 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Fire Starter: LRoc
James Elbert Phillips has production and writing credits on everything from Usher's "Yeah!" to Bow Wow's "Fresh Azimiz," but he really struck gold when he signed into an affiliation agreement with Jermaine Dupri and So So Def. As everyone knows, JD is everywhere with his production and Phillips — who goes by LRoc — has been right with him lately. Check the credits, you'll see his handiwork on recent songs like Janet Jackson's "Call on Me" and Chingy's "Pullin' Me Back."
|
|
|
|
Browse Bands by Name
|
|
Or enter a band name below to search:
|
|
 Bands Main
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
— by Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes and Bridget Bland
Artist: Hi-Tek
Representing: The 'Natti
Mixtapes: Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip
 411: Hi-Tek is still one of the most sought-after producers in the game. He's working with Dre on Detox and messing with the G-Unit and a gang of other folks. Here Tek tries to assemble his own personal Chronic, calling on everyone from Q-Tip to Kurupt (and that's just on one song) for his new album — when he's not getting on the mic himself.
Joints To Check For:
- "Music for Life" featuring J Dilla, Nas, Common, Busta Rhymes and Marsha from Floetry. Straight beautiful music is exactly what it is. The track starts off with a phone message from the deceased Dilla, talking about how music has had such a powerful impact on his life. From there, Nas, Common and Tek all rhyme about their love of music. "I close my eyes and imagine I was the Jackson 5," Com says.
- "How We Do It" featuring Talib Kweli, Slim Thug and Snoop Dogg. Snoop sounds really refreshed on the mic as he rhymes about that Cali killa icky. Meanwhile, the rest of the fellas show love to other spots on the map.
- "Can We Go Back" featuring Talib Kweli and Ayak. They have that H-Town in 'em, they "want that ollllle thang back." Tek and Talib reminisce about when times were a lot simpler. Speaking of which, can we get another duo album from you fellas?
Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week
- DJ Bijal's We Wild'n Out
- Clinton Sparks' Smashtime Radio Vol. 3
- DJ Ideal and Lloyd Banks' New York Times
- DJ Clue's World Tour Vol. 1
- Big Mike and Lil Scrappy's Still G'd Up: Volume 1
'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar
- Mos Def - "Undeniable"
- Young Buck featuring Young Jeezy, T.I. and Jazze Pha - "4 Kings"
- Gillie Da Kid - "Holla Back"
- Eminem featuring 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and Ca$his "You Don't Know"
- Diddy featuring Keyshia Cole - "Last Night"
- Lloyd Banks featuring Musiq Soulchild - "Addicted"
Celebrity Faves
Legendary hustler Don King promoted a fight last weekend with Nikolai Valuev and Monte Barrett, and he says he digs T.I., Diddy and Jay-Z for their music and entrepreneurial efforts. He also says despite their falling out, he still has love for Iron Mike Tyson.
"I feel sad about that," King says about Tyson's financial problems. Mike has been relegated to displaying his workouts for money in a Las Vegas casino. "They blew smoke in his brain for him to leave me. When he was with me, he didn't owe anybody. I didn't take anything from him. The record defends me, but it's a little late. I feel sad about Mike Tyson. I don't want to gloat at his dismay. I will do anything I can to help him in his moments of despair. I would try to help any way I can, if he was to come to me and asks for help."
The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground
Last week we told you about Game's affiliation with Nas. Well, the Compton, California, MC tells us that he's down with another one of your favorite rappers: none other than the Snowman himself, Young Jeezy.
"Jeezy is one of my homies, man," Game affirmed of the Trap Star, who he shouts out on "It's Okay (One Blood)." "I had a conversation with Jeezy before [Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101] came out, before he blew up, and I told him, 'Man, what you doin' reminds me of what I did when I was at this stage.' That's my n---a — he'll tell you that we had that talk in Atlanta in a hotel room. We were sitting at a conference table with 15 chairs around the mutha----a, he sittin' at one end, I'm sittin' at my end. It's kinda like Al Capone hollerin' at Lucky Luciano."
While Jeezy presides over his Corporate Thugs Entertainment label, Game of course is the boss of the Black Wall Street family. He's putting his focus on cultivating the career of new MC, Juice, who appeared on the mixtape The Game Presents the Black Wall Street: Journal Volume 1.
"I found him," Game said. "I was in Phoenix doing a show, man, and this dude, he did whatever he could to get to me. I mean, dude knocked out a club security guard who was fronting on him, [just because he was] trying to get backstage to holla at me. It's crazy 'cause I'm like trying to figure out how dude got backstage. We walk out and see some 6 [foot] 7 [inch] dude on the ground, iced! Juice is a little dude — he got hands though, he boxes. But [the security guard] was a monster, man — that n---a was 300 pounds, holdin' the door down. Juice bodied the dude. I had to respect him at the end of the day."
Game's The Doctor's Advocate comes out November 14, and although Game says he did record with Dr. Dre early in the process, those cuts did not make the LP. Obviously, there is no participation from 50 Cent.
"I love it, man," he said of people doubting him. "[I] love when the pressure is on and all the chips is stacked against you. That's when you show and prove. I feel like I'm the Muhammad Ali of rap. Everybody counted him out, said, 'He too old, he can't do this, he can't move no more. George Foreman's gonna knock Muhammad Ali out!' Muhammad Ali gets out to Africa, the motherland, and bangs that n---a up in his head. Next thing you know George Foreman is makin' Foreman grills.
"I feel like I'm the dopest rapper in the world right now," he continued. "Nas is a veteran and he's doin' his thing. Jay-Z is a veteran, Dre is a veteran — he's workin' on his last album. Snoop is a veteran, been in the game for 13-plus years. I'm the new cat, man, but I'm classified on the same level as them as far as what I do, my musical talents and my skills. So, you know, as far as the new cats, it's me and Jeezy." ...
Shareefa says she needs a boss, and who better to fill the role than Ludacris?
"I couldn't ask to be with a better team," she said recently in New York of Luda's Disturbing Tha Peace camp. "I love them to death."
Two years ago, 'Reefa — a 23-year-old New Jersey native — met one of Luda's partners on a Harlem, New York, street corner. The next day she was taken to meet 'Cris at a taping of "TRL," and she's been down with DTP ever since. He appears on her debut single, "I Need a Boss."
" 'Need a Boss' is describing a guy that's about his business and is a go–getter," explained the singer, who released a mixtape a few months ago. "I'm a go-getter — I can't take no slouch next to me. I need somebody that wants things out of life. It's not necessarily about a guy on the corner selling drugs."
Shareefa named her October 24 debut LP Point of No Return and reflected on what led her to choose that title.
"That's where I was in my life," she said. "I felt like I couldn't move backwards, I gotta decide what I want out of life, how I want to move in life. I was at the point of no return. The album is very personal — I don't sugarcoat nothing. I don't bite my tongue for nothing."
"Need a Boss" has been drifting up the charts and making moves in the street. She thanks producer Rodney Jerkins for that.
"When Rodney called me over the phone, he was like, 'I got something,' " she remembered. "He was like, 'I'm not done. Then I flew to L.A. and I was like, 'OK, this is the one.' I was comfortable. If I'm gonna step out, I'mma step out like this. I gotta let the world know who Shareefa is.' "
Shareefa's next single is also a Rodney Jerkins-produced record, "Cry No More." " 'Cry No More' is basically saying enough is enough, I'm tired of this guy," she said. "He's the type of guy you get in trouble with. You're a soul survivor and you're like, 'Nah, I'm out. I'm too young for this, I shouldn't be stressing at 23.'
There's also "I Wonder." "It's like my [version of] R. Kelly's 'Down Low,' " she added. "I got a record called 'Fever.' I named it that 'cause it was just hot. I go up to a guy in the club and his friend tried to holla, but he don't know I'm checking for you."
Bobby Valentino, Ryan Toby, Needles and Chucky Thompson also collaborate with the newcomer on Point of No Return.
|
|
And finally, Green Lantern is still on tour with Jay-Z and has another new diary entry from his travels around the globe with Hova. Here are his latest reports:
 |
| |
|
|
Green Lantern and Jay chat backstage
| |
|
October 4: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
" 'Muhammed Ho-Vi' — call me that when we in Africa, kid" ... that's what ya man Jay said on the flight over here to Tanzania ... U heard me, the evil genius is in Tanzania, Africa ... stuntin' ... "searchin' for Miss Fufu" (LOL) ... seriously, the "Water for Life" part of the tour is kicking in, and the response from the people here is incredible!!! Paparazzi is out of control also ... they even followed ME, right to the chicken spot ... lol ... no elephant soup for me ... I'm out ... "Green-A-Zuti" (in Swahili that means "one who has many passport stamps") ...
September 30: Paris, France
Yo, Paris, France, is foul!!! Absolutely no one out here speaks English!! ... lol ... At least that's whut if felt like when I was walkin' around askin' where they sold Backwoods [cigars] at ... ha ... For real tho', Paris is one of them exotic spots U gotta hit up whenever possible ... The old-school European castles and upgraded models get me everytime (hi haters) ... Oh, and the crowds are live as a b---ch!!!! They went for the throne that night ... (It was close, but no Dutch Master — that's all they had, by the way) ... Shout to the V.I.P. Club for the pre-party with all that damn Krug!!! ... "What hotel are we at again? Damn!" ... Greener
September 27: London, England
"History in the making!!!" ... No hip-hop act ever performed at Royal Albert Hall (that's like Carnegie Hall and Radio City with a royal twist) in London until now ... Jay, with special guest-performers Nas, Beyoncé, Chris Martin (Coldplay) and Gwyneth Paltrow, set another mark for hip-hop with this historic event (and it was also extra special for me, spinning with a 30-piece orchestra) ... Shout to Rosie and Tommy ... Between this show and the craziness of the Wembley Arena show, I'm definitely coming back to the U.K. ... For now I'm off to Paris and Milan! ... Green out
September 26: Dublin, Ireland
"Jay-Z is a Dub! Jay-Z is a Dub!" ... That was what Bono from U2 had the crowd screaming before the show in Dublin ... That crowd was THE LOUDEST crowd in the history of all shows anywhere!!! ... lol ... For real tho', hands down Dublin got the crown so far on this tour ... They was singing their soccer chant "Olé olé!" in between songs, that was a trip ... Special treats of the evening: the Bono intro and Jay rocking "Heart of the City" over "Sunday Bloody Sunday" … CRAZY!!!!
Click here to follow Jay-Z on his Water for Life Tour, as he travels the world and addresses the global water crisis.
|
|
|
For a full-length feature on the role of mixtapes in the music industry, check out "Mixtapes: The Other Music Industry."
|
|
|
|
Photo: MTV News
|
|
|
|
