Redman

Today In Hip Hop History: Redman Dropped Debut ‘Whut? Thee Album’ 31 Years Ago

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On this date in 1992, Brick City, NJ’s own Reggie “Redman” Noble dropped his debut solo release Whut? Thee Album on the Def Jam imprint.

Produced primarily by the legendary EPMD’s Erick Sermon, Whut? introduced the world to Redman; the newest recruit to the supergroup The Hit Squad. The fans wanted more from what they got from the Newark native on “Hardcore” from EPMD’s ‘Business Never Personal’ album, where Redman was first heard by Erick and Parrish fans, making them Redman fans by default.

Tracks the propelled the album’s success include singles such as the visual accompanying “Time 4 Sum Aksion”, “Tonight’s TDa Night”, the weed rolling anthem “How To Roll A Blunt” and the beginning of the ever-evolving saga of “The Sooper man Lover”. This four and a half mic album was certified gold by the RIAA in less than a year and certified official by the streets upon its release.

Big shouts to Redman and Erick Sermon for making the Funk Doctor Spock’s first project a certified Hip Hop classic!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Redman Dropped Debut ‘Whut? Thee Album’ 31 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Redman Dropped Debut ‘Whut? Thee Album’ 31 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Today in Hip Hop History: EPMD Dropped Their Sophomore LP ‘Unfinished Business’ 34 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip-Hop history, New York duo EPMD released their second studio LP, Unfinished Business. Certified gold by the RIAA, this album was the critically acclaimed follow-up to the group’s debut Strictly Business.

Claiming the #1 spot on the Top R&B/Hip Hop charts, this project has proven its timelessness. EPMD’s style sets them and this album apart from what was currently popular in New York at the time. In ’89, New York Hip Hop was heavily saturated with conscious boom-bap, and the braggadocio lyricism of Erick Sermon and PMD brought something fresh to the rap game. EPMD’s rap style helped pave the way for the flashy New York rappers of the next generation, such as Jay-Z, The Diplomats, and A$AP Mob.

The single from this project, So What Cha Sayin’, peaked at #23 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart and #5 on the Top Rap chart.

The post Today in Hip Hop History: EPMD Dropped Their Sophomore LP ‘Unfinished Business’ 34 Years Ago first appeared on The Source.

The post Today in Hip Hop History: EPMD Dropped Their Sophomore LP ‘Unfinished Business’ 34 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Slick Rick Dropped His Last Album ‘The Art Of Storytelling’ 24 Years Ago

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slick rick

On this day in Hip Hop history, Slick Rick released his final studio LP, The Art of Storytelling.

Produced mainly by DJ Clark Kent and Kid Capri, this album featured guest verses from Redman, Rev Run, Outkast, Nas, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg.

Critically the album has been hailed as the only proper sequel to his breakthrough debut album, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick. Due to continuous run-ins with the law, the public could never fully experience Slick Rick as an artist. For the same reason, the world will never know what his outstanding ability and outspoken persona could have done for Hip Hop culture. What is apparent is that when the master storyteller has the time, he can pen and deliver a masterpiece.

The Art of Storytelling was Slick Rick’s most commercially successful album, peaking at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop charts. The album even went gold during its first week of sales. True to the title, the album is full of narratives that could only be crafted by the pen that scribed the famous “Children’s Story.” And although he has not strayed away from his signature rhetoric, The Art of Storytelling shows improvement and Slick Rick’s ability to stay relevant as far as his style blending with the popular sound of the time. This album is deserving of all accolades and is a proper farewell to Slick Rick as an album rapper.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Slick Rick Dropped His Last Album ‘The Art Of Storytelling’ 24 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Slick Rick, Queen Latifah, And De La Soul Top The Rock The Bells Lineup For 2023

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Rock The Bells has returned! The long-running hip-hop festival, which originally focused on legacy and underground rap acts, was basically defunct for the past ten years. However, that was until the rapper whose song the festival is named after revived the festival last year. The man born Todd Smith revealed the full lineup for the 2023 festival today with a trailer reproducing scenes from headliner Queen Latifah’s 1996 film debut Set It Off (this is a trend), showing the only thing that changed is the coast (the original Rock The Bells took place in California, and so featured more West Coast artists).

The lineup for this year’s festival (“don’t call it a comeback”) includes Big Daddy Kane, Boot Camp Clik, De La Soul, Fabolous, Ludacris, MC Lyte, MC Sha Rock, Method Man & Redman, Monie Love, Rakim, Roxanne Shanté, Salt-n-Pepa, Slick Rick, Swizz Beatz and friends, The Cold Crush Brothers, and Yo-Yo. In addition, the festival will feature a tribute to the late Sean Price by the members of Boot Camp Clik, including his widow Bernadette Price, as well as a set honoring the pioneering women of hip-hop who are often ignored.

The 2023 Rock The Bells Festival will take place on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York. You can get more information here.

Happy 53rd Birthday To Hip Hop Legend Redman!

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A very big Happy Birthday shout out goes out to Hip-Hop legend and actor Redman. The Newark, NJ bred veteran turns a half-century today and is showing no signs of slowing down; his progress of constantly going strong is evident in the Hip Hop and film world.

Redman has been able to bless his fans with an impressive album catalog over the span of three decades including Whut? Thee Album, Muddy Waters, Doc’s Da Name and Malpractice. Hits such as “Let’s Get Dirty”, “Smash Sumthin”, and his classic collabo with partner-in-crime Method Man on the Blackout album has helped his fans realize that Reggie Noble has understood the complex formula for success and longevity.

Besides crushing the rap game, Redman was able to show off his thespian abilities and an underrated comedian on the big screen as well. His cameos on successful movies such as How High, Scary Movie 3 and Backstage have opened the eyes of new fans from different demographics worldwide, proving that Hip Hop can’t always be serious and that some of the best in the game can be one of the funniest individuals in entertainment. The good folks at TheSource.com would like to wish Redman a Happy 50th Birthday and many more in the future!

The post Happy 53rd Birthday To Hip Hop Legend Redman! appeared first on The Source.

Tupac’s Alleged Killer Appeared In Redman & Released An Album

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Nearly 30 years after the tragic death of Tupac, and new details surrounding his murder continue to emerge. In recent times, more news surrounding the accused killer, Orlando Anderson, surfaced. Keefe D, Anderson’s uncle, recently sat down for an interview with Vlad TV, where he detailed his nephew’s rap career. Keefe explained they appeared in Mel-Low’s “Blaze It Up” music video with Redman together after Mel’s team reached out to them for a low-rider.

The music video helped Keefe D and Redman develop a strong relationship. Throughout the years, Redman would touch down in Compton and immediately reach out to Keefe for weed. “So yeah, [Redman] used to pull up to that little spot, he used to get off the airplane, get in his taxi, pull up to my spot, ‘Keefe D. I need that bud!’ He was ghetto. I liked him,” Keefe explained.

Orlando Anderson’s Rap Album

Two years ago, an album recorded by Anderson began surfacing online, which shocked many who only knew him as a suspect in the ‘Pac case. Keefe said that Anderson started a recording company but he explained that he was in the feds around the time that the album was recorded. “I had went to the feds so I didn’t know what was going on [with the album]. I didn’t really talk on the phone once you get in the feds ’cause, you know how they do. But once they was doing that, I went to the feds,” he said.

Though Anderson maintained his innocence until his death in 1998, Keefe D has suggested otherwise. During an interview in 2018, he claimed to be in the backseat of the car the night Tupac was shot. Though he never ID’d the killer, he claimed to be “the only one alive” who knows what happened on the night the rapper died. Former Death Row security guard Reggie Wright Jr. said that Keefe D would be arrested in connection to the murder, though that never occurred. Check out Keefe D’s interview above and press play on Mel-Low’s “Blaze It Up” video ft. Redman. Orlando Anderson appears at the 1:41 mark.

Mel-Low “Blaze It Up” Ft. Redman

Royce Da 5’9” And Redman Trade Verses For The Heaven Experience: The Lost Sessions EP

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Rapper/visionary Royce Da 5’9″ has gone on record several times stating that Redman is one of his favorite MC’s. The two rap heavy-hitters share a mutual admiration as Redman has sung Royce praises on social media while listening to the Detroit veteran. At the beginning of the clip Redman says, “Royce 5 fucking 9, n-gga. Listen to this fucking verse.” From there, he lets the song ‘Flesh’ play as he nods his head to the beat. Fast forward to now, it comes as no surprise that the two lyrical giants would trade verses on their latest track, “Royce & Reggie.”

Redman sets the tone of the song with his hard-hitting classic punchlines “women all in my DM/ Give ’em that super-dick/ Yeah, I Apollo Creed ’em.” Royce follows, showcasing his technical skills and lyrical prowess over the DJ Pain 1-produced beat.

The song is featured on Royce’s newly released The Heaven Experience: Lost Sessions EP. The six-track EP takes the listener on a rollercoaster of emotions from personal stories about his uncle to his transformation into a ‘Grown Ass Man’. Ion Wanna” feat. Courtney Bell and Traxx Sanders displays storytelling at its finest rounding out a perfectly well-rounded EP with no skips.

Always reinventing himself through new ideas, The Heaven Experience: Lost Sessions is part of a new virtual world Royce has launched in partnership with Passage, a Metaverse and NFT marketplace and blog.

The project is available across all streaming platforms through Heaven Studios Inc. in partnership with The Orchard. Fans can participate in the Metaverse-like experience by buying the Heaven Experience Pass on April 4.

“The more you achieve, the more you’ll realize how much sum’n like this means to you… I studied Redman like religion just so I could be reciprocal if I should ever one day have a chance to be,” he wrote. “I needed this to be his reaction to me because this was always my reaction to him.

“We all experience our own subjective versions of perceived success but what are the people who cheer for us, celebrating? The most visible, obvious things are the easiest to forget about over time and Legacy is everything to me.”

CLICK HERE to listen to The Heaven Experience: The Lost Sessions

The post Royce Da 5’9” And Redman Trade Verses For The Heaven Experience: The Lost Sessions EP appeared first on The Source.

Royce Da 5’9″ Drops Off His New Project “The Heaven Experience EP”

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A lot of good music emerged out of Detroit in the past few years. Michigan, as a whole, had a strong grip on the sound of rap for the better part of the 2020s. However, in the past few weeks, a few legendary Detroit artists have come through with new music. Danny Brown teamed up with JPEGMAFIA for their new project, Scaring The Hoes Vol. 1. Now, Detroit heavy-weight Royce Da 5’9” is back in the fold with a brand new EP, The Heaven Experience.

Serving as an extension of his 2020 project,  The Heaven Experience EP has been unofficially dubbed the “lost sessions. The six-track project is a strong depiction of Royce’s lyrical brilliance as he shares unreleased cuts from last year’s The Heaven Experience. Royce dropped off “Signs” earlier this week in anticipation of the EP’s release. However, he also enlists assistance from Redman, who appears on “Royce & Reggie” and Courtney Bell and Traxx Sanders for “Ion Wanna.”

Royce Da 5’9” Shares Unreleased Cuts On New EP

Last year, Royce Da 5’9″ delivered his latest body of work, The Heaven Experience Vol. 1. The 15-song body of work was filled with a star-studded cast of collaborators, such as his Bad Meets Evil partner, Eminem, who opens the project up on “Rock City.” Additionally, Pusha T, Rick Ross, Black Thought, Big K.R.I.T., and more assisted Royce on the album.

In an announcement earlier this month, Royce revealed that The Heaven Experience: The Lost Sessions will include a virtual experience. Through the Heaven Experience pass, fans can gain access to exclusive releases, interviews, and more. “I have been searching for a better way to connect with my community for a while, but existing platforms haven’t lived up to my expectations,” the rapper said in a statement. “Passage delivers on all fronts.” Check out the latest project from Royce Da 5’9″ above. 

Tracklist

1. “Signs (Freestyle)” (Produced By. S.T.R.E.E.T.R.U.N.N.E.R)
2. “Out The Barrell” (Produced By. DJ Pain One)
3. “Look At This (Uncle Joe)” (Produced By. JUSTICE League)
4. “Grown Ass Man” (Produced By. DJ Pain One)
5. “Royce & Reggie” (Produced By. DJ Pain One)
6. “Ion Wanna” feat. Courtney Bell (Produced By. DJ Pain One)

Redman Pays Homage To De La Soul

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Redman has paid homage to De La Soul. The rapper gave the group their flowers during their recent “D.A.I.S.Y. Experience” event in New York. The event celebrated Del La Soul’s music arriving on streaming services. It was attended by many names in hip-hop, such as Queen Latifah, Common, and Busta Rhymes. Consisting of tributes about the group’s cultural impact, the event also celebrated the life of Trugoy The Dove, who passed away in February.

Paying his respects to the group, Redman said: “Ay Redman in the building, shout out to De La Soul, shout out to my brother Dave Trugoy we gonna miss you my brother rest in power.” He continued: “Now if you never been to a De La Soul show you done missed out. Now there’s one part of the show that they know I love it’s the song that they did with MF Doom ‘Rock Co.Kaine Flow,’ and when they do that set I lose my fucking mind. Because Dave he be like, ‘one more time put your motherfuckin’ hands up!’ and they just freeze.”

Redman’s Tribute To De La Soul

Trugoy The Dove, also known as Dave, passed away at the age of 54 on February 12th, earlier this year. Although no cause of death was given, Dave had been having some health issues. He also revealed that he had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure a few years prior to his death. Speaking on the De La Soul Instagram account, the group’s Posdnuos wrote: “We would like to say thank you Dave for being a big brother. Thank you for being a friend, and for the wise words placed in your verses.” He added: “Thank you for the music you produced that is loved by so many and for never wanting to compromise the quality of our brand.”

Posdnuos and Maseo both also paid their respects to their late group member at the “D.A.I.S.Y. Experience” event. Maseo said: “I usually have a lot of words to say, but I’m at a loss for words, yo. My emotions are very displaced. My man is gone, but I appreciate all of y’all all these years for support.”

[Via]

Logic Channels ‘The Boondocks’ In An Animated Trailer For His New Album, ‘College Park’

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Rappers continue to be really bad at retiring. Logic, who announced his own retirement in 2020 with No Pressure, has since released two albums and two mixtapes, and recently announced his third is on the way. College Park follows 2022’s Vinyl Days and looks to continue the Maryland rapper’s tradition of packing his projects the brim with appearances from famous supporters. In this case, he dropped an Boondocks-style animated teaser to reveal the album’s title and guestlist, which includes RZA, Redman, Joey Badass, Norah Jones, and even Seth MacFarlane, creator of the long-running animated sitcom Family Guy.

When Logic first announced his retirement, he explained in a video interview, “I just wanted to retire because I’m over it man. Not even in a negative way, I’m just over it. I love music and I’m gonna continue to make music on my own. I can’t not just make music. It’s a journal for me. It’s how I express myself. It’s how I heal, but with Logic, I’m stepping away.” Of course, that retirement only lasted a few months; he quickly broke his silence in January 2021 — albeit in a roundabout way — with the mixtape Planetory Destruction, released under an alter ego, Doctor Destruction. He followed up with the YS Collection Vol. 1 compilation showcasing the roster he’d put together for his label, Visionary, then dropped the mixtape Bobby Tarantino III a few months later. Just ahead of the new year, he returned with a freestyle, asserting that for him, rap is “not a contest.” Whether that’s true or not, it seems he just can’t leave the game alone.

Watch the College Park trailer above.