Okay folk’s, we have gotten through the first quarter of the season and what a 1st four weeks it has been. If the 1st four weeks have been this crazy, imagine what is in store for the remainder of the season. It is enough to make a person drink.   Thankfully, I just stocked up the old liquor cabinet, so I am good to go for the remainder of the season. We have a lot to get into, so let’s go.   Lil Wayne’s ESPN Blog Lil Wayne is up and running again on the online edition of ESPN the Magazine. This week he talks about his pick for the World Series, Brett Favre’s performance, and the Tar Heels.    Once again, it is a solid read and if you want to check it out, click here.   ALLHipHop’s NFL Game of the Week for Week 06       Poll Answers ALLHipHop’s NFL Game of the Week Sunday, 10/05/08, 1pm Washington Redskins (3-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA   I have been impressed the Redskins for the past two weeks. Last Sunday’s win against the Cowboys was big and it is exactly what that teams need to get their momentum going as the season continues.   The Eagles made to many mental mistakes in the Sunday Night game against the Bears. If you think Andy Reid will let their performance from Sunday Night slide, you are sadly mistaken.   The Redskins know that they have to keep that momentum going if they want to continue winning in the league’s toughest division, and with the Eagles hurting with injuries, the Skins look to be the favorite in this game.   My Pick: Redskins   Sunday, 10/05/08, 1pm games Kansas City Chiefs (1-3) at Carolina Panthers (3-1) Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC   The Chiefs won last Sunday, Yippee! I hope that they can use last week’s win to get things going and pile some more numbers in the “wins” column. The Panthers’ offense, especially their passing game, looks to be a monster this season. It definitely helped them with their win against Atlanta last Sunday.   As happy as I am to see the Chiefs get the win, it is sad to see this victory celebration cut short.   The Panthers’ offense is starting to click in the passing game. With the league’s 8th best defense and an offense that is starting to find its place, the Panthers look to be a hell of a test for the Chiefs. Then again, some of us thought the Broncos were going to be a test for the Chiefs last Sunday.  How did that turn out?   For now, I’ll take my chances a stay with the Panthers.    My Pick: Panthers   Tennessee Titans (4-0) at Baltimore Ravens (2-2) M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD   The Titans keep winning with solid defense and an offense that does just enough to get by.  The Ravens lost a rough one to the Steelers in the Monday Night game and are looking for redemption with a win this weekend.   Although the Ravens did not win the game, you still have to be impressed that the offense moved the ball well in the later stages of the game with rookie QB Joe Flacco.   The Titans have the 5th best defense in the league and with a veteran QB like Kerry Collins at the helm of their offense going up against a rookie QB like Flacco; the Titans have the edge in this game.   My Pick: Titans   San Diego Chargers (2-2) at Miami Dolphins (1-3) Dolphin Stadium, Miami, FL   The Dolphins went into their bye week with a solid win against the Patriots. Therefore, you know they are going to bring that momentum with them into Sunday’s game. The Chargers are winners of two games in a row and they are riding a momentum high.   As impressed as I am with the Dolphins’ win from Week 3, the Chargers’ offense is starting to find its rhythm. We have seen what that Chargers’ offense can do once it gets going; it is not a pretty sight. The Chargers will win, but I do believe this will be a close game.    The Dolphins are ranked in the top 15 in offense and defense statistically in the NFL, so they’re coming with some tricks up their sleeves for this Sunday’s game. However, their “football” wizardry will not scare the Chargers this Sunday.    My Pick: Chargers   Seattle Seahawks (1-2) at New York Giants (3-0) Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ   With the Cowboys losing to the Redskins last Sunday, now is the time for the Giants to strike while the iron is hot and add some wins to their NFC East lead. Thankfully for the G-men, their next opponent is a banged up Seahawks squad.    The Seahawks may have had some time to heal during their bye week. It does not matter; the Giants’ defense is too strong. The G-men’s defense is looking to add some more bodies to the Seahawks walking wounded. This game is the Giants to lose.    As long as they keep attacking the Seahawks on defense and the offense doesn’t get too comfortable with their lead, the Giants should walk away with the win.   My Pick: Giants   Indianapolis Colts (1-2) at Houston Texans (0-3) Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX   I am going with the safe bet for this game and roll with the Colts. I have to be honest, the Colts are also suffering from the injury bug, but the Texans have done nothing so far this year to make me want to give them the edge.   The Colts had their bye last week; that gave them the opportunity to rest up some of their injured players. The only reason I am giving the Colts the nod for this weekend’s game is because they have the better personnel […]

Even with the candidates unable to give to a straight answer during Thursday’s vice-presidential debate, one point was made crystal clear—the candidates are wealthy, and Corporate America.For approximately 90 minutes while a lot of words were exchanged, they didn’t include poverty, homeless, urban, underclass, or minority.  Those words and who they represent were never mentioned once by either of the candidates.  However, the phrase middle class was mentioned 13 times, wealthy 6 times, and Corporate America and Main Street 4 times. For the record, the word poor was mentioned once, only not relationship to nation’s economic crisis.  The word poor made its way into the conversation when Governor Sarah Palin responded to debate moderator Gwen Ifill’s question of which is the greater threat, a nuclear Pakistan, unstable Pakistan, nuclear Iran?Palin responded, “—and an issue like that taken up by a presidential candidate goes beyond naiveté and goes beyond poor judgment.”Add to that, maverick was mentioned 15 times and Wall Street and the state of Alaska were mentioned 12 times each.According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2007, 37.3 million people in America were in poverty, up from 36.5 million in 2006. In terms of race, the percentage of Blacks living in poverty was 24.5 percent, Hispanics 21.5 percent, Asians 10.2 percent, and non-Hispanic whites average poverty level was 8.2 percent.In 2007, the family poverty rate and the number of families in poverty were 9.8 percent and 7.6 million.  Married-couple families had a poverty rate of 4.9 percent (2.8 million), compared with 28.3 percent (4.1 million) for female-householder, no-husband-present families.Among states and the District of Columbia, poverty rates ranged from 7.1 percent for New Hampshire to 20.6 percent for Mississippi.  The only state where the poverty rate increased was Michigan where Detroit had the highest poverty rate at 33.8 percent.So why is this important?Ever since Senator John Edwards left the presidential race, there has been little mention of America’s poor—it’s all about America’s middle class and the vice-presidential debate was no different.  In reality-why would it be? At the end of the day, when you add up the numbers, those living in poverty are more apt to look like me and you.  And even though Senator Barack Obama is admittedly African-American, he knows like McCain knows, that the people who are currently engaged in the political process and are more likely to come out and vote in November, aren’t those living in the projects, cardboard boxes, homeless shelters, or on bus park benches.Why?Because if America’s underclass were more engaged in the political process that would change the entire landscape of this race-not to mention give Democrats the upper hand seeing as how this demographic would more than likely vote Democratic.  It would also mean that the candidates would no longer have the luxury of just focusing on America’s middle class and wealthy, but would actually have to address issues like the rise in homelessness or risk losing votes. The middle class-for all they may be going through-aren’t homeless…yet. How do I know? Because America’s middle class wasn’t watching the debate from a homeless shelter or on the street through the window of an electronics store.  They weren’t sitting on the stoop of a building, straining their ears to hear the candidates.  No.  Middle class America held debate watch parties or gathered their friends and families around the boob tube in the comfort of their homes-homes where the mortgage may be in default, but a home nonetheless.The candidates love to use the phrase “saving America’s middle class.”  And for the record, I’m with that.  We don’t need anymore families slipping into poverty.  But what the candidates need to recognize and show that they recognize is that when we fall from grace-that coveted middle class into poverty-we’re still here and we matter.  No matter if we have faith in the system or not.  Even if we don’t exercise our right to vote.  We matter.  The men, women, and children living on Skid Row in Los Angeles, matter.  The man sleeping in the doorway of the church across the street from my house as I write this, he matters too.America’s poverty is not invisible-even if the candidates repeatedly ignore it.  Mostof us see it on a daily basis from the comfort of our cars heading to and from work.  Even if those living in poverty are too distracted to hold the candidates responsible for addressing their issues, we, America’s middle class, have a responsibility to step in and do it for them.Hello there, can I call you Joe and Sarah?  My name is Jasmyne Cannick and I am a 30-year-old, Black female who is registered Democrat (for now) living in Los Angeles.  I just wanted to let you know that you overlooked about 37 million people in your debate tonight.  How do you plan to fix that?   At 30, Jasmyne Cannick is a critic and commentator based in Los Angeles who writes about the worlds of pop culture, race, class, sexuality, and politics as it relates to the African-American community.  A regular contributor to NPR’s ‘News and Notes,’ she was chosen as one Essence Magazine’s 25 Women Shaping the World.  A former Congressional press secretary, Jasmyne currently works as a political consultant.  She can be reached at www.jasmynecannick.com or www.myspace.com/jasmynecannick.     

The views expressed with in this editorial don’t necessarily reflect the views of AllHipHop.com or its staff.Dear Young America, WE ARE IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY!!! YOU MUST REGISTER TO VOTE BY MONDAY OCTOBER 6, 2008!!!!! We are only 31 days from the most important election of our lifetime. MONDAY OCTOBER 6, 2008 IS THE DEADLINE. We are at war, banks are closing, people are losing their jobs and houses every day. It is our responsibility to protect our futures. Time is running out. You must register by Monday October 6th. Barack Obama cannot win this election on his own; he needs our help. This election is about us. This election is about our children’s future. If you have not registered to vote, you are disrespecting everyone that sacrificed their lives for you to have this right. You are also disrespecting your future. The time is NOW for us to use the voices with which God has blessed us. We need you to do all you can. Here is what we need to do: Register to vote BY MONDAY, OCTOBER 6th 2008 Get as many people as you can to register with you Go to the poll and vote on November 4th Barack Obama said it best, “Eight is Enough.” No longer will we stand by and follow leadership with no regard for us and no accountability to us. We can be the deciding factor in this election, but you must register to vote to make your voice heard. Who are we? We are young America. This is our moment of truth. Are you registered for change? October 6th is only a few days away. Make sure that on November 4th, we are able to say that we did everything in our power to make sure that Barack Obama becomes the next President of the United States. We owe this to our children, our parents, our grandparents and ourselves. We need you to become a part of Team Obama. This is the most important election in our lifetime. REGISTER TO VOTE BY MONDAY OCTOBER 6th and VOTE TO MAKE HISTORY ON NOVEMBER 4th!!!! Visit www.VoteForChange.com to register to vote TODAY It is our duty to make our voices heard. STOP what you’re doing right now and lets REGISTER TO VOTE. Time is running out!!!!!!!!! God Bless, Sean “Diddy” Combs Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter Mary J. Blige Kevin Liles

Last time,we talked about how we got into this financial crisis – (link to yesterday’s editorial) today, let’s take a look at what our Federal Government is doing (or not doing) about it.   Almost two weeks ago Henry Paulson – the current Secretary of the Treasury (a cabinet position – appointed by George W. Bush) proposed a bill that would give the Treasury  700 Billion dollars to lift Wall Street out of the gridlock it’s been in of late.  Since the plan was introduced, The White house, the Treasury, and Congress have been fighting  tooth and nail to hammer out the details of the proposal.  On Monday, the proposal finally came to a vote… and failed.  Subsequently, we saw the largest drop in the Dow in  history.  Most Americans aren’t sure whether they should be happy the “bailout bill” failed, or worried about what the failure means to our financial markets.  How about we – as the Hip-Hop Nation – look at all angles and figure out our own opinions.   So we all got to the same page previously in understanding that the root of the problem is the massive amount of foreclosures that are, in large part, caused by the packaging home loans into Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDO’s).  As people began to foreclose, the value of those CDO’s began to fall dramatically to the point where they were almost worthless.  Banks, Investment Banks and Hedge Funds who were heavily invested in these CDOs lost billions of dollars – their stock prices and value subsequently falling.   As they fell, banks – fearing the worst – began holding on to more of their cash. In doing so the country’s economic system screeched to a grinding halt.  When banks begin losing value, and investors lose confidence, they begin charging more interest to lend money to each other, and to American businesses, and eventually they stop lending all together.    Millions of Americans are employed by small, medium, and large businesses that rely on loans – from these Wall Street Banks – to meet their everyday operating expenses. Take, for example a company like Caterpillar (the company that makes all those tractors and lawn mowers).  Two weeks ago they could borrow money to cover operating expenses at 3%.  This week they’re paying close to 8%.  That may not seem like a big jump, but when you’re talking about a medium sized company employing thousands of people, you’re talking about a difference of millions of dollars.  If it becomes too expensive for them to borrow, they can’t make payroll.  If they can’t make payroll – they go out of business and all those jobs are lost.    Seeing this begin to happen, Treasury Secretary Paulson, with the backing of President Bush, proposed a plan to take 700 Billion Dollars of tax payer money and use it to buy the toxic CDOs that are bogging down these Wall Street firms.  That, essentially, is the bailout plan – 700 Billion Dollars, to be used at the discretion of the Treasury to buy CDOs.  Central to the theory that this is a good idea are two principles:   We can’t let these institutions fail because in doing so; we jeopardize thousands of business that rely on them everyday for loans, which in turn, jeopardizes millions of American jobs.These CDOs are worth more then their current market value.   We already discussed the relationship between the Wall Street banks and the businesses that employ most Americans – now, let’s look at the other important piece of this plan – valuing Collateralized Debt Obligations.   The theory that these CDOs are worth more than their current value has everything to do with stopping foreclosures.  Every time someone goes into foreclosure the value of some CDO at some Wall Street bank or fund takes a hit.  Right now, no one on Wall Street knows when the foreclosures are going to stop and because of that, the Market price for these securities linked to home loans is next to nothing. When the foreclosures stop however, the value of the CDO’s may increase tremendously.    Think of it this way:   Say you have a CDO that consists of 100 thirty-year mortgages.  So far, since housing prices started decreasing about 14 months ago, 5 out of those 100 homes attached to those mortgages have gone into foreclosure.  That CDO has then lost 5% of its value.  That’s where we are right now.  We don’t know whether 5, 10, 15, or even 20 more homes out of that 100 are going to go into foreclosure – and because we don’t know that, we don’t know how to value that CDO.  The goal of the Treasury is plan is to use tax payer money to buy that CDO for below it’s current market value, stop the foreclosures in it, then sell it back to Wall Street – as a stable entity – for a nice profit.   This is where the haggling began between Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, President Bush, Democratic Congressmen, Republican Congressmen, Barack Obama and John McCain.   Let’s go through each side of the debate and try and understand what they’re fighting for.   Henry Paulson and George Bush   Paulson and Bush are the architects of this plan (really, just Paulson).  It should be noted that Paulson is the former HNIC of The (former)Investment Bank – Goldman Sachs, he left Goldman to become Treasury Secretary for Bush in 2007 – His package upon leaving… over 160 Million dollars.  Both Paulson and Bush seem to be, in this case, primarily concerned with doing whatever they can to pass this proposal to prevent the bleeding on Wall Street from trickling further in the lives of average Americans.  They believe the country is on the brink of disaster, and that this is the best way to avert that disaster.   Democratic Congressmen   The Democrats in Congress primary concern is making sure that this bailout plan doesn’t come off as if […]

Mosley TKO’s Mayorga With One Second Remaining It’s not how to start but how you finish. Those words never proved truer than last Saturday (September 27), as an aging “Sugar” Shane Mosley overcame Ricardo Mayorga’s roughhousing to score a stunning TKO stoppage with just one second remaining in the last round. For the first two rounds, an in-shape, determined Mayorga controlled the bout with wild overhand rights and amateurish charges that kept Shane wary and tentative. While Mosley was able to block most of the shots, he was being knocked around and unable to mount any significant offense to deter the Nicaraguan’s bullying. In round three, Shane figured out Mayorga’s rhythm and began timing him with crisp, stinging right and left hook leads. Not needing to bother with the usual feints and jabs since Mayorga was wide open, Mosley concluded a dominant round with another barrage of hooks. Round four started with a nice jab-straight right combo from Mosley. Undeterred, Mayorga continued rushing in and caught a hard right hook for his trouble. In another showcase round, Mosley rained down an assortment of left hooks across Mayorga’s head. Noticeably, whenever Shane went downstairs his thudding shots would have greater effect and force Ricardo to initiate a clinch. The middle rounds were all Mosley, with the former pound for pound king again hurting Mayorga to the body in round five with repeated hooks. Seeking to buy time, Mayorga began complaining to the ref anytime Mosley dug in too much with his attacks. The trend carried over to rounds six and seven, as Shane relentlessly pursued his promise to knock out Mayorga by the eighth. These rounds featured Mayorga continuing to get pasted with hooks, but the brawling, chain-smoking ex-champ gingerly walked through each punch hoping to catch Mosley with a wild shot. The 37 year old Mosley began slowing down by round eight, debilitated from the successive rounds of beating on the naturally larger Mayorga. The round was mired by long stretches of mauling and holding as both men sought a breather to prepare for the championship rounds. Sensing a chance, Mayorga began showboating in round nine and swinging aimlessly as Mosley was too tired to offer up the quick counters of just a few rounds ago. A sneaky uppercut stunned Shane and allowed the Nicaraugan to outwork his opponent and secure his first clear round in some time. After a listless round ten from both men, Mosley used a second wind to land two big overhand rights in the eleventh. While Mayorga was still occasionally pressing forward, he visibly was not as willing to exchange with Shane as the bout reached the decisive 12th. Both fighters alternated between mauling and furious exchanges as the last round got underway. The superior technique of Mosley triumphed halfway through as he hurt Mayorga with two crushing right hands. This time the backpedaling Mayorga couldn’t escape, lining himself right in Shane’s crosshairs to be dropped with a cracking, leaping left hook and short chopping right. Mayorga crumpled forward to his knees; the crowd roaring deliriously with just 8 seconds remaining in the contest. Ever the tough guy, Ricardo signaled that he was ok, obviously hoping the bout would end before Mosley could capitalize. However, Shane showed great veteran instinct by positioning himself right behind the ref instead of going to the far neutral corner as initially instructed. Once waved on to continue, Mosley only had to take two steps before ending Mayorga’s night with another leaping left hook that dropped the Nicaraguan flat on his back, securing the TKO stoppage with :01 left on the clock. In the post-fight interview, Mosley was hesitant to persist with his calls for a showdown with current champ Antonio Margarito, or even a bout with young lion Andre Berto. “I’m not really sure what I want right now,” Mosley admitted to Larry Merchant. “Before I was calling out Margarito, and it definitely would be a great fight. But they (promoter Bob Arum, Margarito) have stuff going on and I’m not getting any younger. I have to try and find fights right now…Berto’s a young lion and a good champion. I was impressed by his speed and competitiveness. He reminds me of myself when I was younger. So I’ll be looking at myself in the mirror when I fight him.” What Mosley was alluding to are plans for Margarito and Cotto to rematch by the summer of 2009. That will likely mean both men will take “safe” bouts early next year to prepare for the fight. Unless Mosley can goad Floyd Mayweather out of retirement or come to terms with Paul Williams, an Andre Berto fight for the WBC strap would be the best alternative. For Mayorga, he now holds the dubious distinction of being TKO’d by the three most popular welterweights of the 90s: Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, and now Shane Mosley. Berto Dominates Forbes in Decision Win On the undercard, undefeated welterweight titlist Andre Berto secured a lopsided decision win over Steve Forbes. Berto was able to win the fight almost exclusively on punch output, missing many times wildly due to Forbes’ defensive skill but still landing consistently enough to take the rounds. Forbes, undersized at welterweight, did not have the firepower to deter Berto’s pressure and was unwilling to take offensive risks against the champion’s greater hand-speed. With the win, Berto retains the WBC welterweight title and improves to 23-0, 19 KOs, while Steve Forbes falls to 33-7, 9 KOs. Williams Walks Over Kolle The question of whether lanky welterweight Paul Williams could carry power up two weight classes received a definitive answer last Thursday (September 25). The South Carolina native needed only one round to savagely dispatch fringe middleweight contender Andy Kolle and put everyone from 147-160 pounds on notice. A southpaw, Kolle like Carlos Quintana was able to get in a few straight lefts early on as Williams stalked after him. Realizing that Kolle had no firepower to hurt him, Williams began […]

Over the past week, the landscape of American Finance has been changed forever.  We’ve all been reading about the impending recession and the failures of major financial institutions, but many of us here in the Hip-Hop nation still do not have a full understanding of how we got to this point.    With our Government finally reaching an agreement on a plan to use more than 700 Billion of our tax dollars to get Wall Street out of this mess, it’s important that the Hip-Hop Nation be ahead of the curve in understanding exactly what they’re doing with our money. Before we talk about getting out the current crisis we should be on the same page in understanding how we got here.  Let’s go behind the numbers and discuss the financial principles that set the stage for all of this.   For decades, as Americans, we’ve been told that the key to building wealth and financial security is home ownership.  Historically, purchasing a home provides better returns, over the long haul, than any other investment one can make – better than a 401k, better than any savings, better than any stock.  Additionally, there’s the added security that in times of need, you can borrow against appreciation of the home’s value.  After years of prosperity during the Clinton administration – from the late 1990’s through the early part of this decade, more Americans began getting their piece of the American Dream by purchasing homes.  Cities like Atlanta, North Carolina and New York saw their property values double and sometimes triple in less than a decade.  Banks and Mortgage companies all profited from lending money.  Home values steadily increased and it was seemingly a win for everyone involved.   When you purchase a home, normally, you take out a long term loan with a bank or mortgage lender.  That loan creates a steady source of income – through your monthly payments – for the lender.  With so many houses being bought, the lenders began selling those loans – for cash to give out more loans – to Investment Banks.    For example, you get a 30 year Home Loan from HSBC.  Bear Sterns, an Investment Bank, might go to HSBC, Washington Mutual, and Bank of America and purchase your loan, and loans just like it, at a discount.  HSBC and the other banks get the cash, which they can use to give out more loans or invest in other markets.    Bear Sterns would then take all the loans they purchased and package them into what’s called a Collateralized Debt Obligation – or a CDO.  What they are essentially doing is creating a single asset out of  many loans just like yours.  This is Securitization.   Bear Sterns can then sell all of those loans, as one item, to another investment bank or Hedge Fund.  Again, the seller gets the cash to do other stuff with, and the buyer gets your monthly payment – for 30 years.   The problem with securitization is that it eliminates responsibility.  If I’m HSBC, and you come to me for a loan – and I know I’m going to sell your loan to an investment bank – I’m not going to take all the necessary steps to insure that you will be able to pay your loan.  Good Credit, Bad Credit, No Credit? – No problem. None of that matters because HSBC is not going to be on the hook if you default on your loan.   And that’s exactly what happened.  For the first time in years, home prices stopped rising and in some parts of the country, they actually began to fall.  At the same time, people began to default on the loans they’d taken out.  Some of these were no money down loans with adjustable interest rates that rose after the first couple of years (known as ARMS). Some of the loans were given with only stated, not verified sources of income.  As these loans began to default, the value of the CDO’s discussed above began to decrease dramatically.    Remember the thousands of loans just like yours that Bear Sterns bought and packaged – imagine if 10% of the people who are paying those loans ended up going into foreclosure.  That CDO loses millions of dollars in value.  Investment Banks and Hedge funds were buying, literally billions of dollars of these types of investments, and often, they were borrowing money to do so.     When the number of people defaulting started to increase, and homeowners could no longer borrow against their equity, or sell their homes for a profit, those investments lost value and the billions of dollars in subsequent losses led to the disaster we’re in now.

Welcome to another edition of Sick Sundays.  We’re gonna get it in today with a few things.  First off, we’re looking at the crap ass candy ass singles that people have been releasing in order to “get the ladies.”  We think it’s garbage, and it’s softening up Hip-Hop into something we can barely recognize.   Then we have other cats making music “fuh the cluuub.”  And that’s not just down South either.  Every region is falling for that crap. In honor of (or dishonor of) this trend, we’re gonna look at some of the hardcore singles in Hip-Hop history.   Of course some will be missed, and some of you will have suggestions so we’ll make allowances for that.  We’ll make this a special edition of Sick Sundays that will expand with your support.  In your responses, you tell me something we missed and I’ll add them to the post and give you a shout out. The topic: Hardest Singles In Hip-Hop! Now hard is subjective and I’m sure you may disagree with some of them.   Tonites Da Night Redman took Isaac Hayes’ “Few More Kisses To Go” and straight gullied it up. Brandishing pistols in the video, black and white film, hoodies and Timbs, Mr. Noble gave you the essence of the hardcore aesthetic. Stuck tissue up the nose to stop the snot from making spots. Hurricane G’ had to tell Red to get off that “punk, smooth s**t, and get wit the rough s**t. Consider it done.     Made You Look Nas was playing no games on this one. With “Apache” as the foundation, accented by the click clack pow of “the ratchet, blingy, the biscuit, the burner,” Nas proclaimed that it wasn’t rapping, it was street hop.  This was the icing on the cake to complete his return to the top following his Nastradamus hiatus. At that point, New York was his.     Murder Was the Case Although the G-Funk was melodic, this was straight gangsta s**t.  Snoop Doggy Dog at his most frightening, before he became a character, in the midst of a real-life murder trial, dealing with the devil, busting shots, and painting pictures.  The angelic monotone singers added a melancholy to it that was hard to match.     We In There KRS at his bullying best, stepping to wack emcees and putting pressure on b***h ass rappers to say something.  Physically or lyrically, Kris dared you to challenge his position.  Not with gun talk but with verbal, and possibly physical beatings (shout to P.M. Dawn).  His role as teacher was put to the back for this joint.  Boom Bap at its core.   Warning (Amended Version) – The Notorious B.I.G.   Warning This single from Ready To Die, had Biggie going hard over more Isaac Hayes. Perfect pacing, great diction, and crisp storytelling.  Had the nerve to be in the bed, belly hanging out unapologetically, tech 9s’ spraying.  This was cinema noir on wax. It was everything that “Juicy,” “Big Poppa,” and “One More Chance” weren’t.     Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos – Public Enemy   Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos This single was hard for a different set of reasons.  Chuck D went hard at the government, he went hard at the prison industrial complex, he went hard at capitalism.  It gets no harder than that.  Every rapper you could think of at the time was in this video.  No chorus, no hijinx just Terminator X on the cut splitting up the verses.     Where I’m From Before he got flossed out, Marcy’s finest rocked from the gutter to the tenement.  This ode to Brooklyn was devoid of any trace of R&B.  He paints a bleak picture of the borough where “You can’t put your vest away, and say you’ll wear it tomorrow cause the day after we’ll be say ‘damn I was just wit’ him yesterday.’” That line alone tells you what you need about this. Ain’t nothing nice.     Ante Up – M.O.P. Ante Up M.O.P is gully. They don’t sing.  They don’t dance.  They clap and B###!  What’s dope about this is that even with the remix (with a girl on it) the whole place got dirty!  But here we going with the original without the extra sauce. The beat is banging, not in that sinister 2nd Round KO way (more on that in a second) but in a get off your ass and jump  unless you a p***y kinda way. “Gimme the watch before I pop one in your brain.” Ahem. Hold that.     2nd Round K.O. – Canibus 2nd Round K.O. We had already heard him on “Beast from the East.”  We had heard him rip mics on numerous cameos.  But this was something else.  We heard there was beef over “4,3,2,1.” We just didn’t know it was like this.  The young dude just grabbed LL by the throat and bodied him.  I don’t care what you think bout the outcome of the war but if you say you heard this and didn’t think it was over for LL you’re a bobdamn liar. Straight up. “Stick you for your Vanguard Award in front of your moms, your first second and third born make your wife get on the horn call Minister Farrakhan.” Ugly.     Always Into Something Fresh from Ice Cube’s departure and building momentum from the EP 100 Miles & Runnin’, N.W.A set out to prove that they could do it without him.  They took it up a notch musically and made it dope enough to get wide play, video 051 on The Box (for those of you old enough to remember).  Shout out to MC Ren. Shout to Yella on the drum track.     Ha – Juvenile   Ha Juvenile had been on the grind long before this but this was his(and Ca$h Money’s) real entry into the mainstream.  It’s not tough talk, per se, but a look into the New Orleans that wasn’t always […]

Lil Wayne’s ESPN Blog When we dropped the Week 02 edition of OUT OF BOUNDS, Haughville asked why I didn’t have any Hip-Hop news about the athletes. To be honest, we’re here to talk football; I leave the Hip-Hop news to the experts. But, I will keep an eye out for any Hip-Hop related news of interest when it comes to sports for future articles.   Well today is your lucky day Haughville, I got some Sports/Hip-Hop new for you this week.   The online edition of ESPN the Magazine debuted Lil Wayne’s blog this week and truthfully speaking, it’s not bad.  Lil Wayne is a big sports fan, so it’s going to be interesting to see what he brings to the table in the weeks to come about the world of sports. I’ll definitely be on the lookout.   Clinton Portis vs. Brian Mitchell First, did anyone catch the little war of words between Redskins RB Clinton Portis and former NFL RB Brian Mitchell on John Thompson’s radio show from last week? It got real heated and one point, Thompson just lost control of the show.   If you haven’t heard it, click here to listen and to discuss it click here to check out the thread in the Cheap Seats.   Charles Haley is a wild boy ProFootballTalk.com has an excerpt from Jeff Pearlman‘s book about the Dallas Cowboys titled Boys Will Be Boys. You can read and discuss the excerpt here. All I can say is that Charles Haley is a wild boy.   NFL’s Most Valuable Teams Forbes.com named the Dallas Cowboys the NFL’s Most Valuable team. You can read the article here and discuss it, click here.   ALLHipHop’s NFL Game of the Week for Week 05 Poll Answers   ALLHipHop’s NFL Game of the Week Sunday, 9/28/08, 4pm Washington Redskins (2-1) at Dallas Cowboys (3-0) Texas Stadium, Irving, TX   If you think the Eagles/Cowboys game was a battle, wait until this game starts. The Redskins always seem to step their game up when they play the Cowboys, so I’m looking for this game to be a battle until the end.    The Cowboys are the better team but this game is going to be close. Coach Zorn and the rest of the team know the importance of this game, so they’re going to throw everything they have at the Cowboys, including the kitchen sink.   If the Skins are going to win this game they have to keep the Cowboys’ offense off  the field by controlling the ball and on defense, they have to slow down the running game and force Tony Romo into some mistakes.   They Cowboys just have to keep doing what they’ve been doing for the past three weeks: continue to move the ball on the ground to open up the passing game and avoid mental mistakes.   I’m not a fan of either team, but I look forward to this match-up every year. This is going to be a good game.   My Pick: Cowboys   Sunday, 9/28/08, 1pm games Green Bay Packers (2-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL   Most people have the Bucs winning this game, not I. Although Brian Griese is playing well and the defense has been solid, this is still an older team.   The Packers are still feeling the sting of the loss to the Cowboys game, so  look for them to use that as motivation on Sunday. Plus, the Packer’s offense has youth n its side and it may be too much for the older, more experienced Buccaneer’s defense.   My Pick: Packers   Houston Texans (0-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville, FL   The league made it real difficult for you to bet on the Texans this year. With the exception of the rescheduled Raven’s game, the Texans have or will play a playoff team from last season. Good luck with that Gary Kubiak.   The Jags are the better team on both sides of the ball.  The Texans WRs are solid, but that’s it.  This looks to be a long day for the Texans.   My Pick: Jaguars   Atlanta Falcons (2-1) at Carolina Panthers (2-1) Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC   Statistically, these two teams are pretty much evenly matched.   I’m going with the Panthers here because of their passing offense. The Panthers’ passing game will be the key factor in this game. With the return of Steve Smith, look for the Panthers to test the Falcons’ secondary and air it out.      My Pick: Panthers   Arizona Cardinals (2-1) at New York Jets (1-2) Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ   Brett Favre is listed as “questionable” with a sore left ankle, but he’s going to play. It still won’t be enough to stop the Cards.   The Cards are moving the ball well on offense with Kurt Warner at the helm. His veteran leadership is beginning to show in the offense’s play making abilities.   The Jets spent a lot of money in the offseason on offense and defense, but it looks as though the Jets aren’t getting their money’s worth. Look for the Jets to go 1-3 after this Sunday’s game.   My Pick: Cardinals   San Francisco 49ers (2-1) at New Orleans Saints (1-2) Superdome, New Orleans, LA   The 49ers have been impressive as of late. They blew out the Lions last Sunday and it looks like Mike Martz’s offense seems to work with the 49ers’ offensive personnel.   Like the rest on the world, I watched the Saints make a comeback on the Broncos, only to fall short, so I can see why some people have the Saints winning this weekend. Not the kid. Yeah, I know the 49ers are my favorite team, but it’s their defense that has been impressive and keeping them in games. That’s the reason why I picked them to win.   The 49ers’ defense is ranked 9th in […]

What up tech fans and tech fam.  Fall is here and you know that that means, you gotta start spendin’ cash.  The kids need school clothes, you need your own new change of weather wardrobe, and before you know it you’ll be Christmas shopping.  But after doing all that, how are you gonna afford those new toys you’ve been eyeing?  In this weeks wrap up, I have a couple affordable multimedia goodies for you to check out.  You can keep your tech game rolling, and not break the bank.   The first is the RCA Lyra Slider PMP(personal music player).  It will be available later this fall in two flavors, the 4gb version for $79.99 and the 8gb version for $99.99.  it’s got a pretty slick look and it’s loaded with function.  It gives you the basics such as audio and video playback, but they also threw in a few extras such as photo sideshow, and FM radio.  Here are a couple other features:   ·       USB 2.0 port ·       Rechargeable battery ·       good for 50 hours of audio and ·       8 hours of video playback ·       Built in voice/media recorder   For the price, I think it’s worth a look.         The second toy is for those of us who enjoy the home theater experience, but our pockets aren’t as deep as we’d like them to be.    It’s the MVBD-2510 Blu-ray Player by Memorex.  It’s priced at $269.99.  If you been checking out the prices of Blu-ray players, you know that’s a steal.Features:   ·       Progressive scan Blu-ray Disc player 1080p capability for higher definition video content ·       Full HD 1080p, DVD up-conversion up to 1080p (480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p), 24p, 60p video frame rate ·       Multi-channel audio content (supports more advanced Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD) ·       BD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD, DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL, CD-ROM, CD, CD-R/-RW ·       16:9 / 4:3 picture select ·       On-screen graphical user interface ·       Slow motion function (2x – 4x – 8x) ·       RW/FF play function (2x – 4x – 8x – 16x) ·       VFD display   If nothing else, this player is gonna change the game and make BD accessible to homes.  I’m not sure if he has them yet, but I’m sure your local “hustle man” will have them bootleg Blu-ray movies pretty soon….not that I condone that, I’m just sayin’.

New York’s legendary S.O.B.’s was the spot and AllHipHop’s Breeding Ground Showcase was the event Tuesday night as some of the hungriest up and coming acts in Hip-Hop got together with EPMD and a reunited State Property combined to make history.   After the first couple artist got minimal response, the first rise of the night came from group Sic Osyrus. The hype man certainly earned his check.  Solid production and good stage energy even though his steeze with bleached out jeans and Reebok classics was kinda meh. With a stylist some work and good production he could make some noise.   Next notable artist was Tabi Bonney straight from West Africa by way of DC.  He had definite charisma even thought his songs had few words. 808 heavy retro 80’s beats.  Floating phrases a la the Beasties/ DMC style. He’s got a buzz from his joint “Put Me In Your Pockt” tht the crowd responded to well.   Representing the West Coast was Ya Boy who cocked over Dre’s “Keep Your Heads Ringing” to get over the crowd’s non familiarity.  He dropped his song “Floss” which was also bass heavy.  Not spectacular but enough to keep the bounce.  Production seemed to be the real difference in crowd response up to this point.   Underground femme fatale Nina B was the first surprise of the night, easily blowing everyone before her off the stage with an a capela when they couldn’t find her music.  After that she did about as well as a non star could do with breath control, stage presence, and clear lyrics. Nice flow, no gratuitous tough talk.  She rapped over “I Get money” which is almost impossible to be wack to, but then gave the 80’s grownups some brain freeze by killing it over Madonna’s “Material Girl.” Some guy in the front is a lil too excited but hey, rock out. Pleasant surprise.     Next up was Skyzoo, who has been killing the underground lyrically in recent months. Rhymed over a medley of old bangers from the 80’s as well.  When he did rhyme he looked very polished and he had good crowd control.  His stage show was uneven though, as he spent a lot of time talking while beats played.  Had he rapped more he certainly had the crowd with him and he looks like he can go in this game.     Veteran Sha Stimuli stepped to the stage with a freestyle to die for with a alphabet song. Illness. He’s got a ton of talent and skill.  He’s certainly got charisma and presence, but you can’t put your finger on why he’s not on that next level but he’s clearly polished as a performer.  His show gained strength the longer he was on stage and culminated with a furious burst that brought the crowd to frenzy. If you don’t know about this guy then please get familiar.   The undercard was EPMD.  No matter how many times you see them they are very dependable.  They WILL rip.  They mainly stayed to the first two albums, probably due to the absence of DJ Scratch.  I can’t lie, even though their show DJ was adequate, it’s very strange seeing them rock without Scratch. Hope they work it out.  Keith Murray showed up for a crowd pleasing rendition of “Most Beautifullest Thing,” and the stage was set for history.  The Dynasty is dead, regardless of what Jay-z says.  The reason for that is because the State Prop part of the Roc was not together anymore.  AllHipHop put the hammer down and got the bulk of them (sans Neef and Oschino) back together with a bit of Peedi Crack on top.  They looked like they never missed a beat.  Passing the mics back and forth with ease like they’d been practicing 5 Heartbeats style.   What was so ill was that they didn’t depend on Free and Beans to bring the heat, they all went in. I can admit I was a Peedi doubter but he got it off.  So did young Chris (conspicuously the only one still wearing the Roc chain) and Sparks.  No forgotten lyrics, no miscues and fluid transition.  These guys are professional, don’t try this at home.  After sitting through so many acts you would expect audience fatigue but there was none to be found. Philly was in the building and the Prop didn’t need the ROC to Rock. ‘Nuff Said.   Shout to all the performers, shout to the fans for supporting, shout to the AllHipHop staff, shout to Syn City, Hot 97’s DJ Envy for hosting, and peace to S.O.B.’s one of the true Hip-Hop venues who support the culture implicitly.

Welcome to my new advice column, which is designed to guide the misguided aspiring artists and/or future entertainment moguls.  Twice a month Ima hit you with industry knowledge, wisdom… and if you’re hard-headed… I might have to hit you with a written ass-whoopin’.    Why my low tolerance you ask?    Simply put, the industry has changed and a lot of y’all haven’t gotten the memo.    Not to mention, there are things that haven’t changed, and yet you all pretend some new law was written.  Well, that stops today.   This “Yo Kangol” column will introduce you to the people you should know as well as the questions you should ask. Anyway, you ready?  Aiight, Let us begin.   Allow me to introduce one of the key playaz in the game today.This dude is the glue that holds Alicia Key’s camp of artists, musicians and writers together.  Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for my dude, Mr. G. Flowers YK:  How did you get started in this business?   GF:  I started as a musician.  I’ve played the guitar since the young age of 7 with my older brother who played the keyboards and bass, and my younger brother who plays the drums.    We performed together throughout our school years covering Top 40 songs and other genres of music.  Also, my father and grandfather played guitar, so music was imbedded in us.  Years later I became the manager for my brothers and partnered with my account Bert Padell who intentionally gave me a desk in a hallway.    He said in two months I would thank him for placing my desk there.  He was right.  That placement allowed me to meet everyone I needed to meet which led me to meet Alicia’s manager Jeff Robinson and later my brothers and I became her band   YK:  What advice would you give to someone who is as talented as you and are trying to get recognized?     GF:  It’s a totally different business now.  The days of walking in a demo tape are over because of the internet.  Some artists think it’s all about having a page up.  There’s more to it.  You can have a myspace page but if people don’t know where to find you…they’re not gonna come looking for you.  You have to promote and market yourself.  My motto is: “Build your fan, one fan at a time.  Be passionate…love what you do and the money will come.”      YK:  Do you suggest to that those promoting on myspace copyright their material?     GF:  You should always copyright your songs.  For those that can’t afford the proper way, there’s the poor man’s copyright in which you mail the song to yourself and never open the package.  There is nothing you can do if someone steals your song which was never copyrighted.     YK:  Do these artists need management of the top or should they wait?     GF:   It’s always great to have a team together of people that care about you.  Find someone who cares about you First…as a person, then build, grow and stay with them.  Some of the most successful artists have been with their managers from the beginning.     YK:  What is the standard percentage rate for a manager?     GF:   The standard percentage rate is 20%.  I’ve seen some try 25% …but 20% is standard.   YK:  What overall advice would you give to everyone trying to do what we’re doing? GF:   Just stay true to yourself and true to your craft.  Cross your T’s, dot you I’s before you address a cat like me.  If you’re not ready, I’ll give you constructive criticism but others will not give you a second chance.  So take your time and do it right.  I would never tell someone to stop perusing their dreams.     YK:  If someone out there believes that they’re ready to see you, how can they reach you?     GF:  They can email their mp3s or links to gflowers@mbkentertainment.com  and though it may take me two weeks to a month to get back to you…I listen to everything.  If you want the truth…talk to me.  I’m not a dream-killer but I’ma give you the truth…and that’s what it is. And now onto the readers:   Yo YO Kangol, as a new artist, what are some common misconceptions that you or other new artists may have or will run into?? Terry J. Orlando, Fl   Yo Terry, One of the biggest misconceptions for new artists is their need to ignore the word “Business”.  This is exactly what it’s called…The Music Business.  Allow me to me introduce you to the real world of CNN.    As an artist you become a product and your name becomes a brand.  As an individual, you also become an employer while your homies (your hypeman, road manager, security, dancers….and those other ten dudes that do nothing) become employees.  The check that pays them will have your name on it in bold print.  That makes YOU a Company.  You will experience greater success the minute you realize that you are not just a rapper…You’re a Businessman.       Yo Kangol, For a bunch a dudes starting at the bottom with no money and just tryin’ to get the material out there, do you think it’s fair for someone to draw up a contract along the lines of “no matter what the track or album does monetarily at this stage, everybody pitched in their part without thinking of any financial gain?    So there should be no financial gain initially, up until a major deal has struck.”?  I’m a writer and I write for other artists. This R&B singer is going to use one of my songs for his projects. We all at the ground level starting out. I’m not looking for any compensation b/c we all tryin’ to make it together. but yo, if there was a major […]

Welcome to my new advice column, which is designed to guide the misguided aspiring artists and/or future entertainment moguls.  Twice a month Ima hit you with industry knowledge, wisdom… and if you’re hard-headed… I might have to hit you with a written ass-whoopin’.    Why my low tolerance you ask?    Simply put, the industry has changed and a lot of y’all haven’t gotten the memo.    Not to mention, there are things that haven’t changed, and yet you all pretend some new law was written.  Well, that stops today.   This “Yo Kangol” column will introduce you to the people you should know as well as the questions you should ask. Anyway, you ready?  Aiight, Let us begin.   Allow me to introduce one of the key playaz in the game today.This dude is the glue that holds Alicia Key’s camp of artists, musicians and writers together.  Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for my dude, Mr. G. Flowers YK:  How did you get started in this business?   GF:  I started as a musician.  I’ve played the guitar since the young age of 7 with my older brother who played the keyboards and bass, and my younger brother who plays the drums.    We performed together throughout our school years covering Top 40 songs and other genres of music.  Also, my father and grandfather played guitar, so music was imbedded in us.  Years later I became the manager for my brothers and partnered with my account Bert Padell who intentionally gave me a desk in a hallway.    He said in two months I would thank him for placing my desk there.  He was right.  That placement allowed me to meet everyone I needed to meet which led me to meet Alicia’s manager Jeff Robinson and later my brothers and I became her band   YK:  What advice would you give to someone who is as talented as you and are trying to get recognized?     GF:  It’s a totally different business now.  The days of walking in a demo tape are over because of the internet.  Some artists think it’s all about having a page up.  There’s more to it.  You can have a myspace page but if people don’t know where to find you…they’re not gonna come looking for you.  You have to promote and market yourself.  My motto is: “Build your fan, one fan at a time.  Be passionate…love what you do and the money will come.”      YK:  Do you suggest to that those promoting on myspace copyright their material?     GF:  You should always copyright your songs.  For those that can’t afford the proper way, there’s the poor man’s copyright in which you mail the song to yourself and never open the package.  There is nothing you can do if someone steals your song which was never copyrighted.     YK:  Do these artists need management of the top or should they wait?     GF:   It’s always great to have a team together of people that care about you.  Find someone who cares about you First…as a person, then build, grow and stay with them.  Some of the most successful artists have been with their managers from the beginning.     YK:  What is the standard percentage rate for a manager?     GF:   The standard percentage rate is 20%.  I’ve seen some try 25% …but 20% is standard.   YK:  What overall advice would you give to everyone trying to do what we’re doing? GF:   Just stay true to yourself and true to your craft.  Cross your T’s, dot you I’s before you address a cat like me.  If you’re not ready, I’ll give you constructive criticism but others will not give you a second chance.  So take your time and do it right.  I would never tell someone to stop perusing their dreams.     YK:  If someone out there believes that they’re ready to see you, how can they reach you?     GF:  They can email their mp3s or links to gflowers@mbkentertainment.com  and though it may take me two weeks to a month to get back to you…I listen to everything.  If you want the truth…talk to me.  I’m not a dream-killer but I’ma give you the truth…and that’s what it is. And now onto the readers:   YO Kangol, as a new artist, what are some common misconceptions that you or other new artists may have or will run into?? Terry J. Orlando, Fl   Yo Terry, One of the biggest misconceptions for new artists is their need to ignore the word “Business”.  This is exactly what it’s called…The Music Business.  Allow me to me introduce you to the real world of CNN.    As an artist you become a product and your name becomes a brand.  As an individual, you also become an employer while your homies (your hypeman, road manager, security, dancers….and those other ten dudes that do nothing) become employees.  The check that pays them will have your name on it in bold print.  That makes YOU a Company.  You will experience greater success the minute you realize that you are not just a rapper…You’re a Businessman.       Yo Kangol, For a bunch a dudes starting at the bottom with no money and just tryin’ to get the material out there, do you think it’s fair for someone to draw up a contract along the lines of “no matter what the track or album does monetarily at this stage, everybody pitched in their part without thinking of any financial gain?    So there should be no financial gain initially, up until a major deal has struck.”?  I’m a writer and I write for other artists. This R&B singer is going to use one of my songs for his projects. We all at the ground level starting out. I’m not looking for any compensation b/c we all tryin’ to make it together. but yo, if there was a major deal […]

Welcome to my new advice column, which is designed to guide the misguided aspiring artists and/or future entertainment moguls.  Twice a month Ima hit you with industry knowledge, wisdom… and if you’re hard-headed… I might have to hit you with a written ass-whoopin’.    Why my low tolerance you ask?    Simply put, the industry has changed and a lot of y’all haven’t gotten the memo.    Not to mention, there are things that haven’t changed, and yet you all pretend some new law was written.  Well, that stops today.   This “Yo Kangol” column will introduce you to the people you should know as well as the questions you should ask. Anyway, you ready?  Aiight, Let us begin.   Allow me to introduce one of the key playaz in the game today.This dude is the glue that holds Alicia Key’s camp of artists, musicians and writers together.  Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for my dude, Mr. G. Flowers YK:  How did you get started in this business?   GF:  I started as a musician.  I’ve played the guitar since the young age of 7 with my older brother who played the keyboards and bass, and my younger brother who plays the drums.    We performed together throughout our school years covering Top 40 songs and other genres of music.  Also, my father and grandfather played guitar, so music was imbedded in us.  Years later I became the manager for my brothers and partnered with my account Bert Padell who intentionally gave me a desk in a hallway.    He said in two months I would thank him for placing my desk there.  He was right.  That placement allowed me to meet everyone I needed to meet which led me to meet Alicia’s manager Jeff Robinson and later my brothers and I became her band   YK:  What advice would you give to someone who is as talented as you and are trying to get recognized?     GF:  It’s a totally different business now.  The days of walking in a demo tape are over because of the internet.  Some artists think it’s all about having a page up.  There’s more to it.  You can have a myspace page but if people don’t know where to find you…they’re not gonna come looking for you.  You have to promote and market yourself.  My motto is: “Build your fan, one fan at a time.  Be passionate…love what you do and the money will come.”      YK:  Do you suggest to that those promoting on myspace copyright their material?     GF:  You should always copyright your songs.  For those that can’t afford the proper way, there’s the poor man’s copyright in which you mail the song to yourself and never open the package.  There is nothing you can do if someone steals your song which was never copyrighted.     YK:  Do these artists need management of the top or should they wait?     GF:   It’s always great to have a team together of people that care about you.  Find someone who cares about you First…as a person, then build, grow and stay with them.  Some of the most successful artists have been with their managers from the beginning.     YK:  What is the standard percentage rate for a manager?     GF:   The standard percentage rate is 20%.  I’ve seen some try 25% …but 20% is standard.   YK:  What overall advice would you give to everyone trying to do what we’re doing? GF:   Just stay true to yourself and true to your craft.  Cross your T’s, dot you I’s before you address a cat like me.  If you’re not ready, I’ll give you constructive criticism but others will not give you a second chance.  So take your time and do it right.  I would never tell someone to stop perusing their dreams.     YK:  If someone out there believes that they’re ready to see you, how can they reach you?     GF:  They can email their mp3s or links to gflowers@mbkentertainment.com  and though it may take me two weeks to a month to get back to you…I listen to everything.  If you want the truth…talk to me.  I’m not a dream-killer but I’ma give you the truth…and that’s what it is. And now onto the readers:   YO Kangol, as a new artist, what are some common misconceptions that you or other new artists may have or will run into?? Terry J. Orlando, Fl   Yo Terry, One of the biggest misconceptions for new artists is their need to ignore the word “Business”.  This is exactly what it’s called…The Music Business.  Allow me to me introduce you to the real world of CNN.    As an artist you become a product and your name becomes a brand.  As an individual, you also become an employer while your homies (your hypeman, road manager, security, dancers….and those other ten dudes that do nothing) become employees.  The check that pays them will have your name on it in bold print.  That makes YOU a Company.  You will experience greater success the minute you realize that you are not just a rapper…You’re a Businessman.       Yo Kangol, For a bunch a dudes starting at the bottom with no money and just tryin’ to get the material out there, do you think it’s fair for someone to draw up a contract along the lines of “no matter what the track or album does monetarily at this stage, everybody pitched in their part without thinking of any financial gain?    So there should be no financial gain initially, up until a major deal has struck.”?  I’m a writer and I write for other artists. This R&B singer is going to use one of my songs for his projects. We all at the ground level starting out. I’m not looking for any compensation b/c we all tryin’ to make it together. but yo, if there was a major deal […]

Mosley Battles Mayorga on HBO 9/27 “Sugar” Shane Mosley (44-5, 37 KOs) is set to battle wild-swinging Nicaraguan Ricardo Mayorga (29-6-1, 23 KOs) in a free bout featuring two of the more recognizable names in the sport. Mosley is returning to the ring after a 10 month layoff due to a proposed May fight with Zab Judah being canceled. Despite not being in the ring since November 2007, Shane’s stock remains strong because of his competitive losing effort against Miguel Cotto. For Mayorga, his appeal never rested in his pound for pound ranking or competition, but with his off-color antics in and outside the ring. Since losing the undisputed welterweight title in his first defense back in 2003, Mayorga has gone 3-2. Those fights include two beatdowns to Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya, and an entertaining points win over a shot Fernando Vargas last year. Sans Vernon Forrest, Mayorga has been outclassed by every elite fighter he’s shared the ring with. This Saturday’s fight with Mosley should be no different, as Shane will have a marked speed and skill advantage, not to mention an iron chin to withstand El Matador’s inevitable haymakers. Expect Shane to shrug off an occasional bomb and destroy Mayorga on the inside with hooks to the body and head. Mosley’s not a big puncher, so Mayorga should be able to hang around and give fans their money’s worth before succumbing around the 8th round. This is nothing more than a showcase bout so be wary of overrating Mosley based on how fantastic he looks against such a limited opponent. On the undercard, rising welterweight star Andre Berto (22-0, 19 KOs) defends his WBC crown against scrappy Steve Forbes (33-6, 9 KOs) for the WBC welterweight title. The light-hitting, undersized but fearless Forbes has his work cut out for him, but showed in a losing effort against Oscar De La Hoya in May that he can hang with a much larger and skilled opponent. While Berto will miss a lot due to Forbes’ defensive skill, “Two-Pound” won’t have enough pop to make his younger foe pay for his mistakes and keep him honest. The likely result will be a clear Berto decision win setting up a clash with Shane Mosley for early next year. Paul Williams Fights Live 9/25 on Versus Network After mopping the floor with Carlos Quintana in their June rematch, Paul Williams faced a dilemma; every top ten welterweight refused a fight with him. Newly crowned champ Antonio Margarito first expressed plans to fight Joshua Clottey in November, turning down a proposed $4 million offer for Williams’ camp. Suddenly, Margarito then decided to take off the rest of the year to recuperate from his war with Miguel Cotto in July. Cotto, who was knocked out in that July bout, is still licking his wounds and obviously wouldn’t take such a dangerous comeback fight against the Punisher. And unfortunately for Williams, the remaining top ten either refused (Cintron), are tied up (Mosley, Berto), or couldn’t be booked at such a last minute (Clottey). So instead of waiting, Williams is making a leap to middleweight to face fringe contender Andy Kolle (17-1, 12 KOs) this Thursday at 9PM on the Versus network. Harking back to the 40’s and 50’s were fighters would fight regularly every month, Williams plans to take another, more high-profile bout on one of the bigger networks in November. By doing this, he keeps his name out there and builds credibility from 147 to 160 lbs. “I’m not upset I’m not fighting a big name,” Williams explained to maxboxing.com this past Sunday (September 21). “Bottom line is, the guys with the big names didn’t want it. So we’re not going to sit around and wait for them and say, okay, we’ll fight them when they’re ready. No, we’re going to keep moving.” Although Kolle is relatively unknown and had a decision loss to super-middleweight contender Andre Ward back in 2006, the fight does pose some risk. Williams is a light hitter even at welterweight, let alone jumping two weight classes to middleweight, where he has not fought since 2001. Even so, the Punisher’s willingness to take the risk is admirable, and here’s hoping more big name fighters take notice of his initiative. Felix Trinidad Says Hopkins is Afraid of Rematch, Calls Out De La Hoya Former welterweight kingpin and middleweight titlist Felix Trinidad is once again making noise about returning to the ring in 2009. The past prime but still popular Trinidad was easily disposed of by equally faded Roy Jones in January, but that hasn’t stopped Tito from issuing challenges as if we’re back in 2001. Speaking with Spanish paper El Nuevo Dia, Trinidad stated “I want to fight Hopkins, but he won’t give me a rematch because he is afraid to face me. I’ll possibly have two more fights in 2009, [the second] against Oscar De La Hoya.” Rumbling of a rematch with De La Hoya have been ongoing for nearly 10 years, and at this point I doubt even the mainstream public cares much at this point. Regarding Hopkins, it’s not crazy to believe the lower punch output but higher foul dealing Executioner of today would beat up Tito worse than he did in their 2001 encounter. Since it appears Trinidad may have suffered a little amnesia regarding that fight, here’s a reminder. Trinidad vs. Hopkins Rounds 10-12 Throwback of the Week: The Best Knockouts of the Last 30 Years In actuality this chilling highlight reel relies more on footage from the 80s and 90s, but you’ll still get the point. Relive some best knockouts in recent memory to a great Hip-Hop soundtrack. Some of the featured KOs include: Gatti vs. Gamache Norris vs. Mugabi Mercer vs. Morrison Jackson vs. Graham Donaire vs. Darchinyan Ruddock vs. Dokes Hearns vs. Duran Hearns vs. Cuevas Green vs. Codrington

What’s up my dudes and welcome to another edition of the Sickest Sundays you heard thus far.  Been a long week. For all those who missed it, AllHipHop’s Social Lounge was very productive.  Low on drama, and high on execution.  Shout out to Mayor Corey Booker, all the panelists and the audience.  Special shout to the George Bush fan.  You started out so credible then it all went down hill.  Ah well, win some lose some.First up to bat, Travis Barker and DJ AM.  To keep you up to speed they both survived Friday’s accident with burns but no breaks and are presently in critical but stable condition.  Our prayers go out to them, and the families of the deceased passengers and flight crew.  To honor Barker’s relationship with Hip-Hop, here’s a lil’ taste of the Fix Your Face mixtape.  Flavor. FIX YOUR FACENow that we’ve saluted, it’s time to take it to the gutter.  This next joint comes straight from your man Bigaveli Max B going in on former homey Jim Jones.  Lot of innuendo going on in this record. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether its fire or not.  I’ve heard better disses but I’ve certainly heard worse.  Let’s keep this on wax gentlemen. max xclu – Max BNext up we got underrated producer The Alchemist with heavyweights Snoop Dogg, Jay to the mwah, and my man Pusha T going in on a minimally constructed sinister rythm.  I like it but there could have been more energy in this one. Lose Your Life – The Alchemist feat. Jadakiss, Snoop Dogg and Pusha TNow  in the flavor of gullyness we have a throwback  a couple years to one of the hardest singles of all time.  Nas was fresh off bodying Hov and was sitting firm with the title and instead of going for the flash he went for the gutter.  It gets no more Hip-Hop than “Apache” and Nas took that genetic makeup and just took it to the mud. Fix your face Made You Look – NasSolange- I Told You SoI don’t usually ride with the underdog, but I’m riding with this one.  If not for her big sister who shall remain nameless, I think people would give her a chance.  She doesn’t try to follow in the footsteps and I find that it goes left and is honest music.  I bought the album.  You should too. Thumbs up. I Told You So – Solange KnowlesT.I. ft. BoB & Ludacris – Top Of The World  Ok back to the hood again.  TI & Luda recently got back on good graces and dropped a joint.  To me it was lackluster and I think they knew it cause now they back with a lil’ B.O.B. on the side and it’s pure fire.  Compare this to the last joint and tell me it’s not a big improvement. Shout to the homies from Yo! Magazine for this one. Yo! Raps Magazine | AUDIO: T.I. ft. BoB & Ludacris – Top Of The World – T.I.   ************************************************************* OT Rick Ross Freestyles.    On his grind for the remainder of ’08,  it seems that no controversy can stop his momentum.  Some of these rhymes are weak. Some are legit. Your choice. Enjoy, see you next week. Rick Ross Freestyles

The Best NFL franchise…period ESPN.com’s Page 2 ranked the best NFL franchises…period.  The top 10 teams are:   Dallas CowboysPittsburgh SteelersSan Francisco 49ersMiami DolphinsDenver BroncosOakland RaidersMinnesota VikingsWashington RedskinsSt. Louis RamsNew England Patriots   So, do you agree or disagree with theses rankings? Discuss. You can read the entire article by clicking here. Click here to go to the Cheap Seats section of the Ill Community to vote on it.   ALLHipHop’s NFL Game of the Week for Week 4 Poll Answers ALLHipHop’s NFL Game of the Week for Week 3 Sunday, 9/21/08, 4pm Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA   When I started typing up this week’s picks, the Cowboy/Packer game was in the lead for Game of the Week. Then something told me to take one more look. Lo and behold, the tide changed and now, the Steelers/ Eagles game became this week’s match-up.   It’s the battle for bragging rights in the Keystone State. The Steelers are ranked 4th in total defense while the Eagles are ranked 3rd in total offense. This game will be a battle and I got …wait for it…the Eagles for the win.    I know the Steelers are the better team on paper, but after watching the Monday Night Game versus the Cowboys, the Eagles look like they can hang with the best teams in the league. As long as they stay away from the mental mistakes, they can beat the Steelers at home.   My Pick: Eagles   Sunday 9/21/08 1 pm games   Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at Atlanta Falcons (1-1) Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA   Brodie Croyle, out (right shoulder injury). Damon Huard, out (head and neck injury). In steps Tyler Thigpen. Who? That’s exactly my point. I’d rather have Pigpen from Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang at QB before I have Thigpen.   The league’s 31st rushing defense (Chiefs) will square off against the league’s 2nd ranked rushing offense (Falcons). Good luck with that Herm Edwards. Can you say “coach on the hot seat?”   My Pick: Falcons   Oakland Raiders (1-1) at Buffalo Bills (2-0) Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, NY   Did anyone know that the Bills’ defense is currently ranked 5th in the league? Neither did I, you learn something new every day.    The Bills’ offense is a little overwhelming for the Raiders and their 18th rank defense. After last week’s rushing performance from the Raiders, look for them to go to the ground game again.  This is game will be a battle of the running backs and whichever team runs the ball well, and throws the ball well, and will win the game.  The running game will open up the passing game for the winning team.    If the Bills can get Marshawn Lynch going and open up the passing game against the Raiders’ not so strong secondary, they have this game in the bag.   My Pick: Bills   Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) at Chicago Bears (1-1) Soldier Field, Chicago, IL   Tampa’s offense is ranked 12th in the league and the Bears, who have surprised me lately, are ranked 6th in total defense.  The Bears’ offense is ranked 24th in the league while the Bucs’ defense is ranked 23rd.     The Bucs’ seem to have the numbers on their side, but the Bears defense has been consistent and with the young Matt Forte running the ball, the Bears have the edge in my eyes.   My Pick: Bears   Houston Texans (0-1) at Tennessee Titans (2-0) LP Field, Nashville, TN   The Texans were off last week due to Hurricane Ike. I know the Titans are the better team on paper, but the Texans are coming into Tennessee with their fans on their minds.  This game won’t just be a win in the record books for the Texans; it will also be a win for their fans recovering from Ike.   My Pick: Texans   Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) at New York Giants (2-0) Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ   The Bengals are ranked 29th in total offense, the Giants are ranked 3rd in total defense.  Plus the Giants have a solid offense while the Bengals have no defense at all. You do the math.   My Pick: Giants   Carolina Panthers (1-1) at Minnesota Vikings (0-2) Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN   Apparently the Vikes felt they weren’t getting the most out of QB Tarvaris Jackson. So head coach Brad Childress has opted to start veteran QB, Gus Frerotte to get the offense going.  Why mess with a good thing?    Look, I know the Vikings haven’t started the season off on the right foot (0-2) but look at it like this; you basically have the same offense you had last year and you added WR Bernard Berrian in the off-season to get stronger.  You got Jared Allen in a trade during the 2008 draft to strengthen your defense. Jackson was hurt for most of the preseason and missed a few reps, so he’s gonna be rusty.  Plus, the play calling has been very conservative in the past two games and you’ve run the hell out of Adrian Peterson.   If this Jackson is going to be your future QB, he’s going to have to play, bottom line. If he screws up, he screws up.  The organization decided to make him the starter, they need to deal with it. Confusion at the QB spot is not a good look. Maybe it will work out for them, maybe it won’t. We’ll have to wait and see.  For now, I can’t have faith in a team that switches up their QB only in the 3rd week, and the switch isn’t injury related.   If you’re gonna have issues at the QB spot, maybe you should look elsewhere for a new QB…or a new job at the end of the season.   My Pick: Panthers   Miami Dolphins ()-2) at New England Patriots (2-0) Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA   “If it’s not Tom Brady, it […]

This was a tumultuous week in US and global capital markets, with the investment banking industry taking major blows with the fall of Lehman Brothers and the weakness of Morgan Stanley.With three of the five investment banking pillars crumbling (the above two along with Bear Sterns) the remaining two, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan were left with questions of whether they were strong enough to support this market.The calamity is so powerful that it forced the presidential candidates to switch from rhetoric to actually having to confront what is probably the most relevant issue in this election.The fundamentals of the US economy are not strong presently, and the arguments of Senator McCain to the contrary, once delusional, now border on laughable. On the other side, Senator Obama’s generalities will be forced into implicitness as voters are now in need of answers rather than hope.Along with the investment banking sector, AIG the world’s largest insurer, began to cave under the pressure of its mortgage backed security holdings, and required a very expensive bailout.  Stocks yo-yo’d all week on the NYSE: down 504 points, up 141, down 449, up again.  And then the cherry on top, Washington Mutual, the largest Savings & Loan bank in the U.S. was putting itself up for sale. Wachovia and Morgan Stanley sought to merge and bolster each other.The United States was not alone in its misery as the Russians halted trading on their exchange to mitigate the carnage and Tokyo’s NIKKEI took a bloodbath.  With government bailouts and all of this news flying left and right, you may be wondering what it means to you.  Well my friends, poor people don’t care, because they aren’t paying for anything anyway.  Rich people don’t really have to care that much unless they have very foolish representation.  That leaves the brunt of these bailouts and fallouts on the backs of the middle class.In the economy nothing exists in a vacuum and your 401k, or any retirement plan is affected by violence in the markets as they are generally managed by people who have your money exposed to the market in mutual funds.  Depending on your fund objectives you could have been exposed to certain amounts of risk, especially if your funds are holding large amounts of real estate related stocks and REITS. Consider yourself blessed by your gods if you have a position in gold or other precious commodities, as a flight to quality (investing in things that retain value and are not as exposed to negative conditions) sent gold up $70 an ounce, including a one day bounce of 11% which was the biggest single day rise ever.On a human level if you’re a bar owner in the financial district, your happy hours are decidedly less packed, if populated at all.  If you are a diner in the area, the loss of 10,000 bodies can’t be good for business.  Ditto for taxi and limo services.  If you live in a place like Charlotte, a secondary financial city, you may be facing job market competition from migrating New Yorkers.As a Hip-Hop citizen, no one is probably directing these warnings to you.  We are certainly a consumption driven culture.  I’m warning you now. Park that Hummer. Save your money. If you have the power to change the investment direction of your funds then you should seriously look at funds that focus on preservation of capital and metals.  Do your home work, but don’t stand there blind while your retirement erodes.You shouldn’t really worry about the money you have in banks.  They are insured by the FDIC up to $100,000 per account.  If you have more than that amount in one account then you should spread that out. Remove it intelligently.  If you remove a ton of money at once it sends red flags, and if you remove it in recurring intervals you give the appearance of money laundering. Be mindful that in times like this they don’t want runs on the banks, so you may not be able to move large money with ease.On the other hand this may be the opportunity to get into the market as it has fallen roughly 75-80% of its October 2007 value.  Be careful because while the market has been trading in a range, we don’t actually know where the bottom is.  You’re not smarter than the market.  No one is.  Don’t be a cowboy.The Great Depression set the table and forged the steel that formed the “greatest generation.” As American youth, and global citizens this is our opportunity to take the lead in this ongoing fiscal crisis and make an indelible mark on our world and modern history.We are a culture ahead of the curve  technology wise, and uniquely positioned to come out of this stronger than ever and focused on the issues that face us today, including the global economic crisis, global warming, growing military activity, and the energy crisis.Educate yourselves. Do not wait for the wolves to knock. Get involved politically on local, municipal, state, and national levels.  People are making decisions concerning our lives, and they won’t even be around to see the consequences.  We will be.  So will our children.  Hold them accountable to you and yours. Be progressive. We have an election in less than two months and there are over 7 million Black people who could be registered to vote but aren’t. Get off your a#### and into the booth. Good day and good luck.

In terms of mass media popularity, Batman and Spider-man (with apologies to Superman) have taken their icon status of the 20th century and truly forged ahead in the new millennium to take advantage of modern culture.  Each is known for operating in the gritty metropolitan landscape, with Batman holding court in mythical Gotham while Spider-man swings from skyscraper to skyscraper in New York City.After years of red tape and legal proceedings, Spider-man finally hit the  big screen with amazing success breaking records and reintroducing the masses to hard luck Peter Parker.  Spider-man had enjoyed numerous versions of cartoons, and a 70s live action show, but had limited movie movement until then.On the flip side, Batman has always enjoyed success coming up on 70 years through radio serials, the campy t.v. show of the 60’s, numerous incarnations as a cartoon, and a slew of major motion pictures beginning with 1989’s “Batman.” Until the recent reboot however, Batman had fallen on hard times in the box office.Now that both are paying huge dividends on the big screen, these two icons will be doing battle on yoru computers and video game consoles.  Here are some shots from  Spidermans upcoming joint Web Of Shadows (Activision on PlayStation 2, PC, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS):Spider-man surveying the city from the rooftopSpidey getting hemmed up by VenomWolverine riding shotgun during the symbiote invasionWhat happens to you when the symbiotes take over.  Nasty StuffNot to be outdone, the caped crusader has a joint coming out called Batman: Arkham Asylum (Available On: Xbox 360, PC), named after the not-so-secure insane asylum that they send all of Batman’s criminals…yet they always end up out on the streets in a couple months.  EnjoyWarm and sunny Arkham AsylumKiller Croc led in under tight security.  Not a very happy camper.It ain’t a Batman game without the Joker.  R.I.P Heath LedgerBatman about to run up onsome punk Poll Answers

Marquez Wins Linear Title with 11th Round Stoppage, Forrest Gets Revenge   Juan Manuel Marquez made an emphatic statement last Saturday (September 13) in his first lightweight fight, outsmarting a focused Joel Casamayor to win the linear RING title.   As a former feather and super-featherweight titlist, Marquez was cautious early on about exchanging with the naturally larger and sharp counterpunching Casamayor.   In rounds one and two, Casamayor utilized stinging left counters to the head and body that kept the challenger at bay offensively.   That trend continued in rounds three and four as Marquez continued to struggle with Casamayor’s awkward stick and move style.Defensively, Casamayor was superb in these early rounds by forcing the normally accurate Marquez to miss with feints, upper body movement, and footwork. Due to this, the future Mexican Hall of Famer had to abandon his excellent combination punching in hopes of landing eye-catching single shots.   The gamble paid off in round five as Juan Manuel found a rhythm behind his favorite weapon, the right hand.   As Casamayor slowed down slightly, Marquez was able to strafe him with repeated right counters to the face which helped open up a cut above the champion’s right eye.   Marquez maintained a slight advantage in the middle rounds as Casamayor was now tiring and lunging forward with his attacks. This finally allowed the challenger to land combinations on the inside and further debilitate Casamayor.   Moving towards the decisive championship rounds, Marquez asserted complete control with rattling hook combinations to the body and head. While game, Casamayor was finding himself being countered three times in return for every punch he threw.With the fight close due to Casamayor’s early lead, Marquez stormed out for the eleventh round determined not to let the judges decide his fate and see a repeat of the second Pacquiao fight.  He forced hard exchanges throughout the round, and finally caught Casamayor with a perfect overhand right counter on the inside with less than a minute remaining.   The Cuban stumbled and crashed on the sit of his pants, shocked from the speed and accuracy of the shot. Ever the warrior, Casamayor made it up quickly but remained disoriented from the punch.   Marquez immediately rained in with punches that knocked Casamayor into the ropes. Another pinpoint right hand dropped him to end matters with just five seconds left in the round.   The exciting win puts Marquez among the elite lightweights in the division, but does not make him the undisputed champ until he settles matters with the man who holds the majority of the titles, Nate Campbell.   And although Marquez would be willing to fight Campbell, it’s likely he’ll look for a more lucrative showdown with fellow Mexican star Juan Diaz.   On the undercard, former undisputed champion Vernon Forrest redeemed his abysmal performance against Sergio Mora by totally outclassing his younger foe in their rematch.   Unlike the first fight, Forrest throughout the bout kept Mora at the end of his jab and right hand to cruise to lopsided scores of 119-108, 118-109, and 117-110. In the early rounds, Mora was confined to sporadic offensive outburst as he was wary of Forrest’s right hand. Also not helping was Forrest’s repeated clubbing body shots that served the Atlanta native well down the stretch. In the seventh, Forrest caught a reckless Mora with a cracking uppercut that was ruled a knockdown after Mora fell into the ropes.   The latter rounds did not change Mora’s luck, as he ate numerous overhand rights and stiff jabs to close out his evening.   Afterward, Mora blamed his listless performance on coming in overweight at 156 pounds and having to drop two pounds in a vigorous late workout to make weight.   With the win, Vernon Forrest regains the 154 pound WBC title and improves to 41-3, 29 KOs. Sergio Mora suffers his first loss and falls to 21-1-1, 5 KOs.   Joan Guzman Fails to Make Weight, Cancels Bout   The other exciting lightweight bout from last Saturday was not meant to be, due to challenger Joan Guzman failing to make weight and pulling out of his WBA, IBF, and WBO title bout with champion Nate Campbell.   Guzman reportedly came into camp weighing 166 pounds, well exceeding the 135 pound lightweight limit. There are also rumors that Guzman did not sufficiently train during the last few crucial weeks to get his body in fighting shape.   At the weigh in, Guzman came in at nearly 139 pounds and was given two hours to shed the weight.   Unfortunately, less than two hours before the Showtime telecast Guzman called off the fight, stating he was coughing up blood and on doctor’s orders felt he could not fight without endangering his life.   Expect Guzman to be heavily fined and suspended for his actions. I don’t begrudge him for not fighting (the last thing boxing needs is someone else killed in the ring), but it’s completely unacceptable if the rumors of him slacking off in training are true.     Still, Joan Guzman should be allowed to give his side before the boxing community crucifies him.   Nate Campbell feels no blame can be put on him, as he was willing to go ahead and face Guzman at whatever weight he could make.   “I did all that I could to make it happen,” a disappointed Campbell stated shortly after the cancellation was made public. “I said I’d fight him no matter what he’d weigh in at. At the end of the day, I thought it was important to me to make the fight stay together.”   Stay tuned for more on the fallout of this story next week.   Timothy Bradley Steps Up, Dominates Edner Cherry   Formerly the undercard, titlist Timothy Bradley and Edner Cherry found themselves thrust into the Showtime main event for the WBC 140 pound title. Bradley was unfazed, and outboxed the limited by dangerous Cherry to retain his title. […]

Apologies for the two week layoff, but Barack Obama and the return of the Ill Community took time away but back to work.Peedi Crack (sorry that Peedi Peedi name is trash) dropped an bomb over an old school beat.  I don’t know if this is gonna get any traction but i think it’s a cool merging of old and new   For those that didn’t know, AllHipHop has been releasing fire mixtapes over the past year.  Volume’s I and II of the Ill Community Mixtape have been critical successes, and we had arguably the best American Gangster remix album last year. Now comes AllHipHop: Go Hard to top off AllHipHop Week and the return of the Ill Community. Here’s a couple joints.  First up, a couple stars from AllHipHop Canada Week collab as Bishop Brigante and JD Era get with Wayne’s favorite inspiration Drake on “Shorty Grindin’”     I don’t know what you thought, but Canada is coming fully loaded.   Next up, your man Meek Millz (Hold your head) and the remix to “In My Bag”     Q-Tip-Gettin’ Up This new Q-Tip joint is off his new album. Man this gives you the feeling of ATCQ at it’s best but without sounding dated.  I love this joint right here. Been listening all weekend.  You know what to do. Kill it or Chill it. I give it the thumbs up.   DJ Khaled Feat. Nas-I’m On We don’t usually get to hear Nas spazz out on some whatever s**t much anymore, but he just demolished this joint. Good to hear him go faster on the flow tip and not have to worry baout a message or some higher meaning.  He’s one of, if not the best to ever do it.   Now to make it way more gully, shout out to Kardinal Offishal for finally dropping and putting the hammer down on this joint with the Clipse that pretty much destroys anything on that Re-up album. If you not up on him then you lost. Shout to Akon.     Now On -The Willows These guys kinda sound mid 90s but they do sound good.  A little smoothed out and retro.  I like it.  Probably wouldn’t BUMP it but it’s cool for an mp3 player joint   ************************************************************* Throw Back Session   Before all that Makavelli stuff and the Death Row posturing, ‘Pac was really getting it in.  On this 12th anniversary of his passing, gotta shout out a couple of his best joints to me. Str8 Ballin’ No chorus, not for show, I don’t even know if this was a single but he did his thing.  This was off the THUG Life album.  As a whole it was crap out side of this and stay true   So Many Tears I think whenever people talk about Pac and how good he was, they must be referring to songs like this where he emits emotional tumult and really brings you into his world.  The harmonica from Stevie’s “That Girl” helps  guide the tone.   ************************************************************ WTF Song of the Week Love Lockdown Kanye really did it this time.  Just when you thought it couldn’t go further left…. IMO this is garbage. At least Snoop’s “Sexual Eruption” didn’t take itself seriously.  You can tell that ‘Ye is dead ass serious..and this will unfortunately be a hit and the same people crying about how dead Hip-Hop is and how wack the new rappers are, will be apologists for this and say that he’s just being different. Roger Troutman is dead. Peter Frampton retired.  They should bury the vocoder before anyone else gets the dumb idea that that’s a great thing to use. So soft ‘Ye had to smack up a photographer to get his swagger back.   I gotta get some good Kanye music to clean this up   That’s it for this week my dudes. Welcome back IC members. Tell the boys(and girls) it’s time to come home. Peace.  Gonna leave you with a lil bit of wonder.