Last night me and a gang of media folks paid a visit to R.Kelly’s pad on the outskirts of Chicago. As Miss Info stated, Kellz’s crib looks more like a fortress than a humble abode. Camera’s and cell phones weren’t permitted inside (how’d ya do it Minya?!) but as you enter his his living room, there’s a stage adjacent to his music awards.

After several minutes, Kelly emerged and encouraged us to make ourselves at home. Once dinner and drinks were served, he premiered his new video with Keri Hilson. Before playing the album, he jumped on his coffee table and proposed a toast. With a cigar in his left hand, he hoisted a glass of his concoction “Sex In The Kitchen” and said “May the best part of our past, be the worst part of our future”. Right on cue, Untitled began.

Sonically, the album is more rump shakin’ than baby makin’. Kellz means well with cuts like “Elsewhere”, “Echo”, and “Be My Number 2”, but falls short elsewhere with Auto-Tune (“Crazy Night”) and sluggish songwriting, (“Text Me”). Don’t expect “Bangin’ The Headboard” to wake up the neighbors.

Once the LP was complete, I confronted him about the direction of the album. I can’t front, I was a lil’ disappointed. He snickered and admitted to making his kids to his own songs. He said that he felt like [Muhammad] Ali and that this album was just “a jab”. He promised me that his follow up, Zodiac would be a reversion of 12 Play and TP2.com  *crosses fingers*

Before our depature, he gave us a tour of his in-house studio. With platinum plaques lining its corridor, he talked about working with Michael Jackson and his creative process. In case you ain’t no so, Kellz writes with the hand that don’t write too. In parting, he said that on Untitled he really did his homework. Where’s a hungry dog when you need one.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.866692&w=425&h=350&fv=] Ain’t no party like a Meth and Red party cuz a Red and Meth party don’t stop! The blunt brothers tore down Cali’s Mezzanine a coupla nights ago. No UGK? It’s ok, they got it poppin’! Props: Know The Ledge

As if 60 Minutes wasn’t enough, Russell Rush got M.V. to cry out to the Black folks who don’t watch the television news magazine. Grab your hanky, here he goes again. 

“Sitting in a prison cell didn’t make me feel remorse.  It was meeting so many animal lovers, speaking with them and looking them in their eyes. Staring at them.  Looking so deep into their eyes that I began to feel their pain. Allowing that pain to enter into my body is when I started to understand how bad it really was.   I have been trying hard to connect with people who feel this pain,because for my whole life I was disconnected from the suffering of animals.  And you might say, “come on Mike, how could you do those things to those dogs?”  And you’re right…I ask myself those questions every day.  What kind of person does this?  How does a human-being treat dogs or any animal with such pain and cruelty? And the hard part for me is the answer to these questions. Because the answer is ME.”

Well Played: Global Grind 

Personally, YN is on his Chocolate Milk shit.

Update: You’re a fake?

All of a sudden, the Pied Piper is everywhere. Here’s the R. Keri video. Plus the final official tracklisting. And fuck it, get your tickets to the fall tour. Not to mention the flossy festivities that went down last night in the Chi where all the Internet and magazine kings and queens were stripped of their phones and flip cams and invited into Kells’ mansion to hear the new album. Hopefully B.Dot won’t be too jet lagged to share his […]

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.866693&w=425&h=350&fv=] In the latest segment of Drizzy’s sitdown with Sway, he discusses all his famous friends who have urged him to sit his half-Jewish ass down and how he finally made peace with his hometown. Show Drake some respect when you see him, you T-Dot chumps. Props: 1515 Boys Also as he tweeted below. The surgery is now goin’ down after Labor Day. Word to Toronto.

Guess Poppa Joe finally wasn’t lying for once. MJ will indeed be laid to rest on August 29th at the famous burial site, Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Pretty crazy that it’s taken this long. Thankfully, his brain will be included.

Props: Rolling Stone 

Update: According to TMZ, his final resting place is in the Great Mausoleum section of the park. No go for public viewings.

Vh1 has resurrected their popular series, Behind The Music and have thankfully added a lil hip-hop flavor. Lil Wayne gets the superstar treatment on Sept 10 and the following month, 50 Cent is honored on Oct 13. There are rumors Before I Self Destruct will be released around that time to coincide. YN was interviewed for both these joints, we’ll see if I make the final cut, with all the crazy hateful shit I spewed. Ha! Just playin’. Props: Def […]

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.866687&w=425&h=350&fv=] The latest in D-Nice‘s excellent series features the lead MC of Cypress Hill breakin’ down their breakthrough hit, “How I Could Just Kill A Man”. Didn’t know the lyrics were originally from 3 different songs merged into one. B-Real also breaks down Latinos fight for respect in rap, the enduring power of hip-hop and the current status of his crew. Keep doin’ ya thing, Derrick.

C’mon MC. All this nonsense and now your official single is a cover of Foreigner’s classic, “I Want To Know What Love Is”? Y’all can’t come up with something original? C Lighty talk to me, man.

Props: That Grape Juice via Showbiz 411

Act Like You Know:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz2cUX0CNA8]

Sidebar: Memph Bleek in the house!

{mp3}in my life{/mp3} 

Update: A BET exec ain’t pleased either.

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/6156412] 

I’m really sick of these less than 60 seconds video teasers, but this is to promote Cee-Lo and the crew gettin’ back together for their Sept 19th show in the ATL so it gets a pass. Plus I fucks with the Motion Family. Here Gipp shares his thoughts. Guess each member gets his own shine in the next 3 upcoming promo spots. Yipee.

Props: MG