Exclusives

EXCLUSIVE: Fivio Foreign Says He Felt Pressure After Nicki Minaj’s Verse On “We Go Up”

by
JN1 0437 4e633144 1119 41b7 81e1 d990d12ee333

Fivio Foreign stepped onto the Grammys red carpet looking fresh to death, decked out in all pink and even matching pink shades. But this isn’t his first stroll down the legendary award show, the “Big Drip” rapper was nominated last year for his feature on Kanye West’s album Donda, which held its place for Album of the Year. The song “City of Gods” features himself alongside Alicia Keys, a fan favorite from the project.

This year, however, Fivio walked down the carpet nominated for yet another Grammy. This time, it’s his collaboration with Mary J. Blige on Good Morning Gorgeous, which was a contender for Album of the Year. The two worked on “On Top,” a huge moment as both hail from New York.

The Source had the pleasure of speaking with Fivio Foreign on the red carpet, asking him about his collaboration with Nicki Minaj on “We Go Up.”

How are you doing? 

I’m doing good. I’m just chillin’. I’m staying blessed. I’m happy to slip through the cracks and make it here. Word.

Check out the pink, who styled you today?

Come on man, my homegirl Jenna. She be hooking me up. I told her I don’t want to go suited and booted or nothing like that, but I still want to keep it classy. She’s like yo, do it like that.

Was this inspired by Cam’Ron / Dipset at all?

You know, I love big bro Cam’Ron. So I could say yeah.

Second Grammy nomination, how does it feel?

I got nominated last year. I’m just blessed, ain’t gon’ lie. Coming from where come from, n*ggas ain’t making it this far. So I snuck little cracks on them, I’m chillin’.

What are you going to do if you win?

Probably drink some Casamigos. [laughs]

Hip-Hop celebrates 50 years this year. What does Hip-Hop mean to you?

Shit, Hip-Hop means everything. When I was growing up and coming outside, it molded me. Taught me how to move and live, dress and feel. It almost means everything to me. 

Do you have a favorite artist right now?

Right now, I’m fucking with me. I only listen to me. Drill music!

“We Go Up” is such a banger. How was it working with Nicki Minaj on that?

I ain’t gon’ lie, I was surprised that she was gonna let me rock out like that. I was just so happy she let me rock out, shout out to Nicki.

That verse from her was crazy. Did you feel pressure? 

Hell yeah. She had sent me the beat and she had rapped the verse to me, like “Yo, da-da-da.” I’m like “yo, you went crazy!” I just finished up, did what I did and sent it back. When she put it tougher and sent me the finished product, I’m like damn! Crazy. Legend, big sis! 

The post EXCLUSIVE: Fivio Foreign Says He Felt Pressure After Nicki Minaj’s Verse On “We Go Up” appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: The Sugar Hill Gang Released Their Self Titled Debut LP 43 Years Ago

by
Screen Shot 2023 02 07 at 9.42.37 AM

This particular passage takes us on a journey all the way back to February 7, 1980, when The Sugarhill Gang, comprised of Michael “Wonder Mike” Wright, Guy “Master Gee” O’Brien, and the late Henry “Big Bank Hank” Jackson – all of whom hailing from Englewood, New Jersey – dropped their self-titled debut album, Sugarhill Gang, which is widely regarded as the very first full-length Hip Hop album to ever be released.

Distributed via Sugar Hill Records – founded by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson along with Milton Malden – and at 39:17 in length, the project featured six records, including “Rapper’s Delight.” Ranked No. 251 on Rolling Stone Magazine‘s “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list, while not exactly the first track to feature rapping – Fatback Band‘s “King Tim III (Personality Jock),” released six months prior, is actually credited for such – “Rapper’s Delight” is however typically considered to be the first song that popularized Hip Hop, and was also the first to become a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Sugar Hill Gang Released Their Self Titled Debut LP 43 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Happy Heavenly Birthday J Dilla!

by
jdilla

On this day in Hip Hop history we recognize and remember the birth of one of the most prolific producers in the game. James Yancey, better know as J Dilla, was born today [February 7] in 1974.

J Dilla was the first born of four children to a Detroit family rooted in creativity. His mother was an opera singer and his father a jazz bassist. According to his mother, Dilla could “match pitch perfect harmony” at two months old. Dilla started collecting vinyls at the young age of two and would spend a lot of his free time spinning records at the park. It can be said that J Dilla’s “career” began after he transferred high schools from Davis Aerospace Technical High School to Detroit Pershing High School. At Detroit Pershing, he met fellow members of Slum Village, T3 and Baatin. During the rest of his teenage years, Dilla spent the majority of his time alone in his basement perfecting his craft.

In 1992, J Dilla met experienced Detroit musician Amp Fiddler who let Dilla use his MPC for the first time. In 1995, J Dilla and MC Phat Kat formed the first rap group from Detroit to get signed to a major label, 1st Down. The record deal with Payday Records ended after one single when the label folded.

In 1996, Dilla officially formed Slum Village with his longtime friends T3 and Baatin and recorded their debut, Fan-Tas-Tic Volume 1. The album, released in 1997, gained a lot of support from Hip Hop fans everywhere and the attention of Q-Tip, who was quick to call the group a successor of A Tribe Called Quest.

Throughout the 90s, J Dilla was known as a huge prospect in Hip Hop. He gained the public’s attention with his singles and remixes of records by Janet Jackson, Pharcyde, De La Soul and Busta Rhymes. Although Dilla rose to stardom with these remixes, he was rarely given singular credit. Instead the production team of The Ummah, a collective including Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, and Raphael Saadiq, often received the credit.

The post Happy Heavenly Birthday J Dilla! appeared first on The Source.

Happy 56th Birthday Kid Capri!

by
kid capri 456cm061311

Today, the illustrious and world famous DJ Kid Capri celebrates his 56th birthday!

David Anthony Love Jr. aka Kid Capri has had one of the most successful careers in Hip-Hop history. As a pioneer in the mixtape game, Capri has inspired generations of rappers thus creating an imprint in the game that few can measure up to. He’s worked with an army of OG’s including KRS-1, Heavy D, and Slick Rick. He’s also worked with game-changers like Jay Z, Ghostface Killah, Styles P, and Big L. Capri was also the sole DJ on HBO’s long-running, Def Comedy Jam, which recently hosted its 25th Anniversary to which the Brooklyn-born/Bronx-raised DJ served as the honorary man on the 1s and 2s.

The new generation of Hip Hop wouldn’t be where it is without Capri blazing the trail.. The Prime Minister of mixtapes set the standard for every upcoming rapper or producer that wanted to put their music out there for the public. He was and still is one of the game’s original influencers.

The post Happy 56th Birthday Kid Capri! appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: The Source Magazine Remembers the Legacy of Big Pun 23 Years Later

by
bigpun

On this date in 2000, the Hip Hop community was both shocked and saddened by the untimely death of lyrical giant Christopher “Big Pun” Rios. As the premiere artist for Fat Joe’s Terror Squad, Pun became the first Latino Hip Hop artist to go platinum and discovered TS’ First Lady, Remy Ma.

Pun is regarded as one of the game’s best lyricists to ever do it, or as he is aptly described, one of the best “dead or alive”. His only two full-length releases, Capital Punishment and Yeeahhh Baby, are considered classic albums among true Hip Hop aficionados and continue to get radio play on his smash singles “I’m Not A Player” and the posthumous “It’s So Hard”.

Rest In Peace to Pun and sincere condolences to the Rios family from the entire Mind Squad.

#RIPBIGPUN

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Source Magazine Remembers the Legacy of Big Pun 23 Years Later appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: 50 Cent’s Debut LP ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ Turns 20 Years Old!

by
tumblr 5b872b87e637212bd075a0bb58122fd9 58f009c4 1280 1

On this date in 2003, 50 Cent released his second and most critically acclaimed album to date Get Rich Or Die Tryin on Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.

After his street-certified buzz from his Guess Who’s Back mixtape, a meeting with Eminem eventually turned into a million-dollar deal on Dr. Dre and Em’s Shady/Aftermath imprint. With the album executive produced by Dre and Fif, this project became probably the most anticipated release of any debut Hip-Hop album of the new millennium.

Debuting at the pole position on Billboard 200, GRODT sold almost 900K units its first week and is now certified 6x platinum. The commercial success of the album in terms of radio and video plays as well the movie that launched starring 50 Cent with the same title helped earn the album a Grammy nod in 2004.

Some of the album’s forerunning singles include the ever-popular “In Da Club,” “21 Questions” featuring the late Nate Dogg, and “P.I.M.P.,” which became an international hit.

Salute to 50, Dre, Em, and the entire G-Unit for this timeless piece of Hip-Hop history!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: 50 Cent’s Debut LP ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ Turns 20 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

The Source Magazine Remembers Trayvon Martin On What Would’ve Been His 28th Birthday

by
Trayvon Martin killed

Today marks what would be the 28th birthday of a young man by the name of Trayvon Martin, that not only in the United States but the rest of the world came to know because he chose to defend himself against his assailant George Zimmerman and his life was taken as a result.

George Zimmerman claimed that he saw Trayvon leaving a store and that he looked suspicious, so he decided to follow him. After following him, a physical altercation transpired between the two of them and an unarmed Trayvon took a bullet to his chest and died on the scene. Trayvon died two weeks after his 17th birthday on February 26, 2012. As for Zimmerman, he received was a jury acquittal for second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in July 2013.

Trayvon didn’t get the chance to tell his parents goodbye, attend prom, or pretty much any of the things that are enjoyed by teenagers. His parents Sabrina Fulton and Tracy Martin have to live with the burden that their child did not receive any justice for what happened to him.

Almost nine years after his untimely death, Trayvon Martin’s legacy in the fight for human and civil rights for Black people in America is everlasting. His name still stands among the victims of gun violence by rogue police officers and overzealous citizens that came after him such as Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and countless others.

Happy Birthday King! (RIP)

The post The Source Magazine Remembers Trayvon Martin On What Would’ve Been His 28th Birthday appeared first on The Source.

Today In Black History Month #BHM: Amadou Diallo Shot And Killed By NYPD 24 Years Ago

by
Screen Shot 2023 02 04 at 11.18.03 PM

24 years ago on this date, a 23 year old Guinean immigrant named Amadou Diallo was murdered by four plain clothes NYPD police officers in his hallway after they unloaded 41 shots into Diallo in front of his Bronx apartment. The haphazard officers hit Diallo with only 19 shots; less than half of what was discharged from their weapons.

All four the officers involved were cleared of any wrongdoing after a mixed jury in the Empire State’s capital city acquitted the officers. Claiming the impossibility of a fair trial in NYC, an appellate court ordered that that the trial be switched to Albany. Amadou’s family filed federal and state charges of wrongful death and civil rights violations in 2001, which resulted in a $3 million dollar settlement from the city.

Interestingly enough, the Justice Department decided that Diallo’s civil rights were not violated.

Artists such as Immortal Technique and Wyclef Jean have referenced the tragedy in their songs, which became one of the most pivotal cases in the fight against police brutality.

Deaths at the hands of law enforcement such as George Floyd, Botham Jean, Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor will always be a reminder that the challenge of injustice against Black and Brown people must be confronted.

The post Today In Black History Month #BHM: Amadou Diallo Shot And Killed By NYPD 24 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Happy 47th Birthday To The Dipset General Cam’ron!

by
Screen Shot 2023 02 04 at 7.45.47 AM

On this date in 1976, rapper, actor and entrepreneur Cameron Giles, also known as Cam’ron, was born in New York City.

Following the break up of Harlem-based group Children Of The Corn, Cam’ron and childhood friend Mason Betha embarked on solo careers, with Cam releasing his debut solo album Confessions Of Fire, while Mase put out the platinum-selling Bad Boy powered Harlem World LP.

In 2001, Cam’s career took a sharp turn for the better when he signed with Roc-A-Fella Records and released his third and best-received album Come Home With Me. Following the success of the album, Cam debuted his talents as an actor and screenwriter when he appeared in the Roc-A-Fella Films Paid In Full, Paper Soldiers, Death Of A Dynasty, and State Property 2.

Currently, Cam is working on the second installment of his Purple Haze series while still working on other solo and Dipset endeavors.

Happy Birthday to the Dipset general Cam’Ron!

The post Happy 47th Birthday To The Dipset General Cam’ron! appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Sir Mix-A-Lot Dropped ‘Mack Daddy’ LP 31 Years Ago

by
Screen Shot 2023 02 04 at 7.51.22 AM

On this day in Hip-Hop history, Sir Mix-a-Lot released his third LP, Mack Daddy. This was the Seattle-born rapper’s most successful project, housing his timeless hit single, “Baby Got Back.”

Although the shine of “Baby Got Back” gave Sir Mix-a-Lot his claim to fame, it wasn’t the strongest track on the project. As much as people want to tag Sir Mix-a-Lot a “one-hit wonder,” his ability as a rapper is one that doesn’t give much room for questioning. At the time of his popularity, there weren’t many rappers outside of New York or Los Angeles gaining any real commercial success, let alone chart placements. Sir Mix-a-Lot was able to gain stardom due to the bulk of this project.

Released under Def American Recordings with the majority of the production coming from Rick Rubin, this project hit the ground running. The first single “One Time’s Got No Case” is one containing traditional Hip-Hop subject matter: racist police and social injustice. The rest of the project, besides the hit single, of course, narrates a tale of his life in the streets of Seattle.

“Baby Got Back” is a song Sir Mix-a-Lot will be performing until the end of his career. The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release. It also saw international success claiming #8 in Australia, #3 in New Zealand, #25 in Germany, #56 in the UK, and #31 in the Netherlands. The song has also been voted the #1 “Greatest One Hit Wonder Of The 90s” by VH1.

After this album, Sir Mix-a-Lot went on to release three more studio albums. He’s also taken his talents to the small screen, being cast in reality television with guest appearances on various shows. In 2014, Nicki Minaj released the single “Anaconda” paying homage to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s famed single and sampling a section of one of his verses.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Sir Mix-A-Lot Dropped ‘Mack Daddy’ LP 31 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.