J.Cole Takes A Stand Against Police Brutality In His New Track ‘Be Free’ As A Response To The Tragic Death Of Unarmed Teen Michael Brown

Image Credit: J. Cole's Instagram (realcoleworld)

In the wake of the recent uproar surrounding the killing of unarmed teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., rapper J.Cole decided to speak out against the acts of police brutality the best way he knows how — through a song. Early in the a.m. on August 15, Jay-Z's protege released an emotional song mourning the death of Mike Brown as well as his hope for African Americans to break free from being racially profiled in America today.

When the former Roc Nation rapper originally addressed the devastation that is currently occurring in Ferguson on August 13, he tweeted out his blunt opinion without thinking twice about any type of censorship.

@JColeNC: " STOP FUCKIN KILLIN US"

With the release of  "Be Free," J.Cole was more so able to express his self whole heartily without being restricted to Twitter's 140 characters. Throughout the song the "Crooked Smile" rapper changes his pitch and tone as the bars he spits range back and forth from somberness to anger mixed up with pain. Cole also used news samples of the Mike Brown shooting reports throughout the track to build up suspense for his overall message.

Cole pleads softly:

"All we want to do is take these chains off
All we want to do is break the chains off
All we want to do is be free
All we want to do is be free"

Then he let's his listeners know how he feels about the deadly results of gun violence:

"Ooh, I'm letting you know/That it ain't no gun they can make that could kill my soul/Oh, no"

Lastly, he spits these bars while he screams out his pain - urging Americans to take a stand:

"Are we all alone fighting on our own
Please give me a chance
I don't wanna dance
Something's got me down
I was there my ground,
Don't just stand around
Don't just stand around"

The Ferguson riots have sparked national outrage resulting in men,women, and children from all over the U.S. to band together in protesting against police brutality,racial profiling, and ultimately justice for Mike Brown (in addition to all other African Americans who have recently lost their lives to senseless acts of violence.)

Listen to J.Cole's track "Be Free" here.

-Brittany C. Jackson

Twitter: @BChanelJackson

DEF JAM CELEBRATING 30 YEARS

Photo credit: Twitter (@DefJamRecords) 

The record label executive for the Beastie Boys, Kanye West, Public Enemy, and many more is celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year. In honor of the success and significance that made hip-hop what it is today, Def Jam is throwing an all-star concert October 16th at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. 

Set to hit the stage, artists such as DMX, Rick Ross, Foxy Brown, Jhene Aiko, Ashanti, Ja Rule, and 2 Chainz along with legends, rising artists and many more will be in attendance. Tickets go on sale Friday August 22nd at 10am while pre-sale tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com on August 21st at 10am. 

The all-star event will honor Rick Rubin and Russell Simmon's greatest achievement and its impact in hip-hop. CEO of Def Jam Recordings, Steve Bartels, stated, "It’s very exciting to be able to be part of such a special announcement that solidifies and continues forward the enduring mark the brand has made on pop culture." 

The concert will also have artists like Fabolous, Jeremih, Warren G and EPMD rocking the stage. More artists are set to be announced in the near future. 

In honor of the anniversary, Def Jam is releasing two versions of a limited edition box set. The box set will contain music that inspired Rick Rubin to invent the label along with two-volume compilation of Def Jam Recordings' Greatest Hits. 

On September 20th the Barclays Center will host another show with Method Man and his group Wu-Tang Clan, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Lil Kim, The Diplomats, Curren$y, and Dom Kennedy as the legends take the stage for an unforgettable show. 

Be sure to check out more of Def Jam celebrating 30 years athttp://www.defjam.com/. 

Kateri Fischer

@katikiii

Joell Ortiz set to release solo album titled "House Slippers," September 16th.

image credit: hiphopdx.com

VERY excited for this! Being a Slaughterhouse fan, I always look forward to when these guys drop solo albums. Joe Buddens last album happens to be a personal favorite of mine. I have a feeling Ortiz has some CRAZY bars for this album!

In an interview with Complex, Joell speaks of his upcoming album; "I'm in a comfortable place. I'm at home with this album. I decided to clean my life up. In the process of doing all that, I started seeing better. Things started clearing up for me...Things are different for me and I'm excited about how people receive it."

Here's the track list for "House Slippers," set to drop on the 16th of Septemer!

1. House Slippers
2. Cold World (Feat. Lee Carr)
3. Dream On
4. Music Saved My Life (Feat. B.o.B & Mally Stakz)
5. Brother’s Keeper (Feat. Joe Budden, Crooked I & Royce Da 5’9)
6. Q & A
7. Get Down
8. Say Yes (Feat. Sahlance)
9. Better Than (Feat. Maino & Kaydence)
10. Phone
11. Candy (Feat. Mally Stakz)
12. Crack Spot

by: Dana Pelotta

Blog Owner/Editor In Chief

Twitter: @princessdanaox

Battle Rapper Daylyt, From "Total Slaughter" Says He Wants To Have Sex With Puff Daddy!

image credit: kingofthedot.com

Whoa. Total Slaughters own, (and currently one of the most popular battle rappers) Daylyt, wants to bang P. Diddy! 

“I’d fuck Diddy” said Daylyt, according to BattleRap.com. "I’m not gonna front. I’d fuck the shit out of Diddy… Why not? Diddy’s attractive. Get him off like a bottle of Ciroc, a shot of Ciroc. He got plenty of Ciroc. Get him fucked up, I’ll fuck...I’ve always been infatuated with how he dances–it’s something about like the arms and shit. That shit’s sexy, yo. Like, pause. No homo. Let’s really be honest. Diddy’s thick, yo.’”

This is not the first time he's spoke so openly about being gay. He refers to himself as a "Gay Blood," and made accusations about Lil Wayne quietly being gay as well. He also said of "rapper" (pop star) Macklemore, "all he raps about is gay shit." 

To read the FULL "wild" interview, go to www.battlerap.com 

by: Dana Pelotta

Blog Owner/Editor In Chief

Twitter: princessdanaox

Lebron James Set To Open Up The 2014-2015 NBA Season At His New Home In Cleveland, Against Carmelo Anthony and The New York Knicks

photo credit: NBCsports.com

What a way to kick off the 2014-2015 season! Lebron James will host with his new team, the Cleveland Caviliers, by opening up the regular season at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio against Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks!

The NBA 2014-2015 season schedule was announced earlier today, August 13th. Lebron signing with the Cavs and Melo resigning with the Knicks, were some of the biggest moves that were made this off season. Opening up the season in New York WOULD'VE made this season opener much more exciting, tho! 

Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports reports; "LeBron James’ first game back with the Cleveland Cavaliers will be at home on Oct. 30 against the New York Knicks, according to a league source. The game features the league’s hottest two commodities during this summer’s free-agency period."

Some of the other season openers announced earlier were; LA Lakers vs. Houston Rockets (Oct 28th), San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks (Oct 28th), and LA Kings vs. Golden State Warriors (Oct 29th). 

by: Dana Pelotta

Blow Owner/Editor In Chief

Twitter: @princessdanaox

Nas Announces Illmatic Tour Featuring Documentary Screenings, Album Performed in Full

image credit: pitchfork.com 

"Time Is Illmatic" is a documentary about one of the greatest hip hop lyricists of all time, none other then Queensbridges own, Nas. 

On April 16th, Nas premiered his documentary for the first time, as he opened up the TriBeCa Film Fesitval at the Beacon Theatre, in New York City. I happened to be there for this SOLD OUT show, and it was an absoulte STAR STUDDED event! Legendary producers and artists were in attendance for this event such as DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Q-Tip, 50 Cent, Fabolous, and much much more! Robert DeNiro & Jane Rosenthal opened up the TriBeCa Film Festival, prasing Nas on his album, and introducing the documentary. The documentary was about an hour, followed by Alicia Keys introducing Nas to the stage, playing the piano melody of "New York State Of Mind." Nas then went on to perform the ENTIRE Illmatic album! 

Earlier this year, Nas announced he would commemorate the 20th anniversary of Illmatic, with a few different activities including a tour, and a documentary about the making of his "Illmatic" album.

The tour is set to start on October 2nd, in Rochester New York. However, the documentary "Time Is Illmatic" will be released on October 1st, and will be released on iTunes and on demand, on October 3rd.

Here is a list of the tour dates. If you are a true hip hop fan, I would definitely recommend checking this out, and it was a GREAT show!

09-07 Boston, MA - Boston Calling 
09-13 Atlanta, GA - One Music Fest
10-02 Rochester, NY - Main Street Armory
10-03 Albany, NY - Palace Theatre *
10-04 Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre *
10-05 Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre *
10-08 Toronto, Ontario - Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
10-09 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore Detroit *
10-10 Hammond, IN - Horseshoe *
10-11 Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theatre
10-12 Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre *
10-15 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre *
10-16 Vancouver, British Columbia - Vogue Theatre *
10-17 Las Vegas, NV - The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
10-18 Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre *
10-19 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater *
11-08 Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Festival

* with screening of Nas: Time is Illmatic

by: Dana Pelotta

Blog Owner/Editor In Chief

Twitter: @princessdanaox

Rick Ross Teams Up With Fabolous, Ma$e, & Big K.R.I.T. For ‘Supreme Remix’

Image Credit: Rick Ross’ Instagram (richforever)

Ricky Rozay is up to something big! The Bawse recently teamed up with Hip Hop heavy-hitters Fabolous, Ma$e, and Big K.R.I.T. to form the latest remix for his track “Supreme.” On August 12, Rick Ross took to Twitter to release the remix to the single that originally derived from off of his Mastermind album.

The Rozay, Loso, and  Ma$e collaboration only added heat to the fire of this track since these legendary MCs have rhymes for days. Besides the lethal bars from these promising names, dirty south rapper Big K.R.I.T. continues to ease his way out of the underground scene as he delivers arguably the toughest verse on the remix; which just shows that he’s not going down without a fight.

Check out the Rick Ross, Fab, Ma$e, and Big K.R.I.T on the “Supreme (Remix)” here.

- Brittany C. Jackson

Twitter: @BChanelJackson