Rappers JAY-Z, NAS, KANYE WEST Perform For OBAMA Inauguration

Bun B was not asked to perform.

Obama’s inauguration has provided some publicity for some of hip-hop’s biggest names including Nas, Jay-Z, and Kanye West. I think Chuck D, Ice Cube, and Bun B should have been included. Nas, Jay, and Kanye are all signed to Island Def Jam Recordings. Coincidence? You tell me.

Check out all the videos below as featured on HipTics video site.

• Nas Performs “My President” On BET
• Jay-Z Performs “History” @ Neighborhood Ball
• Kanye West Interview And Performance on CNN

What RAPPERS Have You Seen PERFORM Live?

High Quality Performers

I’ll kick things off. 

The first rap concert I attended was the Up In Smoke Tour in Detroit, Michigan featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Ice Cube (who came down from the cieling in a giant ice cube), Warren G, Xzibit, Daz, Kurupt, The Eastsidaz, etc. This marked the first time my nostrils were introduced to ganja among other things. After the show Kim Mathers, who was in the crowd that night, attempted suicide. The way Dre and Snoop commanded the crowd was incredible, though; And seeing Em make his ‘homecoming’ in Detroit just weeks after debuting #1 with The Marshall Mathers LP was really cool.

Trick Trick’s The Villain Album Review

Trick

Trick Trick is known as the godfather of Detroit rap.  He keeps an eye on all hip-hop developments in the Detroit area.  However, he has apparently not forgotten that he’s got a voice as well.  Here’s a review of his album, “The Villain”.

If there’s one thing to be certain about Detroit native Trick Trick, he is not one to be trifled with. Known more for his run-ins with fellow rappers Trick Daddy and Yung Berg than his rhyming, Trick Trick isn’t generally as adept on the mic as some of his Midwest peers. However, you’ll be hard-pressed to find and emcee these days with as much intensity and gritty, violent subject matter and the résumé to back it up. But does that necessarily translate into the best music? Trick Tricks appropriately-titled The Villain aims to answer that question.

Ludacris to drop Theater of the Mind November 11

Luda's back November 11

While it may seem to some as if Ludacris has abandoned rap in favor of his thespian endeavors (he’s in no less than two films this fall: Max Payne and RocknRolla), the artist insists that this isn’t the case.

To prove his point the Atlanta bred MC will be dropping Theater Of The Mind on November 11th.

“Music is still No. 1,” says Luda. “Theater Of The Mind should showcase that.”

The album will be preceded by the single “I Know What Them Girls Like”, which features Chris Brown and Sean Garrett.

Additional guest on the album will include T.I., T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Jamie Foxx, The Game, Plies, Rick Ross, Playaz Circle And Willy Northpole.

“I wanted an album where you could listen to it from beginning to end and it would put you in an imaginative state,” Ludacris says of his sixth major label album. “Ice Cube, Scarface, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., they paved the way for me. I feel like they’re some of the greatest of all time and they lyrically and conceptually put you in this place. I want my fans to feel like they’re part of the music. That’s what Theater Of The Mind is all about, drawing people in.”

Source

Luda's A Boss

Ice Cube – Raw Footage Album Review

Back When the Raiders Were in L.A.

Apparently Ice Cube is true to his rapping roots this late in his career. I bet more soccer moms know Ice Cube for his role in Friday than for his rapping career. However, his influence on the rap game is still rippling throughout the industry in artists like The Game and others. Speaking of The Game, he’s featured on this album. Here’s a review of Raw Footage.

Some might make the argument that O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson is bipolar, and they have every right to think so. The original member of N.W.A. and one of the forefathers of ‘gangsta rap’ also doubles as a movie star that puts out a ton of kid-based films at a high success rate. But in his defense, he’s not bipolar—he just knows the meaning of building a brand. As he continues to stack accomplishments on an already monumental career, he once again switches from his actor’s trailer back to the recording studio for his ninth album, Raw Footage.

The once angry and controversial son of Compton has grown older and wiser over the years, and this project is the reflection of a man that has come full circle with his life and career. Filled with social commentary, occasional bragging, and that Cali-twang reminiscent of his jheri curl days; the 39-year-old proves that he still has some gas left in the tank.

Rest of Raw Footage Review

Fresh to Death

Ice Cube Talks About Raw Footage

Raw since back in the day

• DOWNLOAD Raw Footage MP3s

My boy Matt was saying he thinks it’s lame that Cube still raps considering his appearance in Are We There Yet? Personally, I think if Cube still has passion for the game then he should release music as much as possible. Here’s part of an article about his new album Raw Footage.

“Going independent in 2006 really re-energized me. It rejuvenated me [and] my feelings for the game,” he said. “Being on [major] record labels is for the birds. It sucks all your energy out. Because the good ideas you come up with, a lot of times they don’t wanna do it. Especially on the promotional tip. They follow these same ancient formulas to sell a record. You gotta be creative in 2008 to sell a record. That’s the first thing. When I started doing it independent, it gave me my swagger back and made me feel like I was doing hip-hop and not just doing records for somebody. I just went back to the essence and stopped worrying about the hip-hop fans and started worrying about Ice Cube fans.”

You don't like my album?

“I wanna take it back to the real hip-hop,” Cube said. “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back by Public Enemy is one of the records I cherish, I love. I wanted to flip that and put the emphasis more on us and our community, on what we’re doing to hold us back. I also wanted to talk about what’s going on in the world and how I feel about it and what I’m ready to do. It’s not a game. People playing hip-hop like it’s a game. Let’s get back to talking about what people going through so we can solve some of these issues.”

Source (Read full article)

Top 10 Political Songs of All Time

Killer Mike getting political

According to Killer Mike. Found this HERE. Here’s a couple excerpts:

#8 NWA – “Fuck the Police”: “This song really was a retaliation cry against what was happening to young people in Los Angeles when the news wouldn’t even acknowledge it. Ten years later you get a Rampart investigation, and find out the police force in Los Angeles was actively doing whatever it could to be the judge, jury, and executioner for street level gang members. (It’s) another example of when ‘policing’ citizens becomes a force of people ‘occupying’ citizens.”

#5 Dead Prez – “They Schools”: “I like this because dead prez [says what] Black people have known for years; just because we’re integrated doesn’t mean those people have fully accepted us and it doesn’t mean they’re willing to educate us. The same people that run bad hospitals and give you bad jobs and don’t pay attention to the garbage on your street are the same people that run the schools. And if White people don’t trust their (public) schools and are taking their kids out to private and charter schools, how do you think the quality of education is going to be for Black children?”

Here’s Killer Mike’s newish video for his political song with Ice Cube: