July 2007 Archives

I’m usually for grimy-ass rap videos but this one just came out cheap as ish. A public access video woulda been better. This cat named Peedo, don’t know much about him only that he’s from Washington Heights, somehow got Fat Joe and KRS-One to be in his video for “New York City.” Once again I’m all for the NYC revival but this song is just weak. And then we complain about NYC rap being dead. Exhibit A, mi gente, is below.

So according to MTV Jim Jones is the tenth hottest rapper in the game. I agree. And Tru Life and Joell Ortiz had some of the tightest mixtapes of the first half of 2007. I agree again. Ayo where is good ol’ Term though.

Sure reggaeton is mainly about the art of shaking big asses but it can be about romance…sometimes. Take Magnate for example. His boy band looks are made for the ladies while his songs are for both of y’all. Well, still mainly her but you pretend to like it to get some play.

If we could find the next Big Pun today we’d all be better for it. But it ain’t as easy as taking a leak. It takes time and contests or just plain luck. Well, Red Bull and Perrealo.com Present Batalla de Los Gallos (hey the name is type wack pero it’s for a good cause. It translates into Battle of the Cocks…serious pause) are gonna take a stab at it.

Ya know the homies Play-N-Skillz, right? Producers extraordinaire. “Ridin’” by Chamillionaire and everything. Anyway this weekend they’re putting on the 1st Annual Play-N-Skillz All-Star Weekend and Music Festival. It will be the biggest festival and Latino orientated joint to ever hit North Texas.

It seems like music sales ain’t improving. So sometimes artists have to get their Roots on. Especially if you’re somewhat new cats still establishing your fan base, yo ass betta tour! Take the advice of Rocca of Tres Coronas, he knows the deal.

If you in NYC this Sunday (7/29) go to Central Park and pay homage to one of the greatest hip-hop films everâ€"Wild Style. There’s gonna be a Wild Style 25th Anniversary Reunion going down at Central Park SummerStage (Rumsey Field @ E 72nd St.) at 7pm to 10pm.

The good people over at king-mag.com provided a track fresh off the much talked about but not materialized Juelz Santana/Lil Wayne album. It’s called “Bad Side” and it finds the half-dominicano Juelz rhyming like, well, Juelz does. He calls himself LL Cool J and well it pretty much goes down hill from there.

Goya spills the beans on . . .

Dat Dude:

DJ Enuff is one of few peeps in this shady hip-hop biz that has a nice guy cred. And for good reason. The Heavy Hitter is simply put an all-around good human being. Shoot it’s because of him that I met Mrs. Goya. So it comes to no surprise that the stars came out to support at Pepsi’s DJ Battle last week where Enuff was involved. Even Queen Latifah got on stage! That’s love.

I might be a tad late on this ish but I gotta repost because it’s just that good. If you didn’t know see for ya’self. N.O.R.E. and Big Pun were real friends not industry homeboys. Panas. Peep as he spills the beans on Biggie and Pun . . . God bless the dead.

Big Poppa

I shoulda listened when my peeps over at Latina (Yuli Yul) told me bout these cats but I didn’t. Still since she’s told me about The Dey they have been coming up with showcases and a growing fan base. Goya went to a Dey showcase last week in NYC and I bounced early and missed them. Yea, I’m a scumbag. Finally I heard “Get The Feeling” and I’m a believer.

First off shout out to my colombiano peeps. Sup mi parceros, hope the festival in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, NY didn’t get you too messed up. For those who didn’t get enough arepas in their system head over to SOBs tomorrow for some good ol’ fashioned Colombian rap.

Rakim got shot. Not the legend but Rakim (yes, I agree duke shoulda picked another name rather than choose that of the rap god) of reggaeton duo of Rakim & Ken-Y. He was in Cagueas, PR over the weekend and was involved in some altercation between some peeps and his friends.

I don’t the mainstream is ready for this again. Either way they gonna have to make way for one of the most underrated mofos doing this rap thing. Chino XL recently inked a deal with Machete Music in collaboration with his PAC Records.

Yes, I know alotta Jim Jones news this week pero the dude is a character. This we know. Shouts to mi gente Jay-Rod for the scoop over at mtv.com. Apparently JJ is still going through some rough patches in his relationship with Cam’ron and is willing to whore himself out to everyone but Jigga.

The mob boss hairdo brudda Zion is doing it big nowadays. Thanks in part to his Akon-collabo (“The Way She Moves”) his solo debut The Perfect Melody has been certified gold in the Latin market. Also, he’s getting his capitalism on and lending his song, “The Way She Moves,” to a new Heineken Premium Light commercial. Must be nice to have a hit song and free beer.

Joell Ortiz is at it again. This time he takes 50 Cent’s “I Get Money” track and well, improves it by putting some of his own verse on it. No 125 bars here just the standard number. But you get to see a glimpse of the potential he has to rock a mainstream track.

Goya spills the beans on . . .

Dat Crew:

Before Pun, before anyone, (well prolly not Charlie Chase), the Rock Steady Crew were holding down Latinos in hip-hop. This week (July 23 to 29) the world’s paramount break dancing crew is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. There are an ishload of events that will take place throughout Manhattan, New Jersey and the Bronx. Expect to see performances by Naughty by Nature, Ras Kass, Keith Murray, EPMD, Dana Dane, Large Professor, Grand Master Mele Mel, Biz Markie, and more. Ayo Crazy Legs show’em how it’s done.

Machete Music, the home of many of reggaeton’s biggest artists, is about to drop a dope ass compilation on August 7. Titled Invasion, the set included a who’s who and who’s coming up in the genre. Peep the line-up below.

La Mala Rodriguez spent last week claiming NYC hers. The Spanish (as in from the Iberian Peninsula) MC tore down the little stage at SOB’s last Wednesday at one of the shows from the Latin Alternative Music Conference. The following night she made the Bowery Ballroom hers at a LAMC/MTV Tr3s/ Batanga showcase. And just for the helluva of it on Friday (three straight nights duke) she opened for Calle 13 at the Nokia Theatre.

Don’t know how to feel about this new track by N.O.R.E. It sounds wack at first but after a couple of listens it sticks to ya like chicle. It’s called “Sour Diesel” off of Dame Grease’s (DMX producer) new album featuring the NO and Styles P.

I love NYC. Living in it, being born here, etc. This past Friday as I bounced from a business meeting I pass by a Puerto Rock unloading something from his truck. Kid looked mad familiar. Once I peeped the Big Pun tat on his arm (pause) I knew it was Termanology. Duke was in town picking up an ishload of his new CDâ€"Hood Politics V.

The OC stays on his grind. Omar Cruz will be doing a couple of performances manana in Cali. First up he’ll be at FD Motoring’s Block Party/Car Show at 16152 Saticoy St., Van Nuys, CA. The big bootied Vida Guerra will be hosting the event as well as another ill MC, Pharoahe Monch will be performing. The event with be from 10 am to 6 pm and is free.

Voltio is bizzack. One of rawest reggaetoneros doing it is releasing his single “El Mellao” off his new album En Lo Claro. In PR “mellao” apparently means someone who is missing his front teeth. This dude is responsible for “Chulin Culin Chunfly” so you know he brings the smartass lyrics.

Big Mato. You prolly don’t know the name but you know the voice and the gut. Mato’s the burly dude that has been Nore’s right-hand man since he delved into reggaeton. With Nore now concentrating on getting his rap game straight Mato has become the focal point of Militainment Musica’s reggaeton force.

Now I usually big up the Calle 13 boys but I feel weird doing so with their new video for “La Cumbia de los Aburridos.” Dope song but the music video finds Residente acting like a complete fool. It’s kinda mind-boggling to think that these are the same dudes who did “Querido FBI.” Step it up homeboys, you’re better than this.

Then:

Goya spills the beans on . . .

Dat Dude:
For those of y’all that don’t know Goya was out for almost two weeks. I was getting officially wifed up in DR (sup mi amorcito Yva) and getting twisted (I see you HD, Bain, Burd) but now it’s back to BI. By now you know Mister Cartoon is more than a businessman, he’s a business, man! The tattoo god will be autographing his Lost Angel vinyl toy this Saturday in Cali. Peep the info:

Harley-Davidson
3717 San Fernando Rd
Glendale, CA 91204
From noon to 4pm

To cop your Lost Angel hit up this email: eddie@superradtoys.com.

Señor Cartoon by Matt Groening

Termanology isn’t only about sick flows he’s also about repping his home of Massachusetts. Last week his 15-minute posse cut, “Mass-As-A Nation,” premiered. The cut has 36 Massachusetts rappers spitting eight bars a piece and will be featured on Hood Politics V (see cover below).

According to xxlmag’s site fans of L.A. Latino rap are about to have something to support. Universal Music Latino recently inked a joint venture with Rebel Music Group, which is owned by Sick Jacken from Psycho Realm.

The joint’s first release will be DJ Muggs vs Sick Jacken: The Legend of the Mask and the Assassin on August 21. This is the first time Cypress Hill members have collaborated with Realm since the group’s debut in 1997.

Chillin’ with B-Real and Mr. Cartoon.

The big homie Joell Ortiz is hard at work on his Aftermath debut but he still found time to talk to SOHH Latino for a bit. He let us know why he drops 125 bars instead of a measly 16.

Joell Ortiz is a beast on the mike. We all know this by now. But before that he was also nasty on the basketball courts and one his high school’s brightest kids. Check what he told me recently.

If The Brick is any indication of what Joell Ortiz’s potential is then sky’s the limit. Flow. Check. Lyrics. Check. Brooklyn! Check. Co-sign (Dr. Dre). Check. Respect. Check. The dude is gonna be a major problem once Dre gets a hold of him and starts molding him like he did with Snoop, Em, etc.

Will he ever drop an album on Def Jam? Who knows but the book on Tru is that he’s one entertaining dude who likes to talk ish. Some true, some false. But if past beefs have taught us anything then Tru should simmer down because no matter how hard you are guns can kill you.

Tons of mexicanos in Cali right? How come there haven’t been more MCs coming from there you say aside from Cypress Hill (who were two cubanos and an italiano) or Kid Frost? Dunno pero Omar Cruz don’t give a flying duck.

This half Puerto Rock is the epitome of real hip-hop. Real hip-hop when it was real back in the early ‘90s with Tribe, Redman, GangStarr. And he’s got the peeps behind him to support him. Like the one dude for that ‘90s NY sound DJ freakin’ Premier. Preemo laced Term with the bangin beat for “Watch How It Go Down” and is also working with him on future songs.