Raekwon Not Touring with Wu-Tang Clan, Another Freestyle from Style P,and the Beastie Boys Are Officially Over

Wu Tang Clan’s A Better Tomorrow was a huge flop. There’s no denying that.

​Image Credit: massappeal.com

Raekwon thinks he knows why the collective’s sixth album failed to connect with audiences, despite heavy promotion and the past success Wu Tang has accumulated throughout their legendary career.

“That album felt kinda bored,” Raekwon told NME. “And that’s not just my opinion. The music was just too soft. Too humble. I felt like the album could have been better. I voiced my opinion, like, ‘Yo, let’s give them some real shit.’ The album was driven more to RZA’s expectations. He was coming from one way. We was wanting to try something new.”

He added that he won’t be touring with Wu-Tang this year, but it's not because of any beef.

“I ain’t going on the road with Wu-Tang this year. Fans will think it’s beef in the group, but it’s all management,” The Chef said. “I didn’t know shit about the tour. They just assume I’m good to be there and put it all together, but by then I got obligations, a fucking schedule. It’s frustrating, ‘cos I’d love to be there.”

Instead, Raekwon will be promoting his solo album Fly International Luxurious Art, which is scheduled to drop on April 28th.

​Image Credit: defpenradio.com

Style P has been chiming out multiple freestyles over the past couple of weeks. He's back again, this time with a freestyle over Drake's "Energy" beat from If You're Reading This It's Too Late.

Click here to hear the latest from Styles P The Ghost!

​Image Credit: Ebet Roberts/Redferns

In an interview with GQ, [former] Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz confirmed what many had already suspected: The Beastie Boys are no more.

According to Horovitz (Ad-Rock), the band died with founder Adam Yauch (MCA), who passed in 2012 of thyroid cancer.

Are the Beastie Boys done?

“We’re done. Oh yeah. Adam Yauch started the band. It’s not like a thing where we could continue without him.”

Never contemplated it?

“No.”

"It's probably just taken me time to sit and think and try to figure out what I do next or who I am now or, you know, all of that stuff," he said. "Because since high school, I was in this band. And you know, it's one thing when you're in a band in high school, but then to have it last for so long -- that's who I am and what I did forever. And so now I'm just trying to figure it out."

For Horovitz, it's more than just a band breaking up, it's losing a brother.

"Adam was one of my best friends; I saw him more than I saw my whole family," he said. "You know, me, Adam, and Mike were together every day, recording, touring, as friends. And so: huge hole. The other part of it is the being able to afford to just sit around and think, because I think it's good that I can have time to sort of figure out how to get through it all.

"You can never prepare yourself for this," he added.

Yauch, a.k.a. MCA, was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. He co-founded the Beastie Boys with Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Horovitz in 1979.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

Kanye West: New Album, Tour with Rihanna, and a Video Game?

Kanye West might just have the biggest year of his career in 2015. 

Kanye West stopped by Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club yesterday to talk about his Adidas fashion line, his upcoming album, and Kim Kardashian. Near the very end of the interview, he slyly mentioned that he's working on a video game based on his recent single, "Only One."

Image Credit: etonline.com

He gave a vague description of the game, which he says he's been working on for six months. "The idea is that it’s my mother going through the gates of heaven," he said, "and you’ve got to bring her to the highest gate of heaven by holding her to the light."

His next album, the Yeezus follow-up, doesn't have a release date, however. "I'm trying to get it finished," Kanye said. "I'm trying to get it to the people."

He described it as: "It's gonna be bars, songs, cookout music that just feels good. My last album was a protest to music, I was like 'I'm gonna take my ball and go home'... This album is embracing the music, joy. Being of service to the people. I just hope people like it and enjoy it."

West recently debuted his new song 'Wolves' featuring Vic Mensa and Sia at the launch of his Adidas Yeezy 750 Boost collection, now revealing that the track originates from a previously planned collaboration with Drake. "The song ['Wolves'] came from a conversation me and Drake had where we were supposed to do an album together - it was supposed to be called Wolves... we said we was gonna do it, he was sending beats back and forth," West said.

Ticketing giant Live Nation has confirmed the first date to be July 25 in the eastern European country of Estonia with tickets going on sale March 5. No other dates have been revealed, however.

West, who has been teasing his new album, is currently serving as the executive producer of Rihanna's upcoming new album, which ostensibly is also due out soon. The artists also recently collaborated on the song "FourFiveSeconds" with Paul McCartney.

Image Credit: rollingstone.com 

The three musicians performed the song together at the Grammys, where West explained how it came together on the red carpet to Ryan Seacrest. "I said I'd done a few songs with Paul McCartney and she couldn't get past this record," the rapper said. "She had to have it on her album.... So now we at the Grammys doing it."

Complex speculated that a 2015 West-Rihanna tour was in the works, based on un-sourced art the fact that Rihanna was offering VIP tickets to see West live as part of a charity auction. Rihanna previously opened for West on the rapper's Glow in the Dark tour in 2008.

Christine O'Connor

BET Announces 2014 Hip Hop Awards Nominees

Image Credit: BET Networks (BET.com)

Who's got next up in the cypher? It's time to hold it down for the real emcees! On September 4, BET revealed the list and nominees for their 2014 Hip Hop Awards. From the look of things, the Young Money brother and sister duo will be taking over the scene. Drake leads the pack with eight nominations while Nicki Minaj follows behind him with five. Jay Z , Pharrell, and Future  each racked up six nominations a piece. But what really caught my eye is the fierce competition between Drizzy, Future, Iggy Azalea, Wiz Khalifa and YG for the "People's Champ Award." With all those heavy-hitters in one category, I can only imagine who's going to come out on top.

You can check out who takes home the goldon October 14 at 8/7c  when the legendary Snoop Dogg returns to the big screen as the host of the event. 

Check out all the awards and nominees in its entirety below: 

Best Hip-Hop Video: Drake – “Worst Behavior,” Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino – “Move That Doh,” Iggy Azalea f/ Charli XCX – “Fancy,” J. Cole f/ TLC – “Crooked Smile,” Nicki Minaj – “Pills N Potions” & Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz.”

Best Collabo, Duo or Group: Eminem f/ Rihanna – “The Monster,” Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino – “Move That Doh,” Jay Z f/ Justin Timberlake – “Holy Grail,” ScHoolboy Q f/ BJ The Chicago Kid – “Studio” & YG f/ Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan – “My Hitta.”

Best Live Performer: Drake, Jay Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar & T.I.

Lyricist of the Year: Drake, Eminem, J. Cole, Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar & Nicki Minaj.

Video Director of the Year: Benny Boom, Chris Robinson, Director X, Dre Films & Hype Williams

DJ of the Year: DJ Drama, DJ Envy, DJ Khaled, DJ Mustard & DJ Scream.

Producer of the Year: DJ Mustard, Drumma Boy, Hit-Boy, Mike WiLL Made It, Pharrell & Timbaland.

MVP of the Year: DJ Mustard, Drake, Future, Jay Z & Nicki Minaj.

Track of the Year: “Cut Her Off (Remix)” – Produced by Will-A-Fool (K Camp f/ Lil Boosie, YG & Too $hort), “Move That Doh” – Produced by Mike WiLL Made It (Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino), “My Hitta” – Produced by DJ Mustard (YG f/ Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan), “Studio” – Produced by Swiff D (ScHoolboy Q f/ BJ The Chicago Kid) & “Worst Behavior” – Produced by DJ Dahi (Drake).

Album of the Year: Drake – Nothing Was the Same, Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Future – Honest, Rick Ross – Mastermind, ScHoolboy Q – Oxymoron & Yo Gotti – I Am.

Who Blew Up Award: Iggy Azalea, Migos, Rich Homie Quan, ScHoolboy Q, YG & Young Thug.

Hustler of the Year: Dr. Dre, Drake, Jay Z, Rick Ross & T.I.

Made-You-Look Award (Best Hip-Hop Style): A$AP Rocky, Jay Z, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj & Young Thug.

Best Hip Hop Online Site: AllHipHop.com,Complex.com, HotNewHipHop.com,NecoleBitchie.com, RapRadar.com &WorldStarHipHop.com

Best Club Banger: Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino – “Move That Doh” (Produced by Mike WiLL Made It), K Camp f/ Lil Boosie, YG & Too $hort – “Cut Her Off” (Remix) (Produced by Will-A-Fool), Migos – “Fight Night” (Produced by Stack Boy Twaun), Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz” (Produced by Detail), YG f/ Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan – “My Hitta” (Produced by DJ Mustard) &Young Thug – “Stoner” (Produced by Dun Deal).

Best Mixtape: Action Bronson – Blue Chips 2, Fabolous – The Soul Tape 3, Migos – No Label 2, Rich Homie Quan – I Promise I Will Never Stop Going In & Wiz Khalifa – 28 Grams.

Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse: B.o.B – “Paranoid” (Ty Dolla $ign f/ B.o.B), B.o.B – “Up Down” (Do This All Day) (T-Pain f/ B.o.B), Drake – “Who Do You Love” (YG f/ Drake), Kendrick Lamar – “Control” (Big Sean f/ Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica) & Pharrell – “Move That Doh” (Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino)

Impact Track: Common f/ Vince Staples – “Kingdom,” Lecrae – “Nuthin,” Lupe Fiasco – “Mission,” The Roots f/ Patty Cash – “Never” & Talib Kweli f/ Abby Dobson – “State of Grace”

People’s Champ Award: Drake – “Worst Behavior,” Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino – “Move That Doh,” Iggy Azalea f/ Charli XCX – “Fancy,” Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz”  & YG f/ Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill & Rich Homie Quan – “My Hitta” (Remix)

— Brittany C. Jackson

Twitter: @xPlatinumChanel

Drake And Chris Brown Reconcile & Reunite For 2014 ESPY Awards Skit

Drake And Chris Brown Reconcile & Reunite For 2014 ESPY Awards Skit

Image Credit: Chris Brown's Instagram  (chrisbrownofficial) ; Marcos E Palacios DA INTERNZ's Instagram  (kosine5)

I'm guessing Drake decided all that bullsh-t is for the birds after he teamed up with former rival,Chris Brown, in addition to Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin to design a hilarious skit for the 2014 ESPY Awards. The YMCMB rapper held his own in front of the stars as the host of the biggest night in sports which took place on July 16 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

After the two artists got into a heated bottle brawl in a New York City nightclub back in 2012, all hopes for any future Breezy and Drizzy collaborations quickly went out the window. Fast forward to 2014 now that Drake's wining and dinning of Chris Brown's ex-girlfriend Rihanna went downhill and Chris Brown took a trip to prison for a couple of months - it seems as though the two have put their differences aside and recoiled for the better in more ways than one.

The skit that Chris was featured in was called 'Drake and Blake' which revolved around Blake Griffin and Drake poking fun at each of other A-list personalities and tendencies. Chris Brown made his cameo in the skit as a doctor who was about to do surgery on Drake.The scene poked fun at the beef that the two music artists had in the past all while causing tons of laughter from the audience. After the skit, Chris reconfirmed that he's America's sweetheart as he brought hilarity to what once was a sour moment between him and Drake.

Before word even got out about Chris and Drake's skit for the ESPY's, a photo of the two artists surfaced on Instagram a week before the award show. The duo was pictured in a recording studio and seem to have been working on something. The true origin of the photo is unknown but whoever took it must have known it would put a smile on a lot of people's faces.

-Brittany C. Jackson

Nicki Minaj Drops A Fierce Freestyle On The Mike-Will-Made-It Produced Track 'No Flex Zone'

Image Credit: Nicki Minaj's Official Website (mypinkfriday.com)

No shade, no shade but Nicki Minaj is completely running this rap game. The raptress and keeper of many different personalities has did it on 'em once again with the release of her unofficial remix to the Mike-Will-Made-It produced track "No Flex Zone." Miss Minaj dominates her verse on the track as she remixes the hit single but sort-of outshines the track's original artist Rae Sremmurd's even though his vocals still remain on the beat.

With hard-hitting references to being as relevant as Maybach Music Group head hocho Rick Ross and having a home next to Hollywood A-list actor Brad Pitt, Nicki ensures critics that she is of icon status and has been 'running this game for five years' and if you didn't know then do your 'f--king research.'
With lyrics like "They could never reach young Nick magnitude even if they had the longitude, latitude. Listen up hoe this my territory. You are my son like a episode of Maury," the first lady of Young Money knows she's untouchable in the rap game but she seems to never take that for granted. As she prepares for the release of her next studio album The Pink Print, she's developed a clever technique to release project after project in order to keep her fan base and critics constantly engaged but better yet entertained.

Listen to Nicki's jaw-dropping "No Flex Zone" freestyle here

-Brittany C. Jackson 

Drake Reveals Fourth Studio Album In The Works Titled 'Views From The 6'

Image Credit: Drake's Instagram (champagnepapi)

Young Money native Drake has literally gone from 0 to 100 real quick! The powerhouse rapper recently confirmed his latest project to Billboard on July 15 which is the title of his fourth studio album - Views From The 6. 
Although it is unclear what the '6' really means in the album title, it is rumored to be a hometown shoutout to his city of Toronto, Canada. Hint hint . . the city's two most common area codes are 416 and 647.
According to Billboard, Drake hasn't even begun to start putting down hard-hitting tracks in the studio for his upcoming album. It must be great to know that even with just a reveal of an album title, Young Champagne Papi can still easily stir up his fan base and better yet his competition too.
Even though his upcoming album announcement comes as huge news, Drake is still dedicating his time to help promote his OVO Sound artists Majid Jordan and PARTYNEXTDOOR as they are set to release projects of their own.
Since one can only dream of what fire Drake is about to cook up in the studio, we'll just have to settle for his glorious presence on the stage and the TV screen in the meanwhile. Be sure to check him out tonight as he hosts the 2014 ESPY's Awards at 9pm on ESPN.

- Brittany C. Jackson

Hip Hop IS Dead! Summer Jam recap:: Nas, 50 Cent, Drake, Nicki Minaj, & more.

I was going to attend Hot97 Summer Jam this year, as I've went the past 3 years & haven't really been disappointed. I ALMOST had tickets last minute, but unfortuneately, I got stuck home live streaming the concert. I sure am glad I didn't waste my hard earned money on this concert....

Sevyn Streeter opened up the main show following the "festival stage" pre show. I really like her, & maybe it's because she's never really performed in front of that many people in the NYC area, but I found her performance to be slightly boring. 

Things got even worse as Rosenberg got on stage & hyped up Action Bronson, who was a complete mess. Not sure what kinda drugs he was on, or how much he had to drink, but his ego appeared to be bigger then his gut. He was all over the place, between slurring, looking & sounding like shit, rocking a pair of sandles to later on, take them off and hop off stage to perform in the crowd. This guy literally wouldn't stop his performance, until he was told to stop. It seems as if he was trying to take over the show, and it appears as if he thought he was some kind of "big star." Absolutely horrific. 

I'm really not sure who exactly was next, either Troy Ave or Wiz Khalifa. Not really much of a fan of either 2, but Troy started out with what appeared to be, taking shots at Trinidad James, via a video of the jumbotron before he performed. Troy Ave did bring out T.I. as a surprise guest. Wiz Khalifa topped off his set with a surprise appearance from none other then the legendary SNOOP DOGG! Snoop surprised the crowd & performed "The Next Episode," followed by "Young, Wild and Free" with Wiz. 

The Roots followed up after Khalifa's set, if I'm not mistaken. First, they brought out none other then one of my personal favorite hip hop groups EVER, The Lox! The show in my opinion was majority pretty bad, until they came out & performed some of their classic joints. M.O.P. and Black Sheep were amongst The Roots other surprise guests. The crowd, however, didn't really seem to be interested much. But I'll get back to THAT part later.....

Trey Songs was up next, & as usual, drove the girls crazy. He ended his set with his surprise guest, Ty Dolla Sign & performed "Paranoid" together, following Trey shouting out his incarcerated friend, Chris Brown, & performed Brown's new hit song, "Loyal." 

HIP HOP IS DEAD!

Nas came out next, and again, the crowd wasn't in it at all. He performed mostly songs from Illmatic. No energy what so ever. To make matters even worse, Nas brought out Meek Mill, followed by French Montana to completely take over his set. The crowd LOVED every minute of it & seemed to have livened up quite a bit. Very, very sad day for hip hop. Complete smack in the face & a HUGE amount of disrespect to Nas. I'm not sure who's idea this was, but Nas seemed to have no problems with it, as he was really into Meeks "lyrics," by singing along. Maybe it was all the Hennessey Nasir drank throughout the night, but never could I see this man,(who is the TRUE DEFINITION of REAL HIP HOP) actually respect and allow these guys ON STAGE WITH HIM. This literally hurt me. It was very sad to watch, however it made me very happy once again, that I didn't spend money to be there & actually witness this in person. 

After Meek & French finished their set, Nas brought out 50 Cent. 50 performed a couple classics as well as some new joints from his new album that dropped yesterday, Animal Ambition. He reunited G-Unit ON STAGE, bringing out Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks and even Young Buck. He later on brought out Fabolous & performed their new remix to Fabs hit song, Cuffin Season. As this was happening, a little rowdiness appeared to be going on. It turns out there was some sort of a fight, which later was reported that Slowbucks, of SBOE, was robbed of his chain. A member of 50's security reportedly snuffed Slow, ripped off his chain, and 50 WORE IT the rest of the night! It seems as if 50 was trying to prolong his set, as he mentioned on the mic that Ebro (Hot97's executive producer) was "yelling at" him, only for 50 to reply saying that HE'S the boss when he's here! Whole lotta drama. 

Video footage of what went down can be seen here: http://youtu.be/lXwZy1VH4DM

Nicki Minaj was next, and I thought the LAST part of the concert. She put on a great performance, as she promised the crowd. She brought out Soulja Boy to perform their new single "Yass Bitch," then later brought out another surprise guest, as I would've bet my life that he was going to show up, none other then Drake. She got on the mic & said, "Drake, I don't fuck wit you no more!" He then came out to perform "Worst Behavior," as the crowd livened up a lot more! Nicki & Drake went on to perform their song featuring Lil Wayne,"Believe Me." Weezy came out for his verse, wearing a stupid face cover up, which he took off after a couple of seconds. Drake & Weezy also performed "Trophies." Their set ended with Nicki, Lil Wayne and Drake ALL sweating each other. Nicki Minaj even stated that "Lil Wayne is the best rapper alive!" LOL!!

This is where the show should've ended....

DJ Mustard followed Young Money's set & brought out a few guests. YG, Ty Dolla Sign & surprise guest, none other then YOUNG JEEZY performed their hit, "My Ni**a." 

At this point, I began to lose a little bit of interest, as I feel the show ran way too long, & was a bit all over the place. The show could've been put together a little bit better. Also, the sound system seemed to be an issue throughout the night, which pissed off a couple of the performers. 

You can find some YouTube videos from the concert, here; http://www.complex.com/music/2014/06/summer-jam-2014-performances 

Summer Jam has always been one of my favorite concerts to attend. You don't really seem to get much from other concerts put on by other radio stations. I think Hot97 has the MOST respect from a lot of artists, & others involved in the hip hop industry, and this is why Summer Jam is always a SPECIAL SHOW to me! It's always hard to top each year. This year was GOOD but it didn't beat last years SJ, that's for sure. 

By:: Dana P. (Blog Owner/Editor in Chief 

Top 13 of 2013

Good evening and Happy New Year! Here is my year in review, with my top 13 of 2013.

Top 13 Club Bangers

13. Juicy J- Bounce
12. Future- Shit
11. Rocko f/ Rick Ross- U.O.E.N.O.
10. Drake- Versace
9. ASAP Ferg- Shabba Ranks
8. Pusha T & Chris Brown- Sweet Serenade
7. Sage The Gemini- Like A Red Nose
6. Young Dro- Fuck That Bitch
5. Drake- Worst Behavior
4. YG- My Nigga
3. Future- Honest
2. 2 Chainz- Like I Used To
1. Chinx Drugs- Feelings


Top 13 Hip Hop Hits

13. Joe Budden- She Dont Put It Down Like You
12. J Cole- She Knows
11. ASAP Rocky- Fashion Killah
10. Eminem f/ Kendrick Lamar- Love Game
9. Timbaland f/ Drake & JayZ- Know Bout Me
8. Fabolous- Cuffin Season
7. Schoolboy Q f/ Kendrick Lamar- Collard Greens
6. Busta Rhymes f/ Kanye West, Q-Tip, & Lil Wayne- Thank You
5. J Cole f/ Miguel- Power Trip

4. Eminem- Berzerk

3. Kendrick Lamar- Control

2. Kanye West- Bound 2

1. Eminem- Rap God


Top 13 Baby Making Songs

13. R Kelly- This Is My Story

12. Ciara- Body Party

11. Fabolous f/ Chris Brown- Ready

10. Wale f/ Miguel- Lotus Flower Bomb

9. Drake- My Language

8. August Alsina- I Luv This Shit

7. Sevyn Streeter f/ Chris Brown- It Won't Stop
6. Miguel- Adorn
5. The Weeknd- Remember You
4. Kid Ink f/ Chris Brown- Show Me

3. Beyoncé- Drunk In Love

2. Miguel- How Many Drinks
1.The Weeknd- Wicked Games


Top 13 Moments
13. Nicki Minaj surprises fans at Summer Jam by joining 2 Chainz on stage, after canceling last minute at last years Summer Jam.

12. Kanye West proposes to girlfriend and baby mama Kim Kardashian.

11. Revolt TV launches first ever "Global Spin Awards," paying homeage to DJs.

10. Kendrick Lamar nominated for Grammys & performs.

9. Kanye West "goes wild" by ranting in numerous interviews.

8. Eminem drops new album "Marshall Mathers LP 2."

7. DMX runs around hotel lobby naked. 

6. Jay-Z becomes a sports agent, forming "Roc Nartion Sports," and signs former Yankee, Robinson Cano. 

5. Beyoncé drops surprise album & videos. 

4. Hip Hop Legends Reunite at Summer Jam 2013, as Wu Tang Clan performs, Lil  Kim joins Fabolous, & Bone Thugs N Harmony take the stage. 

3. BET Cypher

2. Miguel dropkicks a fan in the crowd, at the Billboard Music Awards. 

1. Fabolous closes out the year with perfection, and drops his mixtape "Soultape 3." This is Fab, at his absolute best.

By:: Dana P. (Blog Owner/Editor in Chief)