Rap Radar

Yayo tells BET that for his next album, he’s opting to go the independent route. But even if all goes as planned, Yayo says he wouldn’t sign to Koch (E1 Records). Back in 2007, 50 Cent called the label a graveyard.

My dude Robbie is not a fan of 2010 rap. But instead of just bitchin’ about it like most of youse, he put together a collection of hip-hop he thinks you should be listening to. Hosted by mixtape master Doo Wop, this is heavy East Coast underground and commemorates the Unkut site’s sixth year in existence. *YN salutes* Download here and tracklist on the other side.

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As part of Roc4Life‘s hip-hop pioneer series, the site spoke with Video Music Box creator, “Uncle” Ralph McDaniels. Spanning more than two decades, the program is groundbreaking for showcasing the latest and greatest in hip-hop culture.

Truthfully, I’ve been meaning to post this one day since we launched RR. This is a rare freestyle Rae did for the promo cassette that dropped before the release of OB4CL. Damn this takes me back. Make like Sir Too $hort and spark one up. Ha.

T.R.O.Y.

A.J. Calloway formerly of 106 & Park, pushes Beyoncé’s buttons after repeatedly asking her about starting a family. Afterward, she reveals that she murked her alter ego, Sasha Fierce.

The Bay Area legend is back with the first release off his all-digital April 6 album release. Too bad he produced it. This is simply a pretty lackluster weed anthem. But I’ll give the OG a pass.

Grand Good

Uncle Bun recently ditched Warner Bros for greener pastures at Universal. The Undergound King’s next album Trill O.G. doesn’t have a solid release date, but he hopes to drop it this Spring. Drake, Jamie Foxx, Young Jeezy, Trey Songz, DJ Premier, and the Neptunes are all on board. He also has something else up his sleeve. “I got a song that’s just kinda crazy,” he said. “All I can tell you is that it’s a legendary song; literally it’s three legends on this song. Two of them is hip-hop and one of them is a cultural icon”. Any guesses?

XXL

A few months ago, Jay stopped by our neighbors at Rockstar Games and tested their new music software, Beaterator. On the spot, he created this funky track. Some things are better left unreleased.

Touré sat with Raekwon on last night’s airing of the Hip Hop Shop. The Chef spoke on the writing process of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, Wu-Massacre, and the late ODB. Peep the rest of the footage under the break.

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Prince returned to his hometown of Minneapolis and gave local radio station, 89.3 The Current, the green light to premiere his new song. It’s a radio rip, but you get the gist of it.

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