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Poll: When Hip Hop Goes Pop? Who's Next?

Posted 10/27/11 12:58 pm EST by in Music, Newsroom Poll


If, as they say, three's a trend, then we are knee-deep in one, folks. As hip-hop stars and pop stars continue to choose to work with one another, the two types of music continue to meld, mashing things up and making genre a thing of the past.

With everyone from Joe Jonas and Justin Bieber to Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift all embracing hip-hop, the guys on the other end of things are also getting on board with the shift. Drake, Kanye West, T.I., Nicki Minaj and Tyler, The Creator are all jumping at the chance to work with these performers.

No longer is it taboo to crossover; in fact, it's kind of cool to give shine to other genres. Sure, there's already been a lot of cool collabos banked, but it got us wondering who we might want to see hit the studio together next.

We came up with a few suggestions and now it's your turn to tell us if we got it right. Vote below to tell us which collabo you'd most like to see!

Did we miss anyone? Let us know in the comments!

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New West Week: Diary Of The L.A. Hip-Hop Scene

Posted 4/19/11 5:41 pm EST by in MTV News, Music


By Steven Roberts

New West Week, spotlighting the re-energized L.A. hip-hop scene, is under way at MTV News, and when I originally pitched the concept of a New West Week I didn't have much of a big, grandiose plan.

I noticed that there were a bunch of young, up-and-coming artists in L.A. who didn't have much in common other than the fact that they weren't of the N.W.A/Dr. Dre lineage and were being overlooked. But the main reason I wanted to go out to Cali was because I thought Odd Future and Casey Veggies were dope.

I didn't know much about either act before last November. I'd seen a bunch of reviews from their Webster Hall show and our rock editor, James Montgomery, even stopped by to talk to me about them. I was familiar with some Mellowhype tracks that I had heard on a few blogs, and I only knew Tyler, the Creator from a remix of N.E.R.D's "Inside of Clouds" he'd done. I didn't know that those guys were a part of a larger group or even that Tyler rapped. Read More...

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50 Cent Inspiration Lorenzo 'Fat Cat' Nichols' Lasting Legacy

Posted 3/8/10 11:52 am EST by in Music


By Rahman Dukes

"As a youth, all I ever did was sell crack, I used to idolize Cat/ Hurt me in my heart to hear that n---a snitched on Pap/ How he go out like that?" - 50 Cent, "Ghetto Qu'Ran"

John "Teflon Don" Gotti. Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff. Alpo and Rich Porter. Pappy Mason. The list goes on. Since the early 1980s, rappers have established an underlying parallel with America's most notorious gangsters. Some of the biggest rap artists' lyrics are littered with vivid street storytelling guaranteed to be influenced by real life tales from the litany of original gangsters.

One name that rings bells in the New City region is none other than Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols. Nichols made a name for himself in the Southside section of Jamaica, Queens in the '80s during the height of the crack era, along with henchman Pappy Mason and fellow Queens kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff. Nichols ruled the 150th street strip like Avon Barksdale in an episode of "The Wire." However, Fat Cat is notoriously known to the NYPD as the man responsible for putting a contract on decorated police officer Edward Byrnes, who was protecting a witness on the verge of testifying against the Nichols empire. The murder of officer Byrnes would eventually be the downfall of the Fat Cat era.

In the urban community, serving time in a correctional facility secured hood points. Rappers have recognized and supported that, making Fat Cat into a legend in New York City. Oddly enough, the street hustlers looked at rappers as "soft." Still, lyricists like Nas, Mobb Deep, LL Cool J and even 50 Cent have celebrated Nichols throughout their raps during their career. It has been heavily rumored that it was Fat Cat — and not McGriff — who gave a young Curtis Jackson his start as a hustler on the streets of Queens.

Recently, there have been reports that Fat Cat is up for parole in April, though it's expected to be one of many parole denials for Fat Cat if current NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly has anything to say about it). But no matter the outcome, Kelly cannot remove hip-hop's obsession with one of Queens' most notorious urban legends, and there will no doubt be more songs to come.

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Legendary Graffiti Artist Phade Creates Mural For Hip-Hop Museum

Posted 12/23/09 3:39 pm EST by in Music


By Rahman Dukes

If you ask iconic New York City graffiti artist Phade (better known as Shirt King Phade from the legendary Shirt Kingz) about the current state of hip-hop, he'd more than likely tell you it's alive and breathing and resides in the Bronx, New York.

Whether you agree or disagree, Phade has been around the culture for decades and just like any other passionate hip hop fan is entitled to his opinion. But the difference between Phade and your average fan is Phade has lived the life of a rapper. And his crew, the Shirt Kingz, are his clique.

For those who may not be aware, Phade and the almighty Shirt Kingz carved a name for themselves in hip hop history by hooking up some of the '80s biggest acts with customized clothing. From LL Cool J to BBD to Biz Markie to Jay-Z, you weren't considered royalty in hip-hop if you didn't own a piece of clothing from the Shirt Kingz.

While the days of Phade and his brothers Nike and the late Kashim designing shirts for the likes of Big Daddy Kane (featuring cartoon character Wyle E. Coyote holding a bottle of Olde English malt liquor) have passed behind him, Phade and Nike still remind the hip-hop community where the origins of the music came from: the art.

For the past week, Phade has been hard at work on his latest masterpiece: A mural for the Hip-Hop Cultural Museum located in Harlem, New York. Read More...

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Eminem, Mos Def And Black Thought: Who Ruled The Cypher?

Posted 10/28/09 12:50 pm EST by in Music


By Steven Roberts

The BET Awards aired last night, and there were plenty of memorable moments. Jay-Z and Young Jeezy opened the show with a performance of "As Real as it Gets," Hov took home the MVP of the Year Award and Ice Cube was honored with the "I Am Hip-Hop" lifetime achievement award for "knockin' n----s out the box, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly." There were also performances from Snoop, Gucci Mane — excuse me, GUCCI! — and the recently-reunited Goodie Mob.

But the main segments everyone is talking about this morning are the three cyphers that took place during the show, most notably the cypher featuring Mos Def, Black Thought of the Roots and Eminem. Half of the MTV Newsroom is still debating who came the hardest.

Mos Def started off the cypher introducing the three MCs and proclaiming that since they were in his hometown, "I gotta do this for Brooklyn." The Mighty Mos proceeded to shout out various blocks in the borough in his freestyle. Black Thought represented for Philly and completely blacked out. And Eminem brought up the rear and completely murdered it. Slim Shady blended the pill-popping, inane pop culture references and amazing lyrical talent that everyone was expecting from Rehab.

There were also plenty of stand-outs from the first two cyphers. The first saw Nicki Minaj switch up her cadence between her regular high-pitched voice to an even squeakier animated one, while Joe Budden brought the same lyrical prowess that has made him such a polarizing figure. The second was a blend of teachers and students: Old-schooler KRS-One introduced newcomers Wale, Nipsey Hussle and Tunisian MC Gsan, each of whom threw down like veterans.

What do you think? Did Eminem steal the cypher or should the lyrical crown be given to Black Thought or Mos Def? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

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Legendary New York Hip-Hop DJ Mr. Magic Dies

Posted 10/2/09 2:47 pm EST by in Music


Mr. Magic

By Jayson Rodriguez

"Every Saturday 'Rap Attack,' Mr. Magic, Marley Marl ..." — Notorious B.I.G., "Juicy"

Biggie immortalized him in rhyme, but by the time the Brooklyn MC name-checked Mr. Magic on 1994's Ready to Die, the DJ was already a living legend. It was confirmed today that Mr. Magic passed away after suffering a heart attack. (At press time it was unknown how old he was.)

Magic, born John Rivas, was a pioneer in hip-hop and made his mark as the first DJ to host a mixshow hour on commercial radio, which was revolutionary in the early 1980s but as common as a rap CD with a "Parental Advisory" sticker on it today. Back in 1982 when Mr. Magic, along with Marley Marl as his DJ and Tyrone "Fly Ty" Williams as co-producer, kick-started "Rap Attack," the program's launch was arguably as significant to music history as when the Moonman planted the MTV flag in outer space.

"Rap Attack" was a cultural touchstone fondly remembered by countless rappers, breakdancers, journalists and fans who were transfixed by the early sounds of hip-hop transmitted through their speakers by Mr. Magic.

Aside from the musical nods ("Juicy" and Whodini's "Magic's Wand"), Magic was also known for his part in the watershed battle between the Juice Crew — founded by Marley Marl and featuring Big Daddy Kane, Craig G. and Kool G Rap — and KRS-One's Boogie Down Productions.
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Jay-Z And Beyonce Heart Grizzly Bear

Posted 8/31/09 12:25 pm EST by in Music


What did you do on Sunday?

Well, if you were Jay-Z or Beyoncé (or Beyoncé's sister Solange), then you braved the be-jorted masses in Brooklyn to check out Grizzly Bear's set down at the Williamsburg Waterfront.

Yes, that's right: In perhaps the summer's biggest fish-out-of-water moment (aside from Kanye at Nine Inch Nails last week) Jigga and B waded into the epicenter of Hipster Nation on Sunday, sending texters and Twitters into a veritable frenzy as they grooved to the hazy, lazy sounds of Grizzly Bear at the final JellyNYC Pool Party of 2009.

Perhaps fittingly, they wore their Bedford Avenue best (Jay in dark shades and a gingham shirt, Bey channeling her inner Debbie Gibson), and by all accounts — i.e. roughly 100,000 Tweets and a few shaky YouTube clips — they were really into the show, drinking booze out of plastic cups (just like us!) and bobbing their heads to the beat (and during GB's sun-dappled "Ready, Able," Jay even threw his hands in the air as if he didn't care). Apparently, Solange is really into the Grizz, and brought Jay and Bey out to the show, which is pretty awesome and gives us hope for a Grizzly Bear/Jigga collabo on The Blueprint IV (which should see the light of day sometime in 2015).

Of course, not everyone shared our enthusiasm. Even though the show was free -- you know, as in "anyone can attend" -- their appearance set blogs ablaze with (predictably hand-wringing) posts, most of which seemed to posit that Grizzly Bear were now officially "over" because Jay and Beyoncé decided to check out the show (you know, despite the fact GB's Veckatimest debuted at #8 on the Billboard albums chart earlier this year).

This sort of ruined our post-weekend high, though we did get a laugh out of one Brooklyn Vegan commenter, who summed up all the hullabaloo thusly: "Do people write about me like this when I show up at Big Daddy Kane or Del La Soul or Dead Prez?"

Good point, dude.

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The War Over 'Hottest MCs' Begins On Eminem's Radio Station

Posted 8/12/09 2:55 pm EST by in Music


By Rahman Dukes

The "Hottest MCs in the Game" project is just days away from its official launch, and for some reason members of the hip-hop department are already finding ourselves defending the list.

It all started this past Monday when we unveiled the news that "Hottest" was coming back, along with a poll soliciting users to tell us who their "Hottest MC" was. And although it clearly states in fine print that the current poll would have no impact on the official "Hottest" list, all hell has broken loose.

Aside from the hundreds of comments our passionate users left on the message boards, "Hottest MCs" creators Shaheem Reid, Jayson Rodriguez and myself headed to to Eminem's intergalactic home on Sirius Satellite Radio's Shade 45 station with the lovely and talented Angela Yee.

Angela has potentially the hottest show on satellite radio and wanted to sit down with the crew and pick our brains on the poll and the upcoming project. For the duration of the show, we fielded questions from users both online and on the airwaves. It was interesting: The consensus was that fans truly believe their picks on the poll would be implemented into the final selections for the list.

"Why isn't Joell Ortiz there?"

"Why are Redman and Raekwon there?"

"Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy better not be on that list or I'm no longer watching MTV." Those were just a few of the many questions/demands that we received this morning.

Sitting in on that radio show for that hour made me realize we may now be in for the biggest fight of our careers. While I always encourage fans to chime and and give us their thoughts on our many projects — specifically on the much-debated "Hottest MCs" conversation — it kills me when people ask "What gives you guys the credibility to say who is hot? Why don't ya’ll have DJs sitting on your panel?" During the live chat an old friend from my Troy, New York stomping grounds: Mr. Always Chill. Mr. Always was the first cat who let me rock a party at the Troy Boys & Girls club then gave me my first gig spinning at WRPI on Saturdays from Noon to four p.m.

So there you go: Ya boy is/has been a DJ since the 5th grade. Hip-hop is in my blood.

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The NBA Draft's Big Question: Which New Star Will Try A Rap Career?

Posted 6/25/09 12:49 pm EST by in Music


Tonight's NBA Draft will make a handful of young men into instant millionaires and household names in their new teams' cities. The basketball contract is merely the beginning, as there will be endorsement deals, commercial acting, clothing lines and — if they're especially ambitious — an attempted rap career. The NBA is littered on all sides with players who dabbled in the hip-hop game, but the ratio of attempts to success is way off-kilter. Save for the platinum status of Shaquille O'Neal's Shaq Diesel, most of attempts at rap have ended in sadness. To wit:

» Kobe Bryant: He just won his fourth championship and is a former MVP, but his rhyming skills left a lot to be desired. He cut one track called "K.O.B.E." that featured Tyra Banks and that he performed on NBA TV and dropped in on a few cuts with 50 Cent and Beanie Sigel (all around 2000), but couldn't get his hip-hop career going.

» Tony Parker: The San Antonio Spurs guard put out a French-language rap album called TP in 2007 (Parker is originally from Belgium). Apparently he's not a bad MC, but since we don't speak French, we have to assume he's just reciting pie recipes or talking about kittens.
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Remembering Miami's 'Lost' Hip-Hop Scene

Posted 6/12/09 6:19 pm EST by in Music



By DJ EFN

Most people have come to associate Miami with South Beach real estate, Cuban cuisine and the bass-heavy music of Uncle Luke. But Miami's hip-hop history runs a lot deeper than that. Few would think of Miami as a playground for b-boys and b-girls, but in the early '90s that's exactly what it was. It's the scene that nurtured my passion for hip-hop and the surrounding culture. The city of Miami would be nothing had it not been for the pioneering music of Luke and 2 Live Crew, Poison Clan, DJ Uncle Al and the Sugar Hill DJs, DJ Laz and Ghetto Style DJs, as well as the blood, sweat and tears shed by the graffiti artists and b-boys.

But for some reason this scene was lost — left out of the history books and denied its proper recognition. It's left to be reminisced about among those that lived it. Many of us veterans still remain and are still strong forces within the Miami hip-hop industry. This is my recollection of this scene, how I experienced it and the people and places that I saw during this period.

In the late '80s and early '90s, New York was the dominant city in regards to hip-hop music and culture, while other cities such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston and Chicago were starting to come into their own. Miami had been recognized on the national scene with the success of 2 Live Crew, but it also created a Miami stereotype that made it difficult to take the city seriously as a hip-hop force. Breakdancing pioneers like Chilski and Speedy Legs made sure to inspire young future breakers. The streets of Miami were also covered in art by graffiti crews like Ink Heads, STV, Dam Crew, Aim Crew and BSK, who showcased their talents while avoiding the cops.
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