07/07/2016
Kavo Söze “Make Em Envy”
Kavo Söze is without a doubt one of my favorite artists in South Florida and he’s about to “Make Em Envy” with this new track.
07/07/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “Erik B. & Rakim released Paid In Full” July 7, 1987
Paid in Full is the debut album of hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released on July 7, 1987, by Island-subsidiary label 4th & B’way Records. The duo recorded the album at hip hop producer Marley Marl’s home studio and Power Play Studios in New York City, following Rakim’s response to Eric B.’s search for a rapper to complement his disc jockey work in 1985. The album peaked at number fifty-eight on the Billboard 200 chart. Paid in Full is credited as a benchmark album of golden age hip hop. Rakim’s rapping, which pioneered the use of internal rhymes in hip hop, set a higher standard of lyricism in the genre and served as a template for future rappers. The album’s heavy sampling by Eric B. became influential in hip hop production. The record has sold over a million copies and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it platinum in 1995. In 2003, the album was ranked number 228 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
07/06/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “50 Cent was born” July 6, 1975
Curtis James Jackson III was born July 6, 1975, better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is a rapper, singer, entrepreneur, investor and actor from New York City. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of the borough of Queens, Jackson began selling drugs at age twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. Although he left drug-dealing to pursue a musical career, he was struck by nine bullets in a 2000 shooting. After Jackson released the compilation album Guess Who’s Back? in 2002, he was discovered by Eminem and signed by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. With the aid of Eminem and Dr. Dre who produced his first major-label album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Jackson became one of the world’s best selling rappers and rose to prominence with East Coast hip hop group G-Unit which he leads de facto. In 2003 he founded G-Unit Records, signing his G-Unit associates Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Jackson had similar commercial and critical success with his second album, The Massacre, which was released in 2005. He released his fifth studio album, Animal Ambition, in 2014 and is working on his sixth studio album: Street King Immortal, scheduled for release in 2015. During his career Jackson has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several awards, including a Grammy Award, thirteen Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards. He has pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005), the Iraq War film Home of the Brave (2006) and Righteous Kill (2008). 50 Cent was ranked the sixth-best artist of the 2000s, the third-best rapper (behind Eminem and Nelly) and Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and The Massacre were ranked the 12th and 37th best albums of the decade by Billboard.
07/05/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “RZA was born” July 5, 1969
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs born July 5, 1969, better known by his stage name RZA is a music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, rapper, actor, director, composer and screenwriter. A prominent figure in hip hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost all of Wu-Tang Clan’s albums as well as many Wu-Tang solo and affiliate projects. He is a cousin of the late band-mate, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and The GZA (who also formed the group with RZA). He has also released solo albums under the alter-ego Bobby Digital, along with executive producing credits for side projects. In addition to the Wu-Tang Clan and his solo releases, RZA was also a founding member of the horrorcore Hip Hop group Gravediggaz where he used the name The RZArector. Furthermore, he has acted in several movies, including Coffee and Cigarettes, American Gangster, Gospel Hill, Life Is Hot in Cracktown, Ghost Dog, Funny People, Derailed, Due Date and Repo Men. He also appeared in the Showtime TV series Californication. His directorial debut is for the film he co-wrote and in which he plays the title role, The Man with the Iron Fists, also starring Russell Crowe. On November 1, 2012, he introduced the movie at a preview screening in the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, the evening before the Universal picture opened nationwide. The magazine The Source placed him on its list of the 20 greatest producers in the magazine’s twenty-year history.[3] He also made the “Elite 8” in the search for The Greatest Hip-Hop Producer of All Time by Vibe. NME placed him on their list of the 50 Greatest Producers ever.
07/04/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “D’Angelo released Brown Sugar” July 4, 1995
Brown Sugar is the debut album of recording artist D’Angelo, released on July 4, 1995, by EMI Music. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1994 to 1995 at Battery Studios and RPM Studios in New York City and at the Pookie Lab in Sacramento. Production, instrumentation, arrangements, and songwriting were primarily handled by D’Angelo, who employed both vintage recording equipment and modern electronic devices. Brown Sugar contains themes of love and romance, and features a fusion of contemporary R&B and traditional soul music, along with elements of funk, quiet storm, and hip hop music. Brown Sugar debuted at number six on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, selling 300,000 copies in its first two months. With the help of its four singles, it spent 65 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and attained platinum shipments within a year of its release. Upon its release, Brown Sugar received acclaim from music critics and earned D’Angelo several accolades, including four Grammy Award nominations. Regarded by music writers as a pivotal album in neo soul, the album provided commercial visibility to the musical movement, amid the prominence of producer-driven, digitally approached R&B.
07/03/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “Lil’ Romeo released the self-titled debut album Lil’ Romeo” July 3, 2001
Lil’ Romeo is the self-titled debut studio album by rapper, Lil’ Romeo. It was released July 3, 2001 on No Limit Records and Priority Records. The album has feature productions by Master P, Carlos Stephens and Sean “Barney” Thomas, the album also has guest appearances by Silkk the Shocker, Lil’ Zane, Allusion, Little D, 6 Piece and Afficial. The album garnered mixed reviews from music critics. It spawned two singles: “My Baby” and “The Girlies”. The album debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA.
07/02/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “Nas released It Was Written” July 2, 1996
It Was Written is the second studio album by Nas, released July 2, 1996 on Columbia Records. Following the moderate sales success of his acclaimed debut album, Illmatic (1994), Nas chose to focus his efforts in a more mainstream direction. Primarily produced by Trackmasters, it is a departure for him from the raw, underground tone of his debut album towards a more polished, mainstream sound. The album features mafioso and gangsta themes, and marks the first appearance of Nas’s short-lived supergroup The Firm, which included rappers Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega. The album proved to be Nas’s most commercially successful release, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. It also heralded Nas’s mainstream popularity. It has been viewed by music writers as one of Nas’ best works and remains Nas’ best-selling release, with over 4 million copies in the United States alone.
07/01/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “The Geto Boys released We Can’t Be Stopped” July 1, 1991
We Can’t Be Stopped is the third studio album by Geto Boys, released in 1991. It was among their most successful records in terms of units sold. The album is analysed track-by-track by Geto Boys in Brian Coleman’s book Check the Technique. We Can’t Be Stopped was certified Platinum in early 1992.
06/30/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “Black Eyed Peas released Behind the Front” June 30, 1998
Behind the Front is the debut studio album by hip hop group Black Eyed Peas, released on June 30, 1998.
06/29/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “Notorious B.I.G. released Party And Bullshit” June 29, 1993
“Party and Bullshit” is a song by hip hop artist The Notorious B.I.G., then known as Biggie Smalls. The song is the artist’s debut single and was released as the fourth promotional single for the soundtrack to the 1993 film Who’s the Man?.
06/28/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “House Of Pain released Same As It Ever Was” June 28, 1994.
House Of Pain released their sophomore album, Same As It Ever Was, on Tommy Boy Records, on June 28,1994. Same As It Ever Was would feature production by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, Diamond D of the Diggin’ In The Crates Crew and the group’s DJ Lethal.Same As It Ever Was went gold despite minimal airplay and no major hits.
06/27/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “Nelly released Country Grammar” June 27, 2000
Country Grammar is the debut studio album by Nelly. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Universal Records, before signing a record deal with the rapper in 1999. The production on the album was handled by Jason “Jay E” Epperson, with additional production by C-Love, Kevin Law, City Spud, Steve “Blast” Wills and Basement Beats. Nelly contributed to all lyrics on the album, with Epperson and City Spud also contributing. The album is predominantly Southern hip hop based, and introduces Nelly’s vocal style of pop-rap singalongs and Midwestern, Missouri twang. Country Grammar received positive reviews, with critics praising Nelly’s vocal style and the album’s production. It topped the US Billboard 200 chart for five consecutive weeks and the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for six consecutive weeks. It peaked in the top five on the New Zealand Albums Chart and Australian Albums Chart, as well as the top ten on the Canadian Albums Chart and Dutch Albums Chart. The album was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) and Music Canada (MC), denoting shipments of 45,000 and 300,000 copies, respectively. On May 18, 2013, Country Grammar had sold 8.5 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, ranking it as the ninth best selling rap album of all time in the United States. It was certified nine times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it one of the highest certified albums in the US history. Its commercial success secured Nelly’s status as one of the most successful hip hop acts of the 2000s decade.
06/27/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “Camu Tao was born” June 26, 1977
Camu Tao was born Tero Smith, June 26, 1977. He was a rapper and producer who was signed to the Definitive Jux label. Camu was a member of several groups: S.A. Smash with fellow rapper Metro, the underground hiphop supergroup Weathermen, Central Services with fellow producer El-P, and the music collective Cardboard City. Smith died on May 25, 2008, after a two-year battle with lung cancer. At the time of his death, he was producing a song for Cage’s I Never Knew You EP and working on his first solo for Definitive Jux.
06/25/2016
In Hip Hop History Today “Jay Z released Reasonable Doubt” June 25, 1996
Reasonable Doubt is the debut studio album by Jay-Z, released on June 25, 1996, by Roc-A-Fella and Priority Records. It features production by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and guest appearances from Memphis Bleek, Mary J. Blige, and The Notorious B.I.G., among others. Reasonable Doubt features Mafioso rap themes and gritty lyrics about the “hustler” lifestyle and material obsessions. The album peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard 200, on which it charted for 18 weeks. It was promoted with four singles, including the Hot 100-charting “Ain’t No Nigga” and “Can’t Knock the Hustle”. Reasonable Doubt has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold 1.5 million copies in the United States. Well received by critics upon its release, the album has since been heralded by music writers as Jay-Z’s “crowning achievement”, “a seminal work” and an “undisputed classic”. It appears on numerous best album lists by music publications, including The Source, Blender and Rolling Stone, which ranked it number 248 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
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