Last summer, Maino became the first rookie since Fabolous to bring a platinum plaque back to Bedford Stuyvesant. In his singature chant, Maino declared, “Take a look, and you can tell that I am destined for greatness”. And with the help of T-Pain and Just Blaze’s boom bap, “All The Above” unexpectedly became a seasonable anthem. Disagree? Hi, hater! Before: RR’s ’09 Best Singles: #8 Snoop Dogg “I Wanna Rock”

Apparently Pretty Boy Floyd and Officer Ricky did bump heads in Sin City over the weekend. If these stills are any indication, things got testy. Footage should surface soon. Hang Hang: 57th Ave

Just Blaze let loose N.O.R.E.’s rendition of Jay Elechanukkah’s underground favorite. War Report 2 coming this year…we hope. UPDATE: Now with video from 57th Ave.

If inspiration comes in many forms, look no further than Drake and Trey Songz’s “Successful”. Though the song appears on Trey’s latest album Ready, the cut was first heard on Drake’s mixtape So Far Gone. Over 40’s nimble snare, the tandem seek direction in their pursuit of happiness. Remember: the money, the cars, the clothes, the hoes are all a nigga knows…I suppose. Before: RR’s ’09 Best Singles: #10 Jay Electronica “Exhibit C”

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.4385698&w=425&h=350&fv=configParams%3Dinstance%253Dnews%2526vid%253D468635] Proudcer Zaytoven tells MTV that La Flare’s incarceration has helped improved his lyrical abilities. “He’s still doing his shining and iced-out thing, but the raps now got more lyrical,” Zay promised. “He’s in jail, so he’s really putting more thoughts in his raps, more lyrical content. He’s coming with a whole lot of different ideas. Rather than just party music or trap music, he’s coming with a lot of strong ideas and lyrical content in his stuff. It […]

MelD Joe invests in himself on this new track. J.Cardim on the beat. Budden’s heart on his sleeve. OS

This sounds like a blend from hell. Sorry, but some things should be left alone. If rehashing Biggie vocals and Jay-Z’s “Where I’m From” weren’t bad enough, Puff took it a step further by coating it with an Auto-Tune-like vocal effect. Now to make matters worse, Ricky hopped on the remix. My heart can’t take no moooreeee. This song won’t go away! Before: RR’s 09 Worst Singles #2 Ron Browz “Jumping Out The Window”

It’s a no brainer. Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 takes the gold for best album of 2009. Let’s talk facts: Last summer, Hov’s “D.O.A.” eradicated Auto-Tune while “Empire State of Mind” rejuvenated everyone’s spirits in the fall. Meanwhile, Kid Cudi’s melodies buoyed “Already Home” and “A Star Is Born” introduced us to one of the game’s promising upstarts. Elsewhere, Jigga found solace on “Real As It Gets” but still took time out to address you “Haters”. Just another great template from Roc’s […]

One of hip-hop’s prominent producers Ron “Pop Champagne” Browz tried his hand at rap early last year and spawned his second regional hit, “Jumping Out The Window”. In all its awful Auto-Tune glory, NY radio ate it up. Personally, it made me throw up. From the window to wall, thank God for Ron’s timely fall. Universal failure. Before: RR’s ’09 Worst Singles: #3 Busta Rhymes x T-Pain “Hustler’s Anthem ’09”

Game flaunts an ice grill on the January/February issue of The Source. Mean mug to the newsstand January 20th.