Much Music: Boi-1da Talks Drake, Em, Dr. Dre

In this video, Boi-1da talks about meeting and working with Drake, producing for Eminem, interacting with Dr.Dre, The Jonas Brothers, and his production process; good interview from the other Canadian kid.

Props: hustleGRL.

The Making of "Just Begun" /w Reflection Eternal & J. Cole

"You know these words [mumbling]...Olajuwon." 

In this clip, Reflection Eternal and J. Cole describe how "Just Begun" came about and towards the end, Kweli and Cole attempt to perform Jay Electronica's verse; comedy at it's finest.

Props: Talib Kweli

Jenny Boom Boom TV: J. Cole

 "You're never gonna catch this guy slipping."

In this radio interview, the artist formerly known as Therapist J.Cole talks about "Who Dat", the album (rumored to be titled Cole World) Jay-Z's involvement in the album, working with Pharell and No I.D., Jay's plane, and other "situations".

Additionally, radio host Jenny Boom tries to pry information out of Cole and lure him into making potentially problematic statements  but it never happens. Looks like those journalism classes at St. Johns are worth every penny.

Upcoming artist take note, you can't allow radio host, journalist, or anyone else to pick you of guarded information (Other artist's projects info, your project, release dates, etc.) or let them get you into drama filled situations. If you make a name for yourself believe me, they will try but they can only take as much as you're willing to give; stay on your toes and don't slip up.

This is not to say radio host or journalist are bad but their job is to find out new information on you. Your job is to balance what is and isn't appropriate to reveal at the time (Somethings can be said on the spot while other issues may never be explained or discussed in detail).

Props: Elite + J. Cole Fans

Converse Basketball + Various Rappers

Rappers are competitive by nature and not just at rapping. Check out these clips of Jermaine Dupri, Jay Electroinca, Sean Price, Shawty Lo, and a few of the new school guys (Donnis, Pill, OJ) talking about playing in the Converse 3 on 3 basketball tournament coming up in Atlanta. Jay Elec and OJ are clearly the most entertaining characters. There are so many quotables that I'll just put some of my favorites under each respective video.


"I heard Jim [Jones] say my name but he don't got no basketball court. We got a basketball court right here in the studio. They gotta go down the block and wait for somebody to get off the court. So...get prepared to give us that trophy."


"If we can't play better than them, we can definitely out-rap every team."


"Just cause I see a couple of cheerleaders they gon' get me more...adrenalated."
 (Yeah that's right, he said "adrenalated") 

After a quick chat with Modi of DCtoBC via Twitter I got to thinking about the following:

If you had to assemble a group of rappers to play on the hardwood, which 5 would you pick and why? Here's where it gets a little more interesting:

If you had to assemble a rap team of 5 rappers who would it be and why? Remember a team is good collectively so you wouldn't necessarily put the 5 best individual rappers on a team together. Leave your answers in the comment section below. Choose wisely.

Props: Big Homie of Rap Radar.

K'Naan Feat. Will I Am & David Guetta: "Wavin' Flag"

Props to Eskay of NahRight.

A Day In The Life: Wale

Presented by Belvedere, "A Day In the Life" focuses on Wale at Coachella and shows him talking about music and the connection he shares with his fans. Mr. Folarin seems like a pretty laid back dude despite all the hate and criticism he receives via Twitter.

Props to I Am Jabari.

Lupe Fiasco: "I'm Beamin"

"Semi-colon, closed parenthesis" ;)

J. Cole: "Who Dat" + Artwork

Cole World

Props: Elite

"Secret Garden" 2.0?-Remakes: Okay Or "No Way"?

I want to hate this song but I can't; for now at least.

Just in case you got things fucked up twisted, Quincy Jones is still in the music game. Recently, a remake of his 1989 hit "Secret Garden" (bearing the same name) was released; the newer version was produced by Jermaine Dupri and included singers Robin Thicke and Usher. Undoubtedly, the newer version is molded to appeal to a younger audience and is very catchy; however should such a classic record have been remade? Let's think about the process of remaking a song (especially a classic):
 
Just because someone remakes a song doesn't mean they're trying to out-do the original, they could just really like the song; but does that give them the right to actually do it? Some feel it's a way of introducing pioneers like Jones (and the late great Barry White, who was on the original) to a new, younger audience while others think certain songs "shouldn't ever be touched." Below, Dupri talks to MTV about the components included in remaking such a special song:


"It took a minute for me to even think about touching it."-Jermaine Dupri

Here's the original "Secret Garden":


Personally, I think some records are untouchable like Michael Jackson's "Rock With You", "We Are The World", and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" (Although I must admit, I've had some ideas come into my mind for the last one) while others are "fair game"; Additionally, I feel if someone decides to remake a song, it has to actually be good. but you don't care about my opinion so what do you think?  Here are some questions to consider:

Should a remake depend on whether the original is considered a classic or not? Should a song be remade if the original artist/collaborators are dead? Should remakes only be done by the original artist or with their consent? Should certain artist' body of work be off limits all together? Just a few questions to think about. Let me know what you think.

Side note: Samples aren't considered remakes in my book unless they use the same concept/idea for the record. 

Props to Beats and Rants and MTV.

Neptunes + Bill Clinton

This is random but Bill is still cool though...

Props to NahRight.

Back In The Day: Kanye West

This is supposed to be
Just decided to throw in an except I permanently borrowed from Fake Shore Drive. Enjoy

"Filmed by Danny Joe Sorge

Here we have some super exclusive footage of Kanye West in his New Jersey home studio in early 2002, working on music for himself as well as Rhymefest’s demo.  This was from a vintage episode of Channel Zero, the Chicago Hip-Hop show that Coodie (now with Creative Control) operated with Tittyhead Ted and Danny Sorge back in the late ’90s/early ’00s (you can read more on Channel Zero here), that has been highly requested on the site for a very long time.

In this two part clip , you can hear a very, very early version of “Jesus Walks” – the one that originally featured Rhymfest – and a handful of unreleased ‘Ye and ‘Fest records.  Later on, Kanye even performs “Livin’ A Movie” incorporating various titles from his DVD collection.  Hardcore ‘Ye fans know that one.

It’s also dope to see Channel Zero panning in on Kanye’s then-current write-ups in various magazines such as XXL, The Source, etc.  You’ve come a long way, Mr. West. Last call, anyone?

“New” episodes of Channel Zero coming soon."

 

Props to Nahright and Fake Shore Drive.

B.O.B + Jay Electronica

After B.O.B.'s show at S.O.B's, him and Jay Electronica chop it up and talk about working with one another in the future.Jay also cosigns Bob's music and his live performance game.
Props to Nation of NahRight.

Yours Truly x TSS: 3:16 w/ J. Cole

In this interview with Yours Truly and The Smoking Section, J. Cole talks about three verses that have greatly influenced him. He starts off with the lyrical punchlines in Canibus' "Buckingham Palace", moves on to the intricate storytelling of Nas' "Undying Love", and ends with his own song "Lights Please."




Below are all three songs Cole refrences:

Canibus' "Buckingham Palace"


Nas' "Undying Love"


J. Cole's "Lights Please"


Props to Eskay of NahRight and J.Cole Fans.

Blu In The RECroom

In The RECroom: Blu from Jose Jurado on Vimeo.

Blu recording a verse. Beat is nuts. As Eskay puts it,"Blu lays a verse that will appear at some future date on the Dag Savage (Johaz & Exile) collaboration album."

Props to NahRight.

LA Leakers w/ Nas & Damian Marley: State of Hip-Hop

Nas and Damian Marley sat down with LA Leakers and briefly touched on the current state of hip-hop. Nas mentioned Drake and talked about Jay Electronica (and his ever elusiveness).

Props to Nation of NahRight.

Hard Knock TV: Jay Electronica

In this interview, Jay talks about the "Window Seat" controversy, his upcoming projects, and working with Nas (hopefully soon).

Props to Nation of NahRight.

Artist Advice: J. Cole

"Be humble." and "Let your music speak for itself."

Some of the best advice ever given. Up and coming artist take notes, Cole breaks down everything you need to know from getting your music on blogs to doing shows.

Props To J. Cole Fans and Modi.

Solidarite: Water Billboard

I posted this on Fresh 87 earlier today, hope you like it. Enjoy.

This is a water billboard that was set up in Paris, ironically, to raise awareness on the lack of clean drinking water in the world. Pretty dope.

Props to LikeCOOL.

Jay-Z Returns To SNL

Huh?

Where was I when this came out (I feel I say that a lot. Think I'm gonna retire it after this post)? Jay's doing SNL again, this time with actress Betty White on May 2nd; the first time he appeared is in the clip above. Hopes it's funnier this time around. I don't think Beans will be in the new skit though; call me crazy.

Props to Elliot Wilson aka YN and Rap Radar.

The.LIFE Files: Dame Dash

Hanging Out With Damon Dash At His DD172 from the.LIFE Files on Vimeo.

Dame signed Curren$y?

Props to NahRight.

Hip Hop Official : Jay Electronica

Jay sits down with Hip Hop Official to talk about how his new-found success, "Exhibit C", how he met Just Blaze, and how he plans to get a 16 (or two) from Justin.

Props to NahRight.

The Daily Noise: Lupe Fiasco

Lupe talks about B.O.B., the tour, climbing mountains and other stuff. Check it out.

Prop to Busy.

9th Wonder Dissects Illmatic

There's so much going on in this piece I don't even know where to begin. Just know 9th, along with a panel of two others (at Duke by the way, Tar Heels all day!), talk about Nasir's classic album Illmatic, it's significance to hip-hop/culture, current day rappers, and is finished off with a top 5 all-time list of rappers and producers. This is the longest video I've ever seen on Youtube but it's definitely worth it; if you consider yourself a fan of hip-hop/rap this is a must watch.

Props to Nodfactor.

Amar'e Bullies The Utah Jazz

Amar'e is living up to his new nickname I gave him

Last night in Utah, the Suns rolled over the Jazz 100-86; it was never really close. The Bully had 20 points, 7 boards, and 1 "posterizingly" (yeah I just made that up, don't try to steal it), vicious dunk over Kosta Kufos. With their victory last night, the Suns are now the number three seed in the Western conference and looked poised to take on the Brandon Roy-less Portland Trailblazers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

But back to this dunk. I've him do this so many times and still, I never get tired of watching it over and over (and over...) again. When will they learn? Standing with your hands straight up against The Bully (or either of the Supermen, especially the younger one) will get you on a poster ever single time. But hey, that might be the only way some of these guys get on a poster; I guess they'll take what they can get.

Rap Up: Nas Praises J. Cole & Drake

In this video with Rap Up Nas says he likes the new school of rappers. He specifically mentions Jay Electronica Hanukkah, J. Cole, Drake, and Nicki Minaj, later saying he considers both Cole and Drizzy to be "fire."

Ripped from Rap Radar.

Amar'e Stoudemire Is A Bully

In the clip above, Amar'e talks about his mindset on the court, what it feels like to posterize someone, and his desire to improve. One of my favorite players in the league. Enjoy

Props to Dime.

Update: After giving Amar'e "The Bully" as a alternate nickname, I later found out he approved it; in fact, he said he loves it. His nickname is free but everyone after that it's gonna cost you to have an official Kimble Wright nickname. Haa!

J. Cole S.O.B's Show Revisited: Two Verses (A Sign Of Things To Come [Up])

I can't fully express or emphasize how ready I am for this album. 

So I know J. Cole's S.O.B. show was almost two weeks ago. Yeah I know it was great (as usual) and from what I hear, the atmosphere reeked of the stuff legends are made of. And how could I not know he debuted "Who Dat" there upon receiving a request for "new shit" from an understandably eager audience member in attendance. But the one question that has (at least for the moment) eluded explanation is this: how is no one talking about these two "freestyles" acapellas  Cole spit? Check out the second video below:


These most likely are not freestyles; they sound like album-quality material to me. Only time will tell whether or not they will make the album but regardless of if one makes it and the other doesn't, both make it, or neither do one thing is certain: Cole is getting ready to drop something special come this summer. If you don't believe me just think about it like this:

1.) All the freestyles he drops are better than most rappers' songs; I've never heard him spit a bad  or even sub-par verse once and I've been on board well before he blew up.

2.) He's focused on the bigger picture. Cole has branded himself remarkably well, and has refused to over saturate his fan base with a quantity over quality approach. Additionally, he withheld releasing certain songs on The Warm Up so he could use them for the album; essentially, this means The Warm Up is comprised of songs not good enough to make the album. Realistically, he may not even be able to use some of those songs because he has so much new, and in all likelihood better, material for the album (27 songs which he recently shortened to a list of 20 and will eventually be cut down to around 14-15 songs). I said all that to say this: If The Warm Up was just Cole's lower quality material, imagine how good his best material must sound? This leads us to our last section.

3.) He's continued to get better. While The Come Up was undoubtedly an impressive piece of work that will most likely be viewed as, when it's all said and done, the spark that lit an undeniably great career, it will only be a glimpse of an even greater catalog filled with songs (and albums) that will probably stand out against Cole's initial mixtape. The Warm Up definitely showed Cole's growth over a two year period and was a much needed breath of fresh air; but the untitled forth-coming debut will be a free fall.

Don't say I didn't warn you.
 
-K 

P.S. Shotout to J. Cole Music, sorry that took so long ladies.

Throwback: Kanye West "Self Conscious"

Music is missing this right now.

Before Kanye West became the man you either loved or loved to hate, Ye did an interpretation at Def poetry of what would later become (if it wasn't already in his head) "All Falls Down", one of many singles off his classic (yeah I said it) debut album College Dropout and official introduction to the hip-hop community as a rapper.

I could spend an enormous amount of time talking about how this man has influenced me but I've decided to say more with less: He's one of the main (if not the primary) reasons why I started rapping. As big of an influence as Jay-Z has had on me Kanye has, at least, equaled that and for anyone that knows me, they know that's saying a lot, trust me. Hope he really is dropping this summer. If so, can't wait. If not, guess I'll have to.

P.S. I'm gonna try to start throwing up what i consider to be throwbacks from time to time. This would fall into a modern throwback. And if you have any comments, get at me via the comments section; So hit me with feedback, I need that.

-K

IdOMusic® Spotlight Interview: B.O.B.

In this clip, Bob talks about how his career moves came about, word-of-mouth vs. hype, building relationships, and being prepared when opportunities arise. A very helpful perspective. I know this helped me, I hope it does the same for you.

Props to B.O.B's site. 

Jason Otter: Dribbling Ain't Easy

If you've been on Youtube since at least early '07 (what I'd consider a "Youtube Vet") and you don't know who Jason Otter is by now I can't help you. The only thing I can suggest is watching this clip to make yourself feel better about your new-found loser status. However, more people than I expected haven't heard of dude so I'm taking on the responsibility of reintroducing him to you. He could probably be much more helpful if I wasn't laughing the entire time I watched the video. Looks like I'll never have Jason Otter approved dribbling skills. Oh well. Guess I'll just have to "get back to rapping" now as Mr. Cole would say.

Think I'll post some more of my favorite video's from this guy soon. Stay tuned and enjoy.

Update: I decided to just add the other videos in this post.

-K



And last but not least: 

When It All Falls Down

Before watching the following video, there are a few questions I (as well as you) should answer:

1.) Was this likely a traumatizing experience for the parties involved, especially the boy who took the fall? Possibly.

2.) Could said boy have been seriously injured during the events that took place in the clip above? Maybe.

3.)Does either one of those questions change the fact that this video is ridiculously funny or, for that matter, make me laugh any less? Absolutely not.  

Imagine what would've happened if he actually had a basketball and tried to dunk? Oh the possibilities (All jokes aside though, hope the kid wasn't really hurt).

Bad Advice

Try to avoid being like this in all facets of life for as long as you possibly can. For some reason when I first saw this, I immediately thought of Modi; don't ask me why. Anyways, watch, laugh, repeat.

Ludacris Promotes 2010 Census In New Orleans

Mr. Bridges recently came to my neck of the woods to do his part in promoting the 2010 Census and getting New Orleans residents to fill out the supposedly short 10 question form. Shouts to Luda for always looking out for the community. Who knows, if you're lucky he might be headed to a city near you sometime pronto. BOLO

Here's the original link.

James Harden Posterizes Martell Webster

Wow, pretty impressive. Knew he had springs back at Arizona. He's gonna be something special. That's all I really had to say.

Props to Dime.

Jay Electronica & Mos Def @ The Howling Wolf on 3/31/10

Not my footage from last Wednesday but this is way better anyway. Good show just wished Jay would've hit the stage sooner. It's funny how his crowds have grown over the past few months in New Orleans. Real happy for him. Hard work pays off. He even brought Mos out (who I hear has a house somewhere in the city). The energy was real good for this show. Besides giving his entire number out to the entire audience again, J encouraged the crowd to come on stage and even stayed after the show to take pictures and talk with the crowd. Shouts to Brock, Travis, Michele, Mike, Marcus, Monty, and everyone else I saw at the show.

Props to 2-Cent as well. They've shot the last few J-Elec shows and I think the way they capture subjects is amazing.

Boondocks Season 3 Trailer

Check this trailer for season 3 of Aaron McGruder's series The Boondocks. They have Jay Elec's "Exhibit C" playing throughout the clip.

Anyone who knows  me knows I like love The Boondocks. I could watch this and The Chappelle Show all day (a fact I've proven on several occasions.) Sadly this is the last season but regardless I can't wait. It drops May 2 on Adult Swim.

Props to Boondocks Bootleg

J.Cole: "Who Dat"

I'm fairly late on this but I don't care, I was taking a much needed hiatus from the net. So with that being said, here's a new record Cole released during his show at S.O.B's last week in New York.  The song is titled "Who Dat" and is produced by Elite. Not sure if this is on the album or not but it's dope.