On this date in Hip Hop history, Main Source, which included DJs Sir Scratch, K-Cut, and rhyming extraordinaire and production master Large Professor, dropped their debut album Breaking Atoms in 1991 on Wild Pitch Records. It was also the final album of the original trio with the two Toronto DJs and the Corona. Queens emcee.
Breaking Atoms was also the first project where then Queensbridge Projects lyrical prodigy Nasir Jones aka Nas, who appeared on the ever-classic “Live At The BBQ”. Other classic cuts from that album include the break-up story “Looking At The Front Door”, the never-ending issue of police brutality on “Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball” and the visually-driven “Just Hangin’ Out”. Originally given a four and a half mic rating, Breaking Atoms received the coveted Five Mics in The Source Magazine‘s commemorative 150th issue.
Salute to Extra P, Pete Rock, K-Cut and Sir Scratch for making this album an undisputed Hip Hop classic!
Stax Records is thrilled to share that the critically acclaimed HBO docuseriesSTAX: Soulsville, U.S.A. has been honored with two Emmy® nominations including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. This prestigious recognition highlights the series’ exceptional storytelling and its profound exploration of the cultural and musical impact of Stax Records.
Stax Records is critical to American music history as one of the most popular soul music record labels of all time. In 15 years, Stax placed more than 167 hit songs in the Top 100 on the pop charts and a staggering 243 hits in the Top 100 R&B charts. It launched the careers of legendary artists such as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Rufus & Carla Thomas and Booker T. & the M.G.’s, among numerous others.
The HBO Original four-part documentary series STAX: Soulsville, U.S.A., an official selection of the 2024 SXSWFilm & TV Festival and winner of the TV Premiere Audience Award, is directed by filmmaker Jamila Wignot. The series, a production of Laylow Pictures and White Horse Pictures in association with Concord Originals, Polygram Entertainment, and Warner Music Entertainment, debuted on May 20 on HBO and is available to stream on Max. The docuseries is produced by Jamila Wignot and Kara Elverson; executive produced by Ezra Edelman, Caroline Waterlow, Nigel Sinclair, Nicholas Ferrall, Scott Pascucci, Sophia Dilley, Michele Smith, Jody Gerson, David Blackman, Charlie Cohen, and Ron Broitman. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Tina Nguyen.
“We are proud that the docuseries has received critical acclaim and, most importantly, that the Stax artists and legacy are being recognized and respected as a cornerstone of American history,” shares Executive Producer Michele Smith, VP, Estate & Legacy Brand Management at Craft Recordings.
The Art of Hip Hop (AOHH) is thrilled to unveil a groundbreaking new exhibit, “Old School vs. New School” Hip Hop Fashion, featuring iconic designs from then and now. This exciting addition to AOHH’s exhibition will be inaugurated on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM, proudly sponsored by Lalo Tequila.
The exhibit will highlight the evolution of hip-hop fashion, juxtaposing classic styles from legendary designer Shirt King Phade with contemporary innovations from local Latina Emmy Award-winning fashion designer Lila Nikole. This permanent exhibit aims to showcase hip-hop’s profound influence on the fashion industry and celebrate its cultural impact.
The highlight of the evening will be an engaging panel discussion titled “Intersection of Hip Hop Music and Fashion.” This discussion will feature Lila Nikole and DJ Dinero, moderated by the renowned Supa Cindy. The panel will explore the dynamic relationship between hip-hop and fashion, delving into how these two cultural forces influence and inspire each other.
Additionally, Lila Nikole will unveil a limited-edition reversible bucket hat designed exclusively for AOHH. Available in two unique designs, this hat will be for sale at the event for $32, offering attendees a chance to own a piece of fashion history.
Internationally acclaimed superstar Travis Scott today announced he is bringing his CIRCUS MAXIMUS TOUR to Latin America, Australia and New Zealand this fall with stadium shows in Buenos Aires, Rio De Janeiro, Mexico City, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and more. Additionally, he will be returning to North America for a special one-night-only stadium show in East Rutherford, New Jersey at MetLife Stadium on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.
Scott is currently playing off the 2024 Europe/UK leg of his wildly successful, and record breaking CIRCUS MAXIMUS TOUR which included 44 sold out stops across North America in 2023 and early 2024, and was the highest grossing rap tour. The tour has since gone on to gross nearly $27 million with more than 270,000 attendees across the first 11 dates of the Europe/UK leg. Travis is also the first American Hip Hop artist to sell 200,000 tickets in a year across 3 shows in Italy.
TICKETS – LATAM: Tickets for the Latin America dates will be available starting with presales beginning Wednesday, July 24. General onsales begin Thursday, July 25 at travisscott.com. Presale and onsale dates and times vary by market, check local listings for more information.
TICKETS – AU/NZ: Tickets for the Australia and New Zealand dates will be available starting with presales beginning Monday, July 29. General onsales begin Friday, August 2 at travisscott.com. Presale and onsale dates and times vary by market, check local listings for more information.
TICKETS – METLIFE: Tickets for the MetLife show will be available starting with an artist presale beginning Wednesday, July 24 at 10am ET. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, July 26 at 10am ET at travisscott.com.
VIP: Fans attending the MetLife show can also purchase VIP Packages, which may include premium tickets, invitation to the pre-show lounge, merchandise item & more. VIP package contents vary based on the offer selected. For more information, visit vipnation.com.
CIRCUS MAXIMUS TOUR EUROPE/UK DATES – PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED: June 28 – Arnhem, Netherlands – GelreDome June 30 – Arnhem, Netherlands – GelreDome July 2 – Krakow, Poland – TAURON Arena July 5 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion July 6 – Nice, France – Allianz Riviera July 9 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis July 11 – London, UK – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium July 13 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live July 16 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena July 18 – Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena July 20 – Cologne, Germany – RheinEnergieSTADION July 23 – Milan, Italy – Ippodromo SNAI La Maura July 26 – Frankfurt, Germany – Deutsche Bank Park July 27 – Frankfurt, Germany – Deutsche Bank Park July 30 – Madrid, Spain – WiZink Center July 31 – Madrid, Spain – WiZink Center August 2 – Lisbon, Portugal – MEO Arena August 3 – Lisbon, Portugal – MEO Arena August 4 – Lisbon, Portugal – MEO Arena
CIRCUS MAXIMUS FALL TOUR DATES – JUST ADDED: Sept 7 – Santiago, Chile – Estadio Bicentenario La Florida * Sept 9 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Movie Star Arena * Sept 11 – São Paulo, Brazil – Allianz Parque Stadium Sept 13 – Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – Rock N Rio Sept 15 – Bogota, Colombia – Coliseo Live Sept 18 – San Juan, Puerto Rico – Coliseo de Puerto Rico Sept 21 – Mexico City, México – Esplanade Estadio Azteca * Oct 9 – East Rutherford, New Jersey – MetLife Stadium Oct 17 – Sydney, Australia – Allianz Stadium Oct 22 – Melbourne, Australia – Marvel Stadium Oct 26 – Brisbane, Australia – Suncorp Stadium Oct 31 – Auckland, New Zealand – Eden Park *Non-Live Nation Date
GRAMMY® Award-nominated Dancehall Sensation, Spice, releases her heavy hitting new track, ‘Gangster’ featuring vocals from fellow Dancehall artists, Chronic Law and Ireland Boss. The single will appear on Spice’s third studio album, ‘Mirror 25’set to release on Friday, August 9th, 2024.
‘Gangster’ is a hot track infused with rhythmic Dancehall. The single harmoniously finds two hardcore Dancehall artists exchanging lyrical love struck verses across the upbeat track. Written by Spice and Chronic Law, its lyrics focus on themes of Spice’s love and admiration for a bad boy type of man, with Chronic Law delivering powerhouse vocals musically showcasing his appreciation for her as his love interest on the track. Produced by Ireland Boss and Spice Official Entertainment, the rhythm track was recorded at Ireland Recording Studios and composed by Karon “Yow Levite” Young, and mastered by Redboom Super Mix.
“Doing a song with chronic Law is exciting for me because I have a lot male fans who felt left out of my most recent song selections,” says Spice, the Queen of Dancehall. “I’m happy to include something fi the man dem on ‘Mirror 25.’ Chronic Law is super talented and I’m a huge fan; so this is just another one for Dancehall Culture.”
‘Gangster’ serves as the third lead single from Spice’s forthcoming introspective new album, ‘Mirror 25’ debuting on August 9, 2024 through her label, Spice Official Entertainment with distribution through Empire. The album will be a raw, open diary of Spice’s tribulations and triumphs and a look into the past and future of her steady impact, all while commemorating her 25 years in the industry as an international recording artist.
The Black Mamba’s locker from the Lakers’ home court could be a piece of someone’s Kobe Bryant collection as the locker will go up for auction and is anticipated to be sold for over $1 million.
TMZ has reported thart the locker, which was set to be destroyed during renovations at the Staples Center in 2018, was saved by a maintenance worker who realized it belonged to Number 24. The worker kept it in storage for years until an memoribilia collector, who had the locker nameplate, purchased it to reunite the two pieces.
The famous locker will be auctioned off by Sotheby’s, is expected to sell up to $1.2 million and some of the final bid will go to charity.
“In keeping with Kobe Bryant’s legacy of philanthropy and community impact, a portion of the proceeds from the sale will directly benefit The Los Angeles Lakers Youth Foundation,” Sotheby’s told TMZ.
The online bidding goes live today(July 22) and ends on August 2.
It didn’t take long after President Biden announced that he was dropping out of the 2024 Presidential race that comparisons were made by Hip Hop fans to J. Cole and his dropping out of the “Big 3” battle between him, Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
Biden declined the Presidential nomination for the Democratic party in a statement on Sunday afternoon. X users shared an edited photo of Biden and Cole’s face next to one another across the platform, with one fan writing, “Biden watched what backing out of a battle did for J. Cole and said y’all go have fun.” Another tweeted, “I hate the internet, Joe Biden folded, now J Cole trending.”
Biden’s decision comes amid reports that many politicians within the Democratic party have been losing faith in his ability to properly govern in recent weeks. “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in his statement on X (formerly Twitter). “I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.”
Labeled by many as the “Top 3” of all time, Jay-Z, Biggie and Nas, as well as “The Big 3” of rthis generation, J. Cole, Drake and kendrick Lamar, were all left off of the Top 5 list of best rappers of all time n a recent episode of Family Feud.
Only Biggie and Jay made it on the list of eight rapper, which made host Steve Harvey even comment that the top 100 people surveyed for that answer were obviously not Hip Hop fans.
A TikTok user shared the footage showing a member of singer Meghan Trainor’s team answers first to reply to Harvey’s question, “Who is the greatest rapper of all time?”, who swiftly responded, “J. Cole.”
Cole’s name results in a strike, which resulted in a member of the opposing team, led by Tori Kelly, then suggests Kendrick, who was also left off the list. It wasn’t until the fourth answer was given and Kelly’s team answered Tupac, who appeared as number two on the board. Kelly’s father’s answer was B.I.,G., who appeared in the number eight slot.
JAY-Z came in as the 8th and final most popular answer, while Nas and Drake, both suggested by contestants, didn’t make the board at all. Ice Cube was also offered as an answer, but a wrong one.
“We in Rhode Island again, where we at?,” said Harvey. He later tells Tori Kelly, “You’re thinking as a Hip-Hop head. I don’t think that’s who answered these questions.”
The final list, according to those who answered Family Feud‘s poll were, in order from first to last: Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Eminem, Dr. Dre, LL Cool J, B.I.G., 50 Cent, and Jay-Z.
Old video footage has resurfaced of VP Kamala Harris and former television personality Montel Williams in 2001, when the two used to date.
The footage pre-dates Harris’ political career and shows the two attending a red carpet event together. Harris was heading the Family and Children’s Services Division of San Francisco and would win her first political position as the San Francisco DA in 2004. At the time, Williams was in the midst of the syndicated run of The Montel Williams Show, which would end in 2008.
The relationship didn’t last long, with Harris meeting her husband, attorney Doug Emhoff, through a friend in 2013, while Williams married American Airlines flight steward Tara Fowler in 2007. Williams said he had “great respect” for Harris in a tweet as she was named Joe Biden’s running mate for the 2020 election.
Harris recently announced her bid for the upcoming presidential election after President Biden unexpectedly pulled out of the race over the weekend. Although VP Harris has not publicly made a statement, it is expected that she will run in place of Biden in the November election.
Way back in 1992, a Hip Hop revolution was occurring and there were only certain critical albums that were a part of that musical metamorphosis. House Of Pain’s Fine Malt Lyrics is one of those albums released during the peak of Hip Hop’s diversified authentic artists. This album came out during the same era as the premier of emcees like B-Real & Cypress Hill, The Beatnuts, and of course, the apex of 3rd Bass.
Fine Malt Lyrics, which was produced by the legendary DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill and DJ Lethal, churned out the all-time classic smash “Jump Around”. The song is considered one of the greatest of all time, making at least ten silver screen theme music appearances and even more in football and baseball entrances.
Other dope tracks include “Put Your Head Out” featuring B-Real, House And The Rising Son” featuring Funkdoobiest, and of course, the “Jump Around remix by Pete Rock.
We salute Everlast, DJ Muggs, and DJ Lethal for this 3.5 Micer and because of you guys, we will forever lose it when we hear Jump Around!
