Rap Radar

While discussing the creative process of her debut Pinky Friday, Nicki says she initially wanted to hold off until next year to release the album. She also touches Lil Wayne’s impending release in November and explains her alter egos. Crazy lady.

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Clap along with the latest leak off Ne-Yo’s upcoming album, Libra Scale. This one isn’t bad at all. Album drops October 5th. Video even sooner.

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A few weeks ago, we premiered Ralph Folarin’s More About Nothing mixtape. Over more than 100k downloads later, he explains to 1515 his experience recording the project and notes a couple of his favorite tracks.

“The MC.” “You have to listen to this record. It’s not because I feel it’s the strongest song, but my whole brand is about fly stuff. Women, clothes, hip-hop culture. Everybody from Diddy to Jay — I hate to name-drop — they talk about the show. ‘Have you seen the show? Wale’s live show?’ One day I was in Diddy’s crib and he said, ‘The song is cool, but everybody talks about the live show.’ So I got in the studio and said, how can I make the song feel like a live show? So that’s how ‘The MC’ was created. It defines me. A lot of energy, spittin’. We’re gonna use that song for a lot of years to come.”

“The Friends ‘n’ Strangers.” “Friends are like seasons a little bit,” Wale explains. “It’s kinda talking about a personal relationship I had with one of my friends in the industry. And a relationship I had about two or three years ago with a lady I was kinda real close to. I was feeling pressure to be in a serious relationship when I just needed that moral support.”

Sidebar: New freestyle over Gyptian.

Palm trees, bikinis, fancy cars. It’s all here in Bobby V’s new visual featuring Plies. Didn’t know Jazze Pha was still all up in the videos. Might be time for him to, um, phone home.

Yelawolf breaks the sound barrier with this freestyle for True Stories Radio. Listen carefully. Below is his interview.

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As part of Live Nation Australia’s inaugural launch, the concert promoters have added Jay-Z as a special guest to U2′s 360 tour this November. The show will kick off on the 25th at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland and end December 18th at the Subiaco Oval in Western Australia. Beautiful day!

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At this rate, maybe Bun should consider running for office. Hey, everyone’s doing it. Anyway, PUSH! Montana spliced J.Cole and Dom Kennedy’s verses for an official remix. This gets our vote!

Diddy says he’s gotten a bad rap. In the August/September issue of VIBE, the Bad Boy founder claims there’s a stigma placed upon him as a label boss.

….There’s an off perception that needs to be addressed about me that I have ever robbed somebody or mistreated somebody. Or tried to be ruthless or whatever in this game. Like, all this year I’ve heard people say, “Where’s Carl Thomas, where’s Black Rob, where’s G.Dep? Where are these artists?” And for some reason they go ahead and equate that, cause those artists aren’t with me, that I’ve done something wrong or malicious or conniving. It’s something that I do have a problem with because they don’t have no proof that I’ve ever done nothing like that.

Does this really bother you, because you’ve talked about this before.
It’s a misconception. Especially someone who’s been brought up like me. I’ve been brought up to work hard for mine and never take from nobody. And to always try and help people. But people don’t understand this game that were in. You have a short life expectancy. It’s rare to a me, to be a Jay-Z, an LL, a Nas. That shit is a rarity. That’s not even one percent of the rappers. If you look at any artists that were on Ruff Ryders, where they at? If you look at any artist that was on Def Jam at the time we started, where they at? If you look at any artist that was on Roc-A-Fella, Jive, where they at? It’s not like anything was wrong with them. It’s just that you have a four, five-year average in this game. That’s just something I wanted to address.

Black Milk is releasing the Album Of The Year next month but dropped off this new video today. The clip also features Detroit players, Royce Da 5’9″ and Elzhi. Now, that’s a deadly combination.

Before Eminem takes the field at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, he’s set to perform at the Video Music Awards. Em joked about his doubleheader performance earlier this month.

“Apparently MTV doesn’t care that I have two massive stadium shows on the other side of the country the day after the VMAs. F me, right?!?! I mean, I’ll be there but don’t expect me to be nice about it.”

The ceremony airs September 12th at 9 P.M.