Too much Dancehall could rot your brain....
Proof:
Archives for January 2007
Just Blaze Does It Again...
It's video tuesday. What I wouldn't give to get this guy working with some decent British artists. And the producer in me says what I wouldn't give for an entire string section to play on my beat.
Wot Do You Call It?
Wiley's retirement got me searching YouTube...
Top 10 Most Anticipated Albums of 2007
How does XXL's Top 10 Most Anticipated Albums Of 2007 compare to yours? Theirs looks like this:
10. Cassidy
Album Title: To Be Determined
Release: Second Quarter
Beats: Swizz Beatz, Neo The Matrix, Hi-Tek, Nottz, Rockwilder and Bink
Features: John Legend and Marsha Ambrosius
First Single: TBD
9. Papoose
Album Title: The Nacirema Dream
Release: First Quarter
Beats: Scott Storch, Pharrell, Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, DJ Premier, Heatmakerz, DJ Kay Slay, Focus and E-Dubs
Features: Jim Jones, Busta Rhymes, Bun B., Chamillionaire, Young Buck, Tony Yayo and Jadakiss
First Single: TBD
8. Fabolous
Album Title: From Nothin' To Something
Release: First Quarter
Beats: Timbaland, Just Blaze, Jazze Pha, Rodney Jerkins, The Runners, Polow Da Don and Ne-Yo
Features: Junior Reid, Cassidy, Lil Wayne, Ne-Yo, Paul Cain, Red Cafe' and Joe Budden
First Single:TBD
7. Lil Jon
Album Title: Crunk Rock
Release: Second Quarter
Beats: Lil Jon, Rob Cavallo (Green Day), Marcos Curiel (P.O.D.), Timbaland, Nitti, Rick Rubin, Good Charlotte and Jonathan Davis (Korn)
Features: Ciara, Lil Scrappy, E-40, Too $hort, Yung Joc, Nate Dogg, Lil Wyane, Three 6 Mafia and Chris Rock
First Single: TBD
6. Raekwon
Album Title: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II
Release: TBD
Beats: Dr. Dre, RZA, Scram Jones and J Dilla
Features: Wu Tang Clan
First Single: TBD
5. Three 6 Mafia
Album Title: The Last 2 Walk
Release: First Quarter
Beats: DJ Paul and Juicy J
Features: Chamillionaire, Lyfe Jennings, 8Ball & MJG, Spanish Fly, Al Kapone and Project Pat
First Single: Doe Boy Fresh
4. Chamillionaire
Album Title: The Ultimate Victory
Release: First Quarter
Beats: Kanye West, Cool & Dre, Just Blaze, Mannie Fresh and J.R. Rotem
Features: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Busta Rhymes, Pimp C and Kelis
First Single: I'm Not A Criminal
3. Young Buck
Album Title: Buck The World
Release: First Quarter
Beats: Dr. Dre, Eminem, Lil Jon, Jazze Pha, The Diaz Brothers, Hi-Tek and Needlez
Features: T.I., Pimp C, Young Jeezy, Lyfe Jennings, Bun B, 8Ball & MJG, Snoop Dogg, Trick Daddy, Trey Songz and Kokaine
First Single: I Know You Want Me
2. T.I.
Album Title: T.I. vs T.I.P.
Release: Second Quarter
Beats: DJ Toomp, Akon, Scott Storch, Khao, Keith Mack, Lil C, David Banner, Nitti, Mannie Fresh, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Pharrell, Timbaland and Swizz Beats
Features: Young Jeezy, Akon, Big Kuntry, Young Dro and Governor
First Single: TBD
1. Lil Wayne
Album Title: Tha Carter 3
Release: Late Second Quarter
Beats: Timbaland, Will.i.am, Scott Storch and Swizz Beats
Features: Twista, Junior Reid and Sizzla
First Single: La La
Most notable is how many releases Junior Reid is on. The man was probably living on the beach in Jamaica before The Game sampled him, now it seems he's ALL OVER Hip Hop. Barrington Levy is kicking himself...
The Great Donuts Mix Fraud...
Last year, I posted up here a link to a blog that contained a mix of all the original tracks that J Dilla had used for Donuts after featuring it on the HipHop M1X Show. The mix, I was informed, was done by a guy called Jzzy from Holland - we discovered the mix via Jzzy's blog and emailed asking for permission to air it before we did.
Now...
Seems that Jzzy didn't do the mix. Instead the mix was done by AME, a producer/DJ from Belgium; so as per the Hip Hop vernacular, PROPS to AME - whoever did it, it was a great mix and a fitting tribute to a passed genius. Check AME's and his post about it. There may even be a link for you to "hear" the mix...but I didn't tell you that.
Just Blaze TV vs The White Rapper Show
Regular readers to the blog may remember I mentioned VH1's White Rapper Show...well...it's on the air right now in the states and in one episode, they go and check Just Blaze and record a song. You know, one of the biggest HipHop producers in the game Just Blaze. The Just Blaze responsible for hits from the likes of Jay-Z, Missy, P Diddy, Christina Aguillera and many more. You'd think they'd put in the work to impress him right? WRONG.
I personally know over 50 white emcees in the UK who are 100% better than all of those rappers in this clip put together, who deserve the chance to go to Baseline more than those emcees. This clip has just got me angry. GRRR!!
Wiley Retires
The Godfather of Grime is apparently putting down the mic after his forthcoming album "Playtime Is Over". For those outside the UK scene, he's hailed as the grime scene's version of Jay-Z.
The news broke on Monday on and DJ Cameo spoke to Wiley in depth while he was in for Richie Vibe Vee on The Blueprint show. Check the show by clicking here - the interview is 1hr 10minutes in.
During the interview, he cited a number of reasons why he's quit. From that he feels too old at 28 to be at the pinnacle of the game; that he wants to put his energies into Ice Kid (a 15 year old up and coming emcee from West London - you may know him from the "My Yout" track 1Xtra were killing in 2006) to invest in the future; that he's scared of being knocked off the top of the game and that at his point in life, with his daughter, he needs something more concrete to provide for his family.
Whether you think Wiley should or shouldn't quit the spitting game and whatever you think of his reasons why, he's raised a really good question I'd like to get your take on. One of the main reasons Wiley sited leaving the game was the fact that the music game in the UK wasn't stable - there isn't enough money in it for him, he wants a wage. The scene hasn't got enough money for him to live off.
Now, when one of the pioneers and biggest artists within a scene says this, it really makes you think - and being someone within the music game in the UK, his story isn't unique.
For every next level artist/producer/deejay making enough money from the music game to pay their bills, there are 100 or so people struggling to make ends meet. The majority of your favourite UK artists have a day job in order to pay their bills - whether their day job is working in a call centre, working in the music industry as an A&R or something or working in a supermarket.; they've got one. So why hasn't the UK scene got enough money in it to maintain a career? Why do most of your favourite UK artists/producers/deejays HAVE to have a day job?
Lady Sov vs Jelly Donut
Seems like not every American is loving Lady Sovereign...
**WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE...AND LADY SOVEREIGN***
Part two - his actual freestyle dis:
**WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE...AND A GROWN MAN DRESSED AS A JAM DONUT**
Who's your money on?
In Living Color
Tuesday is video day!!
Before Jim Carrey was a big Hollywood actor, The Wayans brothers were his bosses on a show in America called In Living Color. He was funny back then! This is from 1991...
Jamie Foxx was also on the show...with 2Pac
Check Ace & Vis' Net Troubler's minisite for more In Living Color clips
Are Mixtapes dead?
Woke up to this 4 times in my inbox:
"A metro law enforcement task force raided the recording studio of DJ Drama and the Aphiliates Tuesday night. Investigators say they confiscated tens of thousands of bootleg cd's made for sale on the Internet.
Of the 17 arrested, the two targeted were DJ Drama and DJ Don Cannon, the two co-founders of the The Aphilliates and Gangsta Grillz mixtape series.
Police raided their spot around 8:30 and confiscated close to 50,000 CDs, computers, recording equipment, bank statements and even their cars."
This one's hilarious and courtesy of .
In retaliation against this:
Tru Life's myspace was hacked with all the pictures on there being replaced with pictures of Jim Jones, all the music being taken off and replaced with the Jim Jones/Jay-Z Brooklyn track. While the has been returned to normal, check the screenshots and and the altered mixtape cover:
Jim Jones clearly doesn't take kindly to being pictured dressed as Borat! This beef looks like it's gonna go on and on and on and on...Wonder if him and Cam'ron wrestle like Borat and Azamat did in the film?
I Have A Dream
"So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed . . . that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true."
Whether you're black, white, purple, orange, magenta, puce, yellow, teal or any other hue; just take a moment to remember.
Normal shizzle resumes tomorrow.
HHS' Best and Worst of 2006
World reknowned HipHop website HipHopSite.com has got their list up, and it's hilarious, on point and so off point at the same time, it's genius!
Their top 10 albums is close to mine (although they've split theirs major label vs independent), the singles lists are quite close and even the most disappointing albums of 2006 is right. We majorly disagree at their distaste for Flavor Of Love - everyone knows that a bit of car crash TV can't harm hiphop; it can only harm the people involved and I don't see Flava Flav complaining!
This saturday is my self imposed last chance to look at 2006, after that it's 2007 all the way baby! Before then, check it out - - agree with them?
Sport vs Music
Just incase you haven't noticed, it's podcast month on 1Xtra and this week Rio Ferdinand hosts a 20 minute showcase of material from his new record label: White Chalk Music (check the 1Xtra podcast here) but this in itself got me thinking, do sports stars have a place in the music business?
Usually sports stars pop up in the music biz as artists - over here both Andy Cole and Ian Wright had a go at being rappers back in the day and flopped really hard (and were both TERRIBLE). In the US, Basketball and NFL stars are at it all the time, with varying degrees of success; but on the whole, they're also terrible!
But they could be good for scenes such as ours, not as rappers but rather as record label owners. There are few people in the country with as much disposable income as a Premiership footballer which could mean decent amounts of cash being injected into the scene of we had more footballer owned indies like White Chalk. Listening to the Podcast, Rio speaks passionately about his love of music and his support of the artists on his rosta - and the artists seem quite good! There are still a limited number of decent outlets for quality Black music and as I was saying a few posts ago, lots of good artists and music. If a few more Premiership ballers spent their £75k a week spending fund on a decently staffed, well managed label, would this be a bad thing?
What do you think? Should we encourage more footballer music moguls or do we not need them?
This post is sponsored by hot lemon...
Been in bed for the past few days with some wipeout flu business going on - apologies for lack of updates. Being in bed with flu aches/nose/throat/head etc... coupled with a laptop at the repairers has meant I've been nowhere near tinterweb at all. Been watching a fair amount of telly and there's a lot of WACK ish on the TV right now.
Soaperstar Superstar? Please. If any of those soap actors/actresses get a recording contract off the back of that show then the A&R that signs them is clearly deaf!
Celebrity Big Brother has been SUPERwack. I know, I know, it always is right? This time I had held out hope as I thought we were going to have Lil Kim or maybe even Whitney Houston as per the rumours but instead we get Jermaine Jackson - the world's most boring Jackson! I suppose I shouldn't complain as it's been so boring, watching it has been helping me get some sleep!
Shout outs to Waking The Dead & Coronation St for being my respite from ru-hu-bb-ish TV. Tracey Barlow is gangsta.
Anyway, before normal blog business resumes tomorrow (back to a post a day - the doctor prescribed it!!) this past Friday I covered for Ace & Vis on the 1Xtra Takeover on Radio One. For the uninitiated, it's a 1 hour show giving Radio One listeners a taste of what we do on 1Xtra 24 hours a day. Check it out here if you wanna listen again to it. I won't hold it against you if you don't. Or I might...
Have a play with courtesy of VH1's The White Rapper Show, but beware, it's addictive!
Sound of 2007
At the end of last year, I was approached to be part of the . This is basically where they gather tips from some of the people considered to be tastemakers within the British music scene of the artists, bands or performers that those people on the panel consider to be the next to blow in 2007 regardless of genre. I felt honoured, check - I'm keeping pretty good company!
We were all asked for 3 artists who we thought would blow in '07 and asked to rank them 1-3. All of this information was collated and the top 5 is being revealed daily on the with the #1 tip being revealed this friday and the top 10 being revealed at some point next week.
I'm pleased to say that one of my tips, , has made the top 5. Anyone who's heard her cut on the Wifey Riddim will know why I tipped her.
I've got a good feeling about UK Black music in 2007. The levels are rising! We've got new material on the horizon from Dizzee, Kano, Sadie, Ben Westbeech, Shystie, L.Man, Young Kof, Broke N £nglish, L Marie, Soundbwoy Ent, Mpho Skeef, Estelle, Mitchell Bros, Pro Green, Loudmouth, Wookie, the Joe Buhdha/Klashnekoff album and maybe we'll get the No Bizzi album - and that's just off the top of my head. There are of course going to be some brand new artists who come out from nowhere and take the scene by storm along with new material from veterans who will continue to push the envelope.
Quality control levels in all genres seem to be rising. Songs are getting better. Producers are getting braver by producing songs rather than just making beats. Singers and rappers aren't cowering at the prospect of becoming 'artists'. It all seems to be getting better. Hopefully this will be reflected with record sales and public support.
Keep checking the 91Èȱ¬ News Entertainment site to see who is their official tip for Sound of 2007 but let me switch the tables on you lot. Who are your top 3 picks to blow this year? Who is your Sound of 2007?
New Year: Old Skool
Made it to Leeds last night for the 1Xtra New Year: Old Skool party but the evening was spent in the hotel room. MissisJam wasn't very well...
So if you're like me and missed the party, click here and listen again. Turn your heating up, get LOADS of friends round and turn the lights down and pretend you were there!
From the photos, looks like it was a really good night. 
Shout outs to Joe Buhdha and Baby J here:
Suave!
Adina Howard had more than T-Shirt and Panties on:
While Robbo Ranx and G Money kept it GULLY!! Badman nah smile fi foto!
Check the rest of the photos here and big up the 1X live events team for the event. This morning, overhearing conversation in the hotel lobby, everyone had a great time. Lets have a big event every 6 months (and I'll make sure MissisJam doesn't eat anything dodgy!)
What a way to kick off 2007! What were you up to?
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