Recently in Queens Category

I know the murder of Stack Bundles occured on June 11th, but I forgot last year.

First, Joe Budden singles out Method Man. And then Joe turns around and apologizes. Now, all of a sudden, this is what he has to say:

If anyone can answer the above question, you can receive a free copy of Before I Self Destruct. Not that you would really want it or anything.

While I was looking for the (couple of crappy) videos that I was actually able to find for Capone-N-Noreaga (yesterday's Throwback feature), I ran across this stomach-churning joint. And it wasn't "Oye Mi Canto."

In this video, Queens rapper Nicki Minaj said "I would not want to paddle my career after any female... especially any female rapper."

C-N-N. Top of New York. Pre-reggaeton nonsense.

Joe Budden is mad because he didn't make Vibe's "best rapper ever" list.

This for the TRUE old school heads.

If you think I hate Prodigy, raise your hand. Aight cool. But there was a time when Mobb Deep was coming with that real. Havoc was coming hard with the production, but Prodigy mostly had the superior verses. Before they got with that corny G-Unit sh*t, Hav and Prodigy were actually real representers of Queensbridge. Damn. How times have changed.

At the end of March, Cam'ron did a public service announcement letting everyone know that they need to stop hoping for a Cam'ron-Dipset project. Thanks to Jim Jones and his high horse attitude. Which got him absolutely NOWHERE-- as you can see via Soundscan. His loss, like I said before.

"Yeah, it's f*cking hilarious," Ja Rule recently said of the 50 vs. Rick Ross 'beef.' "I'm sittin' back getting a good laugh and sh*t. But yo, check me on that 'Mafia Music' remix. Holla back. Ross, you know how we do, n*gga."

These sweet ass n*ggas. These rappers are soft. Every last one.

"NEW YORK CITY?????????!"

So the proof is here after all. Even though "50 Cent's" face is blurred out. Hmm.  

... Nowhere in stores.

"I used to have to imagine. Now I can actually have it."  

KRS-ONE has been around for a long time. So long, that the side of a Bronx building on 163 and 3rd Ave that had his name on it has since been knocked down and replaced with windows. It's been over 20 years, and KRS is still around. For many it's hard to believe that he wasn't always by himself. He wasn't.

Sub O DVD did exactly what Ja Rule asked them NOT to do: include all the 50 Cent sh*t talking in the video.

First and foremost, we know Fif hates Khaled because he hates Fat Joe. Being that Khaled f*cks with Rick Frauds Ross, that just puts more strikes against Khaled. BUT, I think Fif is becoming too consumed with this e-beef madness. At the end of the video, he has gun shots sounding off. After reciting a very threatening poem to Khaled's mother.

So Havoc is trying to come correct. By the way, where is that bitch made n*gga Prodigy? I haven't seen or heard of any of his blog rants lately. Must've dropped that soap one too many times.

Everytime I want to walk away from this corny e-beef, something else pops up to make me laugh. Talk about f*ckery. And I hate stupid words like "f*ckery" and "bitchassness," but damn. F*ckery couldn't be used in a more literal context than this. Take this as a warning sign.

Yeah. Thislittle beef was over earlier this week. But then Saigon turned around and shot it two more times at Joe Budden just to make sure it was dead for sure. Now we've got the last dis. And Saigon indeed went in.

Too much boom bap. Too much truth. Too much rhyme and reason. Too much consistency. Check out the video below. 

First and foremost, happy belated birthday and R.I.P to Martin Luther King, Jr. (1/15/29-4/4/68), who paved a way for black America-- and this country as a whole-- in more ways than anyone could ever imagine. For those who have crappy jobs, I hope they at least have the decency to let you enjoy MLK day at home.

Ohhhh... Kobe Bryant better put his ear to the speaker for this joint.

Easy bake oven rappers come in all different forms and come from all different regions of the country, but they all share one characteristic: They all sell more ringtones than albums. One by one, they all got signed, got one little hit that they made in five little minutes, and pushed out one little album. And then after they can't make another hit and the support from the label slowly begans to descend into the maelstrom, they struggle with the little bit of money they have to their little names. Why? Because they have no f*ckin talent. And these corny A&Rs haven't a CLUE as to what they're doing, so they keep pushing artists who they feel will bring in the most cash instead of helping to develop an artist that will actually last.

Man, if he doesn't get this cornball song out of here. What is this a Yankees ball park concession stand commercial? This sh*t is retarded.

Lloyd Banks and his big ass face is back with a new mixtape called The Cold Corner. And don't give me credit for "big ass face." I got that from Sheek Louch.

In any event, I heard this mixtape is hot. But after that wack LP The Rotten Apple sat and rotted on store shelves, this mixtape better be a complete 180. I think that after deciding to stop listening to Fif with this pop music sing-songy bullsh*t he was trying to get the ladies to like, Banks took it back to square one. Of course there have been some who are not convinced, but the mass audience has been giving The Cold Corner good reviews, suggesting that perhaps Banks might finally be "back." Words heavily associated with this mixtape release: Hard, fiyah, tough, etc. Haven't heard that for Banks in awhile! Last time I checked, Banks was "wack," "doo-doo," "washed-up," and "done." Good job, Banks.

Some time towards the end of November, Lil Wayne dropped some provocative lines to the boy 50 Cent. And it went something like this:

 

"He was in the South... trying to be Jeezy and all them other n*ggas, he didn't have money like that. He was spending, spending, spending. And I was watching him spend. ... He just looked at it like, '50's my friend, I'm gonna keep ballin.' 50's my friend but at the same time he's my boss so I know when to keep it business, and when to keep it a friendship. ... But now [Buck is] mad quiet because he owes 50 three more albums. So when Buck is on YouTube, and his house is gone, and you all interview him, I will be back up here to laugh at him."-- Yayo told Kay Slay on his Shade 45 show.

Today, I was going to do post "someone's" new video, and then put the blog title as something insulting, but since we have certain people bitching and moaning, I can't. At least not right now.

So, LL finally realized that it wasn't Hov, but the fallen walls that once upheld Def Jam that left his album on the low end of SoundScan. The video below was directed by himself and Ron Lakis...and cost no money.

WOW! I can't believe what I'm seeing. The folks over at Def Jam actually let Nas make -- and release-- another video. At least on the internet.

Uhhh, sure. I guess "3-headed" is an appropriate title for Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Curtis: they've all shared the misfortune of losing their touch.

I guess this is just a little joint to keep us reminded that Curtis is on his way... consider it a commercial even. But there is absolutely nothing special about it. Beat, what he's saying in his rhymes, the swag in it, etc... it's just average.

50 Cent is in the process of throwing together a movie, entitled Before I Self Destruct, which is the same name as his upcoming album. He plans to release them both on December 9th. Here we go again with this sh*t.

I'm actually a little surprised. This is the first time I've heard Kiss do a track dedicated to the ladies that didn't come off as a for-the-ladies fill he threw togther for the sake of sales.

Written By SOHH Reckless

Uh, for a second there, this song kind of had me at a loss for words. LL claims that "You Better Watch Me" is a breath of retro air from the 90s, but to me it comes off as a cross between an improvement from his (first single) "Baby" and... corny. Which is NOT a good thing.

Written By SOHH Reckless

This BLASTED SONG GETS ON MY NERVES.

I don't know if it's because of the corny ass lyrics, or if it's because of the stupid hook. But everytime I turn on the radio, it's there... as if it's out to get me.

How is it possible for a nightmare to be corny? Beats the hell out of me. But this song most certainly accomplished it.

Looks like LL's been turned out. And by some new school cat at that.

I heard G-Unit's earlier version of "Straight Outta Southside," but didn't pay it any mind. Then it resurfaced. Since they thought it was such a great body of work, they threw LL Cool J on it and re-released it. This is the second joint he's done with G-Unit that I've noticed he's being extra with the "I'm hard core" swagger. Despite LL's for-the-ladies image he's had a history of cursing and saying n*gga here and there, so I'm not saying this is something new. But I'm now sensing a different aura. Rolling with Fif he suddenly thinks he's a dirty mouth gangster. I suppose Curtis is to blame for that. I guess.

First and foremost, I would like to say a thing or two about the injustice of the Sean Bell case, but what's the point?

There is none.

New York City is so loud, yet so quiet; the streets are filled with silent rage. Everyone is complaining, bitching, and moaning, but most of these people aint doing sh*t--- but what else is new? So keep all that whining to yourselves.

March 9th will mark the 11th year that hip-hop has been pressing on without the Brooklyn MC Notorious B.I.Gâ€"also known as Biggie, Frank White, Biggie Smalls, or Big Poppa.

His 1994 quadruple-platinum debut album Ready to Die, which reigned supreme even during the grand-slam takeover of West Coast hip-hop, produced hits such as “Juicy,” “Big Poppa,” and “One More Chance,” among many others.

Here is the American Gangster cover art and tracklisting

1. Do You Feel Me - Anthony Hamilton
2. Why Don't We Do It In The Road? - Lowell Fulson
3. No Shoes - John Lee Hooker
4. Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
5. Stone Cold - Anthony Hamilton
6. Hold On I'm Comin' - Sam & Dave
7. I'll Take You There - The Staple Singers
8. Can't Truss It - Public Enemy
9. Checkin' Up On My Baby - Hank Shocklee
10. Club Jam - Hank Shocklee
11. Railroad - Hank Shocklee
12. Nicky Barnes - Hank Shocklee
13. Hundred Percent Pure - Marc Streitenfeld
14. Frank Lucas - Marc Streitenfeld

A lot of people have been talking about Jay-Z dropping his American Gangster the same day as Nas drops his joint. But November 6th will not be another "Clash of the Titans." Why? Because Nas' album is just a greatest hits disc. The one that I mentioned back in August, and completely forgot about. I guess Nas is putting in his farewell to Columbia forever with this slopped-together effort. I can take from off my PC all the songs they're putting on this disc and make my own Nas greatest hits jumpoff. But then again, anyone can do that with any artist. Which just proves my point: greatest hits albums are pointless in this day in age.

And by the way, the kid Saigon is getting a December 4th release date for The Greatest Story Never Told. Why he even put up an argument about David Banner's album being called The Greatest Story Ever Told --or whatever it was-- I will never understand. We all know Banner isn't going to sell more than 12 copies. And as I've said before, things have been looking up for Saigitty since he linked with Violator. An album title won't do any damage.

"I think that black Americans are starting to think for themselves."

Bill O'Reilly had dinner in Harlem's Sylvia's restaurant with Rev. Al Sharpton around the time Don Imus got fired for calling some black chicks "nappy-headed." And for the record, Sylvia's is a piece of sh*t. Since it's been around for over 40 years, people expect this out-of-the-ordinary, magnificent, authentic kind of soul food. Take a trip to the kitchen and you'll see a bunch of empty canned goods and maybe a rat or two.

With that said, it's not the restaurant's food that was mentioned, but the people in the restuarant. In addition to the quote above, this what O'Reilly said this time:

"I wish Rick and Russell was back I miss the old Def Jam/ 'Cause them new monkeys act like they don't know who I am/ The promotion and marketing wasn't worth a damn/ Now they on the balls again 'cause 50 my man?"

From off of "It's a Queens Thing"--LL Fool J featuring 50, Kool G Rap, Yayo, Prodigy

"Music is a mirror, and hip-hop is a reflection of the environment that we grew up in. It's the harsh realities that end up in the music," he added. "If I ask you to paint a picture of the American flag and not use the color red, you're gonna have a difficult time. To capture what we try to capture in the art form, I'm sure some conservative Americans can't [identify] with it because of their lifestyle and the way they've actually been brought up, and they haven't been exposed to those realities."-- 50 Cent, BET press conference

Even though the "realities" he portrays in his lyrics are not really "reality," he actually did prove a point... for once. This is the first time he's ever said anything worth thinking about.

Or will the public throw his discs under the shelf and let them collect dust?

Last week it was a Def Jam dis record. This week, Billboard started up yet another N.O.R.E episode with news that Global Warming 11368, Nore's forthcoming project, is slated for indie release sometime this summer.

And Uncle Murda thinks he has a chance?

According to the folks over at Hiphopgame, N.O.R.E has a blazin new freestyle, called "Shame on You," which he used to vent his anger out on his "former" record label, Roc-La-Familia. Apparently, this label did pretty much nothing to push his last effort, N.O.R.E Y La Familia, which lifted about 5 copies upon arrival on the charts.

Like I've said before, Fab said he wanted to prove himself a lyricist rather than just the ladies man who makes a bunch of girlie-girlie songs. He tried it back in '04 with the Just Blaze-produced "Breathe," which, unfortunately, was the only good song on the album. He retracted everything he said when he followed up the first single with the for-the-ladies "Baby."

Cassidy tried it and nearly pulled it off. But then again, Cassidy is on a whole 'nother level. Fab, on the other hand, isn't a freestyle genius, and has pretty much built his entire career on the whole I'm The New LL Cool J swag. And I'm afraid that if Fab can't prove everything he's been saying about changing lanes with this next effort, the crowd will turn their backs for good. And where's the hype? No one's talking.

Haha. He's got to be kidding me.

Nope. He's not.

Mobb Deep's Prodigy will be starring in his indie film, "H.N.I.C," which is slated to begin shooting this spring. At first I thought this was just some low-budget, cheap, use-your-camcorder-while-you-film kind of production, but apparently Infamous Films has recruited acts such as Rick Gonzales from "Coach Carter" and Davetta Sherwood from "The Young and the Restless," to name a couple (with some real acting experience). Don't expect any corny Ja Rule cameos, cheesy 50 Cent save-the-day moments or stale Dipset appearances. But still, the only actor to ever do it right was Pac. And did anyone even see Prodigy's last movie? Doubt it.

If you sit and think back to three years ago, maybe three-and-a-half, G-Unit was just that: a unit. They were the crew that was unstoppable, even though I would say they were one of the worst crews I’ve ever heard of. “Stunt 101” was on madd peoples’ cell ringers. 50 hopped on just about everyone’s record just to keep his presence thick. Now? He told Hot 97’s Miss Jones that it’s time for G-Unit to stand on their own. He also said this:

"If you listened to the Angie Martinez show when Young Buck was on there, he made references to himself as being his own man and making his own decisions, and trying to make friends with people that I have issues with,” explained 50. "I hold him in the same space that I held Game in...now since then, Game has released a record and dissed him again. That right there just shows you."

Grown-ass man + beating up a child= NOT GANGSTA.

There have been many versions of the story. But according to Cynthia Reed, the mother of the fourteen-year-old who encountered an attack by the "gangster" rappers Tony Yayo and 50 Cent:

Via Defsounds:

"You gonna love it. I'm tellin you, you gonna love it. It's crazy hot. It's better than Get Rich and The Massacre. Im excited I can't wait for my record to come out so everybody can listen to it.”

Just when the nonbelievers thought Nas was winding down, he re-ups once again.

...This on-going nonsense makes me scratch my head in wonder: what is this "beef" gonna come to?

Yeah. Check the fronts. The proof is finally here for those who never believed. SOHH fifteen years ago.

According to MTV Mixtape Monday, Nas might be taking the remixes to the TV screen. Considering how many people were strewn across all three remixes ( 90s all-star mix, 80s and Westcoast all-star mix), this show, if ever pursued, might turn out to be quite interesting. He told MTV:

"First we wanted to get it out to people and just enjoy it. Now we're thinking about going in on a TV show to find out where them niggas was at. I wanna see. These muthafuckas ain't old to me. And if they are old, that's nothing to take away from them. Man, these muthafuckas are interesting people. They're part of the whole foundation. They are the blocks, them big boulders underneath the pretty surfaces. They need to be looked at like that. Even if it's for a second, let's be real, you can't expect all these niggas to drop new albums, but it's good to see that they still here. They ain't gotta come out and go platinum, they can do different shit. It's just good to show love."

The Hot 97 Angie Martinez show, if you listen regularly, will give off some interesting conversations.

Before the phonecall (listen), 50 had said that there was no beef between he or Cam'ron. They even greeted each other in a reasonable manner. But things took a turn for the worse. Shout out to Shawn NYC for the link.

"Aw man could you believe this? It's like a holiday man. It's like Nas bringing a rap holiday man. (Where are they now?) Here they are. 2007 they right here... Here they are. Unbelievable! Hip-hop is dead? We'll see what happens." -- Nas "Where are They Now (Remix)"

What does it take to get back the old Mobb? Do we have to take them back to their late teen years, when the hunger was tough, or rewind to where New York City looked like a litter box? Maybe all of this remodeling and gentrification is getting to the best of us.

Skip the nasty NYC imagery and fast forward into the new millennium. So far it's been money, money, money. Money falling out the sky, money falling off the stripper pole. This is the kind of vibe I've been getting from the Mobb ever since they went over to Interscope and got down with 50 Cent. But what about the "official Queensbridge Murderers"?

...Before he became the president of Def Jam Recordings.

Can we get Common on the remix?

I know I brushed on the whole ordeal yesterday, but yo. The kid Nas did it well -- even with minimal radio airplay outside much of the tri-state (NY, NJ, CT), and that single ("Hip-hop Is Dead") was only a hit WITHIN the tri-state. The hype behind "Black Republicans" also did its thing.

#1 on the charts. 355K. That's what's really.

I hope LL heard that one.

Shoutout to Sherry at Complex.

It looks like the new Complex is filled with some hot shit. In the new December/January issue of the mag, Nas had quite a bit to get off his chest. A lot of people don't know that before Nas' deal with Def Jam, he was offered a president's position at Atlantic... which would've given him a substantial amount of power over Jim Jones. And although Nas didn't take the position, he says:

Nas told DJ Rosetta Devine on Baltimore's Power 92.1 Jamz:

"Mobb Deep signing to G-Unit is a disgrace to hip-hop. I love them little brothers, but don't speak on Nas. It doesn't make sense. You learned from me. That's the bottom line."

Stressed?

When MTV asked 50 why he called his next LP Before I Self Destruct -- which is slated for a spring release -- he said "because it could potentially happen."

I'm not doing this blog to bash him. I just find the excuses he's using quite pitiful. He doesn't want to admit that G-Unit's plunge to infinite demise might have, in some way, put him at risk.

LL Cool J is still tight that his (wack) album flopped. He told MTV that he refuses to resign with Def Jam after his current contract expires because:

"How am I gonna re-sign with competition? I'm not an idiot. I can't depend on that man [Jay-Z] to promote my record while he's somewhere writing rhymes. I'm LL Cool J. I ain't doing that, B."

Say word.

The listening session went down last night at Sony Studios, and it sounds like your boy Nas nearly took it back to Illmatic.

Every last song, from the first joint played, called "QB Tru G," to the last, "Can't Forget About You," was crack fuckin' juice. Word ... I'm so confident in this album, I'm so confident in hip-hop at this moment in time, I aint even gonna say shit else.

It's kind of a long shot, but...I think he can do it.

Right now, even though his nemeses' graves are still fresh and warm -- a sure sign that it's not completely over -- their CD shelves are still covered in dust.

Shout out to the kid, the epitome of insolence, Mr. Irreverent. My left hand man.

Over a week ago, someone from the Mobb Deep publicity camp dropped the email about the airplane ordeal into the SOHH NYC inbox, and I simply forwarded it to the editors. What was I gonna use it for? It's good that they were okay but it served as no interest to me until I read the Mobb Deep interview that was posted last week. What I observed from this article was a totally different attitude from them both. After having been scared to death, they seem to be speaking as if they have come back down to earth, even though Prodigy got in trouble with the law this past weekend:

I've tried to ignore it. The last thing I wanted to do was another G-Unit post. But I haven't seen bad reviews about an album from this many people in a while, so I figured the topic was relevant.

I was in the SOHH forum, and someone by the name of Street Novelist started a thread on the 5th that bagged over 4,600 views. A lot of what he was saying has pretty much summed up what I’ve been hearing from many others...

"All respect to all rappers on Def Jam, I love the label. Without disrespect, I'm about to be the craziest shit on Def Jam." --Nas, MTV News

His ability to back up this claim can be deemed, for the most part, undisputed. However, we're still waiting to see if the current "album release date," December 19th, will manage to stick (*crickets*).

The legendary Queensbridge MC -- who claims his marriage to Kelis was his second marriage, as he married hip-hop first -- had words for the DJs of today (who, unlike pioneers like Red Alert, make it too easy for garbage to sabotage the airwaves), and some words for inquiring minds wishing to know exactly what 'hip-hop is dead' really means.

Jim Jones's "We Fly High" has become another street smash in Harlem and the X, but does anyone else really take Dipset seriously?

As of late, "We Fly High," the joint that was released this summer, has made its way to ringtones, nextel radio features, and sound systems throughout the entire Harlem and The Bronx. This is no surprise as the Dipset following is heavy Uptown, but I haven't seen hype like this since Juelz Santana's 2003 street hit "Dipset."

Queens, C-N-N, stand up.

Reggaeton, have a seat.

The Queens MC formerly known as Noreaga has come a long way from 1997's The War Report, which almost hit gold stat despite dismal radio burn, to N.O.R.E Y La Familia...Ya Tu Sabe, which debuted on the charts this week at #82. It sold a painful 11,000 copies. Some people with feelings of near-nostalgia for the old N.O.R.E they're familiar with say this is a good thing; this will serve as a wakeup call to never attempt another reggaeton album ever again in his life. Nore did mention, however, that the next effort would be straight hip-hop, raw and uncut.

The problem with Y La Familia was simply this: Someone reasoned that his hottest reggaeton single, 2004's "Oye Mi Canto," came right before the fallout of the whole Damon Dash and Hov ordeal, which pretty much put a stop to any album releases on Roc-a-Fella, Nore's label at the time. Nore then ran over to the newly formed Damon Dash Music Group, and when that label folded from under Universal's wing, he later found his way to the newly established Roc-La-Familia. Meanwhile, the national buzz he had going for the reggaeton hit pretty much fizzled out, and two years later, he hasn't been able to come with a reggaeton banger with the equal amount of power and mobility necessary to capture nation-wide radio spins. Anytime you have nothing stable to work with, the labels don't want to lose out, so you just kinda get "thrown out there." Not a good look.

For the record, Todd Smith was wack. And that horrifying lead single, no matter what old-school jumpoff they reworked, made that tired broad's singing skills look even worse than what I had first perceived.

Sometimes, when your time is done, your time is done. And there's nothing you can do about it. He's been on it since '84, which makes him a legend, so all reverence is due in that aspect of it. But when your prime has passed, your prime has passed, and when all fails, there's no one else to blame but yourself.

To most in New York City, Queensbridge is known as a subdivision in the borough of Queens, although it is technically a section inside the subdivision of Long Island City, sitting at the edge of the island where it maintains its stagnant reputation as the worst section of Queens that ever was. According to a source, QB is the largest public housing development in the United States, sheltering some 7,000 people. Out of the dirt and grime of this enormous community came the Infamous duo Mobb Deep.

The days of "Shook Ones," "Quiet Storm" and "Start of Your Ending," to name a few, were the defining bangers of the once prolific rap duo's existence. And while they're still in the flesh, they appeared to have lost their way, their clout, position, record sales, and in some ways, their street cred and respect.

The faucet-dripped “Where Ya’ll At” has taken over New York City radio airplayâ€"and it wasn’t even meant to be a big hit. It was just a leak that DJs can’t understand doesn’t even have any vinyl made for it yetâ€"if ever.

When I first heard the joint, I said the lyrics were on point and that I liked the mix and cut of the hook taken from “Made You Look,” but I also said the music itself didn’t grab me and didn’t embody enough power to carry itself as a lead single. But with the love New York has been showing it, I guess it could be proven otherwise

I read something a former blogs editor for SOHH wrote recently. According to him, G-Unit "saved hip-hop from a fate worse then death at least once, and probably twice."

He went on to nonsensically deem G-Unit as the reason "hip-hop became dangerous again" and that "parents, politicians, and preachers spoke out against G-Unit's music and warned about it's effect on America." He continued with "talk shows called in hip-hop bloggers to explain this crisis of violence in the music that was spilling out in the street." Are you serious? Yes, he was dead ass. To top it off, he gave 50 Cent and his entourage full credit for "inventing and perfecting" the mixtape.

I could've smashed my entire fist through my flatscreen.

"I'm number one. I'm the "Chosen ONE." I'm the "CHOSEN ONE." They saying the game is wack, and that the game ain’t what it used to be; that's why I'm here. I'm the one to bring all that back. I'm putting all of that shit on my shoulders, and I'ma single-handedly bring music back to where it's supposed to be, where it should’a been at. You know how a lot of these dudes come out of nowhere and they be like 'he never was a rapper, he never was this' and all that extra shit they be saying... I studied this. I breathe this, I live this."

Elizabeth, New Jersey rapper A.P, aka “The Chosen One,” is on the come-up. Producers Swizz Beatz, Kwame, Lil' Jon, and Q-Tip, to name a few, have already put in their bid for his full-length LP, which, after gaining clout from A.P.’s fast jolt to the top of the underground scene, is already half-way done. The full-length LP is also open for the potential contribution of DJ Premier, Diamond D, Pete Rock, and Just Blaze.

With various appearances on national mix-shows and mixtapes, the support from New York Hot 97's turntable greats DJ Enuff and Cipha Sounds, an exclusive ringtone deal with a division of Jamster, solid cameos recorded with underground heavyhitters Lord Tariq, Red Café, Ali Vegas, and Timbaland’s newest rap artist John Doe, this MC, who has appeared in Usher's "In the Mix" movie trailer with Rihanna, has a lot on his plate.

Marc Ecko's second annual Save the Rhinos Concert started off with a political -- and diss-plagued -- bang last night (Thursday) in Central Park. Hot 97's Mister Cee was in the building, along with Kid Capri spinnin' the 1's and 2's. Rhymefest put some spice in his set, and Lupe Fiasco followed suit. Old school great Rakim kicked it with Styles P, followed by a performance by Common.

Hollywood Hav and V.I.P. or, as you probably know them, Mobb Deep, ran up in the FYE on 56th and 6th Avenue on Tuesday night to to perform a couple of songs and sign autographs for fans who came out to cop their new album, Blood Money. While there have been mixed reviews of their G-Unit debut, some love it some hate it, there's no doubt that New York City still has love for the Queensbridge representatives.

You've gotta love this Ja Rule guy. He's a funny character and he just refuses to go away no matter how irrelevant he might be in the game these days. Which is why it doesn't surprise me that he would release a dis track to the same person who snatched his spot and all but ended his career, two years after the fact. As far as disses go, this really isn't half bad, and its the kind of thing Ja fans will probably eat up. If he would've dropped this back when there was actually still beef to settle, he may have had a chance.

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

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.

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).

Alot of people seem to think Jay-Z is doing a mediocre job in his role as President of Def Jam Records. I disagree. I think Def Jam has had a hell of year as far the quality of the material they're putting out and the commercial and critical success of that material. You can hate Jay and credit LA Reid all you want, but with the two top Grammy contenders on their roster, it's hard to argue that the label is having a bad year, no matter who's responsible. You also have to take into account that it's Hov's first year in a position that even a seasoned music exec might find intimidating.

That said, I still feel like President Carter has some serious explaining to do to his faithful constituents such as myself. Remember when the name Def jam brought to mind names like LL Cool J, DMX, and Method Man? While I'm glad Mariah and Jeezy had great years, they aren't exactly the types of artists that expect to be repping the legendary logo. If I want Dirty South trap music and sugar coated r&b pop music I'll turn on the radio, but when I look at a Def Jam release schedule I expect to see names like Redman, Ghostface, and Joe Buddens, not Rhianna, Teairra Marie, and Ne-Yo.