AllHipHop.com: You’ve got Glasses #1 in L.A. How does he become #1 in all of the other cities?Mack 10: It’s going to be a snowball effect. It’s like me pouring water in to a glass until it fills up and starts overflowing. L.A. is a respected market – it’s one of the biggest! If you go #1 in L.A. then you’ve got a real shot to do something somewhere else. Glasses Malone: We are number one in a few other places but what I love about Mack is that he knew that we had to be on top in L.A. for it to matter. The n***a called it from day one – everything he’s said so far, he’s been right about. AllHipHop.com: After “Certified” does it’s thing, what’s the next single?Mack 10: “Go Big” is looking good. “Haters” is also. Glasses Malone: “Go Big” is […]

Here we go again, trudging on into war. Last week’s battle was utterly brutal. It was unfortunate to even have to pick a winner. It was closer than Barack and Hillary. Towards the end of the polls closing ( 12 am Saturday) Virus pulled out a tight one. Props to both producers though, who got crazy love and feedback from the community. Now, onto the business at hand.  Once again, this contest is about uplifting each other in the same interest of production. Everybody cant be picked every week, so if you feel you got that fire, keep submitting and it will come through for you.The criteria for contestant choices is below, as well as the new warriors. Creativity: The drum patterns, the instrument flow, the vibe.Originality: Is this different or just the Timberland, Kanye, Neptunes, rip-off!!?Marketability: Can we imagine someone rhyming or singing on this beat?Structure: Changes, bridges, hooks etc.. Contestant #1Name:  Assassin_Chief Community Name: assassin_chief Hometown:  Memphis, TN   Main weapon of choice: Akai MPC 3000 Length in the game: since ’92   Brief Description of yourself:……..just a cat from tha’ south who gets down wit’ da’ choppin’……..3rd CommingAin’t That Thuggin’ComeAndGetMeContestant #2Name:  furious stylesCommunity Name: momandadproductionsHometown: Mckeesport pa(the burgh)Main weapon of choice: fl7 p###.edt.Length in the game: for as long as i can remember i have been doing music,only been dedicated to it 6monthsBrief Description of yourself: www.momanddadproductions@myspace I LOVE hip hop, eat sleep and breath it fam. I will stop at nothing to bring to the game whats missing. Hiphop is supposed to be fun, bring the fun back, we can bring the game back!MoneyPowerRespectKeep Bringing the heat…

In regards to Rap, Los Angeles has been in a weird space for a minute now. Outside of the big boss Snoop Dogg and The Game, the Left Coast has had a very limited stream of talent to really make a commercial impact past California’s borderline. Some blame it on the South holding the crown, some blame it on the politics and others [Ed. Note: No, not AllHipHop.com] might say that the West just fell off. One MC hoping to prove the naysayers wrong and break past that glass ceiling is Omar Cruz. Originally going under the moniker Blunts LLA, Cruz would garner his initial buzz from his two mixtapes City Of Gods and Blow. The work he was putting in the streets wouldn’t be in vain as he would be quickly scooped up by Geffen Records. His street release The Cruzifiction would also be critically acclaimed. Now with an official major label debut, Sign of the Cruz, in the works, O. Cruz makes it clear he’s official tissue. On who Omar Cruz was before Rap…Omar Cruz is the same guy after the deal and after I’m done with this Rap s**t. A Latin kid from the west side who believes that you can do what you want to do as long as you got the streets behind you and you got your family behind you. I’m not supposed to be here. Statistically being from LA, born from immigrants; I’m not even supposed to be in the Hip-Hop game. To me it’s just a blessing to be the voice for Latinos in the Rap game. I thank God that I’m in the position to make change and hopefully inspire other young Latin artists to follow the footsteps I’m doing, just like I was inspired by cats like Big Punisher. It’s kind of hard to name the top five MC’s and not mention Pun. Maybe people don’t feel that way or I’m biased because I’m Latin. Jay and Nas influenced me a lot. Lyrically Pac influenced me spiritually and that drive and aggression comes out of me. I’ve recorded in studios in Hollywood where Pac recorded. I feel like his spirit is in that room. I’m very much indebted to the forefathers of the West Coast like Cube, Eazy-E and Snoop to help mold me into the artist that I am. The album I am putting out is an album. I’m not putting out a bunch of songs to propel two singles into the market for the sake of ringtone sales. I’m putting out a record that from beginning to end you going to know where I’m from, what I’m going through, what I’m about and your going to feel my flow more than per se a song of just me trying to be fly and showing you new steps to a dance. On the importance of representing the Latin culture through his music…It’s very important. It hasn’t been represented properly in the last ten years. I don’t think we’re very visible. We’re starting to be seen more on television and in movies now, but I think that Hip-Hop is important because this is my life. I’m an MC that happens to be Latino. If you take away all the accolades and all the bulls**t, at the end of the day I love the culture and I’m a spitter. That’s what I do. That’s what I’m here for, to rep for the Hip-Hop culture, but I happen to be Latino. That’s how it’s bleeding through.The album he holds as a template when it comes to crafting his own debut… When I was putting it together I would say no. Looking back on the ninety plus records and a year and a half gone by, I can say the album is reminiscent of the Golden Era of Hip-Hop. That Biggie Ready To Die, those Ice Cube records. Like I said there are different emotions on the album. Luckily I’m in a position to be able to put out a record that I know will resonate in the industry because it’s an album. It’s stories, there’s chapters to it, there’s substance to it. This album is a story you haven’t heard in Hip-Hop yet. [Omar Cruz f/ The Game “Gangsta Music”]On figuring it is tougher being from the West coast and being a Latin rapper too… Definitely. I’m a Latin trying to come up in a genre that’s dominated by Blacks. I think people are more open to it. I think if you are dope people don’t care what you are. If you nice, you nice. It’s like Obama. I think people forget he is Black after a while. The issues he talks about are the issues that everyone wants to hear addressed if they vote for him. Like okay, the initial shock that he is a Latin kid from LA; he’s on some gangster cholo Rap Chicano s**t. Once they get past all that bulls**t, and they notice I’m talking about some s**t and my beats are crazy and lyrically I’m raising the bar. It’s the same thing Pun did. Nobody gave a f**k he was a Puerto Rican kid from The Bronx after they heard him rap. I think if it weren’t for Pun, Fat Joe wouldn’t be where he’s at right now and I think Joe knows that. And Joe gives him a lot of credit. Joe helped out Pun a lot too, but Joe is another example of a Latino in the game who people don’t even think about being Latino anymore. He just puts out hits.What he dislikes most about this Rap game…Radio. Right now radio in the urban world is a main catalyst of destroying real Hip-Hop. It’s almost systematically acing out what the streets want and trying to cater what’s going to pay the sponsor. First of all you have a bunch of DJ’s who are producers and if you don’t entertain their production, they ain’t going to spin your s**t. If you think they are wack, […]

Baby Bash is not tripping if you think he isn’t hard enough [pause]. The Vallejo, CA native and Houston based artist has over three million downloads of his latest hit, “Cyclone” featuring T-Pain, the title track of his latest album. So, to his credit, he’s got plenty of fans out there. While hits like “Cyclone” and past chart toppers like “Suga Suga” have made the Chicano an enigma as far as categorizing his music [Is he a rapper, a crooner or somewhere in between?], he does sport legitimate MC stripes stemming from his time spent in Cali rap outfits Potna Deuce and Latino Velvet. Prepping to co-headline the MTV Sucker Free Latino Spring tour with Pitbull, the former Baby Beesh candidly offers incite into his D-boy pedigree, working with the late Pimp C and Mac Dre and, among other things, his musical motivation.AllHipHop.com: How do you feel Cyclone is doing for you?Baby Bash: The album is doing great. Doing real good, I’m going to have three million as far as downloads, as far as singles, “Cyclone” just came out of no where, it’s my first club banger. I’m really happy about that and everything is going good. It seems so weird man, it’s so funny because it seems like, I got more popular. From “Suga Suga” to “BabyI’m Back,” I had like a nice little thing there, I was sort of decent. But it like almost tripled with “Cyclone,” because it’s like a club banger. It’s crazy how one club song can brighten it all up, it’s kind of weird. It’s all tight, it’s all lovely.The intention was to make a club song, because I used to be at clubs man…and I would hear a song, and you would see a reaction when the intro of a song [would] come on. You can’t do that with “Suga Suga” or “Obsession.” Lil Jon had wanted to work with me already, he said I like how you get down with your melodies. So I said okay, give me one of your classic Lil’ Jon bangers. So when he gave it to me, I wrote the hook and T-Painwalked in the studio. He was like “What’s this bruh?”  I said “Man, ‘Cyclone.’” He was like “Man I like that, that’s tight,” and so he jumped on it. I didn’t even expect for it to be as big as it did at first. AllHipHop.com: I know you come from a rap pedigree coming from Vallejo and being part of Potna Deuce and Latino Velvet and your earlier work.Baby Bash: Yeah, straight Vallejo. I’m a product of Mac Dre and E-40, V-Town man. And it’s so funny, I was a d-boy rapper, that’s how I rapped. I wasn’t thinking about no radio s**t, I was straight rocking it up, chopping it up. Then when you start going broke though, you start going, “Hmm…man the radio sounds nice right about now.” I always had a lot of girlfriends all the time, and they’d always tell me, “Why you always trying to rap so hard?” I was a legitimate d-boy out there, don’t let the pretty face fool you, I was really out there doing my thing. Then finally I was like, “You know what, give me a radio beat.” And that’s finally when Happy Perez gave me that “Suga, Suga” song and I was high as hell. It was actually called “Lifted”, because I was hella lifted when I wrote it, to tell you the truth. And then it’s just like “Mary Jane”, Rick James got on the radio with that. It’s almost kind of like the radio saying, “Oh he’s talking about a girl, that.” It just took off from there. So that put me in a little pop category, but I didn’t mind; the checks were great.AllHipHop.com: Obviously your able to touch that pop category, but coming from your rap d-boy history, does it ever bother you that you don’t get much attention from traditional rap outlets?Baby Bash: At first it upset me a little bit, thinking like, “These muthaf****s; these dudes don’t understand. If they only knew, if they only f***ing knew.” Then I got to a point where I’m like, “It’s not worth trying to beat a dead horse.” But yeah, I got frustrated a little bit, because people start saying I’m pop and it’s like, “If you only knew where I come from and how I get down.” But I’m a businessman. I went to where the demand was so I supplied it. I see these fly females, fly chicas and they want to hear some hype club music and it turned into a business. I got to take care of my family. Believe it or not, I had a little hardcore fan base when I was Baby Beesh, so a lot of them got upset. I had to weigh up my options. It’s just like I’m a good basketball player and a good baseball player; if I can’t make it in basketball, and I got a contract playing baseball for the Yankees, guess what I‘m going to do? I’m going to play shortstop so quick. What I had to do is just not let my frustrations get to me. Now it’s like hilarious, it’s funny.  I don’t even know why I was thinking like that. I’ve never wanted to be Mr. Battle Rapper. I’ve never been the one to do that anyways so I’m really a songwriter. I arrange it, write it, make sure it’s all right with the hooks. Just about every song you’ve heard me on, you may have heard other people singing the hooks but  you best believe I wrote the hook, and I did it how I wanted it done.AllHipHop.com: How did “Mean Mug” with Pimp C come about?Baby Bash: I was sitting down taking a plane trip to LA in first class. And sitting right next to me was Pimp C and he goes, “Ah Baby Bash man, I always wanted to meet you man.” […]