HHC Digital’s Rap Round-Up…
By Richard Watson

Finally making the headlines for something positive, DMX was released from jail, where he’d been serving a sentence for reckless driving. Of course, a few hours later he was pulled over by Five-O for a traffic violation. Welcome back, Earl. Meanwhile, X’s fellow wrong ’un Foxy Brown was indicted for her recent mooning episode − insert your own ‘bum rap’ gag here. If jailed, Inga’s unlikely to enjoy the type of name-brand refreshments enjoyed by Rikers resident Lil Wayne, but she could also miss out on visits from her brother Gavin, who, following his arrest for flexing a fake credit card, could be headed inside too. Which for a guy nicknamed ‘Pretty Boy’ doesn’t bode well.
Continue reading All The Hip-Hop News That’s Fit To Link…

By Richard Watson

As English as a chip wrapper and just as likely to be seen out on the high street come Friday night, Tricky Micky lets his personality run riot on ‘The Micks Tape’, a raucous debut that sees our hero hitting bars, thumping pretend toffs and, every once in a while, stepping back from the mayhem to reflect on the “horror flick” that his beloved country sometimes seems to be…

You start the song ‘Easy’ by saying, “It’s actually quite difficult to go out drinking and not bump into a complete tosser.” Do you anticipate it getting even more difficult if your music blows up?
“No, ’cos it’s not even targeted stuff. It’s not like people looking at you from the other side of the room thinking, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ll have a piece of him’, ‘cos I’m not like that. I don’t try and build myself a reputation as someone who goes around fighting – I’m not like that to be honest. It’s just about the minor irritations where people are being completely arrogant and shoving you out of the way or making snide comments just to give their boys a laugh. Nothing premeditated, just ’cos they’re out-and-out idiots.”

The kind of persona and subject you present on your records isn’t the traditional hip-hop fare…
“That comes from the crowd I mix with, ’cos I don’t really mix with a hip-hop crowd. Where I was brought up, hip-hop wasn’t really much of a thing, to be honest. I got into it along with drum ‘n’ bass, which was more the thing, you know? As far as hip-hop goes, no one I know is massively into it, so it felt more natural to just be how we was and adapt it to something that connected to us.”

What hip-hop artists did inspire you?
“We used to go about smoking and listening to Redman and Method Man, 2Pac. Just the obvious stuff, but in a lot of ways it was the best stuff as well. That’s what really hooked me.”

Presumably Red and Meth’s sense of humour struck a chord with you…
“Exactly. And that’s why even now I probably listen to Redman’s album or ‘The Blackout’ album and enjoy it even more than the 2Pac stuff, which is more angsty.”
Continue reading Tricky Micky Interview

HHC Digital’s Rap Round-Up…
By Richard Watson

Hip-Hop Drunkies: Ably assisted by RA The Rugged Man, Sadat X returned with Season 3 of his indespensible ‘True Wine Connoisseurs’ show. Not content with showing off his cultured palate, hip-hop’s Oz Clarke also dazzled viewers with his knowledge of all things Australian, shouting out the aborigines and, er, Auckland. Meanwhile, the booze may stop flowing at TI’s Club Crucial if the raucous joint has its liquor license suspended. Worrying news indeed for patrons of Bankhead’s only Delbert Wilkins-themed drinking establishment.

In other TV comedy tribute news, Detroit’s Danny Brown dropped a George Costanza reference on his new track, only to be overshadowed by Wale, back with his second Seinfeld-sampling mixtape. Kanye, on the other hand, raided Roman and Renaissance iconography for a video − sorry, moving portrait − depicting the double-edged sword of Damocles that is fame. Then, life imitated art as the Coventry lad that Yeezy had selected to follow on Twitter revealed himself as merely a casual fan. For his part, DMX found that fame can bring you all the jump-offs you desire, but also a tell-all book from an ex-spouse who’s not best pleased with your plentiful extramarital sex or army of illegitimate kids.
Continue reading All The Hip-Hop News That’s Fit To Link…

This week sees the release of El-P’s grandiosely-titled WeAreAllGoingToBurnInHellMegaMixxx3, an instrumental project that collects together fresh productions with remixes for Young Jeezy and Kidz In The Hall. You can sample the track ‘Whores The Movie’ by clicking here and check out more info on the release over here. Better yet, HHC Digital has two CD and deluxe double gatefold LP packages to give away to the first reader to tell us the name of El’s last album by emailing the answer to info@hhcdigital.net. Now keep reading to get up on El-Producto’s views on the intricacies of the remix game…

Are the Young Jeezy and Kidz In The Hall remixes on the album official remixes?
“Yeah, both were internet only remixes. The Kidz In The Hall remix, those are my dudes. I’ve got a verse on the remix that came out, but it was never released properly in a physical format so I figured I’d throw it on there as I liked the beat. And I was commissioned to do the Jeezy remix by Adult Swim when they did the ATL versus other producers shit. I picked that song to do.”

Do most remixes that you’re commissioned to do get released?
“I’ve done a lot of remixes in the past and most of them come out. It’s very rare that they don’t come out. I wish I could just collect ‘em all, but that’s the weird thing about remixes – they pay you a flat fee and you can never touch it again. It’s been cool. Somewhere along the line I got on the list of people influential people to get to do a remix. It lets me mess around and experiment.”

What are your favorite remixes?
“I know that my music is not normally ever framed in the context of any pop culture music, so when I get the chance to do a Beck or Mars Volta or Nine Inch Nails – stuff that’s on another level in the industry – I think it’s like a smirk to me. It’s cool, it’s something that even by nature, there’s something deranged about that.”
Continue reading El-P Competition + Interview

HHC Digital’s Rap Round-Up…
By Richard Watson

Stay Strapped: This week, Ice-T took to Twitter to have a go at the rookie rozzer who charged him for driving without a seat-belt. Ooh, it’s like the ‘Cop Killer’ controversy all over again! Foxy Brown, meanwhile, was arrested after allegedly calling her nemesis neighbour a “dirty bitch”, an insult which seems a little rich if, as was reported, she issued it seconds before flashing her arse cheeks. The neighbour had a restraining order against Foxy following a 2007 incident in which the rapper belted her with a BlackBerry, but this time Inga kept a hold of her phone to tweet that her foe is a “bum bitch” – which actually seems like it should be Foxy’s new handle.

In other rap-relevant BlackBerry news, Fabolous was “noticeably relieved” to be reunited with his branded smartphone after leaving it at his restaurant table. The gadget contained hordes of new rhymes and, more crucially, Fabo’s Bubble Army top score. With all this tech-based nonsense going on, it was good to see 9th Wonder’s protégées Actual Proof grabbing their decks and getting some fresh air in their ‘Skate Kids’ video, while fans of rap’s original skate kid Lupe Fiasco hit Atlantic Records with a petition demanding the release of the rapper’s ‘Lasers’ set.
Continue reading All The Hip-Hop News That’s Fit To Link…

HHC Digital’s Rap Round-Up…
By Richard Watson

With the audio of Mel Gibson’s racially charged rants at his baby mama saturating the web, sensible folk skipped the acres of broadsheet ‘analysis’ and instead sought out the opinion of rappers. Apparently no strangers to the perils of scantily clad girlfriends, Capone N’ Noreaga issued an admirably measured response, with Nore opining that “Other than him sayin’ ‘niggas’, he has a point” while also conceding that the Lethal Weapon man went too far by dissing babies. Ras Kass chose to express his take on the situation through song, sampling Gibbo’s lyrics of fury for instant viral smash ‘Pussy From Behind’.

On a somewhat related note, ever wondered whether Jadakiss has let a lover insert a digit into his rectum during the physical act of making love? No? Well, that’s not even the dodgiest of the questions that J to the Mwah fielded during a sex-themed Q&A. Meanwhile, renowned coitus enthusiast Too $hort issued a statement strenuously denying rumours that his recent scuffle stemmed from his attempt to get some too young lasses backstage. Short Dog wasn’t the only rap legend defending himself, as Bushwick Bull hit the courtroom to fight the threat of deportation. Hopefully he didn’t undermine the work of his lawyers by jumping up on the bench like in the ‘Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta’ video.
Continue reading All The Hip-Hop News That’s Fit To Link…

In HHC Digital 006 (the issue headed up by WARP super-producer Flying Lotus), we ran a column commenting on allegations surrounding old-school hip-hop icon Wanda Dee (pictured above with Universal Zulu Nation founder Afrika Bambaataa) and the Goddess Empire. It elicited a stern response from Eric Floyd, her husband and manager, which is printed in full below…

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I am at a complete loss of words over the stuff that I’ve read on your site in the guise of FACTS about myself and my loving wife of 25 years, Hip Hop Veteran/Pioneer & multi-platinum Pop/Dance recording artist, WANDA DEE.

Both of us, having been in this Business called Show, for well over 35 years each; we can deal with the fact that in this high technological age of The Internet and the unchecked and un-policed blogs of Internet terrorists that can write & post ANY and EVERY THING about ANY and EVERY ONE that they have a personal axe to grind with, is one of our occupational hazards (just ask OPRAH, OBAMA, BEYONCE, JAY Z, P. DIDDY, the late MICHAEL JACKSON & a host of others who have “I HATE…” blog sites devoted to them from folks who have accused them all of being everything from Illuminati / Satanist members, bisexuals, woman beaters, pedophiles, closet drug users & the like); but it is grossly unfair (at best) and journalistic irresponsible (at worst) to report and (thus) repost this unproven / unsubstantiated nonsense, slander, hearsay & conjecture as either NEWS or FACTS!

The Old School Hip Hop Community was about UNITY! And as my wife (Wanda Dee) is one of it’s oldest originating members (having just received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Universal Zulu Nation at their 30th anniversary celebration in Harlem by her mentor, Afrika Bambaataa himself, who is also a frequent / regular guest at our Vegas home each and every time he finds himself working in Sin City); we are deeply and gravely disappointed that you guys would bastardize her good name the way you have by printing such rubbish (with her name & image attached) and never once reach out to us for (1) THE TRUTH… (2) OUR SIDE OF THE STORY.

To say that we “dress in exotic clothing” and that “we view ourselves and want all those around us to treat us like Gods & Goddesses” and to further imply that I’m having “sexual relations with my own Son”, and how “we force all those around us to have sex with us” and how I “knocked up one of my assistants, Kitt who had my baby and named her R. Kelly” all as if these juicy tidbits of bullshit are actual and factual, as absolutely and unequivocally unfair, untrue and ridiculous! I would think that after all of the years we’ve put into this business, we would, at least by a fellow journalistic professional, been shown a lot more fairness, decency & respect than what you’ve shown us.
Continue reading Old School Icon Wanda Dee Rejects Sex Cult Allegations

HHC Digital’s rap round-up…
By Richard Watson

Down With The King: This week, there was heartening news for anyone missing hip-hop’s early-’90s fixation with pyramids, pharaohs and all things Egyptian as Kanye West visited the Tutankhamun exhibition in Times Square. Yeezy returned satisfied that, while the late King Tut had the jewelry and interior design games on lock, he never had wildly over-hyped custom kicks from Louis Vuitton or Nike. Over in Scotland, T in the Park-performer Eminem was allegedly demanding king-like treatment where his own kicks were concerned, with plastic bags and a car employed to keep his Simods sparkling.

Semtex made like Ralph McTell as he guided J Cole through the streets of London. The duo dined at Nando’s, but it’s unclear whether they hit up Waterstones or simply posted up outside it. One rap type definitely punishing the paperbacks was Lil Wayne, who’s apparently been spending his sentence on Riker’s “reading and observing” – at least when he hasn’t been forming a potent comedy double act with Fat Joe. Meanwhile, Joseph’s old foe 50 Cent stayed dissing Diddy: “Biggie’s name should never have become Diddy’s black card,” opined Curtis, although he didn’t say whether he had a problem with Puff using Craig Mack as his Sainsbury’s Nectar Card.
Continue reading All The Hip-Hop News That’s Fit To Link…

Digital Underground icon Shock G recently penned a missive aimed at Fox News, complete with a link to an online petition against the Rupert Murdoch outlet. The full blurb is as follows…

Racism is a form of mental illness. Imagine a mother cat refusing to nurse her black, brown, or orange kittens, and only nursing the white ones. Crazy right? Well mother America sometimes suffers from this same illness and FOX TV helps it spread. Even a common housecat is smart enuff to know that the entire litter are all equally her babies.

Now imagine if people born on odd numbered days felt they deserved more than those born on even ones. Crazy right? We all know we haven’t actively earned our skin color anymore than we actively chose our birthdate; any person seeking extra credit for this non-achievement is actually insane, and lives in an eschewed reality. Help us fight FOX! The letter below takes only 90 seconds to read, and the e-petition takes 2 mins tops to sign. Thanx!!
Shock-G
Continue reading Shock G’s Letter To Fox News

HHC Digital’s Rap Round-Up…
By Richard Watson

The Hill that’s real: Rocking the crowd − and an ensemble straight from her local branch of Dr Barnados − Lauryn Hill surfaced at Cali’s Harmony Festival. Also keeping it live, one-time Evil Bastard (copyright The Daily Star) Snoop Dogg made a triumphant return to surprisingly dry UK soil as he conquered Glastonbury, although it looks like Calvin overreached with his bid to secure the entire European country of Liechtenstein for his next video. Meanwhile, Glasto vet Jay-Z attempted to secure the services of free agent LeBron James. His bait? A giant billboard featuring Jigga and a lanky Russian billionaire.

You know that annoying flow that Drake, Lil’ Wayne, Luda, Nicki Minaj, Kanye and his mate Big Sean all do; the one where they basically leave the word ‘like’ out of a simile (“I fill her up, balloons”)? Well, this week, Drake let it be known that Luda and the like aren’t as good as him at this game-changing feat of verbal ingenuity. Sorry, Dreezy, but as far as we’re concerned it sounds like a load of balls, Mitre.
Continue reading All The Hip-Hop News That’s Fit To Link…