Nas - The N (mp3)(That was fast.) Nas - The N
Gotta love the Jim Jones subliminal here. Not one of the most talked about songs from Hip-Hop Is Dead. I guess gangstas move in silence after all.

Meanwhile, an official press release often means that the album will actually drop sometime this decade. Check it:

Nas keeps it vital from jump. On "Q.B. True G," featuring Compton's The Game, the two MCs trade verses over a vicious Dr. Dre beat; the student pays homage to the teacher, remembering standing on line to cop Illmatic. On the Nas-produced "Where Are They Now," Nas runs through a litany of classic, bygone MCs over a monster James Brown sample. The theme continues on the Scott Storch-produced "Carry On Tradition," a warning to students of the game. "Still Dreamin'" features a soul-heavy beat and hook from Kanye West. Elsewhere, Snoop Dogg shows up on the west-coast tinged "Play On Player." (HHID Press Release)

Bonus Cut
Clipse ft. Pharrell - New World
The Game feat. Jamie Foxx - Around the World

Former Roc-A-Fella vice-president Kenny Burns and video director Little X recently threw a Halloween party. Pictures after the jump.

Kenny Burns -- Bilal












Pharoahe Monch -- Jazz (Black Buddafly)












Melyssa Ford













Oh yeah, Michael Jackson was there too.

-Jay-Z finally yields to pressure and responds to Jim Jones: Interview with Flex and the requisite Freestyle. Lyrics. Props to Essbee and Eskay.

-36 Chambers of Love: U-God offers romantic advise.

-Def Jam drops Teairra Mari. (Well done, Rih.) Her name was such a pain to spell anyway.

-In the overly hyped December issue of XXL Hov says he dissed 2Pac in front of 2000 people.

-MP3 of the day: A.G. - "Frozen"--from A.G.'s Get Dirty Radio in stores today. Other CDs released today...

-Also, Ghostface Killah - "Ghost Is Back" (mp3)

-Jessica Alba joins the chorus by posing for Playboy magazine.

Yesterday marked the 4th death anniversary of Jam Master Jay. Rest in peace to Jason Mizell, one of the most important hip-hop artists of all time.

Nas - Hip-Hop Is Dead (produced by will.i.am)
Same sample as "Thief's Theme". Different concept. Will.i.am needs to see a doctor fast.

-Snoop takes a break from toting collapsible batons to "educate" the masses.

-Video: Skateboard P + Snoop Dogg - "That Girl"

-Google Hip-Hop Engine? Hell to the yeah. One of the reasons Jay Smooth is a pioneer of this blog sh*t.

-Maybe this will inspire bigger hip-hop publications to feature deserving indie artists on the cover. No?

-Is Jermaine Dupri headed to Def Jam?

-Jim Jones invites you to burn his new album if you can't afford to buy it. Come to think of it, who would want to buy a CD with a mispelled title?

-Is this really Beyonce?

You have a leaky weekend to thank for some 11th hour changes to this mix. Link will go down after 3 days, so get it while you can.

Track List
1. Love Jones Instro
2. Lupe Fiasco - Dedicated
3. Jay-Z - Lost Ones
4. Snoop ft. The Game - Gang Bangin' 101
5. Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
6. Amerie - Blow
7. Big Tuck ft. Erykah Badu - Ain't No Mistaken
8. Mobb Deep ft. 50 Cent - Look Out
9. UGK - Game Belong to Me
10. SOV - 9 to 5
11. Zion I + Grouch - Trains & Planes
12. Jay-Z - Allure (Rmx)
13. Snoop ft. R. Kelly - That's That
14. The Game ft. Nas & Marsha - Why Hate the Game
15. Joe Budden - Broken Wings
16. The Game ft. Busta Rhymes - Doctor's Advocate
17. Won't Do Oustro

Rizoh's Radio 12: Natural Selection

You just knew it was only a matter of time before Bria Myles graced XXL's Eye Candy section. Here are some Bria pictorials from the December issue.

The Game feat. Nas - "Why You Hate the Game"(mp3)

Funny thing is, I'm not even at the crib right now (thank God for laptops). Props to Mass Ebdrup for the prompt email.

"I don't talk about my guns, n*gga I Just Blaze," (Taylor)

"I could show 'em the water but can't make 'em drink it
And I could show them my fortunes by can't force 'em to think rich
And still I don't abort 'em when and if they sink quick," (Jones)

Phew!

I could do without Just Blaze and his Kanye-esque shoutout at the end of the song though.

Bonus Cuts
The Game feat. Busta Rhymes - "The Doctor's Advocate"
The Game - "Compton" (produced by will.i.am)
Nas - "Hip-Hop Is Dead" (Snippet)

Black Ty is here. Be very very afraid.

According to the Press Release:

Tyrese shines as rapper Black Ty, which comes naturally since he once was a member of the rap group Triple Impact prior to the success of his solo singing career. Manni Fresh, Scott Storch, All Star and various members from the Frontline Boyz add their production skills on the hip-hop disc which will also feature guest appearances by The Game, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Too Short, David Banner, Method Man, Lil Scrappy and Manni Fresh.

Some people live in their dreams, others die in their nightmare.

Snoop Dogg + The Game - Gangbangin' 101 (mp3)

One of the few tracks I heard at the Blue Carpet Treatment listening session that made my head spin. JT, who gets 2 verses here (not complaining though), seems to have perfected the art of beat-riding.

"It ain't a Gangsta Party till we go and dig 'Pac up."

Five minutes of bliss.

-I've been bumping the beejezles out of Amerie's Mixtape lately. Get it while it's hot.

-Miss our weekly contest? Well, head over to HRS for an opportunity to win their Sleepy Brown Contest

-A DMX is to traffic violations, so is Snoop Dogg to airport arrests.

-Guess who else got arrested today? ALC and Ballerina P

-Proof's killer sentenced and fined.

-Not that me and Ian have ever agreed on anything, but I must be the only not feeling Fabo's "Walk in New York"

-If you live in the U.S., you should probably read this before joining a torrent site.

-Jay-Z, Beyonce nominated for Vh1's Big in 06 Awards.

-Jermaine, save us the headache, everyone knows your black ass got fired.

Dame Dash + Jim Jones - Kingdom Done (Jay-Z Diss) (Radio)
...And when you called me and said "Come back and listen to my album." I said "Absolutely, I always wanna know what's going on with you my n***a." And when you played that f*ckin sh*t it felt like drugs...

It was written.

Consequence - Callin' Me
This is the rumored first single from Cons' Don't Quit Your Day Job debut.

Lupe Fiasco - Dedicated
Outtake from F & L...I think

Mobb Deep ft. 50 Cent - Look Out
Is Ballerina P really serious about taking a bullet for Boo Boo? But cot damn, that beat's got the flu.

Stat Quo - Get Low (produced by Dr. Dre)
Taken from Eminem Presents: The Re-Up. Em premiered this on Sirius yesterday.

Jay-Z - Lost Ones (mp3)
You would've had this earlier if I didn't spend the entire night trying to login to blogger. Anyhoo, I kinda dig "Lost Ones" even though it sounds familiar. Notice how the flow changes on every verse. Hov, keep that up and you just might have a solid LP on your hands.

"I heard mu'f*ckers saying they made Hov/Made Hov say "Ok, so make another Hov" Ni**as wasn't playing they day role/ So we parted ways like Ben and J-Lo...I ain't a bitch but I gotta divorce them...You lost one..."

Expect Dame to hold a press conference real soon. Since he's not a rapper, he'll probably recruit Cam to do the damage jump up and get beat down...again.

Alleged cover art for Nas' 2nd Lost Tapes installment

-I finally put down the PS2 to give y'all a 10-song [p]review of Snoop's forthcoming album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment.

-Diddy debuts at No. 1 with 176,000. The Game has the rest of this week's SoundScan.

-Eminem to announce a new Dr. Dre-produced track from The Re-Up. Apparently, "Produced by Dr. Dre" means a lot more these days.

-Jay-Z responds to Cam'ron in the December issue of XXL. Or so says the grapevine.

-Despite all those platinum-selling posthumous releases, Pac is nowhere to be found on Forbes' Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list.

-Pitbull says Cocaine Cowboys is better than Scarface. Check out the interesting promo videos featuring Trick Daddy.

-Jay-Z is No.2 "Man of the Year" for 2006, if you're into that sort of thing.

-New interview with AZ who I'm also rooting for this quarter, even though he'll probably sell below 500 copies the first week.

The Game - Soundscan [Lloyd Banks - 48,000]
The Game runs through this week's SoundScan figures, mispronouncing Evanescence on the way, before butchering Jay-Z's "Kingdom Come" beat over some sh*t that you probably don't give a flying f*ck about. Lloyd Banks jacked his logo from po-po, really? Still, I had to laugh at this G-Unit dissfest.

Your boss sings songs/Only R&B n***as with bling on...Me & Dipset seem to be the only muthaf**kas BAAALLLINNN!

Track List
01 RZA - RZA Meets Rizoh - 'The Rap Up' Intro
02 Jay-Z - Show Me What You Got
03 AZ - Show Me What You Got
04 AZ & Rakim - The Format (DJ Dub Floyd Screamixx)
05 Black Thought of The Roots - Don't Say Nuthin' (Hurricane Blend)
06 Mos Def - Undeniable
07 Papoose & Harold Melvin - Wake Up Everybody
08 The Game & 50 Cent - Hate It or Love It (DJ RefleX Blend)
09 2pac, T.I. & Ashanti - Pac's Life
10 Eazy-E - Hittin' Switches (Hurricane Blend)
11 50 Cent - What Up Gangsta (Hurricane Blend)
12 Eminem, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks & Cashis - You Don't Know
13 Proof - Girls Wit Da Boom (Hurricane Blend)
14 Jay-Z, Kanye West, Young Chris & The Temptations - Baby Girl (Hurricane Mix)
15 Busta Rhymes, Kelis, will.i.am, Styles P & Rashad - Love My Bitch b-w Favorite Drug (Hurricane Double Blend)
16 Jadakiss - T.R.O.Y. (Reminisce)
17 Pharoahe Monch, Showtyme, Mela Machinko & Tower of Power - Push
18 Joe Budden - Broken Wings
19 Xzibit - Thank You
20 Jay-Z & Pharrell - Allure (Hurricane Blend)
21 AZ - Never Change (Hurricane Blend)
22 Hi-Tek, J Dilla, Nas, Common, Busta Rhymes & Marsha of Floetry - Music For Life
23 2pac & Rick James - My Block (Hurricane Blend) - Outro

The Rap Up Mixtape

You're welcome.

So, I head over to Snoop's listening sesion for Blue Carpet Treatment at Club Touche, and all kinds of videos start dropping like confetti. Scrazy. Move over YouTube, Smash Tube is where it's at right now.

Another Video to Check 4:
-The Game - "Let's Ride" (Strip Club) | Download Link

How will the hip-hop community respond to this guy?

*Sighs* Slow news day.

According to the official Blacksmith website, Kweli's Ear Drum LP has been pushed back to 2007.

-I know we've discussed this before, but I still don't believe it. Judging by the ephemeral life span of celeb-relationships, it'll only be a matter of time before Jermaine starts looking back in regret.

-Photos of Steve Irwin in his final moments. Meanwhile, Ras Kass has been catching some flack for that ignorant Stingray metaphor.

-Music critic Robert Christgau, who got fired by Village Voice last month, finds new home at NPR.

-I like this new UGK single better than "Like That."

-Busta Rhymes due in court today for allegedly beating up a kid.

-Some more pictorials from this year's Vh1 Hip-Hop Honors.

-More on the Making of Kingdom Come: Dr. Dre sends Jay-Z 25 beats out of nowhere.

-R.I.P. Lebo Mathosa

(K-Fed pic via Dlisted.com)

Tracklist
1 - Mick Boogie - Superman Returns Intro
2 - Jay-Z - Hov Is Back (produced by The Kickdrums)
3 - Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
4 - Jay-Z Speaks On Coming Out Of Retirement
5 - Jay-Z - Show Me What You Got [produced by Just Blaze]
6 - Jay-Z & Biggie - Whatchu Want
7 - Jay-Z - Dear Summer
8 - Jay-Z & Lupe Fiasco - Pressure
9 - Jay-Z Speaks On Being The President
10 - Jay-Z - Show You How To Hustle (Mick Boogie Mix)
11 - Jay-Z & Lupe Fiasco - Sittin’ Sidewayz
12 - Jay-Z & Biggie - The Commission (Mick Boogie Mix)
13 - Jay-Z, Jeezy & UGK - Get Throwed
14 - Jay-Z - 44 4’s
15 - Jay-Z - PSA (Just Blaze remix)
16 - Jay-Z Speaks On Hip-Hop
17 - Jay-Z & Kanye West - Diamonds remix
18 - Jay-Z & Young Jeezy - Go Crazy
19 - Jay-Z & Angelous - Brooklyn (Mick Boogie mix)
20 - Jay-Z Speaks On Success
21 - Jay-Z - Allure (remix)
22 - Jay-Z, Ray Cash & Scarface - Bumpin’ My Music (Mick Boogie mix)
23 - Jay-Z & Beyonce - Upgrade You
24 - Jay-Z & Beyonce - Dejà Vu (remix)
25 - Jay-Z, Mary J Blige & T.I. - Turn Your Lights Down Low
26 - Jay-Z & Pharrell - Young Girl
27 - Jay-Z feat. Nas & Chris Martin/Coldplay - Dead Presidents Live
28 - Jay-Z - Dec 4th (J.U.S.T.I.C.E League remix)

Mick Boogie Presents: Superman Returns [Buy it from MixtapeUSA]
(Courtesy of Hurricane Ivan - The Rap Up's official DJ/Mix Master)

Bonus Cut
Jay-Z - "Show Me What You Got" (Remix) featuring DJ Chops
Could someone please email Sir Hova Chops' phone number. This remix is fun, fast, and feisty, with such hacking grace. Plus, Chops rips Just Blaze a mean one (something about beat biting) on his verse.

I rest my case.

Related Posts
Video: Jay-Z - Show Me What You Got
Shots Fired: Jim Jones vs. Jay-Z

Labels: Mick Boogie, Mixtapes

To: Ivan, who hates me for "messing up" his Full Circle review.

Seriously, I thought Xzibit had an opportunity to make a damn-near classic LP, an opportunity he inadvertently tossed in the bin. I could slap "The Whole World," "Thank You" and "Family Values" on repeat all day. I even dig "Moving in Your Chucks" and "Rampart Division" a bit. Still, Full Circle is hackneyed as fuck.

"Concentrate"? Jelly Roll and his Anthony Hamilton impressions? "On Bail"? I guess when you have a lineup that reads: Game, Daz , T-Pain, and Xzibit on the same song, you should lower expectations with the quickness.

At the rate people are having "surprise" birthday parties these days, I wonder if the element of surprise still exists. I bet you Snoop woke up on his birthday like "Yeah, what time does my surprise birthday party start?" Snoop just turned 35.













Snoop's Cheerleaders












Snoop + Gabrielle Union -- Snoop + Warren G












Nick Cannon -- Snoop + Wifey












Noelle -- Ice Cube + Wifey












(L - R) Snoop, Jimmy Iovine, Will.i.am

Ras Kass - Gayme Over (Game Diss #2) (mp3)

My boy Esbee first hipped me to this diss in the comment section. I was ready to pass, as it's becoming obvious that Ras is mainly taking advantage of the publicity to promote his new mixtape, Eat or Die.

Weeelll, since my homegirl Nancy (of OGPR) hit me up with the odeo which she appropriately describes as "Rass Kass' scathing rebuttal to Game," I decided it's probably worth posting. Turns out this is Raw Ras Kass. Not "Ether" status, but definitely more vilifying than "Hush, Baby."

Is this the first time anyone has released a diss song along with a customized album art?

Snoop with Captain Morgan & the Ladies

























Vibe Honors Cast/Producers of "Girlfriends"


















































Diddy's Black Party





























































Andre 3000 at the "Class of 3000" premiere












Deelishis (from VH1's Flavor of Love)












Not that anyone's interested in seeing Flava Flav's new squeeze butt-naked. But if you are, then you'll probably find these photos Deelishis. (props to D-Syfa for the tip off.)

I never really paid any attention to Armand de Brignac (aka "Ace of Spades")...well, not until Armand CEO Brett Berish jumped up and down in excitement, following the calculative product placement (word to Clyde) in Jay-Z's new video for "Show Me What You Got."

"We're delighted to have someone of Jay-Z's stature include Armand de Brignac in the first video for his new album," said Armand de Brignac President/CEO Brett Berish. "Jay-Z has always demonstrated the highest standards and finest taste, and we're honored to see Armand make an appearance in 'Show Me What You Got.' Armand's unmatched taste and package are a perfect fit for the video."

Like most things Jay-Z-related, the net has been ablaze with this news for the past four days. What's really mind-boggling is that this same Shawn who was all teary-eyed over the gravity of world water crisis, is cosigning a ridiculously expensive liquor on the other hand. How important is champagne to the kids who buy his records? Is that what the average black youth really needs? Who gives a flying f*ck about what Hov is sippin' on when he's on a yacht with his opulent friends, while there are bigger problems facing our community as we speak? Funny thing is, he seems to agree with me:

"F*ck cristal, so they ask me what we drinking/I thought dude's remarks was rude, okay/ So I moved on to Don, Krug, (??)/And it's much bigger issues in the world, I know/ But I first had to take care of the world I know..." (Jay-Z, "Kingdom Come)

How tame.














Let the craze begin, though. According to Armand's press release, demand for their product has skyrocketed since Jay-Z's video. The video debuted on October 16th. The press statement, probably written on the 17th or earlier, came to light on the 18th. So, when did demands triple? Let me guess, folks watched the video once or twice and then quickly got on the phone the same day like "Yo, lemme get 2 gazillion bottles of that Ace of Spades featured in Jay's video."

Negro, please.

Anyhow, I'm not a "big drinker", and I ain't about to start just because Jay-Z said "Gold Bottles" is that next shit. If demand for this illogically exorbitant brew has truly tripled based on Jay's video alone, it just goes to show how counterproductive our community has become. It's a sad day in hip-hop when we allow ourselves to be subdued by the same tentacles we've been trying to bolt from. The new negro drink should be coffee, if you ask me, because we could really use a wake-up call.

-Fight for NY: Jay-Z vs. Diddy. Haha, pardon me...I had to laugh at that.

-Eurweb has the update on that Ice T cover I posted yesterday.

-Download: J*Davey's "Dirty Love" mp3

-High school pictures of JT have been popping up left and right lately. (I wonder if Boo Boo has something to do with this.) The latest is a prom pic of Jayceon and his high school sweetheart.

-Video: Diddy and Will.i.am in studio during one of the countless recording sessions for Press Stop.

-Idolator echoes my angst over MTV's awful redesign (Spotted via Nah'Right)

-Bling Bling - The Board Game? No comments.

I think we've all seen this before. Recycling album covers--is it a west coast thing or what?

For the two of you that haven't heard, Ice T, who hosted VH1 Hip-Hop Honors last night, has a new album slated for late October. The problem here is that retailers are scratching their heads over the amateur porn image on the album art:

"Gangsta Rap," Ice-T's first studio album in seven years, shows him lying on his back in bed with his ravishing wife's ample posterior in full view and one of her legs coyly draped over his private parts.

But while the cover just barely steers clear of being pornographic, it's way too suggestive for most retailers, according to Melee Recordings, which is releasing the record on Halloween. "We're getting lots of flak about it. What we're going to have to do is place stickers over parts of the photo to avoid any problems," one rep said. (Via: NY Post)

Now, I also heard that the CD booklet is laced with images of Coco in her birthday suit. I wonder if sales for Gangsta Rap will either sink or surge because of the nudity controversy. Come to think of it, who buys CDs just for the album art in this age of the internet?

-This Jim Jones clip from the Sub-Zero DVD is a classic. Notice how he shoots down questions about Dipset adversaries Loon and Jay-Z.(Pic jacked from Allhiphop)

-Fabolous gets arrested after taking a bullet to the thigh. Ouch!

-So, which is the true BET of MySpace: MinoritySpace.com or CrackSpace.com. Let's just say, I'm riding with these guys.

-Speaking of MySpace, the only way to get your hands on a legit copy of Jin's new album is to hop on his MySpace Friends List.

-Ali of St. Lunatics reportedly shat on himself after police arrested and subdued him with a high voltage taser gun. As expected, he was quick to pull the race card even though he had been driving with expired license and tags.

-Free hip-hop concerts featuring JT, Lupe, and Young Buck. As always, no Houston venues.

-Video: K'Naan - Kicked, Pushed. Based on a true story.

Too bad The Roots and Method Man didn't get this type of VIP treatment.

Updated for your viewing pleasure.

The Game shoots a music video for "Let's Ride"

-Young Buck sums up The Game's beef/no beef gimmicks real nice.

-DMX's ex baby mama gets pissed at X for calling her a rap

-Battle of the "Broken Wings": Joe Budden vs. Clay Aiken Guess who's winning?

-The G-Unit promo whoring continues. This time, it's Lil Jon's weed carrier Lil Scrappy.

-Primo + Whitney? This might be worth checking for as long Preme remembers to stay away from Tony Yayo samples.

The similarities between Game and 50 is chilling. First 50 gets his ass whooped by Eedris Abdulkareem in Nigeria, then Game and his crew of 15 Black Wall Street weed carriers get run off the streets by 3 Slash TV folks. Also, notice how Game's gimmicks--popping shit right before his album drops--are xeroxed from 50's PS techniques?

As he proceeds, to give you what you...someone needs to snatch this guy's du-rag with the quickness. (Word to Rodney and Dallas Penn.)

Why all the promo frenzy for his new album? YouTube, Diddy TV, MySpace, Burger King, etc. Am I the only in utter confusion here? Do the south really have that much of chokehold on hip-hop that everyone feels like they need to over-promote their album to actually shift units? Or is Diddy trying to recover all the lettuce he lost by giving Jadakiss & co their publishing?

By the way, after several foiled attempts I was finally able to peep the watermarked copy of Press Stop that landed on my desk last week. Simply put, if you're looking up to anyone's album to bring New York (?) back, you wound up in the wrong lane. Side A is a bowl of cherries, but Side B will keep your forward button fully employed.

And just for kicks, here's the alleged ghostwriters' credits for Press Stop

Track 2. We Gon' Make It featuring Jack Knight
Written by Diddy & The Game

Track 4. The Future
Written by Diddy & Pharoahe Monch

Track 5. Hold Up featuring Angela Hunte
Written by Diddy & Pharoahe Monch

Track 7. Tell Me featuring Christina Aguilera
Written by Diddy & Royce Da 5'9

Track 8. Wanna Move featuring Big Boi, Ciara and Scar
Written by Diddy & T.I.

Track 19. Partners For Life featuring Jamie Foxx
Written by Diddy & Rick Ross


Video: Diddy in the studio with Nas and others. Nas says he pioneered bling or some shit. Is he back on the weed or what?

With all the talk about labels getting ready to unleash their big guns in the 4th quarter, I decided to embark on a quest to find out what you hip-hop geeks have been googling, yahooing, MSNing, etc. For each search, I combined artist name + album title, and picked the top results based on how often that phrase was querried in September. Keep in mind: these stats only represent the search frequencies (number of times the phrases were querried) for the month of September, not search results (otherwise the numbers would be much higher).

Peep game.

• 2Pac - Pac's Life: 35 / 2Pac's Life: 75
  
• Pharoahe Monch - Desire: 46
• Jim Jones - Hustler's P.O.M.E.: 81
• Fat Joe - Me, Myself & I: 116
• Lil Scrappy - Bred 2 Die Born 2 Live: 155
  
• Talib Kweli - Ear Drum: 179
• Mos Def - Tru3 Magic: 298 / True Magic: 184
• AZ - The Format: 302
• Young Jeezy - The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102 : 432
• Xzibit - Full Circle : 453
• Styles P - Time Is Money : 520
• Birdman & Lil' Wayne - Like Father Like Son : 541
• Lil' Flip - I Need Mine : 599
• Snoop Dogg - The Blue Carpet Treatment: 653
• Mike Jones - The American Dream: 698
• Akon - Konvicted: 720
• Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury: 911
• Young Buck - Buck the World: 1048
  
• Eminem Presents The Re-Up: 1175
• Diddy Press Play: 1976
• Nas - Hip-Hop Is Dead: 2010
  
• Jay-Z - Kingdom Come: 4359
• The Game - Doctor's Advocate: 6389
  

Any surprises?

Awkward Search Terms
And just for kicks, here are some strange search strings that led users to my About Rap site in the last couple of months or so:

• Canadian idiot
• Jibbs
• lil boosie
• wendy williams
• conscience rappers
• Lucky Luciano
• who your set
• Walk it out
• chain hang low
• ?
• unk
• Crips
• coco
• peanut butter jelly
• sing breath England
• big booty hoes
• free ringtones and pictures
• ludicris
• rapper can bus
• 25 hottest bodies
  

Keep in mind that none of those terms has ever appeared on my site.


[Psst: I don't think I left out anyone but if you think of a prominent fourth quarter release that's not mentioned, feel free to hit up the comment section and I'll add it.]

For a change, an album cover that's not completely incongruous with the title.

On a related note, check out Rodney "Mr. Prolific" Dugue's take on "Make it Rain," the album's second (?) single. Me, Myself & I is slated to drop on November 14.

(Props to Langston of Think Tank Marketing)

The official cover for the premiere issue of May-Zino's (that's Dave Mays & Benzino) new rag, Hip-Hop Weekly. I like the spoof better.

-Time to snatch a du-rag. Rodney "Youngest in Charge" D and Dallas Penn join forces to "liberate us from the slavery of ignorance and mis-education." Classic.

-This is why I need to relocate to NY: Fader previews Nas' Hip-Hop Is Dead.

-YN presentsThe Making of "Kingdom Come."

-Big Boi to design jerseys for Historically Black Colleges. Too bad they don't make press copies for jerseys.

-I don't see why this should surprise anyone.

-Jay-Z's Kingdom Come LP was leaked by "West African thieves" and is being sold for cheap in Brooklyn. (This is coming from Media Takeout, so take it with a huge grain of salt.)

-NYPD ordered to racially profile black folks. (Time for another "What's Beef?" post)

-New album cover for The Game's Doctor's Advocate.

-Lil' E can't do an interview without mentioning taking cheap shots at Lil' Dre...er...The Game.

-As expected, T.I. leads nominations for the first annual BET Hip-Hop Awards. Maybe I should also make it known that I've canceled my plans to attend this event, since I mentioned it to a couple of peeps earlier. No, it has nothing to do with not being able to afford a bulletproof vest. More like, 'you can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather.'

-Bun B has had enough of MySpace spammers.

-Alleged tracklist for Snoop Dogg's Blue Carpet Treatment, due out November 21.

-Allhiphop interviews Nas. I can't believe this guy just described his reconciliation with Jay as "God's plan." I guess it was also God's plan for them to beef over Carmen in the first place.

-DJ Whookid becomes the first rap act to perform in India. Oh wow.

-Update on Cassidy's accident.

-It takes a nation of billions to hold Hov back. But, he insists on going to China by all means necessary.

-"50 Cent will never make a dime out of me," The Game.

-Nas puts a political spin on Hip-Hop Is Dead

-First they tried it mathematics , now they're using -hip-hop and boxing to communicate with kids. Because straightforward communication is played out.

-According to Kim Osorio, The Source was more like Sodom and Gomorrah, replete with racy pictures and porn videos.

Jimmy "Smack the kufi off Nasir's head" Jones - Alarm (Jay-Z diss)
I hesitated before posting this for obvious reasons: Capo can't kick a rhyme to save his life, and should really stick to smack talk and hypeman status. But I guess punks jump up to get beat down.

Download at your own risk.

-Jay-Z takes his two favorite females to Africa. Meanwhile, China don't want it with Hov.

-Video: Rhymefest - Wanted

-Ice Cube to re-release the O.G. version of Laugh Now, Cry Later

-Janet Jackson has no idea what to do with $30 million.

-I know this is no longer news, but please don't send bootlegg DVD via FEDEX.

-What's up with this whole adopting babies from Africa trend? Is this the new form of slavery

-K-Os calls some writer an "Uncle Tom" for giving his new album (which I happen to dig) a bad review, then turns around and apologizes.

-Update on Jadakiss.

-Some shady bidness going on at XXL? (Thanks, Rafi.)

Jay-Z as the newly-ordained King of Nigeria

Jay-Z - Kingdom Come | YSI | (192kbps)
So, Just Blaze was reserving that "Bored" beat for Hov? "Kingdom Come" is typical Jay-Z swagtalk, but it bleeds better than "Show Me What You Got."

And in case you haven't noticed, Jay is the real king of name dropping. F*ck it, Jay's the king of many things...hip-hop just isn't one of them.

Bonus Cuts
Snoop Dogg feat. R.Kelly - That's That Sh*t
Papoose ft. AZ & Kool G Rap - Thug Connection
AZ - Game of Life
Jay-Z - Show Me What You Got | Dirty | Instro | (CDQ)

This week's contest was made possible by the good folks at Babygrande Records. We have two Hi-Tek-autographed copies of the long-awaited Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip. Answer these 3 easy questions for a chance to win:

1) How many songs featured Hi-Tek's rap vocals on: a) Train of Thought; b) Hi-Teknology?

2) Hi-Tek has laced tracks for all but one of the following rappers:
a) Big L
b) Bizarre
c) Tony Yayo
d) Phife Dawg

Bonus Question: How did Hi-Tek hook up with Dr. Dre?

Send your answers to TheRapUp@gmail.com on/before October 12th, 2006. Must be a U.S. resident to qualify. If you fail one of the main questions and get the bonus correct, you're good.

Good luck!

I'm halfway from 50 today. Yeah, I know--that's a dark way to look at it. Well, Mya's got a couple of years on me, but our birthday's the same. Turns out I also share my zodiac sign (whatever that is) with crazy ass Snoop and Eminem.

Konvicted drops on November 21, 2006. I've also seen the album art for that other desperately-anticipated November 21 release, but that's all I'll say for now.

Konvicted Tracklist (according to Allhiphop.com)
"Shake Down"
"Blown Away" feat. Styles P
"Smack That" feat. Eminem
"I Wanna Love You" feat. Snoop Dogg
"Rain"
"Never Took the Time"
"Mama Africa"
"Don't Matter"
"I Can't Wait"
"Once in a While"
"Tired of Runnin"
"Gangsta Bop"