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Fire Starter: Uncle Murda
There's heavy talk in the streets that Murda might be the next one to wear the Roc-A-Fella hat and sign with Jay-Z, but this East Brooklyn, New York, native has already affiliated himself with one of the key people in the New York music scene, DJ/producer Green Lantern. Murda and Green have been putting out mixtapes for about a year now, earning the MC a rep for being one of the greasiest talkers on wax right now. It all started to click recently with the street explosions "Running the City" and his latest, "Bullet Bullet." The latter is guaranteed to give DJs carpal-tunnel syndrome from all the times they'll be bringing the record back this summer in the clubs.
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— Shaheem Reid and Jayson Rodriguez, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes
DJ: Big Mike
Representing: Connecticut
Mixtape: March Madness Part One and Part Two
411: Big Mike doubles up this week with two mixtapes, March Madness Part One and Two. Sheek Louch of the LOX host numero uno and DJ Drama takes the reins on the second portion. With exclusives and freestyles, it seems like Mike is getting his game back on track.
Joints To Check For:
- "Games People Play" remix by Jadakiss (featuring Styles P), from March Madness Part One. "The Jada and Styles record was originally recorded for the Champ Is Here mixtape," Big Mike said. "On the mixtape, it just features 'Kiss. Then Funkmaster Flex was lovin' it so much that Styles jumped on it for Flex's official album. It never made the album for one reason or another, so it was kinda stashed away till I got my hands on it. It's getting warmer out, so that's a good joint to be playing in the whip right now."
- "Flipmode Block" by Sheek Louch, from March Madness Part One. "The Sheek and Busta record was supposed to have Papoose on it, but I had to run with that version since Sheek was hosting the tape," Mike said. "I liked the combination of Sheek and Busta together. The track was hard and I think they both did their thing on it. Look out for Sheek's new mixtape with me titled The Howling, and a whole gang of Busta/Flipmode mixtapes with myself."
- "Takin' Pictures" by DJ Drama (featuring T.I., Willie Da Kid, Young Buck, Rick Ross and Young Jeezy), from March Madness Part Two. "I had to recruit the big homie Drama to hold down the hosting duties for this one," Mike said. "What better way to start the joint than with his new single off the album? Dame Grease produced it — he killed the beat. T.I. murdered his verse, too."
Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week
- DJ Don Demarco - Never 4Get Me
- DJ Warrior - Green on Mine
- DJ Lust - The Weather Man
- Super Chron Flight Brothers - Emergency Powers
- Young Rod - 50 Cent, Rob E Rob and Tony Yayo Present Young Rod
- DJ Burn One/ Big Kuntry King/ Slick Pulla - The Corporate Hustle
Click here for more of Mixtape Monday ...
'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar
- Redman (featuring E3) - "Fire"
- Stimuli - "Look at U"
- Timbaland (featuring Dr. Dre, Justin Timberlake and Missy Elliott) - "Bounce"
- Lil' Flip - "Single Mother"
- Yung Berg - "Sexy Lady"
- The Alliance featuring Fabo - "Tattoo"
- Young Jonez - "Get Up Out My Face"
- Redman - "Gimme One"
- KRS-One and Marley Marl - "Hip-Hop Lives"
- Timbaland (featuring Keri Hilson) - "Miscommunication"
- Lil Wayne - "Imagine"
Celebrity Faves
As an actress, Ciara says she would love to work with Denzel Washington or Will Smith. But when it comes to music, much like many of her peers (including Usher), she can't get enough of Robin Thicke. "The Evolution of Robin Thicke is the album," she said. "I think it's gonna take off. His whole album is amazing. His production is amazing. I think he's amazing. One of my friends was like, 'I can't listen to his album anymore because you play it too much.' [There's also] 'Buddy' by Musiq Soulchild. I love that song!"
The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground
Young Buck literally says "hold on" if you think he's jumping into the middle of the 50 Cent/ Cam'ron feud. The Southern G-Unit member says 50 Cent added some disparaging words about Cam'ron at the end of the "Hold On" video without his knowledge (on the video version of the song — but not on the album version — 50 is heard talking about Cam'ron and spreading some unfounded rumors about the head of the Diplomats). Buck said the original song was not recorded with Cam in mind.
"[Dip Set's] Jim Jones stretched out to me in the beginning of that whole thing [between Cam'ron and 50]," Buck said. "And he told me, 'Buck, I don't think it's gonna last long between them, so I ain't messing with it,' and out of respect I gave him the same thing in return. I think what's been promoted has been beefs, as far as G-Unit, but all these past situations ain't nothing but good hip-hop battles. I'm active enough in the streets where if it's beef then it's that. I'll play a part in a good battle if it's worth it. But as far as pushing the line to beef, this sh-- ain't beef."
The G-Unit's beefing certainly took an ugly turn over the weekend. Tony Yayo was arrested for allegedly slapping and threatening the 14 year-old son of Game's manager, Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond, early last week. Ironically, Buck, who does not appear to be involved in Yayo/Rosemond incident, told us he was ready to put his camp's feud with Game behind him — and had even talked to the Compton MC over the phone recently.
Rumors began circulating last month about a confrontation between Buck and the Game in Las Vegas during the NBA All-Star weekend. But Buck told MTV News that he didn't dis Game, despite word that he joined Young Jeezy onstage so he could call out the former G-Unit member. "It was the first time that we've been in the same domain as each other since the whole 50 Cent and Game situation popped off, and that's a few years," Buck said. "So I took it upon myself to address the situation. I told the DJ to play one of his records, and once he started to play it, I told the crowd to put their dubs up as though we were on the West Side. From there I addressed Game like, 'Look bruh, if you got a problem with me or the Unit, let's get to it. If not, let's get to the money.' He started to make his way to the stage, and then the security at the club got in the middle of it. So at the time I didn't know if he was coming to get it on or to get to the money."
About a week later, though, Buck said people involved in both camps set up a call between the two. "I chose to have the conversation with Game because he'll never be able to have a conversation with 50. 50 feels like he did so much for Game to make Game's career happen and pulled so many strings. He feels like Game went too far to try to damage what he created. So he's like, he'll never speak with him. But I spoke on behalf of 50 and for the Unit and myself, and we just left the conversation on the note of, 'Look, you do you without involving us, and we'll do us without involving you, so that's where it at.' I even had a chance to speak with Jadakiss. I ran into him the same weekend me and Game ran into each other. When I come to these cats I ain't coming disrespectful, but I do come right, being as though I played a part in the beef situations myself. I've said some things, too, through these records." The status of the conversations between G-Unit and Game after the weekend remains to be seen. ...
Polow Da Don either just finished or is about to go into the studio with T.I., Jeezy, Christina Aguilera, Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls, Will.I.Am, Kanye West and Tru Life, so right now you can't imagine anybody turning down his tracks. "Music is changing right now, and I think I have a lot to do with that," he explained. But this is the music industry and anything can happen, a lesson 'Low learned before his recent hot streak (Rich Boy's "Throw Some D's," Ciara's "Promise," Fergie's "Glamorous," Young Buck's "Get Buck" and Fergie's "London Bridge"). He says the banger he gave to Ludacris sat for quite some time before it made its way out to the public.
" 'Runaway Love' is a special song for me," he said. "I had that song for three years with the hook on it, and I would never give it to anybody. Everybody tried to buy it: Nas, Akon, T-Pain, David Banner. All these people recorded to this record, but they would never guarantee me it would be a single. I said, 'Man, you can't guarantee me it would be a single? This is a huge record.' They was like, 'We like it, we like it a lot, but I can't guarantee you it would be a single.' "
Enter Chris Bridges.
"When I gave it to Luda, he went crazy," Polow recalled. "I actually gave him a beat CD for somebody on his label, and he must've listened to it on the way home because he called me in 10 minutes. Like, 'Yo, this #3 is crazy. I need this.' "
Polow gave Luda the same stipulation as he did the previous artists, and the MC gladly accepted.
"When you listen to the drums, you can dance to it," the producer explained. "Even though it's got a message, I knew kids would still like it because it has that bounce. It's still musical. I'm gonna tell you why nobody else did it: Everybody chases the radio. This is why I'm getting recognition and going to the top so fast — because I dare to be different. I always tell people, if you're gonna be the greatest, you're gonna have to do your own thing." ...
As a part of Rawkus Records' rise in the '90s and as a founding member of Company Flow, El-P is definitely one rapper who doesn't have to prove his credentials to anyone. But after a nearly five-year hiatus, the Brooklyn, New York, backpacker — who had contributed to a few rock projects in between albums — decided to make his return to hip-hop with Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor in tow on the lead single, "Flyentology."
"The thing with hip-hop and rock, we all share a common love of drums," he explained to Mixtape Monday about his rock-tinged project I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, which also features experimental-rock band the Mars Volta. "I mean, some of the greatest hip-hop records of all time have been built on rock drums as breaks."
Aside from dabbling in rock, El-P has been busy hitting up music festivals. He performed at both South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and the Winter Music Festival in Miami Beach, Florida. "I been gone for a few years and got some plans in store," El-P said. "I just want to get back on the road and reconnect with people to let them listen to the new material and just judge it for themselves." ...
Finally, our own Sway was back in his Bay Area hometown recently and had a chance to see one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all-time, EPMD.
Check out some exclusive pics from the concert right here.
"It was fascinating to see a group that came out 20 years ago ignite a crowd onstage as if they were out on their first tour, promoting their first hit," Sway said. "It was also gratifying to hear them acknowledge their appreciation of being nominated the #7 greatest hip-hop group of all time by our brain trust collective. I took a lot of joy introducing them to my hometown Bay Area crowd."
Who else made our list of greatest hip-hop groups of all time? Find out here.
For other artists featured in Mixtape Mondays, check out Mixtape Mondays Headlines.
For a full-length feature on the role of mixtapes in the music industry, check out "Mixtapes: The Other Music Industry."
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Photo: MTV News
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