[Photo via: Sherrie]
The 29th installment of our Rizoh’s Radio series is here. I broke my tradition of restricting the compilation to mostly new songs by including a few dated tracks, such as Saigon’s “Believe It.” It’s just a terribly catchy song and I figured some people would appreciate its inclusion. See full tracklist and download link below.
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Here’s the video for Skillz’ “So Far So Good,” taken from Million Dollar Backpack.
Music video for Talib Kweli’s “Eat to Live,” from 2007’s Ear Drum.
So, Tha Carter III took a humongous 70% dip the 2nd week on Billboard. How do you go from 1.1 million in one week to 350k the next? I guess that confirms my suspicion that Wayne’s label bought half of those CDs to give people the perception that Tha Carter III is a must-have album. We all know that much of the music industry — not just hip-hop — thrives on perception. Of course I’m recklessly speculating here, but it’s not entirely impossible. Hell, everyone I talked to prior to Carter III’s release either owned a bootleg or had no interest in picking up the album.
So, who bought all those CDs?
My people over The Smoking Section were privileged enough to get a peek into Game’s L.A.X. album at a listening session. In a nut shell, the album features a plethora of guests and a little less name-dropping. Take a moment and go read their early verdict on L.A.X.
AC – “Ching-a-Ling” (Freestyle) (The Rap Up Exclusive)
As part of his Attack of the Blogs campaign, AC drops some fresco bars over Missy Elliott’s “Ching-a-Ling” beat, while shouting out The Rap Up.
You just have to hand it to AC — this Attack of the Blogs operation is pure genius. He could’ve easily dispatched tracks to countless random rap sites like he’s been doing in the past, and like many other up and comers often do. Instead, he opted for a different approach this time: research sites that specifically dig his style of music and hit them up directly with the idea. I’m not deserving of the “top” blogger label you see in that flyer, but I’m glad to lend my support to his cause.
It’s a no-brainer. 20 cool bloggers get the honor of sharing exclusives with their readers. AC gains sustainable publicity. Audiences get acquainted with a fresh hip-hop wordsmith and free music. Not to mention the chance to win free gear. (Enlarge flyer for contest details) Everybody wins. And he didn’t even have to study the 10 PR Commandments.
Uncle Todd compared the new Def Jam administration to the refurbished Lakers crew in the recent issue of Billboard magazine. This past season, Lakers brought in Pau Gasol as an able supplement to their one-man attacking machine, Kobe Bryant. Jay-Z, you might recall, resigned as Def Jam prez last December. Shakir Stewart was hired to replace him (well, sort of).
Uncle Todd was asked about his beef with Jay-Z for the umpteenth time. For the first time, he had something disturbing (albeit interesting) to say.
“Regarding my comments about Def Jam, if I make the world’s worst record and you accept it, then your responsibility is to promote it. If you think it’s the world’s worst record and you can’t promote it, then don’t accept it. I never made my views a personal attack on anybody at Def Jam, or tried to degrade anyone’s reputation. I’m just glad that there’s been a regime change. It feels like the new Lakers.”
The new Lakers? Eh, this is one comparison LL might want to stay away from. The new Lakers lost the championship to the new Celtics. Then again, it’s possible that he granted this interview back when Lakers were favored to beat the Celts. Magazines usually have crazy editorial lead times that can range anywhere from 1 month to 3 months.
Still, isn’t it time to let bygones be bygones and focus on the future?
One of the West’s best lyricists, Ras Kass is gearing up for a comeback album.
Institutionalized Vol. 2 arrives on August 5th. Mark your calendars.
