April 2006 Archives

It looks like Hashim was right, something had to give. Apparently fed up with the repeated violence occuring around and inside Hot 97's offices, the stations landlord is now taking steps to have them removed from the building. The SOHH reports:

"We've directed our attorneys to begin the eviction process" Stuart GraBois of The New York City District Council of Carpenters told The New York Daily News. "We're concerned about the safety of the public and of our other tenants."

When SOHH.com reached out to Hot 97 about the eviction threat, they released the following statement saying "While this incident took place outside the building before any station guests arrived at the studio, the security of our employees and neighbors is a paramount concern. We are assisting law enforcement in any way we can, and suggest you call them for any additional information."

I don't think anybody is really going to be surprised by that decision. I just wonder how they weren't tossed after the Jr Mafia/CNN shootout. I mean come on, automatic weapons in broad daylight?

So the line up for this years Summer Jam is looking pretty heavy so far. We have Busta, Dipset, Mobb Deep and Remy Martin holding it down for New York, T.I. and Jeezy repping A-Town and Oscar Award Winners (I'll never get used to saying that) Three 6 Mafia carrying the torch for their hometown of Memphis.

I'm sure most of these artists will put on great performances, but let's keep it funky, Summer Jam is about beef and controversy. Who is going to call who out, what stunts will be pulled and who will be the lucky contestant up on that infamous screen. Your guess is as good as mine, but in my opinion, of the performers announced so far, the most likely to take part in some kind of rah rah are probably the Mobb, T.I., and Dipset.

I never met a rhinoceros I didn't like. Actually I've never met a rhinoceros, but I'm all for saving them and apparently so is Marc Ecko. Confused? Just walk with me for a minute.

On June 8th Rakim, Common, Rhymefest and Lupe Fiasco (who by the way, recently sat down with SOHH to talk about the early leak of his debut album Food and Liquor) will be appearing at the second annual Marc Ecko presents Save The Rhinos benefit concert in Central Park. Don't ask me what, but apparently these big ugly beasts need saving from something, and if that means bringing dope M.C.'s together for a live show, then I'm all for it.

This past weekend Russell Simmons and the HSAN brought their "Get Your Money Right" Financial Empowerment National Tour to New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. The tour is in it's second year and aims to educate young people on topics such as credit repair, home ownership, and budgeting. Nas, LL Cool J, T.I. and several of New York's finest were in the building to lend their support and share their own personal experiences with attendees.

I think what Russell and Dr. Benjamin Chavis are doing with these events is great and long overdue, but I have to laugh at the idea of rappers with diamond encrusted gold and platinum jewelry lecturing people on the importance of wise spending. Of course that's the type of thing that gets the kids attention nowadays so who knows, maybe they're onto something.

More pics below

Roughly three thousand heads crammed into New York's Nokia Theater for a Ghostface Killah, Slick Rick, Papoose, and M1 of dead prez concert this past Saturday.

Pretty Tony rocked the house. Unfortunately, Tone only performed "Back Like That" and "Be Easy" off Fishcale. No loss here. The Wally Champ ran through old favorites like Supreme Clientele's "One" and "Nutmeg", Only Built For Cuban Linx's "Ice Cream", and Ironman's "Fish."

Though Ghost kept the crowd hype throughout, the set reached a higher notch when he and his 20-some odd comrades began running all over the stage during a performance of "Run." Ricky D also cracked heads up by makin random drunk appearances on stage. Yet, by the second visit, the cameo seemed like a ploy for attention. Ghost ended the set by inviting women to dance onstage. Roughly 30 women, at least half of them anti-cute, then hopped on stage to shake their buns. Maybe dudes were shook because they obliged when Tone told them not to "handcuff" their girls. Several women left their man's side just touch their toes on stage and then leave hand in hand with herbs.

After dropping a debut album that put up some less than spectacular numbers, Joe Budden (who once compared himself to Knicks coach Larry Brown: New York was fucked up so they signed me to fix shit) woke up one day and found himself at the bottom of Def Jam's list of priorities.

In late 2005 he hit us with Mood Musik 2, a highly acclaimed mixtape masterpiece. But before long hardcore Joey fans started clamoring for either a follow up mixtape, or even better, his long anticipated sophomore album The Growth.

Well the bad news is I have absolutely no news whatsoever on when we will see either project. The good news is I do have two brand new tracks from The King of New Jerz aka Regular Joe.

In a recent magazine interview Raekwon vented some of his frustration about wack M.C.'s, constant questions about Ghostface, and the less than stellar reviews that his 2nd and 3rd albums received:

I never lost my way. Muthafuckas lost their way, if anything. You got a lot of dudes out there that's legendary [who] ain't really got the politics behind their art. My shit stay growing, it's just that the people need to grow with me. It's a new generation, [but] I'm from a generation where [everyone is] very solidified in knowing who I am. I can't keep trying to satisfy everybody that don't understand.

The immediate reaction to his comments from some people seems to be "well who is he to talk, he only had one hot album", to which I say: you can't be serious. Ok, so Immobilarity and The Lex Diamond Story weren't classics, but did people really think they were about to get another OB4CL?

So, from what I hear, Mobb Deep's G-Unit debut album Blood Money leaked sometime yesterday. I haven't heard the whole thing yet, but I was looking over the tracklist and I realized something kind of odd: 50 Cent is featured on a whopping 6 songs. If you then add the 3 other tracks that feature LLoyd Banks, Young Buck and Tony Yayo, you're left with a total of 7 actual Mobb Deep songs.

In preparation for his upcoming album, Here We Go Again, DMX recently teamed up with the people from SMACK for a special promotional DVD called "We In Here!".

The SMACK film crew met up with X on the day of his release from Rikers Island and was on hand for his reunion with his wife and friends, before accompanying him on a wild ride through the streets of New York with what seems like the entire Ruff Ryders crew, in a scene sure to take you back to the days when the Double R was at its peak.

Part time cigar mogul and full time marvelous bar spitter Jadakiss recently spoke with MTV News about his 3rd studio LP, Kiss My Ass, and his situation at Interscope. Mr. Raspy says that even though the album is in the works, the process is moving very slowly. Judging by his comments, he sounds like he's really trying to send a message to his label rather than his fans:

"After all that beef with 50 and all of that, I'm in negotiations right now with Interscope and Ruff Ryders. I been doing some light work, but I'm keeping it underground. They gotta pay me or let me go get paid."

He also mentions the possibility of a double album from all three of the LOX, but as appealing as that may sound to the fans, I'm not convinced that's such a good idea at this point in time. There aren't too many M.C.'s anywhere with the charisma, talent and longevity that Kiss has, and the only thing holding him back from greatness is the classic solo LP he hasn't been able to produce yet, and that's where his focus should be.

This isn't turning out to be a very good month for our friend Lil Cease at all. First there were the rumors of him taking a vicious L on Nostrand Ave at the hands of Maino, then there were even some rumblings about him getting robbed later on that very same day. Now, as if that wasn't bad enough, Cease spent this past weekend as a guest of the New York City Department of Corrections after being picked up in Brooklyn on an outstanding warrant.

The warrant stems from a 2001 shooting incident that he originally faced an attempted murder charge on, but that was later reduced to a weapons offense with a sentence of 5 years probation. Of course Cease, being the international superstar/street DVD entrepreneur that he is, had a hard time squeezing a probation hearing into his busy schedule, so he just skipped it altogether. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and it finally caught up with the man once considered to be one of the top weed carriers in the game, when he was pulled over in Brooklyn with a couple of his own weed carriers.

Cease is expected to see the judge today and learn whether or not he'll be continuing his stay on Rikers, or coming home to take his chances with whatever these cruel streets may have in store for him next.

Earlier this week legendary Queens representative LL Cool J stopped by BET's 106th and Park to discuss his new album and chop it up with Tigger and Julissa. The release, entitled Todd Smith, is L's 12th studio album and it features 12 joints and 12 guest appearances from some of the top names in hip hop and R&B.

Although Uncle L crossed over into commercial R&B along time ago, I'll always have alot of respect for his legacy, even if Canibus did serve him his ass on a platter during their infamous battle.

Cardan may be a young emcee, but make no mistake - this former Mase protégé is no newcomer to the game. The world first learned his name back in the 90's when at the age of 16 he was handpicked by Mase for his “Harlem World” crew.

After a solo record deal fell through, the Harlem native managed to reinvent himself as the talent behind some of hip-hop's biggest names. With ghostwriting credits under his belt for the likes of Nelly and P.Diddy, and after surviving a shooting that could have put an end to way more than just his career, Cardan is finally ready to take on the industry on his own terms.

SOHH NYC: What was it like back then being only 16 years old and running around with Mase, one of the biggest rappers in the world at the time?

Cardan: It was dope. I was definitely excited, man. I was still in school and all that, so I was excited and it was cool running around with them. And he was linked with Puffy and Biggie and all them, Jr Mafia. So I used to see them guys.

After school I used to just go right over there and Mase would be in there recording his album and stuff. It was dope, man. Cam'ron [would be there].

SOHH NYC: A few different people such as Loon, Cam, and Jim Jones have brought your name up when talking about their own personal problems with Mase. I know you two have had disagreements in the past, but what is your relationship with Mase like these days?

There's so many rappers and there's so many people that can rap and that are skillfully talented, but Mase actually embraced me, took me under his wing.

So I appreciate that a lot, ‘cause he didn't have to do that and there was plenty of rappers he could've done that for. You feel me? So that right there is like a get out jail free card with me, that's how much I appreciated it. But me and Mase is cool, he did a lot of things that I don't agree with, but like I said, Mase did a lot for me so I'll forgive him all the time.

Well according to MTV he is. Yesterday they posted numbers 10 through 5 of their 10 Greatest M.C.'s of All Time list, with the intention of revealing the last 5 over the course of the week. Of course some crafty bloggers went snooping around and found the pages for the remaining 5 choices (they've since been taken down) and promptly posted them for all to see:

1. Jay-Z
2. Tupac
3. Notorious B.I.G.
4. Rakim
5. Nas
6. KRS-One
7. Big Daddy Kane
8. Ice Cube
9. Eminem
10. LL Cool J

Jay-Z is number one? Now, I'm a huge Jay fan, in fact I'm one of the few people alive who thinks that although Ether was the best song to come out of the Nas battle, Jay still won on the combined strength of Takeover and Blueprint 2 (the song not the album).

A couple of days ago, Shots Fired, a 50 Cent dis that was supposed to be on the long delayed Styles P album Time is Money, finally leaked onto the internet. Since it dropped, some people have suggested that Kiss and company are somehow playing themselves by continuing to respond to 50, when he has hardly even acknowledged them since he released Piggy Bank. But the truth is, this song was recorded months ago, back when they thought G-Unit might actually put up some kind of fight.

Those same people act like Kiss and Styles are really still stressing this whole marketing ploy beef, and they just ran in the studio to record this because they're still mad. If you ask me, anybody who can't appreciate such a great dis track is probably mad. Stop letting 50 gas you into thinking that ignoring a dis is more hip hop than replying to it.

SOHH reports that Irv Gotti is in the process of negotiating a new deal with Universal Music Group, who you may remember, dropped him like a bad habit during his money laundering trial last year. Irv of course, is one of the most successful music executives in hip hop history and is pretty much directly responsible for the careers of huge artists like Jay-Z, Dmx, and Ja Rule. While Irv was going through it, a bunch of artists and execs like Russell Simmons and Jay showed up in court to show support, while Universal had no problem showing him the door despite the truckloads of money he earned for them during the 90's.

Of course this is business and no major corporation wants to be associated with a money laundering gangster, but damn if they couldn't have waited for a conviction to show their true colors. Anyway, I wonder what Irv has planned for The Inc. or whatever he's calling the label these days? I think it's safe to say Ja Rule's glory days are over, and none of those other dudes they have over there will ever blow, but Irv's a smart dude, and I'm curious to see what tricks he has up his sleeve.

By now you may have heard the rumor that Junior Mafia member Lil Cease and up and coming M.C. Maino shot the fair one the other day on Nostrand Ave in Brooklyn. During one of her recent Celebrity Drama Reports, Hot 97's Miss Info alleged that the two ended up bumping heads while Cease was filming a DVD on Maino's block. Even though Cease has yet to speak on the fight, according to "some of the folks on Nostrand," Maino knocked his manager out cold then rushed Cease himself at which point things got "really ugly."

I don't know a whole lot about Maino except that he put out that joint Rumors a while back that was kinda hot and he's tight with Kim, who we all know isn't really feeling Cease too tough these days. As far as Cease, I can't really call it.

For the last year or so there's been an awful lot of back and forth between die hard New York/East Coast rap fans and the Down south hip hop faithful. Recently, I've been spending alot of time going back and forth with people on blogs and message boards trying to hold New York down while convincing the south that when we criticize any of their music, it's not because we're mad or "hating." I'd like to use today's post to clear up some common misconceptions people outside of New York have about us.

• We are not mad at the South's success. Really, we're happy for ya'll. Our artists have a long history of dominating the industry and selling millions of records, so why would we be jealous? Been there done that. (Well not personally, see the next item)
• We don't care who sells more albums. Seriously, we don't. I'm sure the artists from New York care, but us fans? If we ain't seeing a check, we couldn't care less.
• We don't think Laffy Taffy type music represents all SOuthern Hip Hop. We are familiar with Outkast, Scarface, and Juvey thank you very much.

So now all of a sudden after spending 5 years hosting 106th and Park, AJ Calloway has decided that he wants to speak out against the negative images and messages put forth in music videos. While taking part in a panel discussion at the University of South Carolina recently, lizard boy shared:

“I’m not here to bash hip-hop...I’m definitely a fan of clean music.

It’s the disrespectful, destructive music that is not reflecting ... where we came from and where we need to go as a people”

“We’re so lost in the music, we don’t understand the reality of what’s happening day to day in our lives,” he said. “I see how it has changed the mind-set and soul of our people. Across the nation, we’re totally asleep. We’re all at one big party.”

Last week Harlem M.C. Black Rob was informed by a judge that he'd be spending the better part of the next 7 years in jail after failing to turn himself in to police back in January. Last year he was convicted of grand larceny for an incident at a Manhattan hotel, and was supposed to begin serving a 2 to 6 year sentence, but never showed up and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

I feel for Rob because although his last album didn't do to well commercially, I've heard some pretty good things about it from nearly everybody who's heard it. This also marks the loss of the last big name East Coast M.C. that Diddy had on the Bad Boy roster. He always has that kid Aasim but he's got along way to go with his career, and Puff's attention seems to be focused in other areas at the moment.