Saturday, December 20, 2014

Q-Tip Ignites Insightful Conversation About Hip-Hop's Roots With Iggy Azalea

Q-Tip Iggy AzaleaBryan Bedder / Daniel Boczarski, Getty Images

It seems that everyone has an opinion about Iggy Azalea who has been criticized by a number of people, particularly Azealia Banks, for her misappropriation of hip-hop culture. Q-Tip took to Twitter on Saturday (Dec. 20) to teach folks and Azalea a lesson in hip-hop history.


First, the veteran rhyme-slinger addressed the media and bloggers on what hip-hop culture represents.


Afterward, Q-Tip then addressed Iggy, specifically, on her responsibility to hip-hop culture. His comments were supportive and informative unlike Banks’ acidic tweets of late. The Aussie rhymer has yet to respond to Q-Tip’s missive. He wrote:


The full stream of Q-Tip’s tweets can be found here.


What do you think of Q-Tip’s informative tweets? Did it help enlightened or dampened the conversation regarding Iggy Azalea’s place in hip-hop? Tell us in the comments below.


See 20 Rappers’ Real Names Revealed




Q-Tip Gives Iggy Azalea a Hip-Hop History Lesson on Twitter (@QtipTheAbstract @IggyAzalea)



While Iggy Azalea has seemingly moved on from


St. Louis Prosecutor Admits Witnesses Lied in Mike Brown Case



St.


Amber Rose Backs It Up on Chris Brown at Supper Club [VIDEO]


Amber Rose was hard at “twerk” recently and Chris Brown was the lucky benefactor of it. The Internet is in a tizzy over a video that shows the nearly divorced model-actress backing that ass up on the R&B crooner.


It all went down at the Supper Club in Los Angeles on Thursday (Dec. 18). According to E! Online, the club was hosting “Studio Thursdays,” an event where fans can witness an “intimate concert experience” from a different artist each week.


Apparently, Rose was in the house with her date, Blacc Chyna, who recently split from her ex-boyfriend Tyga so those two have a lot in common.


While Breezy was onstage, Wiz Khalifa’s ex-wife decided to back her goods up on Breezy while the song ‘Back That Azz Up’ was bumping through the speakers. Acting all nonchalant, CB sat back and enjoyed the bootylicious ride.


Then Chyna jumped onstage and Rose gave her booty a couple of love slaps in front of the roaring crowd.


An insider told E! News that Rose and Brown were joking around afterwards and didn’t take the twerking session seriously.


Honestly, Rose looks fabulous in her tight white leggings and top. A year after giving birth to her baby boy, Sebastian Taylor Thomaz, the 31-year-old blonde bombshell still have the goods.


Watch the video above.


See Bootylicious Beauties



LL Cool J Performs '4,3,2,1′ With Canibus at Barclays Center [VIDEO]


LL Cool J performed at Hot 97’s holiday show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Friday (Dec. 19), and brought out an unexpected guest — Canibus!


For those who don’t know, LL and Canibus had a heated feud back in 1997. The duo performed ‘4,3,2,1,’ the track that sparked the feud.


The Queens native was dressed in all black with a matching leather jacket emblazoned with bling-bling lettering of “G.O.A.T.” — Greatest of All Time — and dookie gold rope chain.


It looks LL and Canibus squashed their beef as they rapped their verses from the Erick Sermon-produced song. At the end of their performance, LL turned to Canibus and told him that his rap career is starting over again.


We don’t know if Canibus can parlay this great hip-hop moment into a rap career, but it’s good to see two lyrical warriors end their conflict peacefully onstage.


Watch the video above.





See 20 Rappers’ Real Names Revealed




Ciara to Remove Future's Initial Tattoo After Final Breakup



Ciara has officially called it quits with Future.


Exclusive! Karrine Steffans Dismisses Pregnancy Rumors (@karrineandco)



Karrine Steffans has opened up to VladTV about the truth behind the recent pregnancy rumors surrounding the former vixen.


Star Ready to Fight Snoop Dogg: I Really Wanna Break his Jaw! (@STARANDBUCWILD @snoopdogg)



Earlier this year, self-proclaimed "hater"


Man Charged With Assault After Ramming Vehicle Into Squad Cars



A man from Waterloo, Iowa is in serious trouble with the law after driving his van into two police cars after a domestic dispute earlier this week.


Dame Dash Smiles Big After Pulling Out His Front Tooth



Dame Dash went the DIY route for dental surgery after pulling out his front dental implant.


Bobby Shmurda and GS9 Arrested During Drug and Gun Sting (@VladTV)



"Hot Ni**a" rapper Bobby Shmurda was arrested Tuesday night during a sting involving guns and drug trafficking.


Mase Deletes Account After Instagram Deletes Over 1.5M Followers



If you have an account on popular social networking site Instagram, then you may have noticed your number of followers take a dip today, as IG just cleaned house, getting rid of millions of fake followers.


D'Angelo and the Vanguard, 'Black Messiah' [ALBUM REVIEW]

Black messiahRCA

The soul magician has somehow enchanted us again. D’Angelo and the Vanguard arrive right on time with the release of ‘Black Messiah,’ a meticulously crafted, funkdafied third studio LP from the singer.


For more than a decade, fans yearned for his soul-drenched vocals. An out-of-the-blue listening session for the LP, which occurred Sunday night (Dec. 14), revealed official album art and a lyrics book — this was the real deal with no more painful speculation.


After all this time, why would D’Angelo release the mysterious opus now? In recent months, concerned citizens are rising up against the ills of society as seen with protests internationally against police misconduct. The album’s title is a mirror of what D’Angelo has felt and witnessed in these evolving times.


“Black Messiah is a hell of a name for an album,” D’Angelo writes on his album artwork. “It can be easily misunderstood. Many will think it’s about religion. Some will jump to the conclusion that I’m calling myself a Black Messiah. For me, the title is about all of us. It’s about the world. It’s about an idea we can all aspire to. We should all aspire to be a Black messiah.”


He mentions recent uprisings in Ferguson, Mo., Egypt and the Occupy Wall Street movements as inspirations. “Black Messiah is not one man. It’s a feeling that, collectively, we are all that leader.”


During his time away, the 40-year-old had to stand up to his own demons. From substance abuse, a car accident to weight gain — little by little fans began to write him off. His downward spiral followed the release of his critically-acclaimed 2000 sophomore album, ‘Voodoo.’


His classic music video for his single ‘How Does It Feel?’ shows a statuesque D’Angelo staring into the camera as he licks his lips and mouths the sensual lyrics. It was the ultimate thirst trap when it debuted — and still his upon watching. Album sales increased, but Michael Archer found himself in a nightmare he could not wake up from. “I think that’s the thing that got me in a lot of trouble: me trying to just be Michael, the regular old me from back in the day, and me fighting that whole sex-symbol thing,” D told GQ magazine in a 2012 interview.


The fall of a musical genius is not uncommon. Many are unable to return to a favorable public eye. But D’Angelo continues to be an enigma. In 2012, he performed his first show in 12 years in Stockholm, Sweden, and in the months to come, performed in dozens of cities all over the world. Earlier this year, he spoke at a Red Bull Music Academy lecture in New York, a rare occurrence in itself. Seeming upbeat, he still remained vague about the direction of his future album and when it was actually coming.


But here we are.


The follow-up to ‘Voodoo’ (2000) is a continuous stream of D’s own brand of funk, rock and roll, soul and gospel jam sessions. Several records were co-written and co-produced by fellow Soulquarians Q-Tip and Questlove of the Roots. Kendra Foster, who sang backup for D’Angelo and George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic (one of the singer’s influences), assisted on several cuts as well. D’Angelo, who appeared in the documentary, ‘Finding the Funk’ in 2013, channels funk greats such as Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins and Prince on the record.


In sound, D remains a purist and loyal. The album was recorded in analog, adding a warm residue to each of the moving 12 tracks. The record is a vacuum of thicker and richer textured cuts than what appeared on ‘Voodoo’ and his debut, ‘Brown Sugar.’ His harmonies are layers of his own vocals with runs that take the listener to church. His slurry vocal performance further adds to his mystery. But his falsetto and infamous screams hit the right notes, showing no sign of wear or tear.


‘Black Messiah’ isn’t merely a protest album; it is more so an anthology of love stories and deep spiritual epiphanies.


The album opens with ‘Ain’t That Easy,’ a jittery, guitar-led track in which D’Angelo sweet talks his way to forgiveness. “I tell you sincerely. I need the comfort of your lovin’ / To bring out the best in me,” he croons. On the rock-tinged ‘1000 Deaths,’ D gets revolutionary about religion, while his voice receives a static-like treatment. “Yaweh, Yehushua / He don’t want no coward soldier / Aaah stick it in the golden sand,” he preaches.


The singer continues on this wave with ‘The Charade,’ a record of politics and poetics that call out society’s ills. “All the dreamers have gone to the side of the road which we relay on / Inundated by media, virtual mind f—s in streams,” he sings.


D has his mind and pockets tied up on ‘Sugah Daddy,’ his first single. The gold digger has one over on him with this swinging, hand-clapping key-led effort. “Lawd, lawd /You say you wanna be the one she chooses to star in her meaningless romance,” he smoothly hums.


Listen to D’Angelo & the Vanguard’s ‘Sugah Daddy’


‘Really Love’ has the ability to freeze time and woo you in. The sway-inducing love song is a beautiful moment on the album; one that is all too rare these days. “When you look at me / I open up instantly / I fall in love so quickly / Doo doo wah, I’m in really love with you,” he hypnotically beckons.


On ‘Prayer,’ bell gongs, drunken drums and weeping guitar licks loop as D’Angelo recites his own version of ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ “And all this confusion around me / Give me peace,” he cries. He gets more philosophical on ‘Till It’s Done (Tutu)’ with insightful ponderings such as, “Question ain’t do we have resources to rebuild / Do we have the will?”


Overall, ‘Black Messiah’ doesn’t bring a totally new sound, but it does disrupt the industry. Among the current crop of electronic-based popular music, it is an oasis. The record is timeless, raw and real and crafted in musicianship that further pulls D’Angelo’s genius to the forefront. He has a deeper alignment with himself as an artist and the relationship he has with his music. Those who were cynical of his return are proven entirely wrong this time. Perhaps this is a lesson to never rush the greats in their process, even if it takes nearly 15 years.


Much has changed in the world of R&B, but it’s clear D’Angelo is still delivering the addictive sonic brown sugar that got him here in the first place.


See 20 Singers’ Real Names Revealed



Meek Mill Blasts Fans Mocking Bobby Shmurda's Serious Legal Case (@MeekMill @BobbyShmurdaGS9)



Amid all of the heartless trolling that has been thrown at Brooklyn rapper Bobby Shmurda after he was arrested at the Quad Studios in Times Square, Meek Mill has stood up for Bobby and called out the people joking on his current legal situation.


Nicki Minaj Appears on New Madonna Song 'Bitch I'm Madonna'


After 13 unmastered recordings from her upcoming album, ‘Rebel Heart,’ leaked online earlier this week, Madonna decided to release six finished songs from the project. One of those songs features Nicki Minaj called ‘Bitch I’m Madonna.’


Produced by Diplo, the girl-power track features Madge showing who’s the real bitch and thumbs her nose at naysayers who don’t like it.


“We go hard or we go home / We gonna do this all night long / We get freaky if we want to / Naaa, Naaa, Naaa, Naaa,” she sings, adding, “Bitch I’m Madonna.”


Meanwhile, the Queen Barbz backs up Madonna’s spunky attitude and flexes her lyrical dominance on the track.


“I run s—, I don’t fall back / ‘Cause I’m on track, I’m a sprinter / I’m bossed up, I got them all struck / It’s not a toss-up, I’m the winner,” she raps.


It’s only right that Nicki and Madonna team up on a song. The two music divas are now tied for having the most chart appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 tally with 56 hits apiece. Minaj recently debut in the Top 10 with her power rap ballad, ‘Bed of Lies’ featuring Skylar Grey.


Among the five tracks Madonna dropped include ‘Unapologetic Bitch,’ ‘Devil Prey’ and ‘Illuminati,’ which was produced by Kanye West and Mike Dean.


You can pre-order ‘Rebel Heart’ on iTunes and receive the six tracks. More tunes are expected to be released on Feb. 9 followed by her full-length LP on March 10.


Watch the Nicki Minaj Twerking Supercut Video



Say It Ain't So: Wiz Khalifa Clowns Amber Rose Twerk Video?



Wiz Khalifa's split from Amber Rose has been sprinkled with controversy, but overall it seems like the two ended things amicably.


Exclusive! Morgan Hardman: I Wrote Nikki Off for Being "Fake" Before LHHH (@morganhardman)



Morgan Hardman sat down for an exclusive interview with VladTV, and shared which people she knew prior to taping Love & Hip Hop Hollywood.


Fat Joe Talks Giving Back With Market America, Most Memorable Moment of 2014 [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

Bennett Raglin, Getty Images

After his mentor and friend Big Pun passed away in 2000, many thought it was over for Fat Joe’s career. However, he proved his naysayers wrong the following year with the critically acclaimed release of his fourth album, ‘Jealous Ones Still Envy.’


Joey Crack went on to establish the Terror Squad and release a slew of chart-topping singles including the club anthems ‘Lean Back’ and ‘Make It Rain’ and the Ja Rule and Ashanti-assisted ‘What’s Luv.’


But after more than two decades in the game and over 10 albums under his belt, Joe is expanding his empire by giving back and sharing knowledge on how he became so successful.


Catching up with Fat Joe before his performance at Resorts World Casino in New York City on Dec. 13, the Bronx native opened up about his new gig with Market America.


“We are just trying to change the economy and teach people how to be entrepreneurs,” Fat Joe tells The Boombox. “Because otherwise you work 45 years of your life making other people rich, so we try to show people the importance of owning their own businesses.”


Joe became the president of the urban and Latino division of the internet-based marketing company in March, after he was released from prison in 2013. “Our company has been around for more than 20 years and has made hundreds of billionaires and I am just bringing that to the urban and Latino communities.”


While the entertainer is cultivating millionaire mindsets, he is still rooted in hip-hop, the business which made him his fortune. When asked about the hip-hop moment that stands out to him in 2014, surprisingly, Joey was more moved by events happening outside of music. He opens up about the solidarity of the hip-hop community in regards to the Eric Garner and Mike Brown tragedies.


“There’s a lot of things that happened this year in hip-hop, but I would say the [Millions] march,” Joe said referring to the nationwide Millions March protest earlier this month. “I think that was really hip-hop driven.”


The rhymer, who dropped the Jennifer Lopez-assisted ‘Stressin” in October, plans to focus on Market America and continue making new music into the new year.


See 10 Best Album Covers of 2014



No Chill: Fans Turn Bobby Shmurda's Arrest Into Cruel Memes



Bobby Shmurda and a bunch of his GS9 associates are in very hot water with the law after being arrested in the early morning hours on Wednesday night, December 17th, but many fans seem to care less about his current situation.


Ciara and Future Officially Call It Quits

Ciara FutureLarry Busacca, Getty Images

Love took a major hit in 2014. Among the couples who fell in love right before our eyes was Ciara and Future. Unfortunately, after CiCi broke off her engagement to the Astronaut Kid in September, the couple have decided to end their love affair for good.


According to E! News, Ciara try to give it another shot after Future’s alleged infidelity but they just couldn’t salvaged their relationship.


“They tried to work things out between them but it could not be saved,” an insider told the entertainment website. “Ciara could not get over what had happened. She is focusing on her baby and friends now. Her baby is the most important person in her life.”


Ciara gave birth to her son, Future Zahir Wilburn, back in May. Despite their separation, Future will continue to be part of their newborn son’s life.


“He is a great father,” the source adds. “They want to keep things civil for the baby.”


Ciara is also in the process of completely removing the tattoo on her ring finger of the initial “N,” which stands for Future’s real first name Nayvadius.


Now don’t get it twisted, the ‘Like a Boy’ singer is hardly depressed over her split from Future. In fact, the R&B mom recently posted Instagram videos of her and baby Future getting into the holiday spirit.


It looks like Ciara and the baby will have a merry Christmas after all.




A video posted by Ciara (@ciara) on Dec 12, 2014 at 10:00am PST






A video posted by Ciara (@ciara) on Dec 12, 2014 at 10:46am PST




See 10 Hip-Hop Couples That Didn’t Last



Mayweather Balls Out at Jewelry Store For Christmas (@floydmayweather)



Floyd Mayweather's lifestyle is big and flashy, and the boxing champ kept up with the theme while Christmas shopping for his loved ones.


Plies Admits to Being "Quick Draw McGraw" in the Bedroom (@plies)



Plies has become quite the love guru on Instagram, dropping knowledge to his followers based on his personal experiences.


The Odd Men Out, part 2: The First Phony Newcleus


So after "Dynamic (Total Control)," you might be wondering what happened to those Total Control guys, since they seemed to be the artists to actually watch on that record? Well, Frankie Dee broke off, leaving Dynamike and DJ Johnny Juice to... join Newcleus ! Yeah, this is now after the foursome all left Newcleus, leaving only the label-owner with the rights to the group name, and the two little kids. It would be like if Disney lost all the rights to their Marvel superhero characters and just made Avengers 2 with Stellan Skarsgård's character, telling the press, "we're still in continuity!"



These guys didn't stay long, and most people think of Newcleus's second iteration of The Next Generation, featuring later members like Money Mike in the early 90s. But there was this brief period in between. As Cozmo put it in our interview, "there were two incarnations of the phony Newcleus." The first was definitely the better of the pair, and this is one of their records, "We're So Hyped!" on Super Power Records in 1988.



This was actually their third 12". Their first was "Huxtable Houseparty" in 1987, which I've already written about. I think that was Dynamike taking the primary microphone duties there, along supporting vocals by the famous Newcleus kids, who also turn up on the second 12", "She's Bad." But apart from a little talking by those computerized kids, "She's Bad" is mostly a Michael Jackson-y style R&B record. You'd never guess it was even meant to be a Newcleus record if it didn't have those kids on the intro. I mean, granted, with records like "Why," Newcleus - the real Newcleus - had already dabbled in non rappity rap stuff. But this is really totally removed. I also have no idea who that is doing the actual singing on the bulk of this record.



So by this third 12" - also their last on Super Power Records and the last of this iteration of Newcleus - Dynamike may've already been out of the picture. "We're So Hyped!" swings back to hip-hop, though. In fact, it's kind of their most traditionally, non-spacey/electro hip-hop record in their catalog. It's some funky old school samples over a beat with only some drawn out synth lines coming up towards the end that really signal "Newcleus" to the listener.



There's also no kids. I mean, I think the actual kids probably are on this. But 1) being older, they no longer sound like the youngsters on "I Wanna Be a B-Boy," and 2) they don't use the computer effects on their voices that make them sound distinctly like "Newcleus kids." So there's just some generic male voices doing back-ups and fill-ins. In fact, there's practically no rapping, which is why I think Dynamike might've taken off even before "She's Bad." There are little tiny rap bits early on in the record, almost more hooks and pieces than rap verses, and certainly nothing that would require a particularly adept MC. It's all just basically two or three guys saying things like, "come on, give it all you got" strung together.



But I'll tell you who's definitely still around: DJ Johnny Juice. He gets big credit for the writing and arranging of this song in the notes, and he even has a big scratching breakdown mid-song, while the guys make barking dog(!) sounds. I think you can basically consider this basically his record. And it's not bad. It's a fun, if silly, hook over a collection of solid samples. The only drawback is, without much proper rapping, the song can feel a bit sparse. It comes alive when during the scratching and the spacey keyboard parts, and the basic instrumental is certainly catchy enough. But it can feel like a long wait between the funky horn stabs during a lot of the song. It just feel s a little incomplete.



My copy I've got pictured here is actually a German pressing. The US release doesn't come in a picture cover, but otherwise they're pretty much the same. Both just have the vocal version on the A side and the instrumental on the flip, though this foreign press does play at 45 rather than 33. "We;re So Hyped!" was the end of Stage 2 Newcleus; I don't think Johnny Juice stuck around after this. It wouldn't be until the 90s that Newcleus would make more records with new members, and then jumble things up even further by including songs from all 3 Newcleus Stages onto the Next Generation album. Anyway, Stage 2 Newcleus certainly didn't hold a candle to the original line-up. But if you're a big fan of upbeat 80s hip-hop and can put aside the comparison, these aren't so bad. Heck, I bet if these same songs came out under the name of Total Control they'd have some fans after 'em.

J. Cole Has Best 1st Week Sales of Any Hip-Hop Album This Year (@jcolenc)



J.


Anonymous Threatens Iggy Azalea to Apologize to Azealia Banks



Iggy Azalea has faced a lot of backlash this year from various celebs, but it seems that she's angered one of the most powerful online groups, Anonymous.