Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Interview: DJ Premier Sits Down With DJ Semtex



Been a lil' while since we've heard from Premo, especially if you don't check into his satellite radio show...

Recently he got up with DJ Semtex for a lil' bit of Q&A action...

Covered in the convo is Preme's feelings on his new artist Nick Javas as well as him wanting to work with Drake? SMH...

Also covered: Nikki Minaj and Diggy Simmons....

Careful Premier...even legends can get labeled sellouts.

-BIG D O


DJ Premier Interview w/ DJ Semtex (Audio)

Review: Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon - Wu-Massacre



The 9 man (or so) clan known the world over as the Wu-Tang is one of the most respected names and brands in Hip-Hip culture and in the 90’s they pretty much peaked creatively. Sure the aughties provided some moments where a few of the clansmen re-discovered that past unflappable direction, but for the most part, the broad majority of the brotherhood suffered. Guys were driving taxi’s in Baltimore to make ends meat, bickering aimlessly about monies owed, releasing sub-par projects with their dreaded “affiliate” groups and bottom line, their three group albums that were released in the 2K’s came nowhere near 36 Chambers and Forever. By the end of this year I’d all but given up on the Shaolin spitters as a collective.


Read the rest here

Video: Joell Ortiz - Project Boy



New one off Joell's much, much, much anticipated "Free Agent", produced by none otha than the best eva....

Another black and white jumpoff, shot and directed beautifully by The iCU.

-BIG D O

Monday, March 29, 2010

News: New Dr. Dre/Jay-Z Single This Week?



Don't look now but it seems that Dre might actually be gettin serious about Detox...

According to many a site around the web and yes, Mr. Yo here, Dr. Dre and Jiggaman have collab'd on something new and will be dropping it sometime this week for us...

Also floating around out there; the record is a lot more uptempo than you might think....

Don't know bout that one, but if in fact there is a new joint out there to be heard this week you can bet I'll be all over it.

-BIG D O

Single: O.J. Simpson (Madlib & Guilty Simpson) - Cali Hills




1st single off the new collab project ("OJ Simpson") between these two!

Pretty interesting enthralling production, perfect canvas for Guilty to get into the story telling that is the connection between him, Detroit, Dilla and the Land of Lost Angels...

This is Hip-Hop.

The OJ Simpson group/project once again continues to gain my interests...On May 18th they'll have my money most likely.

-BIG D O


OJ Simpson - Cali Hills

News: Slaine Goes In On Sam Adams




You heard of this new hipster fuck from Boston by the name of Sam Adams that's getting way too much press and putting out bad music?

I hadn't either, but apparently the big homie Slaine (of La Coka Nostra and Special Teamz) has and don't much appreciate how this lame ass is reppin' his city.

So, like any person with a lil' bit of clout around his town (lol) he took to the RepDaBean.com Forums to vent his frustrations and really just air this kid out, lol..Oh and just for good measure he went ahead and spoke on Clinton Sparks as well...

I feel what Slaine is sayin 100%, but some of the "promises of violence" and so on was mad over the top...

here's what Slaine had to say exactly:

“Fuck Sam Adams. Why isnt his record called Waylands Boy? You cant not pay your dues and faggot your way in with no respect for the culture and no love from the streets. Sorry. Im gonna have a good time torturing this cat. “


“and really….Fuck Clinton Sparks too…fuckin dickhead. Dudes are about to start getting punched in the fuckin head this year. This aint Boston shit…..Get Familiar. Im coming to get you cats. Nobody from here is feelin these cats whatsoever. I am in a position to start crushing these fakers….so I have to. Goodbye…. Im about to start frying you preppy pretty boy Fa—–. Real Boston is Dorchester, Southie, Roslindale, Roxbury, Mattapan etc…. dont step on our shit and act like its you.”

and finally, some much needed and hilarious threats...:

“I think over the years you can see Im not a hater… but this dude is actually a threat to the foundation of real hip hop street music. Never paid a due…. has no respect or knowledge of the culture…. If this is hip hops new direction we are in trouble. And he is about to get backed by the biggest powers in the game. He seems like a nice kid…. but on principle… I gotta cut his head off. Sorry Sammy. Bostons boy is about to get banned from Boston. Im Bostons Boy faggot. Go back to college and do some homework. And tell your alamo rent a car investor he can get his face kicked in too. Wrong time to fuck with me. Be very afraid. Im gonna show up at your shows and make everything hard for you pussy. Say somthing about it and watch the temperature get way too hot for you.”

spotted ova @ JTTS

-BIG D O

Single: Roc Marciano - Raw Deal



2nd leak (that I've posted) off the forthcoming "Welcome To Marcburg" from Roc Marciano..

Nuthin but hardcore goodness here...I'm getting flashbacks of the NY scene circa 1993...

Roc's got an EP coming soon for us, then the actual album, so stay posted...

-BIG D O


Roc Marciano - Raw Deal

Video: Cypress Hill - Rise Up



Several posts back we got to hear snippets of Cypress Hill's new album "Rise Up", today we get the official vid for the title track, complete with guest guitar thrashing from Tom Morello...

Love the look of the vid, graphics are sharp and love the subject fodder even more...first lil' scene with the girl wearing the gas mask in fron of the tube is magnetic and sinister all in one..

Right about now I think Hip-Hop needs a lil' bit more aggression in it's music toward the establishment...what about you?

-BIG D O

DJ G.I. Joe - I'm Going In The Mixtape




It's with great confliction that I bring ya'll this new tape...on the one hand I'm happy we've got a new mix from DJ G.I. Joe, but on the other it is a somber moment because the tape is being put out basically to let ya'll know that he's going to be away for a lil' bit.

Indeed...Joe is already locked down right now, serving a 6 month bid in federal prison. The tireless Turntable Annihilist caught a case and now is suffering the consequences of his choices (I assume, don't have any details behind his conviction), but got damnit that don't mean we gotta like it or that we can't help him out in this rocky patch of life.

Included on this new tape are some exclusives produced by Joe himself as well as a bunch of new SolidConnect material, but the real show is of course G.I. Joe's mixing and cutting...

Below is the address for G.I. Joe if you wanna send him a kite, and if you want you can even visit this link to put a lil' money down on his commissary/books...

Joseph P. Rivera
Reg# 76899-053
MDC Brooklyn
P.O. Box 329002
Brooklyn, NY 11232

See ya in 6 Joe...

-BIG D O


DJ G.I. Joe - I'm Going In The Mixtape

MF Grimm - You Only Live Twice The Audio Graphic Novel Snippets



The warrior that is MF Grimm is prepping to drop his new project "You Only Live Twice The Audio Graphic Novel", which will include a 13 page comic book on May 18th...

Today you get to hear some snippets of the music that will accompany the new project and like always, expect Grimm to come correct...

-BIG D O


MF Grimm - You Only Live Twice The Audio Graphic Novel Snippets

Video: Strong Arm Steady ft. Phonte - Best Of Times



Brand new one from the Steady Gang off their latest LP, "In Search Of Stoney Jackson"....

Ya'll know I'm a sucker for the black and white vids, and the concept is chillingly close to what so many of us are going through right about now too...yours truly included. Masterfully relevant and artistic stuff.

Gotta nip this desperation in the bud America...Don't ask me how though.

-BIG D O

Single: Brother Ali ft. Fashawn - Breakin Dawn Tour (prod. by BK-One)






Okay, lets start off the week correct...

I'm always in the mood for some Brother Ali and Fashawn these days...thought it woulda been a lot longer before they collab'd let alone went on tour together but to my surprise and satisfaction it wasn't...

Here the 2 lyrical monstas go in for a perfect jumpstart to their Breakin’ Dawn Boys Tour w/ a new joint of the same name. This is funky, real Hip-Hop...they need to go on tour more often if this is what we get in exchange. BK-One (who's also on the tour) laced em' with some funky, true school production while Ali and Fash handle the rest...

-BIG D O


Brother Ali ft. Fashawn - Breakin Dawn Tour (prod. by BK-One)

Video: Kelis - Acapella



Are you kidding me? The only reason your still getting facetime on PHH is b/c I'm forever in-debted to you for putting out "Baby I Got Cha Money".....got too much dance floor rubbin to that back in the day...

Kelis continues on her spending of Nasir's outrageous child support payemnt and drops this rediculous (no, not the good rediculous either) visual for her latest single; "Acapella". When did she lose her fuckin mind you ask? I don't know, all I know is that this ain't Hip-Hop and if whatever it is don't pop off with the snots that hang in the Techno clubs that do pills by the bottle load her career clock is ticking that much closer to midnight..

... and I thought I wouldn't see anything sillier than this bullshit tonight/today.

-BIG D O

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Dominique LaRue - HerStory FreEP




Thoughtful, beautiful and witty...Columbus, Ohio native and Hip-Hop force Dominique LaRue is thee total package when it comes to a femcee and you need to hear her latest music.

Getting up with soulful music creator Idasa Tariq for her latest project; a free 6 track EP, I think I might smell a lil' bit of greatness lurking around Ms. LaRue...

Stay tuned...

-BIG D O


Dominique LaRue - HerStory EP

Video Interview: Nas & Damian Marley For Vevo



The "Distant Relatives" sit down for a candid Q&A with Vevo AKA the ppl that are single handedly out to ruin your youtube music experience, while they were at this year's SXSW music conference.

I kid of course...pretty cool interview, I'm ready for the album!

-BIG D O

News: Say What? Jill Scott Edition



Recently Ms. Scott made (in my view) some questionable remarks regarding interracial dating to Essence mag and just like when I had to call out Mr. Mayer for his backwards ass speech, I gotta raise a few Q's for Ms. Scott too...Now don't get it twisted, Ms. Scott's comments are nowhere near as un-articulated and classless as Mayer's were, but they still garnered enough of an eyebrow raise for me to speak on em'

So to paraphrase the commentary she gave to Essence, she's butt hurt cause a brutha who's seemingly intelligent and successful is married to a white gal? Going in on this whole blithely poetic rant that attacks said brutha's "soul" for simply being with a white woman, I think we get a peek into some of her insecurities. Even trying to bring up the very true historical context of the white woman being placed on a pedestal by white slave owners and drawing an inference to a time when white chicks were forbidden fruit so to speak she comes off bitter for no reason. She's 100% historically accurate, and yeah, there's prolly some ingrained pain there when she see's black dudes wifing up snow bunnies, But Should there be? I mean, your married right? Two times right? Why are you all of a sudden worried about what another man is doing with his affections?

Okaaaaay, not that she didn't make true statements about how fucked up slave owners and basically just white America in general was and in many ways still is in it's views of black men and their precious white women, but come on Ms. Scott, that old and frankly outright un-true stereotype of the black woman who loathes the black man who dates outside his race is too too tired...And yes it is a stereotype. Most sistas I know have zero problems with seeing black dudes (especially ones they don't know) date outside their race and in general have zero problems seeing interracial dating of any type go down. They don't feel some "inner pinch under their Summer dress" when they see a white girl with a black guy or a sista with a white guy or whatever the combination may be...

I think YOUR the one, Ms. Scott who has the problem. Maybe it is a bit troubling that some successful black dudes might have more of a inkling toward fairer skinned Caucasian chicks, but for me it's no more troubling than lets say, when an Asian man loves Middle Eastern women or an Italian chick digs strictly Latino men, or a woman from New Guinea only will get with Canadians or whatever else. Just remember for every one that doesn't, there's one that do, and you can bet on that. You are trying to assert that if someone does wanna date outside they tribe it's an epidemic or something to be ashamed of, and really it's just not. Now maybe I could hear your argument out if you were talking about someone that was just out there boning every piece of white tail he could, while his sista was at home or something, but you said yaself that wasn't the case. Ole' dude you talking on is marrying this woman. Now I'm no huge advocate of marriage and a ring definitely don't equal love, but if dude is as intelligent as you said he was than why not believe he's got genuine feelings for ole' girl and just let them ride into the sunset, for better or worse?

It's 2010, and trying to discourage anyone, of any color, from getting with anyone else of any other color that they're atracted to or in love with is fucking backwards as shit. I don't care how subtle you are with your complaint or "observation". Why the fuck do you care is my question? Your incredibly talented, but comments like; "We dig that the world is full of amazing options. But underneath, there is a bite, no matter the ointment, that has yet to stop burning.", just aren't true. Their blanket statements that you make about all the rest of us to legitimize YOUR hang ups about interracial dating. Most of the time it's hard to catch you not doing or being attached to something positive and promoting progressive love in all of it's imperfections, so this borderline intolerance kinda comes as a surprise.

-BIG D O

Single: Ransom - Answers



Haven't heard dufflebag Ran in a minute, here's some new, highly lyrical stuff from him in the form of a joint where he asks and answers a few questions for himself....

The New Jeru rhymer addresses rumors, legit questions about his career and the status of former partner Hitchcock, all while keeping thing in tune with his usual deadpan, no frills style...I'm glad that Ran returned to more suitable production and hope that he continues to dig out beats like this...

DJ Diggz has a new tape comin later this year with the former A-Team member, be sure to ask ya local tape hustler to have that in his inventory when the time come.

-BIG D O


Ransom - Answers

News: Uncle Howie Passes Away




As recently reported the man known as "Uncle Howie" AKA Howard Tenenbaum, who served as an inspiration and quasi-mascot for his nephew Ill Bill and Necro's recordings and companies recently passed on after years of battling addiction.

The cause of death is still unspecified, but Bill did confirm via Twitter late last week that Tenenbaum had passed:

"Uncle Howie RIP - Rest in power my G,"


PHH sends out it's thoughts to Bill, Necro and the entire Uncle Howie Records Camp.

-BIG D O

Video: Phonte Speaks On Little Brother/9th Wonder



I knew this day would come....

After parting ways in a pretty civil manner a long while ago, the men of Little Brother (Phonte & Pooh) seemed to be adjusting well to their new recording careers in the wake of the absence of uber talented former in-house producer/DJ 9th Wonder.

Well, leave it to the latest in social media fuckery AKA Twitter to ignite some silly shit between men who usually would have no part in it.

I was on Twitter last night when a good bit of this minor back and forth between Phonte and 9th was going on and I gotta say it was discouraging.

Apparently this whole mess started after Phonte released "Star"; a new single off of the upcoming Little Brother album, and maybe said a lil' too much in it's regards.

Here, we get Tigalo's telling of how things fell apart with LB.

-BIG D O

Death Anniversary: Freaky Tah



Eleven years ago today outside a Queens Sheraton, Lost Boyz member Freaky Tah AKA Raymond Rodgers was shot in the head by Kelvin Jones....Tah clung to life for awhile, but was pronounced dead at 4:20 AM....He was all of 27 years old. Jones would later be convicted for the murder.

The Jamaica Queens bred MC and promoter was a driving force behind the success that was the 1990's Hip-Hop group The Lost Boyz and to me they never were the same after his passing. A lot of times we forget to remember guys like Tah, who weren't super well known, but still had a hand in crafting some really memorable, if not classic music...

We haven't forgotten you this year Freaky... R.I.P

-BIG D O

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