Last week we debuted the final, mixed-down version of Pistol Pone’s new single “She Only Smiles.” After a week of waiting with bated-breath, the visuals for the track have finally arrived. Alipone fleshed out the concept of “She Only Smiles” very nicely, celebrating wholesome women both on a broad scale and in his own life. The Honcho-produced cut has been popular on our radio show for a minute, and the message is undeniably positive and unique in an era of hip-hop that undermines and vastly under-represents its female population. Hit the skip for a link to the HD version of the video and a download link for the final version of “She Only Smiles”!

Alipone – She Only Smiles [prod. DJ Head Honcho]

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“She Only Smiles” Video in HD.
Download: Alipone – She Only Smiles [prod. DJ Head Honcho]

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It gets even better. In the sixth inning, Volstad threw behind Morgan. Morgan paused momentarily while looking towards the third base dugout, then he BOLTED towards the mound. Watch this clip- Morgan manages to get his elbow protector off while running towards the mound. He gets one good left cross in before first baseman Gaby Sanchez decks him to the ground. Nyjer Morgan, if you read this, I am not passing judgment, but its hard to watch these events pile up and not want to say…”YOU MAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!”

Hockey doesn’t get a lot of hip-hop love. Yeah Lil Jon likes the Atlanta Thrashers, and Wale likes Alex Ovechkin, and Big L said: “What’s this motherf*ckin’ rap game without L/ thats like[...]hockey games without fights.” Even if it is a hard sport to learn about, I’m pretty sure if you are hitting a puck into a net you can still be ballin’ too. That’s why Ilya Kovalchuk deserves his 15 minutes of hip hop fame. To quote Riley Freeman from the Boondocks, Kovalchuk is “stacking his paper to ceiling.” The New Jersey Devils initially offered Kovalchuk a 102 million, 17 year contract that the NHL rejected it, saying it was an attempt to avoid the salary cap. However, the Devils tweaked the offer to 100 million dollars over 15 years, and the NHL approved that deal. Get Money, Money to Blow, Money in the Bank, and Money Ain’t A Thing definitely resonate with the number of zeros and commas in Kovalchuk’s new bank roll.
In other money news, Manny “Money” Ramirez was claimed off of waivers by the Chicago White Sox. Who was his first opponent in the new uniform? None other than his former team the Boston Red Sox. In talking with the media he took the blame for a bitter ending in Beantown, but empty apologetic words are too little too late. Maybe he could take a page out of Kevin Durant’s book: how to be a class act while cleaning house in international competition (Team USA is 5-0 in the FIBA Tournament). Lastly, The NFL season starts next week. While the official change of seasons isn’t until September 21st, the start of the football season is an unofficial marker that the carefree hot days of the summer are pretty much over. So until then I’ll be trying to figure out how Jim Abbott managed all those years with just one hand.

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Hit the skip for a clip of some behind the scenes ish

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The Huffington Post threw up an interesting slideshow recently, comparing rappers to colleges.  Jay-Z as Harvard, Kanye as U Chicago….check out the article to see where Tupac, Biggie, and Lupe ended up.

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Curren$y Feat. Wiz Khalifa and Big K.R.I.T. – Scaling The Building

Rapper’s have become so filled with bravado that instead of just rapping about how successful they are, they rap about how effortless their success comes to them.  Dressing fresh, making hits, and nabbing women is possible, no matter how stoned or lazy you are.  How burnt do you think Curren$y feels every morning?

Anyways, Cocaine Blunts has put up a nice little critique of the effortless swag phenomenon:

For too long effortless cool has been the primary commodity amongst rappers. Our d-boy rappers don’t have to try, our stoner rappers don’t have to try, our backpack rappers don’t have to try. Because it’s not cool to try. This is why Ross and Curren$y and Elzhi all read as pretty boring to me. Even though all of them are quite clearly talented, they all seem more interested in presenting an unfazed demeanor than actually engaging and entertaining their audience. The cause of this? Short answer: it’s Jay’s fault. Stop whispering, son. Long answer: it’s a combination of 21st century not-a-rapper indifference and the kind of yacht boy complacency that just comes with being a multi-millionaire.

Read the rest here.

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The hip-hop world is abuzz with the promise of a follow-up from one of rap’s most prominent and skilled female emcees, Rah Digga. On the heels of her inclusion in BET’s recent documentary ‘My Mic Sounds Nice’, Digga delivers a taste of what’s to come with the remix of “This Ain’t No Lil Kid Rap,” the lead single from Classic. Featuring Redman, the pairing is only natural, as the Digga and Redman are good friends and New Jersey natives. Despite the long-running friendship and shared geographic location, this track marks the first time the two have ever appeared on a song together.

The track’s beat, while similar to the original, received some remixing from Nottz, who worked to keep the instrumental’s drums and sparse guitar work intact, allowing the talents of both of these established artists to be the star of the show. And shine they do, picking a bone with critics claiming that ones talent declines with age. “I feel that the best emcees are older and they, in fact, get better with age,” Digga explains. She tears haters to shreds with biting lines: “I ain’t tryna pick a fight / But this ain’t a Fisher Price, Kidz Bop, Nick At Nite,” quickly proving she hasn’t lost lost a step, further whetting the appetite of those waiting for new material from the veteran emcee.

Rah Digga’s sophomore album, Classic, will be available September 14th via Raw Koncept Media Group.

Download: Rah Digga ft. Redman – This Ain’t No Lil Kid Rap (Remix) [right click or cntrl click, then 'save link as']

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In honor of Fat Beats’ 16 years of business, Duck Down Music artists Buckshot, Smif N Wessun, Pharoahe Monch, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Skyzoo & !llmind, Torae and Ruste Juxx will be making appearances and signing autographs this evening at Fat Beats in-store event. If your in the tri-state area and want a dose of real hip-hop mixed with nostalgia, make sure you’re there.

Date: Tonight – Thursday, Sept 2nd
Time: 7-9PM
Location: Fat Beats NYC
Address: 406 Avenue of Americas (Between 8th and 9th Streets), New York, NY

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I had the pleasure of hosting Juan Deuce, Jahpan and Little Bastard Clothing Co.’s end of summer show at Jerky’s Music Hall last week, and to reiterate: it was really dope. It was a night of hip-shaking music (shouts to Mekalek), delicious drinks, a lively atmosphere, and good people. For the most part, the overwhelmingly positive turnout was a reflection of the good-natured people behind the show: Deuce, JapLo, and Long & company at Little Bastard. The tag team of Juan Deuce and Jap are a force to be reckoned with on-stage: they bring endless amounts of energy, wit, and good humor. Today marks the digital release of Juan Deuce’s newest effort: Juance Upon A Time. Tracklist, download link, and live footage of Deuce and Little Bastard Co. at Jerky’s after the jump!

Download: Juan Deuce – Juance Upon A Time (Mixtape)
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Juan Deuce X Little Bastard X Jerky’s | 8.28.10

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Always the one to keep us informed about dope white rappers, on our way to the laundry club yesterday, Mr. Alexander played me “The Spins” by Mac Miller.  Wiz Khalifa references aside, it definitely caught my ear.  If you slept on it the first time around,  you can peep Mr. Alexanders review and download Mac’s latest mixtape K.I.D.S. right here.

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Fab came out swinging when he freestyled yesterday on Funk Master Flex’s radio show on Hot 97. Fabolous was all over the radio to promote the release of his EP There Is No Competition 2. The EP is the in-stores version of his mixtape “RIP To The Competition 2“, which was by far one of the most successful mixtape of the summer. There is No Competition 2 features seven songs from the mixtape, and three brand new tracks.

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