Guess Who's Bizack!

I've been workin' hard instead of hardly working at my job so I've been absent from the blog scene. Luckily my project has came to an end so I'm here ready to knock these bloggers off their back.
While I was gone the Chris Brown and Rihanna fight received the most press and controversy so far this year, and the 50 and Rick Ross beef escalated and it still continues today (yawn at both of those). Unfortunately I was too busy to post on those, but they've been the topic on every blog/music site.
I'm back now so stay tuned for the latest and greatest in hip hop and other ill things.

- Peace

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300 Posts & Bloggin' + My 10 Favorite Blogs

Its my 300th post and I wanted to take the time out again and thank all of my readers. Whether you check my site daily, pass thru occasionally, or new to my blog, keep checkin me out and know your views and comments are appreciated. Remember to keep spreading the word, voting on the polls, and posting comments keeping Hip Hop AD active. Also feel free to shoot me a suggestion or two to my email at l_the_hustla@yahoo.com. Hit up the full story to peep 10 of my favorite blogs that I wrote and let me know which ones you felt should've made the list.

Peace,
Laurence Holmes
Hip Hop AD est. '08


10 Of My Favorite Blogs (so far)

Of course I wanted to include more, but here are ten of my favorite blogs I've put together in order by date. I handpicked these joints myself so make sure you check these out!

Nas Untitled Album Review

Post Date: July 21 '08
I've never written a full album review until now. With Nas being one of my all time favorites, I felt it would be a great start to begin my legacy by reviewing the controversial Untitled album.

CNN Black In America

Post Date: July 25 '08
Last Summer CNN aired Black In America, a documentary about the lives of African Americans and what we experience in school, the job market, and in our households. Along with the full documentary, I included my thoughts on the footage.

Polls is Talkin': Song of the Summer

Post Date: Sept. 1 '08
The Summer is typically filled with hot music and more club oriented tracks. With so much music being dropped in the course of three months, I decided to narrow it down to the best song of the Summer. I posted a poll as to what is the song of the Summer, and the winner was "A Millie". The artwork I created makes it one of my favorites automatically. I also view this blog as a time capsule of the Summer of 2008.

I Went to the MTV VMA's!

Post Date: Sept. 8 '08
This past September, I attended the 2008 VMA's at Paramount Studios. I was in the presence of numerous celebrities and I witnessed the awards ceremony live. It's only write I had to blog about my experience.

Common & NERD Concert

Post Date: Sept. 15 '08
In the amazing month of September, one of the many things I did was hit up the Common and NERD concert at The Wiltern out here in LA. The show was dope and it featured the latest and the greatest from two of hip hop's most innovative artist. My boy Bart got to rock with NERD and Common even shouted me out in a freestyle.

Girls, Girls, Girls: Chick of the Week - Dania Ramirez
Post Date: Sept. 29 '08
Ever since I saw the Spike Lee Joint, She Hate Me, I was hooked. Then when she appeared on NBC's Heroes, she went up in my book. If you've been sleeping on the beautiful Dania Ramirez, make sure you check out this blog.

My 16 Gets Published in KING Magazine

Post Date: Oct. 13 '08
Anyone who knows me personally knows that I have a way with putting rhymes together. Apparently KING Magazine recognizes the writing talent and decided to publish one of my 16's (for the third time) in the October issue. I was honored to win and it brought me one step closer to my dream of making it.

Old Generation vs. New Generation

Post Date: Oct. 20 '08
Since '08 there's been a new wave of hip hop artists. The emergence of new artists gained recognition from XXL Magazine with their three-cover issue introducing the new hip hop acts to the world. With the issue hitting newsstands, it caused me to compare today's newbies to the 90's newbies.

20 Hip Hop Covers Redone Via Lego

Post Date: Dec. 11 '08
Coming up I loved Lego's and music. What would be iller than redoing classic hip hop album covers with Legos? The covers bring back memories and are also humorous and creative.

Seeing is Believing: My Top 10 Videos of 2008

Post Date: Dec. 27 '08
Ever since I was a young'n I loved music videos because they bring the songs to life and can also be artistic. Over the past couple of years, music videos have became cliche and started losing their artistic appeal. Therefore, I put together my ten favorite music videos of '08 which I felt kept the art form alive.

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250 Post and Blogging... + My 10 Visited Blogs!

This is my 250th post, and I wanted to take the time out and thank all of my readers. I appreciate all the positive recognition and props, and I ask that you keep the support comin'. Don't be afraid to drop a line on my blogs and voice your opinion, I love feedback. Keep checking back daily for the latest and greatest in hip hop. Click the full story to peep my 10 most visited blogs. The results are quite interesting and you'll never guess what number 1 is!

* Click the blog titles to view the actual blog

10. Mixtape Madness: Lil Wayne - The Drought is Over 6

Lil Wayne's current mixtape is heating up the mixtape circuit and also the 10th most visited blog on this here site.

9. Mixtape Madness: Clipse - Road Till the Casket Drops


After one week of being uploaded, the Clipse latest mixtape is the ninth visited blog. Make sure you check this joint out!


8. Album Review: Q-Tip - The Renaissance

The Renaissance is one of my favorite and most slept on albums of 2008. The vibe, production, and overall music sounds excellent. Don't believe me? Listen to the album and read the review.


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

In September I attended the Common & N.E.R.D. concert at the Wiltern. Being one of the best shows I've been to, it's only right that I upped my thoughts, posted pics and even video's from this show. Shout out to my nigga Bart doing his thang on stage with N.E.R.D.


6. Album Review: Ludacris - Theater of the Mind

Ludacris' sixth LP Theater of the Mind was one of this years most anticipated release. The movie themed album has the most features on a Ludacris album to date, with appearances ranging from Jay-z to Jamie Foxx. The question is, did it live up to the hype?

5. NearClassics: Clipse - Lord Willin'

Lord Willin' was my first NearClassics entry. Me being the nostalgic guy that I am, I felt the need to express my love for slept-on and timeless albums. Lord Willin' was my first since it's over half a decade and and still in heavy rotation. One of the best produced albums of the new millennium.

4. NextUp: KiD CuDi

Ever heard "Day N Night"? Newcomer Kid Cudi emerged out the nowhere with this breakout joint that even got swagger jacked by Jim Jones. Kid Cudi is original to say the least, and his innovative style of music earned him a spot at GOOD Music. Make sure you check out his mixtape A Kid Named Cudi.

3. Album Review: Kanye West - 808's & Heartbreak

Kanye's fourth album which caught many people off guard. While Kanye's choice of music was the topic of discussion this time around, many people wondered if the auto-tuned album will be as good as his first three albums.

2. Dope or Nope 11/19: New Weezy

My blog on Lil' Wayne's experimental track "Hot Revolver". Being at number two on my most visited blog list, it's obvious that this wasn't a typical track. Unfortunately Blogger deleted this blog for "violation purposes"...I hate when they do that.


1. Girls, Girls, Girls: Chick of the Week 8/11 - Santogold

Apparently I'm not the only one who finds Santogold attractive in her own way. Surprisingly this is my most visited blog, getting almost ten visits on a daily basis. Santogold's buzz is growing by the day after being featured on MTV's Artist to Watch and her recent Hov feature "Brooklyn (Go Hard)".

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This Months KING Magazine Features 16 Bars From..

Me, myself & I. Every issue of KING Magazine, they have a contest on who can pen the best 16 summarizing the previous issue. I came thru with a dope 16 about Hoopz (the cover girl), Teirra Mari, fashion, and many other things that were covered in the previous issue. Big ups to the good peoples of KING Magazine for selecting me and acknowledging my talents. I am greatly appreciated! This marks my 3rd victory of the "Gotta Win" column, congrats to myself.

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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

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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

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2008 VMA Experience Via Laurence Holmes

I was honored to be a seat filler for the 2008 VMA's! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics due to the strict rules of no cams. Someone tried to sneak a pic outside and the coordinators went hard on 'em, and we weren't even inside the building. Here's my experience...

I started off sitting next to Slash, the famous Guns N' Roses guitarist. I was amazed at all the celebs pouring in and the hollywood ambiance. Then Lupe Fiasco walks in, slaps the five and sits right in front of me. I had a quick convo with Lupe about his upcoming "LupEnd" album which is rumored to be the finale. I tried to convince him in a matter of time that he can't leave rap alone the game needs him!

Shortly after, Fall Out Boy, Pete Wentz & his chick Ashley Simpson sat around me. Real down to Earth, humble cats and I was even told that my fit was on point. Being a seat filler you have to keep it moving on the coordinators request. So after Lil Wayne & T-Pain's playing tag performance, I had to raise up. Eventually I moved even closer to the front where I met Weezy and shook hands with dude and I was greeted with the blood handshake.

I'm starting to think I have a celeb look-a-like! Fatman Scoop was walking, minding his own, then he approached me asking "whats good with you man!". Later on when I was moved (yet again), D. Woods from Danity Kane made eye contact with me and waved hi with a big grin on her face...made me wonder. Later I was placed in front of the lovely Pussycat Dolls. I couldn't keep my eyes off the fine ass lead singer Nicole Scherzinger but I didn't eye her to the point where it looked like I was buggin' out. As I left I bumped into McLovin from Superbad, and one of his boys saw me and gave me a look of recognition and spoke...again, I got to have a look-a-like out there.

In conclusion, I had a blast like I did last year. I met a slew of amazing people, made some new homies (shout to those Pomona cats), and enjoyed the show. I definitely found the experience inspirational and helped me envision myself appearing at more awards ceremonies or star studded events. I guarantee this won't be the last, so get used to seeing me!

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My 100th Post!

This is my 100th post, and I wanted to take the time out to say Thank You! Thanks to all those who have given me suggestions, props, and feedback on my page. I promise to continue dropping the latest news, music, videos, etc. If my promise is broken it's only because I exceeded my audiences expectations and brought more than I promised. There are tons of posts to come and my ear is always open for feedback, and I possess enough confidence to learn from criticism if it were handed to me. Keep spreading the word on this site!

Stay in tune. Stay focused. Stay blessed.

Thanx,
Management

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CNN's Black In America

I'm glad I was able to find the full video @ World Star HipHop (major props for that). So I'm uppin' it here in case you missed it.
On Wednesday and Thursday, CNN aired a special documentary titled "Black In America". The 4 hour documentary examines the lives of African American's and shows the struggles we experience with family, the school system, getting good jobs, and our portrayal in the media. I recommend that all my people check it out and read my thoughts at the bottom.

Day 1: The Black Woman & Family pt. 1

pt. 2


Day 2: The Black Man


My interpretation: I feel the documentary covered various issues that many of us are aware of, and it also spread awareness to those who are uninformed about some of the struggles we face. Black In America started in the perfect order by covering the black family and woman. Hence the family is your foundation to many things in life, that's where issues are created. For example, growing up without a Father may lead to problems when developing a boy to a man and a girl to a woman. For young boys, we need a Father to introduce us to how to provide for your family, treat a woman, and possess strength and masculinity. Without a Father, it may result for young men to seek acceptance from older male family members and friends, develop certain thoughts and ideas about women, lack guidance, and become easily influenced by other guys.
For women, growing up without a father, it may result to them falling for older guys with bad intent, developing a negative view on males, and failure to understand men in general. As much as boys and girls need a father in their life, we need a Mother to ensure parental equilibrium. The moral of this story is to mold a child to an adult successfully, it starts from the home and family.
The second part of BiA covers what black males evolve into which is a black man. As we go through life, we face problems obtaining a good education which leads to the challenge of getting a decent job. In poverty stricken communities, many students are not focused on education because they develop an impatience and are eager to escape their harsh life of low income. Some teachers figure since the students have a careless attitude, why should they care? Black in America also mentioned the high dropout rate amongst African Americans, but it's up to us to stick it through and complete our curriculum to prepare us for the future and grant us with education. Though they may provide us with outdated books and insufficient information, we have resources such as the internet and libraries to help educate ourselves.
Black in America also touched on how successful black Americans are criticized by their peers and are labeled a sellout if they work in corporate America. It's blasphemous for blacks to receive any type of criticism due to their success. Labeling someone a sell-out/Uncle Tom because of success is not only a slap in the face for the person being insulted but to the black race in general. Corporate success is an honor and it provides hope to our peers. Take it from somebody who works in it now.
In conclusion, Black in America provided statistics about dropout rates, employment, and many other negative stats. It's up to use to stay on the positive side of the those statistics. There's hope out there for all minorities but it won't come easy. Hard work and patience is the key to success and I feel no one is born to fail. While we are in the middle of making progress we have to tune out the materialism and ignore our image in the media. Instead of being brainwashed into thinking you need chains, rims, and cars for acceptance; just view that as your goal for things you will accomplish once you're established. It may be hard being black in America, but that doesn't mean living a successful life is impossible.

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100 Grand Opening!

What up world!

This is the grand opening of my blog page titled Hip Hop A.D. (big ups to Uch Da God for the name).

Hip Hop A.D. is made to keep fans informed on whats going on in our genre of music. We will feature news, reviews, videos, streamed music and more. Aside from hip hop, we will keep you posted on everything from women, sports, video games, movies, politics, and so on. The page will be updated on a daily to weekly basis, so peep the site frequently and feel free to leave comments and feedback. Enjoy the blogs, you are watching a genius at work.

A little about myself, I'm an avid hip hop fan who has dreams of making it into the industry. Whether it's being a writer, talent scout, or artist; I feel I have the potential to make it. I often get suggestions that I should venture into journalism, and all I'm doing is sticking to the advice I've been getting. I currently work for Sony Pictures Entertainment as an Computer Instructor. I kick knowledge to Sony employees on Photoshop (note: I do all of my own artwork), MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Project, and Word), and more. Feel free to check my Myspace to get to know me from a more personal perspective.

www.myspace.com/LTheHustla

...Move with the movement

Peace,

Laurence Holmes

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