VIDEO: B.o.B. - Autotune

B.o.B. parodies a bunch of things wrong with hip hop these days and humorously references Rick Ross, Lil' Wayne, T-Pain and some others. A little piece of end-year genius. This could be seen as this year's Rap Up if Skillz doesn't end up doing one.

LISTEN: Ice Cube - I Got My Locs On Ft Young Jeezy

DOWNLOAD Ice Cube - I Got My Locs On Ft Young Jeezy (MP3)

One of my top 3 favorite rappers from childhood, Ice Cube, joins forces with a rapper I didn't start appreciating until recently, Young Jeezy. Cube's first verse sounds like it was ghost written by Rick Ross, but we know Cube doesn't like cops so that's definitely not the case.

Props to Eskay for the MP3.

VIDEO: Rick Ross - This Is The Life ft Trey Songz

I hear the next Rick Ross video is set in a Police Academy IV spoof setting.

NEWS: Summer Jam Pics

Photos from this weekend's Hot97 Summer Jam show. More here.

Alicia Looking For Me In Crowd

Jim Jones Not Looking Agitated For Once

Lil' Wayne Doesn't Seem To Have Any Skin Left

Rick Ross, The Only Rapper With Stretch Marks

Kanye West

Raekwon

VIDEO: Fat Joe's Release Party

Fat Joe has his album release party for Elephant in the Room at the Sofa Lounge in the Bronx, NY. Rick Ross chimes in on the n-word controversy. KRS One also in the house.

LISTEN: Q-Tip - Midnight '08 (Prod. by Cool & Dre)

DOWNLOAD Q-Tip - Midnight '08 (Prod. by Cool & Dre) (MP3)

Part of the alcoholic remixes and I feel any moment Rick Ross is about to drop a verse right in the middle of this track.


Previously:
KRS One/DJ Premier - 'Criminal Minded '08' (download)
Common/Just Blaze - 'The Light '08 (It's Love)' (download)

LISTEN: Rick Ross - Maybach Music ft. Jay-Z (No Tags)

DOWNLOAD Rick Ross - Maybach Music ft. Jay-Z (MP3)

Rick Ross is joined by former boss (no pun intended) Jay-Z on 'Maybach Music' (lame title). Rick doesn't seem to be able to ride this beat very well for the most part. Jay-Z gets in a Paul McCartney/Michael Jackson reference in, quotes 2Pac and flows better than on most of his guest appearances of the last 2 years. Tagged with a March 11th street date tag. No that is not a mini me version of Rick Ross, it's JD, but I wanted to use this photo and it's so Maybach.

UPDATE: This is now the untagged version via YMW.

. Audio via Eskay.

VIDEO: Rick Ross - Boss ft. T-Pain + NYC Concert

Rick Ross will be performing at Irving Plaza in NYC Tuesday, March 11 at 9PM. $35 seems a little steep. Tickets are for sale here.

Rick Ross - Boss ft. T-Pain

NEWS: DJ Khaled Starts New Label

DJ Khaled has announced a new label deal for We The Best Music (I just e-rolled my eyes) with Def Jam. My guess is we'll see some posse cuts with Young Jeezy, Fat Joe, Akon, Lil' Wayne, T.I., T-Pain, Rick Ross and the other usual suspects. Even his press release reads like a bad SNL skit.


"I'm proud to be a member of the Def Jam family," said DJ Khaled. "Def Jam has been and still is one of the most important institutions in hip hop AND music as a whole. I am extremely honored and excited to be a partner with them in We The Best Music. I look forward to creating great music and continuing the success. LA, Shakir and Lenny S are you ready? I am!!! Let’s go!! Caaaaassssshhhhh Flooooowww!!! And remember....We global....global, we're international.....international! We The Best Music/Def Jam....get ready for history!!!"

VIDEO: Rick Ross Responds To Cuban Link

Rick Ross responds to Cuban Link's diss track towards him that I posted the other day (download it here). I don't know how all of a sudden Rick has become such a fixture on this blog. Trilla better has some quality tracks on it to back it up. Here's (unconvinced) hoping.

LISTEN: Cuban Link - You’re Not Hood (DJ Khaled, Rick Ross & Fat Joe Diss)

DOWNLOAD Cuban Link - You’re Not Hood (MP3)

Terror Squad outcast Cuban Link takes on his former mentor Fat Joe as well as inexplicably going for DJ Khaled and Rick Ross. I hear that as a response DJ Khaled is working on a variation on an intro where he screams something about being the best. It's going to have Baby, Jeezy, Rick Ross, Lil' Wayne and T-Pain on it.

NEWS: Rick Ross & Baby Working On Collabo Album

Rick Ross and Birdman/Baby, both fresh off of finishing up respective solo albums Trilla and 5 Star Stunna, are working on an album together. No date, title or label known at this point. I suggest calling it The Beard & The Bling. I'm going to go out on a limb and say this will never see the day of light.


“Me and Birdman are working on an album and a movie at the same time. We just feed the streets. Me being a fan of the hustle - the grind, [Birdman and I] have the same attitude and hunger coming from streets. He feels the same about me, you already know. We just went in the studio for the hood.” (HHDX).

NEWS: RA The Rugged Man Shouts Out Treach

TSS recently spoke with RA The Rugged Man who suprisingly shouts out Naughty By Nature's Treach as one of his influences. Personally I've always thought Treach was grossly underrated in Hip Hop in terms of his flow. He had flows for years. I do not know what is wrong with RA in this photo however.


TSS: I know G. Rap is a huge influence for you. Is there anyone else you can point to and say, “That guy challenged me to advance my style”?
Ra The Rugged Man: Right now today?
TSS: At any point over your career.
Ra The Rugged Man: Yeah, of course. I can name some cats that you would say, “Really? That’s corny.” But I’d say, “Nah, that dude was incredible.” Let’s name a pop record, ok? When “O.P.P.” came out in 1992 I was a young kid writing. I was like, “Goddamn. Listen to how many fucking flows that dude has.” I know Treach from Naughty isn’t the answer you wanted, but he was an influence. How about “Uptown Anthem” and the shit he was spitting on that? I was just talking to someone about that song the other day. More here. TSS also spoke to Rick Ross and Amanda Diva this week.

NEWS: Rick Ross's Trilla Pushed Back

Rick Ross's upcoming album Trilla has been pushed back from December 18th to February 19th. With the new album's first single, "Speedin'" featuring R. Kelly, stuck at No. 76 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Def Jam opted to give the project more time to develop. (Billboard)



Not that I was fiendin' for this release and am complaining but, Beanie Sigel's single with R. Kelly was also weak, but he didn't get pushed back. "'Trilla' means real enough and was really inspired by Michael Jackson's 'Thriller. It's going to be the biggest street album of the year." The album is set to feature Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, Trick Daddy, Akon, T-Pain, Marsha Ambrosius and production from the Runners, DJ Toomp and Cool and Dre. More here.

VIDEO: Baby - 100 Million ft. Rick Ross, Dre, Young Jeezy & Lil' Wayne

Yet another DJ Khaled tagged collaboration song between the usual suspects Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Baby, Lil' Wayne and a hook by Dre (the one who can't operate). It's called '100 Million', a number of dollars that all these guys combined times 2 wouldn't even approach. If they really had anywhere near that kind of money at least that laughable special effect around the 4.30 minute mark where the van blows up would've look a tiny bit more convincing.

VIDEO: Freeway - It's Over + Lights Get Low

I can't keep up with Freeway. Two new videos were debuted on OnSmash today. I'm not feeling 'Lights Get Low', the collabo with Freeway's beard-brother Rick Ross, so much. Especially not the faux-Pharrell sung hook by Dre, who just doesn't have that on-camera charisma or a distinguishable voice necessary to pull that off. 'It's Over' is a better track with a more interesting visual as well. It's the Kanye West/Just Blaze accusation track I posted the MP3 for a few weeks back. And just two days ago he dropped the video for 'Still Got Love'.

VIDEO: DJ Khaled - I'm So Hood RMX ft. Everybody

I think DJ Khaled should to have a reality TV show, or maybe a cartoon. This is the remix to 'I'm So Hood' featuring Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Baby and Rick Ross. Even KRS One makes an appearance in the video.

LISTEN: Rick Ross - Speeding ft. R. Kelly

DOWNLOAD Rick Ross - Speeding ft. R. Kelly (MP3)


R. Kelly is trying to add a petty crime to his list of more serious offenses on this Rick Ross track off of the upcoming album Trilla.

LISTEN: Young Jeezy - Straight Out The Rarri ft Rick Ross (Prod. by Double-Threat)

DOWNLOAD Young Jeezy - Straight Out The Rarri ft Rick Ross (Prod. by Double-Threat) (MP3)


While I'm on a southern streak here I might as well post this new Young Jeezy track 'The Rarri' featuring Mr. Personality aka Rick Ross.

LISTEN: Ludacris - Down In The Durty ft. Rick Ross

DOWNLOAD Ludacris - Down In The Durty ft. Rick Ross (MP3)


Luda @ Radio City. More pics here.
A surprisingly decent guest appearance by Rick Ross on this new Ludacris track.