I Didn't Buy Hidden Files

Here's an Interview with Havoc where he talks about how Koch made him put Auto-tune on his album, that they wouldn't let him put any G-Unit appearances on because the label has beef (remember 50 called it the graveyard) with them. Defends Prodigy's beefs, and comments on the state of the music industry.

And For anybody whose like me who wondered why "I'm the boss" was the first single from Koch:

"Sometimes you come to some weird f**king compromise with these labels. No disrespect to Nature Sounds, but how long have Nature Sounds been a label? I could run a label better than most of these independent labels. These independent labels they offer you a cut, get you the material, and you don’t speak to them anymore. The relationship isn’t even built with them. The next thing you know, this s**t is already e-mail blasted as a single that you didn’t even approve of. I’m like, “I want to do the song to the hardest s**t on the album.” And they say, “The radio spins…” And then you started thinking, “Word, the radio spins…” And then you become a victim. But right now I don’t give a f**k because I’m going to do my numbers regardless."


Havoc usually does one word answer interviews, but this one is Really good so check it out.

$15.99- Fuck That!

Today I was going to publish a review of Havoc's new CD Hidden Files. Being that this record came out on Koch, features no 50 or G-Unit and received little promotion, I figured I would make the first trip to the record store since The Renaissance and pick up an album by one half of one of my favorite rap groups of all time. So I called FYE, made sure they had it and headed on my way.

The last Havoc CD, The Kush cost me 9.99 and I missed FYE's special deal that came a week later with the albums instrumental CD. So why is this one 15.99 with a "savings" sticker on it? I mean honestly, why in an economic recession, would a record store inflate it's prices? Do I really need CD's that much? I'm gonna have to try to cop it somewhere else tommorow.

Here's a preview

Really, Really, Bad Diss Records

This Rick Ross Song called "What Goes Around Comes Around" or "Don't count the Bawse out" on thisis50.com features Bang Em Smurf who was in G-Unit before they blew up. The only Rick Ross I have really heard is whats on at footlocker, The biggest boss song, hustin and the beef setting song "Mafia Music". So the fact that I had heard of these two artist and never really lisened to them made me curiois, to listen.

Really bad,

the last 50 cent one was at least entertaining. This guy ruins it for himself in terms of winning this "lyrical" battle. The guest is awful. He says he loves Tia. He's not funny like 50, I think he stutters like twice. The thing that gets me is from what I've heard of Rick Ross, this rap style sounds different. I think what Rick Ross should do is somehow get "Mafia Music" or something in that same vein on the radio, thats all that would really bother 50 now because nobody's gonna feel this songs.

A great way to launch your album

Remember Mark Curry?

Probably not right? When I used to follow Puffy, Ma$e and Biggie I remember Mark Curry being on Born Again. I noticed that Bad boy still had some good caliber artist like Mark Curry not really getting any shine from the label. In the highlight of Mark Curry's career he was featured on the Puff Daddy P. Diddy record "Bad Boy For Life" which blew up and in short helped Diddy's career recover after The shooting incident and the labels failure's such as Forever and Ma$e retiring. Mark Curry's verse on "Bad Boy for life" wasn't anything too special but it worked really well with the song.

So now after a virtual disappearance from the Earth Mark Curry is back with a Book, called "Dancing With The Devil" how Puff Burned the Bad Boys of Hip Hop. Why? It comes down to right and wrong. There’s a fine line between heaven and hell and that’s why the book is entitled Dancing with the Devil. It’s not a pretty picture but it takes a strong person to survive. The book is inspirational to youth as well. I lost a lot of things chasing a dream. If I could go back and put the dream aside, I’d spend more time with my mother, my family, just real life instead of on the road."

It's obviously pretty hard to get into the music industry and with what I've heard recently from former (or possibly current) label members G-Dep and Black Rob, they can't get in touch with Diddy or get any money from the label.

So does Diddy screw over all of Bad Boys musicians or is Mark Curry lying?
Judge for yourself in this interview with Allhiphop.com but whether you believe Mark Curry or not is erelevent.
Why?
"The music you get with the book is the music Puff said wasn’t good enough; I’m not selling it, I’m giving it away. Now if you listen to it and you feel like it’s corny then Puff had a point. But if you say it’s good then you’ll be like, “Puff is crazy.”

So the book gets more publicity than a Mark Curry album ever would and as he has found a way to actually get his music out there without using the recording industry to promote the album. Since the music industry apparently messed up his life, he found away around it to get music out and if he does well enough, he'll get a lot of attention for himself as an artist as well.

Good Move? I think so.

End Note: I just searched Mark Curry in Itunes and he was listened as a composer for the Puffy/Godzilla song.

Beats, Rhymes And Life : Revisted

Covering Chris Brown or every step of this lengthy beef between Rick Ross and 50 cent isn't really my style. The only thing new with me and Hip-Hop is I've been listening to the 4th Tribe Edition lately and I got to think about why I dismissed it as bad at first and why I like it so much now.

Why I Originally Didn't Like it: I Didn't really give it a chance to be honest with you. Being born in 88' I was 2 when People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm dropped and I was more "Sheltered" from rap music than I am now. So after I listed to the first 3 albums in about a week, I decided to move on to The Love Movement, which was conveniently located in my brothers CD collection. I didn't like the love movement and I still don't, besides maybe a few choice songs ex: "find a way". The fact that I heard Beats Rhymes And Life was similar in critic reception by the fans probably made me tune the greatness of this album out.

Why I Like It Now: The album starts with "Phony Rappers" which quickly becomes boring rhymes over a boring beat. This sets a bad precedent. We are introduced to Q-Tips cousin, rapper Consequence who makes 6 appearances on the album. Q-Tip has 5! solo songs and Phife has one.

When I first got into Tribe I always wondered why Q-Tip was so famous while Phife was on the milk carton, because Phife always had some slick rhymes or would say something to make you laugh on the first 3 albums, though his influence grew greater after People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. It's clear on this album, Phife is beginning to slack on the rhyme and the addition of Consquence should be welcomed by Tribe fans as he provides great verses on just about every song he's on.

Q-Tip does well with his solo songs. "Crew" is smoothly delivered over some nice keys while Tip raps about altercation. "What really goes on" will get you saying to yourself "We got the bump-da-bump-da-bump bump" for the rest of the week, but hopefully listeners won't ignore the knowledge kicked in the verses. "Get a Hold" provides smooth lyrics over an awesome J-Dilla* beat that no fan of either the rapper or producer can miss. "Seperate/together" and "Keep it moving" are okay songs, but hold no special place on this album. The same can be said for "Baby Phife's Return", which sadly is Phife Dawg's only real place to try to get some shine on the album.

The crew gets together for the smooth "Motivators" which features Tip, Phife and Cons trading verses and is followed up with the same formula on "Jam" which features the best baseball organs I have ever heard on a record. "1nce again", "Mind Power" "The Hop" and "Word Play" all feature variations of the crew and will be well recieved by fan's of the group or hip hop in general. The album closes out with Consequence, Q-Tip and Faith Evans on "Stressed Out" which sets a good tone for the quality of this album, though it carries a softer feel than most of the songs Check it out

*Note: J-Dilla fans, get this album as well.

Now I'm really getting excited

Raekwon ft. Crooked I & Ghostface Killah -Yes Sir


Raekwon ft. Method Man & Ghostface Killah -
Wu Ohh


Obviously I don't contend to say this album will be better than the first. But with the state that rap music is in, I could not ask for more.

50 cent beats Rick Ross

Over the weekend I mulled over how to address the 50 Cent/ Rick Ross Beef. Heres a quick run down. (Honestly all this stuff happened in less than a week)

-Earlier last week Rick Ross released a song called Mafia Music, which featured the lines ""I love to pay ya bills, can't wait to pay ya rent/ Curtis Jackson baby mama, I ain't looking for a cent/ Burn the house down,You gotta buy another/ Don't forget the gas can, jealous, stupid muthaf----r." - obviously refering to 50's baby mama drama.

-Word got out somehow or another that this was indeed a diss and not a surprisingly slick rhyme for Rick Ross

-50 release one of the worst diss records I ever heard called "Officer Ricky" in which he called on his inner Cam'ron by continuously calling him "Officer Ricky" and goes at Ross for being a fake rapper.
(http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/audio/id.6650/title.50-cent-officer-ricky-go-head-try-me-rick-ross-dj-khaled-diss)

-Rick Ross, goes on the radio and says 50 cent's diss was soo bad that he's going to pretend the 50 cent diss record never happened and he'll give fiddy 48 hours to come up with a new one. He also talks about his own baby mama drama. Ross recently had his childs mother car repossed, and said he was just trying to get her head straight and focused. And that she was working on a book deal, that he would publish and they could split the money 50/50 "because he's the boss". (lolz)

- 50 says he has a new life goal- to ruin Rick Ross's life. And releases this cartoon, which is meant to describe Ross's (still unclear) frustration with Mr. Cent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjLGm3nH0gM&eurl=http://www.thisis50.com/


I was personally really split on where to stand on this one. The rapper with some actuall street credibility who made a garbage diss track. Or the former Parole officer, who's music I normally don't like, but in all honesty had the better diss.

Then today 50 released this video - http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshh85ZaMMWH03vIVsxq

Note the vitamin water drinking, "I get it in" plugs and the hilarious "Isn't she lovely" during the shopping spree.

Can Rick Ross really come back from this constant onslaught? Weigh in