Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Dope or Nope 9/30: New 50

50 Cent - 50 For President

Looks like Fif is swagger jackin Murs' campaigned theme (Murs For President) with "50 for President". It seems like politics on everyone's mind these days which even has Curtis dropping political music. Overall it's a coo track. Before I Self Destruct will be in stores December 9th.

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Mixtape Madness: New Game, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo & Cassidy Mixtapes

Pardon my slackin, but I've been a busy brotha lately which caused a delay on my mixtape feed. I got a slew of mixtapes from Game & Black Wall Street, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Cassidy. But here's what's hot at the moment, click the full story for download links, artwork and tracklistings.

The Game & Black Wall Street - Black Wall Street Radio 5
New mixtape from The Game & his Black Wall Street crew.



Lloyd Banks - Return of the PLK

Banks has been on the grind lately. I've been seeing exclusives and freestyles all over the net, and now he has an official mixtape, Return of the PLK (I'm assuming PLK stands for PunchLine Killer/King).


Tony Yayo - S.O.D. Mixtape

I can't help but laugh at Yayo's rendition of Ledger's Joker from the Dark Knight. I see G-Unit's back on their mixtape grind



Cassidy - Return of the Hustler


Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Best News I Heard All Day: Jay-z Preps Sequels!

Word to HipHopDX, Jay-z is dropping the highly-anticipated third installment of the Blueprint series, Blueprint 3, on December 2nd (two days before his 39th bday). Blueprint 3 will also feature a sequel to the post-summer smash "S.L.U. (Swagger Like Us)", which will have guest appearances by Young Jeezy, Nas, and the great Andre 3000. I'm definitely looking forward to this track!


Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Girls, Girls, Girls: Chick of the Week 9/29 - Dania Ramirez


Dania Ramirez is a Dominican actress who's bad as hell! If you watch Heroes like myself, then you'll know her as Maya, the Spanish chick who brings a poisonous illness whenever she starts to spaz. Prior to her Heroes appearance, I've been on this chick since Spike Lee's "She Hate Me" where she plays Kerry Washington's wifey "Alex" (that alone makes the joint worth it). She's also appeared in Sopranos, X3, & many others. Click the link below to view more pics. No need to add on, I'll let her beauty do the talkin'.





Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Takin' Em Back - 9/26

Ghostface Killah feat. Raekwon - Apollo Kids

I've been doing this blog thing for a while and I noticed I don't have that many Ghostface Killah posts on here. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge GFK fan. For that, I bring to you the throwback joint of the day, "Apollo Kids" off the superb Supreme Clientele album. Check the jointage!

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Seeing Is Believing 9/25: Via the West Coast

On today's Seeing is Believing post...

Ice Cube & Musiq Soulchild ask "Why Me"?, and Mack 10, Birdman, and G. Malone are "Big Ballers".

Hit up the full story to peep these vids!

New vids from two West Coast vets, Ice Cube & Mack 10!

Ice Cube feat. Musiq - Why Me?

Third single off the critically acclaimed Raw Footage album from Cube.


Mack 10 feat. Birdman & G. Malone - Big Ballers (Remix)

New joint off Mack 10's upcoming album Soft White on Cash Money. If you're from so Cal you know this joint gets heavy airplay.

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Dope or Nope 9/25: More Killa Cam!

Cam'Ron - Still The Reason

More Cam shit off the upcoming Crime Pays LP due this November. My boy Ace is goin' to be all over this. Peep the link!



As Seen On: OnSmash

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Notorious Movie Trailer

New trailer for the upcoming Biggie biopic "Notorious"

What yall think, peep or sleep? If the actors really embody the people they're portraying this will be a good flick. "Notorious" will be in theatres January 16th.

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Best News I Heard All Day: 808's & Heartbreaks Due Out December November!


Fresh from KanyeUniversecity, here's what he had to say about his latest project:
"I CHANGED MY ALBUM TO NOVEMBER SOMETHING CAUSE I FINISHED THE ALBUM AND I FELT LIKE IT.. I WANT YALL TO HEAR IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE"
Props to Ye for that. Givin' the ppl what they want, and proving he's all about the music!

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Born Dayz: Happy Birthday To Me! x My 150th Post!


Today is my born day! 23 years ago history was made. 22 was an excellent and progressive year for me, and 23 will be even better. I can definitely say I've been blessed thus far, and the best is yet to come.
Thanx to all those who came out to the celebration this past Saturday at Sugar. Don't forget to peep the pics on my myspace page.

*Other birthdays:
Jermaine Dupri
Layzie Bone

Peace,
Laurence Holmes Est. 1985

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Dope or Nope 9/23: New Busta & Lupe Joints!

Busta Rhymes feat. Ron Browz - Arab Money

The auto-tune has struck again! Busta hooks up with "Ether" producer Rob Browz for his latest single "Arab Money" off his forthcoming album Back On My Bullshit. Maybe this'll grow on me, but as of right now it's so-so. I liked "Dont Touch Me" much better than this.



Lupe Fiasco feat. Pharrell, Q-tip & Sarah Green - Paris, Tokyo Remix

Kind of late since The Cool has been out since December, but better late than never! The remix features CRS affiliate Pharrell, Q-Tip, and Lupe's frequent hook lady, Sarah Green. Enjoy!



As Seen On: illRoots

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Dope or Nope 9/22: New Murs feat. Snoop

Murs feat. Snoop Dogg & LaToiya Williams - Time is Now


This is a new joint off underground MC Murs upcoming album Murs For President. The presidential-themed project is receiving heavy promotion and is expected to drop September 30th. Murs doo is easily making him highly recognizable. Peep the track.

Click here to listen/download

As Seen On: OnSmash

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Seeing Is Believing 9/22: New Nas, Ne-Yo, R. Kelly, & More Vids!

Nas - Yall My Niggas

New video for "Yall My Niggas" off the controversial album Untitled. I'm liking this video, big ups to Nas for keeping the music and the visuals powerful!

Kids in the Hall feat. Estelle - Love Hangover
Love Hangover - Kidz in the Hall feat Estelle

Second single off The In Crowd. Kidz In The Hall is pretty dope, dont sleep on these dudes!

Ne-Yo feat. Jamie Foxx & Fabolous - She Got Her Own (Miss Independent Remix)

The remix to Ne-Yo's current single "Miss Independent". This joint features Jamie Foxx & Fabolous, nice track & vid.

R. Kelly - Skin

Second single off 12 Play: Fourth Quarter. R. Kelly's latest attempt to get his career back on track. If you missed the BET interview with Kellz, click here.

Ryan Leslie feat. Fabolous & Cassie - Addiction (Alternate Version)

An alternate version of Ryan Leslie's single "Addiction" with Fab & the lovely Cassie. The song is the same, but the video is different, by the way, where is Cassie?

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Girls, Girls, Girls: Chick of the Week 9/22 - Jessica Lucas


I've been on this chick since Cloverfield. Jessica Lucas made the chick of the week, not only because of her sexiness, but her bday is this week (a day after mine to be exact, those Libra women are the best). This bi-racial beauty is definitely slept on, so I felt it was necessary to take the time out to bring your attention to her.



Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Best News I Heard All Day: Travis Barker & DJ Am Expected To Recover


Travis Barker and DJ AM are expected to recover from late Friday's plane crash in South Carolina. The tragic plane crash killed four people with DJ AM and Travis Barker being the only two survivors. The two miraculously survived, suffering second and third degree burns. A tire blowout is under investigation as to why this tragedy occured. God was definitely with them, and keep them in your prayers.

Click here to read the rest of the story

As Seen On: CNN

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Friday, September 19, 2008

Dope or Nope 9/19: New Diddy

Diddy - S.L.P. (Swagger Like Puff)

Yesterday Diddy upped one of his popular "Diddy Blogs" that he posts on a weekly basis. His latest Diddy Blog features his rendition of the post-summer banger "Swagger Like Us", but renamed to "Swagger Like Puff". Check the video below:



A studio version of Diddy's "SLP" has hit the net. Peep the link below.



As Seen on: 2dopeboyz

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

UPDATE: Faizon Love Fires Back At Funk Flex

If you missed the blog yesterday with Funk Flex ethering Kellz about his teenage love, click here. Faizon Love (Friday, 3 Strikes, Don't Be a Menace, etc.) dropped this footage of him telling Funk Flex to mind his own business. Check the vid below:



Seems like the latest fad in the industry is to post controversy via YouTube. I find Faizon's video to be a bit contradicting. He's going at Flex for not minding his own business, but Faizon Love randomly got himself involved in the "controversy". I just call it how I see it.

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Takin' Em Back - 9/19

2pac - Dear Mama

Seeing that I have to swoop my distant Moms from LAX tonight, it's only right that I post this. Some classic Pac for ya!

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Mixtape Madness: Julez Santana Presents Skull Gang

Juelz Santana - Skull Gang Takeover



There's been alot of mixtapes dropping this week and you can now add Juelz' entourage "The Skull Gang" to the list. This mixtape introduces the Skull Gang to the hip hop scene and features appearances from Jim Jones & Lil Wayne.

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

News: Funk Flex Goes In On R. Kelly


Recently R. Kelly sat down with BET to do his first interview since he was found not guilty. What sparked a little bit of controversy is the fact that the Pied Piper was asked if he likes teenage girls, and he responded with "what exactly do you mean by teenage?". Whether he was trying to be funny or not, Funk Flex had some words for him. Check the BET R. Kelly Interview below:


Here's what Funk Flex had to say to Kellz:

Some real talk!

For kicks here's the classic R. Kelly episode from The Boondocks!

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Dope or Nope 9/18: The R&B/Rap Collabo Edition

T-Pain feat. Ludacris - Chopped N Skrewed

The second single off Three Ringz due out November 11th. A nice follow-up to the T-Wayne smash "Can't Believe It".



John Legend feat. Kanye West - It's Over (radio rip)

This has been on the net for a while, I'm a lil late with it. New joint with John Legend & Kanye Troutman off Legend's upcoming Evolver album.



As Seen On: 2dopeboyz

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Mixtape Madness: Charles Hamilton - And Then They Played Dilla



Charles Hamilton pays his respect to J Dilla with his second installment of The Hamiltonization process (click here for part one), a series of 8 mixtapes done in the course of 100 days. The cover is nice, I'm liking how he merged his love for Sonic & J Dilla. Don't sleep on dude!



As seen on: OnSmash

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Dope or Nope 9/16: Love LockDown (The For Real, For Real Version)

Kanye West - Love LockDown (Official)


I upped a blog last night with a word from Kanye's site about "Love LockDown" not being the official version, now the short wait is over. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet but when I do I'll be back with my thoughts. After hearing the official version, I can definitely say its better than the last. This single is from out of left field for Kanye, but it's fresh and innovative. I'm curious to hear how the rest of 808's & Heartbreak will sound. We'll find out December 16th.


As Seen on: illRoots

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Mixtape Madness: New Royce Da 5'9 & Gucci Mane Mixtapes!

Gucci Mane - The Movie Mixtape

Gucci Mane hooks up with Barack O'Drama for his new mixtape "The Movie". It's a rumor going around that Jeezy is salty about this Gucci/Drama collabo.



Royce Da 5'9 - Bar Exam 2

It's a lot of hype behind this new Royce Da 5'9 & Dj Green Lantern mixtape. I've been sleepin' on dude for the longest, but I'm going to give this a listen.

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Polls Is Talkin': The Best Rapper Alive Is...

The people have spoken. Based on a recent poll asking "Who really is the best rapper alive", there still was no answer since the results were all ties. The main three were the two self-proclaimed "best rappers alive", while the other was one of my favorite MC's of all time, Andre 3000. Peep the results below:

1. Andre 3000 - 19% (tie)
2. Jay-z - 19% (tie)
3. Lil Wayne - 19% (tie)

4. Kanye West - 9% (tie)
5. Nas - 9% (tie)
6. Lupe Fiasco - 9% (tie)

*If you aren't feeling the results, do your thing and vote!

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Monday, September 15, 2008

News: More Love LockDown Info


I knew the "mastered/final" version of "Love LockDown" wasn't official. It was just something about it that sounded incomplete. The buzz for this single is undeniable. First it the anticipation of the performance at the VMA's, then the studio version had everyone checking for it daily, now we have yet another version of it to look forward to. This quote is directly from Kanye's Blog:

" Your prayers have been answered!! There's a new version of love Love Lockdown coming. We used new taiko drums and I re-sung it... it's being Mastered now....
Sidebar... if you don't like autotune... too bad cause I love it and have been using it since the College Dropout!!!"
Kanye also uploaded the newer artwork (as shown above) with "perfected type 4 all design snobs lol...". I'm thinking it'll drop sometime this week.

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Dope or Nope 9/15: More Jadakiss!

Jadakiss feat. Ne-Yo - By My Side

Not to be confused with "By Your Side" off of Kiss' sophomore LP. Not sure if this is the first single off the album but it does have mainstream appeal. Peep it.

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Girls, Girls, Girls: Chick of the Week 9/15: Lauren London


No need to explain why this is the chick of the week, I'll let the pics do the talkin'. Lauren London is an actress, video vixen and model whose career is continuing to grow. Not only is she fine, she's also cool as hell. I went to school with her back in the day and she was down to Earth. Check her out in Ne-Yo's latest video "Miss Independent":





Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Common & N.E.R.D. Concert Rap Up!

*this was not taken at the show


I attended the Common & NERD concert on Sept. 14th. It was an entertaining, energetic, and all around dope show. The opening act was Star Trak signee's Chester French. This was my first time hearing these dudes and they definitely have talent.
Afterwards N.E.R.D. starting things off with one of my favorite tracks on their current release Seeing Sounds, "Anti-Matter".
The crowd remained hyped while they performed numerous cuts off Fly or Die(Maybe), In Search Of...(Brain, Run to the Sun), and more off of Seeing Sounds (Everyone Nose, Sooner or Later). Eventually N.E.R.D. let their fans on stage to rock with em (unfortunately I was too late but its all good). My boy Ant (shouts out to my nigga Ant, I see u boy!) even got up there (the dude in the blk fit)! Check out the vid below.


Next up was the main act, Common using a bar/nightclub theme for his segment of the show.
Common got things started with his current single "Announcement" off his upcoming LP Universal Mind Control (originally titled "Invincible Summer").

While Common's personality off the mic is laid back and chill, he is one of the most livest, hype performers I've seen. Check the footage below of Common breakin' during his performance with Pharrell of his second single "Universal Mind Control":

He performed the numerous songs off his upcoming album, and greatest from his discography; including I Used To Love HER, The Corner, The Light, The People, and many more. He also paid homage to some of his favorite artists including Nas by performing "NY State of Mind", but to keep the content exclusive, he did "Cali State of Mind". Speaking of exclusive, he brought out Will.I.Am and the rapped an exclusive freestyle and I got it all on tape. Common even shouted me out at 3:15! Big ups to Common for that, check the vid below:
Common then wrapped up his performance by dropping "Gladiator", a joint off his new album with a triumphant vibe to it. In conclusion, it was an excellent and exciting show. The Common & NERD concert was the perfect blend of live instruments, alternative music, and pure hip hop. From start to finish it was never a dull moment. If you weren't in attendance, you definitely missed a great show! Check out a couple of flicks and footage below:
Common performing The Food




Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

50 Mocks Love LockDown



At a recent show, funnyman 50 Cent mocked Kanye West by "delivering his new single" which turned out to be Kanye's "Love LockDown"; the much talked about new single from Kanye's upcoming "808's & Heartbreak" album. Fif claims "when you stop fuckin' with him, that's what you stuck with" while the audience screamed "Fuck Kanye!" 50 also announced the release date for his fourth album "Before I Self Destruct" which set to drop December 9th; a week before from Kanye's. It's easy to tell when G-Unit affiliated release is on the way when the beef and taunting starts. Looks like 50 is trying to stir up some early controversy to build up to his new release (yawns). Kanye Vs. 50 Cent again?

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

R.I.P. 2pac (1971-1996)


I find it hard to believe it's been 12 years from today since we lost the legendary Tupac Shakur. Though he is not here he lives eternally thru his music. We will forever remember Pac's music, impact, and legacy. Check one of my favorite Pac joints below:

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Dope or Nope 9/13: New Scarface!

Scarface - Forgot About Me feat. Lil' Wayne & Bun-B

New Scarface with Lil Wayne, now known as "Featuring Lil Wayne", and Houston homie Bun-B. Dope track off Face's upcoming album Emeritus.

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Takin' Em Back - 9/12

LL Cool J feat. Method Man and Redman, and DMX - 4,3,2,1

Since LL dropped an album this week it reminded me of one of my favorite joints ever. Two reasons why this song is so sick; one, it introduced DMX to the hip hop world, and the second is it sparked the beef with LL and Canibus. Originally Canibus had a line referring to LL's mic tatt, LL took offense to it and went in on Canibus on his verse. Canibus rewrote his verse excluding the LL line, but LL kept his verse he wrote causing LL to diss Canibus on the same track they appeared on.



I had to throw in the remix which featured Methodman and Redman, DMX, Canibus, and Master P!

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Kanye West - Love LockDown (Mastered Version)

Kanye West - Love LockDown (Mastered)


The "mastered" version is finally here. It sounds the exact same as the one that leaked a couple of days ago. But here it is...

Click here to listen/download Love LockDown (Mastered)

Click Here to Peep the Full Story!