Rihanna Wanted 'Bravado' In 'Wait Your Turn' Video, Director Says Nov 6, 2009
" Noting Rihanna's "desire to push the boundaries," Mandler said their inspiration for the clip was videos by artists like Mobb Deep, Nas and Wu-Tang Clan. "We definitely talked about the song and the words behind it: the idea of taking her place back, in a bravado and aggressive way," he said. "That's why we went for a more classic hip-hop street feel. It's an unusual approach for someone like Rihanna, but again, I'm never surprised by her desire to push the boundaries. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Beanie Sigel Explains Jay-Z Dis Track Oct 31, 2009
" He gave the label street cred. He fought all the battles: Nas, Jadakiss and the Diplomats. Friday morning (October 30), Sigel called up Philadelphia radio station 100.3 and spoke with Charlamagne Tha God about how hard he used to ride for Jay and how Hov disappointed him. "I backed all his plays without even asking him ... Nas is not no walk in no park. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Fresno rapper Fashawn's CD earns broad praise Oct 20, 2009
Around town, Fashawn was first known as "The Phenom," a teenage rapper who had both the verbal ferocity of a young Nas and the down-to-earth appeal of Common. After growing up mostly in Southeast Fresno, he released his first mixtape (a collection of tracks sometimes given out free for promotional purposes) at the age of 15. (Fresno Bee)
Sasha Frere-Jones: A genre ages out. Oct 19, 2009
If you try to locate the moment of a major paradigm shift, in the moment, perhaps by calling your album Hip Hop Is Dead, as Nas did in 2006, you re slipping into weatherman territory ... With that in mind, I still suspect that Nas along with a thousand bloggers was not fretting needlessly ... 2009 Cond; Nast Digital. (New Yorker)
Planet hip-hop Oct 14, 2009
He says he "felt connected" with American rappers like Tupac and Nas, who he saw in music videos of the late 90s, because "they were talking about social and political problems" and, like him, seemed to live in poverty. Now the group says there's a big hip-hop scene in the West Bank and Gaza. (BBC News -- Africa)
Coming of age Oct 14, 2009
He was "kidnapped" by the nascent culture that germinated at sun-kissed parties in 1977 and 78, he explains ... " THE BIRTH OF HIP-HOP Comprises different elements: Rap, DJing, breakdance, graffiti Sub-cultural expression grew out of the "disenfranchisement of the ghetto inner-city" in the late 70s Began in the Bronx in New York but found different styles on east and west coasts of US Although largely created by African-Americans, Puerto Ricans also very influential DJ Kool Herc is often... (BBC News -- Americas)
Rick Ross Bosses Up As The #5 Hottest MC In The Game Oct 4, 2009
" Blistering Ballistics: "17, tryna man up/ Feed the fam boy, I put that on these damn goods/ All I got was diabetes and a damn hug/ People talkin' down, callin' me a damn scrub/ Young n---as, all you wanna do is roam free/ On your own feet, gotta cook your own beef/ I'm too cool for lame dudes to ridicule/ I laugh while I'm doing laps in the swimmin' pool/ I don't owe you n---as nuthin'/ Call me two fingers when you see a n---a stuntin'/ Black Phillip Drummond limousines of the Hummer/... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Young Jeezy Rides Recession To The #7 Spot On Hottest MCs In The Game! Oct 2, 2009
Singles: "Put On" (featuring Kanye West), "Vacation," "Crazy World," "My President" (featuring Nas). Street Bangers: "Circulate," "Who Dat," "24-23 (Kobe-LeBron)," "My President" (remix, featuring Jay-Z), "Biggest Movie Ever" (featuring CTE). (VHI.com -- Music News)
Life and Times of Jay-Z Sep 8, 2009
(2000) "The Dynasty: Roc La Familia" - Don't let the album name fool you - "The Dynasty" is still a Jay-Z solo album, though it features many members of the Roc Family ... The album featured hit after hit, including "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "Takeover," a song that highlights Jay-Z's rap battle with Nas. (Daily Orange, NY)
Young Jeezy Wants To Make His Own 'Hood's Hottest MCs List Aug 28, 2009
" Jeezy also notes that when the MTV News Hip-Hop Brain Trust makes their Hottest list, they shouldn't include legends against some of the younger artists. "You shouldn't put a Nas on there. Or a KRS-One. (VHI.com -- Music News)
The J To Z Of Jay-Z: The Making Of A Hip-Hop Heavyweight Aug 21, 2009
" While most New Yorkers were bonding in the aftermath of 9/11, two of the Big Apple's best were engulfed in . Jay-Z prodded Nas on Blueprint's "Takeover," a scathing dis effort largely targeted at Mobb Deep. Nas responded with brutal gusto on "Ether ... " It was evident Jay-Z was going out on top. But what would a charismatic young man with a Ph.D. in street economics do with his free time once he quit rap? Jay-Z turned the tides on the record companies that wouldn't sign him as he became the... (VHI.com -- Music News)
La Coka Nostra to Rock the Bells Aug 3, 2009
La Coka Nostra performs at Rock the Bells 2009 on a bill with Nas, Damian Marley, the Roots, Common, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi and two dozen other acts. (The full lineup can be found at. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
How Rappers Embraced Soft Power Jul 23, 2009
There's a lot more I could have said -- the Nas vs Jay-Z history lesson, the nature and depth of Jay-Z's hegemony, Game's strategic mistakes like insulting Kanye when he should be wooing him, the difficulty of coding cases (amazingly, some people refuse to admit that Nas won his beef with Jay-Z or that the Game defeated G-Unit and 50 Cent.. it's like coding Russia as a winner of World War One or something) -- but you can only do so much in 8 minutes. (Slate)
Wu-Tang Clan/ Slaughterhouse Beef Quashed At Rock The Bells Jul 21, 2009
Nas, Damian Marley headline a peaceful day at Jones Beach ... Other performers included Big Boi, Common, Black Star, the Roots, Buckshot and headliners Nas and Damien "Jr. Gong" Marley ... Nas started his set with classics like "N.Y. State of Mind," then shared the stage with Jr. Gong. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Rock the Bells fills Comcast Center with classic hip-hop, reggae Jul 20, 2009
Before Nas and Damian Marley took the stage to end the night, KRS-One traced the origins of rap and reggae to DJ Kool Herc ... Nas s Public Enemy T-shirt stood out more than his necklace ... Nas weaved through a catalog of classics, but bongos accented NY State of Mind and he rapped the first verse to Life s a Bitch over the instrumental to Shyne s 2000 reggae-rap crossover Bad Boyz. (Boston Globe)
Star break-ups: Love dies, but spotlight lives on Jul 17, 2009
He said: Nas disputed Kelis' claims that he pulled in $11 million for a 2006 record deal, citing in legal papers that he received only about $4 million. He also revealed that his monthly income is about $148,000 and that more than $71,000 of that is for personal expenses. (USA Today -- Life)
K’Naan tells stories from mean streets of Somalia Jul 17, 2009
One of the central personas of hip-hop has been the thug who understands the ways of the cruel streets ... At Rock the Bells - also featuring Nas, Damian Marley, the Roots, and others - tomorrow at the Comcast Center. (Boston Globe)
Fabolous Gets Support From Nas, Jay-Z For New Album Jul 10, 2009
" The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground Great food, great conversation and the music is banging. Fabolous invited us to dinner earlier this week at Philippe Chow's to hear Alongside MTV News, our Hot 97 homie Miss Info was among the short list of guests, as well as DJ SNas. S some wild stories about him bootlegging some of the music from the early Illmatic recording sessions; luckily, Nas has let bygones be bygones. Esco particularly loved a Fab song called "Pachanga," on... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Game On 50 Cent Beef: 'I Did A Lot Of Dumb Things' Jul 3, 2009
"When that Killer Mike drops, hardcore hip-hop will be back for the second, third time. You know, the same guy that said 'rap is dead' three years before Nas said it. I'm here. F--- with me. Jay dropped 'D.O.A.' and everybody went crazy. And I love Jay. A week before that, I dropped 'Man Up.' Go listen to that song and go listen to 'D.O.A.' ". Killer Kill, who recently struck a partnership with T.I. and Grand Hustle Entertainment, is dropping a compilation of all the ATL underground MCs this... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Review: Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III... Jun 23, 2009
Near the end of 2006, Nas proclaimed hip-hop dead, but with Dr. Carter in the O.R. the prognosis looks much more hopeful. The copyright of the article Review: Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" in is owned by. (Suite101.com)
BONNAROO: The Boss, the Beasties and more Jun 16, 2009
Brian Mansfield and The The (Nashville)Tennessean's Dave Paulson were there for USA TODAY. ... Nas was brought out for the debut of a new collaborative song, and the three settled into a semi-meandering rock mini-set, breaking out the big guns: Intergalactic and an off-the-rails Sabotage. (USA Today -- Life)
Summer Concert Guide Jun 16, 2009
Rock the Bells: Nas, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, the Roots, Common, Busta Rhymes. Aug. 9, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Weird News)
Will Eminem And 50 Cent Make A Joint Album? May 30, 2009
" Of course just like we would love to see the Jay-Z and Nas album, the Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre album or even that . But, like Whoo Kid, we'll believe it when we see it. "I don't think Em and 50 will ever get it together to do an album," journalist Elliott Wilson said. "I know there was talk of [a joint album] when 50 first blew up and it was gonna be called Black and White. I personally love that title," the founder and CEO of RapRadar.com continued. "I'm sure there are plenty of unreleased... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Eminem's Stunted Growth May 29, 2009
A while back, Nas declared hip-hop dead. Anyone who has dived into Eminem's comeback release, Relapse, should be convinced that this is true. (Slate)
DJ Drama combines hip-hops best on new album May 23, 2009
Over a smooth base line, Nas, Scarface and Willie The Kid rap about living the good life with Marsha Ambrosius crooning on the chorus. Drama also reunites New Orleans rappers B.G., Juvenile and Soulja Slim on another banger Gotta Get It, which was produced by Drumma Boy. (Jefferson City News Tribune, MO)
Akon Follows 50 Cent's Lead Into Latin Music May 14, 2009
" There are also a lot more hot collaborations on the horizon. Aventura, for instance, have teamed up with Ludacris and Wyclef Jean for a track called "Spanish Fly" on their next album, The Last, which drops on June 9. Plus, Grammy-winning rap duo Calle 13 revealed exclusively to MTV News during last year's VMAs that they've spoken to Nas about laying down a joint track. Reggaet?n giants Wisin y Yandel, whose new album, La Revolucion, drops late this month, say the growing Spanglish trend is a... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Rick Ross Justifies Prison-Guard Past In New Track -- Listen Here Apr 15, 2009
" For the most part, the production on the album is cinematic, thematic and soulfully rich. The J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Drumma Boy, DJ Toomp, the Inkredibles and the Runners are among the main producers. T-Pain, John Legend, Lil Wayne, Nas and Kanye West are among the guest stars. Mary J. Blige, who Ross beamed about working with, is not on the LP. Deeper Than Rap's track listing, according to Def Jam: "Mafia Music" "Maybach Music 2"(featuring Lil Wayne, Kanye West and T-Pain) "Magnificent"... (VHI.com -- Music News)
IPod Addicts Lose Hearing, Annoy the Rest of Us Apr 15, 2009
My heart starts to race, my stomach tightens and I have an overwhelming impulse to grab the earbuds and separate the man from his music -- all the symptoms of Noise Aversion Syndrome (NAS) ... Recognizing physical violence as confirmation of Stage 4 NAS, I decided an intervention was in order ... Ultimately, I decided the only cure for NAS was to write about it and, in the process, exorcise my demons. (Bloomberg -- Columnists)
Nas And Kelis Want Your Help Naming Their Son Apr 15, 2009
She's doing good," Nas said in L.A. He and K are expecting their first child together (Esco has a daughter from a previous relationship), and the couple are trying to figure out exactly what they should call their heir. "Yeah, [we are deciding between] a few baby names," Nas said. "It's kinda hard ... Nas was in L.A. with Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley to announce their headlining stint on this year's ... " Nas wouldn't say exactly how his and Gong's set would go, but he did say we would see the duo... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Nas And Damian Marley Team Up For Rock The Bells Tour, Joint Album Apr 8, 2009
Gong" Marley will be spending plenty of time together this summer. The duo are releasing a joint album called Distant Relatives in June as well as headlining the latest Rock the Bells tour. It was announced Tuesday night (April 7) during a press conference that Nas and Marley will be joined on the road by KRS-One, Common, Big Boi, Wu-Tang members RZA and Raekwon, the rap supergroup Slaughterhouse, Brooklyn vets M.O.P., Pete Rock, newcomer Mickey Factz and the Roots. (That was a quick hiatus from... (VHI.com -- Music News)
T-Pain concert shows up Block Party second year in a row Apr 7, 2009
The National Pan-Hellenic Council managed to get a hip-hop act, which there appears to be a lot of demand for on campus (the Nas concert sold out last spring) and will more than likely sell out quickly. Last year Nas performed in Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center while Fergie and Sean Kingston played at Block Party. (Daily Orange, NY)
'Book of Rhymes' spells out hip-hop's artistry Apr 3, 2009
Hip-Hop Is Dead," as one of the music's most innovative provocateurs, Nas, declared in an album title a few years ago. They were saying the same about poetry long before hip-hop was born.Nothing could be further from the truth, argues Adam Bradley, a Harvard-trained professor of literature at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California. Not only is poetry not dead, he believes, it's alive and well in the much-maligned form of rap music, the most polarizing genre of popular music to come... (Boston Globe)
Gucci Mane: Atlanta's Next Mainstream Star? Mar 26, 2009
"He's like Master P without the No Limit Soldiers or the executive knowledge that P [has]. But it really hasn't been nobody like [Gucci] in a long time that's ghetto, 'hood and gutta. He's almost in a lane by himself. The people that love him, love him. You see how people are hating on Soulja Boy or other artists from the South that are not your [lyrical guys] such as Jay-Z or Nas or Rakim. They don't hate on Gucci like that.". The Bouldercrest native's approach to success hasn't been your... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Rick Ross Album Preview: Deeper Than Rap Is 'The Best Music Of My Career' Mar 19, 2009
Rapper's third LP features Nas, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Kanye West -- and 50 Cent dis record ... " Meanwhile, highlights from "King of New York" played for the audience's eyes. Former G-Unit ally Bang 'Em Smurf is featured on the song, speaking towards the end of the track. "Usual Suspects" was one of the night's most anticipated songs. Ross has proven his skills with the best of them, rapping on tracks throughout his career with the likes of Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe and T.I. How would... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Jadakiss, Green Lantern Bury Their Beef: Mixtape Monday Mar 10, 2009
" To the dismay of fans not to mention the two gentlemen involved themselves Kiss and Green had a serious falling out on the heels of making the first Champ, one of the all--time great street CDs (no gas here, it was that damn good. A phone conversation between the two popped up on a street DVD. They were discussing Jada's then brewing battle with 50 Cent. In the aftermath of the footage going public, . Lantern has since gone on to spin at shows for the likes of Nas and Jay-Z. In fact, it was... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Rick Ross Announces Mini-Tour, Deeper Than Rap Details Mar 5, 2009
" Nas also has a cameo on "Usual Suspects. " The Boss is also planning a mini-tour of New York this spring, the first stop being in 's home borough of Queens. "We got something coming up real soon," Ross told us recently. "We're having a big concert in New York City. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Stompin' in My Air Force One Feb 26, 2009
If Obama makes his policy decisions based on Nas' 1996 single "," for instance, he will appoint Coretta Scott King to a mayoralty, fling open the gates of Attica, and grant every citizen an Infiniti Q45 ... That was the era of N.W.A, young men broadcasting wrathfully from blighted Compton; Public Enemy, Long Island agitators with the Panthers in their hearts and revolution on the brain; and a subsequent school of East Coasters, Nas and Mobb Deep among them, who traded sawed-off animus for a... (Slate)
Rick Ross Gets Lil Wayne, Mary J. Blige, Nas To Go Deeper Than Rap Feb 19, 2009
" The highlight of Deeper Than Rap's collaborations may come from Queens. Not from 50 Cent, of course, but from Nas. " 'Usual Suspects' with Nas Escobar that's such a movie. Amazing," said DJ Khaled who acted as the album's Aand was just named the president of the resurrected Def Jam South, which is overseeing the release. "We let each other know we was expecting the best," Ross said about working with Khaled. "That was what we coming with right now as far as the direction as the production. (VHI.com -- Music News)
ROSES, RAP, ROMANCE Feb 15, 2009
Mine is Jay-Z and Justin's is Nas ... I'm from Queens, so I love Nas. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Grammys 2009: Selected winners Feb 10, 2009
Best new artist Adele Also nominated: Duffy, Jonas Brothers, Lady Antebellum, Jazmine Sullivan ... Best rap solo performance Lil' Wayne - A Milli Also nominated: Jay-Z - Rock Boys (And The Winner Is), Lupe Fiasco - Paris, Tokyo, Nas - N.i. ... Best rap album Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III Also nominated: Jay-Z - American Gangster, Lupe Fiasco - The Cool, Nas - Nas, TI - Paper Trial. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Grammy Nominations: A Refresher Before The Big Show Feb 9, 2009
Carter" Ludacris (featuring T.I.), "Wish You Would" Young Jeezy (featuring Kanye West), "Put On"Record of the Year Adele, "Chasing Pavements" Coldplay, "Viva la Vida" Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love" M.I.A., "Paper Planes" Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, "Please Read the Letter"Song of the Year Estelle (featuring Kanye West), "American Boy" Adele, "Chasing Pavements" Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours" Sara Bareilles, "Love Song" Coldplay, "Viva la Vida"Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Young Jeezy coming to town Feb 9, 2009
Other guests include soul singer Anthony Hamilton, Trey Songz and Nas, who shares the mike on My President, an Obama endorsement whose chorus hook begins "My president is black, my Lambo's blue and I be goddamned if my rims ain't, too." The best line, though, is easily "Yeah, Obama for real. They gotta put ya face on the $5,000 bill.". Type Size. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
It's Lil Wayne Vs. T.I.: Grammy Predictions For Best Rap Album Feb 8, 2009
Most predict one of the Southern lyricists will beat out fellow nominees Jay-Z, Nas and Lupe Fiasco ... " New York titans Jay-Z and Nas were also lauded for their recent projects, but critics don't think either album has the legs to keep pace in this category. "I think Nas' album was nominated 'cause of the message," Thompson told MTV News. "It was more of a political or social stance from an MC rather than the body of his work ... Nas may [actually] have the least chance of winning [Best Rap... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Grammy Awards: List of winners Feb 8, 2009
Published: February 9, 2009. A partial list of the winners and nominees at the 2009 Grammy Awards. (International Herald Tribune)
GRAMMY BALLOT Feb 8, 2009
Sunday, February 08, 2009 Last Update: 06:50 AM EST. By DAN AQUILANTE, JOE BARRACATO. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Seacoast Pop Culture Feb 8, 2009
Cara: "I've been avoiding evidence for a long time that there's something nasty behind those pretty Christian Bale eyes. As he is one of my favorite actors, I really, really do not want to believe it. I don't want to believe that he's a bad person. After all, he's the one who said that we should know as little as possible about actors' personal lives--that we should know nothing about them so that we can judge their performance as objectively as possible and think of them as the character, not... (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Make Your Grammy Picks Feb 7, 2009
2009 Grammy Awards: Who Will Win. Vote For Your Favorites - CBS News. (CBS News)
