Bermuda-bred dancehall artist Collie Buddz drops his self-titled debut tomorrow, off the strength of his first single, “Come Around”. You know the song — “finally de erbs come arowwwnd!”
Though I wish dude the best of luck, it’s worth pointing that introducing one’s self to the masses with a weed anthem of such epic proportions as “Come Around” can be equivalent to digging one’s self a hole for self-burial. Sometimes, artists pigeonhole themselves by coming out with a weed-anthem-first-single, so when their next single strays from the topic, people are like, “What gives?” Other times, these artists are true-to-form as being weedheads, and pretty much have no memory and/or work ethic for putting out a quality second single (I’d consider Afroman a prime candidate for that). Peep the following examples of artists who have made classic songs about weed, and not much else. And, unless you’re just mean like that, let’s hope that Collie doesn’t follow in their footsteps.
[And while we’re on the topic of forgotten rappers and marijuana — hold your head, Paperboy. Before there was ever a Diddy, there was the Ditty.]
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Until we come up with an explanation as to why athletes want to be rappers and rappers want to be athletes, we’ll just to have accept it as inevitable. One thing that separates Famouz, a.k.a. FMZ, a.k.a. ex-New York Giant Reggie Stephens from the likes of Roy Jones, Jr. (who has invested plenty of scrill into his record label, Body Head Entertainment) or Master P (who tried and failed to crack the Toronto Raports roster in the ’90s) is that he didn’t acheive fame in one area before pursuing the other. Originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, Famouz opened for E-40 at 15 years old, before pursuing a football career that started at Santa Cruz High School in California (where he was teammates with current Chicago Bears All-Pro Brendon Ayanbadejo), then at Rutgers University, then to the Giants (where he lasted 4 years as a walk-on), and most recently for the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League.
His debut album, Ghetto Passport, drops on September 25th on Famouz’s label, World Jam Records (which also includes Delinquent Habits, whom Cali heads may remember from back in the day). Peep the tracklisting below (guest spots from E-40, Bun B and Jon Bon Jovi… yes, Jon Bon Jovi), and check his label’s website for more details and his MySpace page to hear a few songs off the album.
1. Take Off
2. Ghetto Passport
3. Gettin’ It
4. Famouz
5. Trippin’ featuring E-40 & Rankin Scroo’
6. Swervin’
7. Bad Name featuring Jon Bon Jovi
8. Wiggle
9. Push
10. Ahhh…Miami
11. Thug Taboo
12. Voice Mail 1
13. Pheanin’
14. Twist Twist featuring Bun B & Billy Cook
15. Heaven
16. In Too Deep
17. Crunch Time
18. Nothing Can Stop Me
19. Neighborhood Star featuring 5 Ent
20. Landing
[And, of course, never underestimate Bon Jovi’s popularity within the world of sports.]
UPDATE: The track with Bun is now up at XXL. Perfect timing.
I’m currently working on a huge hip-hop facts posts that all 3 of our readers should be on the look out fore reaaal soon, but while diggin through some news archives I found this:
Sinead O’Connor and George Bush may not quite be political allies, but they do seem to be on the same side of one hot issue: N.W.A. (Niggas With Attitude), the controversial L.A. rappers who made headlines with their song ”F — – Tha Police.” O’Connor, an ardent hip-hop fan, was scheduled to make a cameo appearance on the band’s forthcoming album, Niggaz 4 Life, but conflicting work schedules got in the way. Meanwhile, the band’s entrepreneurial leader, Eazy-E (above, a.k.a. Eric Wright, 23), jetted off to D.C. for-of all things-a ”Salute to the Commander in Chief” luncheon in Washington on March 18. The National Republican Senatorial Committee sponsored the fete, which featured a speech by President Bush and drew 1,400 Republicans. Wright wore a black leather suit to the event. Why was the rapper and self-proclaimed former drug dealer invited? Apparently his donations to various L.A. charities earned him an invitation to join the fund-raising Republican Senatorial Inner Circle. And Wright’s spokesman says the rapper ”really loves the President. He thinks he’s a great humanitarian and that he did a great job with Desert Storm.” Senators Phil Gramm (R-Texas) and Robert Dole (R-Kansas), who’d asked Wright to attend the banquet, had no comment.
For good or bad, I think my head would explode trying to figure out what a Sinead/NWA track would sound like, I guess the world will never know.
[Incite a brawl on Sunday — your album leaks on Monday. Karma, people.]
They say, “Don’t let your mouth write a check that your ass can’t cash.” T.I. called himself the “King of the South” on album cuts from both ’03’s Trap Muzik and ’04’s Urban Legend, but, with last year’s aptly-titled King, the millions of new fans he gained (among them Justin Timberlake, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Denzel Washington), and a Grammy nod to boot, he not only cashed that check, he broke the bank. T.I. seemingly has nothing left to prove to anyone… except himself. Named after one of the many highlight tracks from Trap Muzik, a song which found T.I. and his extra-letter’d alter-ego arguing with each other, T.I. vs. T.I.P. attempts to build further from that concept. Business man vs. dope boy. The putting green vs. the block. Suit and tie vs. baggy jeans and a fitted. Making money vs. … making money. Well, nice to see that the two have something in common.
After the success of King, T.I. could’ve easily made an album titled King II, worked with the same people, made an album full of singles, and laughed all the way to the bank. Instead, T.I. appears to be branching out more, with a shortened, star-studded guest list and a slightly-altered line-up of producers — Wyclef Jean and Danja are in the mix, but no DJ Toomp, Swizz Beats, or Neptunes. Working around a concept such as T.I. vs. T.I.P. shows that he’s not resting on his already-solid reputation, and rather is focused on making solid albums… or so you would think.
Lots of rappers who have since departed from Def Jam Recordings have taken the label to task for the treatment, or lack thereof, they received. But, for what it’s worth, Def Jam does know how to treat the press (that is, if ML qualifies as “press”).
We just got an email with links to a bunch of new music from their stable of artists. I won’t waste your time with the songs that you could see/hear on TV/radio at any given moment, but here’s a grab-bag of newer stuff that you may not have peeped yet (props to Future Star Music):
New shit from Andre 3000, though not from “rapping Andre” as you probably would’ve hoped for. Instead, it’s the first single from Class of 3000: Music Volume One, the soundtrack to Dre’s popular animated feature on Cartoon Network, which hits stores on July 3rd — just in time for the show’s second season, which will air Thursdays (starting tomorrow) at 7:oo p.m. (PT/ET).
Musically, “Class of 3000 Theme Song” is interesting, as it’s split into 2 parts — the first more funk-influenced, the second more jazzy, lounge-type music. Lyrically, though… it’s Dre mostly talking, and a bunch of kids exchanging nursery rhymes. No way to sugarcoat it. But Dre does mention that you’re “cool” if you listen to it, so, you know… you’ll have that going for you.
[This was mentioned in the press release, for those that haven’t heard — Dre will be co-starring in a film with Will Ferrell called Semi-Pro, due out next year, about a basketball team in the old ABA days. Don’t really know much else about the plot, but, if you’re like me, Will Ferrell, Andre 3000, and basketball all together sells itself.]
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I hope that doesn’t make me seem ignorant of Japanese culture — honestly, I just know what I like, and I like to laugh. And to be even more honest, I was looking for any excuse to post that Mr. Sparkle clip from The Simpsons. Can you blame me?
Bermuda-bred dancehall artist Collie Buddz drops his self-titled debut tomorrow, off the strength of his first single, “Come Around”. You know the song — “finally de erbs come arowwwnd!”
Until we come up with an explanation as to why athletes want to be rappers and rappers want to be athletes, we’ll just to have accept it as inevitable. One thing that separates Famouz, a.k.a. FMZ, a.k.a. ex-New York Giant 
I’m currently working on a huge hip-hop facts posts that all 3 of our readers should be on the look out fore reaaal soon, but while diggin through some news archives I found 
[Incite a 
Lots of rappers who have since departed from Def Jam Recordings have taken the label to task for the treatment, or lack thereof, they received. But, for what it’s worth, Def Jam does know how to treat the press (that is, if ML qualifies as “press”).
New shit from Andre 3000, though not from 
