0 Kanye West Talks "The Pursuit Of Awesomeness" & How He Wants To Remembered When He Dies (Video)

Although I was lucky enough to check out Kanye And Jay-Z when the WTT tour stopped through Detroit, The good folk over at Voyr have been granted a backstage pass to document every step of the way. In this particular clip, Kanye speaks on how he wants to be remembered post-mortem. 

"It’s a pursuit and it’s a responsibility. If people have done things before, you should be able to surpass them. It’s like I’m on the pursuit of awesomeness. Excellence is the bare minimum [...] One of my favorite statements is ‘Not enough time in a life.’ I look at it like you’ve got 100 years on this earth, if you’re lucky. I want to know that when I’m gone there’ll be 10 people that will go up there and grab that mic. I want to know that there are warriors now." - Kanye West

0 Wiz Khalifa Comments On Amber Rose’s Nude Pics

 Over the past few months, several sets of nude Amber Rose pics  leaked online. In a recent interview with Sister 2 Sister Magazine, young Khalifa decided to voice his opinion on the matter:

“I could see if that was what she was doing while I’m with her or something like that and it was in a disrespectful way, but it’s nothing like that. It’s not even, like, the pictures or her past is a raunchy past,” says the rapper in the latest issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine.

“She did what she had to do. There’s plenty of powerful women who overcame that, and that’s what she really is, an example of what work and faith in God, you know what I’m saying, can get you into a positive situation. You can make a positive out of a negative,” he said.

“The biggest misconception about Amber is that she wants attention,” he later continued. “Everybody thinks that she does stuff for attention and that she loves attention, but she’s really, really reserved and shy. She just gets attention ’cause she’s dope.” - Wiz Khalifa

Props Crunktastical

0 J. Cole Speaks on Mixed Reactions To "Work Out", Significance Of Album Title, Radio Politics Etc. (Video)

"You got to play the game to change the game" seems to be the lesson J. Cole has learned. In this exclusive interview with SoulCulture TV, Cole discusses the meaning behind his album title: "Cole World: The Sideline Story", Mixed reactions to his single "Work Out" and balancing street records with pop hits.

0 Beyoncé - "Year of 4" (Documentary)

After falling back from the music scene for about a year, Beyonce has returned with her new album entitled "4" (in Stores now) along with a complementary documentary entitled "Year of 4", which chronicles the young songstresses personal and artistic journey during the making of this album. If nothing else you gotta respect this woman's work ethic!

"Sometimes we don't reach for the stars, sometimes we are satisfied with what people tell us we're supposed to be satisfied with... and I'm just not going for it."
- Beyonce

1 Editorial: The 10 Mixtape Commandments (The Official Guide To Launching A Successful Mixtape Campaign)

The 10 Mixtape Commandments

By Alfred Ashu

The mixtape has become one of the most powerful tools in a musician’s arsenal; it has plucked artists like 50 Cent and Drake from obscurity to the top of the Billboard Charts, re-birthed the career of Chris Brown and helped a slew of others to remain relevant. The mixtape is now one of music’s most championed forms of releasing music as it allows the artist to create and release music that they have a passion for sans the pressure from label executives to deliver bubbly pop records. Every year hundreds of artists (both signed and unsigned) release mixtapes in hopes of revitalizing their careers or duplicating the success of 50 Cent, Drake, Wiz Khalifa or J. Cole, but most mixtapes fall under the radar do to poorly conducted campaigns. Here is the definitive guide to making sure your next mixtape doesn’t go unnoticed!

1. Specific Release Time & Date

Having a specific release date and time makes your mixtape release eventful and builds anticipation. Rather than saying ‘the mixtape drops tomorrow or next week’ assigning your mixtape a more specific release of say, Friday at 7pm, will likely garner much more attention.
2. Standout Cover Art

if your cover art resembles that of the late 90’s Cash Money releases, it may repel potential listeners because unfortunately in rap we do judge albums by their covers.

3. Strategically Leak Songs

"For me it's like being on the street -- you hustling,"..."You come out and you know its a thousand people on the block doing their thing. You gotta get in where you fit in. I might come out with a couple of extra jams just to get my name out -- like, yo, give a couple of fiends something for free, just to let 'em know. 'It's over here. Taste that. Taste that! Taste that and let me know how you feel. Get back at me.' I think that's the same rules that apply to the mixtape situation. – Raekwon

4. Add Visual Support

Shooting Music Videos can be a great source of reciprocal promotion, not only music videos, but mixtape trailers and behind the scenes in the studio footage will also help to spread awareness for your project. You might be surprised at how many artists gain new fans simply because of an accidental YouTube click.

"You got to bump your head sometimes. I realized that with “The Warm Up” I should have did more visuals….just because I realize the importance of that now, the visual aspect and how much fans want to see that," – J. Cole (On The Importance of Visual Support)

5. Be Original (Minimize Cover Songs)

Unless you’re a well respected lyricist i.e. Lil Wayne, Fabolous, J. Cole etc. people don’t want to hear a whole album of freestyles, plus it minimizes your projects replay value. Using original tracks will allow your music to be promoted through radio stations and iTunes and add a little extra cash in your pocket. Be sure to give the listeners good, quality tracks as an artist will only be considered as hot as his latest project.

"I think that when creating a mixtape, you have to approach it with a selfless mind-set,"... "A mixtape can't be the songs that don't make your album, or songs that aren't good enough to make your album make your mixtape -- unless you're that good. There aren't that many people that are that good. I'm not that good. That mixtape [So Far Gone] is me working my hardest. It wasn't 'Oh, here are the songs I'm going to give away to you 'cause I have better songs coming.' A mixtape has become an album." – Drake

6. Enlist Guest Established Rappers/Producers

A Mixtape is a great way to legally release that hot joint that you couldn’t put on your album due to clearance issues. If you’re already well established, you can use guest features to break your new talent. Features are a great way to get another person’s fans to give your Mixtape a listen. Maybach Music emcee Wale most noticeably used this strategy with his “Back to the Feature” mixtape.
7. Utilize Endorsements

Having your project hosted/sponsored by a big name DJ or Website can do wonders for your projects awareness. If DJ Drama or 2DopeBoyz put their seal of approval on your project, more people are likely to listen and more outlets will push your mixtape.

8. Embrace The Power of Social Media

Do the hash tags #Fanofafan or #Kushandorangejuice ring a bell? If so, it’s probably because they spent a day or two as trending topics on Twitter in lieu of mixtape releases from Wiz Khalifa and Chris Brown/Tyga adding fuel to their already highly buzzed releases.

“A lot of artists try to get things to trend just for the fact of doing it and having that happen. I feel like when it happens, it’s supposed to be organic. Our little motto is “Taylor Gang or Die” and three or four days before I dropped the tape, that started trending on its own. I was like, ‘Cool, it’s getting to be that time.’ So that’s why when I did #kushandorangejuice, people latched straight onto it…and it spread like wildfire. You got to use your powers [on Twitter] wisely. You got to build up your powers. A year ago, I probably had like 5,000 followers on Twitter and I couldn’t have done nothing like this”. – Wiz Khalifa

9. Respect The Commodity Of Time

Although all these tips can be very effective, using them all at once will defeat the purpose. Timing is essential and at certain times, certain techniques will be more effective then others.

10. Don’t Charge…..Yet

Lil Kim came under a lot of a bit of fire back in February when she announced that she would be charging $9.99 for her “Black Friday” mixtape. It may be difficult to convince fans to spend money on a mixtape, when they are barely willing to spend it on albums. Where an artist will make their money lies in the subsequent shows, features and singles released in light our increased buzz.

0 Snoop Dogg Offers Business Advice For New Producers (Video)

Taj Mahal caught up with Snoop Dogg as recalled his early days at Death Row and how they often did up-n-coming producers dirty. He drops some good game in this, so pay attention.

"I love giving [new producers] a chance by rapping on they beats...I'm just saying when I do that, don't rob me, rob the next n*gga. Cuz I'm the n**** you tell people, 'yeah Snoop gave me $20,000 for the beat'. Nah I aint gave you s***, but you tell a n*gga I gave you $20,000, that's how you leverage the game." - Snoop Dogg

0 New Music: Wiz Khalifa – "Star Of The Show"

A lot of Wiz's music has been leaking this week and I have managed to avoid posting most of the unofficial joints, but I'm really feeling this one. No word yet as to where it will end up.

"Went from being hated on to ni**as trying to go the same road I made it on/ Ain't No love lost, but wasn't no love shown/ so now when n**as call, I just don't pick up the phone". - Wiz Khalifa

Wiz Khalifa – "Star Of The Show"

0 Kanye West On The Today Show (Video)

Here is Kanye's Interview he did with Matt Lauer on The Today show. On Yeezy's Twitter, he expressed his frustration with this interview and it is clearly noticeable during various points of the interview. Here is a bit of what Kanye had to say after the interview: "I went up there to express how I was empathetic to Bush because I labeled him a racist and years later I got labeled as a racist…. While I was trying to give the interview they started playing the “MTV” under me with audio!!!!!!! I don’t mess with Matt Lauer or the Today Show … and that’s a very nice way for me to put it! HE TRIED TO FORCE MY ANSWERS. IT WAS VERY BRUTAL AND I CAME THERE WITH ONLY POSITIVE INTENT". - Kanye West

0 Drake Shares His Relationship & Dating Advice

Drake made an appearance in this months issue of Comopoltian Magizne to offer some advice on dating & realationships. Lucky for us, Karla was able to get a scan of the interview. You can read the transcription below:

Cosmopolitan: Is it hard for guys to get over breakups?

Drake: Definitely. Even after a long time, it’s painful to
see an ex with somebody else. As happy as you are that she’s happy, there’s a
little tingle underneath your heart. It’s not a sting. But it hurts a bit, and
you wish it wasn’t there.

C: Is sex on a first date a deal breaker?

D: No, I don’t get why women think that. You’re telling
yourself that all you have to offer is your body and the physical act. There’s
more to you than that. If I like somebody, there’s so many great things to look
forward to, even if we do it on the first night.

C: If a woman is into a guy, how should she get his attention?

D: I’m shy, so I like when she comes up
and says “Hey, how are you doing?” That lets me know she wants to talk. The
scariest thing is when you look at a woman and think of a million reasons why
she wouldn’t want to.

C: What’s the best compliment a woman can
give a guy?

D: I never mind hearing “You look nice tonight.” Guys put
in a lot of silent effort. When I’m going on a date, I’m getting a haircut, I’ve
got a new outfit, and I’m wearing cologne. So it’s nice when it’s noticed.

C: What’s the secret to a happy relationship?

D: Acceptance. You’ve got to be comfortable enough to be
completely naked with lights on and the curtains open.

Props ATF

0 Drake Talks Success & Vulnerability (Video)

While behind the scenes of his new campaign with Kodak, the good folks over at Pop Eater caught up with Drake to discuss why he doesn't feel completely successful & why he considers himself the most vulnerable rapper in the game

"My music is life inspired, life driven. If I can't watch whats going on in my on life an speak on it from a 3rd person perspective, I really have nothing to write about... Success has never been an end-goal for me, meaning that I never thought of something and said when I get there, 'that's it'...this is the beginning" - Drake

0 New Music: J. Cole - "The Last Stretch"

J. Cole's breakthrough mixtape, "The Warm Up", was released just one year ago today. As a treat to the fans, Cole blessed us with a new freestyle.

"Lifes A Bi*** and I'm Cuffing her" - J. Cole

J. Cole - "The Last Stretch"

0 Drake On 106 & Park (Video)

Yesterday, Drake co-hosted 106 & Park with Terrence J to promote his debut album, which is in stores today. He answered a lot of questions from the fans and spoke on everything from Rihanna to Lil Wayne. Below is one of my favorite quotes from the interview:

"Now I sit and try to reflect on life. I try and view everything in slow motion so I can remember it and pay attention to it. Because everything moves so fast that if I view it in slow motion, it's moving at regular speed.". - Drake

Props MWP

0 Gucci Mane Gets Outta Jail (Video)

Fresh outta Fulton County Jail, Gucci Mane issued a brief public statement thanking his lawyers, announcing his new label and plans to take over the rap game. "The rap game is in need of substance right now and I'm hitting the streets right on time". Really??

0 Big Sean Interveiw w/ Honey Magazine (Video)

Big Sean sat down with Honey Magazine and spoke on meeting Kanye West, His relationships with Kid Cudi and Pharrell, covering XXL Magazine and "Finally Famous".

"People be like 'man you got lucky',[but] it's like if I was a whack ass rapper he would have been like alright 'peace. I feel like luck is when preparation meets opportunity. If that's the case then yes I'm lucky because I prepared for my moment". -Big Sean

Previously | Big Sean feat. Kanye West – "Whatever You Want" (Prod. by Kanye West) [Snippet]

0 How To Make A Classic Mixtape 101: w/ Drake (Video)

MTV Shows

Drake spoke MTV's Sway on how he approaches Mixtapes vs. Ablums and along the way, he drops some some knowledge on what it takes to make a classic mixtape. Rappers takes notes!!

"I think that when creating a mixtape, you have to approach it with a selfless mind-set," Drake told us. "A mixtape can't be the songs that don't make your album, or songs that aren't good enough to make your album make your mixtape — unless you're that good...Before, I remember people used to be in the studio cutting songs, and they would be like, 'Oh, that song is OK. I'll just put it on my mixtape,' " he added. "Now a mixtape is an actual tool. It's a format you need. You don't necessarily need it, but it can be useful. Like with Fab and the other guys, I know they do a lot of rapping on other guys' beats. It's hard to tour like that, as incredible as it may be. Now Wayne, when the No Ceilings set comes on, it's ridiculous. It's hard to rap over other people's songs and have it be timeless. With So Far Gone, when I did flip other people's songs, half the time people didn't know what song it was. I tried to pick stuff that was new or rare or just like an album cut. But yeah, man, if I use somebody else's beat, I try to make a song out of it." -

Click Here to Read More

0 Lil Wayne Launches New Site To Communicate With Fans While In Prison

Wayne's time in the clinker is not stopping him from comunicating with fans. Today, Wayne launched a new site, WeezyThanxYou, so that he can personally answer letters from fans.

Love. Live. Life. Proceed. Progress. That’s who I am and who I’ll always be. You
see, we’re all living on borrowed time, so I’m not worried about this situation.
Life happens quick. The more time you spend contemplating what you should have
done…you lose valuable time planning what you can and will do. Trying to tear
down the past prohibits you from building up your future. So for my time here,
my physical will be confined to the yard. My love and my spirit, however, know
no boundaries. - Lil Wayne

Those interested in contacting Wayne can send him a letter at the address below:

Eric M. Taylor Center (EMTC)
Dwayne Carter NYSID# 02616544L
10-10 Hazen Street
East Elmhurst, NY 11370

0 Birdman Talks Life, Business & Cash Money w/ Ozone Magazine

Ozone: How did you become so business savvy?

Birdman: I was just born with that shit, brah. When you have a business you need to know to budget, spend, and manage. I think those are the three hardest things to do in business. If you don’t do those things, your business is gonna go under. I was just blessed to know how to do those things [as well as] hustle. Honestly, you gotta hustle and know how to flip money. And to flip money, you’ve got to always get new money. Niggas be trying to hold on to old money and they don’t spend it, but you’ve gotta keep flipping that shit.

Ozone: What’s the worst business investment you’ve made throughout your career?

Birdman: Probably the worst investment I did was fuckin’ with R. Kelly. That was a waste of my time. I could’ve made money if I wasn’t fuckin’ with that clown-ass nigga.

Ozone: How has your music been able to evolve so well over the years?

Birdman: I’m talented. I stay around talent, and I’m able to adjust to the time. You got niggas who still think its ’98, man. It’s not ’98, it’s 2009! I did the “Bling Bling” era, but that shit is over, and you’ve gotta let that go. I think niggas be caught up in the past and then you’ve got older niggas who are still trying to rap, still trying to make hits, and can’t. You’ve got to be able to change. I was fortunate enough to know to let my son go, and to just fuck with him. It’s his world. I’m gonna rock with him and these young niggas, support what they’re trying to do, and make them more successful.

Ozone: Speaking of working with new, young artists, what did you see in Drake early on, and what made him sign to Cash Money?

Birdman: Man, that nigga Drake is cold as a motherfucker! That boy’s bad, man. That young nigga’s got some wordplay. He’s gonna be around for a long time. I was more than impressed, I wished I would’ve been knew [about him]. My son been knew, but I didn’t. Drake’s a bad motherfucker. That nigga can rap his ass off, and he can sing. He’s not just an artist; he’s like Wayne, he’s all around with it and what I love about him more than anything is [that] he understands the leadership. He know who’s the Kobe, who’s the Phil Jackson, ya heard me. And we’ve got everything on our team.

Click Here To Read The Full Interview

0 J. Cole Interview W/ DJBooth (Talks Producing,College + Touring with Jay-Z)

Via Email:
In an exclusive interview with DJBooth.net, J. Cole steps into the Booth to discuss taking the stage alongside his legendary label boss for the first time, the pros and cons of being a beatsmith as well as an emcee and his unorthodox approach to phone bills and student loan payments

DJ Booth: Obviously, as we both can agree, Jay is a legend in the game, but very
few of his protégés have ever lived up to the hype that preceded them. What
prompted you to sign with the Roc and, to this point, do you feel any pressure
to deliver results?

J. Cole: Yep, I took those things into account.
‘Cause Jay-Z’s shadow is so big, it would be hard for anybody to come out of
that. But I’m the type of person where, A., I look at things as challenges, I
like challenges and, B., I truly believe that you determine your own destiny. An
opportunity is an opportunity, and one of that magnitude would be dumb to pass
up, especially when I truly believe that I make my path and I set my course, and
where I land, at the end of the day, or the end of my career, [is] because of
me. Of course, you get help along the way, and cosigns and management and
opportunities and things like that but overall, the ball is in your court
basically. In terms of pressure, I used to say I didn’t feel any pressure ‘cause
I really wasn’t thinkin’ about it, but now that I’m thinkin’ about it, it’s like
a good pressure. I feel the type of pressure that a strong-minded first pick in
a draft would feel. ‘Cause I feel like a first pick in a draft could either be
like, “Damn, I’m the first pick! I don’t wanna mess up! I don’t wanna f*ck this
up, they invested a lot of money in me!” or he could be like, “Yeah, I’m the
first round pick, ‘cause I worked so hard to be the first round pick. Now I’m
gonna show you why I’m the first pick.”

DJ Booth: J., the list of well-known emcees to attend college and actually graduate is not very long. I polled all of my Twitter followers, all 9,800-plus of them, and we came up with Chuck D , Nappy Roots , David Banner , Kidz in the Hall, and a few others. Would you be in the position that you’re in right now without that degree from St. John’s?

J. Cole: Nah – that was my ticket. St. John’s was my way to be
in New York. I had no other business being up there. Like, I probably wouldn’t
have survived if it wasn’t for bein’ able to stay in dorms, and bein’ able to
use college loans to get my apartment, and just stay afloat in New York City.
But I believe that anything’s possible. I used to think I couldn’t have made it
back home, but now I know, knowin’ what I know about the world and how it works,
I know I could’ve stayed home and found a way to get on. But, you know, college
had a great deal to do with my development as a person. I don’t know if I’d be
the artist I was if it wasn’t for goin’ to school like that. School is a good
place – it ain’t for everybody, but I think it’s for most people.

Click Here To Read/Listen To The Full Interview

1 Pinboard Blog Interviews Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi Speaks On:
-Why he's no longer interested in the blogs.
-The pressures of early fame.
-Being misinterpreted.
-Upsetting fans.
-Changing.

"I look at different genres as different races, what i'm trying to do is end the segregation"
-Kid Cudi

0 Drake Featured In Rolling Stone

Here's a brief snippet of the feature:

Under Wayne's tutelage, Drake's rhymes took a steroid-like leap in potency. "Wayne told me to just remember it's about your thoughts, you got to think about what you want to say beforehand," Drake says of Wayne's mentorship. "And then from there, you make it rhyme or you make it connect. But the more important thing is, What's your message, What's your point. And that should be the bare essentials of a line or a verse — what do you really want to say and what do you want to say about yourself?

"I think he gave me that advice truly for me to set myself apart as a rapper," he adds, "because I know Wayne sometimes raps for the sake of being a phenomenal rapper. And other times you'll get a song where he tells a story and gets personal. But when he gave me that advice it was almost like him giving me like a cheat code. Here, I'm gonna give you something; I'm gonna give you a piece and see what you do with it. And So Far Gone is what I did with it."

Click Here To Read The Full Article

Related: Drake Sues Record Label For itunes Scam