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DJ King Assassin f/ Snoop Dogg - Watching U (Single)
Review by Steve 'Flash' Juon Artist: DJ King Assassin f/ Snoop Dogg
Title: Watching U
Label: East Coast Digital I'm not sure what to make of Assassin when I visit his MySpace page and immediately get blasted with the large bold title TUPAC'S ORIGINAL OG PRODUCER. It's not even that I would like proof (I've never heard of this man mentioned in the same breath as Tupac Shakur, not even once) it's that I don't know why you would need such claims when you can make a song like "Watching U." Snoop is clearly inspired by the 1970's throwback funk track and even vows to put together "Uncle Snoop's Army", while the hook's singer is in turn inspired by Snoop's "Gin & Juice" for his delivery. "Rolling down the street, watching ladies, go by watching you! Walking down the street, watching ladies, go by watching you!" I can dig it. My advice to Assassin would be to drop the Tupac references because they're totally unnecessary - this is a pure party anthem and a perfect song to cruise to with the top down. DJ Khaled - Out Here Grindin (Single)
Review by Steve 'Flash' Juon Artist: DJ Khaled
Title: Out Here Grindin
Label: Terror Squad/Koch Records Think about any previous chart-topping DJ Khaled single and you have a chance of answering the following questions correctly. #1: Who produced the single "Out Here Grindin?" #2: Which rappers make guest appearances on the track? #3: Who can be heard singing the hook? Write down your answers on a pad of paper or open up a blank text document on your PC, then when you're ready scroll this review down to see if you guessed correctly. #1. The Runners
#2. Rick Ross, Trick Daddy, Lil Wayne, Plies, Lil' Boosie
#3. Akon Give yourself credit if you picked any of the five men listed in #2, since other than Lil' Boosie at least 2-3 of them seem to be on every one of Khaled's hits. In fact Boosie's role on this song is to imitate his hit song "Independent" and turn it into a hook for Khaled: "W-E-T-H-E-B-E-S-T-D-J-Kha-led." He does have a verse afterwards but given he repeats his K-Solo-esque line multiple times that's what you'll remember. Akon vows to split "nuttin wit nobody" but considering Khaled would be nothing without his guests and producers he better be splitting that cheddar seven ways. In fact my only real knock on this song is Khaled makes hits simply by being the right guy in the right place who knows the right people, making him the 2008 Puff Daddy without Biggie to coach him as an MC. Collie Buddz - Lost Mamacita in Love (Single)
Review by Steve 'Flash' Juon
Artist: Collie Buddz
Title: Lost Mamacita in Love (DJ Topspin Remix)
Label: Sony BMG
In theory I ought to be sick of Collie Buddz by now since I've heard "S.O.S." every single week on ECW ever since the wrestler Kofi Kingston made his debut. "Lost Mamacita in Love" rocks though, and I mean that quite literally, since the song seems to be a fusion of smashing guitars and Jamaican riddims. I'm not sure if this is the result of DJ Topspin's remix since I haven't heard the original; in fact to be perfectly honest I'm not sure if this is a remix of "Mamacita" from his self-titled debut album last year or not. What I am sure of is the more I hear of Collie Buddz the more he grows on me, and I find myself wanting to bust a move to his groove. "Coulda dance all night if ya want ohh! Till de mornin light/Love how you feel in front a me so... gyal, let me hold ya tight!" Bogle in de dancehall, bogle in de party.
Alfamega f/ Busta Rhymes - Head Banger (Single)
Review by Steve 'Flash' Juon Artist: Alfamega f/ Busta Rhymes
Title: Head Banger
Label: Grand Hustle Records Some parts of Alfamega's bio seem exaggerated, to put it mildly, such as the notion he wrote 1700 SONGS while locked up in prison. Nevertheless it's clear that T.I. felt the rapper had enough promise to not only sign him to his own imprint but to break off some cheddar in the recording budget and team him with hip-hop superstar Busta Rhymes. The pairing seems to have inspired Alfamega as the low voiced thick-tongued Atlantian speed raps like Busta with success: "The Grand Hustle muscle hit hard as a missile/Rip through your chest plate tear out your bone gristle/If the K don't hit'cha then Busta gon' get'cha/And any fuck nigga that wanna die wit'cha." With a catchy chorus and speedy swagger reminiscent of Busta's "Break Ya Neck," the only downside of "Head Banger" is that it's a reminder that BR's new album is long overdue. Super King Armor and his Werewolf Lullabies
Super King Armor is everywhere. No, really, I swear I see him at every show and event in New York City. Recently he sent me his EP, The Werewolf Lullabies, and I suddenly realized why he is everywhere, it’s because he’s that freakin talented. A Queens native, Super King Armor grew up in the area where Francis Lewis Blvd. and Merrick Blvd. turns into 122nd Ave., a place he describes as “the center piece for all the surrounding neighborhoods.” This week I paid him a visit to find out more about his work, how he became “Super,” and the extreme differences between the personality he displays in his everyday life and the one he displays on record. Read the full interview at: http://adambernard.blogspot.com/2008/05/artist-of-week-super-king-armor.htmlDirtball's New Video (SubNoize Press Release)
This update sent to us courtesy of James at Kerosene Media. For Immediate Release:
Dirtball Posts "Mushroom Cloud" Video Online
***
Crook County Chronicles Volume 6 Online Featuring Tech N9ne
The Dirtball has posted his new video for the track "Mushroom Cloud"from his new album "Crook County" online at online at www.MySpace.com/TheDirtball .
"The Mushroom Cloud video was by far the most fun to film for me of any of the videos I have done thus far in my career," says Dirtball. "It dates back to numerous trips in my life and the environments in which I tripped. The crew was talented as hell and the direction was on point. Who would have thought you could re-enact a psychadelic mushroom experience like that. We did, and this timeless video will hopefully serve as one of the best replications of it around. Even some of my fellow Northwest mushroom-heads agree that the video puts you there in the moment of the madness."
Dirtball's upcoming new album, "Crook County",hits stores May 13th, 2008 through Suburban Noize Records. The album is a colorful blend of rapid fire hip-hop and rock infused beats that could easily find a home with hip-hop fans of Tech N9ne or the rap-rock fusion of Linkin Park.
Dirtball has also launched the sixth installment of his "Crook County Chronicles" video series featuring Tech N9ne online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz55Qk8x-6I. The video features behind the scenes footage from his recent sold-out performance opening for Kottonmouth Kings at the Grove in Anaheim, CA.
Dirtball will embark on the Jagermeister Born For Battle Tour starting May 9th, 2008 in Tempe, AZ alongside Big B, Potluck and DGAF.
JAGERMEISTER PRESENTS BORN FOR BATTLE TOUR
Featuring Big B, The Dirtball, Potluck and DGAF:
May 09 Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
May 10 Farmington, NM @ Gators
May 11 Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theatre
May 14 St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
May 15 Omaha @ The Waiting Room
May 16 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
May 17 Jackson, MI @ The Rocket
May 18 Buffalo, NY @ Club W
May 20 Virginia Beach, VA @The Peppermint Beach Club
May 21 Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre
May 22 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's Down Under
May 23 Columbus, OH @ Al Rosa Villa
May 25 Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
May 27 Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
May 28 Ft. Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre
May 29 Salt Lake City, UT @ Avalon Theater
May 30 Boise, ID @ The Big Easy Concert House
May 31 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Jun 01 Portland, OR @ Roseland Grill
Jun 03 Orangevale, CA @ The Boardwalk
Jun 04 San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
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* www.MySpace.com/TheDirtball *
* www.SuburbanNoizeRecords.com * Sciontology - Advertising w/ Hip-Hop
Hip-Hop and advertising have always had a tumultuous relationship. Yes the attention is nice, but do advertisers actually understand the culture, or are they just trying to use it to sell some burgers, t-shirts and candy bars? We see plenty of rappers in advertisements, and love that they get a check, but don’t always approve of what they’re selling. I remember it was only a year and a half ago the debate was about Common and his Gap ad. Was he a sellout? The answer was no, but as a culture we’re still on the lookout for how major companies are treating Hip-Hop. Scion is a company that has been working Hip-Hop into their ads, and cars, since their first day of existence and recently they jumped into the music distribution game. There’s one major question Hip-Hop fans have regarding all of Scion's actions, though; do they really care about the culture, or do they just see it as a marketing opportunity? I sat down with Scion’s sales promotions manager Jeri Yoshizu to find out. Read the full interview at: http://adambernard.blogspot.com/2008/05/sciontology-advertising-w-hip-hop.htmlNew Videos - Mike Jones, Reks, Saul Williams, Ace Hood & More
The Rocky Horror Louis Logic Show
This past Friday my buddy Louis Logic invited me to his show at The Zipper Factory Theater in NYC. I hadn’t seen Louis in a while and wanted to hear how his Kiss Her Stupid project, which is his work combining his own original piano compositions with his rhymes, was going, so I hopped a train and made my way into the city. I was totally prepared for a great time. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the hilarity of Logic channeling Eddie Izzard’s transvestism and donning some decidedly female clothing for a song (and yes, I have pictures). RapReviews' Adam Bernard Named Urban Culture Editor at Beyond Race Magazine
May 1st 2008 – Today Adam Bernard has been named Urban Culture Editor at Beyond Race magazine.
Bernard, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things Hip-Hop and a long history of covering the culture, has been with the NYC based national arts and culture publication as a contributing writer since its inception two years ago. He is welcoming the added responsibilities of creating storyboards and assigning genre specific features for five different sections of the magazine. Bernard will also be in charge of hiring and working with freelancers as well as making sure everything turned in is of the high quality readers have come to expect from Beyond Race.
On joining the editorial staff of the quarterly publication, Bernard says “it’s always been great working with Dave Terra and the rest of the talented editorial staff here at Beyond Race and it’s an honor that I am being welcomed into that group as one of their editors.”
Beyond Race's Two Year Anniversary Issue will be hitting newsstands everywhere on May 9th and features Bernard’s cover story on Ludacris.
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