Dame Dash Responds To Funk Flex's 'Blackballed' Comments (@FunkFlex @DuskoPoppington)

Funkmaster Flex and Dame Dash's debate over the hip hop industry continues with Dash's recent reply to the DJs 'blackballed' comments has appeared on the net.

In a brief interview with Hip Hop Motivation, Dash speaks on never working with people like Lyor Cohen and what it means to be blackballed.

"Can anybody hire me? How can I be blackballed?" he said. "So what does that mean? Of course a guy like Flex that has a job probably heard that 'Nobody would ever hire me, so that can mean blackballed in his mind, but to someone else it could mean 'Yes, no one could ever hire Damon.' There's not enough money in the world for me to work for Lyor Cohen or any one of those lames. I would never let a nerd tell me what to do."

See the rest on the interview above.

YMCMB Announces "Drake vs. Lil Wayne" Tour (@drake, @liltunechi)

Looks like YMCMB will be hitting the road Street Fighter style, as Weezy and Drizzy have named their tour "Drake vs. Lil Wayne" including a logo stylized after the popular video game franchise.

The 2 music heavyweights will head out this fall, beginning August 8th, and make stops in 31 cities across the country, including Atlanta, LA, Dallas, San Francisco and more.

Citi cardmembers can cop tickets as soon as June 17th, while the rest of the public will be able to find tix on Livenation.com starting June 20th. Check out the tour stops below.

Aug. 08 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center

Aug. 09 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center

Aug. 10 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

Aug. 12 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Aug. 13 Hartford, CT XFINITY Theatre

Aug. 15 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center

Aug. 16 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre

Aug. 17 Burgettstown, PA First Niagara Pavilion

Aug. 19 Forest Hills, NY Forest Hills Tennis Stadium

Aug. 21 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center

Aug. 25 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center

Aug. 26 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center

Aug. 27 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach

Aug. 29 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live

Aug. 30 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion

Aug. 31 Atlanta, GA Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood

Sept. 03 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre

Sept. 04 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

Sept. 06 Austin, TX Austin360 Amphitheater

Sept. 07 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion

Sept. 10 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Sept. 11 West Valley City, UT USANA Amphitheatre

Sept. 13 Ridgefield, WA Sleep Country Amphitheatre

Sept. 14 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre

Sept. 16 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre

Sept. 17 Wheatland, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre

Sept. 19 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Sept. 20 Chula Vista, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre

Sept. 22 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl

Sept. 25 Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion

Sept. 27 Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Source: hiphop-n-more.com

Shyne Comments on 50 Cent/Slowbucks Chain Drama on IG (@OriginalShyne @Slowbucks_TV)

Shyne has shared his thoughts on the issues between 50 Cent and Slowbucks.

Last week, the rapper posted a few photo on Instagram along with a few jokes on the incident.

After Slowbucks' press conference was misconstrued as him exposing the person who stole his chain, Shyne posted a meme making a joke of the debacle. He captioned the photo as, "Twilight Zone...GTFOH."

He also included an old photo of himself with the caption, "Let me get this straight....they took his kilo chain, his Daytona, the bands in his pocket, kicked him down the stairs in front of his girl & nobody died????? F#%^ing rappers! GTFOH"

Check out his posts above. What do you think of his comments?

Twitter Roasts Mario Chalmers With #PGsBetterThanChalmers Trend

The San Antonio Spurs are currently leading the NBA Championship series 2-1 against the Miami Heat. Game 3 of the series left much to be desired from Miami, with the Spurs hitting 19 of their first 21 shots and gaining a 25-point lead before halftime that sustained them 'til the last buzzer.

One key problem has been point guard Mario Chalmers' game, or lack thereof, according to Twitter. The PG has been all but absent these last 3 games and social media is calling him out for it.

Check out some of the hilarious slides above of the hashtag #PGsBetterThanChalmers.

Kiely Williams Goes Nude for "Be You" Anti-Bullying Campaign (@JRyanL)

Former Cheetah Girl Kiely Williams took it all off to promote the anti-bullying campaign "Be You" founded by public relations giant J Ryan La Cour.

Williams' former fellow Cheetah Girl Adrienne Bailon also appears in the campaign. Past personalities promoting "Be You" include Christina Milian, Draya Michele, Karrueche Tran and model Saleisha Stowers.

Check out flicks of the do-gooders above.

Source: The YBF

40 Glocc Responds to Game: If I Had a Gun, I Would've Shot You (@thegame)

The 40 Glocc vs Game beef continues to brew, as 40 Glocc has just responded to Game's claim that he only fought 40 Glocc in self-defense, as 40 Glocc pulled a gun on him first.

40 took to Instagram today to deny these claims. He posted a video from "TMZ on TV," showing staff of the entertainment news site debate the story. In the accompanying caption, Glocc calls Game a "CB4 rapper" and threw several other insults towards the Compton MC. He then went on to say that if he really had a gun he would've shot Game and whoever else jumped him.

He then went on to say that Game edited the now infamous footage to make it look like they were fighting 1-on-1 when Game and his crew actually jumped 40.

"IM NOT NO DUMMY I NOT GOING TO FIGHT NI**AZ JUMPING ME WIT GUNS COCKED AND AIMED AT ME.. IMA GET MY A** AWAY THE BEST WAY I CAN... & GET BACK ANOTHER DATE."

40 Glocc then went on to say he doesn't regret suing Game because he's a "suburban CB4 weenie who fronts for cameras," and says if he really did have a gun and fired at Game, they definitely would have snitched and pressed charges on him.

Most comments on the post support Game, arguing that "gangstas don't file lawsuits."

Check out the post and a few of it's responses above.

Source: instagram.com

Orlando Magic's Tobias Harris Best "Non-Sneakerhead" Moment (@tobias31 @jumpman23)

#TBT Roundup: Top Celebrity Throwback Photos

Every Thursday our favorite celebs take to Instagram and Twitter to share their favorite moments from years past, and this Throwback Thursday is no exception.

Mike Will Made It, Kidd Kidd, Ludacris and others all reminisced today and we've compiled the best for your viewing pleasure.

Check out the best celeb #TBT pics above.

The Wake Up Call! Kanye West Tweets Out Dope New adidas Ad (@kanyewest @adidas)

Blac Chyna Squeezes Cake Into Fringe Bikini, Hangs With Kim K. (@kimkardashian)

Kim Kardashian and Blac Chyna are getting pretty chummy lately. The 2 bombshells recently took a flick together in Chyna's car, make-up free and all smiles.

Chyna also had a little fun in the sun, rocking a green fringe bikini that showcased her crazy waist to cake ratio.

Check out the sexy flicks of Tyga's boo above.

Exclusive! eMC: Best Collection, Favorite Kicks They Own (@nike @nikesb)

Janelle Monae Performs 'Heroes' on 'Late Show With David Letterman' [VIDEO]

Last month, Janelle Monae released her cover of the 1977 David Bowie song ‘Heroes’ for Pepsi’s 2014 ‘Now Is What You Make It’ campaign, which was featured in an accompanying visual detailing childhood bullying.

And last night (June 11), the eclectic singer performed the song on the ‘Late Show With David Letterman.’ She also brought along a full band and backup singers, which gave the cut an added amount of bounce and energy. Vocally, she made the song soar to great heights as she belted out the chorus with deep passion, making the classic tune completely her own.

The band did a stellar job of matching Monae’s high-energy level, which made the entire performance incredibly fun to watch.

Sporting a black-and-white striped blazer with a black top and black pants, Monae jumped, danced and moved all around the stage, showing exactly why she’s become such a musical force within the last few years.

At the beginning of her performance, the ‘Electric Lady’ creator dedicated the song “to all the young heroes in the world.” “We’re going to take you somewhere tonight,” she stated. And that she clearly did.

25 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Mariah Carey

Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images

Singer. Actress. Diva. Mariah Carey is one of the biggest pop stars of all-time. The songbird with the jaw-dropping vocal range has topped charts and broken every sales record imaginable, and has redefined modern R&B as we know it.

Her classic songs like ‘Hero’ and ‘One Sweet Day’ stand the test of time while ‘Fantasy’ and ‘Honey’ show off her hip-hop sensibilities. This year, the Grammy Award-winning entertainer released her 14th studio album, ‘Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse.’

With a career spanning nearly 25 years and over 220 million records sold worldwide, there’s no slowing down M.C. The Boombox celebrates this icon with 25 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Mariah Carey.

1

What's in a name? Mariah Carey was named after the song 'They Call the Wind Maria' from the 1960 musical 'Paint Your Wagon.' The singer does not have a middle name because her mother felt “Mariah Carey” had the potential to be a stage name as is.

2

Music is in her blood. Mariah’s mother, Patricia, is an opera singer and vocal coach.

3

Genie in a bottle? As a kid, Mariah had fantasy dreams of growing up to become a genie.

4

The songstress says she “felt like an outcast growing up” because of her biracial heritage (her late father is African-American and Venezuelan and her mother is Irish).

5

Mariah asked the great Patti LaBelle to be her godmother and she accepted. “She just asked me and I said, ‘Of course,’” Patti shared.

6

“Mirage” was the nickname she earned when she attended Harborfields High School in Greenlawn, N.Y., because she cut class often.

7

Born in Long Island, N.Y., Mariah moved to New York City to study cosmetology after high school. Although she never graduated, she keeps a working salon in her TriBeCa home.

8

Back in the day, a young M.C. began working professionally as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr. She would later cover Starr’s 'I Still Believe' on her 1998 '#1’s' album.

9

A true Cinderella tale. Legend has it, Mariah’s big break happened in 1988, when then-Sony Music executive Tommy Mottola heard her demo at a party. He was so impressed that he returned to the event (only to find out that she had left) and pursued her for weeks until he eventually found her and signed her to the record label.

10

On June 5, 1993, Mariah and Tommy Mottola married in a star-studded ceremony in New York City. The wedding was attended by Billy Joel, Barbara Streisand and Ozzy Osbourne, just to name a few.

11

Who wants ice cream? The chanteuse surprised the world with her loopy antics on MTV's 'TRL' in 2001. Wearing just a T-shirt and pushing an ice cream cart, Mariah did a strange striptease and handed out popsicles to shocked fans.

12

Art imitates life. Carey and Mottola divorced in 1997, and several of her songs like 'Petals,' 'Butterfly' and 'Close My Eyes' have hinted at their unhappy marriage. Her music video 'Honey' is thought to be symbolic of how she felt trapped by Mottola and eventually emancipating herself from him.

13

Mariah hasn't been shy in letting the public know about the men she's dated. New York Yankees baseball player Derek Jeter and Latin singer Luis Miguel were a few of the guys she had on her arm early on in her career. She's also been rumored to have dated rappers Eminem -- sparking their infamous feud -- and Cam’ron.

14

In 1995, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men joined forces for the ballad 'One Sweet Day,' which holds the record for the longest-running No. 1 song in history, spending 16 weeks on the Billboard 100.

15

In 1997, the songbird launched her own label, Crave Records, and signed acts like R&B quartet Allure. The label shut down in 1998.

16

Jack, Mariah's Jack Russell Terrier, has co-starred in several of her music videos including 'One Sweet Day' and 'Honey.'

17

Paying big money for a prized musical instrument is no big deal for this money maker. Mariah shelled out over $600,000 for Marilyn Monroe's white baby grand piano. While some may be tempted to tickle the ivories, no one is allowed to play it.

18

Mariah cannot read sheet music and creates music instinctively.

19

'Glitter,' Mariah's 2001 semi-autobiographical movie, was panned by critics and audiences and earned her the Razzie Award for Worst Actress.

20

This is an awesome collabo we'll never get to hear. After Courtney Love inquired about getting some friends to sing a few lyrics of 'Samantha,' the album opener on Hole’s 'Nobody’s Daughter' at a party, Mariah jumped in and volunteered to do the job. Unfortunately, the effort was never recorded.

21

In 2006, Mariah signed a contract with Gillette for its "Legs of a Goddess" campaign. She insured her long legs for $1 billion.

22

Now this is a fact we didn't see coming. Mariah and her husband Nick Cannon have sex to her music. The latter admitted that he also masturbates to her songs, specifically 'Hero.' Another fun fact: Cannon has admitted that his wife will remind him that she's the biggest-selling female recording artist of all time in order to win an argument.

23

Monroe and Moroccan, Mariah's twin children dubbed "dem babies," were named after her favorite actress Marilyn Monroe and the country of Morocco (where hubby Nick Cannon proposed).

24

Despite her slew of hits, the 44-year-old artist has assisted others with their songs, singing backup when needed. She supported Babyface for his 1997 song 'Every Time I Close My Eyes' and Allure’s 'Head Over Heels.'

25

Her voice is out of this world. In 2003, the Guinness Book of Records proved it. Mariah was inducted for hitting the highest note by a human, after she hit the G7# note during a live rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' She also held the record, at the time, for having the largest vocal range A2-G7#.

Drake and Lil Wayne Announce Summer Tour

UMG

Hip-hop heavyweights Drake and Lil Wayne have teamed up to embark on a major stadium tour this summer.

The Drake vs. Lil Wayne tour will hit 31 cities beginning Aug. 8 in Darien Center, N.Y. The trek wraps up on Sept. 27 in Woodlands, Texas.

Tickets go on sale to the public on June 20 and Citi card members will be able to cop pre-sale tickets on June 17 through June 19.

No word if other YMCMB artists, like Tyga or Nicki Minaj, will join the tandem’s summer jaunt.

Recently, Drizzy and Weezy collaborated on the braggadocio track ‘Believe Me,’ which is the first single from Wayne’s purported final album, ‘Tha Carter V.’

Drake vs. Lil Wayne Tour Dates

Aug. 8: Darien Center, N.Y. | Darien Lake Performing Arts Center

Aug. 9: Noblesville, Ind. | Klipsch Music Center

Aug. 10: Tinley Park, Ill. | First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

Aug. 12: Saratoga Springs, N.Y. | Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Aug. 13: Hartford, Conn. | XFINITY Theatre

Aug. 15: Cincinnati, Ohio | Riverbend Music Center

Aug. 16: Clarkston, Mich. | DTE Energy Music Theatre

Aug. 17: Burgettstown, Penn. | First Niagara Pavilion

Aug. 19: Forest Hills, N.Y. | Forest Hills Tennis Stadium

Aug. 21: Camden, N.J. | Susquehanna Bank Center

Aug. 25: Mansfield, Mass. | Xfinity Center

Aug. 26: Holmdel, N.J. | PNC Bank Arts Center

Aug. 27: Virginia Beach, Va. | Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach

Aug. 29: Bristow, Va. | Jiffy Lube Live

Aug. 30 : Charlotte, N.C. | PNC Music Pavilion

Aug. 31: Atlanta, Ga. | Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood

Sept. 3: West Palm Beach, Fla. | Cruzan Amphitheatre

Sept. 4: Tampa, Fla. | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

Sept. 6: Austin, Texas | Austin360 Amphitheater

Sept. 7: Dallas, Texas | Gexa Energy Pavilion

Sept. 10: Morrison, Colo. | Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Sept. 11: West Valley City, Utah | USANA Amphitheatre

Sept. 13: Ridgefield, Wash. | Sleep Country Amphitheatre

Sept. 14: Auburn, Wash. | White River Amphitheatre

Sept. 16: Mountain View, Calif. | Shoreline Amphitheatre

Sept. 17: Wheatland, Calif. | Sleep Train Amphitheatre

Sept. 19: Irvine, Calif. | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Sept. 20: Chula Vista, Calif. | Sleep Train Amphitheatre

Sept. 22: Los Angeles, Calif. | Hollywood Bowl

Sept. 25: Phoenix, Ariz. | Ak-Chin Pavilion

Sept. 27: Woodlands, Texas | The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Kelly Rowland Unveils 2014 World Cup Song 'The Game' [VIDEO]

The 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off today. To celebrate the worldwide soccer event, Pepsi releases a thrilling video for the song ‘The Game’ featuring the voice of Kelly Rowland. The track is featured on Pepsi’s ‘Beats of the Beautiful Game’ album.

Shot by Spike Lee, the visual showcases a young boy showcasing his love for soccer, as he journeys to the World Cup.

“I was immediately attracted to ‘The Game’ because I can identify with its theme of overcoming challenges and finding your voice,” said Rowland. “It’s a very important message and I’m honored to partner with Pepsi on a project that brings the worlds of music, sports, and film together. As an artist– and a huge film and sports fan — it’s been an incredible experience.”

“Use your voice, use it and use it good / I had a dream, I have a dream / Do you have a dream,” she sings over the drum-heavy beat. “Don’t give it up, together we can, look at the past, let’s make a plan.”

The songstress, who is apparently pregnant and expecting a child (she revealed an Instagram photo of a pair of baby sneakers this week), is not the only artist celebrating the World Cup. Janelle Monae’s ‘Heroes’ and Rita Ora’s ‘I Will Never Let You Down (Switch Remix)’ also appears on the Pepsi LP. In addition, Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez released the official song for the World Cup, ‘We Are One (Ole Ola).’

Kendall Marshall Shows His Athletic Training Sneaker Rotation (@kbutter5 @nike)

Rest in Paradise: Legendary Actress Ruby Dee Passes Away at 91

Legendary actress, activist and author Ruby Dee passed away yesterday, June 11th at her home in New Rochelle, NY. She was 91. Her passing has been confirmed by her archivist, Arminda Thomas. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Ms. Dee was known as a quiet yet powerful presence on stage and in film, playing opposite some of Hollywood's most prominent men for over 70 years, including Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Denzel Washington, and her late husband of 56 years Ossie Davis who preceded her in death in 2005.

She opted out of filling the stereotypical "negro roles" of her day, and outwardly spoke against actresses of color being confined to "hookers, nannies and addicts." In 1965 she became the first black actress to perform a lead role at the American Shakespeare Festival, playing leads in both "The Taming of the Shrew" and "King Lear."

In addition to her work as an actress, Ruby Dee was also a prominent figure within the civil rights movement, emceeing the 1963 March on Washington and standing by Dr. King while he gave his "I Have A Dream" speech.

The younger generation likely knows Ms. Dee for her role in the 2007 film "American Gangster" where she played leading man Denzel Washington's mother, a role which garnered her an Oscar nomination.

Rest in peace to the phenomenal Ruby Dee.

Source: The Washington Post

Throwback Thursday! Celebrity Sneakerheads Share Memories (@teyanataylor @djgregstreet)

Sold! Chumlee's Best Instagram Sneaker Images (@chumlee_ @jumpman23)

Russell Westbrook X Jordan Team Up With Barney's New York (@russwest44 @barneysny)

Bow Wow Gets Into the Spirit With His "World Cup" Kicks (@smoss @jumpman23)

SneakerWatch's Top 30 World Cup Kicks

TBT Exclusive! Fred The Godson: Trading Honda Civic for Galaxys (@fredthegodson @jumpman23)

Exclusive! Kirk Frost Discusses Justin Bieber's Racist Comments (@frost117)

Love & Hip-Hop's Kirk Frost sat down with VladTV and shared his thoughts on Justin Bieber's racist remarks, including a racist joke and song where he drops the N-word several times.

Frost initially thought the footage was recent and chalked it up to Bieber using drugs, but upon learning the recordings are from years ago, Kirk said it's even more messed up, but also that this kind of thing is nothing new and that it wouldn't make him not want to be around the pop star.

He also noted that Bieber has close black friends, which makes the situation more shocking and terrible, but it isn't something he's worried about.

Check out the clip above.

Exclusive! Cassidy: Meek Mill Beef Was Strictly Hip-Hop (@CASSIDY_LARSINY, @meekmill)

Philly spitter Cassidy sat down with VladTV and chopped it up about his "beef" with fellow Philly native Meek Mill, saying that while several fans and media tried to make it more than what it was, it was all about Hip-Hop and wanting to prove who was better lyrically. There were never any personal problems between the 2 MC's and Cassidy still wishes Meek the best in his career.

When asked about Meek having a problem with Cassidy bringing up Lil Snupe, the now deceased rapper and protege of Meek, Cassidy says the whole point is to get under your opponent's skin, and that Meek said things he didn't like either. It's just the nature of a battle.

Check out the clip above.

Shyne Comments on 50 Cent/Slowbucks Chain Drama on IG (@OriginalShyne @Slowbucks_TV)

Shyne has shared his thoughts on the issues between 50 Cent and Slowbucks.

Last week, the rapper posted a few photo on Instagram along with a few jokes on the incident.

After Slowbucks' press conference was misconstrued as him exposing the person who stole his chain, Shyne posted a meme making a joke of the debacle. He captioned the photo as, "Twilight Zone...GTFOH."

He also included an old photo of himself with the caption, "Let me get this straight....they took his kilo chain, his Daytona, the bands in his pocket, kicked him down the stairs in front of his girl & nobody died????? F#%^ing rappers! GTFOH"

Check out his posts above. What do you think of his comments?

NameBrand - "Suicide City" (Music Video) (@akanamebrand)

"Suicide City" is a new record from rapper NameBrand off his forthcoming mixtape, The G.R.E.A.T. Tape 2, dropping this August.

The Long Beach, Cali, native recently inked his first major deal with Epic Records. Sha Money (VP of A&R) at Epic discovered NameBrand through producer Seige Monstracity (Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre, Tyrese, Lil Wayne). Seige handles the bulk of the production on The G.R.E.A.T. Tape 2, (Getting Ready to End All Troubles).

Check it out up top.

www.akanamebrand.com

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http://ift.tt/1qzOMhB

Blac Chyna Squeezes Cake Into Fringe Bikini, Hangs With Kim K. (@kimkardashian)

Kim Kardashian and Blac Chyna are getting pretty chummy lately. The 2 bombshells recently took a flick together in Chyna's car, make-up free and all smiles.

Chyna also had a little fun in the sun, rocking a green fringe bikini that showcased her crazy waist to cake ratio.

Check out the sexy flicks of Tyga's boo above.

One Man's Ultramagnetic Treasure...

I shouldn't have to tell you how amped I was when I first saw this pre-order pop up online. Black Pegasus was finally(!) releasing a real, vintage unreleased Ultramagnetic MCs recording on vinyl Limited to just 200 copies, this is a never-heard-before Paul C mix and edit of the great "Ain't It Good To You." As you can see, it comes in a nice looking picture cover, it has the instrumental on the flip, and at $35 a piece, sold out pretty quickly through Black Pegasus's bigcartel store.



So this is a new mix and edit; but there's a reason it's being phrased like that. This isn't a "remix" in the popular sense people think of remixes today, where it's been given a whole new instrumental with different samples and instrumentation. It's just been mixed differently. The biggest difference you'll notice instantly is that a very subtle percussion line on the album version (that rapidly and repeatedly goes "thudda thudda DUM!") has been super deepened. It's now like a big phat bassline. It also has a new intro, playing in with more of the softer sounds from the original sample's context. And the other elements have been pieced together a little differently. For instance, there's a part now on Ced's verse where all the music cuts out except for that one "DUM!" down beat at the end of each bar, like a Miami bass mega-drop, giving a cool emphasis to his delivery.



And just to be clear, this is not at all the "Ain't It Good To You" remix that was included as the B-side to "Simple Metaphor" on that mysterious bootleg release. That version is totally different.



Unfortunately, this release loses a lot of its luster once you actually put it on your turntable and get to listening. Not that I dislike this version, not at all. This new mix is dope, however the sound quality is pretty poor. The bass is all broken up. You know when you turn the bass up on your stereo to where the meters are in the red and everything sounds staticy and fuzzy? That's this. It sounds better if you turn your bass down so it doesn't totally blow out; but even then it's still not great because it's blown out in the recording itself. But if you don't lessen it, it blows out a lot worse.



More problematic still, the record plays too fast. It's a 45, but when you bump it up from 33, it's too much of a jump forward. The good thing is that you can correct this if you have a turntable with pitch control. I found somewhere around 4.5% to be the sweet spot to take it down to. I mean, you might be tempted to argue that it's meant to be a faster remix - in their description, Black Pegasus writes that this mix is sped up as if that's a good, intention thing - but you'd only say that if you hadn't actually heard the record. It's just off, the vocals sound rushed and trashy; and once you slow it down, it sounds good and natural. That's the silver lining here. If you do have a turntable with pitch control (and many don't), you can correct this problem to the point where it's not a problem at all.



Unfortunately, that still leaves you with the muddy sound from the previous paragraph. And yes, the instrumental has the same issues.



I'm not really sure what the deal is here. The label credits "additional edits" to DJ Ves 120, who's down with Black Pegasus. So is this just some contemporary reworking of the original? Ves 120 couldn't have been working with Paul back in 1988, right? Is this another faux-vintage thing? Or perhaps they did find a vintage re-edit, but because they thought it might not be different enough to capture fans' interest, they decided to mess with it more to distance it from the original? Or maybe the speed-up is a result of Paul just experimenting with the track for fun, never intending for audiences to hear his tinkering. But then that steal leaves open the question of what Ves 120's additional edits actually are. ...Either way, I'm not mad at this edit (minus the fixable speed up); I just wish it was a better quality master of it.



So, anyway, this record is supposedly the first in an "Ultra 7" series from Black Pegasus. $35 was already excessively pricey for a 7" before we knew what the quality was like, and now I'm really wary of what the future volumes will be like. As it is, I can't recommend this to anybody except those of you who read all of this and are thinking "I don't care, I need it anyway!" I see you out there; I feel you guys. Hell, I might still pick up the next one. But I have to stress that, unlike some other records I write about here that more casual listeners might want to try dipping their toes into, this is for very seriously hooked Ultra collector fans only. Everybody else can just feel relieved that they're not missing out on much at all this time.