HHC’s rap round-up…
By Richard Watson

Proving that today’s rappers aren’t oblivious to the big issues, Wale posed the question, ‘What if Tupac had a Twitter account?’ Next week, Wale speculates on how the advent of TiVo recording technology combined with the explosion of cookery shows would have impacted Biggie’s life, and what Big Pun would have made of the Terry’s Chocolate Orange McFlurry.

Meanwhile, a slew of still-alive ’90s acts flooded the web with new material: Tribe’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad, LOTUG’s Doitall, and Black Sheep’s Dres were all back in effect, although the real ear-opener was Bushwick Bill’s inspirational meditation on his career to date. Then, delivering a somewhat less positive message, Beanie Siegel dusted off a Cypress Hill instrumental to rap about dusting off Jay-Z.

Slum Village’s T3 gave aspiring beatmakers advice on how to break into the music game, and Triple Cs advised KRS-One to stop being a silly old fogey, or words to that effect. For his part, Kris’s fellow old-timer Rakim proved that his own wrists are less than arthritic with an impromptu workout on the ones and twos. Entertaining stuff, but if DJ Kid Wizard really wanted to show up Eric B, he should have bust out ‘Chinese Arithmetic’.

After telling Conan O’Brien how he squashed beef with a teenage foe, 50 Cent started fresh beef with NBA commentator Marv Albert backstage at Jimmy Kimmel Live! and – for purely selfless reasons, we’re sure – treated Rick Ross’s little lad to a day out at Floyd Mayweather’s house. Still, none of this was enough to boost 50’s sluggish first week sales figures or, more importantly, help his faltering dreams of becoming a condom magnate. No matter, though – HHC Digital stays strapped with some promotional jimmy hats from Digital Underground’s 1990 ‘Sex Packets’ set. What? The use-by date’s just a rough guideline…