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(Digiindie Feature) Shazam Conner of H-Town – May the Best Man Win [Extended Music Video/Short Film]

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(Digiindie Feature) Novascotia – Elevate (Club Instrumental) [$1.00 Beats]

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Russell Simmons & Steve Rifkind Team Up To Launch New Label All Def Music

Russell Simmons and Steve Rifkind will use YouTube to sign, develop, and promote new talent at a new label at Universal.

Russell Simmons, Steve Rifkind, and veteran film and TV producer Brian Robbins have teamed up with Universal Music Group to launch All Def Music.

Simmons, who co-founded Def Jam Records, and Rifkind, who founded and was chairman of Loud Records, and is founder, current chairman, and CEO of SRC records, will put together their considerable knowledge and experience to identify, sign, and develop talent via YouTube.

“How [Russell] built Def Jam and how I built Loud was through the streets and through grass-roots marketing,” said Rifkind according to LATimes.com. “Cut to 20 years later, we’re applying this same formula, this same blueprint, using YouTube as our street team, using YouTube as our A&R source, using YouTube as our branding machine.”

“I wake up at 4:30 or 5 in the morning, ready to work,” added Rifkind. “I haven’t been this excited [in years].”

Universal Chairman and Chief Executive Lucian Grainge also spoke on the deal, explaining that All Def Music is part of Universal’s strategy to join experienced music industry minds together with the the latest in media and technology.

“It is truly a thrill to be able to welcome Russell back to our family. As one of the founders of Def Jam with Rick Rubin (whose American Recordings is a part of Republic Records), Russell and Rick created an iconic brand that forms part of the foundation of [Universal Music Group] and a label that has had a profound impact on popular culture,” wrote Grainge in an email to Universal employees.

“I can’t say enough about how highly we think of Russell both professionally — his vision and entrepreneurial talents are legendary — and personally. He is a rare treasure,” read the email. “And with Brian’s track record on the content side and Steve’s on the business side, they make a formidable team.”

Def Jam was home to a slew of seminal Hip Hop acts, including Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and others. Simmons sold his share of the record company for $100 million to Universal Music Group in 1998. His Russell Simmons Music Group put out Run DMC’s Rev. Run’s solo debut, Distortion, in 2005. Meanwhile, Loud was home to various Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Alkaholiks, and other releases.

 

 

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Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/21/2013

Ace Hood has a career moment with “Trials & Tribulations.” J. Cole goes gold with “Born Sinner.” Kevin Gates puts on for Baton Rouge, while Mayday!’s “Believers” sets a career best.

For the second week in a row, Jay-Z held the top spot on the charts with Magna Carta Holy Grail. Jay sold just under 130,000 second-week units, nearly double that of #2 artist Sara Bareilles.

Ace Hood’s first album since leaving Def Jam Records is also the highest-charting of his career. Trials & Tribulations, Hood’s debut with Cash Money/We The Best/Universal Republic Records scored a Top 5 on the charts, a first for DJ Khaled’s longtime protege. The LP sold over 33,000 first-week copies, also a benchmark feat for the five-plus-year veteran.

J. Cole crossed the 500,000 mark with Born Sinner, making it the second Roc Nation album to grab a RIAA plaque this month, after the aforementioned the M.C.H.G.

One of Atlantic Records’ newest artists, Baton Rouge, Louisiana‘s Kevin Gates hit the charts for the first time with Stranger Than Fiction. Available for free stream online, the digital-only release features label-mate Wiz Khalifa, and Three 6 Mafia’s Juicy J.

Also hitting the Top 200 is Strange Music band ¡Mayday!. Another Florida act, ¡Mayday!’s second group effort in as many years, Believers, follows band-member Wrekonize’s own The War Within, which debuted on the Top 200 earlier this month.

Ace Hood Thrives After Five Years Of Trials & Tribulations

In his fourth album, Ace Hood hit record-high’s in chart position and first-week sales. We The Best’s flagship artist found 2013 success in the single “Bugatti,” which features both Rick Ross and Future. Now moved to Universal Republic and backed by Cash Money, the Florida vet continues his collaborative history with Lil Wayne on Trials & Tribulations, in addition to work with Meek Mill, Chris Brown, and ’70s Soul/Disco singer Betty Wright.

¡Mayday! Has Plenty Of Believers

Another Sunshine State act, ¡Mayday!, hit the charts for the second time in as many Summers. The group’s fourth album, and second nationally-distributed effort with Strange Music, features label-mates Tech N9ne and Stevie Stone, along with Kardinal Offishall, and Kansas City, Missouri independent sensation Irv Da Phenom. The LP includes the video single, “HighRide.”

The #75 debut is an improvement from 2012’s #86 debut with the critically-acclaimed Take Me To Your Leader.

Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/21/2013

#1. Jay-Z – Magna Carta Holy Grail – 129,000 (658,000)

#4. Ace Hood – Trials & Tribulations – 37,000 (37,000)

#7. J. Cole – Born Sinner – 27,000 (506,000)

#12. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – The Heist – 20,000 (932,000)

#15. Wale – The Gifted – 18,000 (255,000)

#18. Kanye West – Yeezus – 16,000 (475,000)

#37. Kevin Gates – Stranger Than Fiction – 8,400 (8,400)

#43. Mac Miller –  Watching Movies With The Sound Off – 7,800 (156,000)

#52. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city – 7,100 (974,000)

#75. ¡Mayday! – Believers – 5,000 (5,100)

* data comes from Nielsen Soundscan, rounded to nearest thousandth for units above 10,000, nearest hundredth for units below 10,000. Each week, HipHopDX presents top albums in Hip Hop/related, and five notables.

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Jay-Z Reminisces On Show With Eminem At Yankee Stadium

Jay-Z speaks on his ability to tour with artists from other genres, refers to himself as a “serial collaborator.”

From his humble beginnings in Hip Hop to his present rap magnate status, Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z has never shied away from sharing the stage with his fellow artists. He partnered with R. Kelly for the ill-fated “Best Of Both Worlds” tour nearly a decade ago, he linked up with Eminem for a set of historic shows at Yankee Stadium in 2010, and most recently Hov teamed up with crooner Justin Timberlake for their “Legends Of The Summer” tour.

While speaking with The Truth’s Elliott Wilson, Jay-Z cited his lack of ego as one of the reasons why he’s able to share the stage with such an array of artists. He also dubbed himself a “serial collaborator” as he spoke on his work with tour partner Justin Timberlake.

“First of all, I don’t have an ego in those situations,” Jay-Z revealed. “Everybody should just come to the table and have fun and bring what they bring to the table…If I’m not a Jay-Z fan per se, I get to experience [him] in a setting that I like. I get Justin and ‘Oh okay.’ It’s expansive. It really helps the genre out a lot. When you put it in that place and put it in that light. I’m a serial collaborator…Putting those sort of elements in one room and just—I’m just curious as well. I’ve always been under the belief that it’s just music. We just use different instruments. It’s music…It’s natural for me to play music with Justin. First of all, we both use the same producers. So, pretty much our songs are Timbaland and Pharrell. The majority of them, so they kinda mesh really well because it’s the same sound.”

Jay-Z later touched on his monumental Yankee Stadium show with Eminem, a show he referred to as “a dream come true.”

“Beyond a dream come true because growing up—at best you may think that you can make it to the [Madison Square] Garden as a musician. And then having Kool Herc and being in the Bronx, the home place of Hip Hop, and all those, how symbolic it was,” said the rapper.

Referred to as “The Home & Home Tour,” Jay-Z’s four-show tour with Eminem took place in September 2010 and included surprise appearances from Nicki Minaj, B.o.B, 50 Cent, and Drake.

As far as Jay-Z’s latest touring feat is concerned, his “Legends Of The Summer” tour with Justin Timberlake kicked off earlier in the month in Canada and will go on to make stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and close to 10 other cities this summer.

 

 

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Kanye West – Blkkk Skkkn Head

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The Simpsons Confirmed for Family Guy Crossover

the-simpsons-to-pay-a-visit-to-family-guy-on-crossover-episode

Fox has announced that The Simpsons will be meeting the Griffins in a crossover episode of Family Guy next year.

The episode, titled “The Simpsons Guy”, will see the Griffins take a roadtrip and end up in Springfield and is scheduled to be broadcast in the US next autumn.

Voice actors from The Simpsons confirmed for the crossover include Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria.

The episode will see the families bond, as Stewie and Bart compare pranks, while Lisa dedicates all her time trying to prove that Meg must be talented at something…yeah, good luck with that one.

In terms of the parents, Marge and Lois will escape the house after discovering they have a lot in common, while Peter and Homer prepare try to answer the most important question they can think of: which beer is better, Quahog’s Pawtucket or Springfield’s Duff?

The two series have a chequered history, with the rivalry between them initially being fairly hostile. In recent years, however, this has mellowed, with Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane even lending his voicing to The Simpson’s 24th series finale.

 

 

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(Review) D – Rap Album

D_Rap_Album-front-large

To just get straight to it, with no punches pulled, “Rap Album” is hot. The responsible MC for this fire simply goes by “D”. His style is reminiscent of an early Eminem, Slim Shady Eminem, but remains unique and lyrically powerful all on its own. The album is raw and fearless. He does whatever he wants and makes it work. It’s truly a great Hip-Hop project from an independent artist.

He kicks the album off with “Peice D Resistance” a lyrical assault over a riding bassline and hard drums showcasing a taste of what’s to come. He sets the energy off high right from the start continuing his clever delivery over “WARONTHATASS”, a head knocker with a golden age hip hop feel. On “Pat’sajax” D spits two animated verses displaying his lyrical flow. “2 Dicks; Touching” just seems like a track you wouldn’t want to hear. But if you dare, the only thing you’ll get is more hot production, humorous, crazy and entertaining lyrics. On “Fallin” D spits over a DJ Premier-ish, smooth beat complete with smooth lyrics. He really shows his flow on “Fallin” which is a stand out on “Rap Album”. On “Brokecomputer #Shittymic” D takes a risk and raps over what sounds like… a broken computer and shitty microphone. While they are more likely effects, he still delivers with a quick interlude verse. This is more of D doing what he feels and making it work.

If “Rap Album” is hot, “Hard2beme” is one of the hottest flames burning on this project. He turns the energy all the way up and spits an aggressive assault speaking on his own real life issues and struggles. The 808’s, sample and flow make a perfect rap threesome. D slows down the tempo on “D 101” but keeps it knocking with bass drums and lyrics about his past, reminiscing about where he’s been and where he’s at. On “Lemme Bounce Tho” D delivers some of the most personal lyrics on “Rap Album”, plotting his escape from his troubles and venting about his life. “Brand New Shoes” features funky sample with D bombarding the track with bouncy bars, a jamming drumline and catchy chorus. “My Real Weed Song” is the quintessential weed anthem, the type of track a veteran like Redman would love. It’s super smooth and certain to be many a marijuana smoker’s favorite track to ignite to. On “Sometimes It Was Good” D raps about a broken relationship and his attempt to get his girl back. The chorus is built from clips of a phone conversation adding more intrigue to the lyrics and story he tells.

D ends off “Rap Album” with “Idon’tknowhowtowriteasong” delivering more hard knocking verbiage and confident lyrics over pure hip-hop production. The song which is seven minutes long ends with an acapella verse dedicated to members of his family. It’s deep, raw and emotional, a perfect way to end off an album full of so many personal, unfiltered lyrics. In all, “Rap Album” is a genuine, passionate, wide ranging album filled with entertaining lyrics and high quality production. It is a must hear for anybody who looking for that “missing” hip-hop sound and is very well produced. If you’re into vivid lyrics, clever metaphors and pure hip hop production, this is the “Rap Album” you need to hear.

A. Ladson

Rating: 8.5/10

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(Digiindie Feature) D – Rap Album

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(Digiindie Exclusive) Jay-Z – Dead Presidents Pt. III (Prod. by Young Guru)

avatars-000041866613-248lsv-t500x500[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/100220006″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]