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Fire Starter: Yung Berg
Like how New Yorker Mims had to get his buzz going in another territory to heft his project off the ground, Chicago native Yung Berg hit up Cali to love his hit "Sexy Lady" (featuring Junior). The radio-friendly cut has been on blast in L.A. since February, and this summer it's been spreading like an Internet rumor to other parts. Berg, 21, got his start in DMX's Bloodline camp before becoming a hypeman for Shawnna a couple years back. Now he's his own man and is releasing his Almost Famous: The Sexy Lady EP on July 24.
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Mixtape Monday: 50 Cent Co-Signs For Maino; Game Teams Up With Nas, Akon
— by Shaheem Reid and Jayson Rodriguez, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes
Producer: Arlis Michaels
Representing: New York
CD/ Street DVD: "Real Talk TV, Vol. 7"
411: You're guaranteed a good laugh when you watch this latest DVD from producer/rapper Arlis Michaels — at least on a couple of segments. Hee hee hee! He also has some more serious moments though, like an interview with slain MC Stack Bundles and another with the Funk Doc Spot himself, Redman.
Joints To Check For:
- "Nyckz Segment." He can take a helluva punch, Mr. "Oh you mad cause I'm stylin' on you" himself. NYC rapper Nyckz talks his infamous rap-battle snuffing and how it has actually helped his career. Dem no worry him.
- "B.G. Segment." B.G. looks like he could literally reach up and touch the Goodyear blimp, if you catch our drift. But on the real "Real Talk," where in the world did this interview take place that there are so many pots and pans hanging from the ceiling? We've heard of cooking up music, but this is the next level!
- "Napalm Segment." Without giving too much away, let's just say he's literally the bomb (oh, the real satire) — and if he's not careful, he might just blow! Rappers, please put your burners away on DVDs. This is not show and tell.
DJ Keyz pays homage to 'Kiss, F-A-B-O, and Juelz …
Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week
- DJ Haze & Nu Jerzey Devil - BWS Radio, Vol. 1
- DJ Butta and Talib Kweli - The Wake Up Mixtape
- J-Love - Capone & Noreaga: Still Reporting
- Dutty Laundry & Zaytoven - Gucci Mane: Ice Attack, Pt. 2
- Saigon - Belly of the Beast (The Scram Jones Files)
- DJ Keyz - Triangle Offense, Pt. 2
- Brandi Garcia - Southern Stiletto's, Vol. 7
Brandi Garcia drops her latest in the Southern Stiletto's series ...
'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar
- T.I. - "Watch What You Say to Me" (featuring Jay-Z)
- Little Brother - "Good Clothes"
- Rick Ross - "Shot to the Heart" remix (featuring Lil' Wayne)
- Trae - "Smile" (featuring Jadakiss and Styles P)
Celebrity Faves
Eve is a fan of the Avril Lavigne and Lil Mama collaboration for the "Girlfriend" remix, and says the best advice she can give her younger rapping peer is to keep doing what she's doing.
"I think they're being smart with her career," Eve said of Mama. "When you're that young, you have people that dictate your life. So hopefully if you're trying to come out, stay unique. The thing I like about Lil Mama is that she's unique. She's not trying to copy anybody else that's out. You can tell her little style is her own little style."
The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground
Even though Saigon and Just Blaze have been trading barbs in blogs and interviews lately over a sample-clearing issue for Sai's first single, it looks like the two have finally moved on — to other arguments, that is. Just posted on his Web site Thursday that the sample finally cleared, and according to Saigon, that means the duo's back to business as usual. But this time, the pair will keep their harsh words a bit more private.
"It's funny, 'cause we didn't speak or talk to each other through all of that [dispute]," Sai explained. "And we finally went into the studio last [Wednesday], and right away we started arguing — again — about something else. Right off the bat, about something totally different that didn't have nothing to do with [the clearance issue]! That's something that we do all the time, it just got out there a little bit. There's a lot of respect there at the end of the day. And I wasn't gonna disrespect him and he wasn't going to disrespect me. Like I said, we cool, we're friends. Just is my friend first.
"Actually, at first I thought I f---ed up," Sai continued. "I was like, 'Damn, man. Maybe I f---ed up [going public], when it became a media melee and all that. Then I realized it got people talking again, it got people interested in the music again. So it really worked out for the best, 'cause the sample got cleared and now it's on people's radar again — the Saigon-Just Blaze connection and the album coming out. If that wouldn't have happened, people would be talking about something else. It kinda worked out. I'm glad it happened."
When Sai finally got word of the clearance, he said he called it a "Thank-God moment." He's still not sure if his and Just's spat sparked a rush on it or if it was a coincidence, but either way he's glad to be able to move forward with his Greatest Story Never Told LP once again. The infamous track that caused all the Internet fodder is still untitled at this point, but Saigon did tell us it's produced by Just and features the producer and Swizz Beatz on the track's hook. Saigon said the song fits into his master plan for the LP.
"We can't wait no more, so that's the one," he said. "We'll put that out and hopefully it's gonna do well. Nobody is expecting it to be the #1 song in the country, but it'll get us to second base. Then we got the second one that will bring us all the way home." ...
Maino's been seeing all the trouble Saigon has been having on Atlantic Records, but that didn't stop him from recently inking a deal with the company.
"Only way a team could win is if all the players are in tune with each other," he explained about his departure from Universal Records. "It was no camaraderie up there, no cohesion. The staff didn't work well together, so how could we win? You had me, Jae Millz, Remy Ma. It's not a coincidence that we're all off the label."
Maino also points out that he never even officially released a single during his stint on Uni.
"I never had a go at it," the Brooklyn brawler said. "We never seen Maino with the machine behind him, we seen Maino with just the just the streets. If we get this single crackin' in the next month, I have a shot at coming out this year. I don't want to say the title because it's a no-brainer. It's just that's simple: If you heard it, that would be your idea right there."
Maino says he has to give gratitude to 50 Cent for helping him get his new deal.
"Shout out to 50 and the whole G-Unit," he said. "50 stepped in and helped me with my situation. Everything was going good for me but the homie did some real-recognize-real [moves]. 50 came in and put a call in for me and co-signed me and everything been good since then.
"You never know," he added about whether 50 would officially be involved in the project. "But homie's a real dude. He likes to see other dudes eat. I never seen no selfishness about him."
Obviously, the rumors about Maino having beef with the head of the G-Unit over disses Fif leveled at Maino's good friend Lil' Kim a few years ago, have been exaggerated.
"That's nothing," Maino explained. "I said all kinds of sh-- out my mouth before. As rappers, we say all kinds of things. I never took that personal. But 50 and my brother been friends for a long time; even before I got in the game they was cool. When 50 was first coming up, they was cool. And my man Monster that runs with him is from my 'hood. So it was a connection already. But I never tried to run under anybody else's flag, I tried to put my own movement together."
Maino's focus on unity hasn't been limited to 50. He's been working with a slew of MCs, especially from the underground — such as fellow Brooklyn native Uncle Murder.
"I realized, I did a lot of beefs," Maino said. "I don't shy away from confrontation. All us new rappers coming out of New York, we should have more camaraderie and that's what I been trying to do lately. There's a couple of f--- boys who don't deserve to be in the community, but I'm not jumping out the window no more." ...
...
Come July 18, Chamillionaire says you can get it for free 99: He's giving away his next street CD and the accompanying DVD, Mixtape Messiah III, on his Web site.
"The DVD is a little bit of everything," he explained recently. "But the main purpose is to give fans a more in-depth look at the personality. My claim to fame is that people feel that they know me. Even if they never met me, they come up to me and act like they know me. The DVD takes it up another level and to where it puts me in people's homes. That's the connect artists need to make. It's more than a song. People mess with me just because they feel what I represent, they feel my movement, my purpose. They feel a piece of them when I speak." Look for some shots of fans with tattoos of Cham's trademark lizard.
The actual mixtape will be similar to MMII: a little of this and a little of that.
"It's gonna be [me rapping over] a couple of original beats on there, but it'll be mostly freestyles," he said. "Just giving them what I did last time, but showing creativity. A lot of times when you making songs and concepts [for albums], you can't just be spitting punchlines like that. I'm not really one to do that, but I have a fanbase that want to hear that. So we give them that too. I sprinkled all different types of styles. It's a reminder to let them know what it is."
You will have to pay for Koopa's next LP however. It's called Ultimate Victory and hits stores on September 18.
People have been talking about Papoose lately for his crew's beef with fellow Brooklyn native's Uncle Murda's camp (Murda is signed to Roc-A-Fella records and is produced by DJ Green Lantern). But Pap is aiming to get the focus back on his music. He finally has released the first single from his Nacerima Dream LP (due late summer). It's called "Bang It Out," was produced by Scott Storch and features Snoop Dogg.
"That's the first joint we going with," Pap said on Sunday night. "Everybody knows I can get lyrical. So the first verse I take you to Miami, — [rapping about] some of the dreams, describing the environment in Miami — then Snoop comes in. It was a honor working with him. I grew up listening to Snoop.
"On the third verse," he continued, "I talk about giving my daughter a credit card [and] different things that deal with the economy. The chorus gives you different aspects of banging it out. It's not just all violence: Your girl could have a bangin' body, you could let hip-hop music bang out of your truck.
Pap said his upcoming set of shows will be happening out of the U.S., but he plans to shoot some of the "Bang It Out" video in Los Angeles, some in Miami and the rest in New York.
Pap's next mixtape, Already a Legend, should be out shortly after you read this. He said there may be one or two lines about Murda, but for the most part when it comes to beef, "my music don't reflect that. My music reflects what goes on in the world."
The Pap/ Uncle Murder saga is playing out in interviews on the Internet like one big ghetto soap opera, so we won't go to the trouble to give you the play-by-play. Even Pap isn't too wordy when talking about it. "That whole thing speaks for itself," he said. "I don't really do beef records. If I have a problem, I'll handle it with actions. I never had to come with no gimmick or none of that. All the people are gonna get is good music — classic material." ...
Finally, Game recently went to Miami to record with Cool and Dre. Coming out of those session is a potential blockbuster of a collaboration: Game and Nas on one record again, this time joined by Akon. The trio's cut is called "Street Ryders."
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Game, live at Powerhouse 2007, Anaheim, CA, 06.23.2007
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"Akon's dope," Game said about the collaboration on Saturday night in Anaheim, California, where he performed at Power 106's Powerhouse 2007 concert. "I try to work with people who are dope. He's dope, I'm dope — we made crack."
Game is going to take a break from recording his next album — which he maintains will be his curtain call — but said he might release another video from Doctor's Advocate.
"I'll probably throw something out for the people, some food for thought," he said. "But I'm going on tour in Europe and I'll be over there all summer, [then I'll] come back and work on my third and final album."
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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