murderation

Suge Gets Shot, Sues Kanye

2008-11-12T10:41:00.005-05:00

I haven't posted in a while, but this was just asinine enough that I had to point it out. Apparently, Suge Knight got shot at a Kanye West pre-MTV awards party, and is suing Kanye. How did this happen? The guy goes from being one of the most fearsome personae in hip-hop, to getting knocked on his ass, to suing Kanye West? Has the world gone crazy? Knight is also suing for the "the loss of use and enjoyment" of a diamond earring that was stolen in the fracas. That line nearly made me spray coffee out of my nose as I read it.

N.H. Lyric of the Day

2008-09-25T22:06:00.002-04:00

From the Blastmaster himself:

Some MC's don't like the KRS but they must respect him
'Cuz they know this kid gets all up in they rectum

- Emcees Act Like They Don't Know, 1995

Topsy-Turvy

2008-07-21T21:48:00.004-04:00

So, as it turns out, Rick Ross once had a job as a Corrections Officer with the Dade County Department of Corrections, and although he made a pretty strenuous effort to deny it, incontrovertible evidence has turned up confirming it. What's the big deal? Well, unlike the real world that you and I live in, in the backwards-ass hip-hop world, it's better for your resume to have been behind the bars, than gainfully employed on the other side of them. M-I-Yeyo indeed.

Hip-Hop Trivia

2008-07-14T09:00:00.001-04:00

Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival
Originally uploaded by FlySi

Can anyone tell me the name of this cat from Channel Live? The Internets are surprisingly thin with data on these guys.

Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival 2008

2008-07-13T21:31:00.003-04:00

KRS-ONE
Originally uploaded by FlySi

The festival was great again this year; the performances were energetic and inspired, and there were no knuckleheads there to mess it up for everybody (except for the one dude that got yoked up by security -- props to them for their rapid response time). As usual, there were tons of great surprise appearances from the likes of Jeru, Keith Murray, Brotha J of X-Clan, Crazy Legs from the Rock Steady Crew, and a few others.

For next year, I really hope they get the microphones right, though. The sound did keep cutting out, and the Blastmaster was not happy.

Here's a list of observations, notes, etc.:

* I hadn't heard of many of the artists, but good music is good music. Shout to Homeboy Sandman for putting it down.

* Concerts are kind of annoying to go to these days, because nobody really watches the show -- they're more interested in trying to get the best photo or video footage possible, so they can run home and post it on Flickr/Myspace/Facebook. Even the press photographers/cameramen are annoying and don't even try to be inconspicuous.

* KRS-ONE freestyles like most people talk, or breathe. It's effortless to him.

* Marty Markowitz' reference to KRS-ONE as "KR so one" was awesome.

* KRS-ONE's take on voting -- that is, that you shouldn't vote just because you're told to, and that not voting is also a vote, is pretty interesting, and he makes a convincing argument. That said, if I were a citizen, I'd definitely vote. Oh - and I don't know if I see the point of bringing up Barack Obama's ancestral links to Dick Cheney. Shit, I'm probably related to Dick Cheney, if you go back far enough.

* There was a really annoying chick perched up on the barricade, obstructing everyone's view of the stage. Well, everyone in my immediate vicinity, that is. Jeru saved the day when he strolled by, and the star-struck trollop that she is, she jumped down for a brief pole-jocking session. Moments later, I saw the Damaja mouthing the words "give me your phone number." Blackberries came out, digits were traded, and it was a wrap.

* Saw quite a few high-top fades, complete with dyed stripes, � la Kwame (...and them fuckin' polka dots). I guess what's old is new.

* Poor JS-1. KRS kept embarrassing him when he couldn't get the beats right.

Great night, all in all. My goal is to get a press pass somehow, and gain some legitimacy by the time next year's concert comes around.

Young Buck Breaks Down.

2008-06-19T12:28:00.002-04:00

Aw, damn, man. I feel bad for the guy. He owes 50 money, he owes the IRS money... he "got confused, a lil' bit"... he doesn't want to be "dis-membered" from the crew... he just wants to make 50 happy. And then Curtis go and put this shit on the internet. That's fucked up, Curtis. I really feel like I'm not supposed to be hearing this stuff, man.

What's So Shocking About It?

2008-06-14T17:26:00.003-04:00

From allhiphop.com:

Ralph �Ralphie� Simms, an incarcerated former Black Mafia Family member, has alleged in court that rapper Young Jeezy received kilos of cocaine from BMF.

The stunning claim [emphasis added] was made in the cocaine-conspiracy trial of Fleming �Ill� Daniels, another alleged BMF member, according to Creative Loafing in Atlanta.

Uh, I think it's safe to say that, based on Jeezy's own volunteered testimony (which you can acquire at any music outlet of your choosing), he has dabbled in the sale of illicit drugs at some point in his life. And, he also apparently shouts out the BMF crew in his raps all the time -- I couldn't say for sure -- I can't stand the guy's ad-libs, so I've never really made it through much of his music. And never mind the fact that his whole branding is based on a goofy-looking snowman, that, if you read between the lines, is made out of cocaine. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah -- what's so "stunning" about Ralphie's claim?

My takeaway from all of this: fuckin' retards, all of 'em.

Mitchell Rose vs. Jay-Z

2008-06-12T10:52:00.003-04:00

Uh, Jay-Z stole your whispering style? If you say so. Good luck getting that $88 mil, though.

Most Appropriate Emcee Name Ever.

2008-06-08T21:06:00.003-04:00

The Luniz' Numskull was taken into custody and has been charged with 15 felonies, including sodomy and rape of a victim unable to consent. What an (alleged) asshole.

I'm a firm believer in innocent until proven guilty, but these are some pretty specific charges here, so I don't know -- it's looking like some, if not all of the allegations might have some truth to them. In any case, it's really not that hard to avoid situations where there's even a shadow of a doubt that you might actually have done some stuff like this.

Damn - just like everyone else, I really was diggin' I got Five on It back in the day. Well, as someone in the comments put it, I'll bet the judge has at least 25 on it.

Plastic Surgeon's Practice Nipped & Tucked by Dr. Donda West Controversy

2008-01-24T17:28:00.000-05:00

Dr. Jan Adams - the plastic surgeon that operated on Dr. Donda West - may have been cleared by the autopsy results, but I would say he's still negligent to some degree, since he agreed to do the surgery on Dr. West when at least 2 other surgeons refused. Obviously, she wasn't a good candidate for the surgery in the first place.

"I Believe in the System!"

2008-01-24T15:32:00.000-05:00

A shining example of how one can assault people, drive under the influence and carry illegal firearms - and not be penalized for it.*

*Must be a platinum-selling hip-hop artist with lots of cash and access to top-notch legal representation. Or a twenty-something white hotel heiress/socialite.

50 Cent + Mary J in Steroids Flap

2008-01-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

Among others, *50 and *Mary have been named in a report linking them to the use of performance-enhancing steroids.

Farrakhan Sez: T.I. Set Up

2007-10-28T09:17:00.000-04:00

So, let me get this straight: If I'm a convicted felon (because I chose to sell drugs even though I knew that shit was illegal and I got arrested), and I choose to buy guns (even though I know that, as a convicted felon I'm not allowed to have them), and then I get arrested because I tried to buy some more guns from an undercover agent through my bodyguard, then, according to the Honorable Minister Farrakhan, I've been set up? Holy smokes!

Didn't Diddy Hit This Guy With a Bottle?

2007-10-17T16:39:00.000-04:00

Full Disclosure: Deutsch, Inc., the advertising agency I work for, is held by the Interpublic Group of Companies.

ATF: 1 T.I: 0

2007-10-16T14:52:00.000-04:00

Maybe T.I.P. should have warned T.I. against buying illegal firearms, considering that one (or both) of them is a convicted felon. I wonder who "T.I.pped" off the Feds. Haha - couldn't resist.

What did he even need all those guns for in the first place? I mean, I'm sure being a multi-platinum selling hip-hop artist is a hazardous occupation, but presumably he could afford to hire someone to do his soldiering for him.

Mobb Deep's Prodigy Doing 3 Years of Research

2007-10-10T18:00:00.000-04:00

In an elaborate ploy to come up with new material, Mobb Deep's Prodigy has gotten himself sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison on a gun charge. The prison systems are known to be a favorite source of inspiration for many rappers, including such multi-platinum artists as 50 Cent and Tupac Shakur.

Tariq Trotter is the World's Greatest Living Emcee

2007-10-08T11:49:00.001-04:00

The Roots Hip-Hop Honors Concert @ the Nokia Theatre
Originally uploaded by FlySi

I went to The Roots VH1 Hip-Hop Honors concert on Friday night at the Nokia Theatre here in NYC. I think it was the best concert I've ever been to. The show was all about paying tribute to the hip-hop that we grew up with. As such, the band, accompanied by Skillz, performed classic joints from acts as disparate as NWA, Kool G Rap, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Big Daddy Kane.

MC Lyte, looking fine as hell (like she did that one time I dreamed of her) also made a solid appearance performing some of her own classics, as well as her brothers' hip-hop gem "Top Billin'".

Black Thought was later joined on the stage by Big Daddy himself (accompanied by half of his backup dancing team of old, Scoop Lova), and performed a blazing tribute to Biggie, Pac, and J-Dilla.

Thought was also presented with a birthday gift of a stunning pimp cup, of which Lil' Jon would have been jealous.

Black Thought did world-class impressions of all the emcees he covered, but for me, though, the highlight was when Thought performed G Rap's "Men at Work" - a performance that might arguably have been better than the original.

Kanye's Alter-Ego

2007-09-12T16:22:00.001-04:00

Is This Really Necessary?

2007-09-12T00:56:00.003-04:00

I was innocently perusing the digital booklet that came with Curtis and... whoa! That's more of 50 Cent's pubes than I really ever wanted to see.

Note the precision trim job - I wonder who has the misfortune of being responsible for 50's pube maintenance (cuz you know he ain't doin' that shit himself). Gotta be a thankless job.

Is

2007-09-12T00:56:00.001-04:00

I Almost Feel Bad for the Guy

2007-09-11T16:49:00.000-04:00

He seems very genuinely hurt that he didn't win any VMA's again this year. Ah well. He'll be aight.

Kanye vs. 50: Mini Review

2007-09-11T13:16:00.000-04:00

So the Murderator has gotten his hands on both Kanye's Graduation and 50 Cent's Curtis, and given both titles a cursory listen. So far my take away is this: Kanye really is graduating - he seems to continue to evolve musically with each release. And plus, it's Kanye, so the beats are definitely tight.

On the other hand, while Curtis continues 50 Cent/G-Unit's tradition of polished production blended with grimy street tracks and a good dose of radio-fodder, this album could more or less be a continuation of the Massacre. There are no surprises to be had here.

As for the question of who will win out on the sales charts... well, as of this writing, Graduation is at #2 on iTunes, while Curtis is at #9. Oh, and keep your eye on the Country music juggernaut that is Kenny Chesney (currently #7 on iTunes).

Lessons in Estate Planning for Rappers

2007-09-11T13:13:00.000-04:00

Forbes has an interesting piece on the court battles that result from rappers' poor estate planning practices.

It should be a given, that if your plan is to sell more records by getting killed as a result of hip-hop beef, then you should at least take the necessary steps to make sure your shit is in order before you go.

Foxy Brown Gets Time

2007-09-09T09:59:00.000-04:00

Following in the footsteps of the Queen B, Foxy and the twins are gonna do a year in prison. I guess Kim really is an innovator...

Thanks to Andrea for the tip!

Foxy Brown Arrested

2007-08-22T14:22:00.001-04:00

Man, the ladies of hip-hop just can't stay out of trouble these days.