Definitely the busiest weekend in awhile for me (and I’ll eventually have a post dedicated to a part of the reason why.. stay tuned) so allow me 2 catch up and post some loose ends from the weekend. We’ll start with some heavy heat from the Chi, with the video premiere of the summer smash “Universal Mind Control” by Common f/ Pharrell. As is the song, the video has a very futuristic, predominantly bright white setting and makes for quite the unique watch compared 2 ur everyday video. Hopin’ for more news on Common’s album soon; can’t wait! Down below, the first 2 trax are “Swagga Like Us” RMXs featuring a bevy of Chicago artists. I like Mikkey Halsted’s verse on the “Swagga Like Chi” version the most, but our boy S-Preme steals the show with his 3rd verse in “The Super Duper Song”. Try if you can catch every Chicago rapper he gives love 2 with his clever play on all of their names. Straight up ridiculous. And finally, we got some NEW Ludacris & T-Pain and R&B f/ Sterling Simms, Avant, Christina Milian, & Casely as well as Lupe Fiasco talking 2 MTV. Enjoy!
I’d also suggest the illVibes Love Lockdown RMX called “Love Rolex” for a nice change of pace on the original. Big ups 2 illVibes for the love as well.
Finally the VIDEO PREMIERE for “Disperse” by Consequence f/ GLC & Really Doe has arrived! As said earlier, this was one of my favorite trax of ‘07 and the video really does the song justice. They illustrate the story that all 3 rappers touch on in their verses and are just havin’ fun, especially Lu and Cons throughout the vid, haha. All the while, everyone’s lookin’ pretty fly. Definitely a MUST-SEE video above so don’t sleep. The track is off of Don’t Quit Your Day Job, which is in stores now!
A bunch of trax below that u can DL, not a lot of special ones, but definitely check out a couple good hip hop trax from the Minneapolis MC Muja Messiah f/ Black Thought of The Roots, which fans of The Roots will enjoy as well as the Guru feature track where Guru spits it pretty nicely (unfortunately his verse is interrupted by a lil’ shout out, ugh!). Mainly hip hop trax below but also some R&B w/ One Chance & Donnie Klang! Enjoy!
CONTEST:
Head over 2 lupethefiasco.blogspot.com for a brand NEW contest for all the VIDEO DIRECTORS out there! Basically, direct a creative music video for a Lupe Fiasco song and you could WIN an autographed copy of Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool as well as have ur video featured on Lupe Fiasco’s OFFICIAL Blog! CLICK HERE for the FULL details!
Consequence Behind The Scenes @ The “Disperse” Video
If you have the time, definitely take a great inside look (moreso than the previous videos) of the making of the video “Disperse” - one of my favorite hip hop trax of 2007 by Consequence f/ GLC & Really Doe! Lupe & Cons dancin’ in the beginning is great, Kanye makes a cameo as well, and GLC chillin’ w/ one of the many fine ladies at the end (also showed in yesterday’s update). The video will finally premiere on Monday so check back here for that! Down below, some interesting, solid trax 2 be had with the return of Whitney Houston, collaborating w/ Akon on a song that will likely hit the radio. Whitney is definitely trying 2 comeback and appeal to the younger mainstream audience as she already has Timbaland & Danja on board for her upcoming album, currently slated for November. Peep the rest of the trax below & enjoy!
So here’s a lil somethin’ different up above - instead of a feature track, check out a sweet mixtape sent over from our friends at HIP HOP UPDATE - a themed mixtape called The Sole Of Hip Hop, where they compiled some of the best trax about fresh kicks! As somewhat of a shoehead myself, and certainly Max G. is up on his shoe game, we are fans of how the sneaker culture influences hip hop and vice versa. This mixtape is a nice reminder of how the two cultures blend 2gether. Peep the tracklist by clicking on the back cover above or check out the post at HHU! Down below is ur NEW music featuring some big names like Ne-Yo, jennifer Hudson, Kanye West, Mos Def, & MORE as well as NEW videos featuring more behind the scenes looks at upcoming videos as well as a recap of the Rock The Bells concert in Chicago we attended, Lupe Fiasco on CNN, a video premiere from The Game, & Jim Jones losing his mind and dissing Nas when Nas can absolutely destroy him! Haha, enjoy!
VIDEO STILLS f/ Cameos from Lupe Fiasco & Kanye West!
Common “Universal Mind Control” / “Announcement” f/ Pharrell?
VIDEO STILLS
Some cool pics above from the sets of upcoming videos from a few of our favorite artists! Consequence’s “Disperse” f/ GLC & Really Doe should be released next week and will feature cameos from Kanye West & Lupe Fiasco! That was one of my favs of 2007 and I’m really lookin’ forward 2 a fresh video for a fresh song. Also it looks like Common & Pharrell are making a video but for what track, “Universal Mind Control” or “Announcement”? They both have some mainstream appeal but I’d bet on the former. Once the masses hear UMC they’ll eat it up. In some Billboard news, Nas officially dethroned Weezy by coming in at 187K for the 1st week! Congrats 2 Nas. Down below some NEW trax u can peep below and the one I’m especially feelin’ is the young R&B singer Karina Pasian’s “Winner”!
Whoo, a ton of heat for your summer night 2nite and I’ll start off by explaining an unorthodox feature track for the day - Just Blaze’s instrumental for Team USA’s Olympic run later this summer! Think “The Second Coming” but better (yes, it’s that good) as the beat is perfect for pumpin’ u up and switches throughout from uptempo to ominous and it’s just brilliant. Now here’s the cool part: Nike Basketball will be having a contest where the you, the MC, can drop a verse that will be featured over that beat! So if I were an upcoming MC, I would DL that beat (in addition 2 our contest — ONLY 3 MORE DAYS!) and take some time 2 showcase ur skills for another great opportunity 2 get some exposure! And man, this beat and the picture above [featuring Illinois fav. Deron Williams! (far right)] is already enough 2 get me hyped for the competition in Beijing in just another month or so!
Down below, definitely some trax u have 2 DL. Another Go Getters track has hit the web (big ups FSD) and while I’m not really feelin’ the annoying hook, the verses are on point, including another neat glimpse at Kanye pre-accident. Let’s see.. Chamillionaire always brings the heat and drops some nice lines on his version of “Hero”. Also be sure 2 DL the Lil’ Wayne featured track by Kevin Rudolf “Let It Rock”, which may come as a surprise 2 u b/c I am praising a track with Lil’ Wayne, but this is a perfect example of when I like him. New-comer Kevin Rudolf absolutely kills it and Weezy enhances the track with solid verses that flows nicely over the rockish-popish beat. I can see this one blowin’ up the radio by the end of summer! Finally, I’m also diggin’ the 2 NEW Chris Brown trax, especially the one produced by Bryan-Michael Cox - one of his better beats, which is def sayin’ somethin’ since all of them are pretty damn good. That’s all I got for now, and I will be online very sparingly this weekend as I’ll be outta town this weekend, but I should try 2 find some time 2 update still. Enjoy!
***Scroll down below for 2day’s NEW MUSIC f/ a Lupe Fiasco/GemStones collaboration & MORE! Our editorial will be on top all day! Give it a read ;)***
(Originally published 06.10.08 @ 6:28AM)
GWHH are now the officially proclaimed Hip Hop Examiners for the city of Chicago. We Pioneers are on the forefront of a new wave of change. Not only could I reference the Obama campaign, the rise of Gas prices, the rebirth of Hip Hop, but no; what I speak on is the wave of knowledge and information. People all over the country will change how they receive their daily information about…well Life. What I’m referring to is what will be another “home” of ours, called the Examiner.com. We will still be grindin’ with GWHH of course, but now we will also update periodically on:
as the city of Chicago’s Hip Hop Examiners! The Examiner is kind of like a newspaper, but online. What makes it so unique are the Examiners themselves. The site will cover every major city, with “Examiners” providing the people their knowledge about their certain region & specialty. Examiners are people who specialize in a certain field, and share their knowledge with the world. For example, there will be Political, Film, Entertainment, Beer, Gardening, and etc. etc. Examiners for every major city! We are Chicago’s Hip Hop Examiners. For the Examiner we will try to keep it strictly Chicago, so we reach out to the Chicago community to send us any underground, mainstream, art related, event related, Chicago Hip Hop and R&B content for our consideration to post on the Examiner - Chicago. Although the site is in it’s Beta stages; it will soon run full throttle expanding to 60 + cities with much more exposure than GWHH has right now. We here believe that it will change how the country gets its daily information. We strongly recommend for artists, fans, and promoters to reach out to our new Examiner email address at GWHHExaminer@gmail.com with undeniable Chicago Hip Hop and R&B content. It promises great exposure for the city of Chicago. Help us help the city!
So without further adieu, check our first post on the Examiner here, and make sure to subscribe to our page & visit us daily like you do here at GWHH. We will keep you updated with new Examiner information; it’s stages of completion along with its world premiere launch date, and any other important GWHH news!
Big Warm Thank You to all our viewers for the support & love on our past, current, & future endeavors from all of us here at GWHH! [Max G]
For our first post on Examiner.com, we felt it necessary to share our thoughts on what Chicago means to hip hop and how Chicago is a reflected in the artist’s work. While Chicago has always been represented in hip hop through the years by long-time legends like Common and Twista, it has been overshadowed through hip hop’s rise to the mainstream public by other cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. In fact, the city was not considered a prominent hip hop center until the past few years, in large part due to the mainstream success of Chicago native, Kanye West, who is without a doubt the hottest MC in the game today. But before we discuss the specific impact of Chicago hip hop artists, the characteristics of Chicago hip hop must first be defined. Chicago hip hop is a unique, fresh contribution to the genre through the artist’s experiences being poured out through intricate, metaphoric lyrics, usually at such a break-neck pace that creates a trademark fast flow (like twisting your words with the syllables), all spit over jazzy beats, which are partly inspired by the city’s strong jazz influence. Chicago’s energetic culture rubs off on the sound and character of the artist and what makes the most successful artists from the Go even more unique is the mentality and experiences that growing up in the city creates, which is displayed in the artist’s work. In Chicago, nothing is handed to you; you have to go out, make your own moves, earn respect, pay your dues, until the point where your talent, your skills cannot be denied. The hard work the artist puts in will gain exposure and connections one way or the other and then the sky’s the limit. These artists stay true to themselves and their city and do so in their own way, by not conforming to industry standards just to blow up and get paid, rather being themselves as an artist and a person.
The last statement rings true in the city’s biggest rap stars - Kanye West, Common, Twista, & Lupe Fiasco. Kanye… do we even have to say anything? He made a name for himself for being so different, so outlandish, so passionate… and we can go on. Common… throughout the years he has stayed within himself as an artist, allowed himself to grow and express his experiences through intelligent, conscious lyrics that have put him on the short list of hip hop’s all-time greatest lyricists. Twista… he gained attention because of his undeniable talent of rapping at such a high pace, earning Guiness World Record status. And perhaps the newest, freshest face to come out of Chicago, Lupe Fiasco… spitting conscious lyrics on worldwide issues in such a fresh, never before seen fashion while humbly gaining attention for him and his label of artists. And that’s not to mention other notable names doing their thing throughout the years with artists like Rhymefest and GemStones on the cusp of mainstream success, artists like The Cool Kids and Kidz In The Hall with Chicago ties, holding down the underground sound of hip hop in general, and many other names past and present that dip into various sub-genres of hip hop like Do Or Die, Crucial Conflict, Da Brat, Shawnna, Yung Berg, Bump J, The Legendary Traxster, GLC, Really Doe, Mikkey Halsted, Psychodrama, Qualo, & Bullet just to name a few.
When the genre of hip hop was in such a downward spiral that some of its greats were calling it ‘dead’, it was Chicago that was the central reason for its resurrection. To quote from our exclusive interview with Chicago rapper GemStones, “When hip hop was on life support, I believe Chicago is the reason the plug didn’t get pulled.” We cannot agree more with that statement because of the impact of guys like Kanye, Common, and Lupe on not only Chicago but other artists outside Chicago who kept doing things their own way and keeping a positive and meaningful perspective in hip hop. The way they were doing it, expressing themselves as an artist and a person through fresh lyrics that connect to the people really brought some freshness back to hip hop, when it was sorely needed since people were tiring of the bling, rims, etc. that defined hip hop in the early part of the decade. In the process of what we believe was saving hip hop, these artists paid respect and homage to the city that helped develop them as an artist and as a person. They know Chicago helped form them into the person and artist we see today and with pride and passion, they recorded Chicago anthems that evoke some of the similar emotions in Chicago’s citizens and their fans. And you can download these anthems below! Yes, we know there are many more songs dedicated to the city of Chicago, but it is these three artists that we feel helped progress hip hop and Chicago the most. (Max G. also added some videos that were shot in Chicago and evoke the same sense of hometown pride!) These songs never get old… CHI-Town UP! Enjoy! [Sgt. Tibs]
FULL, CDQ, Track from the lost album, World Record Holders*Tibs Fav.
TON of hip hop for ya’ll 2day, comin’ heavy from the Chi-City with the latest from the Go Getters (Kanye West, GLC, Really Doe, with Arrowstar). I’m feelin’ this track a lil’ more than the other 2 that have been released (big ups again 2 FSD!) and it’s still weird/cool 2 hear Kanye pre-accident! U should DL just 2 compare those changes… and check out some of the rest of the Chicago flava with Rhymefest, GLC, & the breakout track from Mikkey Halsted, produced by Kanye West! And ya’ll HAVE 2 DL the NEW Nas track, “Black President”, a conscious track based freshly off the recent event of Barack Obama winning the democratic presidential candidacy! DJ Green Lantern chops it up smoothly with snippets from Obama’s speech and the famous 2Pac line from “Changes” / “I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto” - “We ain’t ready 2 have a black pres-i-dent.”. Sick. And definitely check out some real solid trax from Blu of Blu & Exile, and Styles P and his trio The LOX! Enjoy!
P.S. How fly do those links look below? Unintentional at first, haha.
FULL, CDQ, 1999 (NEW) Track from lost album, World Record Holders*Tibs Fav.
Above is the latest from Go Getters, exclusively dropped from FSD. Go Getters, if u recall from last week, is the group consisting of Kanye West, GLC, Really Doe, & Arrowstar - a Chi-Town clique when they were all fresh in the game around 1999 and 2000. It is interesting 2 hear these trax, especially Kanye pre-accident, who sounds noticeably different. It’s some raw Chicago Hip Hop above so be sure to DL it!
The third (and final?) version of the “Flashing Lights” video has also hit the web and u can view it below! Admittedly, it goes over my head a lil’ bit on first viewing, but Kanye brings it with a deep and artistic perspective that his fans should respect. It is important to note that this “Version 3″ is the last 2 leak and hit the web, but it was in fact the first video Kanye & Co. shot for the song. They scrapped it and filmed the 2nd version that leaked last week, scrapped that, and released the one with Rita G. back awhile ago.
Scroll a lil’ more for a large batch of NEW trax featuring some big names like Usher, Lil’ Wayne, & Mario, but the one below that I’m feelin’ above the rest is the song by Danny Fernandes - an uptempo new-age R&B track with a sick beat, similar 2 Fernandes’ earlier hit “Curious”. Enjoy!
FULL, CDQ, Track from the lost album, World Record Holders*Tibs Fav.
Props 2 FSD for their track by track leak of a “lost” album by the Go Getters (Kanye West, GLC, & Really Doe) called World Record Holders. The title track is up above and it’s another hot one by the Chicago rappers. It is also interesting 2 see the growth in Kanye from a track like this (from years ago apparently) 2 how he is 2day. Def a MUST-DL above! Below are some NEW trax f/ Lil’ Wayne and R&B singers Ryan Leslie, Digga (really feelin’ the NEW version of “Broken”), & Ashanti! Along w
Common “Universal Mind Control” f/ Pharrell - VIDEO PREMIERE + Loose Ends
