Hip Hop Blogs

Killer Mike - "Promise I Will Not Lose"

After Killer Mike announced that he is dropping his next album on his own label and not on Purple Ribbon, his labelmate C-Bone said "One monkey don't stop no show". This song is a response to that comment.

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The way Mike effortlessly murders C-Bone on this track shows that he's a problem. Too bad his respect doesn't stretch outside of the ATL area.

Predictions Update: Ludacris' Beefs with T.I. Again?

Earlier this year I predicted that T.I.'s successful movie and album would put him on a collision course with Ludacris, who's been trying to dominate both those areas himself. Yes, they squashed the first beef, but it's not like they got together and started dancing on tables, like Nas and Jay-Z.

Now Ludacris has leaked a song called "War With God", where he battles an unnamed emcee, a tactic T.I. used on "I'm Talking to You".

Lissssssten:

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Defending Jay-Z's Cristal Statement

I know this topic has been overanalyzed to death, but since everyone is taking the time to espouse their views of the Jay/Cristal beef (which is in my opinion more entertaining than the Jay/Cam beef), I might as well throw in my $0.02. 

I respect everyone's opinion, and all sides have valid points, but we as hip hop are losing sight of how monumental this past week has been.  Jay-Z went with his gut and made a business statement, and the business world at large actually listened.  Intentions and symantics aside, the alleged offender was forced to respond.  This wasn't Jay concocting a media circus press conference or attempting to destroy a brand's credibility in 16 bars.  This wasn't Jay proclaiming he was a politician striving to cure cancer and the problems of inner city education.  This was Jay expressing that he genuinely felt offended and dropping a press release about a business decision.  Notice I used the word business three times in this paragraph.  Jay indirectly reminded naive and reluctant boardroom leaders across all industries that urban consumers are a legitimate market force, against recent accounts that the culture isn't the marketing influence it used to be.  Hip hop heads read The Economist too.

Tru Life Dissing Dipset Video

My people at L.I.F.E. DVD got the exclusive clip of Tru Life dissing Cam'ron and Dipset last week:

Because I'm feeling how L.I.F.E. DVD gets down, I joined the team to help them push this web video movement. Cop the latest DVD - it's crack.

Spotted on eBay: red plastic cup used by Jay-Z

The lead-up to the Radio City show is reaching silly proportions.  I was searching ticket prices on Ebay and came across this: Jay-Z Cup used by jay-Z @ LA concert for Power 106 fm.  Bidding starts at $3.99.

In other news, I have a spare solo ticket to the show in the Orch2 section, email me directly if you're interested.

Grafh - "MySpace Jumpoff" MP3

Grafh, aka your favorite blogger's favorite rapper, just made it cool to flirt with girls online with his new song, "MySpace Jumpoff".

Grafh is a smart dude for making a song that he knew would become the theme music on a bunch of dude's MySpace music players. It also helps that the song is entertaining, with funny lines like, "And I read that text. It said 'something something something something sex' "

According to Gr, the song has blown up so big he's decided to do a remix and video for it. Peep Grafh's MySpace page and look at his 6,000 plus friends potential jumpoffs.

Murder Mook vs Serious Jones Battle Video (Rounds 1-3)

How can anyone say hip-hop is dead when we have fresh dudes like Murder Mook and Serious Jones holding down the battle scene on the street level? Watch their recent battle videos:

Punchlines for days!

Jay-Z orders boycott against Cristal Champaigne

I think Jay is doing the right thing.  Standing up for hip hop.  I bet he's going to declare war on Cristal at Radio City on the 24th.  What do you think?

"In response to comments made by Frederic Rouzaud, the managing director of Louis Roderer Cristal, Jay-Z and his upscale sports lounge, The 40/40 Club, have announced that they will no longer be serving Cristal Champagne and Jay-Z will further help lead the boycott against Cristal Champagne in the world of hip-hop.

Despite loyal patronage by Jay-Z, his clientele, and the entire hip-hop community, Rouzaud said in a special edition of The Economist magazine that the company observes its association with the rap world with "curiosity and serenity." Even though Jay and other rappers continually support the brand by including Cristal in their lyrics, as Jay did in his number 1 hit "Hard Knock Life," Rouzaud has labeled the name-checks as "unwelcome attention." [PR Newswire]

Here is the Economist article in which Mr. Rouzaud disses hip hop patronage.  Stupid, stupid move.  It reminds me of the Tommy Hilfiger rumor about him saying that his clothes weren't meant for African-Americans.  And we all know what happened- the Tommy trend died, FUBU was born and the seeds to the Marc Ecko and Sean John empires were sown.  This time, its not a rumor, and the CEO of hip hop is leading the charge.

Predictions Update: Killer Mike Beefs With Big Boi?

In my notes I have a prediction about Killer Mike getting into beef with Big Boi over the delay of his solo album, and the tanking of Purple's Ribbon's disc, but somehow that paragraph didn't make it into my published predictions for 2006 hip-hop. Oh, well. I'm taking credit for this prediction anyway.

SOHH reports:

"While Killer Mike is still commercially tied to Purple Ribbon, throughout his conversation with SOHH it was clear that his association with Outkast and The Dungeon Family has not been all roses.

"I don't want to be another nameless face in the Dungeon Family," Killer Mike told SOHH exclusively. "I've seen too many come out and get fucked over for whatever reason, like tumbleweeds in the wind. I didn't come up with them, I'm privileged to be associated with them, but I got tired of walking around Atlanta like a sucker. I'm gonna get my due respect too.I'm not saying I'm leaving Purple Ribbon. It's a business arrangement, this isn't about emotional reasoning, this is about business. It takes too much energy to destroy a business relationship."

If you've been following hip-hop long enough, you know this statement by Mike is the seed of a public beef.

Free Summer Hip Hop Shows in New York

Couldn't cop tickets to the Jay-Z concert at Radio City? On the wait list for the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival?  Don't worry, there are a handful of FREE quality hip hop and R&B shows to catch in New York all summer long.  Here's a shortlist:

- Prince featuring Tamar, June 16
- Nelly Furtado, June 22
- Mary J. Blige, June 23
- DJ Cut Chemist, July 2
- Pharrell and Kanye West, August 4
- RJD2 and Lyrics Born, August 10
- Chris Brown, August 11
- Janet Jackson, Sept 29

HERE is the full list of FREE summer events to enjoy in New York, including details on the above performances.  Enjoy.