"There's a new Mexico?" â€"Homer Simpson
It's been a while since we excavated the MySpace world of lesser-known emcees to battle one another under the glaring light of the Internuts stratosphere. Lyrical skill and bedroom/basement beats. Who wins our first Trio Battle for the Southwest Title?
Part of the problem with music journalism is that most writers don't make music. We can certainly have an opinion on this ish, but there's something else that can only come from an artist. We'll be reaching out to guest bloggers from time-to-time and first up is Damani. Check out his MySpace and then read what he has to say about the West (as well as a new song produced by Salaam Remi, just for y'all).
It's been a while since we've checked in with LA's own Dilated crew. Though the threesome has been hard at work on solo projects as of lateâ€"Evidence, The Weatherman LP; Babu, Duck Season 3; Rakaa, Crown of Thornsâ€"they are making some live stops out West this week.
As far as current Cali videos go, this one ain't bad. And, you gotta admit, Akon can make that hook sing. Plus, who doesn't enjoy a classic shot of the Watts Towers?
We got word this weekend of show dates that may be of interest to fans of "uniter of the West Coast" Mistah FAB; longtime, underground backpacker Zion I; plus, Living Legends MC-producer Grouch. Peep the flip for the nitty grit.
How many Crooked I posts can we fit into 2008? Plenty. Especially if he gets better artwork for his stellar mixtapes...
If you haven't heard, Compton's very own Coolio has a new online cookin' show and I have to admit, it's kinda entertaining. Plus, the recipes don't seem half bad. And well, this ain't your average Rachael Ray affair so read on...
So, KRS-One is re-instituting his Stop the Violence movement with a new many men posse track called "Self Construction." A new video previewing it all just appeared on MySpace TV, where the track was being recorded here in Los Angeles. It includes The Game reading his lyrics off of his iPhone. It's precious.
The Bay Area stays busy and sometimes we don't give it the attention we should, being that SOHH Fly Girl and I are based in Los Angeles. With that said, two legends--including one who has bounced back from a near-fatal incident--have new cuts for y'all to digest.
Maybe this is better off for the SOHH Sports blog, but I don't write that one. And while there's another Crooked I cut out there and it's pretty good, as he even wonders if he could've been the next Langston Hughes, I'd rather write about how the West was won. David Stern said that the NBA is "really good" this weekend and he's 100% right...with the best ball, of course, being played in the West. We know that whoever comes out of the West in the NBA will be the odds on favorite to beat the Celtics or Pistons.
It was a busy week out here and while we were busy talking about Death Row and Snoop, some other things went down (like more Snoop news and Crooked I over a classic Death Row beat). See how that works?
Facing an impending court date on March 6th, where a federal judge will evaluate the integrity of a $130 million lawsuit levied against him, legendary hip-hop label head and mogul Suge Knight opened up recently about these allegations and his infamous role in the rap game.
If this is a sign of Snoop's new record, Ego Trippin', which drops March 11th, then all I gotta say is...
These dudes are still smarter than you. Pacific Division and Blu, two acts from the heart of LA that we've been pushing since SOHH Fly Girl and I took over this here blog, got together for a little viral video.
...We came upon another perfectly apt metaphor for not only West Coast rap, but hip-hop in general. And we got video to prove it. (And don't trip, as soon as we find "Cali State of Mind" from Clyde, featuring The Game, we'll get it to ya'.)
Recently, the Las Vegas Weekly took a stirring look inside Jay-Z's newly opened 40/40 Club and its increasingly disgruntled staff. When the local papers go digging, it can't be a good sign! But it's not all bad news for Jay, of course.
(Photo: Jay-Z on NYE inside the 40/40 Club Las Vegas, more flicks to follow. Photos courtesy of lv.the4040club.com)
Leave it to those boys of the Bay Area to bless SOHH Left with an exclusive Edan remix...zuh, zuh, zuh.
When is Mr. Lamont's record going to drop? Will Dre stop hoarding beats for his forever-delayed Detox, at least enough to let Bishop shine? On deck here, we have the lead single from fellow Aftermath artist Focus...it features Bishop and Busta Rhymes and actually, quite frankly, it bangs.
I'm just saying, it's kind of unremarkable. It's a safe bet that Estevan Oriol photographed Snoop for the cover of his lastest album, Ego Trippin, and Estevan is the realest photographer out, but the whole package just seems destined to unimpress.
Because it's Superbowl night.
Because our Friday blog got 205 more comments than guest star Ja Rule's.
Because the West Coast is nasty like that.
Keep clicking for the greatest West Coast cut (by a one-hit wonder?)...
Two cuts magically appeared on the Internuts yesterday that featured some Left Coast killers and one Weezy F. Baby. So how do Jay Rock and Evidence stack up against the self-professed "best rapper alive"?
