With Kanye West on a brief hiatus from the music world preferring to remain outside of the limelight to re-evaluate certain things, the rapper is still finding a way to give back to his fans in his time away.
The Chicago native will be leaving his fans with a holiday surprise as he will be auctioning off several items from his popular clothing Web site, karmaloop.com.
Fans will essentially be able to take a piece of Yeezy with them, from Kanye West himself.
The purpose of the auction is to raise funds for his non-profit organization, the Kanye West Foundation.
Along with the signed memorabilia that are up for bid, fans will also receive a copy of (more...)
An Albuquerque, New Mexico based community group is making waves throughout the nation with their unique, landmark program.
Ordo Dei Imperceptus, a non-profit religious organization, has tasked themselves with protecting New Mexico's member's of the “fairer sex,” assigning body guards to any woman that was once in an abusive relationship that fears retaliation for seeking social sanity.
“Our first priority is to de-escalate the situation, said Ordo Dei Imperceptus president, Douglas Muhu. “The only actual way to solve that is to provide 24/7 protection, the police can't do that, they do not have the manpower and the don't have the resources, so it comes down to our community doing it themselves.”
Though some guards are armed, most would rather talk a potential threat down before resorting to violence. If action is taken, all guards are tasked with making a citizens arrest and informing local authorities of what transpired on a detail-by-detail basis.
Rick Ross & The Triple C's recently reunited with the O.G. Bun B and kicked some D-Boy survival tactics.
Check out the "Break It Down" video below from Triple C's debut Custom Cars & Cycles as Bun spits how Trill he is while Ross takes a few more shots at 50 Cent. Click here to peep more videos.
Now that Game's R.E.D. album has been pushed back to 2010, he's doing the right thing and putting the finishing touches on the project.
As previously reported Game's been in the studio working on tracks with Pharrell and decided to show him his loyalty by getting his “Star Trak” emblem tattooed on his arm.
When he's not busy paying homage to another man, (more...)
In the Hip Hop game, many artists create their own personas or rap aliases from certain individuals that they looked up to in the game which symbolized the epitome of what they were striving for.
Jay-Z used American Gangster to chronicle the rise and fall of Frank Lucas with each individual track being a representation of a particular scene in the film.
Almost jumping on Jay's back, Jim Jones released Harlem's American Gangster as a way to build some type of controversy and speak on the hustler known as Nick Barnes.
Channeling a drug dealer once again, Jones is looking to New York City's drug kingpin Richard Porter to deliver the (more...)
“I also recorded a CD to be released right before I come out called The Appeal of the State vs. Radric Davis. I had to leave my fans with something because they've been supporting me through the tribulations and trials I've been going through in my life.”
Although down, Gucci Mane is never out of the game. Fresh off the release of The State vs. Radric Davis, Gucci is already making his next moves once he steps outside of the prison walls.
Appropriately titled The Appeal, the next album from the rising rapper is set to be released once (more...)
A woman is facing heartbreak after she gave birth to a premature baby girl at home is contemplating legal action in the wake of what is quickly becoming a scandal.
Civic leader in Clarke County are denouncing the actions taken at a University Medical Center, actions that saw visibly pregnant Roshunda Abney, 25, given the proverbial hospital run-around for so long that she figured that her home would provide the best opportunity to give birth to her late daughter than the medical facility.
Kathy Silver, head administrator at University Medical, whom has offered her personal and professional condolences, is pledging to launch an investigation aimed at finding out what went wrong in the incident.
Six employees have been suspended for having been involved in the ordeal thus far.
It's been over three years since fans heard a major release from the Virginia duo The Clipse. After releasing their debut album Lord Willin' that fans and critics alike praised as a refreshing form of lyricism, the duo followed up with their more darker album Hell Hath No Fury which although far more grittier than their debut, was still critically acclaimed. Then in 2006, it seemed as if the rhymes stopped flowing from the duo.
And like their previous hit single “What Happened To That Boy” with Cash Money's Baby, many fans were asking the same about The Clipse. What fans didn't know is that the crew's success brought some turmoil. After departing from a label they felt wasn't supporting their vision, personnel changes at their new label also hindered their return as well as personal issues between each other and the incarceration of their long time manager and friend.
With all that drama, it is amazing that The Clipse just released an album that some critics are hailing as one of the brightest albums they have created to date. A lot has changed within the camp and we sat down with Pusha T and Malice to discuss what fans can expect with the new album, ‘Til the Casket Drops, the possibility of solo ventures and reuniting with Pharrell.
HipHopWired: How would you compare you relationship with Columbia versus Jive, what about this deal is better than before?
Pusha T: I just think that people are a little more aware of the type of group that we are and just trying. Everybody just trying to work towards a common goal of ensuring that our vision is a success. Not that Jive wasn't or anything but just that personal relationships in the company stifled what it was that we were trying to do because [Jive] had issues with The Neptunes, but all of that stuff is over with.
Clipse & Rick Rubin
HipHopWired: What took so long to drop this album because the last fans heard from you guys was back in 2006. For the fans who aren't familiar with the mixtape circuit, you guys have dropped a lot of mixtapes but what took so long on the major?
Pusha T: I just think getting all the producers involved with scheduling and there was a little changing of the guard at Columbia when we first got there, but it also is all about timing. I think that we are in one the best phases in our lives both individually and as a group to come up with some great music and I think we did that with this album.
HipHopWired: The new album…production wise… I know you got Pharrell on it. On the Re-Up Gang album, Malice you had some lines that was going at P, how did ya'll bring everything back into the fold?
Malice: I think everything has always been held in perspective, when you at a place where especially where we were musically and didn't have outlets, just speaking things that's on your mind, is your only outlet. There's never really been nothing personal, we've always been family and when you just backed into a corner sometimes…your only therapy is your pen. You just go wherever it takes you. I'm a real writer, I write and I write what's on my mind and as far as I'm concerned I speak the truth but as you can see we're still family and it's all good.
HipHopWired: There have been many track listings on the internet showing that you are working with various producers including Scott Storch, Timbaland and Diddy. How did these partnerships come about and what made you reach out to such an eclectic group of producers?
Pusha T: The tracks that actually made it on the album were the ones that were produced by The Hitmen [Shawn C and LV] and DJ Khalil and the Neptunes, so some of the tracks people are playing are bootleg. But we just decided that it was time to bring a different style, not saying that our sound is old, but as an artist your goal should be to bring creativity to each track that you rhyme on. I personally can't write unless I am inspired so for me to write “Grinding” or “Mamma I'm So Sorry” is impossible because I am not in that place emotionally anymore.
HipHopWired: With a lot of artists complaining about the state of music, what can fans expect when they cop ‘Till the Casket Drops?
Pusha T: I think they're just going to get Hip-Hop on steroids, pure energy, it's all energy. A roller coaster ride of emotions, different flows, just everything that makes Hip-Hop what it is, of course it's always lyric driven…it's just us going out on a limb.
Malice: The whole mood of the album stayed constant unlike Lord Willin'. ‘Til the Casket Drops is like a roller coaster ride, because it is a roller coaster of emotions, you got angry records, you got street records, you got life changing records, you got inspirational records, you got female joints. It's just a roller coaster ride.
HipHopWired: Let's put music to the side for a second, you guys have a clothing line… Play Cloths that you can preview online. What made you venture into fashion and was this a passion that you've always had?
Pusha T: Basically when we were on hiatus, doing the mixtapes… we were doing our thing. We noticed that when we were doing shows, we would run into a thousand kids that were always commenting on our clothes. Like they knew we had on Bathing Apes General Jackets. When we saw that the fans were paying that much attention to what we were wearing, we thought we got to get involved in this, so we started putting it together.
HipHopWired: Whose idea was it, yours Pusha or Malice?
Pusha T: Mine.
HipHopWired: Where can people actually buy the clothes from, are there pieces in stores?
Malice: Play Cloths has been out for almost 1 year now. It's been getting a lot of love from artists in the industry. Shout out to all the artists who been supporting us from day one… Jay Z, 50 Cent, Soulja Boy. Everybody has been supporting us, we appreciate it. They can also order it from the site: http://www.playcloths.com/blog/.
HipHopWired: What's the deal with the Re-Up Gang, are you planning on releasing an album any time soon?
Pusha T: Well the Re-Up game actually consists of me, Malice and Ab-Liva. Definitely we're going to be working with [Ab]- Liva on his solo album. He's also featured on the ‘Till the Casket Drops album on a record called “Never Will It Stop” which is like 100 % Hip-Hop.
HipHopWired: Who did you work with on the track “Door Man” because a lot of fans call that the hardest track on the album.
Pusha T: The Neptunes. “Door Man” is a very hard track, it's a very real record and it's just street and ignorant, it really is. Have you checked out the “Door Man” video? It's crazy.
HipHopWired: A lot of rappers have come out and shown support for you guys on the new album including Cam'ron, who is also featured on the track “Popular Demand.” With the buzz that's around that, a lot of people are saying that's the sound that the Dipset should have had originally. Are you planning on working with him on any collaboration albums?
Pusha T: I would totally love to work with Cam any time the chance comes up. I'm a fan of Cam and the Dipset movement so there are definitely talks.
HipHopWired: You have the clothing line, the Re-Up record label, the new album…what's next for the Clips and what other projects are you working on that may be under the radar?
Pusha T: Honestly, it's just full-fledged music for me. That's it. I just want to get into music mode in 2010. All I see is The Clipse and then possibly some solo ventures and some of everything.
HipHopWired: When you say solo ventures are you meaning that you and Malice are possibly looking at doing something like Outkast did with a double disc that is still one album?
Pusha T: No, I would just say solo albums. I think we'd both do solo albums.
HipHopWired: What happened with your previous manager [Anthony Gonzalez, who recently struck a plea deal on a federal drug conspiracy charge and is due to be sentenced in January] since he had gotten busted on some charges a while back, does that make you all stray away from going as hard knowing that the Feds are going to be watching and listening to every lyric that ya'll state?
Malice: That's not going to change anything because if they've heard the music… I don't know what else they can look to hear. There is really nothing else that they can look to hear, man.
HipHopWired: What's your opinion on the state of Hip-Hop right now? A lot of people are saying that it sounds the same which honestly if you turn on the radio it does start to sound like you're listening to the same song all day. What's your opinion with that and what do you think that as an artist others need to do to bring some type of creativity back to it?
Pusha T: The state of Hip-Hop to me personally, I like it. I like the records I'm hearing. I just take the records and listen to them in the proper perspective. People think because we're The Clipse that we are lyrical snobs, but we aren't. I've been telling everybody all the time that I like Soulja Boy, I like “Turn My Swag On”, I like a lot of records. People are always talking about the state of Hip-Hop. It's like dog, we've always had records that are lyrical, we've had all types, you just got to take it in its context.
HipHopWired: That's definitely true but the only thing that people have some type of reservations about is the fact that all the records start to sound the exact same. Back in the day you did have the ones that were just party joints, but you also had the conscious, you had the lyrical you had the gritty, but there was a variety. I think the biggest complaint at this point is that there is no variety.
Where as you do have the party records it's kind of redundant when all you hear is party records and I'm not saying that's all that's being made but that's all the masses are being fed, you feel me?
Pusha T: That's a radio problem, you can't blame an artist for what radio controls. The records are being made and I don't think it's our fault that Mos Def, Jay Z and Kayne West's conscious albums aren't being blasted on the radio. They're made and they're good but no one gets to hear them because that is not what radio thinks everyone wants to listen to.
“Black Tee,” “Trap House,” “Go Head,” “Freaky Gurl,” “Icy,” and “Bricks” are but a mere sampling of what Radric Davis planned to feed the world. All the aforementioned tracks are southern classics that still get burn in many clubs and nightspots nationwide, but for Gucci Mane LaFlare, such success was not nearly enough.
The State vs. Radric Davis is Gucci's first attempt at bringing his trademark drug flow and braggadocios street certified tales to a mainstream audience. Gone are the days of hole in the wall performances; all that remains are the trappings of a burgeoning rap titan, a bonafide star. Ascending the mantle of today's Hip-Hop higher echelon currently occupied by fellow Atlien's T.I., Ludacris, & Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane is bringing some of his most diverse work to date in his latest offering.
“Classical (Intro),” the album's first track, is an introduction to the So Icy Boss for listeners that may not be familiar with who Gucci is. Like its name suggests, the track features classically styled singers backed by piano chords and string arrangements that combine to give a sense of regality to the lyrics amiably laid on the song. Following the intro is a hilarious interlude that sees Gucci recruit funny man Mike Epps for what can only be described as 1 minute and 14 seconds of hilariousness, after which, LaFlare serves up three consecutive hood-targeted cuts, seeing him hook up with the likes of Cam'ron, Lil' Wayne, and Rick Ross.
Every track that follows, starting with “Lemonade,” are clearly designed for Gucci to flex his lyrical range, delivering songs that partner the southern rhyme slinger with unlikely artists such as Usher, Bobby Valentino, and Jason Caesar. After a relaxing change of pace its back to business as usual as arguably tired gutta stories are given new life with new era digital musicality.
All in all, The State vs. Radric Davis is an album that will appease longtime Gucci Mane fans as well as anyone that may not be familiar with the East Atlanta/Zone 6 don. With excellent production throughout the album and several good tracks that make for decent car listening, for all intent and purposes, The State is just not as good as it is being marketed to be.
I would even go as far as calling it a glorified mainstream mixtape. Even so, it is a good listen and is worth a download…. A FREE download.
A California teen is brushing up on his letter writing skills after his parents received what can only be described as a whopper of a phone bill, totaling on $22,000!
Ted Estrajira was shocked to find that his teen son accrued $21,197 in fees after downloading several items to his phone. The fees were incurred due to his use of data while lacking a data plan.
The text friendly kid used 1.4 million kilobytes, the equivalent of an hour of played videos or 200 downloaded ringtones, with Verizon charging per megabyte.
The nation's largest 3G supplier agreed to credit Estarija with money that he paid on the account and agreed to waive the fee. Young Estarija lost his phone privileges only one month after getting the device.
![Rosa Acosta Photo Shoot With T.I.T.S. [Video]](http://en.wordpress.com/imgpress?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhiphopwired.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F02%2Frosa.jpg&resize=120,60)
![Bangin Candy: Draya Michele [Photos]](http://en.wordpress.com/imgpress?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhiphopwired.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F02%2Fdraya_michele_draya_m_IDf2qAI.sized_-542x300.jpg&resize=120,60)
![Happy Hump Day: Beautiful The Beast [Photos]](http://en.wordpress.com/imgpress?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhiphopwired.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F02%2F4a7081c19de15.jpg&resize=120,60)
Commented
Read