Threeths - The Equation

What is going on? How on earth did hip-hop go from shallow, boring and vapid into a non-stop wellspring of soulful lamentations? This is beautiful music.

KRS-One - Woke Up

KRS-One is still doing it as one of the best rappers in hip-hop. I'm not sure what's up with the pause between the choruses and the bars.

Macho Man Flashback: 1998

"Bret Hart, he's nuclear scum." Amazing. Professional wrestling needs to get this entertaining again. Damn.

Yelawolf calls out Rob Dyrdek on set of Daddy's Lambo + Rotisserie Jesus

Yelawolf talks hunting catfish, Native American hunting traditions and filming the "Daddy's Lambo" video.

VIDEO: Yelawolf - Daddy's Lambo

Yelawolf seems to be dropping videos like flies lately, a liberty he is granted by the freedom of internet social networking and YouTube.



This song, "Daddy's Lambo," is on the Trunk Muzik 06-60 album, which you can download through Amazon.com as a Blood Is One affiliate. Just click on the link below!

Yelawolf Talks Notorious B.I.G.

NEW MUSIC! Bad Meets Evil - I'm On Everything

Royce and Em are my dogs. This song cover is ridiculous. I love that the two came together and made some beautiful harmonies together. If you want some blog love, holla at us, Royce!

Blood Is One: Here Because Of You

This is incredible.

When I went to sleep last night, Blood Is One had 692 followers on Twitter. Pretty substantial, especially since we were at 600 earlier that day.

When I woke up, we were up at 727 followers. That's 35 followers adding themselves overnight.

Even more impressively, the followers were more than just the Eminem/Yelawolf followers I've been courting. We got a bunch of followers who were new artists seeking to establish their name. It was really pretty surprising. My inbox was also filled with artists asking to have their stuff reviewed on the website.

This entire venture started as an effort between Will Pierce and I to have our ramblings back and forth about hip-hop be more than just a masturbatory Facebook effort of sending back and forth songs we liked. I didn't expect it to take off the way it has or for us to become affiliated with the legitimately talented artists we have. The work I've been getting for the next mixtape from Kenan, CaLii and Carl is as top quality as I could expect and I really can't wait to release it to the world.

Thank you!

Yelawolf says: "College Students are the Biggest Critics in Music"

Joell Ortiz – Big Pun Back (Behind The Scenes)

Emilio Rojas - All Mixed Up

Carl Roe In The Studio

I was in the studio with Blood Is One fam Carl Roe over the weekend and managed to snag a few photos of him in the studio. The guy is one tall bastard. I got some video done on his camera and hopefully that will be up on the website soon.

Roe will have more than a few tracks on the upcoming BOI mixtape so make sure to check for that. We'll also be releasing alot of preview podcasts and video in the buildup to it.

Red Dwarf Series X?

Red Dwarf is an incredible British television show, with a diverse cast that includes British play actor and funk/hip hop DJ Craig Charles as the lead character Dave Lister. A short series called "Back to Earth" was released a little over a year ago and it looks like the writer and creator, Doug Naylor, is back at it and plans to hack out a full length series in addition to the recent mini-series.

Angry Boys

I'd never heard of this show before but the concept seems pretty clear after a quick screening. Has anyone reading this watched the show before?

50 Cent Got Rich But Is Still Trying

I am really feeling for Curtis Jackson. Ever since Get Rich Or Die Trying, 50 has been trying again and again to recreate that buzz he once had. Whether it's been through acting in a host of movies that all were particularly unmemorable or now releasing enough material online to warrant a full fledged album, 50 desperately wants to be the top dog again.

From his rants on songs like "Run Up On Me," where he says people "act like the gift God gave me is gone," it sounds like 50 feels rejected. This is one-dimensional. What 50 needs to realize is that the audience has grown and he hasn't.

From Kanye West to Drake to Kenan Bell (watch for him), the hip-hop audience seems to have accepted men who wear their emotions and human frailty on their sleeves. From watching 50 in music and elsewhere in media, he strikes me as someone who, because of a harsh coming of age, learned to wire shut his inner most and talk tough to survive. His songs all sound the same as what he was doing in 2003. There's no growth at all. Even his album mates on Shady Records - like Bizarre of D12, Eminem and new signee Yelawolf - have shown growth as artists. Why can't he?

Calling All True Believers!

I'm putting together the skeleton of the next Blood Is One mixtape right now. The work is going to have a loose comic book themeology to it and several skits that will bring that to life. One of the sources for this will be the Fantastic Four radio series, narrated by Stan Lee decades ago. If mentioned at all, the series (which is public domain) will only slightly be mentioned when the mixtape is released so I felt the compulsion to post the material on its own. Comic book series aren't exactly known for their run on radio, which was once one of the prime sources of American entertainment, so I want anyone interested to hear it:

Hulk Vs. The Leader

An entire series of these were released during the 1960s. They were never really rebroadcast much on Cartoon Network or cable television but have resurfaced thanks to YouTube.

Tech N9ne - Leave Me Alone

Hip Hop As Community Unifier

Have you been following Brother Ali on Facebook? You should. Ali is flipping the script on hip-hop, taking it from the voice of the angry and bitter forgotten and taking up the voice of unifier and pastor. Ali isn't an outsider cutting hip-hop into a shape more edible for mainstream audiences. He is from the hood (Minneapolis, to be exact) and knows poverty and hardship.

Ali's music and upbeat Facebook messages don't air a voice of persecution or hardship, even if he has all the reason to do so. On his latest album "Us," he took the community unifier (I avoided the term "organizer" because of its many political implications) approach on the title song:



Here's a taste of his statuses on Facebook as well, with this one from May 13:

Had a lot of great answers to the questions but I want to specifically thank Abdulaziz Dandan who commented eloquently, lovingly and truthfully on the question of Racism's existence in America. I don't know you, but I admire your courage and honesty.

Another from the same day:

I was born privileged, but nurtured by the love/wisdom of oppressed people. Left me with a fanatic fixation on universal Justice. I sincerely hope that if we privileged people take anything away from Hip Hop, it's a deep appreciation for the precious human souls who created it. I've asked these questions to see where our heads are in 2011. Truthfully, we can do better. Love you all very much.

Hearing and reading such things give you hope for hip-hop. The genre came out on a wave of reverberating cultural anger, culminating in the west coast/east coast beefs that took the lives of Biggie and Tupac, followed by the miniature beefs of Nas and Jay-Z and then Eminem and The Source. These beefs all represented, even if the actors didn't do it consciously, varying elements in society. They made it easy for the outsider to misjudge hip-hop, as well.

Maybe it's the recession, Obama or something in the water but the beef seems to have stopped and rappers from all different avenues are working together epically. Today I had the pleasure of being in the studio with my man Carl Roe, an upcoming rapper in the northwest who is recording an EP to be released on the internet.

While talking about the studio owners, etc., it somehow got to the subject of the owner handing eventual ownership to Randy, who obviously knew what he was doing behind the boards. Carl said, "That's great to see and not very common. People helping out one another."

That strand of thought carried over later, as Carl seemed really grateful for the press we've given him here and the cover of several mixtape and podcast covers. His visage is a permanent fixture on the right side of the website and we're going to tout his EP when it comes out. Carl told me that before he joined the military, he had gotten some newspaper coverage but never anything significant.

I'd reached out to him partly because he was in the area and because, after hearing him, I thought the sound would go over well with alot of people. As I've learned more about him, I'm tremendously excited about having him as the musical engine of the Blood Is One machine. We do need to help each other out, keep each other protected and generally look out for one another. That won't happen through supporting a politician or giving to a church but actually going out and helping one another. I look forward to doing it and I think hip-hop has a significantly untapped ability to help get there.

Supervillain Origins - Magneto

Heathen & Ill Cosby – It’s Hard Now f. El Da Sensei & B. Done (Video)

Thanks to 2DopeBoyz for posting this.

Podcast Episode One: The Mixtape Preview

Here it is! The first in a series of preview podcasts leading up to the next Blood Is One mixtape. This podcast features Paul Wall, Yelawolf, Raekwon, XV, Machine Gun Kelly, June G., Kenan Bell and Carl Roe. If you like what you hear, keep following this blog for more!

Blood Is One Podcast Ep. 1 by bloodisone

20 Facts, Beliefs, and Random Thoughts (May 21, 2011)

1.)   So, my good people, the Rapture did not happen. No, we are not dead. No, the Earth is not destroyed. No, God has not come back for his people. Plus, the way some of us act on a daily basis, I don’t think very many are going back. And yes, that includes luminaries like Kirk Franklin and Bishop Eddie Long.

2.)    Sir Michael Rocks has one of the most underrated mixtapes out there on the world wide web. He truly demonstrated his ability to rhyme over beats that aren’t made by Chuck Inglish. The other underrated mixtape? Pac Div’s Mania. I don’t care how many downloads they have. People aren’t talking about them enough.

3.)    Killer Mike (or Mike Bigga) has to be one of the most underrated artists in hip hop. His fan base is strong and his musical message is even stronger. People need to start recognizing that this man is going nowhere…as long as he doesn’t think about retiring. Meanwhile, buy Pl3dge.

4.)    If the Heat do make it to the Finals AND win the championship, it will be the first time a team would have one the NBA Finals without a worthwhile bench. I’m sorry people, but their bench production is unsavory. Check the history. All NBA championship teams had a formidable bench. Especially the Detroit Pistons of 1989 and 1990.

5.)    Arnold Swartzenegger, or whatever his last name is, had an affair with the hired help. Even produced a preteen child out of it all. Oh, and it’s a woman of color too. Hey, as they always say: once you go black, you never go back.

6.)    Speaking of being black, Satochi Kanazawa stirred up a lot of mess from his blog posted on CNN. It noted that “Black women are less physically attractive than other women”. This helps me realize one thing: if it sounds retarded, there is a chance that it is. And the people that were upset by it: what’s the purpose? People will be people, and people are generally stupid.

7.)    Elzhi released Elmatic. I thank God every day that Nas released Illmatic. Why? Well, for one it is the seminal piece of hip hop for NY from the 90’s. Another thing is that if there was no Illmatic, there would be no Elmatic. Plus, if Elzhi released Elmatic with no reference or inspiration, he would be declared hip hop royalty right now.

8.)    I’m not sure I like magazine reviews right now. Killer Mike’s Pl3dge got a three mics from the Source. Elzhi only got an XL from XXL magazine. Some of these reviews tend to low ball the artistic movement and compositions at times. This is part of the reason why I do music reviews to this day.

9.)    Macho Man Randy Savage died recently. People need to honor the legend that he was. Whether it was the wrestling, the voice, the charisma, or the Slim Jim commercials, people need to recognize his significance to sports and popular culture. Salute!

10.) I purchased a copy of Maybach Music’s Self Made Volume One. I have to admit two things about it: a.) The album is pretty damn banging. b.) Rick Ross has some of the most hilarious choruses out in hip hop. I see why people like him. His choruses are slick talk drenched in tomfoolery.

11.) Thinking about hip hop music, I am still trying to find out what happened to Scaramanga Shallah/Sir Menelik and Godfather Don. I swear to you, their days with Kool Keith/Rawkus/Hiphop underground will be some memorable stuff.

12.) The dopest R&B males out there right now: Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia Ultra and The Weeknd’s House of Balloons. No, it isn’t your common R&B music, either. Its real music. Irregular, profane, and always sexy for the ladies. Even when the chicks don’t get it, they love it.

13.) Curren$y is flooding the internets with music nowadays. With Covert Coup out already, Weekend @ Bernie’s coming and multitudes of over projects on the way, is there going to be anyone out there more prolific than Spitta this year?

14.) Felonious Munk is the future. If not, then at least he’s relevant and got something to say right now. You people need to listen to him.

15.) Bad Meets Evil is coming soon. That is, an ep with Eminem and Royce Da 5’9. Since it is an ep with those two rhyming, it is safe to say that they will be crucified if it is anything short of high quality music with no filler material. Their reputation precedes them. Anything short of “a great album” may be considered a flop.

16.) Nas is recording a new album. It has been hinted that he will be influenced by artists such as Odd Future, Lil Wayne, Drake and Frank Ocean as influences. Wait, I’m confused. Isn’t Nas a veteran in the game? You don’t need influences. You need to sit with one producer and bang out some heat. Find Premier, please.

17.) No Strings Attached is a hilarious movie. GREAT SCOTT!

18.) Cassidy needs to stop violating probation. While he is at it, can he come with some digestible and tangible music at the moment? Come on, Barry Reese!

19.) I wonder if Nelly is going to return to his hit making ways or will he become a ringtone artist. Then again, I’m not really sure I care since he is still a millionaire and I am not.

20.) Consequence is not with GOOD Music anymore. I am beginning to wonder whether or not his career will ever exceed the premise of “that cool dude that rhymes”. His situations have always become shaky after a while. Is it the company that he keeps or is it his overall aura hindering him?

Game Brothas Performing In San Diego!

Macklemore - White Privilege

Trick Trick - Who Want It ft. Eminem

I never actually came across this song until recently. Nice stuff. Sounds like Rick Ross.

Kenan Bell - Like This

This is the song that Kenan is best known for. Doing grand and gargantuan thangs.

Kenan Bell Performing Pink Floyd's "Have A Cigar"

We're in the process of doing some thangs with Kenan Bell so stay tuned.

Macho Man Randy Savage on Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous

Three New X-Men First Class Trailers Revealed

Three new clips from the prequel to the three X-Men films. This one looks pretty good, honestly:

Interview With Bizarre

June G. - Up Against The Wall

Draze - What Up Pimpin'

Illinois Senate Republican Leader Radgono quotes Raekwon and the Wu-Tang Clan

Eminem and Royce da 5'9 Interview

Eminem talks acting in an MTV interview.

MTV Shows

I can't wait for the EP. Royce and Eminem work perfectly together.

Carson Daly sits down with Charles Bradley

The Ron Paul Mixtape

Yeah, you read that right. Here is the official mixtape by Maryland rapper Ron Paul, who named himself after the Texas congressman.

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

Yelawolf feat. Trae Tha Truth - "Shit I've Seen"

The "Bad Meets Evil" Cover

We've posted the track "Fast Lane" here at BOI before but here is artwork for the upcoming Hell: The Sequel project between Detroit hall of famers Royce da 5'9 and Eminem.

MTV has more information, including some input from Royce himself:

To get the engine going on Eminem and Royce Da 5' 9" 's Bad Meets Evil: The Sequel album, earlier today the house the Jimmy Iovine built released the cover art to the upcoming EP. The album art is the second set of visuals released behind the project following this weekend's pics of Em and Royce on the set of their video for "Fast Lane."

Last month during an interview Royce gave us the scoop how the reunion with Slim Shady came about.

"Me and Em, when we started hangin' again — he don't go anywhere — so we were hangin' at the studio," Royce recalls. "And we just started making records, just making 'em because we were both in the lab and we had free time."

Royce is highly praised as one of the elite lyricists in the rap game til this day. According to the Detroit native, working alongside Em only reinforced him to step his game up.

"To me, [Eminem is] one of the greatest rappers ever. So if you're standing in there with him and watching him create, you can only spit on a certain level in order to even keep up," Royce said. "With me, I feel like it's good for me because I get pushed. It brings more out of me."

"We went in and did actually 11 records, two of 'em leaked, so we're gonna use the other nine and that was it," Royce continued. "We didn't go do 15 records and try to pick the best. We didn't make it an Eminem album so Eminem is under the same pressure of selling what he normally sells. We're not really thinking about that.

"We just wanted to do a raw hip-hop record that's put out on a bigger stage," Royce added. "I think that's what hip-hop is missing."

Royce has a better version of the cover up on his Twitter:

Moby On His Project "Destroyed"

Moby on Destroyed - British Journal of Photography from Olivier Laurent on Vimeo.

Community Destruction - The Hip Hop Version

Masculinity and the fact of maleness are a regular part of this website, as has been evidenced by earlier posts. In hip-hop is a genre that specifically speaks to adolescent boys (and sometimes older) and sends penetrating messages to them. The messages are often contradictory and have changed considerably as the genre has evolved (from Nas' "Got Yourself A Gun" to Kanye West adorning himself in women's clothing, the genre has come a long way).

Let's go for some real talk - with just about every predominant rapper has been some sort of history with weapons or violence. This doesn't just go for Tupac and Biggie, who were murdered at the height of their fame, but also for Eminem (whose case history is storied), Nas and Jay-Z (both involved in stabbings and weapons possession cases), Dr. Dre and others.

Is this representative of the problems of criminality in the black community, which has epic rates of incarceration that surpass any other group, including itself in prior periods of American history? Probably. I don't need to remind readers, however, that America is a chaotic, violent place, with crime happening at rates other countries couldn't hope to compete with. The rampages at places like Columbine and Virginia Tech are great illustrations of this.

It's not merely the morally degraded getting in on this game. Brother Ali, one of the greatest conscious rappers, a devout Muslim and devoted parents, has openly bragged about keeping a snub-nosed .38 while taking care of children. Eminem's tough talk seems to spawn not just from personal anger from his being bullied for a great deal of his life (along with family issues involving his mother and absent father) but also from his protection of his daughter Hailie and his two other, adopted daughters. These aren't bad guys but instead good people who decided that taking a tough pose was simply necessary to dissuade predators from touching their children or messing with them.

Deep within this issue may be the community bonds of our society. The institutions that typically build community are, if not completely wrecked, severely hurt in this country. Churches have become anonymous megachurches instead of intimate communal gatherings, public institutions are better inclined towards career advancement than building relationships and old public institutions like local candy shops, theaters, groceries have been taken apart and replaced with Wal-Mart, Target, RedBox, iTunes and all sorts of equally disengaging community substitutes.

Of course, I am writing as someone diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, so my vision may be skewed, but I have noticed community and social disconnect among people that are supposed to have way better social skills than me. They also get into fights and don't seem to have relationships so much as extended one night stands. It's a hyper atomized society that America is living right now and it's about as healthy as a hole in the head. No matter what cases your favorite rapper catches, the worst points of hip-hop are more representative of bad trends in American society, rather than an illustration of some rogue element of society that we can all feel righteous over.

Everything Is You prod. by Guilletine

June G. - Hip Hop's My Bitch (Official Version)

Tech N9ne – Mama Nem (Video)

Onry Ozzborn - The O.O.

Tech N9ne - He's A Mental Giant

Michelle Obama Invites "Gangster Rapper" To The White House, & Guess Who's Mad

"Now Black music is Black music, and it's allgood, I wasn't salty she was with the boys in the hood." -- Common; "I Used To Love H.E.R."

Oh Lordy or Lordy, look what Michelle Obama dun did now up the the white people's White House. She dun seriously up and dun it inviting one a dem dar Chicago gansta' rappers she used to live next to to the White House. Word has it that she's having a poetry reading session on Wednesday, but I ain't buying it.

 It's bad enuff that them Obama Kenyans dun defiled the sanctity of the one true symbol of whiteness and err'thing right with Amuur'cuh by even living there. And now, they finna have this Negro and his posse bussin' spades, making it rain on hoes, and whatever else them there drug dealing Negroes do.

Of course them dar white folks over at The Daily Caller is madder den a mugg over tghis and had something to say about it. And lemme tell you, at last count, there was 274 comments mostly in disgust after the following post. Let's just say, judging from the comments, Flava Flav better tear up his invitation:

First Lady Michelle Obama has scheduled a poetry evening for Wednesday, and she’s invited several poets, including a successful Chicago poet and rapper, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., AKA “Common.” However, Lynn is quite controversial, in part because his poetry includes threats to shoot police and at least one passage calling for the “burn[ing]” of then-President George W. Bush.

Back in 2003, First Lady Laura Bush held a poetry evening, and she invited several poets to reprise the work of Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman. Although none of those poets had urged violence against a president, Bush canceled the event after left-of-center poets protested and threatened to disrupt the event. (read more)

Oh well, lemme g'head and enjoy Common while I can; at least the pre-gangsta rapper Common; you know, back when he was less gangsta?

Sarah Palin jumped on the bandwagon, tweeting the Daily Caller story with a comment “Oh, lovely White House” — the virtual equivalent of rolling her eyes.

Pajamas Media, another conservative site, says Common supports Mumia Abu Jamal, convicted in the 1981 killing of a Philadelphia police officer, and was a member, along with the Obamas, of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, where Rev. Jeremiah Wright served as pastor. The rapper defended Wright during the 2008 campaign as Obama distanced himself from the controversial minister. The video below shows Wright in the background as Common performs.

A Fox News site called the multiple Grammy-winner a “vile rapper.” Common, who has also acted in several films, including "American Gangster" and "Terminator Salvation," also performed at a 2009 inaugural ball. (source)

Yeah, ain't no tellin' how much more gangsta' he's gonna get once he leaves the White House as he becomes more untouchable and public enemy number one, while Obama's still in office (watch this). Yep, big shouts out to the city of Chicago and all my peoples who live there; been a minute, but we'll kick it soon.

Donnie Walden Thinks You Best Believe

Brother Ali has been actively promoting this guitarist named Donnie Walden, who is planning to cover Ali's song "Tight Rope" for a future album. Walden allows you to download his music from his website for a price you set yourself:

Conservative Lampooning Of Common Illustrates Conservative Fail Towards Black America

Among conservatives who have more mainstream racial attitudes, there is a constant bemoaning of why it is that black America is not more receptive to their message. After all, Republicans are critical of welfare programs that carry with them perverse incentives of family destruction and dependency. Many conservative outlets, when talking about this issue, sound just like Malcolm X, who sang the same song about black dependency. Many conservatives are likewise far more endorsing of education reform that would help stir up the stale pot of American public education, a pot that has not served blacks or other minorities very well.

Conservatives are the most vocal about the destruction of the American family over the last 40 years and, while the utter collapse of the American family can be seen in all aspects of society - from working white women who are the statistically most likely group to be childless to poor white women who suffer from large rates of teenage pregnancy - family decline is at its most obvious in black America. Tyler Perry's excellent sweep of conservative tinged films show this aspect of black American society in a serious light while also providing positive archetypes.

With all these possibilities available, why do conservatives fail to win with black people? Here is a key example why:

Why? "Some of Common's poetry could ... raise some eyebrows among those who might find cop-killing and racially-tinged or misogynist language beneath the Office of the Presidency," Shawn Millerick at the New Hampshire Journal wrote. He goes on to quote from Common lyrics: "Tell the law my Uzi weighs a ton ... I hold up a peace sign but I carry a gun," and "Flyer say Free Mumia on my freezer.”

Gun reference? Yes. Grounds for being banned from the White House grounds? We’re going to go with no. As the Atlantic reports, Obama is far from the first president to host an artist whose work includes references to controversial – or even criminal – topics. Not to mention, anyone who is actually familiar with Common’s career knows that he’s renowned for writing socially and politically conscious lyrics and eschewing the gratuitous violence for which rap is often criticized. And the first word used to describe his work is always “positive.”

Anyone who knows anything about hip-hop knows that Common is the centennial "positive" or "conscious" rapper. So, if Common isn't welcome, we should assume that no one in hip-hop is welcome. (If you are about to suggest Will Smith, being the non-cusser that he is, think again.) If it were R&B singers being invited, accusations of sexual depravity would be thrown.

Jack White's Favorite Song

Since we've been talking up Detroit legend Eminem quite a bit on this blog, why not delve into the work of another Detroit legend - Jack White. I wouldn't have found this if it had not been for rapper Brother Ali, who posted it to his raucous Facebook feed today along with several other blues artists.

Ludacris Ft. Yelawolf & Rock City - How Low (Remix)

YelaWolf talks Top 5 favorite albums with Hard Knock TV

Huey Newton - Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y

Paul Wall - Live it (feat. Yelawolf, Raekwon & Jay Electronica)

Wow!

Lloyd Banks - So Forgetful

It's a little hard to believe that this is a song by G-Unit alumni. Talk about changing hip hop.

Lloyd Banks - Music - More Music Videos

Bizarre Interview On Global Grind

Dr. Dre and Eminem - Die Hard

Eminem and Dr. Dre are doing something different for their video "Die Hard." Looks like a good song for working out.

Lloyd Banks - Spread My Wings

Aye June Where Da Money At

More from the homie June G.

Bizarre ft. Tech N9ne - Believer

Wow, when did Bizzy decide to go balls out with his rap career? This is nice.

Bun B - The Ambassador of Southern Hip-Hop

This article was written by Mark A. Harris, a writer on hip-hop and, like myself and co-founder William, an admirer of Texas Trill O.G. Bun B. I'm republishing this with permission by the author.

In recent history, Bun-B has become a lecturer at Rice University. This can be seen as a rewarding and ironic situation. The big payoff is that intellectual beings get a chance to learn from a southern hip hop legend. Ironically, he is an artist known for more street affairs. Yet, he is teaching at a prestigious research institution. Hence, Bun B is going to be directly responsible for the growth toward understanding hip hop music for many different types of people.

To be honest, Bun B should be awarded another title: Ambassador of Southern Hip Hop.

Wait, there isn’t such a title? Well, I am designating one and giving it to him.

Bun B has been in the rap game at an approximate 20 years. Starting out on Big Tyme Records, Bun B joined Pimp C to form UGK (UnderGround Kingz), the most lauded rap duo in southern rap history. From Jive Records to Rap-A-Lot, the two made classic funky jams to ride, smoke, party and even think to. He has been a part of the independent hustle and major label struggle. He has seen friends die, business men lie, and artists try. Conclusively, he has been through it all.

The man known as Bernard Freeman by the government has worked with a plethora of artists. UGK scored their biggest hit with Jay-Z (Big Pimpin’). He has also worked with Ca$h Money Records for the past decade and a half. Bun B has even ventured off to work with “underground” artists like Self Scientific (King Kong), Talib Kweli (Country Cousins and Real Women), and even Dizzee Rascal (Two Types of Bitches). On the low, he wrote rhymes for the often unheard of group C.C. Waterbound. Additionally, Bun has linked up with Freddie Gibbs’s offshoot group (featuring Chip Da Ripper and Cool Kids), Pulled Over By the Cops on the song Oil Money. Relatively, Bun B has worked with whomever he liked whenever he wanted to.

Also, many producers have worked with the Ambassador. Timbaland was laced by Bun’s lyrics on the aforementioned Big Pimpin. DJ Premier worked with him on Let Em Know. Never and unknown producers to deal with him include Steve Below, Play –N-Skills, Drumma Boy, Boi-1da, and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Even rock & roll drummer Travis Barker worked with him on Late Night Creepin' off of the Trill album. There is sheer proof that Bun B will work with you if he respects your production skills.

Yet, nothing this country rap tune politico has ever achieved can compare to his mentoring capabilities. For example, he has mentored Little Brother in being independent artists that speak their mind. Bun B respected their artform and their approach, even when others questioned their message (See Minstrel Show). Also, he has always lent a helping hand to Lupe Fiasco. Lupe has always had an affinity to Texas hip hop. Bun B, being the man that he is, always encouraged Lupe to do what he feels is best for his career. In the end, Bun B can even play the role of “big brother” to the “little brothers” (pun intended).

Still, the most spectacular display of his genuine humanity was the support of Pimp C’s situation with incarceration. In 2002, Pimp C was sent to jail for a parole violation. Bun B stood by his side with everlasting support. T-shirts with “Free Pimp-C” emblazed on the front was a constant. Chants to give Chad Butler his freedom stayed being recited at concerts and video shoots. When the Pimp was finally released on December 30, 2005, Bun-B was present to welcome him home along with Pimp C’s family and friends. Evidently, Bun B knows how to demonstrate the qualities of a “ridah”.

Bun-B has proven that he would make a deserving hip hop ambassador. His work with artists has spanned the globe. Also, he has made great attempts to use different sounds for his music. In addition, he has helped others in need, whether it be close friends or musical associations. A salute is in order for the man that has bypassed coastal reclusiveness for worldwide fidelity.

Thor Is Out Today!

This movie looks great. The Marvel channel on YouTube has a bunch of promos for the film, which just came out today.



This clip especially is great because there is an overt reference to "Stark," as in Tony Stark, better known as Iron Man. Samuel L. Jackson has popped up representing S.H.I.E.L.D. at the end of several different Marvel films but this shows Marvel Studios is getting really serious about creating an interconnected film universe.



Finally here is an interview with the film's director, Kenneth Branagh:

Adam Carolla on Making Money in Podcasts

French Montana feat. Rick Ross & Wiz Khalifa - Choppa Choppa Down (Remix)

Ja Da Dah (A Michael Jackson Beat)

On YouTube, you can find all sorts of producers posting the work they've put together using FL Studio or Garageband. This one really stood out:

L PRO - EQUILIBRIUM "ENCORE" PORTLAND STREETS

Cinco de Mayo!

Alright. I'll let you guys stop listening to our new mixtape for like two seconds to enjoy this delightful, supposedly true tale from Houston rapper Chingo Bling.



If you like that immigrant type of shit just remember, they can't deport us all. Now back to your regularly scheduled General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, fuck the French activities.

The Blood Is One Mixtape Volume 2

Cover art by Jeff Abplanalp. 

Carl Roe is currently working on his landmark EP, and CaLiiBaby is prepping her debut album. When those drop, I'll be providing a mixtape to end all mixtapes to celebrate and promote their efforts.

Until then, however, I accumulated quite a bit of in house and outside material that I wanted to share with our readers. Everything here is non-album material that could easily be overlooked in the fast paced world that is popular music. Stay tuned. I'll be back with more.

TRACKLIST:
1. EXCLUSIVE: Simply Simone - Miles2Miles
2. Zo! & Phonte - Return of the Mack
3. Frank Ocean - novacane
4. Madlib - What Can U Tell Me
5. June G. - Back 2 Da Hip Hop
6. Shane Eli - City Never Sleeps
7. Kanye West - All Of The Lights Remix
8. Flouie Fluent - Heater Lines
9. Eminem - 50 Ways
10. Nas - Seen It All (Green Remix)
11. Machine Gun Kelly - Chip Off The Block
12. Bad Meets Evil (Royce Da 5'9 and Eminem) - Fast Lane
13. Bun B - Trill OG
14. XV Featuring Machine Gun Kelly - Finally Home
15. Mr. Forbes - I'm So High
16. Shane Eli - When We Were Kings
17. Lloyd Banks - Getting To It Mandatory
18. Orion - Gone Outro
BONUS: Eminem - The Apple

DOWNLOAD HERE

Lightworks

If that song sounds familiar to you, you probably heard it when J Dilla sampled it with "Lightworks."