Russell Simmons is doing what he can to contribute to the Occupy Wall Street movement.
In a recent interview with Billboard.biz, the business mogul says he's been in talks with artists who will be recording OWS inspired songs.
"There's a lot of music coming. I don't want to say who until they're dropping these bombs," he said. "These are artists I'm aware of that I pushed to do it, supported their efforts to do it, told them why it was important, briefed them on the demands of the protestors. There'll be a protest song that goes with Occupy Wall Street. I promise you that. Me and you, promise."
Simmons added that there is also an OWS concert also in the works.
"We are definitely discussing it. We're definitely working for permits. We're definitely looking to make a huge impact. We're actively working for permits. We'll have one in our hands soon."
Good to see Uncle Rush lending a hand.
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1017 Brick Squad CEO Gucci Mane has teamed with Oakland newcomer V-Nasty for a new album. The disc will be released December 13 on Warner Bros. Records.
Peep the tracklisting below courtesy of Hiphop-N-More.
1. Whip Appeal (Feat. P2theLA)
2. Loaded (Feat. Mr. Fab)
3. Let’s Get Faded
4. White Girl
5. Push Ups (Feat. Slim Dunkin)
6. Food Plug (Feat. Berner)
7. Out My Circle
8. Hate Me Some More
9. Millions Every Month
10. Fill My Shoes
11. F*ck You (Feat. Slim Dunkin)
12. Sick Swag
Will you be checking for this Brick Squad/White Girl Mob collaboration?
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"11.22.11 - Today Hip Hop duo, iRep D-League, releases their debut EP "Life Up"! Members Demo & Uncut from iRep D-League are the example of hard work and dedication and have been doing the mixtape grind with notable DJs such as DJ Smallz, DJ Diamond Kuts, DJ Q45, DJ Young Cee just to name a few. They have also earned press on Ozone Magazine, BET[The Deal], Hip Hop Weekly, ThisIs50(Mixtape Of The Week) and more. Most recently iRep D-League's ringtone "Give It To You" was selected by Myxer & Toyota for its 2012 Toyota Camry Campaign.
Showing you how they "Life Up", iRep D-League has gained notoriety by performing and hosting at some of the hottest events to showing their future mogul side by partnering up with top corporate companies such as Vitamin Water, Nuvo, Baller's Choice, Millions Wear and more to help power the movement through events, tours, and music videos. Turning obstacles into power moves and their journey into an EP, iRep D-League brings you "Life Up". Hip Hop duos Back!"
Kid Cudi has just released a new song with his alternative rock group WZRD. The band founded by Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius are hard at work on their debut album which will be released January 30th to coincide with Cudi's 28th birthday.
Cudi also announced that the disc will not contain any profanity.
"Also, the WZRD album does not contain any profanity or the usage of the word "n*gga". A universal album for everyone," he announced via Twitter.
Some fans apparently reacted negatively to the announcement that the project will be profanity free, but the Cleveland rapper/singer remains undeterred.
"Haha man some of yall really upset theres no profanity?? You know songs can be written with out them right?" he wrote.
Do you like like Cudi's new sound? What do you think of the idea of a profanity free album? Let us know in the comment section below.
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A new video game featuring Soulja Boy is coming in 2012 according to the rapper.
Soulja posted a cover picture of COREleted: The Beginning on his tumblr page yesterday with a caption underneath that read "soulja boy the video game in stores 2012." When asked by a fan about the pic which is also his background on Twitter, Soulja confirmed that the game will be available next year on X-Box and Playstation 3.
Plans for the video game have been in the works for several years. He told Complex in 2008 that the game was coming soon.
"After I put the Xbox 360 challenge up on the Internet, it was over all these video game sites. And a couple video game companies hit me up on my email because I put the email on there too. And hit me up like, 'Blah, blah, blah, blah.' So I was like, 'Oh snaps!'" Soulja said at the time. "So I forwarded to my management, and they forwarded to my label. And now we're doing the video game. It was the same way I got signed for my music. It's like history repeating itself, but instead of music this time it's about video games."
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The Supreme Audiovisual Council of France has banned Rihanna's music video for "We Found Love" from daytime television for being too explicit. They believe the clip could inspire "self destructive behavior."
The video, which shows the pop star smoking, shoplifting and engaging in a violent relationship with a Chris Brown look-a-like, model Dudley O'Shaughnessy can now only be shown after 10 PM.
It's the second video this year from the singer that has received some type of ban. Riri's clip for "S&M" was banned in 11 countries after it was deemed to be too raunchy.
Do you think the ban for "We Found Love" is uncalled for?
Rihanna's "We Found Love" video banned in France
Rihanna "We Found Love"
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Baltimore Ray is an up and coming artist out of Baltimore, Maryland. Check out his latest single and make sure you hit that download link below.
T.I. drops a new banger to get the holiday week started
Video And Pics After The Jump
The Dark Knight Rises is easily the most anticipated movie of 2012. As we inch closer to it's July 20 release date new details about the film are emerging courtesy of director Christopher Nolan and actors Tom Hardy (Bane) and Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon).
The film will take place eight years after Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne/Batman is older and not doing so well.
"It's really all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne's story. We left him in a very precarious place. Perhaps surprisingly for some people, our story picks up quite a bit later, eight years after The Dark Knight. So he's an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state," Nolan told Empire in a new interview.
To make matters worse for The Caped Crusader, he'll be facing his toughest foe yet in the form of the menacing villain Bane.
"With Bane, we're looking to give Batman a challenge he hasn't had before," Nolan added. "With our choice of villain and with our choice of story we're testing Batman both physically as well as mentally."
Oldman says he feels like the decision to go with one of Batman's lesser known opponents was a smart idea.
"I think it was smart of Chris to go with a lesser-known villain rather than — because Heath's performance, first of all, we love the Joker in Batman," Oldman told MTV. "Heath's performance was so dazzling that you got to think, 'How the hell do I top it?' Instead of going for Riddler, instead of going for Penguin, he's gone a slightly different way with the story."
Bane's character is just plain vicious. His fighting style is designed to inflict maximum carnage on his opponents
"He's brutal. Brutal. He's a big dude who's incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style," Hardy told Empire. "It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action."
Empire also provided insight into why Bane wear's his trademark mask.
"He was injured early in his story. He's suffering from pain and needs gas to survive. He can't survive the pain without the mask. The pipes from the mask go back along his jawline and feed into the thing at his back, where there are two cannisters," revealed costume designer Lindy Hemming.
This will be the final film in the Dark Knight trilogy and according to Oldman it will end with a bang.
"I will say this: There's a conclusion. He touches on the first [film] and weaves it in," he said. "It resolves. I think it's a trilogy. It's just great. The story is terrific. It is just epic."
You can read more about the film in the latest edition of Empire Magazine, which will be available Thursday.
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Common is ready to "Celebrate" on the latest song from his forthcoming album The Dreamer, The Believer, which will be available December 20.
Peep the first single off of The Alchemist and Oh No's project Vodka & Ayanuaska
Vado is set to release the follow up to last year's Slime Flu project on Black Friday (November 25).
This is the first of what will likely be a barrage of mixtapes coming from the Harlem rapper before his album drops next year.
“I’m thinking about putting out a mixtape every month, keep em going every month until the album," he told XXL last month.
Peep the tracklist for Slime Flu 2 below courtesy of RR.
1. What’s Poppin’
2. Tales from The Cotton Club
3. SLime Anthem
4. Louis V Bag
5. OK Y’all feat. Fabolous
6. NY Ride
7. I See You (Black People)
8. Keep It Goin’ feat. Young Chris
9. U Know What It Is
10. Bed Piss feat. Raekwon
11. All The Drama
12. I Got That (Frankie Lymon) feat. Jae Millz
13. Somebody Gotta Die feat. Paul Cain & Freck Billionaire
14. Paid In Full
15. Ms. SLime Booty (freestyle)
16. All I Know
17. I Need U feat. Remo The Hitmaker
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Poll After The Jump
Drake is always nominated in the category of hip hop at award shows, but is he still a rapper? On his latest album he seems to be doing a lot more singing than rapping. Singersroom recently published an article making a compelling argument that the Toronto native should be classified as a singer. Read what they had to say below.
Toronto native Drake doesn't belong in an American Hip-Hop/Rap genre. Although his debut album and mixtapes are categorized as hip-hop, he shouldn't be placed there. Not anymore at least.
Drake can flow and rip a track with hip-hop's biggest contenders but his albums are void of the brash rhyme scheme and delivery of rap artists. He settles for honest and expressive bars for majority of his new album Take Care, which shifts more towards contemporary R&B than Hip-Hop.
Drake's right-hand man and producer, Noah "40" Shebib said R&B was their first musical connection. He's produced the "soft" tracks such as "Successful," "Shut It Down," and "Marvin's Room" which is featured on Take Care.
Heartbreak Drake is only two studio albums in but his mixtapes, Room for Improvement, Comeback Season and So Far Gone created a wild buzz for him. Many laughed because he was the kid in the wheelchair on the teen television series, Degrassi: The Next Generation turned rapper.
Drake, the rapper sung too much and Drake, the singer was corny. Then he signed with Lil Wayne's label Young Money. This move cued hip hop lovers to give him a chance while pop listeners were already nodding.
So Far Gone was well received and his debut album, Thank Me Later was thought to follow behind its footsteps.
While selling the most of any artist at the time of Thank Me Later release, Drake still received negative reviews. Hip-hop critics called the album sensitive. But Drake's delivery is not what critics are accustomed to.
He put his experiences in each verse. He croons over tracks in masculine, wronged voice. It's not that he's being soft; he's bringing a gentle Canadian touch to meet an abrasive American hip-hop scene.
It's not that Drake doesn't stand up to the hip-hop credentials; he just doesn't belong in their brackets.
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Mobb Deep's highly anticipated Black Cocaine EP dropped today and the duo unveiled new visuals for "Dead Man Shoes" to coincide with the release.
Check out the Dan The Man directed below.
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Big Sean gave a performance of "Celebrity" for a few lucky Los Angeles residents on Hollywood Boulevard recently as part of the Vevo Go Shows series.
"I really feel like this is the soundtrack to Hollywood," he said. "Whether I got a performance of 10,000 people to 10 people you still gotta give it the same amount of energy. You still gotta do it like you're trying to prove a point."
The song is off of Sean's debut album Finally Famous.
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This is the title track off of Lil Eto's forthcoming album, The Great Seal, which is being produced exclusively by V Don.
T.I. has settled on the name of his new album.
"Trouble Man" is the title of Tip's forthcoming eighth studio LP. The name obviously refers to the Atlanta rapper's frequent problems with the law, Those troubles have not ruined his work ethic though. Since his September release from prison he's recorded 45 new songs.
"Every where he goes, he stops through the studio," T.I.'s assistant told Billboard.
Tip says he already has a new single ready to go.
"I have this one record [titled] 'Pyro' that I'm proud of," T.I. said. "'Pyro' is a straight party record. It's nostalgic of those crazy nights, early mornings [but] just turned up."
In addition to working on his new album, T.I. is also filming a reality show for VH1 titled "The Family Hustle."
"Trouble Man" will be released in early 2012.
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