The Audacity of Dope

Here’s a new interview with Kardinal from Hip-Hop Official Offishall.  Some nice basic info is discussed, but I must say, the interview we just did with him smashes this one.  I’ll have that for y’all next week, since I’m going to air The Game interview this weekend.  Anyway, Kardi is the man and I’m psyched he’s getting some good publicity this time around.

Spotted on 2 Dope Boyz.

I caught this live last night and wanted to share it right away.  As always, the net comes through in the clutch and it’s instantly archived.  I love technology.  Colby covers Nas & MoveOn.org’s protest of Fox News’ racist propaganda and then sits down with Nas for a brief interview.  Footage of that, plus Nas’ “Sly Fox” performance, and clips of the protest after the jump.  Well done Nasir.

Read more »

Man, it’s so ill to see the homies Tunji and Toby making moves. Here’s a new video of Inverse‘s VIMBY showcase, where you can see a little interview and live performance. Random tidbit: I DJ’d that 2002 performance at the UC-Irvine Chili Cook-Off hahaha. Those were the days…

If you haven’t downloaded Inverse’s So Far…The Collection project, do it now. It’s one of the best releases of the year and you can grab it here. Also be sure to check their blog, Inverse Hip-Hop.

What’s up with dropping the parts separately?  Holler @ organization.  Anyway, shout to Dave Smith from across the pond for pointing out some doper British DJ’s we should check for.  I’m on it.  Part 3 of the Com interview after the jump.

Read more »

Do people still use the word “tool”?  If so, Tim Westwood fits that perfectly.  What a lame.  Anyway, he interviewed Com Sense across the pond and I’m posting it for 3 reasons.  1) I didn’t realize Com was going to be in the next Terminator flick (w/Christian Bale, chyea).  2) Invincible Summer deserves all the publicity it can get, since I think it’ll be a great record.  3) Watching Westwood interview a rapper is like watching a train wreck.  I cringe but I just can’t look away.  To my British brethren, what DJ’s from England should we be checking for over here?  Semtex seems to be one, but other than that, I’m lost.  School me.

Spotted at Eskay‘s.

The Meaning of Dope (one of the illest blogs out there) just posted up this great footage of Wyclef, Lauryn, and Pras being interviewed in Toronto in 1994. Hard to believe that’s almost 15 years ago! Seattle people – Clef will be here with Kardinal Offishall at the Showbox on Monday. Should be a hot show, don’t miss it.

Sidenote: watching them hit that juicebar has inspired me to get a smoothie, sounds good as hell on a hot day.

Nima over at DubCNN just posted up a nice interview with one of the biggest rising stars in the game, Wale. Say it with me people, “Wah-Lay.” Since he’s gonna be huge, people might want to learn how to pronounce it. Here’s the description:

We talk about him coming up in D.C., his influences, working with his idol Black Thought of The Roots and how he ended up signing with Jimmy Iovine‘s Interscope Records. He tells us why he’s not worried about Interscope forcing him to switch up his sound, his experiences touring the world with Mark Ronson, and of course his “Mixtape About Nothing“.

We end off the interview with a few words on his upcoming solo album, which by the way is set to feature production from Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Pharrell, Just Blaze, 9th Wonder and the French electronic music duo Justice.

Read the full interview here.

Jay Smooth stopped by Jesse Thorn’s The Sound of Young America recently, and the interview turned out dope.  They discussed Jay’s background and how hip-hop is evolving through new media provided by the internet.  I really respect where Jay’s coming from and he’s undoubtedly one of my favorite “hip-hop journalists.”

Check out more on his blog, and a previous interview of Jesse’s with Blu right here.

Here’s a nice little video catching you up to speed with Joe Budden, who’s been one of my favorite MC’s since back when everyone thought he was Rasheed Wallace’s alter ego.  He answers the standard interview questions (“what’s your take on hip-hop today,” “who do you want to work with,” etc.) and gives a little shine to an artist he’s putting on named HeartBreak.  Padded Room coming September 16th?  Let’s hope so…

And if your internet game has been slackin’, here are his two newest joints, speaking on…everything.  I was going to wait until all the parts leaked and were combined into one song (since Part 3 should be coming soon) but screw it.

Joe Budden – “Who, Pt. 1”
Joe Budden – “Who, Pt. 2”

There’s waaaaaaay too much truth in these joints.

Another interview with “my boy Blu,” this time from Nima over at DubCNN.  They discuss all of Blu‘s various projects, working with Exile, what he’s listening to, and more.  You can check the entire interview here.