Monthly Archives: April 2010

Skillz presents: Hip-Hop Confessions ep. 5 from Visually Inklined on Vimeo.

The guys go in on some funny stories behind the scenes in their hip-hop history…

# 1 (ONE)

The Skit: Mad Rapper skit on “Kick in the Door” from Notorious B.I.G.’s 1997 album, Life After Death

The Punchline: Mad Rapper: “I’ma tell you why I’m mad! These niggas is makin’ $500,000 videos. They drivin’ around in hot cars. They got bitches. They got all that shit. I’m still livin’ with my moms!

The Bottom Line: Don’t lie: You knew this was coming. Few skits have been as memorable as Bad Boy’s “Mad Rapper” routine. After debuting on Biggie’s final album, BB producer Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie performed subsequent skits as the Mad Rapper on albums by The LOX, Black Rob, Puff Daddy, DJ Drama, Da Band, commercials and movies. As a result, he also managed to come up on an album deal and released his debut LP, “Tell ‘Em Why You Madd”, in 2000, which featured production spots from D-Dot’s upstart mentee Kanye West. Daaaaammmmmnnnnn, son! All off a skit? Can’t be mad at that. YEAH BOY!!!!!!!!!!—–>from Vibe Magazine…Thanx guys!!!

Guru, the pioneering rapper of Legendary Hip-Hop group Gangstar has died. He was 43.

The rap star, whose real name is Keith Elam, died after a long battle with cancer, his longtime professional partner DJ Premier said.

Guru’s death came two months after he suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized in New York. He reportedly fell into a coma after undergoing surgery.

Guru rocketed to stardom in the late 1980s when he partnered with DJ Premier to create the group Gang Starr.

The partnership helped define East Coast rap, with its complex, socially-conscious lyrics and jazz-heavy samples.

In the 1990s, Guru received further acclaim for his solo albums dubbed “Jazzmattaz,” which featured collaborations with such jazz sensations as Branford Marsalis and Donald Byrd.

On his Web site, DJ Premier published a letter purportedly written by Guru, which stands for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal.

“I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting,” the letter reads.
There was also some controversial statements in the letter concerning Guru’s and Premier’s relationship in recent years. BUT we want to CELEBRATE the life of a great dude…You will be missed Guru…One Love and God Bless!

Shout out to Vibe for making such a conversation piece. Riggs!!!! Good lookin’ on the The Hitmen love…! I totally agree….BTW…

Ok, ok Round 1 is down and of course The Hitmen won their first round battle against the great producer Hurby Luv Bug (a friend also) by a land-slide 89% of the vote. Other winners include, Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, The Bomb Squad, DJ Premier, Timbaland and Pete Rock. Some of the losers were Bangladesh, DJ Toomp, Rockwilder, Hi-Tek…alot of surprises….for more check out http://vibe.com/hiphopproducer

Shondrae Crawford aka Bangladesh—who’s up against the more than well-respected DJ Premier—has a few words on his standing.
“I’m definitely deserving to be on the list as one of the best producers right now, but I wouldn’t say hip-hop. Probably the only hip-hop thing I made was ‘A Milli’ and that was probably the greatest beat of this era,” the Atlanta-based producer told VIBE. “I think if you really define hip-hop, Premier is really the best hip-hop producer. He’s amazing with samples… he’s the essence of hip-hop.”
Bangladesh joins other rappers such as: Havoc, Jam Master Jay, RZA and Q-Tip in the Boom-Bap category, but felt he belonged more in Mass Appeal, or even his own division. “I have a sound that the masses like. But I wouldn’t put myself in any of those categories. I’m probably in ‘The Most Creative’ box or ‘Most Against The Grain,'” he says.
“All the producers in [‘Mass Appeal’], they strive for certain things,” he continued. “Like Polow will go in and say we need to make a pop record, we gotta make a Top 40 and that’s what he’ll make. See, I create organically and it becomes mass appealed. That’s why I feel like I’m better. I don’t do what is going to make me money or what the DJs are going to want to play. I just do me. And everything that I’ve done has been knocked down in the beginning, but at the end of the day it sticks to the walls. It don’t take a label to back it up, it just blows because people want different shit.”
“Honestly, I’m better than all them peoples. I’m not disrespecting them because I was influenced by Timbaland and Neptunes and all of them, but your time came and went. There’s time for other things to happen.”
“A lot of them producers, some have a sound and some don’t. I think Polow kinda does whatever, he doesn’t have a certain sound, he emulates other peoples stuff. To me, he’s probably a well-sought-out producer, but at the same time its about who you’re with, who you’re around, who’s getting you the work,” he continues. “I don’t get all the Interscope work, I create the work. That makes me better because I don’t have people in my pocket. My sound is so powerful that the artist love it and it skips all the middle men. All my beats have been placed by getting it directly to the artist. I don’t really need nobody cosigning.”

Yep! things are getting hhheeaattteedddddd!!! Lmao….

hmmm??? Let’s give this a minute to marinate….hmmm??? i’ll be back to comment..and last but not least….hmmmmmmmm???

My man Serious Jones, who USED to be signed to Ludacris and DTP, breaks his silence and his situation and his future…We love this kid!!! He from Jersey but he might have some BK in him…Good luck lil bruh…you nice!!!!