Lupe Fiasco Tributes Slain Chicago Infant On ‘Jonylah Forever’

Posted on March 15, 2013 by 0c4g78x

WGN

By Sidney Madden

Always one to put tragedy in poetic perspective, Lupe Fiasco released a tribute track called “Jonylah Forever” to send his condolences to the family of 6-month-old Jonylah Watkins who died in a Chicago shooting Monday.

Jonylah’s father, Jonathan Watkins, was changing his daughter’s diaper in his minivan on a popular Chicago street when the two were hit with a barrage of bullets. Both were rushed to the hospital where Jonylah died hours later.

Lupe, who is born and raised in ChiTown, released the track late last night via SoundCloud along with the tweet “Not a song but a life. Be respectful Please keep negative comments to yourself. #lovelifechitownforever.”

In the song, Lupe spits verses of an impossible future, in which Jonylah had never died and in fact, grown up, got out of the projects of her city and attended medical school. The repetitive line “You live” is an eerie reminder of what could have become of the baby’s life.

Less than 12 hours of its release, “Jonylah Forever” has hit over 13,000 plays on SoundCloud.

What do you think of the track? Will Lupe’s song spark a larger social outcry over Chicago’s crime ridden streets? Let us know in the comments.

2013 Grammy Awards: Hip-Hop Winners Receive Awards Too Early

Posted on February 11, 2013 by VENOM

By Maurice Bobb

Despite letting LL Cool J serve as host, it’s apparent that the Grammys still has a problem with hip-hop. Case in point: most of the important awards were all awarded prior to the telecast.

Since rap’s most prestigious awards got no love during the broadcast, here’s a quick look at who took home the hardware. Drake, Young Jeezy and Jay-Z were all up for Best Rap Performance, but it was Hov and Kanye West, who opted to skip the show again this year, who won for “N—–s in Paris.”

Jay and ‘Ye also beat out Wale, Drake and Snoop Lion for Best Rap Song, winning again for “N—–s in Paris.” The biggest award, Best Rap Album went to Drake, over Rick Ross 2 Chainz and Lupe Fiasco, for Take Care. Drizzy celebrated his first ever Grammy win by dropping the video for his new single, “Started From The Bottom” last night during the telecast on his site.

The only hip-hop category that made it to air was Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, which went to Jigga, Yeezy, Frank Ocean and The Dream for “No Church in the Wild.” Hov provided the best one-liner of the night after forcing the Grammy producers to stop the “wrap it up” music to give his acceptance speech by pointing to Dream’s hat and saying, “I would like to thank the swap meet for his hat.”

As for R&B, newcomer Frank Ocean planted his flag by winning Best Urban Contemporary Album for Channel Orange, while Usher won Best R&B Performance for “Climax” and Beyonce won Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Love on Top.”

As for performances, hip-hop was only represented when LL Cool J closed the show with his new song “Whaddup” featuring Chuck D from his upcoming LP, Authentic, and, of course, Jay, who literally got up from his seat on cue to deliver his ostentatious lines from his collabo with Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie” from his upcoming comeback album, The 20/20 Experience.

And then there’s the curious case of Nas. After garnering 13 nominations over his illustrious career, Esco still went home without a golden gramophone. Critics and fans alike hoped that the Illmatic MC would finally take home the gold for his stellar Life is Good CD, but it wasn’t meant to be.

“It’s not to get the Grammy stuff, but our vibe and mode even while recording the album was: We won already,” Salaam Remi said prior to the telecast. “It wasn’t that we won the Grammy. We won still being positive and forward with life in the first place.”

[News] The Hip Hop Week In Review: Lupe Fiasco Booted Offstage, Game Doesn’t Think "Detox" Will Release

Posted on January 26, 2013 by VENOM

Lupe Fiasco‘ show was cut short following anti-Obama statements, while Game shared his thoughts on Dr. Dre’s “Detox.” Chief Keef‘s Interscope deal is reportedly worth $6 million.

This week, Lupe Fiasco caused quite a stir with a performance at Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C., rapping comments that criticized President Barack Obama and causing security to shut down the performance early. Meanwhile, Game shared this thoughts on Dr. Dre’s elusive Detox, stating that it will never come out. His manager also said that he was trying to iron out a G-Unit reunion. Finally, even though Chief Keef is locked up serving a 60-day sentence, details of his contract with Interscope Records were released, showing that the young rapper could make more than $6 million as part of the deal.

Lupe Fiasco Kicked Offstage At Pre-Inauguration Concert For Criticizing President Barack Obama

Lupe Fiasco picked the wrong time and place to reinstate his feelings about President Barack Obama. Lu, who called the POTUS the “biggest terrorist” in June 2011, appeared at a pre-inauguration concert this past Sunday to perform cuts from his oeuvre. He reportedly ripped into an anti-Obama track that lasted for 30 minutes, making it known that he did not vote for Obama during the November election. Security stepped in and asked the controversial rapper to move on to the next song, a request that he refused to honor. As a consequence, security cut the show short and ushered him offstage. The Chicago, Illinois native, who recently canceled his album Food Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Part 2, is yet to break his silence on the matter. Watch the video of the incident below.

Game Says Dr. Dre Will “Never” Release Detox, Entertains G-Unit Reunion

Game has been working closely with Dr. Dre on his elusive album Detox since the onset of his career, but he doesn’t think it will ever drop. Chuck Taylor gave an interview this week where he compared the album to Jesus, stating, “Will you ever get to see Jesus? It’s like a Hip Hop Jesus.” He said that even though the Doctor dropped a few singles over the past couple of years, he doesn’t think he’ll release it unless he’s completely satisfied. “If he doesn’t become 100 percent happy, then we’ll probably never end up hearing Detox. I’ll say never.” His manager, Dontay “Taydoe” Kidd, also gave an interview this week where he revealed that he has been working with the Compton, California native and 50 Cent to reunite G-Unit. While nothing is finalized, he said that the decision would be a “business” move.

Chief Keef’s Interscope Deal Could Be Worth $6 Million

Last year, Chief Keef signed to Interscope Records after fielding a bidding war between some of the music industry’s biggest imprints. Earlier this week, documents were revealed that showed that the rapper, who was recently served a 60-day sentence for violating his probation, inked a deal that could amount to more than $6 million. The papers claim that he signed a three-album deal that included a $440,000 advance; $300,000 to record his debut Finally Rich; $440,000 for his label Glory Boyz Entertainment; and $200,000 for “overhead expenses” for the label. Additionally, Keef faced some strife this week after an alleged middle schooler sued him for an undisclosed sum of child support – a legal problem that could land him behind bars for a year. Finally, an old interview taken from his album’s promotional run saw the “I Don’t Like” spitter discussing how 50 Cent isn’t his mentor.

Other items of note:

- Swizz Beatz Doesn’t Think Meek Mill Will Respond To Cassidy

- 50 Cent Questioned About His Love For Chelsea Handler While On “The Howard Stern Show”

- Def Jam VP Of AR Sha Money XL Responds To Trinidad James Criticism

- Joey Bada$$ Speaks On Passing Of Capital STEEZ, Delivers Freestyle

- Bob Marley The Wailers Member Criticizes Snoop Lion Joining The Rastafari Movement

[News] Rap Release Dates: Lupe Fiasco, Swollen Members, DJ Khaled, Planet Asia and Gensu Dean

Posted on January 22, 2013 by VENOM

Lupe Fiasco cans a follow-up to “Food Liquor II,” while Swollen Members releases cover art, DJ Khaled suffers from success, while Planet Asia and Gensu Dean bring “Abrasions.”

First order of business: there will be no Food Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 2 coming from Lupe Fiasco. While the album did reach Number 5 on the Billboard charts, the success clearly wasn’t enough to drop a sequel. At least not right now. Meanwhile, DJ Khaled does have an album coming. Suffering From Success has been announced, but no date has been set as of yet. There are some dates to report, though. Planet Asia and Gensu Dean will bring Abrasions on February 26th. Then, Swollen Members has announced Beautiful Death Machine coming March 19th. Artwork has also arrived.

Check HipHopDX’s Release Dates page for all your Hip Hop album needs.

January 29
Dead Prez – Information Age
Ill Bill – The Grimy Awards
Oh No – Disrupted Ads
Uptown XO – Colour de Grey

February 5
Brotha Lynch Hung – Mannibalector
Joe Budden – No Love Lost

February 12
LL Cool J – Authentic Hip Hop

February 19
Inspectah Deck 7L Esoteric – Czarface

February 26
50 Cent – Street King Immortal
Alexander Spit – A Breathtaking Trip To That Otherside
Kutt Calhoun – Black Gold
Trinity (A.G., Sadat X DJ Jab) – 20 In
Planet Asia and Gensu Dean – Abrasions

March 12
Prodigy Alchemist – Albert Einstein
Durag Dynasty – 360 Waves

March 19
Swollen Members – Beautiful Death Machine

[News] Lupe Fiasco Removed From Stage After Making Anti-Obama Comments

Posted on January 20, 2013 by VENOM

Lupe Fiasco ruffles feathers in Washington, D.C. as he is removed from the stage.

Lupe Fiasco was removed from the stage during a performance at Hamilton Live in Washington, D.C. on Sunday (January 20) night.

The rapper was removed after performing an anti-war song for 30 minutes, and stating that he did not vote for President Barack Obama in the recent November election. He was reportedly booked to perform as part of a celebration for Obama’s inauguration, which takes place on Monday (January 21).

After the performance and anti-Obama remarks, Lupe was asked by security to leave after refusing to move on to a new song.

Below are tweets from Foreign Policy‘s Josh Rogin, who was present at the show (spotted at Complex):

Lupe Fiasco just got thrown off stage here at the Hamilton Live after he went on an anti-Obama diatribe mid set.

— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) January 21, 2013

So Lupe played one anti-war song for 30 min and said he didn’t vote for Obama and eventually was told to move on to the next song.

— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) January 21, 2013

Lupe refused to move to the next song so a team of security guards came on stage and told him to go.

— Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) January 21, 2013

Lupe’s stance on Obama is nothing new, as the rapper has criticized the President numerous times in the past.

mtvU Woodie Awards Returning To Austin, Texas

Posted on January 18, 2013 by VENOM

They do everything bigger in Texas, which is why the mtvU Woodie Awards are returning to the Lone Star State in March for another run in Austin.

The 2013 mtvU Woodie Awards and festival will ride into Austin for a full day of performances on March 14 during the annual South By Southwest Music Festival with an as-yet-unannounced roster of artists.

The annual musical moment of truth honors the artists who are infiltrating the music landscape, and MTV and mtvU will air a half-hour “2013 Woodie Awards” special on Sunday, March 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. mtvU will announce nominees and performers at a later date.

The awards show, which pays homage to the best emerging acts on campus, will include four nominees selected and then profiled on MTV.com. The audience will get to vote for their favorite, with the band or artist with the most votes getting a chance to travel to Austin to kick off a day of incredible performances as they play the opening set at the Woodies Festival. They’ll also get their very own chunk of wood in a new Woodie Awards category.

More details on this new category will be announced soon, but interested college musicians can send their name, contact info and links to their videos to: WOODIES@mtvU.com.

The ninth annual Woodie Awards will kick off on Thursday, March 14, at 2 p.m. CT with a host of live performances by up-and-coming artists during the open-air Woodie Awards Festival. The festival, open to all SXSW badge holders and music fans over 18, will lead up to the awards show, which will start at 8 p.m. CT.

mtvU will air the best moments from the awards show on March 17, at 8 p.m. during the half-hour “2013 mtvU Woodie Awards Special.” A host and celebrity line-up for the special will be announced soon.

Last year’s show included performances from Santigold, Steve Aoki and Mac Miller, as well as wins for Mac, MGK, Best Coast and Calvin Harris.

No matter who is nominated, they will join an illustrious roster of past Woodie winners and performers who’ve gone on to the big time after appearing on the show. Among them: The Killers (Breaking Woodie ’04), Death Cab for Cutie (Best Video Woodie ’05), Muse (Performing Woodie ’07), Gym Class Heroes (Woodie of the Year ’07), Lupe Fiasco (performed at Woodies ’07), Paramore (Woodie of the Year ’08), Wiz Khalifa (Woodie of the Year ’11) and Mac Miller (Woodie of Year and Performing Woodie ’12).

[News] S1 Reveals Production For Kanye West’s New Solo Album

Posted on January 9, 2013 by VENOM

S1 also adds that he’s working the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Raekwon, Royce Da 5’9″ and others.

Between crafting 50 Cent’s “My Life” and Game’s “Blood Diamonds,” producer S1 kept his name ringing in Hip Hop heads’ ears in 2012. Now, in an exclusive interview with HipHop-N-More, the Strange Fruit Project beatsmith revealed his impending collaborations for 2013.

According to S1, he has been producing tracks for a number of Hip Hop‘s finest, including Royce Da 5’9″, Raekwon and Lupe Fiasco on the second part of Food Liquor II. S1 added that he’s also been working heavily on his Very G.O.O.D. Beats production partner Kanye West’s next solo album.

“I’m working with Lupe on his new album that is supposed to come out this year. I actually have been working a lot with him. I got a lot of songs with Lupe. This is the second part of Food Liquor II and I am very involved with the overall sound he’s creating. Definitely excited about it…I’m working with Raekwon, of course Kanye, Royce Da 5’9” on his solo project, I’ve been sending some songs to Eminem as well. J. Cole is another one. Then I’ve been working with Ryan Leslie as well.”

He continued, “I’m always working with Kanye. In fact, I’m actually part of his production team Very G.O.O.D. Beats. I’m always involved with stuff he’s working on, whether it’s his solo project or a G.O.O.D. Music compilation album. I’m always contributing my ideas of work to him..[Kanye]’s gearing up to like really go in on [his solo album]. I’m definitely excited about being a part of that.”

[Singles] Kenna f. Lupe Fiasco

Posted on January 7, 2013 by VENOM

After each using the instrumental for their own releases, Kenna and Lupe Fiasco drop a track featuring both their takes on “What U Want” side-by-side.

[News] Skylar Grey Explains Mood Of Debut Album, Eminem & Dr. Dre’s Involvement

Posted on December 25, 2012 by VENOM

Exclusive: After hits with Eminem, Dr. Dre and Lupe Fiasco the songstress reveals that “C’mon Let Me Ride” is just one side of her presentation, and that the single was mixed by none other than Marshall.

Skylar Grey has been a part of three of the biggest songs in Hip Hop and Pop music the past two years (“I Need A Doctor,” “Love The Way You Lie,” “Words I Never Said”). However, in 2013, Ms. Grey plans to release her debut album Don’t Look Down. After years of struggle with the music business and her own identity, this album has been a long time coming. Showing that she can be a little “goofy” at times with “C’mon Let me Ride” featuring Eminem, Skylar wants her fans to know that is as far as she will go in that direction.

Skylar had this to say about what listeners can expect from her new album: “There are a lot of different things on the album. ‘C’mon Let me Ride’ definitely does not represent the rest of the album. You will hear things that are more expected, more melancholy, more melodic. Then there is stuff that is more fun. That is because when I started making this album, the oldest song was two years old and was right around the time I wrote ‘Love The Way You Lie.’ After that song, I felt a lot of love while working with great people and having money again. I had a couple of really happy years and started writing some happier songs too. ‘C’mon Let me Ride’ is reflective of these good times”.

Speaking on her work with Eminem and Dr. Dre, Skylar Grey says that Mr. Mathers, Dre and her share a lot of musical chemistry and Em has given her a lot of advice for Skylar’s album. Skylar speaks about why she thinks she got along so well with such Hip Hop heavyweights: “I think I just have had a lot of different experiences in my life and musical career. I have had a lot of ups and downs. I am not really new to this. I think [Dr.] Dre and Eminem see that and it comes through in my work. I am really grateful to have people like Dre and Eminem supporting me and wanting me to succeed.”

As previously mentioned, Eminem has given Skylar Grey a lot of advice. Out of all the sessions that Skylar Grey has had with Eminem, she speaks on the best advice that he gave her: “Well I have a lot of identity crises. I love so many different kinds of music and fashion. I am all over the map. Sometimes I go too far in one direction and I say ‘Oh no, that’s not me.’ Eminem told me, ‘Just be you.’ That is so simple yet so true. I should not try and be anything, I should just be me. It should be as easy as breathing to put out this album and make these songs.”

Skylar also went on to mention that Eminem, an accomplished veteran producer, actually mixed the single “C’mon Let me Ride”.

Don’t Look Down is scheduled to be released in early 2013 with more appearances from Eminem along with a feature from Marilyn Manson. As far as producers go, Skylar is going to be working with Alex Da Kid and J.R Rotem, among others.

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