bigted

that's nice to know that the kids like him for something, i'd be happier though if he was their favorite rapper...

Well he's trying to be cocky like his heroes 50 and Kanye are....

Wait I thought Jay said he was gonna ignore Cam? I thought Jay was staying away from beef now he wants to beef again?

WHY DIDN’T BET COVER KING’S FUNERAL LIVE? By: . EURWeb Feb. 12, 2006 Network says, “We chose to offer a different kind of experience for BET viewers.” Folks looking to watch live coverage of Coretta Scott King’s funeral Tuesday had several choices across the television dial – but not the obvious one. While TV One and the Black Family Channel covered the service live, along with cable channels CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel, BET ran its usual music video programs during the noon to 3 p.m. block, opting instead to stream live footage of the funeral on its Web site. “Was it an easy call? Absolutely not,” BET's senior vice president for corporate communications Michael Lewellen tells the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We weighed a number of different options. In the end, we chose to offer a different kind of experience for BET viewers.” During its music video block, BET ran 60-second taped packages from the funeral by BET senior correspondent Andre Showell, while a 30-minute taped tribute to the late civil rights proponent was aired later that night. Lewellen told Inquirer’s Gail Shister that BET’s decision to forgo live coverage was based on a desire not to replicate live coverage of the funeral being carried on other networks. Lewellen said: “If BET erred, we erred on the side of giving viewers a different choice. …We wanted people to have access to this wherever they were - at work, at home, traveling, at school. The online experience would give them that.” According to the Inquirer, BET had access to the funeral’s live pool feed through CBS Newspath, the network's 24/7 affiliate news service. BET and CBS are both properties under Viacom. In September, BET was criticized for its lack of Hurricane Katrina coverage during the days immediately following the storm, when the issue of race had become a major story. Weeks later, BET hosted a telethon to raise money for the hurricane victims – a fundraiser cited by Lewellen as part of the network’s solid reputation of supporting its audience. “This is the same network that preempted more than three hours in prime time in September and raised more than $12 million for Hurricane Katrina victims,” he said. “We use BET's brand and strength to reach our viewers in different ways."

:bat: :hmm: :paperbag:

Ne-Yo: Mr. Nice Guy By Ashlene Nand The slew of new R&B artists that are hitting the airwaves is no coincidence. The record labels have picked up the change in urban music consumers, and the teen market is ready to embrace something other than Hip-Hop. Chances are that when Def Jam recording artist Ne-Yo dropped his first single “Stay” in Fall 2005, you weren’t too sure what category to put him in. Was this another label attempt to create a star, or did Ne-Yo really have a rare musical talent to offer us? If anything will convince you of this it will be Ne-Yo’s second single “So Sick”. The makings of an R&B classic, the song has already been critically acclaimed on all sides of the globe. But let’s not paint any sort of pretty picture here. Despite having a hit song firmly placed on single charts, Ne-Yo is known more for his writing ability (he wrote “Let Me Love You” for Mario) than his solo album In My Own Words. With the industry buzzing, and everyone from Remy Ma to Beyonce enlisting him for his musical talents, why is the public taking so long to get to know Ne-Yo? Do nice guys always finish last? Upon his return from Japan, we went one-on-one with Ne-Yo to talk about the new single, his bubbling career and those rumors about being in the studio with Jay-Z. AHHA: Where do all these love songs come from? Ne-Yo: Ideas for love songs come from everywhere. I’ve gotten inspiration from the back of a cereal box. AHHA: Are any of them based on real life experience? Ne-Yo: “So Sick” is a true story. It was the first girl I ever said ‘I love you’ to and really meant it, you know. I had just turned 18, and for whatever reason I actually let my friends convince me to cheat on her. To prove a point to them, I cheated on her. I have a conscience so I confessed to the cheating - and she left me. That was the most pain I had felt in my 18 years of living. It was horrible. Writing this song was actually very therapeutic for me. AHHA: Did you ever speak to her again? Ne-Yo: No. I haven’t spoken to her since the day we split up. AHHA: Does she know the song is about her? Ne-Yo: Absolutely. She knows the song is about her. I put a lot of very specific details in the lyrics like July 15th and the answering machine- that’s all real stuff. AHHA: Do you have a remix planned? Ne-Yo: We got one coming real soon. I don’t know how much I should talk about it. But we definitely have one coming. As far as unofficial remixes, there are a million of those floating around… AHHA: Come on now, we want to know about the official one. Ne-Yo: The official…mmm…I might have to make you sweat a little on that one! AHHA: Why didn’t you sign to J Records considering your deal with Columbia had soured and you had written a number one song [“Let Me Love You”] for them? Ne-Yo: At the time I didn’t want to be an artist. Columbia shelved my project for a year and half because they couldn’t get their urban division together. It was so bad that I went over asked if I could be released from my contract, and of course they didn’t want to do that. It was dragged out and they finally let me go - but they kept my whole album. I had done a full album over there and they kept it. After that I figured God didn’t want me to be an artist, so any conversations we had with J Records were just about writing for other people. AHHA: You were signed to Def Jam by Tina Davis, who is now over at Jive and managing Chris Brown. When she left were you nervous about your situation at Def Jam? Ne-Yo: Yes. The way I got the deal was I performed for Tina Davis. She was so impressed that she put me in front of LA Reid that same day. After Tina left they were skeptical on whether they wanted to keep me so I actually had to perform again for LA Reid, Jay Z, and a bunch of their people so they could figure out if they wanted to keep me at all. AHHA: Do you still speak to Tina Davis? And do you see her artist Chris Brown as competition? Ne-Yo: I do keep up with Tina Davis. Chris Brown and I are actually good friends. That question seems to be coming up a lot lately: ‘Do I have any rivals in the business? How do I feel about other R&B cats in the game?’ As far as I know there is no animosity between any of us - I don’t have beef with anybody. The analogy that I give to everybody is- let’s say I’m a boxer. Chris Brown is boxer. Trey Songz is a boxer. Bobby Valentino is a boxer. Now, outside of the ring everybody is cool, we’re all friends, we’re all good. But everyone knows in the back of there can only be one heavyweight champion of the world. So that means even though we’re all cool, at one point you may have to go up against a friend. It’s just friendly competition. AHHA: You’re on Heather Headley’s album and Remy Ma’s album. The industry is buzzing about you right now, but it seems as if the public is taking its time. Would you agree? Ne-Yo: Yes, I would agree. I haven’t done a whole lot of TV, that’s one thing. I haven’t been on 106 & Park yet. This industry is small. Remy Ma was recording in the same studio as me. I went and said hello and we got cool real fast. Her people asked me if I mind doing a joint on Remy’s album. I was like ‘Yeah sure!’ Heather is signed to J Records and so is Mario. So when we went over there they already knew what I could do. AHHA: You’re extremely versatile. Would you do any other genres? Ne-Yo: Oh sure! What people don’t understand about me is that I have a very multi-faceted personality. I’m the same cat that can do a joint with Ghostface Killah and then turn around and do a song with Coldplay. That’s who I am, because it’s all music. AHHA: Besides Coldplay, who would you want to work with that you haven’t already yet? Ne-Yo: I would do a joint with Marilyn Manson if you let me. For real, I could do it. These are facets of my personality that the world is not ready for yet. The world is not ready for the Ne-Yo / Marilyn Manson collaboration, so we’re going to wait on that. This first album is very traditional R&B, its thick-rich melodies and harmonies. But as time goes on and people get to know me a little better, you’ll see other parts of personality come out. I guarantee it. AHHA: You’re dabbling in acting too right now. Tell us about it. Ne-Yo: Yes, in Save The Last Dance 2. It’s coming out later this year. I play Mick, and he’s the club owner. It’s a small part. I got the chance to see a rough draft of my scene, and it’s actually pretty good. AHHA: Did you have to audition? Ne-Yo: The crazy thing is the meetings that I was having with the director and producer were for the soundtrack of the film, because I’m going to be doing a good majority, if not all of, the entire soundtrack. So I got a call from the director and he wanted to meet me. I walk into the room thinking we were going to have another conversation about the soundtrack and they throw a camera in my face and say read this. I was like, ‘What the hell?’ [Laughs] And I guess I did pretty well because I got the part. AHHA: I read somewhere that you were in the studio with Jay-Z? Ne-Yo: No. When did I say that? It’s people putting words in my mouth. AHHA: Are you in studio with Beyonce? Ne-Yo: Beyonce and I have done about two songs together, because her main focus is movies right now. So as soon she gets a minute to breathe and focus, I’m going to help her with her new project. AHHA: In another interview you had an email address that your fans could get in touch with you. If that was real, why would you give out your email address? Ne-Yo: Oh man that was another situation. I didn’t do that. The way it happened was the girl that was interviewing me was kind of cute and she asked me, ‘How can I get in contact with you, off the record?’ So I gave her my phone number and my email address. And then I read the interview and it said, ‘If my fans want to reach me they can email me at…’ I gave it to her off the record and she put it in the interview! Now I get 25 random emails a day! But I might keep it because it is a direct link to my fans. AHHA: What is the romantic thing that you’ve done or had done for you on Valentines Day? Ne-Yo: Last year on Valentines Day the mother of my son told me that she wasn’t going to be around. So I had mentally prepared myself for her not being in town. She is not my girlfriend; she’s like my best friend. She’s one of the people I know for a fact that’s not kicking it with me because I’m Ne-Yo. She doesn’t care about none of that. She surprised me! I came home and she had a little picnic type situation on the floor of the living room with candles and everything. It was just so dope because I had already thought she wasn’t going to be there. She had chocolate strawberries and all of that.

Well I wasn't really quite sure if you had to be on a friend list or not to post there, I thought it was just like a forum where you could post, I was just trying to help out that's all, I don't use myspace.com so I didn't know that, my bad... :paperbag: Anyways Q-Tip and Common are planning to do a memorial conert in his honor: Funeral Services For Producer J Dilla To Take Place In Los Angeles By Nolan Strong Date: 2/12/2006 7:00 pm Funeral services for Detroit rapper/producer J Dilla, who died Friday (Feb. 10) of complications from lupus, will take place this week in Los Angeles. He was 32. A viewing for J Dilla, born James Yancey, will be held Monday (Feb. 13) at the Forest Lawn Mortuary, followed by a funeral Tuesday (Feb. 14) in the Recessional Hall. A memorial concert is also being planned. Sources told AllHipHop.com that rappers Q-Tip and Common are among the concert organizers, though the venue has yet to be determined. J Dilla, also known as "Jay Dee," was a founding member of the rap trio Slum Village. He left the group in 2003 to pursue a solo career and has since produced songs for Common, Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, The Roots, De La Soul, The Pharcyde and others. In 2004, J Dilla revealed that he had kidney problems and in 2005, the rapper spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital fighting the disease, which causes the immune system to attack the body's own tissue and organs, including the brain, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys, skin and other vital organs. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, approximately 1.5 million Americans have a form of the disease, which affects men and women of all ages. Lupus is two to three times more common among African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans. In the most severe lupus cases, the immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissue. The immune system then creates antibodies to protect against its "self." Before his death, J Dilla had been working on The Shining, the follow-up to his 2001 solo debut Welcome To Detroit. The album was slated to drop independently, via BBE in June. While in the hospital and in his home studio, J Dilla also crafted the recently released instrumental album, Donuts. "Jay was one of my favorite Hip-Hop producers of all time," said BBE Founder Peter Adarkwah. "His passion for music was a rare thing amongst people in the music industry. His music and presence will be sorely missed for many years to come." Detroit rapper Guilty Simpson, who worked with J Dilla on various projects, is featured on The Shining. "J Dilla was the best to do it. He influenced a whole movement in Hip-Hop," Simpson told AllHipHop.com. "There isn't a top-notch producer in the game [who] wasn't influenced by his sound. I just appreciate being able to work with him and soak up some of the knowledge he gave me. He will never be forgotten." Submit News!

Well if anyone here was down with Jay Dilla like that then it'd be appropriate to post there...

Damn Public Enemy never sleeps, this'll be their 2nd album in 4 months since "New Whirl Odor" came out just 3 months ago, if you don't have that yet you should pick it up, it's a solid album...Anyway I'm so happy to hear that this is coming out 3 days after my birthday, plus a Paris compilation featuring songs from all those dope artists the same day as well and then I'll be looking forward to the LL Cool J album 2 weeks later... :mygod: http://www.guerrillafunk.com/newsletter_2_9_2006.html Fresh out of the gate is the brand new studio album by Public Enemy and Paris entitled Rebirth Of A Nation, in stores March 7. It features production by Paris and guest appearances by dead prez, Kam, MC Ren, Immortal Technique and The Conscious Daughters. For free sample MP3 downloads, please visit here. Also in stores March 7 is Paris Presents: Hard TruthSoldiers, Volume 1. Started as a response to the current apolitical climate in commercial music, the first installment of the Hard Truth Soldiers compilation series features Paris' production, and showcases contributions from Public Enemy, The Coup, Dead Prez, Paris, T-KASH, Kam, The Conscious Daughters, MC Ren, Sun Rise Above, and The S.T.O.P. Movement (Mobb Deep, Tray Deee, Soopafly, KRS-One, Defari, Daz, J-Ro, RBX, Bad Azz, WC, Dilated Peoples, Mac Minister, The Alchemist, Mack 10, Evidence, Defari, Everlast, and B-Real), among others. With guest production by Fredwreck. For free sample MP3 downloads, please visit here.

Yeah those of y'all who got Myspace should send condolences to Jay Dilla on his myspace page, that one person describes exactly how I feel, I didn't know who he was for a while either until I looked at the credits on my CDs but I'd have to say that he produced a lot of my favorite stuff, he definately made a big impact on hip-hop history and will be missed: http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseact...20DA1ED83339248 The funny thing about J Dilla is that he was one of my favorite producers before I actually knew who he was. From listening to the Pharcyde to Mad Skillz to Keith Murry to A Tribe Called Quest, once I discovered who was maken some of those classic tracks I was like, "I should have known." Please don't sleep on his Rhymin either. I think that next to the rest of the members of Slum Village, he was one of the best MC's to Rhyme over his beats. He also had a great voice that not only enabled him to have an exceptional delivery but also have the ability to carry a tune well enough to have some pretty catchy hooks. I feel one of the main characteristics of true Hip Hop is having music scattered everywhere so that one would have to hunt various places to find some of the tightest music. Now yaw ni*** know that he was the master of having some sh** that you aint ever heard. I don't care how extensive your Dilla archives were, someone always had something that you haden't heard from him. Damn Im gonna miss that cat. I never met Dilla but it certainly felt like I knew him. I in particular have a very stingy ear. Dilla managed to appease whatever I needed as far as a beat was concerned. Now thats gangsta. R.I.P. Dilla Dawg. Im out.

Maybe he got Michael Jackson??!! :mygod:

:word: If I hear it's good, I'm gettin' it, if not I won't, I'm not a fan of Jay-Z so I ain't gonna be buying it right away when it comes out... Jay-Z said that he never was gonna retire full time from music though when he released "The Black Album", he said he still was gonna be on remixes and mixtapes and stuff, he just said he wasn't gonna do another album but hey how could you honestly believe that anyway, if he's gonna be involved with mixtapes and things of that nature you figure sooner or later he was gonna do another album, I never bought into the hype, he'll probably be like LL and still rhyme till he's 60 'cause he loves to do music, he got his own label so he could do it more power to him, I'm sure there are a lot of artists that're his age and older that wish they could release albums but they can't afford to do it on that level, let him do his thing...btw, I think Tim posted up the interview one time if I'm not mistaken with Will saying back in '96 that he said there was no way he'll be making music anymore 'cause all the rappers are too gangsta, he didn't see any fun element in it anymore for him to be involved in it, he said he just wanted to do films 'cause he didn't wanna be involved in the rap war, the Fugees blowing up probably changed his mind, I think if "Code Red" sold 10 million that might've changed his mind 'cause that'd changed the rap game since it'd took away from the east-west drama and Will probably would've decided to drop something in '95 and all the albums would still be JJFP released through Jive, who knows how different hip-hop would be if that "Code Red" sold 10 million... I think the reason why he don't drop every year anymore is 'cause of the way the rap game has been over the last 12 years, maybe if the rap game was more balanced like the golden era Will might've thrown movies to the side more often... 4 years between releasing any music and performing is considered a more legitimate retirement than performing 2 days ago and say you're doing a comeback album, come on now? Like I said earlier I bet there's probably more people out there who didn't know that Will released an album last year than there is thinking Jay's not doing music anymore, if he dropped a remix album last year it'd outsold "Lost and Found", lol.... I'm sure more people bought into Will being retired than Jay-Z, only those who're living under a rock would say Jay's retired, Tim said that when he created this site that he thought it was just gonna be a tribute to Will's career without anymore music coming... I think artists should not say anything they retire, they should just stop doing music and we'll get the hint, like it's been 7 years since Slick Rick dropped an album so it feels like he's retired even though he didn't say that... EDIT: If you're a Jay-Z fan you could go in the rocafella.com chatroom on February 15th at 5PMEST and ask him yourself about the album, I ain't interested but I figure I'd mention this since there's some Jay fans here: http://www.rocafella.com/News.aspx?item=101202&sectionid=83

Well didn't Will retire after "Code Red" and then sell a ****load when he came back and released "Big Willie Style"? Will did it wrong though, he shoulda said he was retiring before he dropped "Code Red" so that'd sell 10 million too... :kekeke: Jay always sells a lot though, the albums before he retired sold millions too, that wasn't even his highest selling album, retirement had nothing to do with it and if the people don't like this new album as much as "Black Album", it'll sell less than "Black Album", "Black Album" sold millions 'cause people liked it... On the other hand Eminem said he was retiring and his album sales have dropped compared to what he used to do, he used to sell 10 million with every album he dropped, I don't see anybody running out to make "Encore" sell 10 million like his other albums, you figure with him retiring before his greatest hits came out it'd break 2Pac's record for the highest selling greatest hits album in rap history and sell 10 million but it's only platinum and falling off the charts, lol, maybe he'll see nobody misses him and he won't comeback... I don't like it when people say that people only bought 2Pac's albums 'cause he died but how did TLC's sales do after Left Eye died? How much more did Boggie Down Productions sell after Scott La Rock died? How much did Rev. Run's album sell after Jam Master Jay died? How did Big Pun's catalog do after he died? I could go on and on, a lot of artists die but that doesn't mean they sell either, that's a myth too 'cause most of the time it don't work, for every 2Pac that dies sellin' a lot there's hundreds of Big Puns who don't sell much after they die, I think if Pac was alive he'd still sell a lot too but maybe after a while he wouldn't sell much either but that's what happens most of the time when artists get older anyway.... There's a lot of misconceptions in music sales, it's unpredictable, lots of people who act make albums too but that don't mean they sell like Will does....

I can't wait to see what Jazzy has for us!! :1-cool:

Yes 2Pac wasn't perfect, he was human like the rest of us, he wasn't afraid to show people his feelings, I wish that him and Biggie could've lived longer so they could've squashed their beef, there's a legit difference between "Hit 'Em Up" and "Real Slim Shady", the reason why Pac dissed the people he did in that song 'cause they all dissed him first and plus Biggie bited some of Pac's style when he came out, Pac was a hip-hop purist like KRS-ONE you could say, he doesn't like people who ain't themselves on record, he said that Biggie was really a shy guy but then he started making records about how hard he is, how many women he gets when he was getting turned away by women until after the record blew up but before that he wasn't, Pac didn't see that as real, he thinks that rappers need to be themselves on songs, then of course "Who Shot Ya?" just angered Pac the most since that came out right when he was shot... Who knows Biggie might've bit from the original Biggie Smalls too who was also tight with Pac, I bet that's the only interview that Puffy said that there was another Biggie Smalls, he'll try to keep that on a low 'cause if the world discovers the original Biggie Smalls they might see that Biggie is a fraud, we should let the man rest in peace though so I won't say no more about that... A lot of the times Pac was defending himself, but Eminem, 50 and all of them now just diss 95% of the people just as a joke to sell records by starting beef not 'cause they're defending themselves, Pac said many times that he was just defending himself, he never wanted to diss anybody but basically most East Coast rappers were dissin' the West Coast at that time and Pac had to hold down for the West Coast, he did it for his rep... What did all those pop stars Em dissed on "Real Slim Shady" say about Eminem for Eminem to diss all of them? What did all those rappers that 50 mentioned on "How To Rob" say about him? Not many in the rap industry knew who 50 Cent was when he made "How To Rob", he did that song for attention and as for Eminem he was basically unknown outside of the rap world, Hova was like "Who the f*** is 50 Cent?" and that's what most rap fans were saying so they looked into him and then he got famous, it was a marketing scheme more than anything, 50 even admitted that too, the record company wanted him to do that since he wasn't getting any buzz before that... Nobody in the pop world knew who Eminem was until he dissed all them pop stars, so he dissed him and then there you go he goes from selling 3 million to selling 10 million, all of us talking about the negativity actually makes hip-hop look bad, if we stop buying the gimmicks maybe they'll learn to be better artists... Jimmy Iovine told Eminem to release something more controversial than "My Name Is..." and he did it and it worked, some bought into "My Name Is..." but they really bought into "Real Slim Shady"... These artists today just do beef to sell records 95% of the time, Pac dissed people 'cause they disrespected him one way or another, that's the difference.... Even LL Cool J dissed Pac's homies Ice-T and MC Hammer on "I Shot Ya" and most importantly Pac thought that LL meant that he shot 2Pac since that was released right around the time he got shot so that's why he dissed "The G.O.A.T." LL Cool J, that was the one time that LL was trying to start beef, but after Pac and Biggie died he stopped doing that, he only defending Canibus dissin' him but on the most part has stayed away from beef, he was caught up in the East-West drama for a while himself at that time, Will stopped recording at that time 'cause he didn't want any part of it... A lot of rappers need to learn what happened between Pac and Biggie and realise that beef is not good, if they stayed alive and put their differences to the side we wouldn't see so many immature beefs like today, hip-hop took a huge setback when they got murdered before squashing the beef, now if they became friends before they died I think that would've been great for hip-hop, life's too short to be beefing so much, rappers should've woke up after this but they didn't, that's why the rap game has been set back more than evolving as an artform, artists stay isolated instead of coming together... The sad thing is that a lot of these rappers imitate the negative part of Pac that sold a lot of records rather than the other part of him that was about expressing what's truely in his heart and releasing those songs as well, Pac was more than a thug, most of these rappers out now are nothing more than thugs, that's a difference, that's why Pac's image is tainted 'cause he represented hip-hop and if the state of hip-hop looks bad that's not good for his legacy, he was much more than just somebody who disses people, these fools are ruining his legacy, having G-Unit and D12 on a 2Pac song is something that'd never happen in reality 'cause Pac didn't work with artists who's intent is just to sell records by making songs that have no heart, he'd work with MC Hammer and Will Smith before them, he wouldn't jump on trends just to sell records, he wouldn't work with the overconceited Kanye West either like most of these rappers are running to do now just so they could sell more, he's more real than that... He left Dr. Dre when Dr. Dre was a big name producer, he was planning to leave Death Row when it was the biggest rap label in the world, he said he was ready to slow down on that thug image too 'cause he felt bad about all those beefs but he died before that happened, you see it was hard for him to bite his tongue when somebody dissed him but I think as he gotten older I think he would've learned to do that, he was out to show the world something like that but his time was cut short and nobody has set that example it seems, hopefully Nas and Jay-Z coming together could finally be something positive in hip-hop to talk about... These rappers just do trends to sell records, Pac wouldn't feel it, he probably wouldn't be that popular either sadly 'cause once the East-West beef ended less would buy his records 'cause a lot of people jumped on the bandwagon 'cause they love beef, Pac didn't love beef though, that's the biggest misconception most people that're ignorant of him as a person would have, some people probably just talk about the "Hit 'Em Up" side but there's much more to him than that, a lot of ignorant people don't learn that though, I could understand why AJ might get so emotional if you say that 50 Cent is hip-hop like 2Pac 'cause you see that 50 Cent makes 2Pac look bad, if he really respects 2Pac, he'll progress as an artist and learn to stop dissin' so many people just to sell records, that's not what being a real hip-hop artist is about...

Damn he really put in a lot of work, he'll be missed: JAY DEE / J DILLA DISCOGRAPHY (incomplete) Artist Titles (As Producer and/or MC): 1st Down - No Place To Go 12" single 1993 1st Down - A Day Wit The Homiez 12" Single 1995 (Pay Day Records) Slum Village - Fan-Tas-Tic 12" single 1996 Slum Village - Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) CD/LP 1996 (Donut Boy Recordings) 1997 (Sudden Impact) Slum Village - We Be Down 12" single 1997 (Sudden Impact) Jay Dee - Jay Dee Unreleased (Remixes) 12" EP 1997 (House Shoes Records) Slum Village - Somethin' For The People, All I Do (Remix) from "All I Do" 12" single 1997 (WB) Slum Village - Fantastic Vol. 2 CD/LP 2000 (Goodvibe) 2002 (Capitol) J-88 - Look Of Love (Remix) 12" single 1999 (Groove Attack) J-88 - Best Kept Secret 12" EP 2000 (Groove Attack) Jay Dee - **** The Police/Move, feat. Frank N Dank 12" single 2001 (Up Above) Jay Dee feat. Frank-N-Dank - Pause 12" single 2001 (BBE) Jay Dee - Welcome 2 Detroit CD/LP 2001 (BBE) 1st Down - A Day Wit The Homiez CD 2002 (RonnieCash.com) Jay Dee - Instrumental Series Vol 1 12" EP 2002 (Bling47.com) Jay Dee feat. Frank N Dank - Take Dem Clothes Off/Off Ya Chest 12" single 2002 (ABB) Jaylib - The Message from Stones Throw Summer 2002 12" EP (Stones Throw) Jay Dee -Instrumental Series Vol.2: Vintage 2003 CD/LP (Bling47.com) Jay Dee - Ruff Draft 12" EP 2003 (Mummy/Groove Attack) Jaylib - The Red/The Official 12" single 2003 (Stones Throw) Jaylib - Champion Sound/Strip Club 12" single 2003 (Stones Throw) Jaylib - Champion Sound CD/LP 2003, and Champion Sound Instrumentals LP 2004 (Stones Throw) Jaylib - Raw Addict/Ice 12" single 2003 (Stones Throw) Jaylib - McNasty Filth/Pillz 12"/CD single 2004 (Stones Throw) Jaylib - Blaze Up, The Mission (Remix) from Stones Throw 101 Mix CD 2004 (Stones Throw) Jaylib - Pop**** from Stones Throw 100 12" EP 2004 (Stones Throw) J Dilla - Welcome 2 Detroit Instrumentals CD/LP 2005 (BBE) J Dilla - Donuts: The EP 12" EP 2005 (Promotional) J Dilla - Donuts CD/LP 2006 MC only: Tami Hert - If You Were Mine (Detroit Demolition Mix) from "If You Were Mine" 12" single 1997 (550 Music) v/a - Fight Club, feat. Dilla, Nottz & Boogie from "Best Kept Secret Mix" CD 2003 (Bling47.com) Dabrye - Game Over 12" single 2004 (Ghostly International) Wale Oyejide - There's A War Going On 12" single 2004 (Shaman Work) Wale Oyejide - There's A War Going On from "One Day, Everything Changed" CD/LP 2004 (Shaman Work) Slum Village - Reunion from "Detroit Deli" CD/LP 2004 (Barak/Capitol) Pete Rock - Niggaz Know from "Soul Survivor II" CD/LP 2004 (Rapster /BBE) v/a - Do Your Thang, Stupid from "BR Gunna Presents Dirty District Vol. 2" CD 2004 (Barak) Phat Kat - Door from "The Undeniable LP" (New Version) CD/LP 2004 (Barak) Lawless Element - Love (feat. Jay Dilla) 2005 Platinum Pied Pipers - Act Like You Know feat J Dilla 12" single 2005 (Ubiquity) Platinum Pied Pipers - Shotgun, Act Like You Know from Triple P CD/LP 2005 (Ubiquity) Sa-Ra - Thrilla feat. J Dilla 12" single 2005 (Sound in Color) Diamond - We Gangstas from Diamond Mine CD 2005 Platinum Pied Pipers - Shotgun (Remix) from 12" single 2005 (Ubiquity) Production Credits (by year): 1994-1995 Da Enna C - NOW from "Throw Ya Hands In Da Air" 12" single 1994 (Up Top) Little Indian - One Little Indian 12" single 1995 (Premeditated) Poe - Fingertips from "Hello" CD/LP 1995 (WEA / Atlantic) 1996 5-Elementz - Whutchawant, Feed Back, Rockshows, Party Groove, Janet Jacme, E.G.O., Don't Stop, Searchin from "The Album Time Forgot" cassette 1996 (That Was Entertainment) A Tribe Called Quest - 1nce Again, Get A Hold, Keeping It Moving, Stressed Out, Word Play from "Beat, Rhymes, & Life" CD/LP 1996 (Jive Records) Busta Rhymes - Keep It Movin', Still Shinin' from "The Coming" CD/LP 1996 (Elektra) Busta Rhymes - Woo-Hah!! (Jay-Dee Bounce Remix), Woo-Hah!! (Jay-Dee Other **** Remix) 12" single 1996 (Elektra) Busta Rhymes - It's a Party (Ummah Remix), Ill Vibe (Ummah Remix) 12" single 1996 (Elektra) De La Soul - Stakes Is High from "Stakes Is High" CD/LP 1996 (Tommy Boy) De La Soul - Stakes Is High (Remix) from Itzsoweezee 12" single 1996 (Tommy Boy) Mad Skillz - It's Going Down, The Jam from "From Where???" 1996 (Big Beat) Kieth Murray - The Rhyme (Remix), Dangerous Ground from "Enigma" 1996 (Jive) Natives Of Da Underground - Pack Da Hous/Brotha's Juss Don't Know/Whatcha Gonna Do? 12" single 1996 (ALR) Phife Dawg - Game Day from "NFL Jams" 1996 (Castle) Proof - Da Science from "Detroit Hip Hop Volume 1" 1996 Modern Tribe Proof - Vibe Session from "Anywhere" 12" single 1996 (Hip Hop Shop) Tha Pharcyde - Runnin', Bull****, Splatittorium, Somethin' That Means Somethin', Drop, Y? from "Labcabincalifornia" CD/LP 1996 (Delicious Vinyl) 1997 5-Elementz - Sun Flower from "Yester Years" 12" EP 1997 (That Was Entertainment) A Tribe Called Quest - Get A Hold, Mardi Gras At Midnight from "Jam" EP 1997 (Jive Records) Brand New Heavies - Sometimes (Ummah Remix) from "Sometimes" 12" single 1997 (Delicious Vinyl) Busta Rhymes - So Hardcore from "When Disaster Strikes" CD/LP 1997 (Elektra) Crustation - Purple (ATCQ Edit) 12" single 1997 (Zomba) Janet Jackson - Got Til It's Gone (Ummah Jay Dee Revenge Mix) 12" single 1997 (Virgin) T Da Pimp - Why You Lookin Hard?/We Knowwe Rockit 12" single 1997 (Penmp) Tha Pharcyde - She Said (Remix) 12" single 1997 (Delicious Vinyl) Tha Pharcyde - Runnin (Remix), Y? (Remix) from "Drop" 12" single 1997 (Delicious Vinyl) Truz - True Dawgs/Routes To Hell 12" single 1997 (Ad Fam) 1998 A Tribe Called Quest - 4 Moms, Against The World, Busta's Lament, Da Booty, Find A Way, His Name Is Mutty Ranks, Start It Up, Steppin' It Up from "The Love Movement" CD/LP 1998 (Jive Records) A Tribe Called Quest - That **** from "Funkmaster Flex Vol. 3" 1998 (Loud Records) Bizarre - Butterfly from Attack of the Wierdos 12" EP 1998 (Federation) Mood - Secrets Of The Sand (Remix) from "Snake Backs" 12" single 1998 (Blunt) N'Dea Davenport - Bull****tin (Remix) from "N'Dea Davenport" CD/LP 1998 (V2) 1999 5 Ela - You Ain't Fresh, Ain't No Love from 5-E Pt. 3 1999 (That Was Entertainment) Brand New Heavies - Saturday Night (Jay Dee Remix) from "Saturday Night" 12" single 1999 (Delicious Vinyl) Heavy D - Listen from "Heavy" CD/LP 1999 (Universal) Macy Gray - I Try (Remix) 12" single 1999 (Epic) Nine Yards - Always Find A Way (Remix) 12" single 1999 (Virgin) Phat Kat - Dedication To The Suckers 12" single 1999 (House Shoes Recordings) Phife Dawg - Bend Ova/Thought U Wuz Nic 12" single 1999 (Groove Attack) Que D - Underestimated, Supa ****, Kilo, Cash Flow, Michelle, Rock Box, Don't Stop from "Quite Delicious" cassette 1999 and "Que D Limited Edition" CD 2003 (Royal Flyness) Q-Tip - 11 tracks from "Amplified" CD/LP 1999 (Arista) The Roots - Dynamite from Things Fall Apart CD/LP 1999 (MCA) The Roots - New Year's @ Jay Dee's from "You Got Me" CD single 1999 (MCA) Zooco - Butterfly from "Glow-Mellow-Flow" CD/LP 1999? (Columbia Japan) 2000 Black Star - Little Brother from "The Hurricane (Soundtrack)" CD/LP 2000 (MCA) Brand New Heavies - Sometimes (Remix), Saturday Night (Remix) from "Trunk Funk Classics" CD/LP 2000 (Delicious Vinyl) Busta Rhymes - Enjoy Da Ride, Live It Up, Show Me What You Got from "Anarchy" CD/LP 2000 (Elektra) Common - 10 tracks from "Like Water For Chocolate" CD/LP 2000 (MCA) Common - The Light (Remix) from "Bamboozled (Soundtrack)" 2000 (Motown) D'Angelo - various tracks from Voodoo CD/LP 2000 (Virgin) De La Soul - Thru Ya City from "Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump" CD/LP 2000 (Tommy Boy) Erykah Badu - Cleva, My Life, Didn't Cha Know, Kiss Me On My Neck from "Mama's Gun CD/LP 2000 (Motown) Frank N Dank - Me & My Man/Love (A Thing Of The Past) 12" single 2000 (McNasty) Frank N Dank - Everybody Get Up/Give It Up Pt. 2 12" single 2000 (McNasty) Guru feat. Bilal - Certified from "Guru's Jazzmatazz Street Soul" CD/LP 2000 (Virgin) Innerzone Orchestra - People Make The World Go Round (J-88 Mix) - 12" single 2000 (Planet E) Phife Dawg - Bend Ova, 4 Horseman from "Ventilation: Da LP" CD/LP 2000 (Groove Attack) Phife Dawg - Ya Heard Me from "Definition of Ill Compilation" 2000 bootleg Royce Da 5'9" - Let's Grow from "Lyricist Lounge Volume 2" CD/LP 2000 (Rawkus) Spacek - Eve (Remix) 12" single 2000 (Blue) 2001 Bahamadia- One-4-Teen (Remix) from "Summer Sampler" CD 2001 (Goodvibe) Bilal - Reminisce from "1st Born Second LP" CD/LP 2001 (Interscope) Busta Rhymes - Genesis, Make It Hurt from "Genesis" CD/LP 2001 (Elektra) Chino XL - Don't Say A Word from "I Told You So" CD/LP 2001 (Metro Records) De La Soul - Peer Pressure (Intro & Outro Monologues by Jay Dee) from AOI: Bionix CD/LP 2001 (Tommy Boy) Lucy Pearl - Without You (Remix) 12" single 2001 (Pookie/Virgin) Mos Def - Can U C The Pride In The Panther? (Remix) 12" Single 2001 (Interscope) Que D - In Yo Face from "Still Bangin" 12" single 2001 (Up Above) and "Que D Limited Edition" CD 2003 (Royal Flyness) Toshi Kubota - Nothin But Your Love (Remix) 12" single 2001 (Epic) 2002 Big Tone - Party Crasher (mixed by Jay Dee) from Party Crasher 12" Antidote 2002 Busta Rhymes - It Ain't Safe No More, What Up, Turn Me Up Some from "It Ain't Safe No More..." CD/LP 2002 (Elektra) Common - various production & instrumental credits from "Electric Circus" CD/LP 2002 (MCA) DJ Jazzy Jeff - Are You Ready (with Slum Village) from "The Magnificent" 12" EP 2002 (BBE) Frank N Dank - Push 12" EP 2002 (Mummy / Groove Attack) Phat Kat - Dedication To The Suckers, Don't Nobody Care About Us, Microphone Master, Big Booties, World Premier from "Dedication To The Suckers" LP/CD 2002 (RonnieCash.com) Slum Village - Hoes, Let's, One from "Trinity" CD/LP 2002 (Capitol) Talib Kweli - Where Do We Go, Stand To The Side from "Quality" CD/LP 2002 (Rawkus) 2003 ASD (Afrob & Samy Deluxe) - Komm Schon from "Wer Hatte Das Gedacht?" CD/LP 2003 (Eimsbush) ASD (Afrob & Samy Deluxe) - Wenn Ihr Fuhlt... from "Hey Du" 12" EP 2003 (Eimsbush) Common - Come Close "Remix" (Closer) 12" single 2003 (MCA) De La Soul - Much More/Shoomp 12" single 2003 (AOI) Fourtet - As Serious As Your Life (Remix) 12" single 2003 Domino Frank N Dank - 48 Hours CD 2003 (Bootleg) Vivian Green - Fanatic (Remix) 12" Single 2003 (Sony) Phat Kat - Dedication 2004, Destiny, Big Booties from "The Undeniable LP: Detroit Edition" CD/LP 2003 Barak Records Que D - Supa **** 12" single 2003 (Royal Flyness) Royce Da 5'9" - Life Goes On from "Build & Destroy: Lost Sessions Part 1" 2003 (Trouble Records) Subtitle - Mark Luv Mixtape Song from "Greatest Hi$$" CD 2003 (Marks03 Recordings) T-Love - When You're Older, Who Smoked Sunshine, Chiquita, Long Way Back from "The Long Way Back" 2003 (Pickininny) 2004 5 Ela - Scenario 2004 from "The EP" 2004 (5 Elements) Amp Fiddler - You Play Me, Waltz Of A Ghetto Fly from "Waltz Of A Ghetto Fly" CD/LP 2004 (Genuine/PIAS) Amp Fiddler - I Believe In You (Jaylib Mix) CD/12" single 2004 (Genuine/PIAS) Brother Jack McDuff - Oblighetto (J Dilla Remix) from "Blue Note Revisted" CD/LP 2004 (Blue Note) De La Soul - Verbal Clap, Much More from "Grind Date" CD/LP (Sanctuary) DJ Cam - Love Junkee (Remix) 12" single 2003 (Inflamable) and "Liquid Hip Hop CD/LP 2004 (Inflamable) Elzhi - Days and Nights, Concrete Eyes, Love It Here, and Look At My Friends from "Witness My Growth" Mix CD 2004 (Libido Speedo) Frank-N-Dank - Let's Go, Okay, MCA from "Xtended Play" CD/LP 2004 (Needillworks) Lawless Element - The Shining 12" single 2004 (RMR/Fat Beats) Oh No - Move from The Disrupt CD/LP 2004, and The Disrupt Instrumentals LP 2005 (Stones Throw) Proof of D12 - Bring It 2 Me from "I Miss The Hip Hop Shop" CD/LP 2004 (Iron Fist) Prozack - Leisure Rules from "Death, Taxes, and Prozack" CD 2004 (Outofwork Records) Slum Village - Do You from "Detroit Deli" CD/LP 2004 (Barak/Capitol) 2005 Common - Love is..., It's Your World (Part 1 & 2) from "Be" CD/LP and "Be Instrumentals" LP 2005 (GOOD Music/Geffen) Common - The Movement from "NBA 2K6 - The Tracks" CD/LP 2005 (Decon) Dwele - Keep On from "Some Kinda" CD/LP 2005 (Virgin) Dwight Trible & The Life Force Trio - Antiquity from "Love Is The Answer" CD/LP 2005 (Ninja Tune) MED - Push feat. J Dilla 12" single 2005 (Stones Throw) MED - Push, So Real from "Push Comes To Shove" CD/LP 2005 (Stones Throw) Moka Only - One Time from "The Desired Effect" CD/LP 2005 (Nettwerk) Oh No - Move Part 2 feat. J Dilla & Roc C 12" single 2005 (Stones Throw) Slum Village - Who Are We from "Prequel To A Classic" CD 2005 (Barak Records) Spacek - Dollar 12" single 2005 (Sound in Color) Spacek - Dollar from "Space Shift" CD/LP 2005 (Sound in Color)

Here's Def Jam release schedule, no signs of Redman on there, The Roots are supposed to drop an album too this year, probably Jay-Z'll drop at the end of the year, maybe it might turn out to be a collab album with Nas, who knows, lol, Ne-Yo In My Own Words Feb 28, 2006 The Isley Brothers Baby Makin' Music Mar 7, 2006 LL Cool J Todd Smith Mar 21, 2006 Ghostface Fishscale Mar 28, 2006 Rihanna A Girl Like Me Apr 11, 2006 btw Jay stopped making albums but you'd have to be under a rock to think that he was completely retired 'cause he's on remixes from hit songs on the radio and he performed at the Grammies when he hasn't dropped an album in 3 years, I didn't even see Will at the Grammies and he released an album last year, more people probably think Will retired from rapping, Jay's remixes got better promotion than "Lost and Found", lol...

I know this is a joke to say he was retired, his last remix came out a minute ago it seems, he just won a Grammy the other day and performed there too, he didn't give us enough time for us to miss him, now we've been missing the Fugees though, that's the comeback I'm looking forward to the most... I just hope that he don't push everyone else's album back on Def Jam to release his, I'll be mad if he releases his album before Redman which has been delayed forever it seems...

You look at it, albums Pac released 10-12 years ago are better quality than 99% of anything that's came out over the last few years, his music is timeless while basically everything now is disposable a couple months after release, the thing is a lot of these rappers might get sales 'cause they mention him in their songs when they don't respect him since they don't put heart into making quality music and that's sad... The main reason why you know the conspiracy theory is fake and that he's dead 'cause if he heard that D12 and G Unit was producing and rapping on his unreleased material, he'd come running back from wherever he was hiding, lol...

2Pac thought that Jay-Z was wack when he released "Reasonable Doubt" and he thought Biggie was a big biter so imagine how he'd feel about all these rappers out now, he didn't like what Dre was doing then but what'd he think of who Dre signed? lol Not to mention all the crap on the radio like Ying Yang Twins, Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Trina, etc., who are all carbon box copy cat rappers, they wouldn't have deals when he gets done with them, he's the only one who would have the power to come back and knock all these immitators out of the game, none of these rappers alive have the balls to call all of them out but I know he would, he needs to come back from the grave and jump on a remix to "Lost and Found", those kids who watch TRL wouldn't diss Will anymore if they realised that him and Pac were tight.... I think all these wack rappers make us want him to come back alive more and more 'cause seeing Kanye and 50 being the faces of the rap game is disgusting, Pac would be pissed seeing 50 trying to act like him just 'cause he got shot many times and he'd also be pissed if he saw Kanye posing as Jesus 'cause that's what Pac did for the Makaveli cover, every move Pac did rappers bite instead of coming with their own styles, Pac didn't like artists who weren't original so he wouldn't really like too many of those that came out basically the last 10 years since his death... they'd slow down their egos quickly if Pac came back, we need Left Eye back too, female mcs with class is lacking right now...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/8330 Hip-Hop producer/MC Jay Dee, also known as J Dilla, has reported passed away earlier today (February 10) in a hospital in Los Angeles, due to liver complications. The beatmaker has been sick for an unspecified amount of time. His latest album, Donuts, was released earlier this week. Dilla, who was a founding member of Slum Village and a member of A Tribe Called Quest's production team The Ummah, is best known for producing tracks for Busta Rhymes, Common, De La Soul, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, and The Pharcyde. Dilla has more recently worked with Ghostface Killah, Kanye West on Com's critically acclaimed album Be, as well as Champion Sound with fellow quirky producer Madlib. Besides Donuts, he released another solo LP, Welcome To Detroit, in 2001, and has another album dropping later this year on Stones Throw Records. Longtime fan Pharrell of The Neptunes, has gone on record calling Dilla one of his "favorite producers of all time." Jay Dee will be sorely missed. SOHH will be sure to provide you with more information as it becomes available.

Nick Van Exel & Smoot: Family Affair By Bill "Low Key" Heinzelman You know the saying - rappers wanna be ballplayers and ballplayers wanna be rappers. NBA veteran, Nick Van Exel of the World Champion San Antonio Spurs, is yet another basketball player with Hip-Hop aspirations. However, instead of getting on the mic, Nick has decided to stay in the cut and help develop his own record company, Kwik Entertainment. With his cousin, Smoot, as the label is also looking to dispel the stereotypes associated with ballplayers and Hip-Hop. In an exclusive interview with AllHipHop.com, Nick and Smoot are adamant that this is no gimmick. With a heavy reliance on content and conceptual material, Smoot is looking to prove his worth in this Hip-Hop game this summer with his debut album Change Gon Come. With guest appearances by Scarface, Chamillionaire, Bun B, Jadakiss and Swizz Beatz, Smoot will certainly garner the attention he feels he deserves. But can an NBA superstar really overcome the odds and build up a legitimate Hip-Hop label? Nick and Smoot are here to tell you why they feel they will be the first to do so. AllHipHop.com: What is your first memory of Hip-Hop growing up? Nick Van Exel: My first memory? Man! The thing I can really recall is when the movies started coming out, like Beat Street and Breakin'. I think that is what took it to another level, as far as nation wide is concerned. But I was always listening to Afrika Bambaataa coming up. Smoot: I would say the same thing, when those two movies came out - that was my first big memory of Hip-Hop. I actually used to break dance, so that movie was big for me. But I used to look up to 2pac a lot - ever since his first album 2pacalypse Now. AllHipHop.com: A lot of people have that one tape or album they listened to constantly growing up - did you have that one album? Smoot: Definitely All Eyez On Me. Nick Van Exel: My favorite rap album of all time is Snoop's Doggystyle. AllHipHop.com: Nick, when did you know you wanted to start your own record label? Nick Van Exel: I really don't know. I always thought about it, but my cousin Smoot really got involved in the game around '97 and '98. He started taking his craft more serious then, but at that time I was still a fan and I wasn't trying to get involved. But eventually Smoot came to me wanted to start a label and I was like, 'Man, I ain't really trying to do it.' But eventually I said, 'F**k it. If he wants to do it, then I'll back him.' So I started to get involved around '98 or '99. I then started taking it more serious around '01 and '02 because his skills started to get a lot better and he was evolving as a rapper. My first love is basketball, but I'm a big fan of Hip-Hop so it was only right. AllHipHop.com: I know you want to touch base on the lawsuit you currently have going on with two individuals, Wilson Ebiye and Leonard Chukwemeke, you used to work with. Can you tell us about that situation? Nick Van Exel: Basically, there was four of us in the beginning when Smoot came to me first with the idea of a label. The other two dudes, they really didn't have any money and they weren't rappers. I really wasn't too involved in the label at the time because I was busy playing basketball. So those two guys came at me with the idea of splitting the company four ways, so I was like, 'Cool.' But as the years went on, I saw we weren't making that much progress and every time something needed to be done or paid for it was always coming out of my pocket. So I was like, 'Hold on, if these dudes are the owners, then they have to come with something to the table as well.' Smoot was the MC, and I was bringing the money - so these dudes should have been coming with something. I gave them an opportunity to be apart of what we are doing but they didn't want to take a smaller percentage. And I didn't understand that because they weren't doing **** in the first place. AllHipHop.com: How did you originally meet these two individuals? Smoot: I actually met them. They came to me in L.A. when we were at Mack 10's album release party. They approached me about doing a concert called Hip-Hop Unity Fest. Out of that concert, we formed this documentary called Hip-Hop Story. After that, then one thing lead to another. AllHipHop.com: And with the money you gave these guys for the label, they bought cars instead - correct? Smoot: Yeah, they bought cars and other things. AllHipHop.com: Nick, what do you see in your cousin Smoot as an artist that makes you believe in him? Nick Van Exel: I like his style, delivery and he has a lot of love for the music. When you listen to a lot of his songs you realize its not just about the same things. He has a song called "I Choose Hip-Hop" where he talks about all the songs and artists he listened to growing up. A lot of people nowadays don't give a tribute to the artists of the past and I think its important for the new artists to do that. He also talks about a lot of meaningful issues and isn't just focusing on the money, cars and woman. AllHipHop.com: Yeah, I noticed that with the song "Change Gon Come," that you were focusing on making conceptual material. Smoot: That's right. But my first single off the album is going to be "Grain Gripper," which features Slim Thug, Chamillionaire and Killer Kyleon. It’s a Houston based sound but it’s a club banger. AllHipHop.com: I know you guys spoke on wanting to dispel the stereotype of another ball player with a label. So how do you guys plan on marketing yourself or proving to people that this is legit? Do you think the music will speak for itself or do you feel you have to go the extra mile on top of that? Smoot: I think that the music and my presence is going to speak for itself. I won't need Nick to sit there and talk to me and make other people believe in me. The music will speak for itself and I will make people believe myself. We made the mistake in the beginning of putting Nick in the forefront because he is a ballplayer and a celebrity - and I wish we didn't do that and just did our thing - but we are going to try and keep Nick in the background and let the music speak for itself. AllHipHop.com: Smoot, hailing from Wisconsin, not a lot of acts have broke from that state. Why do you feel the state or region has been overlooked? Smoot: Wisconsin isn't known for Hip-Hop, it’s known for cheese. It’s known for the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Bucks - ain't nobody really trippin' off Wisconsin. But there are a lot of people that love Hip-Hop in Wisconsin. I feel I can be what Nelly was for St. Louis - I can be that spokesperson for Wisconsin Hip-Hop. I'm willing to take that load on my back. AllHipHop.com: As you know, Hip-Hop is very much a political game. Its becoming harder and harder for a new record labels to get their artists airplay and whatnot. So what challenges have you guys experienced so far? Smoot: I feel my talent gets overlooked a lot of the time because they know Nick is involved, and they are too busy looking at his cash. So I just have to get out here and get people to listen to my music. And whoever I deal with in this industry, I try and sit down with them and really feel them out so I know I'm dealing with the right person. And right now, we are trying to get the right people in here. This game is really built on relationships. It’s political, but it’s built on relationships. AllHipHop.com: Do you think the key for you right now is to cement your home base and gain a strong following, which will then allow you to further branch out? Smoot: Yeah, the key is definitely to gain a strong backing. I'm currently living in Houston, so I'm getting a lot of love here. I'm getting just as much love here, if not more than I am in Wisconsin. The key is to build that fan base, because those are the people that are going to help you take it to the next level. AllHipHop.com: Nick, once you retire, do you plan on focusing on the label more? Nick Van Exel: A little bit - I'm gonna let Smoot run it and do his own thing. I have a bunch of other stuff I'm focusing on as well, which I'm more hands on with. AllHipHop.com: How many more years do you plan on playing? Do you have an estimate in mind? Nick Van Exel: I plan on making this year my last. After that, I can go ahead and do other things. AllHipHop.com: How would you assess the Spurs performance this season so far? Nick Van Exel: I think with the way that these guys approach the season, that we have a long way to go. But if I had to rate the season right now, I would give the team a B. I think we are finally starting to gel and play better ball as of late. And as the season goes on, you want to start playing better ball. That is what we are doing now. We lost some games that we shouldn't have lost, but that happens during a long season. One of the most important things for us is to try and stay close with Detroit, because they are rolling right now. That home court advantage is very important to winning a championship in the NBA. AllHipHop.com: Some critics feel that the Spurs are just coasting now and you will turn it up when the playoffs start. But is it realistic for an NBA team to just turn it on and off like that? Nick Van Exel: Nah, that is very very unrealistic - especially, nowadays. Because there is too much parody. You can't play with a team like Detroit, Phoenix or Dallas and just turn it up when you want to. If you do that, you will be going home early. There is no such thing as playing to the level of your competition and then turning it up when you have to. In this league, you have to be ready every night and play championship type basketball every night. Because everybody wants to beat the Spurs and Pistons, so it’s a championship game for us every night. We just have to be ready. AllHipHop.com: Has it been different for you coming off the bench this year with a limited amount of minutes? Nick Van Exel: Yeah, it’s real different. [laughs] It was tough in the first month, but I'm starting to adjust a little bit more now. Usually, when I was coming off the bench in the past I was getting more minutes. But here, Tony Parker is playing All-Star basketball. I think we have a team which is deep enough, so guys like me and Robert Horry, we can rest throughout the season and be in full strength during the playoffs. AllHipHop.com: Nick, you have been mentioned in a couple rap songs over the years, so which one has been the most memorable? Nick Van Exel: The Jay-Z and Beyonce joint [“Crazy In Love”] was probably the hottest one. That was a number one hit and every time we were in the club they were playing that. AllHipHop.com: Smoot, as the artist here, any parting shots? Smoot: Be on the lookout for that Smoot album Change Gon Come - it’s gonna hurt 'em once it hits. Also be on the look out for that big NBA All-Star party on Friday, February 17. I'm gonna get down and do my thing and perform. So check me out at that, which is being hosted by Nick, Steve Francis, Sam Cassell, Catino Mobley, and Chauncy Billups.

Nuff respect for everyone that tried, when the video comes out I'll post a link so we could vote for it to get on TRL...

If you listen to "God Bless The Dead" at the end of the track Stretch says this is a dedication to my nigga Big representin' Springfield Hollis Crew, that tells you that ain't Notorious B.I.G., this Biggie Smalls was from Hollis, Queens, Notorious B.I.G. was from Brooklyn and he represented the Junior Mafia Crew, if it was meant to be for Biggie he'd said this is dedicated to Big from Brooklyn representin' Junior Mafia, every hip-hop fan should know that Notorious BIG wasn't from Springfield Hollis Queens, I figure they were talking bout a gang member named Biggie Smalls but I guess he's a rapper too, did Biggie Smalls sound like Notorious BIG in his songs, did he make any albums? Pac said a lot of times in his interviews that he knew Biggie was biting other people's styles, he used to be tight with Biggie before he was shot and he knew that Biggie was broke and he didn't get no girls, he actually asked Pac to hook him up with girls but then Biggie made "Big Poppa" about how he's the biggest mack and he got so much money, so I guess Biggie's probably as fake as 50 Cent, maybe that's why I don't like him much either, 50 does copy everyone too, you can't really say Pac copied anyone though, he had a style on his own, commercial rap fans are ignorant to put copycats like 50 and Biggie in the same sentence as Pac 'cause he was miles ahead of them, there's nobody like him and there never will be, his music'll live on longer than all of them...

LL finished at 2nd place, Jae Millz won, and Remy Ma came in 3rd, yeah at the end of the day LL's gonna sell more than them anyway, when he releases the video it'll debut on TRL probably while Remy Ma and Jae Millz won't get on MTV, they need Hot 97 more than LL so I ain't sweatin' it...