I’ll never forget the first day I saw Rich Boy up close. It was at the 2006 BET Hip-Hop Awards, in Atlanta. “Throw Some D’s” was the biggest hit on the radio at the time. But because I hardly listen to radio, I almost paid a hefty price. I was busy taking pictures on the Red Carpet alongside other journalists and photojournalists when some skinny dude in a modest outfit strolled out and struck a pose. I watched in confusion as 50 cameras shuttered simultaneously. An older shutterbug next to me, who had been relying on my “hip-hop expertise” to ID the rap stars the whole time, leaned over and asked, “Who’s that guy?” I had no clue this time. But, I decided to snap “that guy” anyway. “Who knows,” I thought to myself, “he might end up becoming famous.”

Fast forward to 2008. Rich Boy is not just famous, he’s so popular that if you placed him side by side with the mayor of his city in a classroom full of teens, the students would easily identify Rich Boy and wonder if the other guy is their new substitute teacher. Oh wait, that’s the inspiration behind Rich’s upcoming mixtape, Bigger Than the Mayor (April 15th). On the heels of his re-up album, Buried Alive, and a spanking new mixtape, I caught up with Alabama’s favorite son to pick his brain on music, politics, and life.

Pull up a seat and enjoy the conversation. (more…)

Lupe Fiasco - Live Lounge
Lupe and Matthew Santos stopped by BBC’s Radio 1 for an interview awhile back. They also performed an acoustic version of “Superstar” live. It’s worth it to listen to the end for their funny rendition of the Frosted Flakes theme song.

[Props: Feroz Gajia for the link]

XXLmag.com recently caught up with Crack Man X to discuss music,
life, and politics.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview: (more…)

Lupe explains how he sneaks social commentary into his music. If you still haven’t picked up a copy of The Cool, hurry up and align yourself with this little piece of history while everyone else is still sleeping.

Btw, congrats to Tavis on his 5th year anniversary on PBS.

Bun B - 97.9 The Box Interview Pt. 1
Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part. 6

[Audio jacked from Nah Right, Pic via Ozone]

Bun B gave an emotional interview to Houston’s 97.9 The Box yesterday. Like Bun and others, I’m still grappling with the news of C’s death. Dude was really a delight to be around. He had nothing but positive energy when I met him at the ‘Knockin’ Doorz Down” video shoot, and he worked hard to unify the south. My heart goes out to Bun, the Butler family, and all of H-Town.

Bonus Audio:
Lil Flip - Pimp C Tribute [mp3]

Ne-Yo tells Big Tigger the real reason he got booted from R.Kelly’s tour.

The PR spin, as reported by several media outlets, was that R.Kelly and Ne-Yo were having contractual disagreements. Ne-Yo says that’s bullsh*t. The reality is that R.Kelly took over all the dressing rooms and gave a mandate that no one should be in the hallway whenever he’s walking by. Not to mention cutting down on Ne-Yo’s rehearsal time.

Has the pedophile lost his mind or what?

Jabari from Hip Hop Game just sent me this video interview with Emperor Lu. He speaks out on Nas’ controversial album title and reveals the title for his own third (and final) album. He also comments on his most complex rhyme ever, which he claims went over people’s head. Peep game.

Davey D had an interesting interview with pioneering hip-hop photographer Ernie Paniccioli. For those who don’t know, Paniccioli was breathing hip-hop long before hip-hop took its first breath. He has shot practically every hip-hopper you can imagine, from Kurtis Blow and Kool Moe Dee to Nas and Biggie Smalls. The author of Who Shot Ya? doesn’t just shoot rappers though, he documents other aspects of hip-hop culture as well. Take a quick moment to learn about Paniccioli and his philosophies on the other side of hip-hop.

Canada’s own Jam! Showbiz caught up with the GPOAT and asked him some questions about GangStarr, his Year Round label, among other dealies. Primo made it clear that GangStarr is not dead until he says otherwise (Guru’s disparaging comments notwithstanding): (more…)

Shawn had a sit down with Angie Martinez on Hov 97 earlier today. Highlights include:

• His verse on T.I.’s “Watch What You Say”

• What he makes of Lil’ Weezyianna
• How he feels about MTV’s Top 10 MCs list
• Beyonce’s much-talked about stage fall
• Those photos of him and Bey at a nude section of a beach

And why won’t Jay just go ahead and admit that Illmatic is the greatest hip-hop album ever? Illmatic > Reasonable Doubt > Blueprint.