Yup, Lil Flip's people have made it official to your boy that he has indeed severed ties with Sony Music Group. What's wrong with these labels? How do you let go of an artist that had been certified platinum back to back? Well, the good news is...
Good weed, good drink, big money, we
Rollin in somethin' foreign, I'm leather grippin grain
I handle my business so I think I deserve to get throwed...throwed
Z-Ro, "Get Throwed"
Bookmark this page. SOHH Houston isn't just about poppin' the trunk on the Bayou city hip-hop, it's also about dishing out the 411 on everything H-Town related. The inspiration for today's post came from a friend of mine, who emailed me two days ago asking what the hell Yung Joc meant by "meet me in the 'trap'/ it's going down." I've also had folks ask me what Chamillionaire meant by "riding dirty." Apparently, some of you who check SOHH Houston are already experts in Southern Slanguistics, but, for the rest of us who'd like to join the conversation, get familiar after the jump.
With a single that's more annoying than listening to Mike Jones' phone number on repeat, Lil Flip is probably the most difficult artist to market right now. So, I wasn't really surprised when I heard that his label may have severed ties with the Cloverland chieftain.
Remember when some of y'all were throwing a fit in the comments section because UGK was missing from Rap-A-Lot's release schedule? Well, you better start saving up because your favorite rapper's favorite southern rapper aka the Cameo King, Bun B, just dropped the skinny on a much-needed UGK album last night on 97.9 The Box.
Ok, I'll admit it. I only watched this wack-ass "Chunk up the Deuce" video because of Hoopz. Seriously folks, how many more of these painfully underwhelming songs do we have to encounter before the entire Houston hip-hop becomes a cliché.
Lil' Keke has his moments every now and then, and though Paul Wall is the most redundant person to ever breathe on a mic, he's had a few good songs as well. But, this here is the true definition of creativity stump.
Move over Beyonce, the real hip-hop hottie is here. Yeah right, who am I kidding?
Brooke Valentine -- your favorite D-List R&B singer -- is back...without a vocal coach people. Brooke shot her Pimp C-assisted "Dope Girl" in Houston a couple months ago (a Youtubage of the vid along with a special bonus is embedded below for your viewing pleasure).
Fresh off his brand new publishing deal with Universal, your favorite rapper's favorite Houston rapper Chamillionaire has now joined the world of "virtual reality." Jordan Bigel is spearheading the first virtual appearance by Chamillionaire.
Trae's critically-acclaimed debut, a brand new album from Z-Ro, Pimp C's long-awaited joint, and most interestingly, a 2Pac & Scarface collaboration album... all dropping this year on Rap-A-Lot. You'll be crazy to think that H-Town hip-hop has taken a nosedive? Check out the full release schedule and let me know which ones you're anticipating.
Absolutely unsubstantiated but worth discussing nonetheless. I have reason to believe that Jay-Z's great hispanic hope Aztek has been dropped from Roc-A-Fella or Roc-La-Familia. Now, I've heard some pretty foul stuff about this Aztek dude so I can't rule out the possibility of Jay-Z dropping him quicker than he did Amil soon as she got knocked up.
Call me crazy but I didn't realize there was supposed to be some kind of beef between the dirty south and the east coast. Anyhow, I'm no big fan of 'regionalizing' hip-hop. But, I've been hearing these things everywhere and I still don't get it. Word has it that DJ Kay Slay is supposed to be playing peacemaker with his upcoming album, The Champions - North Meets South. I've just been blessed by the video for his first single, "Can't Stop the Reign" featuring Bun-B, Shaq and of course, Papoose. Is he ever absent from anything Kay Slay-related?
A video that recently surfaced on the internet shows Beyonce being confronted by some members of PETA while dining at New York's Nobu restaurant with her sister and mother. By the way, that's People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Apparently, the ambushers had won a VH1-sponsored ebay auction to dine with the H-Town bombshell. Turns out Beyonce had no idea the winners were from PETA.
This may actually be the first sign of apocalypse. Mike Jones has been voted Houston Artist of the Year for 2005/2006 by the hundreds or thousands of you who're utterly fascinated by his infinite rhyme skills and unparalleled craftsmanship. Seriously folks, The Houston Chronicle has published the winners of their 2005 Ultimate Houston Award, and the only other winner on hand to challenge Mike Jones was his cell phone number.
By all standards, Z-Ro is one of the few artists that has consistently flooded the market with his music without ever courting redundancy. Yet he's still one of the most slept on rappers beyond the Bayou City. Now, don't think that shit is all sweet for Mr. McVeigh just 'cause he's down with Rap-A-Lot Records. Yesterday, Z-Ro made a disclosure to me that I doubt his fans would appreciate.
Turns out Bun B got real excited about escorting boxer Bernard Hopkins in his final fight and decided to take it one step further.
Is it just me or is Mike Jones the most unimaginative rapper to ever rep Houston? Yet, somehow he manages to get his hands on some of the illest beats and constantly appear beside reputable rappers like Bun B and Pimp C.
This man literally destroys UGK's perfectly solid anthem mainly by biting and repeating Big L's well-known lines:
"I don't got no love for 'em but hard dick and bubble gum."
What exactly is the secret behind Mike Jones' prominence?
Big Hawk must be turning in his grave.
Last week, I crashed the Big Hawk Tribute concert held at Club Blue with the intention of paying my last respects to H A Dub, but I walked away highly disappointed. From the venue to the organizers to the performances, the entire event was a complete insult to Big Hawk and Houston hip-hop in general.
Jay-Z's main squeeze Miss "Beyond Say" wants you, and I don't mean in a dirty-mind-"Blowjob Betty" steez. H-Town's most celebrated siren is in search of musicians to accompany her on a promotional tour of the upcoming sophomore set, B'Day, expected to drop on (surprise, surprise) her birthday, September 4th, 2006. Now don't be fooled into thinking that you're going to make the cut simply because you can play "Work It Out" on keys with your eyes closed and your hands tied behind your back.
What if all this hoopla about a so-called Houston rapper spreading HIV/AIDS turns out be one big hoax? I'm not saying that there's no truth the alleged lawsuit, after all, it's a confidential document, if it exists at all. But, in the past three or four weeks that these allegations have been making rounds, nothing tangible has surfaced to really solidify the existence of this lady and her lawsuit. Wouldn't it be a great idea if all the prominent H-Town rappers emulated Slim Thug by showing us their HIV tests? Well, that may not even be necessary. Some court documents obtained by a good friend of mine and FOX News reporter, Isiah Carey, reveals a unique twist to this matter.
If it wasn't for the unwritten rule in rap, which states that "you must attempt to put your boys on as soon as you get your foot in the door," I would say that the time isn't ripe for Paul Wall to launch anyone's career. Selling a million records doesn't automatically make you the Pied Piper of rap, but, I digress. Paul's proteges, a collective known as The G.R.i.T Boys, comes across as a solid crew to be sure, so they deserve every shot at this utterly marginalized thing we call the music industry. Whether or not they're going about it the wise way is another story.
Disturbing reports about a some well-known H-Town rapper who allegedly infected his girl with HIV has been making rounds on the internet for a while now. Since SOHH Houston is all about the Bayou City hip-hop, it's only appropriate that we try and figure out who this lucky rapper is. Honestly, your boy is far from a rumor expert, that title belongs to someone else. But, after doing extensive researches and talking to several "bout-it, bout-it" folks in the city, I've come to the conclusion that this mysterious rapper is really not that mysterious at all.
So, what's next for H-Town hip-hop after a year of much heralded hegemony? Will Houston and the south in general continue to ride high or will another region retrieve the reign from the dirty dirty? I've been asked this question so many times that it's almost inevitable for me to ignore. My initial response has always been: "Can you handle the truth?"
The truth is that nobody milks a good thing halfway...at least, not in hip-hop. The corporate enchiladas in the music industry are not that nice. Their main obligation is to sap the hottest artist, trend, or movement (in this case) until there's nothing left. So, does that mean Houston will still get its shine on in '06?
Is it just me or do rappers automatically morph into gods as soon as some trigger-happy monster sends them to hip-hop heaven? Biggie, 'Pac, Big L, etc. It's not that Hawk doesn't deserve the props he gets, because dude was nice on and off the mic (as many people have already pointed out), it's just that half of the people biggin' him up now were reluctant to acknowledge the Screwed Up Click vet while he was alive.
In case you've been living under a rock for the past few months, "Ridin',"Chamillionaire's catchy collabo with Krayzie Bone (yup, that Krayzie Bone) has been riding the top of the charts for a minute now. The Sound of Revenge, his Paul Wall diss masqueraded as an album, has also started teetering on the brink of platinum. But, the self-proclaimed "Mixtape Messiah" isn't having it easy after talking bad about Houston Police Department on "Ridin."
