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Category: News
Don Cannon Named Def Jam A&R VP

The Cannon! Don Cannon has been appointed as Def Jam’s Vice President A&R. Cannon will be based in Atlanta and work in conjunction with head A&R, Karen Kwak and President & COO, Steve Bartels. Says Cannon: “A music person can only dream about being at Def Jam, the most important  hip-hop destination in the world. I feel I have a cutting edge vision for where the culture and hip-hop are heading and I’m excited to be joining the team.  I’m already working […]

Ellen Grossman Reviews Jay-Z Album

Hey, it’s the old lady from the train again! Last fall, Ellen Grossman met Jay-Z on the R line en route to the Barclays Center. She was recently invited to the MTV offices to break down his latest set, Magna Carta Holy Grail. “It sounds like he’s really going deep into his heart and into fatherhood and even the meaning of fame. “[He’s saying] that the money’s nice, but there’s life beyond that, that he’s exploring. I picked that up from the papers […]

Yasiin Bey Force Fed As Gitmo Prisoner

As-salamu alaykum. Ramadan begins today and during the month-long observance, Muslims abstain from food. Islamic leaders from are calling for the Obama administration to cease force feeding at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. In the video above, Mos Def demonstrates how the procedure is administered. Now would be a good time to put away breakfast. guardian

Wondagurl On Magna Carta Holy Grail

Hov isn’t the youngest person on Magna Carta Holy Grail. 16 year old producer Wondagurl produced “Crown” on the album and spoke to MTV about how the track landed in Jay-Z’s lap. I was at home one day and I was looking for reggae samples for a while and I finally found this one that was crazy, Sizzla ‘Solid as a Rock,’” she told MTV News of the first steps she took to cook up the beat for Hov’s “Crown” […]