I expect Detox to sell a million the first week.

Take a look at the Top 5 mp3s on HipTics. Dr. Dre’s “Topless,” intended for the Detox tracklist, placed number one. I’m not surprised since the song is fire! I was listening to “Topless” last night, seated on my couch next to the subwoofer. I felt like I was in a massage chair.

50 Cent’s latest with R. Kelly (“Do What It Do”) was a close second. Based on the response to “Do What It Do”, I’d say 50 still knows how to make hit records. Although I’m not sure why Fif chose R. Kelly (look out kids!) to sing the hook.

The Dream’s futuristic jam featuring Kanye West (“Walking On The Moon”) rounds out the top three. This song sounds like a Michael Jackson tune, but I still enjoy it. After all, listening to Michael Jackson sing makes me feel uncomfortable. Thanks for filling the void, Dream.

Joe Budden’s “Pray For Me” comes in at number four, while Lloyd Banks diss to Rick Ross (“Officer Down”) closes out this weeks Top 5 chart. Rick Ross is fat.

Recap:
1. Dr. Dre ft. T.I. & Nas – “Topless”
2. 50 Cent ft. R. Kelly – “Do What It Do”
3. The Dream ft. Kanye West – “Walking On The Moon”
4. Joe Budden – “Pray For Me”
5. Lloyd Banks – “Officer Down”

That had to have been an awkward conversation.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Before announcing his plan for withdrawing troops from Iraq, President Obama made an intriguing courtesy call on Friday morning Read the rest of this entry »

Download “Nuff Respect”

Bizzy and Flesh are back in the group! Here’s some news about the upcoming Bone album, supposedly titled Uni-5.

New York, NY (CNS) – All five members of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have reunited for the first time in close to ten years. They are releasing a new single, “The Game Ain’t Ready” from their new album “Uni-5.” Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t think Dipset will ever seem the same to fans, even if Cam and Jim do reunite.

Cam’ron is working with New York radio station Hot 97 to plan a concert for May to coincide with the release of his Crime Pays LP; he also hopes to return to the Hot 97 Summer Jam in June. But the question is, will the Diplomats be with him at any point during these performances?

“You never know,” Cam answered yesterday in New York. “You never could say never. Right now, I’m kinda like in Cam zone. They been doing what they been doing for the past two or three years, but I’m kinda in Cam zone. But you never could say what could happen in the future. Right now I’m kinda in the Cam mind frame.”

The former Diplomat seems to have softened on the subject of his old crew. In fact, after years of not communicating, Cam says that he and Jim Jones just had a short chat.

“Hell Rell and J.R. Writer, they always check in,” Cam said. “Everybody has been reaching out. I’ve been the one kinda saying Cam is going to take time do Cam. But Hell Rell and J.R. definitely been reaching out. I called [Freekey Zekey's] phone four or five days ago and Jim picked up Zeke’s phone. Me and him spoke for about 10 or 15 minutes, but me and Zeek speak all the time. I haven’t spoken to Juelz.”

Cam described the phone call with Jones as pleasant.

“It was cordial. He knew it was me,” Cam said of Jones. “He said we was gonna holla — maybe we’ll put something together. But in the immediate future, I’m just doing Cam. But you never know what can happen down the line. I called Zeke’s phone and I guess Zeke gave Jim the phone to pick up. We just talked, asked about each other’s family. He said he’s on a promo tour. He’d be back soon. That was that.”

Another Diplomat looking forward to speaking to Cam is Juelz Santana, after Cam recently told the press that the two stopped speaking because Juelz became addicted to syrup. Santana adamantly denies ever having an addiction.

“I’m not going back and forth with him [in the media],” Cam insisted. “I wasn’t lying. I was asked a question and I answered it. I’m sorry if he’s upset.”

Source: MTV

Hiptics.com: How many cds/mixtapes have you released, and when can listeners expect a new CD from EbGb?

EbGb: I have released 2 cd’s thus far as a solo artist; “The Phantom of the Anthems” and “The EbGb EP”. Three more with a previous group I was a part of and countless mixtapes around the U.S..

Listeners can expect my 3rd album titled “The Happy Hour Poet” this year. Remember whenOld Dirty Bastard ran up on stage and freaked out during the MTV awards and stole the spot light? That has nothing to do with this, but my album is going to be insane!

Hiptics.com: Who makes your Top 5 Dead or Alive List?

EbGb:
5. Kool G Rap (respect the og’s)
4. Copywrite (respect the underground)
3. Busta Rhymes (respect originality)
2. Biggie (respect game)
1. Big Pun (respect ability)

Hiptics.com: Has hip-hop reached it’s peak as a successful music genre?

EbGb: I think that the record companies are finding people like Soulja Boy and friends to make bubble gum shit for a bubble gum audience. Because of the overwhelming reliance on this new bubble gum audience, the people who like REAL hip hop (the shit that told a story, made you laugh, cry,nod your head all at the same time), [real hip-hop fans] just dont give a damn anymore. So they go searching in other areas of hip hop for that good ol’ feeling. I’m not hating on soulja boy for getting his money, do you man! But opinions are like asses, everyone has one. Mine is that his music fucking sucks. To be completely honest though, no. I think that hip hop still has a lot of room for growth, expansion, and success and will never stop growing in those areas.

Will this help or hurt The Roots?

The Roots, perhaps hip-hop’s most deified live act—and an increasingly rare sure-thing concert draw for a desperately flailing music industry—have now largely confined their tour bus route to the lonely 100 miles or so between Philly and New York City Read the rest of this entry »

I’d rather have DJ Drama yelling over the track than DJ Khaled. Keep your eyes open for the Lil Jon cameo, as well as DJ Drama’s “Barack O’Drama” chain. Too goofy!

You can’t spell idiot without Kanye West. 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hip-hop star Kanye West trashed Radiohead and said the public should give Chris Brown “a break,” during a recent taping of VH1’s “Storytellers.” Read the rest of this entry »

“Life’s A Bitch” from Nas’ debut, Illmatic, is my favorite Nas song of all time. I had to chance to see Nas perform “Life’s A Bitch” live in Miami; It was a moment I’ll never forget. Shout out to Clayton E., Andrew M., and Justin A, who were there with me at Rock The Bells 2007 for that, and plenty other monumental hip-hop moments that took place in the scorching Miami heat. Check out the story behind “Life’s A Bitch” as told by Nas, AZ, L.E.S., and Olu Dara.

Song: “Life’s A Bitch”
Album: Illmatic
Produced by L.E.S.
Co-Produced by NAS
Featured Vocals: AZ
Trumpet: OLU DARA

Nas: I asked L.E.S. to bring [a copy of Mtume’s “Juicy Fruit”]. I wanted to sample “Juicy.” He didn’t have the record, so he brought the Gap Band’s “Yearning for Your Love” instead. Looped it up, and I was like, “Yo, it ain’t ‘Juicy,’ but it’s a whole ’nother monster!” Once we looped it up, I didn’t even care about “Juicy.” Of course, when Biggie dropped, I was like, “Oh my God.” I lost my rhyme books [the day we recorded “Life’s a Bitch”]. When we got to the studio and realized that I lost my books, we realized I left it on the train. Everybody was mad, like what we left on the train was a winning lotto ticket. [Laughs] We were like, “Oh man, it’s over!” That was years of writing, but the good thing was that I had memorized a lot of it.

L.E.S.: You know, AZ was there. Nas was like, “A, you got something for this?” A just went in the booth and spit it, and Nas came right behind him. AZ had a chorus. They vibed, and before I even blinked, I left the studio, went back to the projects, and niggas was like, “We love that Nas joint.” I was like, Damn. Word? How they get that?

AZ: The hook I had written… After the hook was there, they was like, “Damn, you gotta spit, dawg.” I was like, “Aight, fuck it. If you like it, you like it. You don’t, you don’t.” I did it, and everybody liked it. That was it. It was history made. I didn’t know who the hell Nas’s father was, but I was introduced to him there, and pop was getting it on.

Olu Dara: Well, I had my horn with me, and Nasir said, “Just play ‘Life’s a Bitch.’ Could you play a little at the end?” I remember his brother, Jungle, was there, and we had our Hennessy and our Champagne and everything.
XXL

This video is awesome. The footage is from a break during 50’s recent appearance on Hot 97 where Fif defends himself after host Angie Martinez says she feels that he is an industry bully. Cipha Sounds posted this on his blog, and is also seen in the clip giving his opinion about 50’s reputation in the industry; He sees 50 as a warrior, not a bully. Some random guy named “Mike” tells 50 that he thinks he’s a bully because he picks on less-powerful rappers, to which 50 Cent responds, “What’s your name? Mike? Fuck you Mike!” My favorite part is when 50 discusses his sales showdown with Kanye West. Apparently the agreement was that the two rappers would diss eachother like boxers before a big fight as the release date for Curtis and Graduation was approaching. Well, Kanye decided to do his own thing and not diss 50. 50 re-enacts a phone conversation he had with Jay-Z about this issue. Just watch the clip!

Is Chris Brown’s career over?

Flo Rida recently revealed to Hollyscoop that his collaborative track with the singer won’t be appearing on his upcoming album.

“I recorded a great song with Chris but I won’t be releasing it now because Read the rest of this entry »

Loyalty is hard to come by

J-Hood is dead to me. Should Jadakiss, Styles, and Sheek give him a second chance?

 After launching an all-out assault on his former group, ex-D-Block member J-Hood seems to be extending the olive branch with his new “Letter to the LOX” track. Read the rest of this entry »

Check out the latest release from Killa Cam. Lyrics aside, this song reminds me a lot of “Crank Dat Soulja Boy.” Listen and you’ll understand. Read the rest of this entry »

Ringtone rap, this is not the season
Punchlines hard enough to stop ya breathin
-Jadakiss “You Can’t Stop Me” 

My friend Kenny S. told me about this program that will be airing on CNBC tonight called NEWBOs: The Rise of America’s New Black Overclass. Read the rest of this entry »