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Our Most Hoped for Hip-Hop Comebacks

Posted 9/2/11 12:00 pm EST by in hip-hop, listicle


By Zachary Swickey

Thanks to the lyrical abilities of rhyme-spitters like Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Jay-Z, the rap game is alive and well in 2011. Weezy is reportedly on track to sell around 850-900k copies of Tha Carter IV, and Watch the Throne is one of rap’s most talked about albums ever (not to mention it’s pretty damn good). With such astute rappers in today’s fast-paced music world, it’s easy to forget some of the past heavy-hitters.

Some rappers inexplicably lose their luster or disappear from the public eye altogether, but occasionally they revive their careers from the grave. Take Dr. Dre, for example. The Doc released the legendary hip-hop album The Chronic way back in ’92, but his career was basically nonexistent for most of the mid-to-late 90s. That is until he met a lanky white boy from Detroit named Eminem. Finally, seven years later – after signing one of rap’s hottest new artists – he released his follow up, 2001, which was a huge success, selling more than twice as many copies as his debut. And who knows, maybe the doctor will have yet another comeback with the eventual release of his third album, Detox, which is quickly becoming the Chinese Democracy of rap.

There are several rappers who we’d like to strongly encourage dusting the cobwebs off their mic and giving us the swagger-filled comeback albums we’re hurting for. Here are the top five hip-hop comebacks that we find ourselves craving the most. Read More...

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The Many Trials And Tribulations of DMX

Posted 7/13/11 1:39 pm EST by in dmx, Jail


DMX

By Zachary Swickey

We previously reported that rapper DMX has had his prison sentence extended by 30 days due to multiple infractions behind bars, and sadly this comes as no surprise considering his many brushes with the law.

DMX first stormed the rap music scene with his loud bark and “don’t f**k with me” attitude in the late 1990s. In a feat that had only been done by Tupac, DMX released two number one albums in the same year, with his debut in May of ’98 and follow-up that December (which stayed at No. 1 for 3 weeks). X soon joined the trend of moonlighting as an actor and appeared in a few notable films as well. After five number one albums in a row, his streak was broken when 2006’s Year of the Dog… Again failed to achieve the same success (although, it did hit number two).

DMX wasn’t and still isn’t your average rapper. He has a track that features Marilyn Manson, yet has a prayer recorded on every album. In his autobiography and lyrics, he discusses his love of dogs at length yet has been convicted on animal cruelty charges multiple times. It also probably shouldn’t comes as a surprise that X’s dwindling sales somewhat correlate to his transgressions. MTV even got a look at his enthusiasm for speeding firsthand during the recording of his MTV Diary special.

At first it seemed like X had some “wrong place, wrong time” like when he was falsely accused of a stabbing in Denver. Then the trouble really started. Check out the utterly insane list of his past offenses we’ve compiled.

>>> June 28, 1999 – New Jersey police raid DMX’s home and charge the rapper with a slew of infractions, including animal cruelty, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police discovered 13 pit bulls, and six used alleged crack pipes. All of the charges were dropped when X agreed to make a public service announcements for the Humane Society.

>>> December 24, 2002 – Christmas got off to a bad start when X was charged with unsafe lane changing, failure to signal and possession of a forged instrument (i.e. fake ID).

Read More...

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What Is Eminem's Best Overall Collaboration?

Posted 7/16/10 2:30 pm EST by in Music


Over the past few days, MTV Newsroom Blog readers helped establish that Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" is his best collaboration with a female artist (narrowly beating out his team-up with Dido for "Stan") and that his best tag-team with a male singer or rapper is "No Love" (the Lil Wayne-assisted track from Recovery). Though neither of the polls in question are scientific, they do drive home the fact that Recovery is one of the strongest in Eminem's career and one of the best of the year.

Both of those polls have been limited to songs that appear on proper Eminem albums, but as many of the commenters have pointed out, Slim Shady is constantly in demand for collaborations on other albums. So now it's time to open up the poll to all Eminem collaborations. Any time Eminem has been on a song with another artist, its a reasonable track to consider. So after combing through dozens of tracks, here are the nominees for the best Eminem collaboration of all time. (Because they've already won polls of their own, "Love the Way You Lie" and "No Love" have automatically been entered into the poll below.)

Check out the tracks we've chosen, vote in the poll and leave your thoughts in the comments!

"Renegade"
It seems sort of unfair to even include this one because it's so killer. This team-up with Jay-Z (from 2001's The Blueprint) has a killer beat and two of the best rappers alive on top of their respective games. It'll be shocking if this isn't voted number one.

"Forgot About Dre"
When Eminem first hit the scene, much was made about the fact that he could rap really fast. He puts that skill to good use on this pairing with Dr. Dre from 1999's 2001.

"Dead Wrong"
Though the beat leaves a lot to be desired and the context is sort of bittersweet, but it does provide an enticing look into what the Notorious B.I.G.'s arc could have been had he not been tragically killed.

"Go to Sleep"
On this three-way with DMX and Obie Trice, Eminem is all about his unbridled rage. But even as he repeatedly cuts down Ja Rule, he remains poetic and kinetic. Is it any mystery that this song provides the soundtrack to countless compilations of UFC knockouts?

"Forever" (Remix)
It's a testament to Eminem's skills that he is able to stand next to three of the hottest MCs in the world — Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Drake — and still stand out. Though everybody delivers on "Forever," even LeBron James thought Eminem had the best verse.

"Lady"
Obie Trice is one of Em's best foils, and this is one of the pair's sharpest tunes.

"Drop the World"
Though the legacy of Lil Wayne's Rebirth will be questionable, Weezy's team-up with Eminem is pure savagery and grace.

"Airplanes (Part II)"
While the original version (which only featured B.o.B and Paramore singer Hayley Williams) is excellent, the extra Eminem verse at the end turns "Airplanes" from a merely great jam into an instant classic.

"Fight Music"
Eminem's work with D12 always felt a little inconsistent, perhaps because he usually got out of the way and let the other members of his posse shine. But the interplay on "Fight Music" is top shelf and worthy of Slim's best efforts.

"How Come"
Another exceptional posse cut from D12, this sees the entire squad — but especially Eminem — at their most passionate and honest.

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Is Lil Wayne's Young Money Album The Best Hip-Hop Posse Record Of All Time?

Posted 2/23/10 11:35 am EST by in Music


With all the buzz surrounding the release of Rebirth, the mad quest to record songs before going to prison and his Twitter and Ustream habits, the biggest music-related Lil Wayne news has gotten swept under the rug a bit. That would be the release of We Are Young Money, the posse album that dropped just before the end of 2009 that secretly contains some of the best Weezy-blessed work of the past 12 months.

The album, which features contributions from Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Mack Maine, Gudda Gudda, Tyga, Lil Twist and Jae Millz. The two singles ("Every Girl," which peaked at 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "BedRock") were both heaters that had some great work from everybody (but especially Nicki Minaj, who is becoming the crew's most potent weapon). There's also some top-shelf production care of Cool & Dre, Kane Beatz and Tha Bizness, making it a wall-to-wall success.

In fact, the greatness of We Are Young Money begs the question: Is it the best posse album of all time?

It has happened dozens of times before: An MC blows up and brings along his (usually far less talented) crew along for a group album (or an excuse to spend money in the studio). For every We Are Young Money, there are a dozen records from the likes of the St. Lunatics (that was Nelly's crew, which included titans like Murphy Lee and City Spud). But there are a handful of records that are on par with (and occasionally above) the work of the group's alpha dog. Check out our picks below and vote in the poll.

Flipmode Squad, The Imperial
Busta Rhymes' recording career has been pretty spotty (outside of the true classic When Disaster Strikes), but the one album he cut with his crew is a model of quality and consistency. Alongside Busta, Squad members Rampage, Lord Have Mercy, Rah Digga, Spliff Star and Baby Sham spun together rugged rhymes and catchy choruses for an incredible brew (especially on the singles "Everybody on the Line Outside" and "Cha Cha Cha"). Some of the Flipmode members even went on to put out excellent solo work (like Rah Digga's Dirty Harriet).

G-Unit, Beg For Mercy
Think what you want about 50 Cent, but the first album he put together with his G-Unit crew is an intense, sometimes brutal but always impressive piece of gangsta pop. Read More...

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DMX Comes Back For Seconds: Wake-Up Video

Posted 12/22/09 9:00 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


Yesterday, Wake-Up Video was devoted to DMX's ...And Then There Was X, the chart-topping, five million-selling album that debuted in 1999. Today we turn the clock back one year to December 22, 1998, when X's second album Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood hit the market. It dropped only seven months after X's hot debut It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, making him only the second rapper ever to have two different albums hit the top of the Billboard album chart in the same year. (Tupac did it first in 1996 with All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.)

Even though Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood was recorded in the wake of It's Dark and Hell is Hot, there was quite a difference in the sound of the two albums. Flesh drilled down deep into X's sound, delivering more claustrophobic beats and even more ultra-violent rhymes. In fact, much of Flesh seems to lean towards horrorcore, especially considering X is covered in blood on the front cover and the album features a guest vocal appearance by Marilyn Manson (he sings the hook on "The Omen"). Even for DMX, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood is particularly dark. Still, the quality of the production kept the rapper on the radio, which is a testament to how hot a producer Swizz Beatz had become by the end of '98. (A few months later, the Ruff Ryders crew dropped the chart-topping Ryde or Die Vol. 1, which was essentially a forum for Swizz to flex his synth muscles.)

Because of its dark tone, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood is pretty light on singles, though the one song that did break through — the introspective "Slippin'" — was a massive hit with a video that perfectly matched the track's intensity.

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DMX Stands Alone: Wake-Up Video

Posted 12/21/09 9:00 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


It's hard to imagine now, but 10 years ago, DMX was not only the biggest rapper in the universe but also one of the hugest stars in music. His first two albums — It's Dark and Hell is Hot and Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood, both of which dropped in 1998 — helped bring hardcore rap back to the mainstream. X — birth name Earl Simmons — had a gruff, raw voice and a rat-tat-tat flow that acted as an ideal delivery system for his violent tales of the street. Buoyed by the minimalist production of Swizz Beatz, X and his Ruff Ryders crew (including Eve, Drag-On and the LOX) ascended to pop stardom and moved millions of albums at the end of the millennium.

DMX himself hit is greatest height when he dropped ...And Then There Was X on this day in 1999. It became his third chart-topping album, and it sold over five million copies, making it the biggest sales champ of X's career. ...And Then There Was X is a perfect example of the juxtaposition that DMX presented in pop music, as the music on it (largely produced by Swizz Beatz and Dame Grease) is largely neck-snappingly catchy. But the lyrics are especially blood-soaked and paranoid. That combination turned a song like "Party Up (Up in Here)" — which contains death-centric lyrics like "I bring down rains so heavy it curse the head/ No more talking/ Put him in the dirt instead" — into a gigantic pop hit.

"What's My Name?" also scored big, aided by a huge, Led Zeppelin-sized beat (care of Self & Irv Gotti) and an especially pounding set of verses by X. The profoundly cinematic video acts as both a statement of purpose and a representation of just how huge DMX had become. Legal troubles and MMA affiliations have dulled his star, but X can always count on the fact that in 1999, he absolutely ruled the world.

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Kanye West, Ludacris, Public Enemy And ... Slayer? 25 Years Of Def Jam Videos

Posted 10/14/09 11:16 am EST by in Music


Last night's annual "VH1 Hip-Hop Honors" show tipped its pimp hat to Def Jam Records, perhaps the most influential hip-hop company in history. When Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons launched Def Jam from Rubin's NYU dorm room 25 years ago, they surely could not have anticipated that they would nurture some of the greatest talent the hip-hop world has ever seen, from LL Cool J and Public Enemy to Ludacris and Young Jeezy.

In addition to more than two decades of killer music, artists on the Def Jam label have also focused on having a keen visual sense. As a result, some of the clips the label has put out over the years have become cornerstones of the video genre. From the punk-rock simplicity of the Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" and LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" to the grimy savagery of Redman's "Blow Your Mind" and Onyx's "Slam" to the widescreen gloss of Young Jeezy's "My President" and Rick Ross' "Magnificent," Def Jam videos have been eclectic and occasionally surreal but always memorable.

Def Jam's video history reveals some interesting wrinkles in the label's history. For example, Slayer's iconic album Reign in Blood was originally put out by the label (not shocking, considering Rubin's affinity for metal) and "Raining Blood" makes for a fascinating entry in the label's history. And even though Def Jam was always primarily identified as an East Coast label, they put out one of the bigger records of the early-'90s West Coast gangsta era in Warren G's Regulate ... G-Funk Era, which meant that the clip for "Regulate" (featuring a breakout performance from Nate Dogg) was a Def Jam original.

So take a look at the 20 videos that make up Def Jam's history, from oft-forgotten clips like Oran "Juice" Jones' "The Rain" and EPMD's "Headbanger" to more high-profile clips like Sisquo's "Thong Song," Ja Rule's "Holla Holla" and, of course, the Beastie Boys.

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Kanye West, Lady Gaga, David Letterman, Madonna And Adam Lambert: This Week's Deep Cuts

Posted 10/2/09 5:52 pm EST by in Deep Cuts


The giant grandfather clock in the MTV Newsroom will sound its final bells at any moment, which means it's time to remedy that terrible short-term memory and take a look back at the week that was here on the Newsroom blog. As the calendar switched from September to October and the fall weather began to descend, Kanye West remained in the headlines, Madonna ate pizza and zombies were everywhere. Want to have an instant nostalgia trip? Just keep reading.

» The "Fame Kills" tour — starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga — got put on the back burner, but that won't stop Gaga from doing her own shows.

» Madonna and David Letterman had a civil interview and then sat down for a slice.

» Jennifer Hudson celebrated the anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz" with a stirring rendition of "Over the Rainbow" live in Central Park.

» Adam Lambert has already sold a ton of albums, even though the record in question has no title or single. But that's okay, because he's driving people to donate to public schools.

» Before she got sick and had to cancel a bunch of Paramore shows, Hayley Williams wore a tank top on "The Tonight Show" that looked awfully familiar to us.
Read More...

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Five Rappers Who Should Follow DMX Into MMA

Posted 9/30/09 5:38 pm EST by in Music


Rappers testing their mettle in the sports world isn't new (remember Master P's brief attempt to break into the NBA with the Hornets?), but DMX's sojourn into the world of athletics might be the most intense yet. X will head to Alabama in December to step into a cage for a mixed martial arts fight. His opponent is a guy named Eric Martinez, a member of X's management team who actually has one professional MMA win under his belt.

X has never fought before, though he's no stranger to the UFC, as Chuck Liddell, the organization's most high-profile champion during its rise, used a DMX song as his entrance music for many of his biggest fights. As more and more former NFL players turn to the fight game (1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker just signed a fight contract), rappers won't be far behind. Here are the five other MCs who should learn a little jiu-jitsu and step into the cage.

Juelz Santana
The former Dipset member participated in BET's "The Iron Ring," a reality show that combined hip-hop and MMA. Though his team didn't come out on top in the end, Santana showed a nose for the game and has deceptive size that could help him master a little kickboxing.
Entrance Song: "Mic Check," because this is pay-per-view!

Read More...

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Kid Rock, Method Man, Fabolous And Others Kick It At VH1's Hip-Hop Honors

Posted 9/24/09 12:50 pm EST by in Behind The Scenes, Music


No sleep 'til Brooklyn. During rush hour, it takes about 90 minutes to get from Manhattan to BK, but horrendous traffic couldn't deter stars current and past from the Def Jam label from traveling to the world's most popular borough for VH1's sixth annual "Hip-Hop Honors." Right in the heart of Crooklyn at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the red carpet for the event was filled with heat (literally — it felt like it was about 120 degrees) and love.

KRS-One must have hugged former Def Jam franchise player DMX on the carpet. The Blastmaster said a definitive "Him!" and pointed to X when asked who was one of the artists that defined the label over the years.

Meanwhile, there's clearly no more bad blood between Ashanti and Ja Rule, as she smiled brightly when talking about performing with her former Murder Inc. labelmate.

Ludacris arrived with Player's Circle and Titi Boy took home the award for flashiest bling with a iced-out 747 hanging off of his chest.

As the carpet came to a close, Method Man ran into Kid Rock and the compliments went flying. Meanwhile, Fabolous said hello to fellow BK native Foxy Brown. Inside, Foxy and Onyx's Sticky Fingaz exchanged numbers before going to their seats.

Check out the rest of our "VH1 Hip-Hop Honors" photo gallery, featuring Ludacris, Kid Rock, Ghostface, Chuck D, Trey Songz and Flavor Flav! And be sure to check out the show, which airs on VH1 on Tuesday, October 13 at 9 p.m.!

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