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They performed separately last weekend at the Knitting Factory, but here’s a clip of them on stage together keeping it hip-hop. I got a good shot of the crowd, too. This is a preview of things to come…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crtb2dAwhFY]

Cover Story

Ronnie just wrote a review of one of Murs’ classic albums. Today I found out that Murs is actually releasing a brand new album called Murs for President. Check out the first single, “Better Than The Best.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC8XjnIwlog]

He’s obviously capitalizing off of Election season with the video, but why shouldn’t he? Murs is a real emcee who does it for the love of hip-hop. This way more people will see it.

Check this from Paste Magazine:

And if you just can’t wait for Murs for President to come out, he’s still got your back. His collabo-album with 9th Wonder, Sweet Lord, will soon be available for free this week on Murs’ website until the album drops in stores. Now that’s change we can believe in. Catch him on the star-studded “Rock The Bells” tour this summer:

July:
26 - Boston, Mass. @ Comcast Center
27 - Columbia, Md. @ Merriweather Post Pavilion

August:
2 - Miami, Fla. @ Bicentennial Park
3 - New York, N.Y. @ Jones Beach Theatre
9 - San Bernadino, Calif. @ Glen Helen Pavilion
16 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
23 - Denver, Colo. @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre

September:
6 - George, Wash. @ The Gorge Amphitheatre

Nas at Fox News Headquarters

I’m all about reflecting on one of the greatest albums of all time. Check out this review by Jordan Richardson.

Released originally on April 19, 1994, the debut album from Nas stands up as one of the classic rap recordings of the 1990s and one of the greatest albums, rap or otherwise, of all time. Illmatic was produced by Large Professor of Main Source, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, and DJ Premier.

The most striking thing about Illmatic is its content. On track after beautiful track, Nas spits fire about poverty, culture, and the hopelessness found on the streets. Just 19-years-old when Illmatic dropped, Nas shows wisdom beyond his years with his first-person tackling of the inner city plot. A voice for the disenfranchised youth left for dead after Reaganomics brutalized the world he knew, Nas, this kid, took the torch and spoke for the people in ways that few had experienced before.

The World is Yours

Nas reports violence and the authenticity of the streets without glorifying it or stagnating in it. He is a voice of optimism, but also a voice of truth. He echoes the gunshots without lionizing them, stepping beyond the hallucination of cruel splendor and into the limelight of a master raconteur.

With Illmatic, Nas became known to the world not just as a great rapper but as a stern technician of prose. His mastery over wordplay, multifarious rhyme patterns, and language helped take the record to another level. His inability to compromise gave tracks like “Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park)” an innate flow almost unprecedented in hip-hop and his swift release brought things to another level.

Also noteworthy is the production of Illmatic. The record is simplistically produced, which gives Nas’ lyrics a hard place to fall. This is the sound of the streets, often quite plainly, and the production fits the bill on each track with resolute devotion. The beats are severe and the scratches are never invasive. Sampling is done in moderation.

It should also be noted that Illmatic was one of the first hip-hop albums to feature such an all-star cast of producers, representing a trend that is going strong to almost-excessive lengths today.

With on-point production and stellar lyricism, it’s hard to find a better album than Illmatic. Nas’ sturdy and careless delivery smoulders all over the record, taking over classic tracks like “N.Y. State of Mind” and “Halftime” with his persistent level-headedness and lethal attention to detail.

1994 was a big year for hip-hop on the East Coast. Biggie’s classic debut Ready to Die was also dropped and the East Coast sound started to challenge the G-funk on the West Coast. It was a compelling time, to say the least, but Illmatic still stands strong as one of the greatest of that era and as one of the greatest albums of all time.

Read all about it HERE.

HQ STREAMS

Ludacris “Politics” HERE.
Ludacris “Still Spittin” HERE.

Obama: I don't know him

What’s the big deal? I listened to the song and it’s pretty fresh. Check it out if you have a minute.

Does it really deserve multiple statements from both camps? First Senator McCain’s people used it as a way to defend their recent attack ad. Then Senator Obama’s camp comes out and denounces the song.

Is this really necessary?

It’s interesting that both camps are sweating a hip-hop song instead of addressing the issues. When is the first debate?

Jay-z on the Microphone

This is brand spankin’ new. Read the whole thing at Rolling Stone.

If Jay’s live show is any indiction, Jigga is moving in a slightly more political direction himself these days. “Everywhere, I mean everywhere, the response when Obama comes on the screen is enormous,” Jay said of the massive Barack photo projected behind him for part of his regular set in U.S. and Europe. “For America it means so much. I believe he can change the perception and relations between America and the rest of the world right now. I am that kid that grew up in [Brooklyn, New York’s] Marcy projects and thought that no matter who was in office, we weren’t part of the political project. Because our voice didn’t count, and trickle-down politics — we were the last on the totem pole to receive any attention because we couldn’t put a candidate in office. And he represents to that kid in Marcy projects, that we really here… And as you mother says, with the right focus and the right thoughts and determination you can be anything in the world that you want to be. It’s a true statement for the first time, it’s really a special time to be here.”

Listen to Jay-Z’s verse on the “Put On” Remix.

See what else Jay has had to say about Obama.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=oHXYsw_ZDXg]

Obama should do a response where after it says “But is he ready to lead?” it goes into him saying “Yes, I am.”

Hilarious video that was just sent to me. It’s from the Daily Show. CLICK HERE to watch.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqczNpLg9b8]
Also check this one out. It explains why you should vote Republican. Ben, my buddy from work, sent me this.

Got videos I should see? Send them to MAIL@Hiptics.com

This video reminded me why I am a Redman fan. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and he’s nasty on the mic! He’s also environmentally friendly in his Smart Car.
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=zzXBvTteYtw]

If you watch this video and don’t laugh then there might be something wrong with your sense of humor.

What's so funny?

Young Jeezy ft. Jay-Z – “Put On Remix” CLICK HERE to LISTEN

Jay killed his verse. Thoughts?

Paul W. Arnold needs to step his journalism game up! I decided that instead of posting a response to such poor journalism, I’d let Plies respond to the allegations. This song is called “100% Real” and it’s one of my favorite underground Plies tracks.
CLICK HERE to listen to “100% Real”

This is straight from the pages of the Boston Globe. I was just in Boston two weeks ago for the Snoop Dogg/311 show and had a great time. Shout out to to Tim Mahoney!

He’s one of the lesser-known names on tomorrow’s star-studded Rock the Bells lineup, but D.C. rapper Wale is quickly building buzz. The 23-year-old has been making fans, including folks like Jay-Z and Diddy, since the May release of “The Mixtape About Nothing,” which was inspired by “Seinfeld.”

The free, 19-track download – which you can hear at elitaste.com/blog – covers a lot of ground and includes a cameo from Julia Louis-Dreyfus. There’s also a race-relations song called “The Kramer,” which samples Michael Richards’s controversial outburst at a comedy club last year.

Recently signed to friend and producer Mark Ronson’s Interscope-distributed imprint Allido Records, Wale (né Olubowale Folarin) is hard at work on his proper debut with big-name producers like Just Blaze, Pharrell, and Ronson. After a whirlwind tour of the United Kingdom, we caught up with Wale this week by phone from New York, where he was preparing for the summer’s baddest hip-hop tour.

Q: Why “Seinfeld”?

A: It was what I was feeling at the time. I was watching “Seinfeld” every night before I go to sleep or in the morning when I’m trying to get myself together, and there’s so much stuff in the show that you can take and make bigger. There are so many big ideas in the small pieces of dialogue.

Q: What led you to putting together “The Kramer”?

A: It was really just something that everybody thinks about. I don’t really push the envelope that much as far as subject matter, but that was a time I felt it was necessary because I don’t condone what he did. By having “The Mixtape About Nothing,” people probably assume that I condone it or I just turn the other cheek, and that’s not the case.

Q: “Nothing” has plenty going on. You rhyme about everything from partying to the troops in Iraq to George Costanza to poverty in America. How do you approach your writing?

A: It’s not planned out; it’s just how my mind works. I try not to strategize.

Q: What can you tell us about what your debut is going to sound like?

A: It’s going to be a complete body of work. A lot of the albums I look up to, like [Jay-Z's] “American Gangster” and [Kanye West's] “Graduation,” they sound like a complete body of work.

Q: Are you looking to perform with anybody at Rock the Bells or maybe just pick their brain about the game?

A: You don’t want anybody to say “ah, he’s thirsty.” Those people are highly respected, great, phenomenal artists who are proven, so all I want to do is maybe learn as much I can indirectly rather than asking people questions and walking around with a notebook. [laughs]

Q: Do you think it helps or hurts an artist’s future sales to put out free mixtapes?

A: Right now “Mixtape About Nothing” is probably at about 100,000 downloads total. That means at least 300,000 people are aware of its existence, so it creates awareness. I couldn’t drop an album [and sell that many copies]. I can’t come out of no daggone D.C. trying to talk about “I’m a rapper.” You have to put in work, get hot, and give away free music. If they really love me, like I’m hoping, maybe we can sell a couple.

Q: Now that you have some buzz, do you feel like Interscope will give you some creative latitude if you are also able to give them a radio hit?

A: Yeah, definitely. Just Blaze says making an album is like doing a Rubik’s Cube, and that’s the part I’m in right now. The yellows and the greens are lined up – now we just need the blues and the reds.

Arguable the best produced album of this century along with Murs’ best lyrical effort easily makes this album a classic. At times the album is typical Murs joking and using playful humorous lyrics, but it is much more real than Murray’s Revenge (meaning he is not watering down his music to attract wider audiences, such as, not swearing).

The album has virtually no filler tracks, but I usually skip over “Trevor an’ Them”. A lot of tracks deal with Murs’ relationships with women and his womanizing “Freak These Tales”, but also his how he has been hurt in the past “The Pain”. I would say his choice to have so many contradicting views on his relationships with woman is the biggest flaw on the album.

But as a whole the album is lyrically strong. The track “And this is for” probably provides the strongest messages like getting an education:

“Contrary to what the legendary B.I.G. had to say
You don’t have to sell drugs or make the NBA
It’s easy to get a grant and get an MBA
To achieve one goal there’s more than one way”

attacking black youth (“That throwback jersey is a dress my nigga”), white boys trying to be black (“This music is my life, not a cultural fling”), his fan base and how he is portrayed as a soft rapper because of his lyrical content and image (“Its like they scared of the white boys in the front row”), and how he is afraid white rappers are going to take over hip-hop just like white people took the blues, jazz and rock from the blacks. But as he says “good music transcends all physical limits”. He admits he was afraid to release the track because of its content, but most of what he says is true even if it is tough to swallow.

It is hard to not review every song on this album, but another song that has to be mentioned is “Walk Like A Man”. The track tackles the issue of gunplay and depicts a story that shows how gun violence can happened to anyone when the situation is derived from impulse. The track is cut into three parts each embodying a different spirit and beat. The first verse is Murs talking about how gun violence is almost an inconceivable notion to him (“And if shootin’ is the solution then you’re not that clever”). The second verse describes the scene where his friend was shot and the beat perfectly fits this transition. The third verse depicts Murs as a killer, a man who once opposed the idea of gun violence, but due to the loss of his best friend he now seeks revenge. In the story Murs reacted to the situation on impulse and didn’t think of the consequences and immediately regrets his decision (“Now I’m haunted with remorse and I wish I hadn’t done it”). This idea is scary because it tries to display how gun killings aren’t always occurring between gangbangers and sometimes the kids suppose to be “doing the right thing like spike lee” are not.

Despite all of that my favorite track on the album is “Freak These Tales” because the way 9th looped the Billy Paul cut “Word Sure Gets Around” is purely dope. The story is somewhat inspiring and shows Murs’ evolution as a lady lover, but I feel they could have done so much more with this beat. The chorus is great, but the verses are mostly about Murs boasting of his sexual prowess. And lines like “Put my dick on her tongue, glowstick in her pussy” make sense in the context it is used and sort of puts a label on what raves are like today, but is still dancing on the edge of insanity.

I have heard critics say this album is too short and no album can be this short unless it is entitled “Illmatic”, but I believe it is a great length because he clearly didn’t include any tracks he didn’t agree would go with this album. I would rather listen to an album of 39 mins of great music than an album with 72 mins, half of which, im just going to skip anyway. I have never developed a rating scale for albums, but if “Illmatic” is a 9.9 for me, this album is about an 8.5-8.9 (well above average and approaching perfection).

On a final note I have been scared to listen to Murs’ new singles because I am afraid he is going pop by signing with warner bros., can’t hate on him just cause he is trying to get paid, but I just hope they don’t persuade him to change his image or content with the all mighty buck. Also, Murs is pro file-sharing so providing the free d/l is encouraged, thus d/l and enjoy.

Murs-Murs 3:16 the 9th Edition

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMZ0aoEgA54]

I don’t want to spend too much time criticizing a television personality, but I do want to take a closer look at Mr. O’Reilly’s central argument:

“Nas had an obvious agenda in this case. His new album is a bomb, a disaster, a catastrophe; and he desperately wants attention. Two years ago his last album sold 355,000 copies in it’s first week. This one sold 187,000 copies. Not good!”

Hip Hop Is Dead was released December 19th, 2006. The album sold 355,000 copies in its first week.

Rap CD sales dropped 21% in 2006 (FOX News). According to USA Today, rap CD sales were down 30% in 2007. That means that the rap industry declined 51% (in terms of CD sales) since Nas last released an album.

Nas’ release in 2008 sold 168,000 copies less in its first week than Hip Hop Is Dead. That’s a 47% decrease between two albums. He’s actually doing better than average in the current rap climate, while receiving little promotion for his recent work in comparison to that for Hip Hop Is Dead . The mainstream media is a bit timid reporting about an album originally titled Nigger.

Nas’ Untitled is proof that quality, conscious, and sometimes controversial hip-hop can find a happy place in today’s depressed rap industry.

Killer Mike getting political

According to Killer Mike. Found this HERE. Here’s a couple excerpts:

#8 NWA – “Fuck the Police”: “This song really was a retaliation cry against what was happening to young people in Los Angeles when the news wouldn’t even acknowledge it. Ten years later you get a Rampart investigation, and find out the police force in Los Angeles was actively doing whatever it could to be the judge, jury, and executioner for street level gang members. (It’s) another example of when ‘policing’ citizens becomes a force of people ‘occupying’ citizens.”

#5 Dead Prez – “They Schools”: “I like this because dead prez [says what] Black people have known for years; just because we’re integrated doesn’t mean those people have fully accepted us and it doesn’t mean they’re willing to educate us. The same people that run bad hospitals and give you bad jobs and don’t pay attention to the garbage on your street are the same people that run the schools. And if White people don’t trust their (public) schools and are taking their kids out to private and charter schools, how do you think the quality of education is going to be for Black children?”

Here’s Killer Mike’s newish video for his political song with Ice Cube:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtbFLTB_hWU]

Hiptics Photo of the Fox News Protest

Read the full story HERE.

While he wasn’t technically the headliner, Nas owned the day. His penultimate set was a brilliant demonstration of the MC as a singular force of nature. Stoked by the possession of the current No. 1 album in the country, the New York rapper stalked the stage tossing couplets about the state of the union like Molotov cocktails on new tracks like the scathing Fox News takedown “Sly Fox,” the hopeful “Black President,” and the tough-minded rant about race relations the “[Expletive] (The Slave and the Master).” With relentless energy he also peppered in older classics like the triumphant “If I Ruled the World” and key slices of his justly lauded 1994 debut “Illmatic.”

Nas performs at Rock The Bells