Metal Lungies

When Clinton Sparks isn’t making mixtapes (or modeling), he’s doing hosting duties for his hometown’s top streetwears store’s newly launched online TV channel. Karmaloop.tv sits down with Three 6 to discuss a bunch of random stuff (ie stashing their Oscars) and their upcoming album. On here they claim Last 2 Walk is done and it’s FINALLY coming June 24th eh? Since another delay wouldn’t shock us we invite you to place your bets.

Is it just me or has every picture of Obama recently been taken from this angle. Eyes reaching out to the future, full of hope, knowing how bad ass he really is. You should know, I am a fan of the guy. It seems like everyone is now a days. But my support is not just some ploy to be hip and edgy. I have substantive reasoning behind my political preferences. So here it is: My top ten reasons why Obama should be our president (Hip-Hop edition).

10. Because Vibe magazine nicknamed him B-Rock. Fuck, thats a cooler rap name than most of the ones real rappers have. Anyone deserving of such a title must have a little bit of charisma, a little bit of swagger. This might seem like a superficial reason to vote for someone, but, to be honest, any president that has been successful in diplomatic ventures has had a personality that people can connect with. We have seen over and over again that Obama has the ability to get people on to his team. At the very least he won’t come off like a total bitch (ahem, like Hillary).

9. Coincidence? I think not.

8. Because people like DMX should never be right. Not only is his comment appalling, but it reads like he was smoking crack while being interviewed.

7. Because any one of the following could easily be his campaign theme song: Jadakiss-We Gon’ Make it (fits his message of unity and comradery), Warren G-Regulate (see recent economic policies), and Ghostface Killah-The Champ (catchy new nickname?).

6. Because he has created a reason for even the hip-hop community to become political. If it takes the interest of Mos Def, Common, Jadakiss, Jay-Z, and Russel Simmons to make politics cool again, fuck it, ill take it.

5. I’m not gonna say that all the recent Hip-Hop related Obama music tributes prove anything about Obama as a candidate. But I will say this: nobody made shit for HIllary. Just a few highlights from recent projects:

eMC-Leak It Out (check the line: I’m a star risin like Barack Obama)

Coverage from Nah Right, here and here.

Still an impressive video from Will.I.am

4.

“I’m just basically spillin’ out my emotions to the world. ‘Cause rap [politics] is about emotion. And I want you to feel what I’m feelin’, ’cause that’s what it’s all about.”-Ludacris

Great minds think a like.

3. The dude has a fucken twitter. ML likes twitter. ML likes hip-hop. You can’t deny that logic.

2. Because he’s repped by Spank Rock. “Coke and wet bitch guns nigga, Obama!” from “Coke & Wet” off YoYoYoYoYo. You might hear “holla” not Obama, but I guess thats just an untrained ear for ya.

Spank Rock-Coke & Wet

1. The number one reason: this speech. Expounding on the realities of racial injustice and inequality in this country is historical for a politician, but its just another day in the life of an emcee.

Anyway, those are some thoughts, as well as some tunes. What do you guys think? Who should be the nominee?

See Also: The guy that should probably fill that OTHER Presidential spot (not DefJam)

Between Wale, Bless 1, Blu & Exile, Jay Electronica, and The Knux the future of hip-hop isn’t lookin too shabby. Heres a new mixtape from the recent interscope signee Wale, brought to you by DJ Maf.

Plus some preview videos for the W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E. track off of 100 miles and runnin’ here and here.

Download (rar): Wale-The beast of the beltway

Emanuel Lewis! We cover Coolio’s cooking show, so why not Jazzy Phizzle’s cooking show? He needs a hypeman if he wants to match up with Coolio’s show, IMHO.

This is a few days old, but still definitely worth posting. Some of the forum members over at Crate Kings collaborated to put together a mix project. Crate Kings, by the by, is a valuable resource for any producer. But anyway, a group of producers got together to flip Henry Mancini hip-hop style. Its a great listen…hope you like it. Big up to all those involved in the project.

Check the original post here.

Download (mp3): Crate Kings vs. Henry Mancini

Yo, my name is drew (daddyL) and I am gonna be lending a hand here at ML. I’m comin at ya right now from Montreal, but I rep my hometown, San Diego CA, for life. I am more than stoked to be a part of this already stellar team. My obsession is hip-hop, but my first love was more indie shit (The Replacements, Pavement, etc.) So I’m going to diversify my coverage as much as I can.

The nickname daddyL is a shortened version of the somewhat more degrading nickname Daddy Long Legs. I bet you can guess where that comes from (hint: I have strangely long legs). Instead of being ashamed of my deformity I have decided to embrace it, hence the pen name: daddyL

Anyways, I am really looking forward to being a part of this site. Stay tuned…

Heres a long time favorite to set the mood on this fine Sunday evening.

Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On

We haven’t been excited for a Lil Wayne mixtape like this since that little mixtape from late last spring (mainly because this one is oh so close to the release of The Carter III, even though last spring’s The Drought 2 was supposed to serve as a preview of The Carter III).

Tracklisting:

1. Carter III Is Coming (Grand Closing)
2. I
3. Walk It Off
4. Open Shop
5. Done It
6. Introducing Milli
7. Milli
8. Damn I’m Cold feat. Bun B
9. I’m A Dog Ya (Freestyle)
10. Stunt When I See You
11. We Hustle
12. I Got My
13. Lick The Rapper
14. Certified
15. Girls All Around
16. Single Again
17. Drought Is Finally Over
BONUS TRACKS
18. Too Clean feat. Lil’ Chuckie
19. Nike Boots feat. Wale (Official Remix)

Download (Zip): Lil Wayne-The Drought Is Over 5 (Grand Finale) . Shamelessly link jacked from 2dopeboyz.

Edit: Damn, will we ever see a dirty copy of Nike Boots (Remix)?

We don’t post much about fly sneaker/clothes around here but we know it when we see it. Given how much we’ve been posting about YO! MTV Raps’s 20th anniversary lately, I thought I’d highlight the awesome PUMA/YO! cross marketed gear that’s been coming out. This isn’t everything, just my favourites.
First, the Dre & Ed Lover kicks:

The Big Daddy Kane Puma Clyde:

The Shan sneaks:

The YO! MTV Raps hoodie:

Puma put together a nifty little flash site to promote this line of sneakers and threads. You can see more of the Puma/YO! clothing line there as well as read some bios of the rappers and DJs promoting the line. It also measures its loading percentage by “freshness”, which gets a lot of points in my book.

I’m aware some of this is old, but I still think this is pretty dope.

HM just mentioned this, well here is the schedule (hopefully it makes up for the stuff youtube doesn’t have):

MTV

Yo! MTV Raps – All month long (Tues, Weds, Thurs) at 4:30pm ET/PT

On-air on MTV’s “Sucker Free” officially becomes “Yo! MTV Raps” for the month featuring the current hip hop video countdown, as well as memorable moments from Yo!, classic videos, and well as segments from MTV News.

Yo! Countdown Shows – April 28th, 29th and 30th at 4:30pm ET/PT

For the month we will be counting down the best Yo! moments, music videos, episodes and Yo! artists Then & Now.

About the Yo! MTV Raps Countdown Specials

Yo! MTV Raps Top 20 Videos: The greatest hip-hop show of all time is back, with DJ Cipha Sounds counting down the best videos in Yo! MTV Raps history with exclusive commentary from original Yo! hosts Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover and Doctor Dre. See classic videos from LL Cool J, Tupac, Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre and more.

Yo! MTV Raps Top Artists Then and Now: DJ Cipha Sounds and original Yo! host Fab 5 Freddy present the 20 hip-hop stars with the most longevity, from Jay-Z to Queen Latifah to Will Smith and exclusive commentary from favorite stars of today.

Yo! MTV Raps Top 10 Episodes: DJ Cipha Sounds counts down the top 10 Yo! episodes from Yo!’s international trips, to legendary appearances from Diddy, Notorious B.I.G., N.W.A. and more. Includes behind the scenes commentary from original Yo! hosts Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover, Doctor Dre and T – Money.

Yo! MTV Raps Top 20 Moments: DJ Cipha Sounds and original Yo! host Fab 5 Freddy count down the top 20 moments in Yo! MTV Raps history, from the Ed Lover dance, to Run DMC’s greatest hits performance and more…

MTV2

MTV2 Sucker Free: Yo! MTV Raps – All month long (Mon, Tues, Weds, Thurs) at 5pm ET/PT & 10p ET/PT

“Sucker Free” officially becomes “Yo! MTV Raps” on MTV2, as well!  The 5pm MTV2 Sucker Free block will feature current hip-hop videos and classic Yo! moments and videos, as well as segments from MTV News.  At 10p, MTV2 will run the MTV version of Sucker Free, along with another half-hour of customized Yo! videos and news segments.

Sucker Free Sunday Countdown – All month long (Sun) at 12pm ET/PT

Sunday’s edition of Sucker Free Countdown will count down the top Yo! videos, artists (Then & Now), moments, and episodes.

MTV.com

In celebration of the 20^th anniversary of “Yo! MTV Raps,” MTV.com will unveil a one-of-a-kind Yo! retrospective hub showcasing the very best of the show’s eight year history.  There fans will be able to relive the extensive history of Yo! including classic show moments, music videos, playlists, lyrics and even short form charts addressing hip hop topics and trends.  Throughout the month, MTV.com’s Sucker Free Blog will feature interviews with artists as well as Ed Lover, Fab 5 Freddy and Doctor Dre, the original “Yo! MTV Raps” hosts, along with discussions on trends, videos and hip hop news.  Finally, MTV.com’s “Mixtape Monday” feature will highlight “Yo! MTV Raps” each week, giving a historical context of Yo! and the influence it had on MTV and hip hop culture.

THINK MTV

Think.MTV.com, MTV’s online community for youth activism, will also celebrate “Yo! MTV Raps” with a special action page featuring the pro-social efforts of some of the biggest names in the past and present of hip hop including KRS-One, Chuck D, Common, Nelly, Ludacris and more. Also, beginning on April 1^st Think.MTV.com will auction off part of the Yo! MTV Raps set – a 12’x 15 canvas – that has been signed by artists who have recently participated on Yo! tapings. The auction will be powered by BusinessHere, Inc., and proceeds will be given to Music Has Power, a subsidiary of The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function.

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Two nights ago I was flipping through channels and I caught Frontline’s Bush’s War on the local PBS station. Now I’m not a big PBS watcher or anything, I can’t even recall the last time I watched something on there, I tend to prefer Smack DVDs. But for whatever reason this really caught my eye (having a soft spot for good documentaries probably had something to do with it). No matter if you are for the war or not, republican or democrat, this is a very comprehensive & insightful look at all the various war strategies that the US has tried and overall everything that has happened in the War in Iraq so far.

You can watch it online here.

Baltimore Sun on Bush’s War.