As TRUbians I’m assuming you’re all aware and comprehend the concept of “the grill” as far as it goes concerning rappers and their teeth, but DID you know how far back these blinding displays of excessive wealth go?

(Relatively) advanced dentistry allowed Native Americans to add bling to their teeth as far back as 2,500 years ago – way before Flav, Rick The Ruler, Paul Wall and the sorts got around to doing it. Ancient peoples of southern North America went to “dentists” to beautify their teeth with semiprecious gems, according to a recent analysis of thousands of teeth examined from collections in Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (such as the skull above, found in Chiapas, Mexico). Read the rest of this entry »

VIBE’s Top 50 Rap Blogs list is far from perfect, but I commend VIBE for making it as diverse as possible. My only gripe (besides the obvious “whoa, hey! WTF is Kanye’s ghostblogger doing at No.2) is that some of my favorites, (e.g.Prohiphop) didn’t make the cut. I know, I know, they only had room for 50 and glossy paper is expensive.

Mighty congrats to Eskay, Gotty, Ian, Ivan, Joey, and the other 44 superbloggers on the list. Most importantly, congrats to you TRUbians for 4 years of steadfast awesomeness.

• Vibe’s Contorted Top 50 Hip Hop Blogs

Nahshon joined the team last week and he’s already stirring up a ruckus. Nay loves hip-hop. He’s a talented writer. And he doesn’t mind coloring outside the lines. Just how we like our TRUbians.

To learn more about Nahshon, hop on over to his other home, ReviewStacks.com.
Read the rest of this entry »

[Thanks, Yellow Rebel]

Allow me to introduce you to Andrew Schweizer, a self-described “hooligan with words.” He’s your new neighborhood co-blogger and together we will attempt to shatter the sarcasm-o-meter. Andrew is already off to a good start, comparing the musical stylings of Nicki Minaj with Jean Grae. He also threw up a Notorious DVD giveaway (to win you over, perhaps?)

Check out Andrew’s body of work at Review Stacks. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s funny how you go scouring for a new Lil Wayne story and stumble upon something totally outrageous. Apparently, MTV and VH1 have launched a new Internet cult they’re fancy-calling MTVN Thirtysomethings Tribe. This is allegedly a network of websites, anchored by VH1.com.

Peep game:

“The Thirtysomethings Tribe is a collection of sites targeted at women and men in the prime of their lives and offers them the best of pop culture, style, and trends, movies, and music. All of the sites in the Tribe are hand picked for their high quality content and design.”

So yeah, The Rap Up has officially sold out. [MTVN Thirtysomethings Tribe]

As explained earlier, one lucky TRUbian will receive a free CD every week because I’m cooler than the other side of the pillow. This is how it works: You, the law-abiding citizens of TRU Nation, will nominate your favorite comments posted this week. I’ll then pick one overall winning comment from the list of nominees, which you shall provide in the comment box below starting right now.

UPDATE: And the winner is…J to the AAP
Comment: “Whenever he hears this song Kanye is sitting the f*ck down.”
Thread: Doom – “Gazzillion Ear” (Thom Yorke Remix)

Congratulations, J! You’ve won yourself a copy of The RZA’s Afro Samurai Resurrection Soundtrack and a surprise bonus CD.

I figured that since I’ve been bragging to everyone in Twitteronia about the unparalleled superiority of The Rap Up commenters, I might as well do something to reward you chicas for your ingenuity. So, allow me to introduce you to Trubian of the Week, a new TRU Nation staple which comes with the unattractive prize of 1 FREE CD for the overall weekly winner. That’s it for now. We shall reconvene on Friday, at which point you’re welcome to nominate your favorite comments posted anytime during the previous 7-day cycle for a shot at the ultimate prize.