Rap Radar

Proactiv approved. In related news, Newsweek speculates Ebony is up for sale:

It’s been a year of excruciating decisions for publishing companies—layoffs, pullbacks, closures. Now it appears Johnson Publishing’s chairman and CEO, Linda Johnson Rice, has reached what must have been an agonizing decision: Johnson Publishing is seeking a buyer or investor for its flagship publication, Ebony, in an effort aimed at securing the survival of the nation’s oldest magazine devoted to African-American life. It’s unclear whether the company’s other properties, including Jet, would be part of a possible sale.

These guys may not lip lock in public anymore, but that don’t mean Birdman ain’t got love for his psueodo-biological son. Mo’ tats!

Sidebar: ’82? eskay says no way, Jose.

Props: DGBlog

“The life span of a rapper is three years.”

Sheeeit, even less than that these days. In his first webisode, Joey Crack says that more LP’s are sounding like street releases. He also quips that if hip-hop’s rookies don’t step it up, the game’s going to look like the soup kitchen.

OS

Secret Weapon: DarkNyte

Here’s Soulja Boy gettin’ it in with 5 video chicks including his fiancé friend Ms. No Sex Til 2010. Yeah right.

Below: The trailer to the actual video. This kid’s one lucky bastard.

Props: Omen

Last Friday, James Todd sat next to David Letterman and plugged his new show, NCIS: Los Angeles, his Rock And Roll Hall of Fame nomination, and family life. Crazy to hear LL’s got three teenaged children. After all, he looks like one himself.

Fayetteville’s very own says that when it comes to his rhymes, he tries to follow the blueprint drafted by Jay-Z, Nas, and 2Pac. Good company, I’d say.

Props: X

Previously: J.Cole Speaks On His Production

50′s soldiers speak on the Southside block party. MTV was there. B.Dot wasn’t. RR FAIL.

Previously: 50 Cent Has His South Jamaica, Queens Concert

MTV‘s Hottest MC’s In The Game draft kicks off today, and rounding out the top 10 is Shallah Raekwon. According to the 1515 Boys, this is what The Chef brings to the table:

Why He’s Hot: They’ve got him behind the pot again! Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon the Chef came back to cook up one of the most potent offerings of 2009 with Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, which is the hottest album in the streets right now. And no, the Brain Trust isn’t just overcome with nostalgia — the conceptual Cuban Linx II picks up where its timeless predecessor left off a decade and a half ago. Rae articulates his calm anger and heavy-handed, at times unmerciful underworld regulation with a compellingly clear yet callous delivery. Production-wise, he went for the best: RZA, Dr. Dre, the late J Dilla.

Update: Rae’s reaction.

Mo’ dopeness from the “Common & Friends” shindig this past weekend. Serena’s man lends a hand to Esco as he rips through a couple of classics from Illmatic. Yeah that was a pretty good rap album. Ha! Here’s some real rap shit, Internets.

Like he told Drama in the previous post, Wayne was gonna spend his evening doin’ it big in the 305. New million dollar watch? Check. And yo, get my diamond-encrusted cake in the front!

Props: 305 and Derick G