On this date in the summer of 1988, Harlem natives Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock released their monumental single “It Takes Two” on the Profile imprint. Produced by another Harlem native, Teddy Riley, who in unison with the Hip Hop duo created what is arguably the best Hip Hop song ever recorded.
Driven by the Lyn Collins “Think” sample, It Takes Two has appeared in several television shows and movies including Love And Basketball, Iron Man 2, The Proposal and Grand Theft Auto: SanAndreas video game just to name a few.
It Takes Two became a certified platinum hit from Rob Base and EZ Rock’s debut album of the same name which dropped about a week after the single. The video, set on Harlem’s 125th Street, features appearances from the legendary DJ Red Alert and the late Biz Markie.
Salute to Rob Base and EZ Rock(RIP) for this piece of Hip Hop history!
Desiree Smith, the former girlfriend of Hip Hop icon Tupac Shakur, sat down with The Art Of Dialogue and delved into ‘Pac’s historic signing to Death Row Records while incarcerated in New York’s Clinton Correctional Facility.
Smith’s account of the signing is that Suge Knight came to see Tupac with his lawyer, David Kenner, while Ms. Smith was also visiting Pac. Smith said Kenner needed a witness to the contract, so Pac asked Smith to sign the contract as a witness.
“It was a little crazy because—and I don’t mean this literally, but I guess, once they left, he was excited, but he did make this comment where he was like, ‘I just signed my soul to the devil”, said Smith. Desriee, commonly known as Dez, said, “It was the only person that rocked with him when everybody else that he had made money with, did business with, pretty much turned they back. Jada [Pinkett Smith] tried to get some of the money, but she didn’t have all the money to get him out of there, so, it was his relief.”
According to several confirmed reports, Michael Tyler, who is better known in the rap world as Mystikal from Master P’s No Limit imprint, was arrested and charged with rape, robbery, felony strangulation, false imprisonment and other related charges.
Tyler is currently behind bars at the the Ascension Parish Jail and was booked at the Parish’s Sheriff’s Office yesterday afternoon(July 31). He will be arraigned sometime today(August 1) according to records.
In 2003, Mystikal plead guilty to a sexual battery charge and served six years in prison. He was released in 2010, but was charged with another rape and kidnapping in 2016, but the case was dismissed in 2020 Louisiana’s Caddo Parish District Attorney refused to indict Tyler and dismissed the charges. Mystikal’s alibi was that the woman was there with her boyfriend and later claimed she was raped instead of admitting to being unfaithful.
“We never want to be a part of any process that has an innocent person tied up in the criminal justice process,” explained Britney Green from Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office. “I just want to say that there is a distinction between not guilty and innocent, and that also because the case is dismissed or a case is resolved in a fashion other than at trial, that it doesn’t necessarily mean that an incident did not happen.”
Legendary actor De’Aundre Bonds was recently hired by music executive and producer Irv Gotti, for his new film, “Tales Presents: We Made It In America.” The two have linked up in Georgia for work. It was back in April of last year, when NY rapper 50 Cent and De’Aundre got into a social media bicker. 50 Cent stated “Every now and then I get a hater,” “note to self, never give this n!66a a job Fuck outta here.” Irv decided to not listen to 50 and give De’Aundre a chance.
Gotti’s new film,” We Made It In America” was produced and funded by himself. The film is to be released in January of 2023. Gotti’s team started working on the project earlier this week. Besides the new film, De’Aundre is getting himself prepared for Snowfall’s 6th season in which he will return to the screen as Skully. De’Aundre is also gathering up for his highly anticipated autobiography and cannabis line, Stacey OG, which is set to release later this year.
Twenty-seven years ago today, one of the greatest conceptual albums in the history of Hip Hop was released. Raekwon The Chef released his debut album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, guest-starring his right-hand man, Ghostface Killah aka Tony Starks.
Released on the Loud/RCA imprint and produced exclusively by The Abbott himself, Only Built For Cuban Linx was available on cassette, which was manufactured and distributed in a violet casing, thus, spawning its nickname. The album’s influence was tremendous on other landmark LPs of that era including Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt and Nas’ It Was Written, with heavy mafia references, the introduction of Cristal to the hood, and constant usage of the 5% Nation’s language of Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabets in the lyrical content. The album also introduced the other WTC members via their aliases i.e. RZA is Bobby Steele, Ghost as “Tony Starks”, Deck is “Rollie Fingers”, Meth is, of course, “Johnny Blaze”, Masta Killa as “Noodles”, the Genius as “Maximillian” the Chef as “Lou Diamonds” and all together known as the “Wu-Gambinos”, which is the 16th track on the journey.
The Four and a Half Mic Classic’s(writer Nicholas Poluhoff) storyline plays out as a film, using many samples of John Woo’s Killer as an interlude between several tracks. The album contained several classic singles that had lives of their own in others spaces. The platinum-selling album yielded legendary hits such as the radio/female friendly “Ice Cream”, the inspirational “Glaciers Of Ice”, the genre sparking “Criminology”, which gave birth to many “Shark N****s”, which was an ode to biters and commanding them to “be original”. Ghost even shot a dart at the late B.I.G., accusing the slain legend of biting Nas’ pre-adolescent album cover concept. The album concludes with a positive build from the late Popa Wu aka Freedum Allah, which reminisces about the past life of a young, crime Raekwon who evolved into the multi-faceted individual seen today, which ironically is called “North Star(Jewels)”.
This platinum-selling time capsule is a must-have for all real Hip Hop fans, aficionados, critics, and historians. Salute to the entire Wu, especially Rae, Starks, and the RZA for this gem. We will forever be in debt to you guys for the “Purple Tape”.
Mikey Polo has unveiled a new music video for his single, “Emo Note+++.” The song appears on his most recent album, EMO or DIE 2. The video was directed by Yellow Tapez and found Mikey Polo transitioning between scenes of him standing between flames, rapping the lyrics to the song in the hall of a storage facility. The emo trap talent keeps the moody aura flowing through the dark clothes, red room, and the addition of bats and flames throughout the video. The addition of crosses and the slow-motion effects emphasizes the theme.
Mikey Polo released his new project EMO or DIE 2 in mid-July. The lead single, “Emo Note,” features Canadian rapper Pressa. Other features include rappers Ka$hdami and Slimesito. This album shows Mikey tapping into his signature “cloud trap rap” sound. He is embracing his roots, the punk rock aesthetic and sound. Mikey says he is neither demonic nor gothic, but he loves the “dark” aesthetic.
The emotionally charged sound Mikey Polo creates is uniquely positioned between alternative music and hip hop. His music influences include Lil Wayne, Bone Thugs, and Gucci Mane. He stands out with his curative process, and, by default, stylistically, the outcome is a subgenre of its own known as emo trap. He produces beats and works well with other producers to develop an original body of work.
Delivering the kind of Atlanta anthem that moves the whole culture, multiplatinum GRAMMY® Award-nominated superstars Quavo and Takeoff unleash a blockbuster new single and music video entitled “Us Vs Them” featuring Gucci Mane—available today via Quality Control Music Group/Motown Records.
The track pairs a skittering trap bounce with unforgettable sirens. It sets the stage for Quavo and Takeoff to lock into an unbreakable and unbeatable lyrical volley highlighted by hilarious observations such as “Came from nothing, now my Lambo look like dolphin fins.” It all builds towards the victorious chant, “Fuck that other shit, I’m going for the win.” Meanwhile, Atlanta hip-hop legend Gucci Mane pulls up with a powerhouse verse of his own. The accompanying visual alternates between scenes in a parking garage and on a basketball court as fireworks rain from the ceiling, popping off with uncontainable energy.
It arrives on the heels of “Hotel Lobby.” The latter has already generated 22.8 million YouTube views on the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas-inspired music video and 39.6 million Spotify streams and counting. Earning critical acclaim right out of the gate, Billboard proclaimed, “‘Hotel Lobby’ impresses with a natural camaraderie that the members demonstrated on their early mixtapes, as Takeoff handles the denser flow and Quavo gleefully punctuating every fifth word with another ad-lib.” Not to mention, the duo performed it as part of A COLORS SHOW, posting up 1.3 million Spotify streams and 3.3 million YouTube views on the video as the first in a series celebrating Black Music Month created in collaboration with Motown Records.
However, this is just the beginning for Quavo and Takeoff…
Recently released footage from Miami Beach detectives shows DaBaby being questioned by authorities about the shooting at Miami swank spot Prime 112 in Miami.
In the footage, DaBaby’s statements seem to contradict the testimony given by his bodyguard during his interrogation by Miami Police. After being red his Miranda Rights, DaBaby tells the story about how the shooting happened and how he fired the shots. As of now, DaBaby has not been charged with a crime.
On this day in Hip Hop history, we celebrate a quarter-century of one of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s most popular pieces of work, The Art of War. As a follow-up to the group’s most successful album E. 1999 Eternal, The Art of War did everything but disappoint. The album kept the group’s momentum up, claiming the top spot on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts. This album even capitalized on the double LP trend of the 90s in a way that was cohesive and unsaturated.
Originally rumored to be titled DNA Level C or “Cleveland” spelled backward, this album took its current title and became a declaration of war against rappers whom Bone Thugs believed to be imitators of the style they created. Some of the groups and artists targeted were Three 6 Mafia, Twista, Crucial Conflict, and Tommy Wright III. Through this project, Bone Thugs looked to cement themselves as the only soulful east coast gangsta rappers in the industry.
Commercially this album was a great success, selling 349,000 copies in its first week on shelves and going on to be certified quadruple platinum only one year after its release. The album’s two singles were also big hits with “If I Could Teach the World” reaching #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and “Look Into My Eyes” peak at #4 on the same chart.
Master P and the No Limit Soldiers reunite to celebrate twenty-five years of history with the “No Limit Reunion Tour” and will include performances by special guest Trick Daddy.
When Master P started No Limit Records, he had no idea it would become a historic hip-hop label that has sold over 100 million records to date. The tour brings together key artists who recorded for his classic hip-hop label founded in 1994 in New Orleans, such as Mystikal, Silkk the Shocker, Fiend, and Mia X, among others.
With shows selling out across the US, fans can expect to relive to all the original No Limit hits, such as “No Limit Soliders” and “Make ’Em Say Uhh!”
“We are bringing the fans all the hits from the No Limit catalog. This is a blessing that we’re still friends and still able to get onstage together. Twenty-five years later, we couldn’t do it without them.” – Master P
Twenty-five years later, the No Limit Soldiers are bringing the ‘90s to the 21st Century.
The No Limit Reunion Tour is hitting the FLA Live Arena on Friday, September 16th. General public sale begin today, June 10th at 10 AM Local Time at the arena box office and through Ticketmaster.com.
