Good man RT @MarkEOrtega: I'll catch the result to Otis' fight and then log off until probably the main event tonightGotta catch my #Knicks. 34 minutes ago
This whole Cassidy-Meek Mill diss wasn’t exactly captivating, especially from a musical standpoint. At midnight, Cassidy dropped this 10 minute (!) diss track over classic beats entitled “R.A.I.D.” This is no different from some of Game’s longer disses against G-Unit; there are good lines but the track is way too long and you start zoning in and out. Far as songs go, this battle is likely over because I’m hard-pressed to think Mill can construct a better response if his first diss to Cass is any indication.
Y’all know how it goes though — Mill is hot at this point so most, especially those in the industry, will side with him by default.
These days, no one would even consider taking an Olympic gold medalist straight out of the amateur ranks and throwing him in with the heavyweight champion of the world. But back in 1957, Pete Rademacher had a bright idea that would make history and himself a lot of money.
Rademacher was the premier amateur boxer of his day, winning major tournaments from 1949-1956, including the ’53 U.S. Amateur Championship. 1956 would bring him worldwide recognition when he won the heavyweight gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics.
Soon after, Rademacher began to hit the press with claims that he was going to make history by winning the heavyweight title in his first professional fight. Floyd Patterson, who won the title in late 1956 over Archie Moore, initially scoffed at the idea until Rademacher offered 250,000 in guaranteed funds. It was an offer Patterson couldn’t refuse. The angle had been set with Patterson, the first Olympic gold medalist to win the heavyweight title, seeking to defend his crown against another gold medalist.
While seen as an intriguing mismatch on paper in favor of the 22-year-old Patterson, the 29-year-old Rademacher came into the ring outweighing his opponent by 15 pounds (202 to 187), possessing a significantly longer reach (77 to 71) and a slight height advantage (6’1 to 6’0). These attributes gave Patterson difficulty early as he struggled to get beyond Rademacher’s steady jab and counterpunching. The though of an upset grew to a fervor pitch in the second when a chopping overhand right dropped a visibly embarrassed Patterson for a three count.
Patterson refused to be discouraged and kept steady pressure on Rademacher behind leaping hooks. As the rounds progressed, the grueling pace of the fight began to wear on Rademacher, who was used to four round, two-minute amateur bouts. Patterson hooks began a series of knockdowns, six in all, that firmly put to rest the idea of an upset. Rademacher labored badly around the ring until a Patterson left-right hook combination ended matters in the sixth.
Rademacher’s career never truly recovered from his ambitious first fight. He would suffer a fourth round knockout to Zora Folley in his second bout, and finished his career in 1962 with a record of 15-7-1, with 8 KOs.
Patterson would make several more defense before being upset by Ingemar Johansson in 1959. Patterson became the first man to regain the heavyweight title by knocking out Johansson in a 1960 return bout. He repeated the feat in a ’61 rubbermatch. Patterson would lose the title for good to Sonny Liston in 1962 but continued facing top fighters such as Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Ellis, George Chuvalo and Muhammad Ali before retiring in 1972.
Those in the Tri-State area got a treat and history lesson over the holiday weekend when Funkmaster Flex enlisted fellow legend Kool DJ Red Alert for the annual Hot 97 old school Christmas mix. The duo’s four-hour set spanned Hip-Hop’s development throughout the 80s. With Mister Cee and Bugsy Buggs in attendance, there were also great background and side stories in between tracks. You can download and stream the entire set below.
“There are a world of people who really miss that classic sound…”
Earlier this month, Rah Digga sat down with Mo’Nique to discuss her latest album Classic, which dropped back in September. She talks briefly about her work with the homeless around her area, and even her beginnings with a female group that mimicked Das Efx. She also reiterates her point of not trying to compete with the young artists, but just to deliver that classic boom-bap sound for the older fans.
For those who missed some of the album tracks posted here, check out the album sampler after the video.
With the recent BET special “My Mic Sounds Nice”, Nicki Minaj at the MTV Awards, and Rah Digga dropping today after a 10 year hiatus, female emcees have been thankfully getting more attention. An unsung emcee doing her thing here in ATL is Boog Brown, who on September 28 will release her first full-length LP with Apollo Brown entitled Brown Study. “The Essence,” a non-album track, was released over the summer with a video and featured prominently on “My Mic Sounds Nice.” This week, she teamed up with Oddisee to drop a dope remix for “The Essence.” Compare with the original and determine which one you prefer. Follow Brown on Twitter @boogbrown and on Facebook.
Speaking of Rah Digga, Judgment Day arrived today with her first album in 10 years, Classic. With only 10 tracks and a cover that’s a tribute to her favorite album Illmatic, Digga has put a lot of pressure on herself with a title that accepts nothing less than perfection. Does the first lady of Brick City deliver? Check out this album sampler from King Most to get an informed opinion. Classic is available now through Amazon and iTunes.
“I consider myself one of the best new, young rappers, and one of the best active rappers right now. I’m on my no days off shit…”
Last month, Wale released his new mixtape More About Nothing. The Seinfeld-inspired project got decent buzz and even became a high trending topic on Twitter. He’s seeking to build on that success with the new video “The Work,” which attempts to show his fans outside of Washington, DC different, lesser known parts of the city. Shout out to Bank Films who shot the clip.
666 Is DJ Muggs and Ill Bill’s Number
Kill Devil Hills is in stores now, and the duo of DJ Muggs and Ill Bill just keep rolling out video after video. In August, fans got a bloody shootout as the visual representation for “Ill Bill TV.” Then, Raekwon joined the pair for a caper on “Chase Manhattan.” Now, the conspiratorial ”Illuminati 666″ gets the early 80s animated treatment. Muggs and Bill are promising yet another video which will serve as the conclusion to the saga.
Skyzoo & !llmind “Tales of the Tape” Episode #2
Skyzoo and !llmind have delivered the second episode of their four-part web series leading up to the October 2 release of their collaboration album Live From the Tape Deck. Skyzoo was adamant that for this LP, he didn’t want a rehash project trying to relive the glory years of NY boom bap.
“One thing I told !llmind is that I didn’t want to sound boom bap,” Skyzoo explained. “I don’t want it to sound like what people think those terms mean. What people think those terms mean sounds like ’92 and ’93. That’s great, [but] I don’t want to recycle.”
Love the Omar Little t-shirt Skyzoo is rocking. If you missed the first leak “Frisbees,” you can peep the video here.
After fans get a chance to hear Nottz’ work as an executive producer on Rah Digga’s new album Classic (September 14), fans will get to witness the Grammy-winning producer deliver is own vision with his solo release You Need This Music.
Nottz has been a name producer since securing three tracks on Busta Rhymes’ 1998 album E.L.E. Since then, he goes on to build a resume of work that incluces songs with Royce da 5’9, Little Brother, Kanye West, the Notorious B.I.G., Scarface, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg.
Unlike most of his portfolio, Nottz will step from behind the boards to also handle the majority of the rhyming on the project. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be a solid lineup of guests. You Need This Music will have appearances from Travis Barker, Little Brother, Asher Roth, Joelle Ortiz, Bilal, Dwele, Black Milk and others.
The album has a release date of October 12 via Raw Koncept Media Group. In case you missed them, here are the two singles Nottz has dropped so far for the project.
“Cars”
“Shine So Bright”
International Rah Digga
We’ve been hearing for years that Hip-Hop is truly an international culture. A perfect example of that is Rah Digga’s recent stop in Croatia to help promote his upcoming sophomore album Classic. In this clip she also talks about her getting dream collaborations with Pete Rock and DJ Premier on her debut Dirty Harriet, and confirms that she’s completely done with Flipmode Squad and to not expect any guest spots from her old crew. Classic drops this coming Tuesday (September 14).
Fresh off Labor Day weekend and dropping a remix with fellow Brick City lyricist Redman, Rah Digga is hitting fans again with the fourth installment of “Straight Spittin’ IV.”
Nottz crafts a rhythm reminiscient of Fab’s “Breathe,” and Digga appropriately attacks it with sharp, quick bars. It’s a quick, two minute volley that you can envision sandwiched in the middle of her upcoming Classic LP. For those who may have missed out of her solid debut Dirty Harriet, Rah lets the listeners know that she is a female artist that stands on the merit of her rhymes instead of sex appeal.
“I’m spittin’ till I’m thirsty, but I don’t need a chaser / I’ll probably be spittin’ ’till the day I meet my maker,” she rhymes. ”Straight spittin’ on it, you could call this Illimatic / Think I’m lying when I say I got a basement for an attic / I’m spittin’ for that cabbage, that scrilla, or that fetti / That hold up press rewind spittin’, I don’t think they’re ready…”
Rah Digga’s Classic, executive-produced by Nottz, drops on September 14 via Raw Koncept Media Group.
“I ain’t tryna pick a fight / But this ain’t a Fisher Price, Kidz Bop, Nick At Nite…”
Rah Digga
Rah Digga has recruited fellow Newark, New Jersey lyricist Redman for the remix to her lead single “This Ain’t No Lil Kid Rap.” The timing couldn’t be better. On Monday (August 30), Digga was a part of the BET documentary “My Mic Sounds Nice,” which detailed the highs and current lows of female emcee representation in Hip-Hop. There’s been a lot of debate about that topic along with the hot-button topic of whether Hip-Hop is a “young man’s game.” For Rah Digga, one needs to simply look at the most popular and critically acclaimed rappers this year (Eminem, Nas, Big Boi, Kanye West, Jay-Z etc.) to see that emcees over 30 are leading the game.
“I feel the best emcees are older and they, in fact, get better with age,” she says.
Rah Digga’s new album Classic will be entirely produced by Nottz. The drop date is September 14.
As far as I can recall, this song marks for the first collaboration between Digga and Redman. And they both are still sharp. Enjoy
Rah Digga feat. Redman “This Ain’t No Lil Kid Rap (Remix)”
