Nice to see Nicki Minaj produce a video for one of the few straight Hip-Hop tracks off Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Cam comes through with the standout verse out of the three. As with any Minaj video, you’re treated to an array of loud colors, quirky faces and sexual innuendo (not that the latter is a problem). The video is directed by Colin Tilley.
Ski Beatz has recruited Dipset’s Cam’Ron and Vado as “guest stars” on his latest project entitled Blu Tops. The entire EPcan be previewed below.
This song is not even 24 hours old, and Funkmaster Flex already has a new version to deliver to the masses. The beat and Teyana Taylor’s chorus will remind you of Nas and Chrisette Michele’s work on “Can’t Forget About You.” The music requires a laid back flow, which here suits Vado and Big Sean the best. Surprisingly, Cam’Ron sounds the most out-of-place in flow and mixing. This collaboration does more for Dipset, considering the lukewarm reception to their reunion. G.O.O.D. Music is red-hot right now, and hopefully Cam and company won’t embarrass themselves any further with shots at Kanye. No word on why Juelz missed out on this joint. Teyana Taylor was in the artist graveyard as well since trying to launch a solo career in 2008. This may help to get her off the ground, too. Shout out to Funkmaster Flex for nabbing the exclusive.
KANYE WEST X TEYANA TAYLOR X DIPSET X MUSIQ X BIG SEAN X CYHI ”CHRISTMAS IN HARLEM”
“What you now hearing is putting fear in all the older ones…”
Forget that G.O.O.D. Fridays has started becoming “G.O.O.D. Saturdays.” We nearly got a G.O.O.D. Sunday due to series creator Kanye West having to wait on one final verse to complete this week’s project. We probably won’t find out which emcee was running late. But if we’re going to guess based on quality, there’s a good chance it was J. Cole who was putting the finishing touches on his show-stealing rhyme.
Even several months deep into G.O.O.D. Friday, Kanye is still coming up with ways to make the series fresh. The production is a familiar sample of Steel Pulse’s “Blues Dance Raid,” which is the basis for Cam’Ron’s Purple Haze joint ”Bubble Music.” It’s definitely an interesting choice considering Cam’s forgettable diss to him last month. It’s nothing intricate, but as you’ll hear it’s the perfect palette for emcees to boast about themselves.
Pusha T leads off with a good verse mixing contrasting spectrums of the black experience, ranging for the Civil Rights Movement to the infamous Shower Posse. His verse and Cyhi’s form a loose link that continues that those themes (“Where we looking for trouble?/ Maybe if we weren’t black than we wouldn’t have struggled…”).
Big Sean, who usually stay in laid back mode, breaks that expectation by starting off his verse with a rapid-fire, double-time flow. He doesn’t sound of character in the style, but only uses it to serve as an introduction. From there, it’s straight braggadocio on female conquests and his growing status in the industry (“Does he sound like ‘Ye, Jay or Drizzy Drake?/ Meanwhile I’m chilling with all these niggas counting all this money you aint…”). Sean doesn’t have that “authentic asshole” appeal that always adds to Kanye’s shit talking, but he’ll still make you grin with a few of his pointed punchlines (“Greet me with a middle finger when you see me/ It’s cool ’cause I can’t see you from this side of the TV, motherfucker!”).
The beat refrain usually signals ‘Ye’s last verse. Instead, it’s a precursor to a J. Cole assault. The Roc Nation young gun is in battle mode, and you get the sense that it’s not just due to the excellent exposure that comes with G.O.O.D. Friday. He’s looking to put his peers on notice. Lines like “This the rap Moses/ Better yet/ Mary and Joseph’s son,” let you know Cole is not just happy being amongst the talented. He wants and demands recognition as one of the best. Kanye knows a monster verse when he hears one, and Cole is the only one who gets the beat dropped to add further poignancy to his closing bars (“…ironic you’ve been sleeping on the one you’ve been dreaming ’bout”).
Funnily enough, Kanye has a verse quietly placed in the middle of the song. It’s not sub par, but clearly this track is for the young guns to shine. It’s a development that’ll be great to hear pushed forward in future G.O.O.D. Fridays.
The G.O.OD. Music fam is a very young team, but their chemistry is unmistakable. Is Kanye poised to have his very own Roc-A-Fella? That remains to be seen. For now, he’s on the right track.
The French always had a a way with art. Bilal teams up with French director Mikael Colombu for a highly symbolic video for the song “Robots.” The Election Day timing is impeccable, as the clip displays a surreal world overrun with political intrigue, corruption, and despair. In this type of world, do you take a stand, or are you simply a robot to be controlled by others?
CELPH TITLED X BUCKWILD X R.A. DA RUGGED MAN “MAD AMMO”
Congrats to Celph Titled and Buckwild for debuting #10 on iTunes with their throwback offering Nineteen Ninety Now. The entire project is composed of beats Buckwild had made back in the 90′s, so to say it captures the sound of the era would be an understatment. The guys splice their latest single, “Mad Ammo,” with a “I Love the 90′s” discussion, which is a clever reworking of VH1′s “I Love the 80′s” series. Take note of R.A. the the Rugged Man’s flow on this one.
araabMUZIK VISUAL TREATMENT PART 3
araabMUZIK is going to play an instrumental role in whether the Dipset reunion is a success or failure. We’ll get a glimpse of if he’s up for the task courtesy of his work on Duke Da God’s November 23 album The D.I.P. Agenda, which features Cam’Ron, Jadakiss, Lil Flip, Sheek Louch, Hell Rell and J.R. Writer. Duke Da God cites it as his best work and music all Dipset fans will enjoy.
“This is the best album I’ve ever done. I’ve been away for so long that I took my time to really perfect it,” Duke Da God explained. “It’s my graduation album. This is all brand new music so it’s like a new Dipset album. If you like Dipset you are gonna love this album.”
This third installment of araabMUZIK’s Visual Treatment series may be a taste of what to expect.
What was supposed to just be a light-hearted rap freestyle may turn into the catalyst that launches pop sensation Justin Bieber’s rap career.
Yesterday, the teen sensation posted a freestyle video on Twitter, where he rhymed over Vado’s club hit “Speaking in Tungs.” During the clip, he poked fun at himself for being white and proudly proclaimed that he “murdered it.”
Vado was highly impressed by Bieber’s rendition, and let it be known that the young superstar is welcome to jump on his upcoming remix.
“I was shocked, he killed it!” Vado told the NY Daily News. “When I seen it on Twitter, I didn’t believe it. We need to keep his verse for the remix! We might finish the remix this weekend, and let Justin go first. I’m definitely going to contact him.”
Although the freestyle was the first time Bieber has ever rapped, he was recently a part of Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Friday series, appearing with Raekwon on the song “Runaway Love.” Under his rap persona, Bieber goes by the name Shawty Mane.
The 16-year-old singer became the youngest solo act since Stevie Wonder in 1963 to top the charts with his last album, My World 2.0. Vado’s debut album, Slim Flu, was released this past Tuesday (October 12).
At press time, Justin Bieber has not responded to Vado’s offer.
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I know (hope) Vado wasn’t serious about the Biggie comment, but some things you shouldn’t joke about.
Their lanes are completely different, but Vado and company would be insane not to try and capitalize on this. Vado is a new artist, and being associated with a star like Bieber can only help him, even if it doesn’t make an immediate impact with albums sales. And if Dipset can get anything out of it, great, because their reunion has been met with a lukewarm reception at best.
Ironically, Bieber appears to be tight with Kanye West, who Cam’Ron recently dissed in a weak ploy for attention. It’d be funny if Kanye stepped in and advised Bieber not to work with them.
$5 says if this comes off, Bieber outshines Jim Jones and Juelz Santana. Y’all ready for a bunch of teeny boppers and MTV next year proclaiming Justin Bieber as one of the hottest emcees in the game?
11 years after Big L’s tragic murder, SMC Recordings has announced a November 23 release date for the rapper’s second posthumous album, Return Of The Devil’s Son.
Although there have been several mix CDs sold over the past decade, Big L’s family had previously only endorsed Rawkus’ gold-selling, 2000 Big L album Big Picture. Now on that project’s 10 year anniversary, the late Harlemite’s family and colleagues have come together for an ambitious album that collects 21 previously unreleased Big L songs.
“This album is supported 100% by the Big L family,” explained Big L’s brother Donald Phinazee. “I’ve been talking about this album for that last six years and it means everything to me. This is an original Big L album and I’m excited to put my brother out.”
Born Lamont Coleman, Big L began to make a name for himself in the early and mid 90s under Lord Finesse and as a member of the Diggin’ In the Crates Crew. He also founded a group in his native Harlem named Children of the Corn, which included young incarnations of Cam’Ron, Mase, McGruff, and the late Bloodshed.
In 1995, he released his debut album Lifestyles of the Poor and Dangerous to nominal commercial success. By 1999, he was on the verge of gaining national exposure through a potential signing with Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella imprint. But in February of that year, he was shot execution-style on a Harlem street corner in a still unsolved slaying.
In the years following his death, Big L’s stature has grown. Many cite him as the best example of the punchline-centered rhymes that are still popular in Hip-Hop cyphers, and a staple of most emcee’s repertoire.
Phinazee is immensely proud of the project. He not only marvels at his late brother’s talent, but also points to tracks like the Kool G. Rap and Royal Flush featuring “Right To The Top” as an example of what creative direction Big L planned on taking into the 21st century.
“This album will show where he should have been and where he was about to go,” Phinazee said. ” It’s going on 12 years since he’s been gone. He would have been that one; this project will show where he should have been at.”
The tracklist for Return Of The Devil’s Son can be viewed below.
1.) “Return Of The Devils Son” (produced by Showbiz)
2.) “Devil’s Son (produced by Showbiz)
3.) “Zone Of Danger” (produced by J-Love)
4.) “Sandman 118”
5.) “School Days”
6.) “Principle Of The New School” (produced by Showbiz)
7.) “Unexpected Flava” (produced by Lord Finesse)
8.) “Tony’s Touch”
9.) “Right To The Top” f/Royal Flush & Kool G Rap (produced by Domingo)
10.) “Once Again” (produced by J-Love)
11.) ” Harlem World Universal”
12.) “I Won’t”
13.) “Hard To Kill”
14.) “Power Moves”
15.) “If You Not Aware”
16.) “I Should Have Used A Rubber”
17.) “Doo Wop #5”
18.) “Yes You Can”
19.) “Audition”
20.) ”MC’s What’s Going On” (produced by Showbiz)
21.) “Slaying The Mic”
Representatives for Cash Money Records are countering Bangladesh’s “A Milli”compensation lawsuit by stating the producer lost all royalty proceeds for failing to clear the sample.
For the past several months, the Atlanta producer has been airing his grievances publicly with the label to coincide with the lawsuit. Bangladesh alleges Cash Money has not paid him any royalties for “A Milli,” which was the second single off Lil Wayne’s multi-platinum 2008 album Tha Carter III. The track became of the biggest Hip-Hop songs that year and charted #6 on Billboard’s Top 100. Bangladesh also claims the majority of the blame is due to unethical business practices from Cash Money co-CEO Bryan “Baby” Williams.
In a prepared statement from the label, a representative for Cash Money Records confirmed that Bangladesh has not received any royalty payments. However, the statement explains that due to Bangladesh not disclosing his sample sources, his cut of the song’s royalties was eliminated after the company settled a copyright lawsuit from the sample’s copyright holder.
“There is no merit to this claim,” the statement read. “Bangladesh incorporated a sample without informing Cash Money. [Cash Money has] successfully settled the copyright infringement claims that Bangladesh caused with other third parties and his producer and composition shares were wiped out by the sample owners.”
At press time, Bangladesh’s lawsuit is still active. He has submitted instrumentals for Nas’ new album, and is continuing his working relationship with Cash Money Records via tracks submitted for Nicki Minaj’s debut Pink Friday.
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You would think the label would handle sample clearances, but that’s not always the case. Labels are businesses with many hands involved. And like any similar business, costly mistakes can sometimes happen. At first glance, it may seem difficult to believe Cash Money’s statement, but it’s not without precedent in recent Hip-Hop history.
In 2002, Dr. Dre’s former artist Truth Hurts got her first and only hit record courtesy of the DJ Quik-produced “Addictive,” an appropriation of Meghna Naaydu’s Hindi hit “Kaliyon Ka Chaman,” which itself was a remake of Lata Mangeshkar’s 1981 composition “Thoda Resham Lagta Hai.” Quik heard the song early one morning on a TV show, so the likelihood he could get the correct Hindi song titles and artist names for each sampled track was impossible. Even so, Aftermath released the track and ignored a cease and desist letter from copyright holder Saregama India. The company would file a $500 million dollar lawsuit against Aftermath, which was settled out of court.
In 2004, Just Blaze sampled Supertramp’s “Crime of the Century” for Fabolous’ single “Breathe.” Despite it being Fabolous’ biggest hit, he claims he never made any royalties off of it due to the publishing cut Supertramp requested. Even without seeing the actual paperwork, that means Supertramp received all or the majority of the mechanical (payment for sales) and performance (radio, TV, live) royalties. And this was even with Just Blaze himself working to pay and have the sample cleared beforehand.
Another example is Sting, lead singer of the Police. The rock legend will clear samples of his work only if he gets 100% of the publishing. Puff Daddy had to concede on this point in order to get clearance for his 1997 hit “Missing You,” which uses the Police’s “Every Breath You Take.” Cam’Ron also gave up all his song publishing Confessions of Fire’s ”Prophecy,” which uses Sting’s “Fragile.” On those album’s liner notes, you’ll see Sting’s name as the sole writer of those Hip-Hop tracks. For the rapper, the hope is that the song becomes popular enough to allow for money to be made through touring, and other revenue streams like endorsements.
So going back to Bangladesh’s case, each side’s stance is believable. Bangladesh could have submitted his samples (Gladys Knight & the Pips’ “Don’t Burn Down the Bridge,” and A Tribe Called Quest’s “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo (Vampire Mix)”) for “A Milli,” and Cash Money simply failed to follow through. Or he could’ve pulled what DJ Quik did and simply submitted the work without the sample references.
The scary thing is it’s quite possible that legally he’s not entitled to any royalties depending on the publishing split. It’s just another example of how crazy the music industry is. Behind the glamour and glitz is a cutthroat business model that you have to be fluent in to survive.
I hope it works out for Bangladesh. If it doesn’t, it’s an expensive but valuable lesson he’ll have learned.
”A Milli’s” Intro Sample
“A Milli” Vocal Sample (0:35-0:52 and 3:49-5:09 marks)
Dipset founder Cam’Ron and his protege Vado will release their first retail collaboration album Gunz N’ Butta on August 31 via E1 Music.
The project’s first single, “Speaking in Tungs,” has been making strides in their home state of New York, where radio station Hot 97 has confirmed the track has reached their rotation Top 10.
Counting other Harlemites like Mase, Big L, and Doug E. Fresh amongst his influences, Vado is not surprised that Dipset fans have gravitated toward the duo’s chemistry. Although Gunz N’ Butta will be there first studio release, the pair have previously collaborated on the mixtapes Boss of All Bosses and Boss of All Bosses 2.5.
“The vibe between me and Cam was crazy,” recalled Vado. “I’m from his ‘hood on 142nd and Lenox, so once we started kickin’ it like Goodfellas and he started recording with me, it was history in the making.”
Even though many have stumbled with their first transition from the sandbox-styled mixtape atmosphere to the stricter confines of albums, Vado has boldly declared Gunz N’ Butter will be a classic that covers many different themes and styles.
“It’s our first album and I promise it’s so much of a classic,” Vado said. “It’s like all the Boss of all Bosses tapes put together. We hit y’all from all angles—we hit y’all from the streets, for the ladies, for the club… It’s five stars, man.”
At press time, Vado expects to follow the album with the release of a new mixtape this Fall titled Slime Flu.
“Speaking In Tongues”
