OtherGround Hip-Hop: Spread the Word

Kanye bites Pete Rock, Jay-Z and Sean Bell, Nick Canon = Tupac? and more....

Billboard previews Invincible new album by Common...
"A special eight-song preview last night (April 29) reveals that Common's upcoming eighth album, Invincible Summer, is shaping up to be an electro-tinged departure from the MC's previous lyric-driven albums..."

John Legend previews new album too...

Kanye has a spinning studio...[video]

Nick Cannon = Tupac...

Jay-Z act on Sean Bell verdict...
Webisode of Rocawear's "I Will Not Lose" campaign feature Nichole Bell...[video]

Pete Rock vs. Kanye West...
Unkut: There was an interview that Kanye West did in Scratch magazine where he was talking about ‘I’ll sample drums off a Pete Rock instrumental if they’re open’. That was kinda funny to me.

Pete Rock: I believe it! I hear my snares out there, and I’m like ‘Wow, that’s *****in’ crazy, man!’ I feel like that’s lazy shit. You obviously don’t love it as much as I do, because for you to not go out there and find it on your own…you’ll find so much if you just take the time out to go dig, man. We do all the hard work so y’all can just snatch our records up and listen for open snares and kicks? That’s some wack shit. I respect cats that come with their own sound [via illroots]...

Full Unkut interview here...

Ton o' new music from the likes of J. Dilla and Al Green and some videos too...

Kanye's song for Jay Dilla, Crooked I and Jay-Z, 9-1-1 is a Joke...

"This album is incredible..."

New (old) Kanye track for J. Dilla...
"I made this beat in 2001, of course right after "Takeover"...we were havin' problems clearing the Doors sample so I made this version originally 4 Big Bro Hov..."

Presidential candidates and their rap counterparts...
Someone spent a lot of time putting this together. Romney / Vanilla Ice...

100 12'' singles, a little something for the DJs...

Gang Starr, UMCs, Main Source, speaking of reissues...

New Music videos:
Busta Rhymes - "Don't Touch Me"...[video]
Busta Rhymes feat. Linkin Park - "We Made It"...[video]

Black Thought's Rap City freestyle...[video]

New Music:
T.I. - "No Matter What"...[audio/download]

The Game - "9-1-1 is a Joke"...[audio/download] via Inversehiphop
The story behind the track...
More context from his site: “I’m going to use my voice to talk to my people. When I say ‘my people’, I don’t mean just black people—I mean all people. I mean American people...Using freedom of speech to whoever will listen to me, I’m gonna make it happen for Sean Bell [and his family] because I believe he was done injustice and he was done wrong...”

Be sure to check out the F*** the police compilation after the bump...

Pharoahe Monche - "Broken Heart"...[audio/download]

The Roots feat. Dice Raw and Wahud Ahmad - "Grand Return"...[audio/download]

Akrobatik - "Soul Glo"...[audio]
"If you're feeling hip-hop say word..!"

Crooked I and Jay-Z Mixtape: Reserved for them Bosses and more...

ProV responds to Hov and Lebron, Andre 3000 Mixtape, Album releases, and more...

ProVerb of DC responds back to LeBron and Hov with "ProV PSA"...[audio/download]

"Pro, he's one of the young greats/ going at Jay with a flow he helped create/...It's like David vs. Goliath/ So let me see what happens when I aim this at a giant..."

I have to be honest, I've never heard of ProV, but the diss track isn't all that bad as the attention-seeker snuggles up the media fanfare surrounding DeShawn and LeBron. It could be that Just Blaze production but his lines are fairly clever. I highly highly doubt Jay will ever respond or even acknowledge the dude but can't knock him for trying. That being said, it is a shameless media stunt capitalizing on a feud that doesn't involve him aside from the fact that he lives in a region relatively close to the sports team indirectly involved. ProV has a good point though, DeShawn isn't a rapper, so why get Jay involved? Big homie watching out for the Youngin' that's cool, but DeShawn is a ball player. "Dribble the ball OR draw lyrics..."

The only other interesting aspect of the LeBron/DeShawn story (besides Jigga's freestyle)...

DJ Premiere to produce a track for Luda's upcoming LP Theatre of the Mind...
Ludacris, and prominent hip/hop producer DJ Premier came to Toronto this month and recorded/produced tracks at Cherry Beach Sound for the upcoming record, Theater of the Mind slated for release late this year under Disturbing tha Peace. Also attending the sessions was producer and multi-instrumentalist, Rich Nice, who has worked on records by LL Cool J, KRS-One, Ice Cube, Nas, Foxy Brown, and Mary J. Blige"...[CherryBeach]

The Game dedicates "911 Is a Joke" to Sean Bell...
The Game speaks out against police brutality and the recent Sean Bell verdict on the new track '911 is a Joke,' which the rap star will premiere on his new website ThisizGame.com. "I'm outraged and speaking out for my generation that are afraid to speak out against police brutality and murder..."

The Roots vs. Def Jam...
?uestlove: "At a time, it was safe to be the Roots...Now as each album goes by, the risk of annihilation becomes closer and closer. That's why this album is almost our defining moment." The album opens and closes with snippets from a 1994 conversation the group held regarding their unhappiness at MCA. Thompson told Billboard the drops were included to show their current struggles at Def Jam aren't the first time The Roots have "been mired in some sort of label battle." Latest album releases...[Prohiphop.com]

9th Wonder & Buckshot - The Formula
Baby D - A-Town Secret Weapon
Bake Up Boyz - Fresh Out Da Kitchen
Blue Sky Black Death - Late Night Cinema
Dizzee Rascal - Maths+English
Fresh I.E. - Lockjaw [Import]
L.I.F.E. Long - Longevity, Vol. 1.5
Lil Mama - VYP: Voice of the Young People
MJG: Pimp Tight
OG Ron C & DJ Khaled - I'm So Hood
Randam Luck - Conspiracy of Silence
Ransom - Street Cinema
The Roots - Rising Down
Soundtrack - How She Move
Soundtrack & DVD - Soldier Ink
Y-Love - This Is Babylon
Yo Gotti - Feed The Streets: Special Delivery

Why NYOIL is right for challenging Nas...[via DaveyD.com]
"This is a debate over a word that has been connected to the murder, lynching, rape and torture of black people all over the world..."

Andre 3000 mixtape download, and more...

Jay-Z v. DeShawn, Jean Grae retires, Immortal feat. Pac and more...

LeBron: "Me replying to Deshawn Stevenson would be like Jay-Z responding to a negative comment from Soulja Boy — it doesn’t make sense..."
Jay-Z freestyle over "Blow the Whistle," straight to the Wizards' head for the playoffs...[audio/download]
Diss song was played at a club that the Wizards frequent...[developing]
Game 4: Cleveland 100, Washington 97

"Graffiti is energy...it's f---in' energy..."

GTA4 reviews are flowing in...
IGN: 10/10 "It's been nearly a decade since IGN game a game a 10/10..."
GameTrailers: 9.8/10
Demo here...[video]

Sean Bell (unarmed) was killed by police in NYC in November of 2006 - he was coming back from his bachelor party; to be married the next day. The officers that shot him were acquited a couple of days ago. Talib and Nas discuss the situation amongst others...?uestlove calls for rioting...
On BET of all places...[video]

Atmosphere - If Life Gives you Lemons, Paint that sh** Gold...[album review]
"Don’t let the airy intro...lead you to think the album is soft, cause once those drums kick in on “Puppets” you’ll remember what the deal is. Slug...sounds completely different than he ever has on quite a few songs...

Jean Grae retires...

Pete Rock to release instrumental version of latest album...

Tracklist + Interview, Al Green, Immortal Tech feat. Tupac and more after the jump...

Jam Master Jay Murder suspect sentenced, The Roots, Slug and more...

Jam Master Jay murder suspect sentenced...
A man federal officials believe was involved in the murder of Hip-Hop legend Jam Master Jay, was sentenced yesterday to 17 years in prison for unrelated robbery charges...If the government had a case, they’d bring it...The reality is, they have no idea...

First peek at The Roots' Rising Down...[download link]
"The Legendary Roots Crew is back with yet another offering of their soulful-yet-heavy delivery. Following in the dark tones of 2006's Game Theory, Rising Down is a collage of lush and deep soundscapes I have yet to fully appreciate. Like much of The Roots' catalog, Rising Down seems like the kind of album worth listening to over and over again to get the real feel of the record..."

Hip-Hop movie night: Rhyme and Reason feat. Dr. Dre, Ice-T, Fugees, etc...[watch]
Props to Hip-Hop Is Read for this and the above...

My friend called me to brag about this one...[watch]
Raekwon, Murs, De La Soul, Tribe for a secret concert at Hip Kitty in Claremont, CA... Big up to the Five Cs!

Nas - "War is Necessary" snippet...[listen]
"Whatever kind of flack Nas gets for the song, it's done it's job. Only out a day, the song has sparked controversy and spawned talk between critics and media alike..."
That's HHE talking about this song right here...

"Wow, that song is not that good people. It boggles the mind that 183,000 people (not to mention however many people had copped it before last week) would pay money for that track. Especially when all you have to do is type this into Google...[via NahRight]"

Slug deploys his storytelling abilities...
"Since blitzing the subterranean rap establishment circa 2000, Atmosphere has followed a basic boom-bap formula: Ant lays catchy guitar and drum-spun beats; Slug spills observations and emotions over them. On their new disc, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That S--- Gold..."

Downloads and new tracks after the break...

New Mariah Carey, Ice Cube, Rock the Bells Lineup, Bun B, more...

Mariah Carey feat Jay-Z and JD - "Bye, Bye"...[audio/download]

Bun B - "That's Gangsta" feat. Sean Kingston...[video]

Rock the Bells...
Lineup includes: Rakim, Pharcyde, Tribe Called Quest...

Ice Cube's new track "It Takes a Nation"...[audio/download]

25 Worst rappers of all time...
"Here are the 25 Worst Rappers of All-Time. We might have a 26th to add if Bill Cosby gets his act together and releases the "rap" album he threatens..."

Jadakiss - "From Now Til Then" produced by the Alchemist...[audio/download]

Immortal Technique is releasing a new album in 2008!
Here's a preview...

KRS One will have a 'stop the violence' track with over 50 emcees rapping on it...This one features Rakaa of Dilated, The Game, Busta Rhymes, Red & Meth, etc...
"Self Construction," shortened version...[audio/download]

Talib Kweli speaks on a video circulating the web where he is about to throw down w/ the sound man at a concert [includes video]...
"As I'm doin 'Get By,' the sound man is on the mic talking to me while I'm performing like, 'you gotta end, you gotta end.' A clear level of disrespect," Kweli said. "If I had been another type of artist he wouldn't have done that. He just did it cause I'm just some n*gga rappin'..."

Nas - "Be a N****r Too"...[audio]

The 11 most unintentionally gay rap lyrics ever...
50 Cent: "I read somewhere I'm homophobic, shiiiiit. Go through the hood, there's mad n****s on my d**k."

If Hip-Hop is dead, do we have to bury it...
Blame technology...don't blame the South...

Hip-Hop's biggest starts to be outed...
"The former MTV executive will soon release Hiding In Hip-Hop, which will allegedly expose the genre’s biggest homos..."

Curtis Mayfield disses Soulja Boy...

Akon lied about prison record...
Is any of this sounding like something familiar to you?
Hillary: "I was under fire when we landed" - no you didn't
Kerry: "I was in Vietnam on the Swift Boats." - no, that wasn't quite true either
Bush: "I won the election." And so it goes...

Jay-Z interview, Mos Def talks new album, Common freestyles and more...

Buck Shot and 9th Wonder feat. Talib Kweli - "Hold it Down"...[video]

Common freestyles on stage...[video]

Great Jay-Z interview, a lot of stuff about I him hadn't heard before...[video]
"I was coming to the studio, before my aritsts last year... showing up early [that work ethic] is just one piece of it. I worked technically at the skill of writing. New flows, different styles, things like that. Couple that with the neighborhood growing up, real life experiences...Artistically, I wanted to tell my story, tell it one time and that was it, I thought I would retire after the first album. Then I fell in love with it, and when you love something, you never want to take advantage of it. I was releasing albums every forth quarter, a really frantic release schedule; and I never wanted to get to a point where I was just doing it to do it...There are so many things going on in these artists' lives that have nothing to do with the charts...Roc-A-Wear started with three sewing machines, we had no idea what we were doing..."

The Coup is back...

Mos Def talks new album and previews a new joint "Pretty Dancer"...[video]

Gnarls Barkely reverses their entire album into a single 39min track. Kinda strange but everything is worth at least one listen...

Fresh Rhymes and Videotape tour details...

Lil' Wayne interview in which "He gives vague, obnoxious answers to simple questions, goes on about how he is music and talks about Jae Millz and that time he battled Ness."...[video]
Cost of a guest feature: $75k-$100k, "I wouldn't do a song for my sister for less than $75,000."

Young Buck's response to 50...

Obama brushes off his shoulders...
Just getting his swag back...

50 Cent bashes Alicia Keys for her comments on 'Blender'...
Blender: "We stand by our story..."
50 Cent: "If she don't like that, (then) I don't like that classical music s--- she be doing. At some point she's playing some s--- that don't relate to me. … We listen to it and try to figure out why people actually enjoy it. I am trying to enjoy it. That statement changes my perception of Alicia Keys totally. But the magazine is standing behind it, which means they probably have a tape of her in conversation saying it. It's just not really a bright comment anyway..."

Linkin Park will join Busta Rhymes in shooting the video for the first single off of Busta's new album...[developing]

Kanye's Glow in the Dark tour kicks off in Seattle...
Here's some footage from the show...

Downloads and videos...

Alicia Keys misquoted...

Alicia Keys disappointed about 'Blender' magazine quotes...
Keys: "I feel that I wasn't a hundred per cent clear on what I was saying and so, because of that, it got slightly misinterpreted, and somehow it got misinterpreted that I was saying that the government was creating gangsta rap - and that's not what I was saying...what I was saying was that the term gangsta rap was so over sloganised during that time... That's what I was trying to talk about..."

Bill Cosby squashed all ideas that he, at 70 years old, would be rockin' the mic...
Rather, he explained that he has guest rappers providing the rhymes. "I do not rap on any of these things, ...I wouldn't know how to fix my mouth to say some of the words..."

Slug (Atmosphere) interview with Art of Rhyme...
"Every record that we make is like an example of where we are today. Album-wise it's really full because we were able to get the most out of every single...Lyrically it's a step away from past stuff. It's more a narrative type of story. It's fictional..."

Beyonce calling it quits after next album...
Plans to spend her days scouting talent for new hubby Jay-Z's upcoming label, The Carter Music Group.

Termanology and Statik Selektah interview at SXSW in Austin...
"People sleep on Pun. For one he's Latin..."

TheOG will be going to this tonight at Hollywood Bowl...
Yeah we know, we'd be jealous too...
Live footage of the duo performing "You're Welcome"...

Hilarious video: Wu-Tang Office...[video]

**More Audio and Video**

Wu-Tang - "The Heart Gently Weeps" feat. Erykah Badu...[video]
Philly's AEON remixes Badu's "Honey"...[audio]
Ya Boy - "100 Bars of Death"...[video]
B Real - "Freestyle 101"...[video]
Playaz Circle feat. Phonte of Little Brother - "Paper Chaser" and "We Workin'"...[video]
"As previously stated, I f****in' LOVE this beat and hook. Smooth as f**k..."

Mos-Def and Kanye Freestyling, Jay-Z = Black Caesar...

Eminem tells stories of his troubled past...
"The hurricane of shock and horror that would soon start blowing in from the high seas of political correctness was still a ways off when we went up to Detroit to talk to Eminem in the late winter of 1999..."

Jay-Z is Black Caesar featuring Biggie, ODB, Lupe, Jadakiss, T.I. and more...[download]

Mos-Def is on another level but it must have been great to be there to see this...[video]
"This is hip-hop..."

Timbaland to the rescue...
Timbaland to Kanye: "The reason it's not hitting in the clubs...let me tell you why..."

Remember these dudes...
And if you don't, here are some downloads so you can educate yourselves because the Arsonists were pretty dope...

New Roots video feat. Patrick Stump titled "Birthday Girl" ...[video]
Oh, and it has adult film star Sasha Grey in it too...[NSFW video]

I tried to let you know about Lupe, Del, and De La Soul being at USC on a Friday post, but in case you missed it, you can be sad about it here:
"Kick Push"...[video] Lupe was actually rockin' a skateboard on stage for this one
A review of the show...
As a hip-hop head, I thought the show was dope. Aceyalone KILLED it, as did the others but here's the Trojan's perspective: "Some audience members booed and threw objects at the stage, which made the concert host threaten to shut down the concert if anything else was thrown onstage." - A capella at a hip-hop show? Bad move...
"Paris, Tokyo" music video...
More details on Lupe leaving the game after his 3rd LP...

A dope project titled "Diggin' with Nina Simone" is available for download...part 2...
This is a great find for anyone that loves her music or just likes to dig for samples. I personally am a big fan. My personal favorite? "Funkier than a Mosquito's Tweeter," break all day to that...

The same guys at HHIR bring you Myspace Mondays; a way to get a glimpse at some of the best talent on Myspace...this week, it's SoulKlap...

Crooked I - "Burner in My Lap"...[audio/download] via 2dopeboyz...

Gnarls Barkley performing "Run" on live on SNL...[video]
"Ridiculously dope, that's all I have to say about that..."

Seriously though, when are you guys going to find out about Inverse...

The Game releases The Street King, movie-inspired mixtape with new and old cuts...[download]

Soulja Boy and Boyz II Men...[video]
"I belong to YOUUUUU!"...comedy...

Get ready for the Roots and more news...

Lupe has claimed his third album will be the last but some people are not convinced...
"I don't want to say I'm 100 percent sure, like, 'Yeah, this is it.' But 85 percent," he added, in reference to his future album plans. "That 15 percent is the X factor. That could be bills. Like, 'Lupe, you got to pay the bills.' 'Oh, man, I got to put out another album'. "

P&G creates new venture with Dupri...
Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble is getting into the hip-hop business by launching a record label with Island Def Jam Music Group...

Kanye: My mother's death changed me...
"While people chase money I pursue happiness. So many people talk about their investments or how much money they have but there's so many rich people who spend a lot of that trying to buy a piece of happiness."

T.I. speaks about his arrest...
"I've probably lost about $10 to $12 million dollars," stated T.I. in the interview. After laughing a bit T.I. adds "Sometimes you laugh to keep from crying. But you know, I'm blessed to be able to be out here to make $10 to $12 [million] more. Especially considering I brought this all on myself. So you know — minimal injury. Maximum lesson learned."

Wyclef: Hopefully the Fugees will happen again someday...

The Roots new album coming this month...
?uestlove: "[Rising Down] is the most incendiary, political album of our career to date.”

Along with Termanology's Nature Sound...

Push. Money of broads, you got it...
"People was poor before the hurricane came/
But the down pour poured is like when Mary J. sang..."

Skillz drops "Sick" produced by Kwame [audio]... This track is SICK.