For many years I actually thought that Krondon was white, it wasn’t until he turned up with Xzibit on my radio show that I realised he was albino – he had the features of a black man but his skin was white. Speaking of which Xzibit and Defari will be performing this week at Studio on K’ Road.
Forbes magazine has released their annual 100 most powerful and influential celebrities list. The way they measure a star’s influence is on their earnings for the year, how many times they’re searched on Google, mentions in the press and appearances on major magazine covers.
THE TOP 10
1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Tiger Woods
3. Madonna
4. Rolling Stones
5. Brad Pitt
6. Johnny Depp
7. Elton John
8. Tom Cruise
9. Jay-Z
10.Steven Spielberg
If you’re a rap fan then having one of the bro’s in there at #9 should put a smile on your face – last year it was 50 Cent, coming in at #8. Outside the top 10 you might be surprised to learn Michael Jordan is still going hard, coming in at #35, 13 places above LeBron at #48… and somehow Bon Jovi comes in at #18, wtf.
If you don’t mind braving all the ads the Forbes website forces upon you, and clicking through multiple links to read the whole list (cunning muthafuckas), click HERE.
And here’s a NZ Herald article if you wanna peep some analysis on the Top 10.
So David Dallas (TAFKA Con Psy from Frontline for those of you that don’t know) liked the recent Mint Chicks single ‘Crazy?Yes!Dumb?No!’ so much that he recorded a guest verse of sorts over it with additional production by 41. You can check out the remix here, shit is hot!
At …shot then we pride ourselves on being able to present you the hottest shit with as little bias (read: nut-hugging) as possible so writing this post was particularly difficult given that not only is Dave my mate, but I manage his career and he also writes for …shot then. To further complicate things I really do think that this remix is the shit and I do feel as though I’m coming across as a nut-hugger; so in the interests of maintaining …shot then’s credibility as a reliable resource for hot shit and honest opinions I’m gonna have to air this out – Dave you’re a fucking dick!
BTW David Dallas album coming soon BEEEEEEYOTCH!
when you talkin on the phone to huuuustlerrrrrrssss”
That right there was my, and probably most pre-Black album Jay-Z fan’s(yep we saw the bandwagon pull up) introduction to the man we now know as Freeway. Truth be told my first instinct upon hearing him was that he sucked. Sounded like an annoying, crying snagglepuss kinda guy. 1900-Hustler as a song however was too hot to deny, primarily due to Just Blaze killing it on the beat. Thus the song stayed on repeat and I found myself gradually warming to this guy with the whiney delivery.
Fast forward a couple years to 2003 and you would find me with pretty much 2 albums on constant rotate the whole year. 50 - Get rich or die trying (Classic, fuck off if you think otherwise) and Freeway – Philadelphia Freeway. Joe Budden’s debut was also big for me but where Joe had managed a few standout gems on his, Freeway and Curtis had seemingly nailed what it is to make dope ALBUMS from start to finish. Much credit again went to Just Blaze who handled most of the production on the album and being that I was such a stan for the ‘ROC’ sound at that time, it was a no brainer that I’d be bangin it just off that fact. However Freeway still did the damn thing on the album, and did it with a fresh style all his own. Mostly due to the voice and flow, partly due to him being a paradox in himself. A muslim with an Abraham Lincoln beard who often raps about drug dealing. Sounds crazy on paper, but it WORKED.
Fast forward another couple years and here we are. Curtis’s superstardom is well documented, Joe Budden has released 88 mixtapes, has near Canibus-like adulation from internet fans and has had his album pushed back more times than… anything. However we have rarely seen hide nor hair of Freeway’s beard in almost 4 years. There was his appearance on College Dropout in 04 and that song with 50 that surfaced mid last year. But still… it has been a long time comin for the man who coined the term ‘earrrrrrrly’. I was bout as excited as I get to hear a new track from Free, specially one featurin Jay. So lets hope the Rocafella/State Prop dramas are in the past and that the album is on the way.
Freeway feat Jay-Z - Big Spender
It’s amazing how effective just being a drunk can be for a promotional campaign. Now im not saying that Amy’s alcholism is a gimmick, i think its quite the contrary. But it has to be said, she sure does get a lot of press doesnt she ? LJM sent THIS through, apparently Amy get’s her Jake on. Rather hilarious really, but if theres one thing we as a nation understand it’s a binge drinker. In fact it’s safe to say we probably understand domestic violence better than most also. So there you go Amy, if you ever need a new country to call home, NZ has you.
p.s If you haven’t seen this yet, you’re really missing out. Amy doin the damage.
Legendary south Auckland Hip Hop record label Dawn Raid are back in business! (Dawn Raid went into voluntary liquidation in April after experiencing financial difficulties). Brotha D and YDNA have new financial backing in the form of John Barnett (South Pacific Pictures) and Michael Stiassny (Vector Chairman) and have bought back the rights to Dawn Raid’s back catalogue and music publishing. It will be interesting to see what Dawn Raid will bring back to the game, it’s tough times in the music industry right now and record labels are increasingly becoming irrelevant.
I saw Mareko out in the mall yesterday (as you do) and he said that he’s back with Dawn Raid but was unsure about other artists. Also Savage’s ‘Swing’ is in the knew movie ‘Knocked Up‘, made by the director of ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’, I remember YDNA bragging about it when we went to visit Dawn Raid’s office late last year.
It’s also interesting to note that the media was all over Dawn Raid’s “demise” two months ago but you’d be hard pressed to find anyone reporting the latest developments, all I could find was this article at RadioScope.
Breakin’ Wreckwordz have released their latest monthly newsletter… oooh exciting stuff!Seriously though they’ve been keeping their fans updated with regular newsletters and you can check out the latest one here. The crux of the June newsletter is that their recent 5th birthday party was a banger and that they’ve been recording a shitload of stuff, evidence of that is this list of their expected releases before the year is through.
Tourettes ‘Gimmie Five Dollars and I’ll Show You My Dick’ – July
Breakin Wreckwordz ‘It’s a Monster’ – September
Cyphanetik ‘The Bitter Taste of Life’ – October
Ethical ‘Ages Turn’ – September [MTC/BWW]
Usual Suspects ‘Hire Learning’ – November
It might be a good idea to start scraping together your pennies now.
Oh shit, I got my swagger jack on, I saw this on Smartenupnas this afternoon and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share this with y’all… it wouldn’t be the first time either hahaha.
Peep emacc32 on YouTube for more gangsta gospel…
*rest assured I will be off Smartenupnas’s bozack tomorrow
Common’s new album is just over a month away, I’ve been diggin the stuff I’ve heard from him recently so I’m eagerly anticipating this one. In particular I’m feeling “The Game” which features Primo’s often-imitated-but-never-duplicated scratch skills, you may hear this one on bFM soon, I’ve been pressing them to playlist it. Check out Com’s website for some other cool shit.
Common featuring DJ Premier – The Game
*I’ve always thought that Com could pass as one of the cuzzies from down the line, wotchu think?
*The moving cup killed me, haha
