"I was
talking to Michael Moore and he said he was interested in doing a
benefit concert,” the Aftermath Entertainment artist says, "so we’ll
see."
Jon Connor has addressed the motive behind his “Fresh Water For Flint” song.
“The song is basically about the situation going on that nobody sees,” the Aftermath Entertainment artist says
during an interview with XXL. “I lived in Flint up until two, three
years ago, so being in California and seeing the way it’s being
portrayed on the news, seeing the deterioration of my city, its all that
frustration and emotion. I feel like I’m the voice of Flint, so I’m
just trying to verbalize how all the natives feel.”
Flint, Michigan’s water supply has been
contaminated with lead after the city’s water source was switched in
2014 from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The change from a clean source
to one that was polluted resulted in the water crisis in Flint.
The Game,
Puff Daddy, Big Sean, Meek Mill and other rap acts have pledged to help
by donating water and money to help the city’s residents.
Connor, who was at his mother’s house in
Flint at the time of the interview, says he’s working on staging an
event to help Flint.
“I’m just trying to make all the dots connect of people I know in the industry who’ve reached out to me,” Connor says. “Kelly Price
has reached out. I was talking to Michael Moore and he said he was
interested in doing a benefit concert so we’ll see. I think we’re just
trying to figure out how we can put all of our resources together for
this one cause and one goal.”
Jon Connor's “Fresh Water For Flint” song is as follows:
“Globetrotter” is set to feature on the reissue of Ace’s 2004 album, “A Long Hot Summer.”
Masta Ace says that his newly released single “Globetrotter” will whet fans’ palates for his upcoming solo album, The Falling Season.
During a recently published interview with The Source,
the iconic Brownsville emcee spoke about the song — which features
London, England-based lyricist AKD (Arise King David) — and its history.
“I had been sitting on that ‘Globetrotter’ beat for over three years, just scheming on a way to use it,” Masta Ace
said during the interview. “At first, we were gonna use it on
an eMC album, but we never got it done. I had a little 16 on there and
that was it. When the idea of adding new music to the reissue of A Long Hot Summer came up, it was a no brainer. I just extended my first verse and wrote a second one. My dude AKD just happened to
be visiting the studio that day I was laying it down. I felt another
verse/voice was needed and he was like, ‘Yo I might have something.’ I
gave him a shot and he did his thing. It’s a classic example of being in
the right place at the right time.”
The beat for “Globetrotter” appears to sample Chic’s “Savoir Faire,” a cut off the band’s 1978 album, C’est Chic. That same beat was also sampled by will.i.am on The Game’s The Documentary 2 track, “LA.”
“I’m glad people get to hear some new music from me now,” Masta Ace
later said. “This [‘Globetrotter’] should whet their palates for my new
solo album.KIC just spent a week out here mixing with us. I
have a real emotional attachment to this album as it’s somewhat
autobiographical and a glimpse into my life from 1980-1984.”
There is also a 25th Anniversary Tour in the works.
Kickstarter-funded albums
are currently all the rage in the present musical climate and Naughty
By Nature is ushering in 2016 with their custom announcement for the
call of monetary fan support.
This coming September will mark the 25th anniversary of the trio
consisting of Treach, Vin Rock and Kay Gee releasing their (proper)
self-titled debut album and they are obviously feeling as invigorated as
when they made the entire world down with "O.P.P."
“What this campaign is about is just the celebration of our 25 years
in the music industry. We’re inviting you to celebrate with us," the
group explained via a joint statement. "Kickstarter is the sign of the
times...We felt like this would be the perfect time to [release] new
music but we needed the support from the fans. We wanted to see if they
really wanted the new album. Now that we’re veterans, we can go directly
to the fans."
In addition to the upcoming LP, the group has also embarked on a
nationwide tour (which began on January 28 in Charlotte) where longtime
followers of the clique from "Dirty Jerz" can expect to hear classics
such as "Hip Hop Hooray," "Feel Me Flow" and more.
Visit Kickstarter to help Naughty By Nature hit their goal of $100,000 for the new album. The remaining tour dates can be seen as follows.
January 31st – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
February 2nd – The Maison – New Orleans, LA
February 3rd – Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
February 4th – Empire Control Room – Austin, TX
February 5th – Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX
February 6th – South Side Music Hall – Dallas, TX
February 9th – Sister Bar – Albuquerque, NM
February 10th – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ
February 11th – Regent Theater – Los Angeles, CA
February 14th – Marquis Theater – Denver, CO
February 16th – Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA
February 17th – Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN
February 18th – The Rave II – Milwaukee, WI
February 19th – Blue Note – Columbia, MO
February 20th – House of Blues – Chicago, IL
February 21st – Mercury Ballroom – Louisville, KY
February 23rd – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH
February 24th – Waiting Room – Buffalo, NY
February 25th – The Howard Theatre – Washington, DC
February 26th – Reverb – Reading, PA
February 27th – Webster Hall – New York, NY
February 28th – TLA – Philadelphia, PA
Kurupt appears on the project, which features production from Rick Rock.
Daz Dillinger and Snoop Dogg have partnered for Cuzznz, an album they released as Daz-N-Snoop today (January 15).
The 14-cut collection features Kurupt
on “Six n'da Morning,” “Dic Walk” and “N My Life Tyme,” as well as
Dam-Funk on “N My System” and Shon Lawon on “Sho You Right” and “It’s
Not a Secret.”
Rick Rock and League of Starz are among the producers whose work is featured on Cuzznz.
The Cuzznz cover art, tracklist and album stream are as follows:
The
third installment of the "Church Clothes" mixtape series includes
features from E-40, Propaganda and KB and is executive produced by S1.
Lecrae released his Church Clothes 3 mixtape today (January 15). Lecrae's mixtape is made up of 10 tracks and includes E-40 on "Can't Do You." Propaganda, John Givez, JGivens, Jackie Hill Perry and Lecrae's Reach Records labelmate KB also each make an appearance on the project.
Production on Church Clothes 3 comes from Black Knight, GAWVI and S1, who executive produced the tape.
This is the third installment of the Church Clothes mixtape series. The first two projects dropped in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
Lecrae released his seventh studio album, Anomaly, in 2014. It debuted as the #1 album in the country.
Purchase Lecrae's Church Clothes 3 on iTunes. Physical copies are available exclusively at DTLR stores.
Stream Lecrae's Church Clothes 3 on Apple Music here.
Lecrae's Church Clothes 3 album cover art, tracklist and Spotify stream are below:
Freedom f. N'Dambi (Prod. by S1/ Co-Prod. by Epikh Pro & VohnBeatz)
Gangland f. Propaganda (Prod. by S1/Co-Prod. by Shindo)
Deja Vu (Prod. by S1)
Sidelines (Prod. by Mykalife and Ryan Righteous)
Cruising (Prod. by S1/ Co-Prod. by Epikh)
It Is What It Is (Prod. by S1/ Co-Prod. by Epikh)
Can't Do You f. E-40 (Prod. by Black Knight)
Forever (Prod. by S1)
Misconceptions 3 f. John Givez, JGivens & Jackie Hill-Perry (Prod. by S1)
Kendrick Lamar has been vocal about representing his hometown.
Compton, California Mayor Aja Brown took to Twitter today (January 14) to announce that Kendrick Lamar will receive a key to the city.
".@kendricklamar you inspire millions + rep #Compton w/ honor!" she writes. "Excited to give you the #keytothecity Feb13th! #VisionForCompton#ComptonUp."
Lamar responds with gratitude.
"@AjaLBrown I appreciate that," he writes. "HUBLUV."
Lamar has been vocal about representing his city, which is also the hometown of a number of major rap acts, including N.W.A, DJ Quik, The Game and YG.
"There's a lot of kids that grew up the way I did," Lamar said in June
about being an inspiration to kids from Compton, "that feel like
there's no way out. We don't get a lot of celebrities or whatnot to come
to the city and actually put they hand back in the city and say, 'You
can do it, too.' I feel like it's only right that I champion them, let
them know I'll always be behind them. Let them know I know the
sacrifices and the struggles they go through and give 'em some type of
inspiration."
Lamar had a song with Dr. Dre on his major label debut album, good kid m.A.A.d. city, dedicated to Compton. He also had an album signing for his sophomore LP, To Pimp a Butterfly, in the city.
View the social media posts from Mayor Aja Brown and Kendrick Lamar about receiving a key to the city below:
The song comes days after David Bowie lost an 18-month battle with cancer.
Terry Urban released "Biggie Stardust" yesterday (January 13) as a tribute to David Bowie and The Notorious B.I.G.
The nearly three-minute track is a mashup of David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" from the 1972 album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars and Biggie Smalls' "Dead Wrong" from the 1999 posthumous album Born Again. David Bowie died Sunday (January 10) after an 18-month battle with cancer.
The Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed March 9, 1997 after leaving a party in Los Angeles.
Urban has done other mashups including one of Biggie Smalls and Lana Del Ray and a mix of Jay Z and Coldplay.
Listen to "Biggie Stardust," a tribute to David Bowie and The Notorious B.I.G. below:
They are just one of the groups to receive honors at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
Run-DMC is slated to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammy Foundation this year, according to The FADER.
The group, who's already been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame, was the first rap collective to be nominated for Best R&B
Vocal Performance (the rap category hadn't been created at the time).
Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy, explained in a
statement why the group deserved the honor after all this time, "Each
year, The Academy has the distinct privilege of honoring those who have
greatly contributed to our industry and cultural heritage, and this year
we have a gifted and brilliant group of honorees. Their exceptional
accomplishments, contributions, and artistry will continue to influence
and inspire generations to come."
Celia Cruz, Earth Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, Ruth Brown,
Jefferson Airplane, John Cage, and Linda Ronstadt are also slated to
receive honors at the awards ceremony.
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards is slated to take place Sunday, February 15 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.
After years of lobbying for a Hip Hop Hall Of Fame, it looks like there will be one on 125th Street in Harlem.
Cleveland is home to the Rock Hall of Fame and Harlem will be the location for the Hip Hop Hall of Fame.
The Hip Hop Hall of Fame + Museum is slated to open on the New York
City borough's historic 125th Street and also feature a retail gift
shop, restaurant, sports bar, concert lounge, TV studios, offices and
house the Hip Hop Arts and Media Academy.
“The community of Harlem has a rich history of arts and cultural
contributions," Dove Entertainment, who is in charge of press and
coordinating the hall wrote in a statement. "The Harlem Renaissance has
influenced artists, poets, scholars, educators, politicians, fashion,
entrepreneurs, entertainers and community leaders from New York City
throughout the world. Hip Hop music and culture will now join that
legacy in Harlem as the Hip Hop Hall of Fame + Museum is set to open up
its offices on the historic 125th Street.”
The Hip Hop HOF is slated to open in late this year and all developments regarding it can be found here. Dove Entertainment also says the education element of the establishment will be a main focus.
“Students will be trained by industry professionals with special
celebrity guest speakers, and graduate with their very own online
e-commerce store teaching valuable skills, entrepreneurship, job
creation and business management. All classes will include a
‘Life-Skills Module’ teaching young people about personal development,
family and professional values and etiquette, college prep, career prep,
financial literacy, home-ownership and entrepreneurship. Classes will
range from 6-10 weeks and be in-conjunction with our Harlem Business,
Community, Arts, Cultural, Media, and Educational Program Partners.”
Museums for Hip Hop have been rumored to open in NYC in the past, one of which opening in Harlem.
