Have u ever thought about who today's role models are? Hip-hop's success brings up this question everyday. People blame the culture… gangsta rap to be more exact… every time our society has to face the fact that we ain't living in a perfect world. So are rap music, hood movies and other stuff like that responsible for our reality? No! It's an art. Art only reflects the reality. So if we say that gangsta rap reflects violence, it means that violence preceded rap. So who's the one to blame? We crowned rappers, called them our role models and now we expect them to be angels. Say what-a-a-t?!!! Are you serious? Sorry, but when I listen to all those records I hear the same little scarred boys and girls from the hood. As Mary J Blige once said, it’s really easy to hide your fears and insecurities behind fame, lavish lifestyle, and celebrity status. But what makes us think that they are in peace with themselves, that they are ready to be responsible for OUR kids, that they are ready to preach something other than GHETTO gospel? This is their reality or even our reality: single parent household, no pops around, moms works 9-5 to bring some “food”; school that ignores their problems, it doesn’t practices what it preaches…the reality where they live watching two neighbors... Let’s call them Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones. Mr. Smith is a good guy, he has a college degree, he works hard, he obeys laws, but he has no respect from the society. Why? Because of the power of C.R.E.A.M. He lives a very simple life, so he is nobody to the society. And what about Mr. Jones? He is a bad boy, he's a thug, but he lives that “American dream”, he came from “nothing” to “something”. He doesn’t have to live in the slams anymore. He “runs” the town. He is “the man”. Who those kids gonna admire after all? Let the truth be told: we live in an era of double standards. This is exactly what hip-hop tells us each and every day using them f, n, b, h-words. So who's the one to blame? I'm not saying that it’s okay, but it’s a consequence. If YOU preach one thing and practice something totally different, can YOU blame rap cuz YOUR kids lost their way? Can WE blame rap? I don't think so. Who is a role model? Well, it’s you. That's right YOU! You, me, the family next door, everyone. WE make up the society. And it’s up to US what it’s gonna be. Rappers are ghetto poets; their songs recreate the reality WE are responsible for. So maybe it’s time to stop blaming each other and to do something? Besides, all people hear is negativity, but to listen to the message and to hear the message are two different things. I’m that ghetto child and I’m proud to say that hip-hop culture saved my life. It taught me to respect myself as a woman and as a person, to put on my purity ring, to be hungry for success and self-improvement, to respect my roots, to forgive my pops (he left us when I was 8 and I haven't seen him since then), to forgive and to love my enemies, to be strong in my weakness, to be nobody but ME, to be strong enough to speak my mind, to distinguish the good from the bad, and the most important – hip-hop brought me to my Lord Jesus Christ. The list can go on and on. What I’m trying to say is that … well, Pac said it best: "If you walked by a street and you was walking on the concrete and you saw a rose growing from the concrete, even if it had messed up petals and it was a little to the side you would marvel at just seeing a rose grow through concrete. So why is it that when you see some ghetto kid grow out of the dirtiest circumstance and he can talk and he can sit across the room and make you cry, make you laugh, all you can talk about is my dirty rose, my dirty stems and how I am leaning crooked to the side, you can't even see that I've come up from out of that".

As we proceed to give you what you need… finally these words make sense again. Diddy’s “I'll be missing you” was the very first hip-hop song in my life, and that record made me fall in love with hip-hop because of its sincerity and soulfulness. And you know what? The Diddy I love is back with such a real song. I must admit that this is the second time in my life when I think that auto-tune brought a song to a deeper level (the first one was Kanye’s “808's & heartbreak”). Well, there are a lot of things people hate about Sean Combs, but when the brother is real you can’t deny him.

The video was directed by the one and only Hype Williams. His genius vision always takes you to a different reality. This time it's a purgatorial New York City, where “sin” and “virtue” fight over people's souls every day. 

R.I.P. Christopher “B.I.G.” Wallace. We miss you!

Over the years I've become famous for a lot of different things, but my dream… as a recording artist has intensified… the dream and the challenge to go… to go deeper and be deeper is something that I fight for everyday. 

He is definitely one step closer to his dream w/this song.

One thing I love about Diddy is that he is an oxymoron, so you never know what to expect from him.

“Last Train To Paris” will be in stores sometime next year.

Do you remember the days when artists could talk to you through their music and every song was a real talk? Well, those days are brought back by Novel and his latest music video “F@ck with my mind”. Today, when a lot of R&B artists are trynna be R.Kelly’s wannabes and most of hip-hop artists brag about material things, Alonzo “Novel” Stevenson follows his family traditions and delivers nothing but realness. If you are familiar with his mixtapes (Chapter One [2008], 808's And Mixtapes [2009], and Suspended Animation [2009]), you know what I'm talking about. As an artist he came to the game in 2001 w/song called “Peach”, and I must say that today's Novel definitely stepped up his game to the level of being a true gentleman and a deep thinker. The song “F@ck with my mind” is a love ballad of a man who is grown enough to make mature decisions. If you ever been in love with a wrong person, you know how important and hard it is to let go someone who doesn’t belong to you. And this song proves that both men and women go through it. No one can avoid a trip to the heartbreaking hotel. The video (directed by Rik Cordero) is as soulful, humble and touching as Novel himself. 

Novel has collaborated with well-known hip-hop artists such as Lauryn Hill and Talib Kweli and worked with other musicians including Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, India Arie and Lionel Richie; he has already established himself as a gifted rapper, singer, songwriter and producer. For more Novel visit his myspace page, official website  and of course follow him on twitter to discover another side of this artist – amazing personality.

P.S. Angela Yee did a great job.

These days everyone is trynna be a legend. I wonder why… Being legendary means that people expect a lot from you. But can a human being be legendary 24/7? I'm not sure. That D.O.A. track made me expect a lot. I really started believing that The Blueprint 3 would be a milestone in the hip-hop history. Jigga talked so much about the state of the music industry and other stuff like that, but the album didn't really meet my expectations. The strongest joints on the Blueprint 3 are “Empire State of Mind”, “Run This Town”, “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”, and  “A Star Is Born”. Controversial, uncompromising, fresh, rebellious point of view has always been an essential characteristic feature of the hip-hop movement and D.O.A. delivered it without a doubt. Have you ever asked yourself “Why was hip-hop born in NYC?”.  New York is a place that will kill you or crown you, so it's up to your stamina and the gangsta blood in your veins. Can you relax under pressure? Do you know how it is to be a soul survivor? If yes, then put you hands up, cuz “Empire State of Mind” is for you. No one can be so low key, soulful and diva at the same time; no one but Alicia Keys. She always adds something very special to every song; baby-girl killed this track. Empire state of mind  presupposes another feature of hip-hop - competitiveness. No matter how much of a king or queen you are today, it doesn't mean that tomorrow a new cat won't take your spot over. The question “Who's gonna Run This Town tonight?” is one of the strongest motivations in this game. Everyday A Star Is Born. No matter how much we respect our pioneers and veterans, new blood is exactly what keeps rap alive. Maybe right now future Rakim, 2Pac or BIG is spitting his 16 bars in the middle of the street somewhere in the Bronx or Harlem, or maybe this is future Queen Latifah or MC Lyte… I can't wait to see the day when artists earn the right to say whatever they wanna say on their records. And I don't wanna hear that this or that thang won't be commercially successful. It's HIP-HOP! We don't need radio-stations or major labels to promote a shit. If it's something real, it will create a buzz on its own: from block to block, hood to hood, worldwide. A lot of people are scared of recession, but every cloud has a silver lining… or maybe even platinum (You get my drift?). The more major labels chase paper, the more people tend to support independent artists. If I were a rapper, I would record “D.O.I. Death of the Industry”. Death is not the end…it is a new beginning. And I swear I smell this new beginning in the air. I wonder how cats like Hova, Diddy, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent, The Game, Ludacris, T.I. and others would sound if they were completely independent and free from that “industry mentality”. In the words of Coretta Scott King “Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won; you earn it and win it in every generation”. So hip-hop nation stand up! It's our time!

They say "U can make it here (NYC), u can make it anywhere"... I beg to differ. If u can make it in the ghetto, u can make it anywhere. Do u need a proof? KRS-One, Buckshot, Mary J Blige and Black Milk (the producer of the joint) have it for ya. They are the living proof that being criminal minded ain't that bad if u have God in your heart and have got your mind right. So keep on moving, keep on moving, get your hustle on... that's the way we live.

Download it here

Source: http://www.xclusiveszone.net/

"Survival skills" in stores September 15, 2009

This is one of the latest Jayceon Taylor's interviews. He speaks on Jay-Z, Michael Jackson and a lot more. It's been some time since the beef w/Jay-Z started, but I still don't get one thing: why Jay acts the way he acts. During a July 2009 interview with Tim Westwood on UK Radio, Jay-Z addressed The Game's recent diss by saying "Tell groupie to get over it". But let's go back to 1996-2002, when Hova was of Game's age. Didn't he start a beef w/Nas just bcuz Nasir "disrespected" him (when Nas refused to make a guest appearance on Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt)? I guess Game is doing just the same. This is the infamous ghetto mentality: if u don't protect your ish, other people won't (and if u are a ghetto child, u know that this is a real talk). I ain't saying that either of them is right. I support the hip-hop movement, while beefs come and go. But is there any difference between The Game 2009 and Jay-Z 1999?...

Find more videos like this on ThisizGame - NEW NETWORK FEATURES AND UPDATES COMING SOON!!!!!!

Or listen to the interview here:

Part 1

Part 2

Hate it or love it, the underdog's on top... This line is the best description of how people feel about The Game. Some people may say that he is very contradictory, but I'd rather say that he is REAL. That's right REAL! Cuz he ain't afraid 2 show his feelings, when everyone else is trynna be a superman. Whether he's mad, sad, happy or excited about something, he knows how 2 use this emotion in order 2 create a new classical joint. I know this particular song is kinda old, but I really love the video and the song.

R.I.P. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I break into a lyrical freestyle
Grab the mic, look into the crowd and see smiles
Cause they see a woman standing up on her own two
Sloppy slouching is something I won’t do
Some think that we cant flow 
Stereotypes, they got to go 
Imma mess around and flip the scene into reverse 
(with what?) with a little touch of ladies first

Do you remember these lines? It was probably the first time you heard Queen Latifah. Who knew that that nineteen year old girl would become one of the leading voices of female rap? It doesn’t matter if you are a fan of old school or new school rap, cuz you can’t deny her greatness anyway. She is one of those sisters who rep us to the fullest with all the possible grace and wisdom. What should you expect from this album? Nothing but inspiration! The lyrical content is incredible! The very first track titled “The light” is a true anthem for underdogs. I truly believe that if you haven’t tasted defeat, you can’t appreciate the taste of victory. So no matter how many times they tell you that you won’t make it, you gotsta know that you can make it to the light. Take a look at hip-hop history! All the hip-hop pioneers were crazy-ass kids with a beautiful dream. And no matter how many times critics predicted the death of this culture, it’s still alive. “Over the mountains”, through the rivers, and the valleys… you can survive, but you need to believe in yourself and to realize the lesson number one: “The World” ain’t fair. We all must understand that we all are just “People” and that is why we ain’t perfect. No matter how faithful and cool we think we are, we still hurt each others feelings sometimes. So give everything you have to your people and move on expecting nothing in return. And who knows?… Maybe they’ll surprise you one day. Another deep joint is “Long-ass week”. Haven’t you ever noticed how life passes you by while you be chasing a dollar? Good, cuz once you realize all these things and find peace within yourself, you are ready to celebrate the gift of life. That’s when you are ready to drive that “Fast car”. But how can a woman live without love? Whether it’s good or bad, love always motivates us. You can run, but you can't hide. So enjoy every lovely moment with your special somebody, and learn from every mistake. 
The majority of tracks were produced by Cool & Dre. One thing I love about them is that they always avoid clichés. On the one hand their sound is mainstream, but on the other hand, every time they sound in a different way. This is what makes them so unique. Even when they use auto-tune it doesn’t heart your ears.

We all know that Queen is a multitalented girl. That's why  this is not only a rap album. This is  the sound of a grown woman that ain't afraid to be herself.
So if you are sick and tired of all the “soundtracks to the commercials” (all that bragging with brand names), then this album is exactly what you need.

"Persona" in stores now