bigted

I only go over there to bump up the "Tell Me Why" video...

Yeah a lot of the fans booed when Nate won, he took about 20 attempts before he made his last dunk, btw 2nd half begins tonight, I put Darko on my fantasy team just to see if he does anything since Magic'll give him a lot of minutes

I'm sure a few more people would've been interested in buying the album if it came out earlier, a buzz would've been created if it was performed at the NBA Finals and then he performed "Tell Me Why" at Live 8 and the video for that came out in July and then the promotion would end in August when Will shoots his film, 3 singles in 6 months would've been wonderful... I'd say the album would sell a lil' bit more to say the least and even if it didn't, at least I'd be happy to know that Interscope gave Will the best promotion they could for him, it ain't just about the sales it's about the effort putting into it, I don't think it would hurt Will's image as an mc either, it'd show people that he ain't just trying to get hits, even if "Parter Starter" flopped he'd still release "Tell Me Why" but it looks like Will's trying to be safe for a hit, Interscope's hurting Will's image still, if you ain't helping you're hurting... Will worked hard on the album, the label should've done their part, they only gave about 20% instead of 100% to match Will's 100%, I'm dissatified that they didn't work as hard as he did in helping promote the album... Honestly "Party Starter" didn't do well 'cause it didn't get played, not everyone knew it even came out, it debuted on TRL one day and you never saw it again, so if you missed it that day, you wouldn't even knew it came out, I knew a lot of people would like "Parter Starter" if they heard it 'cause it's 10X better than "Switch", those who slept on his lyrical skills would open their eyes, radio stations wouldn't break it in that much 'cause it was selling less than 10,000 albums a week when it came out, they only play who's on top of the charts, does anybody seriously have a top 20 single if they're selling 10,000 albums a week? What was Interscope thinking? Release it at the moment where Will can't go out to perform it? It'd done much better if it came out early in the summer when "Lost and Found" was in the top 40 still and even if it didn't, "Tell Me Why" would've been a saving grace... Now if he was selling 50,000 a week I bet they'd break it in more, radio play is based on record sales, they want to play the top selling artists out there at that moment, there was over 100 pop albums ahead of "Lost and Found" so pop radio wouldn't play it and you can't expect black radio to give it a chance when they didn't play "Switch" so "Party Starter" was destined to fail at that point, but when they release 50 Cent or Jay-Z singles, it hits the radio 3 months before the video comes sometimes, they could've sent it to the radio in the early summer and it'd get some buzz and more would buy the album until the video came out, that's another route they could've done but they like to sleep on Will Smith, if 50 Cent made this song it'd be song of the year, lol... Will was already shootin' his movie so he couldn't perform it at shows, I think "Switch" wouldn't be quite as successful if it wasn't performed so much, the video was not getting the airplay that a top 10 song in music should've gotten, it never made the top 10 one day on TRL or 106 & Park, that'd been an instant help if that got on there everyday, obviously fans don't influence those video countdowns as much as it's said they do 'cause a lot of people were feeling "Switch"...

Enjoy! http://www.indiestreetent.com/hustlerscornerllcoolj.html Greatest of All-Time! “I’m sorry, but I was wondering if I have the right number,” I said, “but... is this the greatest rapper of all time?” LL Cool J, (a.k.a. Mr. James Todd Smith) begins laughing hysterically. “Man, I sure hope so; if that’s what people think and feel than I’m happy with that. I just want to thank every one of my fans who got me here up to this point.” To most of the people out there right now, that’s exactly what LL Cool J is considered, the name and face to consider whenever the word rap gets mentioned. In a career that’s lasted for over two decades now, it’s hard to nail down exactly how LL has managed to overcome the many changes and obstacles that have taken place within the rap game, overcoming feuds with fellow rappers, as well as different style changes. As the nineties approached, most rap artists who started out in the eighties, couldn’t make the transition from the flashy, cool-sounding rap that they were used to making and were virtually wiped out by the new-wave of hardcore gangsta’ rap that had emerged. The new-wave of gangsta’ rap stressed message over success and substance over style and yet, LL had emerged from that change relatively unscathed. Moving into the realms of television (In the House) and major motion pictures (S.W.A.T., Any Given Sunday and Halloween H2O), with some of today’s hottest actors and actresses. Today, he talks about how he got there and why he’s still “The greatest rapper in the history of rap itself." Your career has lasted and outlasted some of your contemporaries that you had started out with, how do you account for the success you’ve experienced throughout the years? Well, you know, a lot of times in my life you need to go through change and change is good because it keeps you focused and I want to be the very best there is out there...you know? I like what I’m doing and I just try to stay positive with everything, refusing to quit. I don’t care what it is that I’m doing, I just want to enjoy myself and have fun with it all, whether I’m putting out my latest album or starring in a movie with Samuel L. Jackson; I want to be the best that I can be while still having fun. Sure, what was it like for you starting out in the music business back then? When I was starting out I tried to get myself signed with everybody who was out there then... I tried to go with Sugar Hill Records, Tommy Boy, everybody turned me down and it was a bit depressing. But you know, I always liked what I was doing and it was all so exciting and just really fun then. I really liked going to the “battles” and I just stayed in it before I signed on with Def Jam, people forget that I was their first big hit and their first, biggest, star. That’s true, you were on Def Jam and you were every bit as popular as Run DMC or the Beastie Boys at that time...do you have any hard feelings with Run DMC or Russell Simmons? No, not at all I’m good friends with the remaining members of Run DMC, Jam Master Jay, may he rest in peace, he was a good man and actually they’re all good men. I still stay in contact with them whenever I can. Russell Simmons, I never had any hard feelings toward him, I always liked and got along with Russell and I like where they’re going with the t.v. show, you know? That’s always fun to watch. It seems almost that when it comes to your music at least, you seem to become inspired by some of the feuds you’ve had with other rappers like Kool Moe Dee and Canibus and even movie stars like Jamie Foxx? What can you tell me about that? That stuffs’ mostly stuff that goes back to the rap battles, you want to prove that you’re the best there is. So you step to someone to see just who is the best, there’s no hard feelings or anything like that. You just want to know who’s the very best, so I don’t have any hard feelings toward anybody. So you don’t harbor any bad feelings toward Kool Moe Dee, Canibus or Jamie Foxx? Do you think most of those feuds started out as mostly publicity stunts? No, I really don’t like to talk about that or anything like I have bad feelings toward anybody... I don’t ever look at it like that. You just want to prove that you’re the very best and that’s how I look at it. I personally never started anything for publicity or anything like that. But you’ll have to admit, some of your best albums have come about because of these battles? “Mamma Said Knock You Out” and “All World” became two of your best selling albums. Well definitely, I come into the studio with what’s on my mind and at those particular times I just wanted to show everybody that was new, that I am still the best rapper out there. But, I didn’t really plan on doing it to show off on any one person really. People just looked up and realized that I’m still just enjoying what I do. Absolutely, “Mama Said,” was so big, that you became the first rap artist on MTV’s Unplugged series? That must have been electric? It was and it was just wild, I came out to prove that I’m just still here and still the very best. I had my shirt off, sweating up a storm and people were just really getting into it, you know? No doubt, you’ve been in a lot of movies over the years and you got your start in Krush Groove, tell me a little about that? Well at that time you know, the movie wasn’t even about me or anything... I didn’t even have a real role in it. I was only in maybe ninety seconds of it, because I knew they were filming it and I just hung around Russell and Run DMC and I just loved being there. So I talked to Russell and I got a little bit part in it and a lot of people say that I really stole the show. Yes, you actually come off like an extra in it, but your energy is noticeable, you can actually be seen in the background throughout the film just walking by! Yeah you know, I was just happy to be there and just have a part it, so I just hung around the set really. Now after that, you had some roles in a few Hollywood movies during the early nineties like “The Hard Way” with James Woods and Michael J. Fox and Luis Guzman’. Then, you get your first starring role in “Out of Sync”....what can you tell me about that? Well you know I got started doing small parts and to work alongside those guys who were all ready established actors was a real challenge and I learned a lot just by being on the set with those guys. It really helped set me up for starring in “Out of Sync” that was the first time I really you know...had to carry a picture. Now, around that time, I have to ask you... you were in a movie with Halle Berry called “B.A.P.’s” and I gotta’ ask you? How hot was “Halle Berry” even back then? Was she as smok’in then as she is now? She was hot then, right? (laughing) Oh man! How hot can she be! I mean...she’s like that now, right? Yeah she most certainly is hot right now, Halles’ so hot, it’s like when wasn’t she hot! But seriously, you’ve been married for quite some time now, is it hard trying to manage both a wife and kids as well as a career? Well you know a lot of people don’t know this about me but, my oldest child is like sixteen years old! So you know, I always had kids around me and having my last kid really wasn’t a big deal for me. I had been managing all this family and career stuff for some time. So how are the wife and kids these days, they’re all doing well? Oh yeah they’re all just doing super and a lot of people don’t know that my wife has been with me from the very beginning and having her here all this time has really kept me positive. Let’s talk a bit about your latest album, I hear you have an exclusive for us, can you tell all our loyal readers what it is and what it’ll be called? Definitely, I’m going to let you guys here know that right now it’s tentatively called “Todd Smith” and it’s set to be released March 21st, 2006. It’ll have all of your favorite flavors mixed in there and that’s what it was originally going to be called “My Favorite Flavors” before I had changed it to “Todd Smith”... but, there’ll be some new and old tracks on it, with around ten to twelve tracks in all. But, it’s just real cool, the best album I’ve done in a long time. Is it mostly new or is there any unreleased stuff on there? No it’s mostly all new and a few of the tracks is just stuff that I had been planning on doing for a long time now. The first single off the new album is a track called “Control Myself”, featuring J-Lo and that one is actually’ produced by Jermaine Dupri, who’s actually been a good friend of mine for some time now. What was it like working with Jermaine and J-Lo? Is J-Lo the only artist contributing to the new album? It was great working with both Jennifer and Jermaine, Jennifer is just so talented, a great singer and performer, a real beautiful lady and it’s just so great to have had her working in the studio alongside me and Jermaine. Hype Williams directed the first single, but Jermaine just kind of came in and overlooked everything. I mean, I have other artists who are also on the album too, besides like J-Lo, there’s also Juelze Santana, Ginuwine, Freeway, 112, Mary J Blige, is on there as well. Just like, a whole lot of performers came together and Jermaine overlooked most everything. Is Jermaine the only producer on this album? No, I have other people on there as well, Scott Storch, Bink, Track Masters, Shea Taylor, Keezo Kane, they all played a role in producing this album. But Jermaine, he just kind of... just oversaw everything and he was there on the first single “Control Myself. Cool, is there anything else that you can tell us about the new album? Yeah, most definitely, it’ll be coming out tentatively... March 21st, early this year, so be on the lookout for “Todd Smith.” But, yeah it’s going to be real hot, positive, stuff. Now, as far as recent films, you’ve been in some pretty big movies starting with a movie where I guess you could say that it was maybe a rebirth for you of sorts with Halloween H2O. What was that experience like? It was... I guess the coolest part of being in that film was being in a movie with the sickest dude in the world Michael Meyers. But I really had a good time being in that movie, I had just came off of my t.v. show “In the House” and this was the first time that I had really done a real, big movie in recent years. Not counting “Krush Groove” and you know, all those movies that I had done like years before and it was after that that I began to go into other films that all did very well at the box office. But you ask what it was like... I just really enjoyed just being there and I learned a lot from just being on the set. You know what, actually one of the producers from that film just died recently in a bombing in Jordan. So I just want to say rest in peace to his family. Sure, now after that movie, you got the opportunity to be in more of a dramatic piece in “Any Given Sunday”... what was that experience like and what was it like to work with such an esteemed director as Oliver Stone? Oh man, "Any Given Sunday" was just crazy because of the whole sports connection, one of the sports that I really like is football along with boxing. Working with Oliver Stone who was just really cool, he’s like a real talented guy but, the set is real chaotic. He’s a great director and he seems to have organized chaos on the set. His sets are...I mean, he’s just so talented that his movies are all... they’re almost Fellini-esque. It was just really cool to work with Oliver. I mean, I just look at it like... any time that I can get a role where I can really already have a connection with the movie... it just makes my job as an actor easier. I’ve talked with George Foreman about developing a movie where I play him and I’m all ready a big boxing fan. I think it’s really phenomenal that he came up the way that he did out of the Houston ghetto to become heavyweight champion of the world. His story is just really great and very positive and I just love roles where I can just be strong and really sink my teeth into a role. What about Kingdom Come, that movie was pretty good actually, what was that experience like? Thank you, no that movie did really well and it was great to work with and alongside Whoopi Goldberg, it was a great learning experience for me. It was a very good movie and it was very personable film for me and just a real great feeling movie. What can you tell me about “Deliver me from Eva” that movie was pretty cool and very funny? Your comments? That was a lot of fun you know, working with Gabrielle Union, she was fun to work with. I mean both of those films were just a lot of fun, S.W.A.T . was a lot of fun too actually. Yeah, I was just about to ask you about that one... what can you tell me about that film? You got to work alongside of some of today’s best actors like Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson, do you have any stories about being on that set? Actually yeah, I was working alongside Sam Jackson when a real S.W.A.T. team came flying right through our set during filming! We were filming when a real S.W.A.T. team came flying through on an actual chase, with real helicopters, real body armor and real guns! That must have been pretty crazy, did you guys just look at each other like who are all these extras and stop filming Yeah, no, it was just crazy and pretty ironic too because we were actually filming a chase scene when these guys just burst onto the set in the middle of a real live chase after somebody who like robbed a bank or something. But, no they didn’t stop filming...they just kept rolling! Crazy, now what can you tell me about the films you got coming out right now? I understand you have a couple of newer films. Yeah, as of right now I’m in a couple of new movies, one with Queen Latifah titled “Last Holiday” and I was just in a movie with Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey called “Edison”. I play a guy named Sean Williams in Last Holiday and I guess you could say that I’m kind of like the love interest in that film, but I play more of like the shy guy role. (laughing) So since the ladies still love Cool James... did you have to lick your lips at any point during that movie? (laughing) Oh man, you know... if ladies go to see it because of something like sex appeal or something than you know...whatever... I’m cool with that. But I just hope everyone goes to see it because it’s just a real hot, funny movie and Queen Latifah’s just really, really, funny in it. The lip thing... that’s just kind of something I always just did naturally, you know? Cool, what was it like working with so many academy award winning actors in Edison? Yo, it was a real honor working alongside of guys like Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey. Those guys are like real legends in the field and when you’re working alongside of those guys, you really get to see what a professionally trained actor is really like. Those guys both take their jobs really seriously and it shows in how they prepare for their roles, you know? Out of both films which movie would you say you enjoyed more? I guess you could say Last Holiday maybe, but only because Queen Latifah is just so funny and talented in that movie. It was a real pleasure working alongside of her, she would like have us rolling laughing both on and off the set and she really carries the whole movie all by just having a good time and being good natured all by herself. I just finished Last Holiday and that’s should be out pretty soon. You mentioned boxing and George Foreman earlier...are you a big fan of boxing? Most definitely, I just love the grittiness and the discipline of boxing, I mean you’re training your whole life for just one shot at stardom and that’s something that I think I can definitely relate to and I think a lot of other people can too. No doubt, did you meet any well known boxers and who’s your favorite fighter? I’ve met a lot of them, I got a lot of friends who are boxers and also very talented. I would guess that maybe my first meeting with Evander Holyfield was my most memorable because he’s just a real nice, spiritual and positive guy. But, like a said, I have a lot of friends who are boxers. I’m friends with George Foreman, Antonio Tarver, Muhammad Ali... I just love the sport; you know what I’m saying? As far as favorite fighters, man’ that’s a very good question and it’s also a hard question too. I guess, I don’t really have any one favorite fighter... I know and like a lot of well known boxers; George Foreman for his punching ability, Bernard Hopkins for his durability, early Roy Jones he was just so talented back then that nobody could touch him, Marco Antonio Barerra, Erik Morales, Antonio Tarver... he’s a good friend of mine... I think he’s really talented. Joe Frazier with his left hook... I mean you just look at these guys and their whole workout ethic and you just gotta have respect for it and them. A lot of my readers would like to know then, who would win in a fight between you and Mike Tyson? I mean, you’re look’in pretty diesel lately. (laughing) Oh man’ let’s just stay real, let’s keep it very real, you know? All right look... he’s a professional, he’s paid to do that for a living, training for real and stuff. That’s a real funny question, that would be like asking “who would win in a rap battle?” You know what I’m saying? You know, but I don’t know, you never know what could happen. You hope you never know... let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that and just keep it real. (laughing) Speaking of working out, you’ve been a long time advocate of working out and staying in shape. What does your workout routine consist of today? Everything! I bench press, do dips, curls, reverse curls, cardio, sprints, long distance...everything! A lot of times if an exercise starts to get too easy, I’ll add a dumbbell or two to my belt to add additional weight. But I just workout as much as I can as often as I can... I just like to stay in shape and workout as much as possible, pull-ups, chin-ups you name it... I do it all man. So after all this time LL is still “bad”? Oh’ baby, please believe it! Believe me! I’ve done too much work to not be!

Don't you think "Party Starter" would do better if it came out 3 months earlier? The reason why it was neglected so much from airplay is that the album sales were basically dead at that point, people lost interest in the album by the time the end of the summer came, 50 Cent's album sales wouldn't be that good if singles were released 6 months apart...

i just recently ordered the disc myself so i'll be dropping a review shortly once i receive and give it a proper listen

I think the only reason why Interscope signed Will is 'cause they figure that he'll sell from his movie career, but if he was only a recording artist, they probably wouldn't offer him a record deal unless he was making pimp music, that's why you see Public Enemy, De La, and Talib Kweli taking the independent route 'cause they ain't in high demand for major labels, Interscope might give Will the freedom to make the music he wants but don't back him in the promoting like they would if he wrote songs about violence and getting high, Interscope made sure to release a single every month last year for 50 Cent it seemed but they waited 6 months to release "Party Starter", there's no question that "Lost and Found" could've had capability to sell as much as Mariah Carey's album if 5 singles were released in 5 months, even if there weren't videos for all them, at least get out to the radio please, I have a feeling that Interscope probably told Will not to perform "Tell Me Why" at Live 8, I'm sure he was intending on doing that 'cause the song was made for that moment... Will deserves that kind of promotion, he was out there doing all the performances while the promotion team was on their ass, but if they put work in that'd been drawing large audiences, they seem to put restrictions on promoting albums with substance...

I hope Will's on more than one song if he's gonna spend a lot of time into this project, btw if all these ol' school hip-hop artists really wanna clean up the radio, they should all get together and start their own label or hip-hop network that plays an alternative to the pimp image that's out there now...

Maybe Eminem told Jimmy Iovine to delay "Party Starter" if he didn't like what Will said about him in "Mr. Nice Guy" and that he saw there was a large buzz when "Lost and Found" came out while they were trashing his album, he was probably scared that if Will got promoted right that he'd got outsold, maybe that's how he responded since he got connections on that label, that's what 50 Cent did with Game when they delayed his video for months and forced him to shoot it himself from his own pockets, now if they do that to another gangsta rapper, they'll have no mercy on Will so what I said is not really a stretch, why did they allow Eminem to release 2 videos before "Party Starter" got released? Something doesn't feel right about that... They might've wanted Will to just to talk about "Mr. Nice Guy" as a buzz to sell the album when it comes out so they'd make a lil' profit off of him but they truely had no motives to see Will outsell their big name gangstas on the label 'cause that'd kill their careers... I'm personally shocked that this was the label that actually offered Will a contract to release this album 'cause they're the biggest gangsta rap label in the world, you figured they'd be more offended by his comments on gangsta rap to sign him than they'd be of him saying he's not worried about sales, all labels suck though but Interscope is basically the machine that's killing hip-hop right now, people are sheep these days, it seems like people only look out for what's on the radio when they buy music, if Interscope simply put more effort into getting a lot of singles on the radio people'll buy it but since black radio don't play him people resist buying it 'cause they consider you wack if you ain't on Hot 97... This label put all their energies into most of the gangsta rap you hear on the radio today, there really isn't that many people who like these artists but they're all the radio plays so people jump on the bandwagon 'cause that's all they see, they don't search for an alternative, they just digest what the radio feeds them, if they played Will all day on the radio he'd also sell 5 million, there's a lot of payola scandals that happen too, Will needs to branch out on his own 'cause these labels treat true artists like slaves.... If Will was rapping about killing and drugs they'd promote the hell out of this album, believe me, but you figure they wouldn't since he didn't, and like I said all along if Kel Spencer was a gangsta rapper he'd be as big as 50 Cent right now but instead he's still looking for a deal... I was actually scared that it'd get shelved since it was delayed so long, I don't think I felt that excited about him going to Interscope but I can't be that upset though 'cause the album came out and it went platinum and he won an AMA even with such lil' support that Interscope gave him, it shows that Will's fans ain't sheep 'cause believe me if anybody on 50, Eminem, or anyone from their crews had such lil' support their albums would completely brick 'cause 99% of those who buy their albums are sheep and their original fanbase is alienated since they sold out ...

That was sweet to see Spud Webb assisting Nate Robinson in the slam dunk contest!!! :bowdown:

I hope he shoots a video for "We Gotta Make It" before the album drops, that's the type of song that'd get the album to platinum status right away...

I notice that they're pushing LL's album release date back until May 2nd, maybe they're gonna add more tracks to it, maybe it's not too late to get a collab with Will after all, lol... http://www6.defjam.com/site/home.php

I like both sides of LL as well, I'd like to see this album have the balance that a lot of his albums have 'cause that's what makes him a great mc, a lot of people are gonna get the album off of LL's name alone so all these guest appearances ain't really necessarily 'cause he's a veteran artist, you figure Def Jam would show more confidance in him than that, even though a lot of those guest appearances on "The G.O.A.T." album were great LL really didn't like that and was threatening to leave the label after that, people on their 1st or 2nd albums like Kanye depend on these guest appearances more, but LL is trying to be a lil' more humble recently now so it might've been his idea though this time to have these collabs 'cause he said he wanted to open up to working with more artists than he has been recently, as long as they make strong contributions and don't take away what LL does it's all good, at the end of the day as long as the album's another LL album that people'll enjoy is all that matters...

"We're Gonna Make It"'s by far the best song that I've heard so far from the songs that got released from the album...

Slip-N-Slide Is Trick Daddy's crew that consists of mostly Florida rappers, I'm not quite sure about Rick Ross though...

http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_di...t_id=1002034298 Jay-Z Chats With Fans About Music, Def Jam February 16, 2006, 3:45 PM ET Clover Hope, N.Y. Def Jam president Jay-Z took time out of his busy schedule to address fan inquiries about a variety of subjects during a live chat yesterday (Feb. 15) on the Roc-A-Fella Web site. As previously reported, Jay-Z officially welcomed one-time rival Nas to the Def Jam roster in January, two months after the pair ended their longtime feud. Though he didn't offer up specific details on Nas' new offering, Jay-Z remarked, "We start working on his album soon." As for the status of his rumored album in the works, the artist-turned-label head simply stated, "I don't know this time about doing a new album, although I'm itching to do one. We'll see." Explaining the genesis of the Roots signing to Def Jam Left, he related, "I've always had a friendship with Ahmir . We've done a lot of work -- 'Unplugged,' different concerts. I just felt that he was the one to lead that whole Def Jam movement. He led the movement that was considered to be neo-soul. I hate that word but you know what I mean." The Roots' label debut, "Game Theory," is due in September. Jay-Z also addressed a litany of other topics, including: New Def Jam signings: "We just signed Rick Ross and Slip-n-Slide ." Foxy Brown: "She just had an operation out in L.A. and hopefully within the next couple of weeks her hearing will slowly start to come back." The death of Slum Village rapper/producer Jay Dee: "I didn't know him personally. I was a fan of his work from afar. I was talking to Ahmir from the Roots the other day about him and he told me he was the producers' producers' producer and they had made a song dedicated to him before he passed and we're gonna put that out in honor of him." The status of Beanie Sigel: "We're working out a situation where Beans can do his own label but right now he's still signed to Roc-A-Fella." Ne-Yo: "We're excited about Ne-Yo. We're about to have the number one single in the country with 'So Sick' and could possibly have the number one album when it comes out." Memphis Bleek: "Bleek is doing a clothing line and possible movie." Rumors that rapper Freeway may align with G-Unit: "Him and 50 spoke and talked about doing some work together but he is on Roc-A-Fella." Cam'ron's "dis" record: "I think it's obvious he is just doing this for attention. I think he's killing himself so I don't feel a need to do anything at this time." Movies: "I had a couple meetings about doing a whole Roc Films division that went great." The status of his autobiography, "The Black Book": "I'm having anxiety about reading it so at this time I can't put it out." FULL INTERVIEW HERE: http://www.rocafella.com/News.aspx?item=101360§ionid=137

"Beats, Rhymes & Life": Hip-Hoppers Remember J Dilla Wednesday - February 15, 2006 by Jesse Gissen On Friday (February 10), hip-hop tragically lost another one of its greatest talents with the passing of J Dilla, a highly respected producer known for injecting soul into his music and for crafting some of hip-hop's greatest songs. Also known as Jay Dee (born James Dewitt Yancey), the Detroit native passed away after a battle with Lupus. Besides creating signature soundscapes for artists like A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Common, and his own group Slum Village, among others, Dilla was also a rapper. He has amassed legions of dedicated fans including platinum-selling beatmakers The Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and Kanye West, with whom he worked with on Common's grammy-nominated album Be. "Some days I felt like I wasn't even in the same league with the guy," 9th Wonder, Little Brother's producer who has also worked with Jay-Z and Destiny's Child, told SOHH. "His work ethic, persistence and genius work says it all. I felt like he, along with Pete Rock and DJ Premier, was looking over my shoulder every record I listened to, and every beat I made... Funny thing is, although we were and will always be connected somehow, I never even had the pleasure to meet or talk to him." Ghostface Killah, who recently worked with Dilla on his upcoming album, Fishscale, was also touched by his passing. "I respect his work period... Another good brother is lost in hip-hop." Last night (February 14), Conscious, founder of freehiphopnow.com held a tribute to J Dilla in NYC. Fans showed up at all hours of Valentine's night to pay tribute to the man while rotating DJs showcased his work. "Plainly put, most people would consider the man a beatmaker, but nah he was a little bit more than that, actually he was a musician," Conscious told SOHH. "I think he made music until it killed him." DJ Polarity, a fan who was also at the event added, "There was actual heart involved in what Dilla did, whether it was Slum Village, De La [soul], or whoever you know throughout the years he always had something that was a cut above the rest. It was real tragic that he passed away nonetheless he's gonna live on through his music... I'm gonna keep remembering him for what he did for the craft, and also what he did for the people, giving them a new sound. Dilla will be remembered by millions." Judging from last night's event and the other tributes thrown throughout the world, Detroit soulchild J Dilla is destined to live on. Conscious says he even plans on throwing an annual tribute on Dilla's birth date (February 7). "He gave me a real, real nice one," Ghost said. Word... That sums it up best. James Dewitt Yancey (1974-2006) R.I.P

Yeah this has about the same amount of guest appearances as his "G.O.A.T." album but this one has much less mainstream hip-hop artists than that one, so this album'll have a much smoother vibe, it might be harder to get hip-hop fans into the album though if they don't like r&b, like there should be more balance between hip-hop and r&b collabs, he shoulda put Queen Latifah on the album instead of Teiarra Mari... This album looks like an updated version of "Phenomenon", where there's only like 2 street jams on it, I guess he really ain't trying to be competitive now... btw, I saw this video on Rap City I think it looks a lot like Beyonce's video "Check On It", there's a lot of energy....

well it's speculated that busta was standing right there by the bodyguard, who took a bullet for busta, i mean if my friend sacrified his life for me i'd wanna tell somebody what happened, wouldnt u do the same?

Damn every track on the album has a guest appearance, btw didn't Ryan Toby used to be down with A Touch Of Jazz?... http://billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_di...t_id=1001996786 LL Cool J Reveals 'Todd Smith' On New Album LL Cool J February 14, 2006, 4:45 PM ET Clover Hope, N.Y. March 21 has been set as the release date for LL Cool J's 12th Def Jam album, "Todd Smith." His first self-titled affair features guest appearances by Mary J. Blige, 112, Ginuwine, Freeway and Juelz Santana, with production by Timbaland, Pharrell, Scott Storch and Trackmasters, among others. A video for Jermaine Dupri-produced lead single "Control Myself," featuring Jennifer Lopez, was recently shot in New York and Atlanta by director Hype Williams. A spring tour is also in the works. "Todd Smith" -- taken from the rapper's given name, James Todd Smith -- will be the follow-up to 2004's "The Definition," which peaked at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 747,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. LL Cool J discussed the new album during a recent interview for a Billboard Stars special feature that will appear in the March 11 issue of the magazine (on sale March 3). "All I can really do is what I do and what comes natural, what I love," he said when asked if, as a veteran artist, he consciously tried to appeal to a younger audience. "If you pay attention to that, then hopefully someone should be able to relate to it. Whatever project I'm involved with, I try to make it positive and fun and as cool. I just make it to my taste, in other words, and go from there." And with more than 20 years of rap seniority under his belt, the artist said the difficulty comes in innovating and reinventing each time around. "The challenge always becomes trying to do the best work you can, trying to make the best music you can, trying to do something that's really exciting -- and at the same time not repeating yourself," LL said. "So it becomes more and more of a challenge for me. I don't take it for granted. That's why I like to work with a lot of talented people." Having already tackled film and television, LL is also venturing into fashion with the launch of two new signature collections. He premiered his high-end line Todd Smith and the active wear line TS last week during Olympus Fashion Week in New York. Here is the "Todd Smith" track list: "It's LL and Santana," featuring Juelz Santana "Control Myself," featuring Jennifer Lopez and Jermaine Dupri "Favorite Flavor," featuring Mary J. Blige "Freeze," featuring Lyfe Jennings "Best Dress," featuring Pharrell "Preserve the Sexy," featuring Teairra Mari "What You Want," featuring Freeway "I've Changed," featuring Ryan Toby "Ooh Wee," featuring Ginuwine "Down The Aisle," featuring 112 "We're Gonna Make It," featuring Mary Mary "So Sick" (Ne-Yo Remix featuring LL Cool J)

Busta Rhymes Scolded for Silence in Slay By TOM HAYS Associated Press Writer NEW YORK - The police commissioner berated rapper Busta Rhymes on Wednesday, accusing him of withholding information about the slaying of his bodyguard at a hip-hop video shoot. At a news conference at New York Police Department headquarters, Commissioner Raymond Kelly complained that the silence of several potential witnesses has stymied the investigation of the Brooklyn killing last week of Israel Ramirez. He saved his harshest remarks for the rapper. Ramirez "worked for him," Kelly said. "I'd think he'd be knocking on the door. ... If your employee's murdered in front of you, you think you might want to talk to the police." If the witnesses keep stonewalling, they could be forced to answer questions before a grand jury, Kelly said. "I find it quite disturbing," the commissioner said. "This individual was shot in front of a lot of people." The rapper's publicist, Greg Miller, declined to comment. Rhymes attended a wake last week at a Manhattan funeral home for the 29-year-old Ramirez, who grew up in Harlem and left behind a wife and three young children The rapper has not spoken publicly about the fatal shooting. But in a written statement, he said Ramirez "was not only security for me, but he was a friend, one of the rare friends that you come across that you can trust with your life." Ramirez was gunned down on Feb. 5 outside a star-studded gathering at a warehouse where a music video was being taped to accompany a remix of Rhymes' latest hit single, "Touch It." Along with Rhymes, Missy Elliot, Mary J. Blige, DMX and G-Unit members, including Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, were among those in attendance. Police say the shooting may have stemmed from an argument between Yayo and a producer that began inside and spilled onto the street. They believe Ramirez, who was unarmed, was a bystander who may have intervened only to protect Rhymes. Investigators were seeking a court order to obtain any video recorded inside the warehouse, believing it might help identify a suspect.

I found an article on DMC's album, there's gonna be other guests on it too : DMC Hoping 67-Year-Old White Guys Dig His New Record 02.13.2006 6:00 AM EST Run-DMC icon about to drop classic-rock-inspired album in March. Darryl "DMC" McDaniels Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images "My Le Coq Sportif" is not an easy rap to write. "I have been trying," laughed DMC, who recently abandoned his signature Adidas shoes, immortalized in Run-DMC's 1986 classic "My Adidas," for a Le Coq Sportif look. "People are saying, "I want the 67-year-old white guy from the boondocks in Wisconsin to hear my record and go, 'I'll listen to that.' " — DMC 'They probably paid DMC a lot of money to take those Adidas off,' but I found them, they didn't find me," the rapper promised. D's change in shoes — and entire wardrobe for that matter ("I don't wear the glasses now, I wear contacts") — is all part of a reinvention that began some 10 years ago, when the man who dubbed himself "The King of Rock" discovered classic-rock music. "I liked the instruments, I liked what they talk about on the records," he said. "It's information. It's universal. It could relate to life." With his group temporarily disbanded, DMC was stuck in a creative and emotional slump and even felt suicidal, until he suddenly found a new reason to pick up a microphone. "As opposed to just doin' a record where I'm talkin' about how good I am and I'm the king of this ... I'm just going to talk about what I go through in life, what's happenin' overseas, what's happenin' in the schools," he said. "I was at a point where I was asking myself, 'How does a b-boy grow up into a b-man?' I can't rhyme about what I did when I was 18. And I heard a lot of rap cats, they always say, 'Yo, when I get 35, I don't know if I'm gonna be rappin'.' And that was devastating when I heard it, because does Bruce Springsteen stop playing the guitar 'cause he's 50?" Without knowing what he would do with them, DMC started writing songs that were intensely personal or political. "It was fun, it was adventurous, it was something new, and I was free to be Darryl as opposed to DMC," he said. Eventually, he started collaborating on tracks by peers like Kid Rock, DJ Lethal, Buckcherry singer Josh Todd, Korn bassist Fieldy, Doug E. Fresh, and Aerosmith's Joey Kramer and Tom Hamilton (see "DMC Hits Rock Bottom, Climbs Back With Help of Limp Bizkit's DJ Lethal"). Along the way, D also decided to write an autobiography, which ultimately led to the catalyst of his reinvention. "I wanted to start the book, 'Yo, what's up? I'm DMC, you know me, Darryl McDaniels of the groundbreaking rap group Run-DMC. I was born May 31st, 1964,' but that's all I knew, so I called my moms up," the rapper recalled. His mom gave him some shocking information: He was adopted. "At first, I was gonna get really sad about it," D recalled. "But then I said, 'If my [birth] mother never gave me up, my mother would have never came and got me, I would have never moved to Hollis, I would have never met Joe, we would have never formed Run-DMC and none of this rap sh-- would have jumped off. 'I'm gonna write a record that's gonna help kids in the foster homes, or that are lookin' to adopt a kid.' " For the track, called "Just Like Me," DMC sampled Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" and recruited his favorite artist of all time to sing the chorus: Sarah McLachlan. "I tell people now that my first 25 years in this game were tremendous, but my next 25 will [be even better]," D said. " 'Cause right now I'm like a little kid, everything is new to me. My identity is new to me. This music is new to me." It's taken him nearly a decade (see "Big Plans Under DMC's Kangol Hat: Solo Career, Movie, Cartoon, Label" and "DMC Gets Real With Sarah McLachlan On Checks, Thugs, And Rock 'N' Roll"), but DMC's debut solo album, Checks, Thugs and Rock 'n' Roll, is finally being released March 14, coinciding with a VH1 documentary featuring D tracking down his birth parents. "It's a bit of time [to be] working on a record, but it doesn't seem that long," he said. "I didn't set out to do a record where the people that I made the music with, that they just do the track and you come in and do your vocals. Everybody that I worked with, we started from scratch and we composed and we arranged and created new music." D has already shot two videos, one for "Just Like Me" and another, directed by Ondi Timoner ("Dig!"), for "Machine Gun," an Iraq War commentary featuring vocals from "C.S.I." star Gary Dourdan. The album also features a tribute to Jam Master Jay called "Missin' My Friend" and collaboration with Run called "Come Together." "It's really a universal album," D said. "I want the 65-year-old — no, older than that — the 67-year-old white guy from the boondocks in Wisconsin that don't give a damn about rap to hear my record and go, 'I'll listen to that.

Well some people in this thread are saying stuff about how they expect Jay to go after Cam now that he's coming back and I was basically questioning why they think that...

I hope there's not another MIB movie, the 2nd one wasn't that impressive, that'd be a waste of time, I'd like to see Will do different roles...

I found this on SOHH.com: R.Kelly’s brother, Kerry, has created a DVD that makes some extremely volatile allegations against the R&B singer. On the DVD Kerry says that Kelz is in fact the man who appears on the infamous sex tape which features an underage girl. Kerry claims that R.Kelly was so proud of his taped escapade that he held a screening for it on his tour bus! According to Kerry, R.Kelly offered him $50,000 in cash and a record deal to lie to police officials and say that he was the man on the tape. What good is a record deal for your debut album going to do if you are sitting behind bars? During the remaining duration of the DVD Kerry makes several other explosive accusations including R.Kelly is both physically and emotionally abusive to his wife, has had more than a few relationships with underage girls, and even molested his own niece. But the ultimate bombshell is dropped when Kerry makes the statement that R.Kelly is bisexual. According to Kerry, the success for R.Kelly’s latest hit "Trapped In The Closet" can be attributed to the abundant gay relationships he has had in the past. Chicago police are reportedly pursuing Kerry to question him about the many allegations that the DVD makes.