Along with Justin Timberlake, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards with a total of six nominations. The nods include “Thrift Shop” for video of the year, “Can’t Hold Us” up for best Hip-Hop video, “Same Love” for best social message and more. Peep the full list of nominees after the jump. The ceremony takes place August 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Got enough MCs? In celebration of his The Piece Maker 3: Return Of The 50 MCs release last week, Tony Touch invited a handful of the LPs guests to his Toca Tuesday show for a cypher. Listen up.
Co-written by his father Alan Thicke, Robin keeps the feet moving with Blurred Lines‘ latest release. The label sure has been pretty generous with the releases. Get it in full on July 30. ru
During yesterday’s Trayvon Martin rally in L.A., cops briefly cuffed the rapper after they suspected he was brandishing a firearm, then released him after they realized he wasn’t strapped. Bullets Rappers ain’t go name. tmz
Slaughterhouse returned to New York’s Highline Ballroom yesterday. During the show, Joe Budden, Crooked I and Royce Da 5’9″ gave a first live rendition of No Love Lost‘s 8th track.
Mac Miller held court at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom last night. ScHooboy Q hit the stage for their collabo, “Gees”. After the jump, Q’s fellow Black Hippy, Ab-Soul joined Mac for “Matches”.
Constant drinking and love songs aren’t such bad combination after fall. This week, J.Cole’s lead single, “Power Trip” has crossed the one million mark. Congratulations to the entire Dreamville team. Download Born Sinner here.
In Jay’s recent interview with Zane Lowe, he explained a brief fallout between him and Timbo after Blueprint 3. In Revolt’s new clip, Tim speaks on the subject and says he’s written an apology verse.
After going head-to-toe with Nick, Mac hit the stage during last night’s episode of Wild N’ Out. He closed out the show with “Matches”. “S.D.S.” after the jump. Watch it with the sound on.
Numbers don’t lie—or do they? Despite Billboard not counting Jay-Z’s million seller, the tangible edition of Magna Carta Holy Grail has sold approximately 528,208 copies. If the number holds up, this will mark Hov’s 13th number one album. Watch out Paul, John, George, and Ringo; he’s on your ass. Pause. Final tally tomorrow. UPDATE: 527,000 copies sold. Oh, what a feeling!
Great breakdown of Statik Selektah’s *Round Trip*! Honestly, this 2023 Mass Appeal release is pure boom-bap bliss from start to finish. Statik really outdid himself with those smooth, jazzy sample flips and turntable scratches, creating the exact kind of laid-back, golden-era hip-hop vibe you want playing in the background while relaxing at Denmark holiday cottages over a quiet weekend. The guest list alone is stacked—having legends like Posdnous kicking things off on the opener "Round Trip (For Dave)" alongside heavy hitters like Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Inspectah Deck on "Unpredictable" makes every track feel like a proper event. Even the newer-school features like Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, and Joey Bada$$ fit effortlessly over the dusty, soulful production without a single wasted verse. Definitely one of his most cohesive projects in years and an easy front-to-back spin for anyone who appreciates real hip-hop craftsmanship.