A behind the scenes look at one of the best music magazines on the scene right now, Wax Poetics:

[H/T: Darien]

So I’m watching one of the major cable news networks this morning, you know, getting my a.m. dosage of politico speak, when all of a sudden the attention shifts to the political views of none other than 50 Cent. Talk about a moment straight out of left field; one complete with the standard (non-hip hop) media pronunciation of his name, “Fiddy”. For a minute I thought it was some kind of April Fool’s joke. As it turns out, 50, who was a Hillary Clinton supporter earlier on, is now throwing his support behind Barack Obama:

I applaud 50 on the move, however, the really odd (and in some ways interesting) thing about all of this, is the amount major media attention that this story’s received–CNN, Wall Street Journal, LA Times (not to mention, the various media outlets that have mentioned the story during their on air reports). It’s pretty crazy. I wonder though, does this story matter to them because it’s 50 Cent (outspoken, controversial rapper) at the center of it all? Or because it’s 50 Cent (outspoken, controversial rapper and the establishment’s unofficial hip-hop representative) at the center of it all? You have to wonder.

Jay Smooth took a trip into his archives and brought out a series of audio clips from a 2002 interview with Q-Tip, in which Tip talks about early Tribe production techniques, shady industry execs, musical segregation and more. Take a listen.

That upcoming album that Tip is speaking of, we’ll finally get that sometime this June. Crazy, right? Pin that on the industry. He’s actually done a few projects (Kamaal The Abstract, Live At The Renaissance, Open) since his last official release (Amplified), however, they didn’t fit inside the mainstream’s little box, and never received a proper release–they’ve since leaked to the web. In the meantime, I’m hoping that this album doesn’t fall victim to any sudden label push-backs between now and June.

I’m still in the dark when it comes to certain areas of electronic music, but no matter the genre, I can still recognize a dope video when I see one. Here’s the latest from French electro duo, Justice:

Props to So-Me on art direction, and Machine Molle on motion design. The old school logos and tv bumper spoofs are pretty clever (recognize any?). I wonder if we’ll see a slightly altered, yet equally dope, hip-hop version of this video sometime in the near future? Last time, if you remember, it was Kanye who linked up with So-Me to style his Good Life video– which was based on So’s work here.

It doesn’t seem too far off. Have a look at these videos created by Kanye and video editor Derrick Lee that were used as backdrops during last year’s listening session for Graduation. They’re condensed versions of the classic sci-fi flicks 2001: A Space Odyssey, Akira and Tron. Peep:

2001: A Space Odyssey:

Stronger (Akira) and I Wonder (Tron) after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

No pun intended. However, to be sure that fans don’t misinterpret the artwork from their upcoming album Rising Down, ?uestlove of The Roots delivers a bit of background info to put things into perspective:

This drawing is entitled NEGRO RULE. and it pretty much sums up the feeling of the Confederate Union towards the newly freed slaves and the idea that if given power they would reek havoc and chaos on the country.

That was 1898. Ironically, here in 2008 similar feelings are held towards Hip-Hop and even a *certain individual* in the current presidential race. But you already knew that, I’m sure.

You gotta love The Roots for consistently coming through with relevant, thought
provoking album covers.

[via Okayplayer]

The other day it was hip hop producer Just Blaze, running down some of his most anticipated gadget releases during a recent interview with HipHopGame.com. Today’s hip hop producer engaging in gadget talk is none other than Pharrell Williams–1/2 of The Neptunes/N.E.R.D. frontman/’Hypester’ Icon. Recently he sat down with The Boy Genius and talked about everything from his cell phone of choice (peep his solid gold iPhone), to his current production setup, to the possibility of making a splash into the mobile phone market in the near future.

Jump to the link below if the embedded clip gives you trouble.

[via BGR]

Whats goin on folks! Didn’t get around to posting yesterday, I got thrown off my game while working on some background issues here on the site. Massive changes coming your way soon. In the meantime, check out these new videos by a couple of my favorite groups, that I’ve been rocking hard these past few days. First up, a homemade video by none other than ?uestlove of The Roots, leaking the second single off of Gnarls Barkley’s upcoming album “The Odd Couple’…it’s straight goodness! [via Okayplayer]

After the jump: The Roots - ‘Blacks Reconstruction’ and Gnarls Barkley ‘Run’. April can’t get here soon enough! Read the rest of this entry »

                                                                          (disclaimer: Look away from the eyes!)

And she’s grinding hard in ‘08…
One album down, two more plus a lifestyle magazine on the way:

After a public bout of writer’s block that led to her “Frustrated Artist” tour in 2003 and 2004, Ms. Badu is eager to promote what she calls her magnum opus. “New AmErykah” is part of a creative torrent that includes a sequel record, due in the summer, and an unrelated retro-minded album, “Lowdown Loretta Brown,” scheduled for the fall, both on Universal Motown. Ms. Badu also plans to start a lifestyle magazine, The Freaq, this summer; the first issue will come with a copy of “New AmErykah: Part Two.” Both records will also be available on a U.S.B. stick for fans to plug into their computers; for added value Ms. Badu wants to record a U.S.B. commentary track to explain her references and inspiration. A tour will start in May.

Peep the full article from The NY Times:
The Mind of a One-Woman Multitude

[photo via NY Times]

Aside from being one of hip hop’s top producers, Just Blaze is also known around the industry as a serious gamer and all around gadget freak.

In the latest installment of Hip Hop Game’s 3-part interview series, Just talks about some of the gadgets that he’s looking forward to seeing this year–high capacity storage drives seem to be at the top of his list. Peep the full excerpt after the jump, along with a clip of Just and Pete Rock battling it out on the Xbox 360. Read the rest of this entry »