Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Mase Offers His Take On Jay-Z/Beanie Sigel "Beef"
The artist formerly known as "Pastor," Mase has been out of the game for a while, but he still claims to know what it takes to make it and is sharing his advice with Beanie Sigel.
In an interview on Shade 45, Mase spoke on modern rap beef (including the entire Jay-Z/Beanie Sigel debacle) and how they differ from what was going during his first go around in the industry.
"Beans and Jay, I think it's ridiculous," Mase explained to DJ Drama. "I think it's ridiculous you know, I think it's ridiculous really. It's not called for, you know what I'm saying? I don't know, I come from a different, like when I was doing rap and people had issues, they just go across your head, they from that go up side generation. Not all these records and all that. They just go up. [laughs] When we was going up against the West Coast, it was like real serious issues, it wasn't just do it because your album is coming out. The gimmicky era, 'What I need to do to sell some records?' I don't believe you sell records off diss records, I think you sell 'em off hit records. It don't matter what diss record you got, you still need a hit record."
Mase's criticism comes just a few days after Beanie dropped his latest set of verbal assaults toward Jay, How To Kill A Jigga and Think Big.
"The takeover, n*gga, the break's over," Beans raps in one of his new tracks. "Fraud emcee, he, Jay Hova/ Hey little soldier you ain't ready for the rude boy/ Quick to pull the tool boy/ Back out to you boy...Yeah I send something to you boy, let these hollows run through you boy/ I'll ruin boy, make your body leak fluid boy..."
"This is something, big/ B. Sig, throwin' n*ggas off of cliffs, smokin' spliffs, choke a b*tch ... I bring the heat that the game missing/ The leak on that mint leaf got my brain twitching/ Tell Bleek stop b*tchin', stop pissin'/ I bare long arms like Scott Pippen/ Stop sh*t short like Cal Ripken/ This is not just sport I post pivot/ Peep how I backed down Jigga, put my nuts on that n*gga neck...," he raps on another.
Despite Beans' lyrical advances, Jay has yet to respond.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Clipse - Til The Casket Drops
The resilient spirit of the
Staying busy amid an extensive promotional tour, The Clipse grants Yo! Raps an in depth interview in which they discuss everything from their Hip-Hop beginnings to their health care. Til The Casket Drops is coming in December and Malice is in the process of penning his book, Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind and Naked. Even though their schedule is hectic The Clipse appreciates and will always take out time for their fans.
Thinking back, do y'all recall when you truly believed that you could transform your passion for emceeing into a substantial profession?
Malice: We've always been fans of Hip-Hop. Around that time [late 1990s] - with Pharrell and
Lord Willin' and Hell Hath No Fury are both regarded as classic material. According to The Clipse, what constitutes a classic album?
Pusha T: Honestly, a classic album is when the beats and the rhymes match so well, that the fans and everybody who listens to it, actually feels like they're in the album with you. We definitely try to reach out and make sure that everybody is touched when they hear it [our music]. If it doesn't evoke any type of emotion in you, then nine times out of ten, it can't be classic.
Excluding The Clipse, what's your favorite track from a classic album?
Pusha T: New York State of Mind [which is on Nas' Illmatic].
Malice: Where I'm From [found on Jay-Z's mixtape In My Lifetime Vol. 1].
There's a popular sentiment that we're experiencing a Hip-Hop holocaust, in your opinion, can Hip-Hop escape the clutches of the commercializing corporate goons?
Malice: It says a lot about the mind-state, or the popular sentiment, of the Hip-Hop generation of today. I think that's why it's so successful. We also still got people out there who think a little bit deeper and who are as not as carefree and happy-go-lucky but with me being just a little bit older, I don't know if I can escape it. I definitely think that it's a sign of the times. I think it goes hand and hand to how people are feeling. Commercial rap is for those people who want to party more. I think people are a little less prone to thinking nowadays; that's the reason why I think it [commercial rap] is so successful.
Pusha T: The Clipse are definitely about lyric driven Hip-Hop. And I think that with our music we show that you can enjoy it. Because we still make insightful music at the same time; we're holding to that plan.
The Clipse is known for consistency, with that being said, how do you challenge yourself to lyrically evolve without jeopardizing your established longevity?
Pusha T: Even though we are known for being very consistent, so on and so forth, I think that if we follow the rules of lyric driven Hip-Hop, you can't too much fall off. But those rules can't be broken. When you're a lyric driven MC, you just have to keep coming with it after you switch up your style. When you're switching up your style, you still have to implement those metaphors and similes into what you do. That's how we keep it going.
The last Clipse release was nearly three years ago, how are you balancing the act of lyrically nourishing your supporters without overfeeding them?
Malice: That's really never been a problem for The Clipse [laughs]. We have a very distinct fanbase. Our fans roll with us. With all the delays that The Clipse have experienced with our career, that we've always overcame; it's never been a problem.
Pusha T: We're underfeeding them, if anything. All of our records are handcrafted. That plays a part into our consistency. We don't do like 50 songs and cut back 30 and then throw 20 of them on the album. Each song we do is definitely handcrafted. It leds us to where we are in our lives; you know what I'm saying. It's not a bunch of excess, man. Everything is directed to a point. I think that's pretty much what we're known for.
It doesn't matter what kind of songs we're on, we always stay true to who it is that we are. Whether it be like a party record, a street record, or whatever - The Clipse always stays true to who it is that we are. You know, we just did a song with Keri Hilson [Eyes On Me], it's a party joint. We got that song with Kanye West, Kinda Like A Big Deal; it's street. With both of them songs and with the differences with those songs, never did we jeopardize or compromise who it is that we are. You can even go back, we did songs with Justin Timberlake and Backstreet Boys, even then The Clipse has always been The Clipse.
How does your collaborations come about; do you approach the "hot commodity" or do you approach the artists who you respect their creativity?
Malice: We definitely pick our features according to their creativity. Like with Keri Hilson; we thought she was a great writer. We actually needed her to help us write the melody and the chorus [on Eyes On Me]. It just pretty much worked out. We also have a track with Cam'ron, we wanted to get somebody else who we respected, and who created their own lane, we wanted to see what that would be like. It turned out to be a phenomenal record.
I was everywhere trying to find that song Popular Demand - I couldn't find it.
Malice: You'll never find it; so, stop it! [Laughs]
You're killing me!
Malice: Not yet.
You were just talking about establishing that handcrafted sound for your album material; do you take that same approach when you're making a mixtape?
Pusha T: Everything we do is handcrafted, from the albums to the mixtapes. I think that's why our mixtapes are often regarded as albums or prepared to well-delivered albums. Everything we do is handcrafted. I think that's one of the differences between lyric driven Hip-Hop and a lot of the Hip-Hop that goes on today; of course we can get into the booth and/or just get a pen and write some really petty shit within a hour, like it's nothing. I think that our style of writing is a little more clever than that; it takes a little bit more effort.
I respect that. There's nothing worse than hearing the exact same verse on two different projects. That's just terrible.
Pusha T: All the time [laughs].
Within the last couple of years we've seen a resurgence of lyrical Hip-Hop. Both veteran MCs and emerging MCs like HISD, Johnny Polygon, Blu, Nipsey Hussle, Drake, and J. Cole, are showing that lyrical Hip-Hop is still around. Has witnessing this reformation made y'all want to go harder when you're in the booth?
Malice: I enjoy Drake, I enjoy Kanye, I enjoy Styles P, Jadakiss. To me, with these guys, you can tell that they got those similes and metaphors that will evoke some kind of thought, and those punchlines hit real hard. I appreciate that.
Pusha T: I would have to say all of those guys are lyrical and Raekwon.
Cold Outside and Surgical Gloves are my favorites from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2. Do you feel responsible for inspiring some of these emerging MCs?
Pusha T: We're sure The Clipse has inspired a lot of people. I'm sure that we've lyrically inspired a lot of everybody, every way. And not even no guys that I've ranked on them, personally, about coming to the street stuff. I think that I have inspired plenty.
Right now it's cool to be a nerd, and before it was cool to be a rocker, do you think that we're officially done with the dope boy era of Hip-Hop?
Malice: I don't know if we can ever be done with it until the dope boy era of life is gone. Once you clear up the streets and take that aspect of life away - then it can be gone, I guess. I don't see that happening otherwise.
As long as people can still relate to it, it'll always be viable in the marketplace?
Pusha T: Yeah, hell yeah!
Is "happy" Hip-Hop on the horizon for The Clipse? I'm Good shows a different perspective from the established catalogue.
Malice: It's not that it's on the horizon. I mean, we make music according to our moods and what we are feeling at the time.
Pusha T: We make that real music; it's true to life. It shows where we are at the present time. You know with Lord Willin', everything was good. We have a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm. Then you got a dark album with Hell Hath No Fury. That was because of everything that was going on with the labels - with the delays and things of that nature. Now we're back and things are running; the machine is actually working for us. So, we got three singles out right now. It's on and popping right now. So, we're in a better frame of mind, we're in a happier place and our music definitely reflects that. Now if they f*ck up, our next album might not be the same. So, you might get us back to cussing and fussing again.
Since Re-Up Records has partnered with
Pusha T: I think that
The fans are essential to keeping MCs around; how would you describe the relationship that y'all have with your fans?
Malice: The relationship we have with our fans is very intimate and very forthright. Our fans are definitely the element that kept us alive with everything that we've experienced. We see the same faces it's the diehard fans that have always been so vocal with it. They've definitely rode for The Clipse and gave us a voice when we didn't have one - when we couldn't get our music out there. Back when we were having problems going on with the label. They really kept us in the running.
What's your favorite social network that you use to stay connected with the fans?
Malice: I like Twitter; I think Twitter is cool, you know what I'm saying. It's like real time. You could be doing a show and people that are in the same venue as you, you know, they're telling the rest of the world how dope the show is and how we're ripping it. You know, I like reading stuff like that.
If I wanted to model for Play Cloths, how could I go about doing that...
Pusha T: You gotta come naked!
Naked?
Malice: Honestly, we haven't started making girl's clothes yet.
[Laughs] I was about to say. When President Obama took office, he inherited a slew of problems, the health care debate is causing a lot of concern. I was wondering, within the contract that you have with the label, is health insurance provided?
Malice: You know what, we actually do, through that and we have health insurance through AFNA. There's a couple of different HMOs that we go through.
Malice, with you being married, how do you deal with the trust issues that may arise with you being on the road as much as you are? There's always those distracting boppers. Do you respect your wedding band and everything it signifies?
Malice: I used to freak off and do whatever I felt like doing, at that time. But, now, it's like I deal with it. You know what I'm saying, it's not a problem. You get tired of the same old monotonous mess and just being out there. Now, I'm just focused on the music. I'm dedicated to this plan and I'm trying to set up a good future.
What concluding comments would you like to share with the folks out there?
Malice: We appreciate the fans! We take pride in holding up lyric driven Hip-Hop and giving you good insightful music. We're doing crazy beats and things you can really groove to and enjoy, and bang in your car. Hopefully, our music won't lead you to a dead end; we hope that you take something away from it. That's what we really try to do and take a lot of pride from it. We appreciate all the support from all of our fans.
Gucci Mane Speaks On Prison Sentence
As previously reported, Gucci Mane joined a growing list of rappers serving time in prison when he was sentenced to 12 months behind bars for probation violation last week in a
According to a spokesperson for his label, the
In a statement released by his camp yesterday (November 17), Gucci spoke for the first time since being put behind bars:
"I have accepted full responsibility for my actions and I am ready to deal with what is in front of me right now. Thankfully, my label is still moving forward with my album release so I will have plenty to look forward to when I get out. I am remaining positive and want my fans to know that I am grateful for their loyalty and continued support. I will get through this."
Dwight Thomas, Gucci's lawyer, provided additional insight into the situation and revealed how the So Icey CEO was able to avoid a two-year sentence:
"In court, Mr. Davis [Gucci Mane]was extremely articulate and he was remorseful for his conduct. He was able to convince the courts that he was not deserving of the two year prison sentence he was facing."
Probation violation isn't new territory for Gucci. Less than a year ago, the rapper was released from prison after serving six months for another violation stemming from his failure to satisfy 600 hours of community service, which were issued by the court in 2005.
As like the last time, the rapper is expected to serve only 6 months for this latest infraction. Gucci's new album, The State vs. Radrick Davis, hits shelves on December 8.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tribute Concert Planned For Slain Rapper Mike Beck
Some of NYC's hottest emcees are uniting for a tribute concert to honor the memory of Mike Beck, who was killed during a botched robbery attempt late last month. The
DJ Kay Slay will join fellow Hot 97 personality K. Foxx and Fuse TV's Dee Vazquez in hosting the show, which will take place on Monday, November 23 at The Imperial Club in NYC.
In addition to raising money for a college fund set up for Mike Beck's son, the event will raise awareness of the number of lives erased through acts of violence. The evening will feature performances by Grafh, Hell Rell,
"Mike Beck was a good friend of mine and I don't have too many people in my life I consider friends. This event is put in place to help send Mike Beck's son to college because he's not here to do it anymore. It's all about coming together in good and bad times and I would want someone to do something like this for me if I was in this position."
The show is the brainchild of Littles, a rapper in his own right who's probably best known as the one time manager of hip-hop duo Mobb Deep. "He was a good kid and very well known within the music network," Littles explained in a statement.
Fans interested in attending the show can contact The Imperial Club at (212) 352-2001.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Joe Budden Responds To Fabolous Dissing His New Girlfriend
"I thought that whole sh*t was really wack, really immature, really stupid..."
The internet was full of rumors when Joe Budden and Tahiry ended their public relationship and no one could figure out why, but Joe Budden quickly jumped back on the dating scene with singer and model Somaya Reece who first appeared to the world on Joe Budden TV.
Somaya Reece and Fabolous went back and forth on Twitter with Fabolous being victorious in the end after starting a topic against her. Fabolous was also dated Tahiry and he compared her to a stuntwoman for Joe Budden's ex.
"Time 2 expose this 2nd place chick Somaya Reece... So she know not throw people names out without knowing the consequences... #Somayareeceis Tahiry but the sequel... #Somayareeceis a stuntman 4 Joe Budden's real girlfriend."
Budden expressed his thoughts on Fab's comments on Joe Budden TV.
"That shit really made me look at niggas in a different light but it put me in a real awkward position because Fab can make a whole bunch of jokes on Twitter and everybody will laugh and think it's funny, because he's just making jokes. And that's my man, the amount of loyalty and respect that I have for Fab is outta this world. I probably have more respect for him than anybody else in rap because he helped usher me into the game. But that was some sucker shit -- the second that I respond -- when I say sucker shit, I'm honestly not talking about nothing that Fab did, I may maybe feel like he went a little too far as far as some of them jokes went, some of them jokes really weren't funny to me."
Joe Budden blames fans for making the situation bigger than it actually was.
"Fans are such fucking dickriders -- there's a lot of back story and no matter what I would say, it'd look like I'm defending a girl that I don't really know or it'd look like I'm getting really, really, personal because I don't know how to do anything else but be personal."
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Mariah Carey Compares Eminem To A Rejected Boy On Letterma
Mariah Carey likened Eminem to a boy rejected in a recent interview with late night host David Letterman.
"He continuously references me. I don't know why so I wrote a song that's really an anthem for all like little girls or kids that get their pony tails pulled and get abused," Carey said on Late Show With David Letterman last night (November 13). "Because the boy is really in love with them and they can't be with them."
The singer was clearly noncommittal when asked if the song, "Obsessed," was about the rap star.
"The song is not about anybody and yet it could be about anybody. You know? You never know," she said.
Her husband Nick Cannon was taped backstage with a wide smile after her appearance.
The feud between Eminem and Carey has been ongoing.
Earlier this year, Eminem wrote a song called "The Warning," which he alleged he had nude pictures of Carey.
Eminem raps, "You probably think if I had something on you I woulda did it by now, on the contrary, Mary Poppins, I'm mixing our studio session down and sending it off to mastering to make it loud, enough dirt on you to murder you, this is what the f--k I do...Mariah, it ever occur to you that I still have pictures?"
Eminem and Mariah Carey were reportedly in a relationship in 2001.
Tiny Confirms Upcoming Wedding To T.I.
Several years and a few kids later, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle and incarcerated rapper T.I. are set to tie the knot, says the former Xscape singer.
In an interview with XXL Mag, Tiny spoke candidly about the couple's upcoming nuptials, saying they could be jumping the broom within the next few months.
"Sometime [next] year, but we can't really give a date yet because we have to find out exactly when Tip is coming home," Tiny revealed. "We'll have to just plan around that, but I envision a fairy tale wedding. [As far as music together,] well, we did one song and we just never really got back in the studio, but I can't say that you won't hear anything in the future. I don't want to give it out yet, I want to hold it to make sure we go in that direction. We have several things that we're talking about doing together, so we'll see how that works out."
Rumors of wedding bells have clouded this hip hop couple since it was announced that T.I. would be spending a year and a day in jail in connection with gun charges.
Tiny also recently gave fans an update on her husband-to-be's condition behind bars.
"I talk to him about a little of everything, just things going on," she told Allhiphop. "He hears things and we talk about it. He wants me to stay out the way, me being out of harm's way. I know it's a lot of crazy things going on so I try to stay in as much as possible because I don't have him here. So I come out only when it's necessary. I stay out the way...He's doing good. He's passing the time by working out and just doing things they do inside, you know," she stated. He's playing handball and things like that. I go see him every Sunday, sometimes on Mondays. We talk everyday. He gets emails, working out and doing things like that so he's busy in there. He has a full schedule."
Friday, November 13, 2009
50 Cent Takes Shots At Jay-Z In "I Go Off"
Last night (November 12) the collaboration between 50 Cent and Beanie Sigel leaked onto the internet earlier than planned and featured an old verse from Beans and an aggressive 50.
Beans starts off the track with a verse that was first featured on the track Last 2 featuring Young Chris & Freeway. "I don't shoot sh*t off dog, I gun it down/ Walk up on n*ggas and run them down/ Pull a stock out the K, throw a hundred rounds," rhymes Beans.
"Won't stop 'til your box lowered to the ground/ Put you in an urn, your bones are burn/ The rap gorilla, the wack rap ringtone kills, I'm here/ To find a n*gga equally realer is rare/ You could meet me in the square if you dare to come near/ I have no morals."
50 Cent harmonizes on the hook, "I'll give you something to talk about/ I'll go off/ Come around me fronting/ I'll air you out/ I go off."
Three and a half minutes into the song is when the rapping ends and the shots begin. 50 accuses Jay of letting the money change him saying, "You used to be from Marcy (
Gucci Mane Speaks On Beef With Young Jeezy
During a recent interview, Gucci Mane spoke of My Own Worst Enemy, a song off his upcoming album The State vs. Radric Davis. In the song Gucci speaks on the footage of him hitting a woman, which became very popular on YouTube, the diss on T.I.'s fiancee Tiny, and his murder charge.
"I think one of the most powerful things I said [on] the record [was] 'let me check my schedule, I'm busy I can meet you three weeks from now' that was showing why I didn't respond," he told Miss Info. "Because how can I respond if I'm always gone. What time I'm gone have to pencil in you and me meeting up to have a physical altercation?"
The following is a line from the song My Own Worst Enemy, "I don't wish no death on homie I just want him to hear me out/ Think about the past and all the many things we talked about/ Think of all the people that's influenced by what comes out our mouth."
Gucci makes it clear that the song isn't about rapper Young Jeezy although he describes how he, Jeezy, and T.I. are all alike.
"It ain't for him," said Gucci, who says he's not looking for a truce and that it's not likely that Jeezy would hear the song and get anything good out of it anyway. Instead "the message is more for the fans to be inspired than anything else."
Gucci does leaves some words about Jeezy, "When I have time and you wanna say something to me or confront me about it, it's not that I'm looking forward to it or want to do it, it's just like you will have your opportunity. You don't got to look for nothing. It's gone come to you."
Gucci's long awaited album The State vs. Radric Davis will hit the streets December 8th.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Baton Rogue, Louisiana rapper Lil Boosie has been sentenced to four years in prison for violating the terms of his probation.
The rapper, born Torrence Hatch, was to serve two-years of a ten-year suspended sentence and was placed on active supervised probation for his third offense on a marijuana possession charge.
The sentence was the result of an October 22, 2008 arrest that uncovered drugs and a gun in Baton Rogue.
When Boosie was sentenced in September, Judge Chip Moore warned the rapper to stay out of trouble and to keep away from felons, guns and trouble in general.
At a sentencing hearing yesterday (November 9), Judge Moore double the original two-year sentence to four years, because Boosie’s house arrest ankle bracelet indicated that he had violated the terms of his release several times.
As a result, Lil Boosie, 25, was sent straight to prison to begin serving his prison sentence.
The Baton Rogue, Louisiana based rapper appeared at the 2009 BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta where he spoke to AllHipHop.com about his original two-year prison sentence.
“It’s just a minor setback,” Lil Boosie told AllHipHop.com. “I am not even a convicted felon and they are giving me time.”
Upon release, Lil Boosie must complete at least two years of supervised probation in order to have the gun charge dropped from his record.
Lil Boosie's album Superbad: The Return Of Boosie Bad Azz is in stores now.
Birdman On Wayne's Jail Time & The Hot Boys Reunion
During an interview with AllHipHop Radio yesterday (November 9), Birdman discussed Lil Wayne's upcoming jail time, and the Hot Boyz reunion.
"I promise you, you'll think he (Lil Wayne) never left the streets," said Baby. "It ain't much about the music at this point with my son, like f*ck the music. We got to go through something family wise, that the fans and nobody else will ever have to go through. This is the first time I will ever be without my child that means the world to me. This is where blood stick together."
As for the Hot Boyz reunion, Baby revealed that the highly anticipated reunion album is finished and could be in stores as soon as Summer 2010. Speaking on his relationship with members, Turk and Juvenile, Baby said the he talks to Turk often, and that he and Juvenile, "spoke about a couple of months ago for really the first time." He continues on to say, "Me and him [Juvenile] talked and really honestly, I ain't tripping and I don't think they [Turk and Juvenile] are tripping. Ni*gas done got older and are trying to figure out ways to feed their families."
Most of the members of the Hot Boyz are looking at or currently doing jail time. Including