Faith Evans will release a tell-all book “Keep The Faith” in August of this year. In the book she will talk about her childhood, the music business, her marriage to the Notorious B.I.G., and her situation with Tupac.

Remember the good old days of rap? Back when it was either fun to listen too (like Slick Rick) or important to listen too (like Public Enemy)? Well those days aren't over! For every Lil Wayne (can anybody really understand a word of what he is saying?), there is a Kanye West. For every David Banner, there is a Ludacris. Rap ain't dead...you just have to look for the good stuff (such as Nas' new album which came out this week!)...

Me being the whitest guy on the planet, I figured it was time for me to throw out a rap mix. It consists of some older rap artists and some new rap artists. These artists have made a contribution to the genre and made it better every time they lay a track down. Here's 8 great rap tracks...Enjoy!

1. Jurassic 5 - "What's Golden"

2. Public Enemy - "Who Stole The Soul"

3. Tupac - "Death Around The Corner"

4. Nas - "Sly Fox"

5. Jay Z - "99 Problems"

6. EPMD - "You Gots To Chill"

7. Missy Elliott - "Sock It To Me"

8. Slick Rick - "Children's Story"

Someone made the comment, how do you think Tupac would feel about a bunch of white people idolizing him? In the same realm, I ask how would Cindy Sherman feel about her reenactment posing in front of a dead rap superstar? Ahem...

I'm working on a 48 hour film this weekend and this photo was taken at the planning meeting. If all goes well I will be organizing costumes and maybe acting. It would be excellent if I could act as the Untitled Film Still of the day.  We shall see...

R&B Songstress Faith Evans is releasing her book, "Keep The Faith", this August and tells us ALL! From her debut in the music business, to her childhood, her marriage with the Notorious B.I.G, and even the rumored affair with Tupac!

All our Faith Evans fans, go cop it!

"I refuse to be a role model
I set goals, take control, drink out my own bottles
I make mistakes, I learn from everyone
And when its said and done
I bet this Brotha be a better one" -Golden

Summertime By the Fresh Prince Y Jazzy Jeff

Not My Job by Mac Dre

To Live and Die in LA by Tupac

Why Don't We Fall in Love by Amerie (don't front!)

Buddy By De la Soul feat. A Tribe Called Quest and the Jungle Brovas.

Released: July 3rd
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Trailer: Click here

The Film - Its the summer of 1994 and the streets of New York are pulsing with the sound hip hop and wafting with the sweet aroma of marijuana. The newly-inaugurated mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, is only just beginning to implement his wave of anti-fun initiatives against crimes such as noisy portable radios, graffiti and public drunkenness.

The Wackness centers upon a troubled high school student named Luke Shapiro ( played by Josh Peck of Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh ) a teenage pot dealer who forms a friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Squires (played by Ben Kingsley), a psychiatrist and kindred lost soul. When the doctor proposes Luke trade him weed for therapy sessions, while Luke is secretly crushing on his step daughter (played by Olivia Thirlby of Juno ) the pair begin to explore both New York City and their own depression.

Propelled by an exuberant hip hop score; featuring the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, NAS and The Notorious BIG, The Wackness captures the spell of 1994, a time of pagers, not cell phones; a time when Tupac and Biggie were still alive but Kurt Cobain had just died.

Funny and moving, The Wackness is an offbeat tale of two lost souls stumbling towards maturity.

Famke Janssen, Mary Kate Olsen and Method Man round out the cast in this edgy, bittersweet, and funny coming of age story.

The Verdict - I literally cannot wait to see this film!

- A

this is a madd flashback. i never knew there was a video for this joint. i used to hear this on our local hiphop radio show back in the day 'morning drive-by' hosted by maximus clean.
it's videos like this that put some things into perspective for me. seeing these broads dressed so thugged out and acting hard. you would never catch that shit in vancouver at all.
a couple of my favorite parts to this video are when they are rapping in the cave and partying madd hard. who made that desicion.? haha
plus at 1:30-1:36 where the dude on the far left is hanging on the window bars just jamming out doing his jig. he just seems so silly for doing so. imo.

Quincy D. Jones III of QD3 Entertainment is prepping a film biography of Lil Wayne entitled "The Carter" for 2009. Here's what he said about the rapper:

“In my career as a music/producer/film producer I’ve been blessed to have worked with some of the best artists of our time, including Tupac Shakur, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Ice Cube, and others,” Jones stated. “Lil’ Wayne is hands down the Tupac of this generation in that he is a true artist, a world class writer/performer, and he’s not afraid to push the envelop on any level which makes him a true original."

Wow that's a bold statement but I must agree. He has a way of drawing people in. Everything he says does and touches people are fascinated by. Is he the new Tupac no nobody will ever be. But I think he creates interest and intrigue just like Pac used to. I can't wait to see the movie, it looks really interesting!! Here's a dope cut off his new album called "Phone Home!"............

-NoahSife.com is the best!

The self-proclaimed “best rapper alive,” Lil’ Wayne, proved to be just that, when his last album Tha Carter III sold over 1 million copies in its first week. Now, the rap superstar looks shine on a different stage, as QD3 Entertainment preps a film biography on the life and career of Mr. Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. titled, The Carter for 2009. From the producers who delivered the Tupac Shakur documentary, Thug Angel, as well as the popular Beef DVD series, QD3 Entertainment in association with Young Money Entertainment, has announced plans to release the first-ever biography on the life and career of Weezy. Directed by filmmaker Adam Lough (The Upsetter, which chronicled the life and music of reggae producer Lee “Scratch” Perry), the film will explore the man, his family and the drive behind his fame.  rest of the story via HipHopHoney.com

Hova rapped over it, briefly -- just one dense verse packed with a UK reference in nearly every line. Let's see how many you pick out:

London's bridges are falling down
Not bridges but britches when Jigga's in town
Lady show me your knickers
I might let you kick it if you don't tell the missus,
Quick, run, before the tabloids come
Run from the night or we end up in The Sun
I'm just taking the piss -- unless you're gonna do it
Oh Nelly's gone so Makaveli
Bring Tupac of condoms when you come to the tele
Tell me if this is true
If diamond's are a girls' best friend, my crew
Would like to extend an invitation to you
We like to invite you to
Our family --
Jewelry I mean ‘cause my jewels are currently being guarded by the queen

In lingo alone we caught five Britishisms right there, and the line about The Sun is not only smart but more so than anything that's been published in the tabloid. (Their top stories usually include coverage of the reality show Big Brother.)

But we need your help with one line: "Nelly's gone so Makaveli." Makaveli is one of Tupac Shakur's nicknames, and the "unless you're gonna do it" line is from Nelly's "Hot in Herre." In the song, Nelly half-apologizes to a girl for this bold proposition:

I got a friend with a pole in the basement
I'm just Kidding like Jason
Unless you're gonna do it

But is there a tie between him and Tupac? Readers, this one's on you. (via AllHipHop)

MP3: Jay-Z - "American Boy" (Live at Glastonbury 2008)

[audio http://wordsworthmedia.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/jayz-american-boy-live-at-glastonbury-2008.mp3]

Reported by Rolling Stone:

Following the bankruptcy of Death Row Records’ Suge Knight, the famed label hit the auction block Wednesday. Ultimately, Nashville-based Global Music Group won the rights to Death Row’s catalogue for $24 million and taking ownership of albums like Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle and, perhaps most lucratively, twenty unreleased tracks by Tupac Shakur. Odds are that a new, posthumous Tupac album could hit shelves by the end of the year, though one obstacle is that new Tupac releases must be approved by Evergreen Copyrights and Shakur’s heir. Evergreen and Warner Music Group were both in the running to buy Death Row, but the label’s deep pool of unpaid debts scared away both companies from offering more money. Suge Knight was forced to sell off Death Row Records after falling into bankruptcy following a $107 million judgment leveled against Knight by a former partner.

Following the bankruptcy of Death Row Records’ Suge Knight, the famed label hit the auction block Wednesday. Ultimately, Nashville-based Global Music Group won the rights to Death Row’s catalogue for $24 million and taking ownership of albums like Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle and, perhaps most lucratively, twenty unreleased tracks by Tupac Shakur. Odds are that a new, posthumous Tupac album could hit shelves by the end of the year, though one obstacle is that new Tupac releases must be approved by Evergreen Copyrights and Shakur’s heir. Evergreen and Warner Music Group were both in the running to buy Death Row, but the label’s deep pool of unpaid debts scared away both companies from offering more money. Suge Knight was forced to sell off Death Row Records after falling into bankruptcy following a $107 million judgment leveled against Knight by a former partner.

Join the offical land of the banned Messageboard

The result? Specualtion about Tupac's secret compound in Cuba will haunt fans, perhaps forever.

Meanwhile, reporting of the LA Times has become uncannily reminiscint of the kind of drama pieces on cities under seige.

5. NAS - REPRESENT

NAS was huge as soon as Illmatic came out. Fresh out Queensbridge (also home to Mobb Deep), NAS would help transform hip-hop into Gangsta rap. If you were to map out the lineage of this music he'd be in the center, the bridge from Big Daddy Kane and Rakim to 50 cent and Jay-Z (although Jay-Z would disagree). Most people would have put "life's a bitch" as the selected single, but I've always felt this track has something more.

4. A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - OH MY GOD w/ Busta Rhymes

Tribe is the epitome of that early 90s hip hop sound; uplifting lyrics and soft beats. And while the rest of New York would soon abandon it in favor of hardcore rap, Tribe would stay true to its origins, releasing 5 albums until their eventual break up in the late 90s. Their influence can be seen on many modern artists including Common, Blackstar, and Lupe Fiasco. There's tons of singles I could have selected for this (scenario, bonita aplebaum, can i kick it, etc.) but I wanted to see a bit more of early Busta. Plus the videos a throw to spike lee's Do the right thing (1989).

3. THE BEASTIE BOYS - SO WHAT'CHA WANT

Already established, the Beastie Boys were capable of doing of producing a variety of sounds. While Paul's Boutique was a step away from the cheesy, early hip-hop of License to Ill, check your head was the return to the NY sound. Mostly, I find it amazing that three white, upper class, jewish kids stayed relevant for so long.

2. THE NOTORIOUS BIG - JUICY

You can't talk about 90s hip hop, or any hip hop, without talking about BIG, his explosion onto the scene changed everything. Thanks largely in part to Puffy's melodic beats, Biggie's rhymes about drugs, would become more acceptable and gangsta rap was born. Now there's two types of rap, BB and AB, before biggie and after biggie (I know you Tupac fans would disagree but lets remember, he wasn't always gangsta, I do recall a small stint with Digital Underground.)

1. THE WU TANG CLAN - C.R.E.A.M

And then there was Wu-Tang. While everyone was rapping about parties and black power and anything else, Wu Tang was telling tales of New York's dirty underbelly. They were gangsta rap before there was gangsta rap and no one did it better. Anything off of 36 chambers could have worked for this post but I chose cream because Cash still Rules Everything Around Me.

There's a lot of other artists and songs that could go on this list. Please post other songs you like, I'd love to see them. AND GO WATCH THE WACKNESS, IT'S GREAT.

HONORABLE MENTION: AMHAD - BACK IN THE DAY

This track didn't make the final cut because AMHAD fell to the wayside but its a great song. I don't remember the video but here it is:

10 . BIZ MARKIE - JUST A FRIEND

You can't make a list of 90s music without this song ending up somewhere on it. Even though it technically came out in 1989 its a staple in early hip hop and to this day, you can't play it at a party without people singing along. Although Biz never had another solo hit, he went on to tour and produce with the beastie boys for years.

9. FRESH PRINCE and D JAZZY JEFF - SUMMERTIME

Before he was the $20 million man he is today, Will Smith was the Fresh Prince and yes he could rap. Then he had a hit TV show and a blossoming movie career and then he came back to produce such classic albums as BIG WILLIE STYLE and THE WILD WEST SOUNDTRACK (insert enthusiastic sarcasm). But before he was horrible, he left us with this classic that even won him a grammy in '91.

8. CRAIG MACK - FLAVA IN YOUR EAR REMIX w/Biggie, Busta

Most people don't know this but Craig Mack was the first artist who signed with bad boy. Although he never went on to become huge, this remix was greatly successful for two other artists; Busta Rhymes who solo career was just getting going after leaving leaders of the new school (In '96 he went huge when he released WOO HA) and the NOTORIOUS B.I.G. who's album was just released and would go on to lead the NY sound, but more about him later.

7. MOBB DEEP - SHOOK ONES pt. 2

Released in '95 shook ones is a blend of the early 90s melodic hip hop with the rising gangsta fascination that would soon take over the radio sound. Following in the steps of Biggie, Mobb deep went on to some success but fizzled out after the east coast/west coast war ended... and they got shitted on by Tupac.

6. PHARCYDE - PASSIN' ME BY

Pharcyde's first album BIZZARRE RIDE II THE PHARCYDE was hilarious, full of stories about trannies, smoking weed, and mamma jokes, but it was a love song that made them big. I remember listening to this song OVER AND OVER again so I memorize the entire thing and sing along (my dear, my dear, you do not know me but I know you very well...) and you got to love the opening Hendrix sample.

NUMBERS 5 -1 TOMORROW

De reden waarom Suge zijn ooit succesvolle platenmaatschappij verkocht is, omdat hij daartoe door het Federale hof is gesommeerd.  Suge (echte naam: Marion Knight) werd namelijk in 2006  bankroet verklaard.

Normaal gaat er tien dagen overeen, maar de deal vond vandaag plaats tijdens een veiling in Los Angeles. Global Music Group, gevestigd in Tenessee, heeft nu onder meer alle rechten in het bezit van de complete Death row catalogus inclusief tien (nog) ongepubliceerde tracks van Tupac.

[dailymotion id=x2ctky]

Video Clip : Words

Singer : Tupac

[dailymotion id=xhekb]

Video Clip : Fuck All Y'all

Singer : Tupac

Last week, I asked my barber who he thought was the best rapper between Tupac and Biggie.  He said Tupac.  My barber felt that Tupac spoke to ordinary people's everyday issues.  He also mentioned that Tupac was one of the only people who talked about God and spirituality in his music.  I thought about it and I agreed with him.  Tupac was the first person I knew who dealt with spiritual issues in his music.  From "I Wonder if Heaven has a Ghetto" to "Only God can Judge Me," Tupac examined the role of God in his life.  But the next question I asked my barber was whether he thought Tupac went to heaven.  He answered, "Yea, because he talked about God."  Which lead me to my next question --  "what do you think it takes to get to heaven?"  He said, "As long as your good outweighs your bad then you are straight."  Dang...Is that the standard of entering the kingdom of God?  I feel sad, because I think a lot of people think that way, and a lot of them profess to be Christian.  Ultimately, I don't know where Tupac is, but I do know that if he didn't turn from his sins and trust in Jesus for salvation from God's wrath, then he is not with God.  What about you?  What do you think?

My biz partner David and I have talked at length about how our business has forced us to grow to like artists that would normally make us lose all respect among our long-time friends. The irony is amazing. He may just be the world's biggest Pearl Jam fan - a band that will sell out MSG a few nights in a row, yet haven't had a radio hit in years and refuses any and all corporate sponsorship. Personally and sadly, I haven't maintained that kind of steadfast dedication to an artist in years, but have definitely had brushes with music snobbery in my day. Now we both have to stay completely dialed into the game plans of what our friends would label the biggest sell-outs ever, but we deal with it. I can think of about 30 million worse jobs out there.

Our job is to stay open-minded, un-biased, consumer-focused and always strategic. And because of this, I think I am finally able to understand and respect the total fuckin' juggernaut that is Lil Wayne.

Forever, I despised him. Here is a brief list of reasons why:

• Until very recently, his music made me cringe
• His persona and music did not speak to me (nor should it have)
• His previous associations - Cash Money, Hot Boyz, etc.
• Awful quotes in magazines
• His adoption and overuse of my favorite brand at the time, Bathing Ape
• Two words: Barry Bonds

That shit ain't cool!

Reasons why I like him now:

• Lollipop is undeniable
• The reaction he gets from crowds - of all types of kids - is infectious
• He follows nobody, but his range of influences is very interesting
• He claims Nirvana was his favorite band growing up
• He has an insane grasp on very current pop culture and can weave it into his 77 songs/year
• I learned he was in the 'gifted' program at school, dropped out at 14, but still got his GED
• He plays guitar, and gets indie rock, music snob love
• He sells a million records in a week, and still is smart enough to get music videos for two of his singles for the price of one, as seen below

His rise also reminds me a lot of another artist that grew on me enough to become one of my favorite people of all time. Let's hope for a different ending to Wayne's story.

Set for release on July 15th, the album leaked early, now it's time to review 1 of the most talked about albums of the year...

Queens Get The Money

Produced by Jay Electronica, the beat is bland, Nas takes some shots at Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, i was expecting him to speak on the album title controversy, why he choose the topic, maybe afews shots at Team Sharpton

You Can’t Stop Us Now

RZA used the same sample for his single "You Can't Stop Me Now", off of his new album Digi Snacks

Featuring Eban Thomas of The Stylistics & The Last Poets, Nas speaks about the people who try to demonize African-Americans/Hip Hop

Breathe

This feels like "Play On Playa Part II" minus Snoop, skippable track

Make The World Go Round

Featuring Chris Brown on the hook & The Game (who also co-produced the track with Cool & Dre), weak track, skippable track

Hero

Quality beat produced by Polow Da Don, Nas rips it with the last verse, hopefully this single will have an Official Video

America

Nas speaks on America's History, racism, lack of Black role models in specific industries, it's continuing savagery

Sly Fox

Produced by Stic.man of Dead Prez, Nas disses FOX News, labels it visual cancer

Testify

Nasir asks for our support, you may buy his music but do you support his struggle?

N.I.G.G.E.R. (The Slave And The Master)

Produced by DJ Toomp, Nas speaks his surroundings growing up, the come up in life/the game & the need for loyalty/family

Louis Farrakhan

Nas speaks from the perspective of a Revolutionary, "then they'll use 1 of my lines to prove am guilty"

Fried Chicken

Great concept song, featuring Busta Rhymes, fire beat produced by Mark Ronson

Project Roach

Featuring The Last Poets, who diss the Sharpton Teams decision to have a Funeral for the N-Word, Nas raps from the persepective of a roach, yes a roach for a verse (Nas tries to personifies the insect as a metaphor for the derogatory term) then The Last Poets ascert that "Niggas are like roaches, they're never gonna go away, learn from them what we should not become, cause Niggas don't die (echo)..."

Ya’ll My Niggas

Nas speaks on the N-Word controversy, how the word has evolved from a word full of hate to a word of camaraderie within the African-American Youth

We’re Not Alone

Hip Hop Cops, UFOs, secret militart bases, conspiracy theories, you name it, we're not alone

Black President

Produced by DJ Green Lantern, sampling Tupac, Nasir speaks on Obama Mania, will he keep it real or sell his soul to Corporate America?

CONCLUSION

Commercially, Tha Carter III, is the most talked about album of the year but to Hip Hop Heads, when a Nas album is close to release, it is like fiends looking for their next hit of crack

Since late 2007, the hype for this album has grown due to Nas wanting to name it "Nigger", some tracks were "leaked" around April/May which further helped build the buzz, Hero/The Nigger Tape kept the fiends happy

Nas said he wanted to start a debate by naming the album "Nigger", but even though he was forced to change it due to 3rd party interference (White House, Walmart etc), he said the topic remains the same

Untitled showcases some vintage Nas music, Hero, although it has a commercial sound, Nas rips the last verse

Sly Fox showscases Nas shooting some lyrical bullets at the FOX News Network, while Fried Chicken see's Nas & Busta using the piece of food as a metaphor, while You Can't Stop Us Now, see's Nas defending the position of Hip Hop

On Black President, Nas discusses the 2008 Presidential Election, Barack's chances, the hype/anger about a Black President

Although there are some quality tracks, Untitled isn't short of tracks which lack quality, Make The World Go Around being the track which Nasir goes Pop seemingly forgetting about the topic he wishes to discuss (RE: the previous album title) while the intro track, Queens Get The Money, lacks the early punches of the debate, he forgets about the topic instead taking some shots at friend turned foe Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson

Although there are some bumps along the road, Untitled keeps the fiends happy but some will be dismayed that he let the gangster talk creep in on an album that seemed to be steered down the Political route, although not a CLASSIC, Untitled is still worth a thorough listen

Stand-Out Tracks: Hero, Sly Fox, Fried Chicken, Black President

Weaks Tracks: Breathe, Make The World Go Around

Not much to say except, check it out here:  http://www.albertmohler.com/radio_show.php?cdate=2008-07-01

Enjoy!

When I worked in the pool hall in Grantham I saw a mate of mine on X Factor or Popstars, or one of those shows. He hadn't told anyone he was going on, or that he'd been on, he just found himself in Manchester on the day of the audition (he was a removal man) and went for it. He sang that Ronan Keating song about saying it best when you say nothing at all. Which in my mate's case, was very fucking apt. Anyway, he didn't get the hilarious slating I hoped, but apparently he was told he had a good look for a boy band, but not the vocal strength to be a solo singer. Which was a very diplomatic way of saying you're shit but at least you're not ugly.

Anyway, this guy was the person who first told me that Tupac wasn't actually dead. He mentioned something about Tupac wearing a pair of Nikes in his video that weren't released until after he died (and reading that link, I bet he wore a size seven). When I pressed him on this total bullshit, he assured me that Tupac had staged his death to get out of the media spotlight, and retreated to a quiet suburban life-style somewhere unremarkable to avoid detection.

I voiced my opinion that I found it all very hard to believe and he replied that until he had met Tupac himself, seen him with his very own eyes, he too was a non believer.

"Hang on." I said. "You've met Tupac?"

Apparently on one of his removal jobs he went to get chips from a chippy in Mansfield and Tupac was working behind the counter. He had had severe cosmetic surgery to alter his appearance, so much so that he was now white. He still went by the name Tupac (obviously), and still wore his trademark bandanna.

"I mean," he said, "I didn't believe him at first, but then why would he lie?"

I stopped knocking about with this guy not long after. I couldn't work out if he was crazy because he'd concocted this whole story, or if he was crazy because he believed the guy who'd concocted this whole story. Either way, it was time for me to move on and stop going drinking with these absolute fruit bats.

All of which came flooding back to me when I read this article in the Observer Music Monthly magazine from a while back. There's some bad craziness in this world, I think.