To all my LA people...

Go check out my homeboy... just signed to Snoop Dogg's Doggtown Entertainment... POPPA HEAT... settin' fire to the West Coast! Live at the Burgundy House, 6202 Santa Monica Blvd, LA CA... Saturday September 18th!!! Doors open at 9PM.

Your favorite rapper's favorite rapper.

I'm not just saying this because it's en vogue these days to say Scarface is one of the greatest... but since I initially started becoming the pathologically obsessed hip hop fan that I am (1990 or so), Scarface was one of the first genuine hip hop artists I liked (along with Public Enemy and NWA). I admit his grimy slow flow and introspective, macabre tales are not for everyone. But I think that's what drew me to his music. He is one artist you can truly say, regardless of what you think about his music, there is nothing sell-out about him.

I also love reading these "making of", "behind the scenes" type articles. So this was a great read for me... and hopefully will be for you too. The original poster on SOHH does not list a source but it seems legit. So here is the link directly from their forums.

Scarface breaks down his solo and Geto Boys catalog...

Taking you back... way back... back into time...

These days it is damn near impossible to be first to share any new track with anyone. Anyone with internet access can hear a song the second it's available. We even hear the tracks that aren't meant to be available for public consumption just yet. So once in awhile, I go back and see what tracks people might have missed...

To me, this is Kanye West's most underrated beat ever. I think most people in the general public, anyone other than dedicated hip hop fans, likely have not heard this song. I don't even remember when Smitty's album dropped... even though he had a Swizz Beats track as the lead single and everything. Anyways, I always thought this was the era Kanye was at his purest. Before he got too experimental and big headed. This is when he was just straight digging in the crates and finding the sickest soul samples to speed up. Anyways, if you've never heard it before... enjoy...

Judged by 12 or carried by 6?

Either way, hip hop is still not doing well. Well, maybe I just wanted to an excuse to use that Cube line because I always loved it. And it was the first hip hop lyric off the top of my head that used the number "six" in it. But it is also appropriate because, as the perpetual pessemist in me (well, when it comes to the hip hop industry, at least) will always insist, hip hop music is still slowly dying. But as it stands, here are a few of the lone reeds standing tall amidst the vile cesspool of cliches and consumerism flooding the airwaves per usual. (And now as I finish typing this post, I just realized I only have five tracks, not six. Oh well...)

Royce Da 5'9, "Over" Freestyle

T.I. "I'm Back"

Reflection Eternal, "In This World"

Nas & Damian Marley, "Strong Will Continue"

Young Chris & J. Cole, "Still the Hottest"

Slaughterhouse indeed.

Royce kills the new Drake beat "Over". I've only heard the Drake version once and I'm kind of glad. Because the beat was the best part. And Royce goes homicidal on the Boi-1da beat. How come Royce can't cop more beats like this for his own albums?? I have to say Street Hop did not live up to my expectations. And ever since Royce first came on the scene, I always thought he had the potential to be a classic MC. So far, only "Death Is Certain" has come close to his potential, recording wise.

The new Snoop? Or the next Bishop Lamont??

We all know Dr. Dre's track record when it comes to his "proteges". The long and distinguished includes genre-defining legends such Snoop and Eminem (and to a lesser extent, Game)... but includes even more fallen-by-the-wayside outcasts such as Hittman, Last Emperor, Joell Ortiz, Joe Beast, Brooklyn, Rakim... and most recently Bishop Lamont. So this new cat, Hayes, apparently also has Timbaland's co-sign, who will be joint-producing the debut with Dre. Check him out... what do you think fate has in store for him? Multi platinum plaques? Or just more tax write offs for Iovine?

Also, you can catch up by reading a recent interview with Hayes here.

Bounce Roc, "Rookie Veteran" Release Party in Hollywood!

If you're in the Los Angeles area this weekend (Saturday, November 7th to be exact)... come stop by Cinespace in Hollywood to celebrate the debut release from my homie Bounce Roc... "ROOKIE VETERAN"! Some of the beats on the album were done by yours truly... not to mention all the graphic design done by Rewind Effect!

Also check out the promo video for "Rookie Veteran". The two tracks Bounce spits here are both my beats.