JumpinJack AJ

LL Cool J plans to release new album this year: “Wait 'til you hear this MF" Don’t call it a comeback, but LL Cool J said he’s dropping a new album this year. It will be his first project in a decade. BY KEVIN KEISE / 01.16.2023 Don’t call it a comeback, but LL Cool J is planning to drop a new album this year. The hip hop pioneer took to Twitter for the announcement on Saturday (Jan. 14). “I’m competing with myself on this new album,” he wrote. “Wait ’til you hear this MF. This year, B. It’s coming,” the legend continued. LL, whose last album Authentic came 10 years ago, arrived on the music scene with Def Jam and Columbia Records in the mid-’80s. His first project Radio was released in 1985 and featured 13 tracks, including three iconic singles, “I Can’t Live Without My Radio,” “Rock The Bells” and “You’ll Rock.” He then dropped Bigger & Deffer in 1987, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. Three years later, he released Mama Said Knock You Out, which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 and spent 76 weeks on the charts. The Queens native’s music career has been quite historic. Of his 13 studio albums, the first 10 went Platinum, making him the first rapper to do so. He also became a two-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, as well as an actor, author, entrepreneur and philanthropist. In 2017, the emcee even received a Kennedy Center Honor, and four years later, was inducted into the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Along with dropping albums, LL has proved to be an outstanding actor. The entertainer, whose real name is James Todd Smith, landed blockbuster roles in films such as Charlie’s Angels, Deep Blue Sea, Any Given Sunday, Last Holiday and Halloween: H2O. He’s also graced the small screen on shows like his former hit series “In The House” and the crime-fighting drama “NCIS: Los Angeles.” Speaking of acting, the rap legend recently asked if he should do a movie based on his life. On Jan. 12, he tweeted, “Should I do a biopic?” Many fans responded, “Yes,” and one actor revealed he would love to star in the role if the chance presented itself. REVOLT reported on Jan. 14 that Mack Wilds was interested in playing the “Luv U Better” hitmaker in an autobiography film. https://www.revolt.tv/article/2023-01-16/267196/ll-cool-j-plans-to-release-new-album-this-year/?fbclid=IwAR1Dez4cwEqo_YHS2HrHhXWlL70Rn8H2iz9fGyr0qtgliy5eigoOtEkw4Ho

Not that anyone doubted it, but Eddie did confirm he loves Will when being interviewed after his weak joke.

How hasn't this been brought up earlier? When Eminem was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he goes down a long list of artists he calls "teachers" and "rock stars" who influenced him, and who he hopes will be considered to be inducted. He says many wouldn't be here without them and that this night was theirs just as much as it was his. You'll hear him mention DJ Jazzy Jeff + Fresh Prince at 14.44, and the crowd responds.

Watch a rare Rap City interview from 1988 with Will Smith Isaac semple SUN 1ST JAN 2023 18.00 GMT Although Will Smith is primarily renowned for being an actor, many people in hip-hop also know him to be a competent rapper. Although several of his records within the genre were commercial and extremely radio-friendly, he still put out his fair share of music. From ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’ to ‘Summertime’, Smith and his discography undoubtedly have a place in the hip hop history books. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Smith was an aspiring rapper before he was an actor. He first garnered attention as part of the hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. The latter was his stage name. The pair landed a number of top 20 hits in the US and UK before Smith transitioned into the world of acting. The songs that they produced were fun and light-hearted hip hop songs, perfect for children and for the family. The West-Philadelphia duo even earned Grammy nominations. Their most well-known hits include the likes of, ‘Parents Just Don’t Understand’ and ‘Summertime’. The former earned the act a Grammy Award for ‘Best Rap Performance’ in 1989. Both Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff (real name Jeffrey Townes) would continue to make music together until 1994, selling over five million albums. As a rising star and a vibrant popular young personality in 1990, American television network NBC approached Smith about perhaps featuring in a sitcom based loosely around him and his life. The show became a massive hit among the African-American community in the ’90s, and as result, Smith decided that perhaps his future was in the world of acting. Already a known name, it didn’t take the actor long to land his first movie role, which would be alongside Martin Lawrence in the 1995 film Bad Boys. Featuring two of the biggest African-American actors of the decade, the film grossed $141.4 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing that year. From here, Smith’s career snowballed, with each role getting bigger and bigger. However, as a result of having such a vast filmography, fans tend to forget that his entrance into the world of film was a result of being a musician. In 1988, Will Smith appeared alongside his partner Jazzy Jeff on ‘Rap City’, where they were interviewed about Philadelphia’s hip hop scene. You can watch the interview in the video below. https://hiphophero.com/watch-a-rare-rap-city-interview-from-1988-with-will-smith/?fbclid=IwAR0FcF3Uwk3WJOZDns3mrh0QDIVYNp4iBaCue_M3MeXyqHCNYyDtQl5B9qw

I don't really care what people think, so if a conversation comes up where it makes sense to bring him up, I will. I don't know anybody who's been overly critical of him like you'll see in some online comments.

https://myrapverse.com/how-2pac-dmx-almost-joined-forces-on-death-row-records/?fbclid=IwAR3WFseVXSkEqQtl1Xe9_kzTSkypHdNQqLUa6Qzotk3kWqwCHtBFfwp2fPE How 2Pac & DMX Almost Joined Forces on Death Row Records DJ Skandalous Last updated: 12/20/22 at 9:43 PM The Year is 1994. 2Pac is filming his iconic Basketball/Hood Classic Movie “Above The Rim”. During this time 2Pac was still apart of Interscope Records. During a meet-up in New York, Pac met with Suge Knight. The two knew each other before their iconic Death Row days, as Suge got 2Pac to do a track for the “Murder Was The Case Soundtrack”. Suge ended up paying $200K for the song “Life’s So Hard”. The original track was not released however it was re-worked by 2Pac and Snoop. This song would later be enhanced further in 1997 for the Gang Related Soundtrack. The seeds for Suge signing 2Pac was already set in place before 2Pac would be incarcerated. During this time, Suge also met with Irv Gotti and The Ruff Ryders in an attempt to sign DMX, Swizz Beatz, Irv Gotti and their crew to Death Row Records. The founders of Ruff Ryder Entertainment Joaquin “Waah”, Darin “Dee” and Chivon Dean spoke on the matter. They said that they were close to signing, but the deal was not in their favor and they feared that their rappers would get slighted in the partnership with Ruff Ryder producers having to mainly produce for Westcoast artist instead of focusing on their team from Yonkers. Swizz Beats also talked about how Suge Knight tried to strong-arm them into a deal. Pictured below are both 2Pac and Suge Knight with the Ruff Ryders in 1994. DMX however was not pictured here. There are several reports that Death Row again tried to sign them in 1995 and even flew them out to a LA Hotel which Pac was at and that 2Pac was supposed to speak to DMX about the East Coast drama. This meeting could have further solidified Death Row into a Music Powerhouse of the 90s. Signing DMX and Ruff Ryders would have also been ideal for the iconic music label seeing how they had plans to create a sub-label called “Death Row East” in 1997. This expansion into New York would have positioned Eric B. as its President and Craig Mack and Bootcamp Clique as their first signings. However, 2Pac never came downstairs as he was too busy with several meetings taking place which could have prevented these parties from joining forces. DMX would later go on to diss 2Pac on several Freestyles and unreleased records in 1996. These lyrics would be used later on by DMX on his first album “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” for the classic 1998 track “Get At Me Dog” with the 2Pac lines replaced. It’s debatable if this was DMX just trying to get attention because if 2Pac responded to anyone it would blow them up, or if DMX felt slighted about Pac not coming down to the hotel lobby to meet them. Either way, Ruff Ryders probably made the best choice they could make. But DMX, Irv Gotti and Swizz Beatz with Pac on Death Row would have been legendary

https://allhiphop.com/news/rap-legend-grand-daddy-i-u-dies-at-54/ Rap Legend Grand Daddy I.U. Dies At 54 By: Houston WilliamsCategory: NewsDecember 13, 2022 RIP Grand Daddy I.U.! Telegram (Opens in new window)Rapper, producer and media host Grand Daddy I.U. has died suddenly. The 54-year-old Hip-Hop legend passed away, for unknown reasons at the time this report was published. Several sources confirmed the passing with AllHipHop and the news spread quickly. DJ Chuck Chillout, who was a friend of the rapper, helped break the news to the masses on his Facebook account. They were hanging out recently in late November. Grand Daddy I.U. was an MC that emerged in the late 80s to become one of the leading artist on iconic label Cold Chillin’ Records. The late Biz Markie played an instrumental role in his signing after he received Grand Daddy I.U.’s demo tape from his peer’s brother. I.U.’s debut album, Smooth Assassin, produced a pair of hit records. “Something New” his No. 11 on the charts and “Sugar Free” peaked at No. 9. Grand Daddy I.U. continued to make his mark in Hip-Hop, as a rapper and a producer in the 1990s. He also did a lot of ghost writing. He released a sophomore album in 1994 called Lead Pipe. He produced for Das EFX, Heltah Skeltah, KRS-One, Ice-T, and others. He frequently would appear at AllHipHop events too. Most recently he was doing work as a media personality and conducted interviews that were popularly promoted on Facebook. Rest in peace Grand Daddy I.U.

This is probably the most comprehensive tribute. They missed a few, but it's eye opening to see how many Hip-Hop artists we've lost. STETASONIC - Fallen Soldiers (2022)

DMC - Bad Guy (2022)

ICE CUBE - Hood Robbin' (2022)

Ever since this stupid song, The Game has been making bold, silly accusations and just generally acting weird. He's trying to reach Kanye status.

I've learned the very first song they wrote was for another group; Celebrity Club.

I was today years old when I learned that Kid N' Play originally went by the name Fresh Force or The Fresh Force Crew back in 1986, before blowing up as Kid N' Play in 1987. This is classic mid-80's Hip-Hop. Their stage names were Kid Coolout and Playboy then. I figured a few people would want to hear these. Here are the songs they recorded under the original name...

The posts are on brand. I don't think I want to see him go back to the same level as he was once doing, as I found it impossible to keep up with everything, but I do think using it correctly until his next big project will be ideal.

It's good to see him out, like he's not trying to stay in seclusion. I also like Will Packer chiming in. There will always be the petty type who are going to hold some kind of grudge against him, but I think the tide is turning and a lot of people are realizing that this is just something that happened.

It's kind of sad. An adult with a successful stooping this low. Plus, there's this: https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.72476/title.the-game-eminem-daughter-hailie-bikini-photos#

What are your thoughts. I think the beat is dope, but that's about it. This whole thing seems forced to get some attention. 10 minutes is definitely over the top and unnecessary. I've never listened to a diss track where I didn't react to a single lyric. None of them sting. In fact, the Eminem references I could pick out make this sound more like a love letter to him. I also think dissing him because he's white is very 1999. I'm curious what others think.

I thought it was just a choice. I wasn't thinking it was tied to any movie projects. I kind of doubt that it's tied to Deadshot. With DC films being re-worked, possibly wiped clean, I don't think we'll see any more Suicide Squad projects, at least not the same one he was involved in.

The track listing is out. It's two CDs. I haven't followed Eminem too closely over the years, but I'm pretty sure half of these weren't actual hits. It seems like he could have picked songs from this line up and created a single disc collection that would have been stronger. https://hypebeast.com/2022/8/eminem-curtain-call-2-tracklist-50-cent-beyonce-dr-dre Eminem Unveils 'Curtain Call 2' Tracklist Featuring Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Beyoncé and More Dropping August 5. TEXT BY Sophie Caraan Eminem has unveiled the official tracklist of his upcoming project, Curtain Call 2. The 34-track greatest hits collection is set to include several of his No. 1 hits including “Love The Way You Lie” and “The Monster” featuring Rihanna, and “Crack a Bottle” with 50 Cent and Dr Dre, along with more recent releases such as “Godzilla” featuring the late Juice WRLD. Fans can also look forward to Em’s unreleased 50 Cent collab titled “Is This Love (‘09),” which is supposedly produced by Dr. Dre. Curtain Call 2 will mark the rapper’s second greatest hits project, with the first Curtain Call becoming the first hip-hop record to spend a full decade on the Billboard 200. Take a look at the full tracklist below. Curtain Call 2 drops August 5.

I'm not sure how to take this. My thoughts are that Chris Rock has lost all respect for Will, and therefore doesn't think it's worth talking to him, or doesn't care that it would give Will some sort of closure. It could also be that doing so might put him in a position to discuss the joke he made.

CHRIS ROCK REPORTEDLY IS “FINE” AND “DOESN’T NEED TO TALK” TO WILL SMITH SHAWN GRANT AUGUST 2, 2022 In his apology video, Will Smith revealed that representatives for Chris Rock said the famed comedian was not ready to speak to him. In an update, PEOPLE magazine reveals that Rock feels he never needs to speak to Smith about the matter. “Chris doesn’t need to talk. This is clearly something that bothers Will more than Chris,” a source stated. “Will needs to deal with his issues. Chris is fine.” A second source added, “The fact that he is making jokes about it already is a good thing. That means he is assessing it. But the stress of the slap and the aftermath has not taken over his life. Quite the opposite.” On Friday, Will Smith released a video on social media apologizing formally to Chris Rock for the Oscars slap and also answering some pressing questions from fans. While in Atlanta at The Fox Theatre hours later, Chris Rock didn’t directly mention the video but did make a comparison joke between Will Smith and Suge Knight. “Everybody is trying to be a ****ing victim,” Rock said, according to PEOPLE. “If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims. Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith … I went to work the next day, I got kids.” He added, “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.” In the video, Smith apologized to Rock and his family members. He would go on to apologize to other winners during the night. Smith also stated he reached out to Chris Rock’s team, who responded, “he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out.” https://thesource.com/2022/08/02/chris-rock-reportedly-is-fine-and-doesnt-need-to-talk-to-will-smith/

He handled it well. He was genuine and remorseful. His charisma and spark was absent, which was probably appropriate. There may be more to say about this, but if he's ready, he should do something to remind people why they love(d) him.

Thank God for Will.I.Am. I roll my eyes because all the "hip-hop" groups on Facebook celebrate the same rappers. It's also 2Pac, Biggie, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, Snoop, Ice Cube, Eminem etc. There's nothing wrong with them...and I like their music, but the mainstream is so simple minded with such a narrow taste. I like hearing someone praising artists that don't rely on violence/drugs/sex subject matter and explicit lyrics.

https://thesource.com/2022/07/27/will-i-am-says-that-biggie-and-2pacs-music-doesnt-speak-to-my-spirit-reveals-what-artists-he-listens-to/ WILL.I.AM SAYS THAT BIGGIE AND 2PAC’S MUSIC DOESN’T “SPEAK TO MY SPIRIT,” REVEALS WHAT ARTISTS INSPIRED HIM DYLAN KEMP JULY 27, 2022 While 2Pac and Biggie are referred to as two of the greatest, if not the greatest rappers of all time, there is a group of people who might have liked their music, but not as much as others. Will.i.am is in that group of people. In a recent interview with Hip Hop Confessions, the Black Eyed Peas co-founder said that 2Pac and Biggies type of music “doesn’t speak to my spirit.” “Like when people say 2Pac and Biggie, I’m such a Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul head that I don’t like 2Pac and Biggie,” the 47-year-old explained. “That kind of music doesn’t speak to my spirit. I like Boogie Down Productions, KRS-One, I like—if it’s like, 2Pac or Biggie? It’s KRS-One. Why those two?” Will.i.am added that 2Pac and Big spoke to the projects whereas De La Soul and ATCQ was his escape from the projects. “I hold Eric B. and Rakim like that. 2Pac’s dope—don’t get me wrong,” he said. “It’s not like I don’t think he’s dope. It spoke to the projects. My escape is De La/Tribe out the projects.” Will.i.am added,“It took me out the projects physically, as far as being able to reach my dreams, that was my path out. … It kept me safe while I was in the projects,” he said. “Had I loved 2Pac and Biggie while I was in the projects, I probably would have been stuck in the projects still.” You can check out his full comments below.

I didn't find out about this song until a couple years ago and I'm pretty sure we never talked about it on the board. In 2009, Tiye Phoenix put out her album "Half Woman, Half Amazin'". I got the album recently and it's excellent. The song "Master Plan" is produced, mixed, and co-written by Jeff.