That's Major!

All it takes is one domino to get the game started. And it looks its back on between French and Dipset. (To be honest I dont think it ever stopped). Recently moments after French took the stage at Funk Flex’s birthday party he was greeted by ice, bottles and more being thrown from the balcony above. The person with the perfect pitching arm in the video below is said to be Dipset Capo Jim Jones. French who came in the game as former Byrd Gang member Max B’s right hand looks like he has inherited the beef since Max is on vacation.

French Montana gets an ice shower Jim Jones at Funk Flex’s Birthday

But after watching the ice shower I started thinking. Could the latest round of battling have been started by new Skull Gang South signees Major Harris and Richmond Rabb? In the video for “Saucey Baby” there seems to be a lot of lines that could be taken as subliminal disses towards Max. Even the hook mentions Max by name. Take a look and see for yourself.

Major Harris feat Richmond Rabb – Saucey Baby

Hip hop star Wyclef Jean has officially registered to stand for president of his native Haiti ahead of the presidential election due to be held on 28 November.

He spoke to World News America’s Sharon Carpenter about his presidential ambitions and hopes for the future of the country following January’s devastating earthquake which killed 250,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless.

But can the musical maestro who is better known for his work with Beyonce and Lauryn Hill be taken seriously as a political figure?

Telling actress Liris Crosse (@LirisC) that she can’t do something might be a guarantee she will try.

“I’m not a person that takes no easily. Once you tell me ‘no’, that’s my driving force.”

After being told by agencies that she was too curvy to model, she struck out on her own booking gigs for herself. Soon a favorite in urban “lad mags” like King and Smooth, the Baltimore native’s curves earned her the nickname “Black Barbie”. Eventually rising to become a XXL Magazine Eye Candy Hall Of Famer, she also became a staple on the hip hop video sets of stars like Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Jennifer Lopez and 50 Cent.

(Thats Liris in the gold dress)

Now as an actress, she is beginning a new chapter. Instead of resting on her fame as a model she chose to start from the ground up. Instead of resting on her resume, she hit the pavement. Small roles on shows like “The Wire” and “Law and Order” were all part of the process of getting to the next level.

“I’m committed to acting. I humbled myself. I even did background work just so I could be on set. I wanted to absorb the atmosphere and be near the work.”

The human sponge approach is seemingly working. In Abidjan, a featured film at this year’s Roxbury Film Fest, she has a stellar turn as a mother who takes her young New York born son on his first trip to her African homeland with eye opening results. The trip ends up with both of them coming away with some valuable lessons. Playing a Mom may seem a stretch for a former video vixen but that’s exactly how she likes it.

“That was what drew me to the role. It wasn’t anything that people knew me as. I really wanted people to respect me as an actor.”

12th Annual Roxbury Film Festival
Films Celebrating People of Color
various locations, $5-$125

Raekwon (@Raekwon) just mentioned on his twitter that the collab is happening after meeting up with Eminem on his tour… can’t wait till I hear this, That’s Major!

JAMN 94.5′s Launchpad has a new host. The show which traditionally spotlighted underground artists, street anthems and local artists is now being helmed by Hustle Simmons. A long time member of the JAMN mixshow team, Hustle is fixture in the clubs. Originally created by JAMN’s former Music Director Geespin and then taken over by DJ On & On, Launchpad has been key in giving some artists their first commercial radio airplay. Here is a link to check the new host in action. Artists should tune in for info on how to submit your music.

Launch Pad Jamn 94.5 Hustle Simmons (Show #1)

Over the past few months we have seen escalating violence in Boston. This Sunday the community comes together to fight back and save lives.

It is time to stand up, take responsibility and be accountable. Who Cares? We do. We doin’ good in the hood. Are you tired of the drugs, guns, violence, crime, broken families, lack of guidance and direction. Are you in need of service? Will you serve? Do you need support? Will you support? Together we are 10,000 strong. If one can make a difference, what will 10,000 strong do? Think of it as a mini Million Man March for Boston.

A.Garcia

Fresh from a brief European tour DJ J-Saki is refreshed and ready to create the newest installment of his critically acclaimed mixtape series Best Of The Bean.

In addition to his constant touring and work with the Wu-Tang’s Cappadonna, Saki is now hosting Goon Skwad Radio on Boston’s VIBE 105.3 FM (105VIBE.COM) as well as his weekly podcast. With all of his media outlets and projects he explains why he is pulling together a new edition of the compilation. “I just felt like it was time. I go all around the world and I try to rep the Bean where ever I go. This is just another extension of that. Time to let the world know what we have.”

The Best Of The Bean compilations gather the cream of Boston’s talent in Hip Hop, R&B and Reggae with J-Saki’s special touch on the mix.
Artists interested in being a part should submit their bio, pictures and music to J-Saki via email at thebestofthebean@gmail.com

MTV will be doing an hour long special about Drake’s rise to stardom (Next Wednesday at 10pm), this is a little teaser from that…

Erika Ramirez penned an amazing article for NYmag

With his independently released mixtape So Far Gone, Drake went from digital dynamo (2,000 downloads in ten minutes) to Grammy nominee all before he signed on any dotted lines. Or maybe not: While a major-label bidding war supposedly raged, rumor had it that he was already signed to Young Money/Universal. Either way, the excitement around his quick, seemingly unassisted rise translated into true stardom. And today, a number of up-and-coming rappers, eager to re-create his magic, are at pains to represent themselves as boot-strapping independent artists — even when they’ve got freshly inked major-label deals.

This phenomenon existed before Drake. “I was over at Interscope when we signed Souljah Boy,” recalls Archibald Bonkers, manager of Indiana rapper Freddie Gibbs and A&R for HHH Artists from 2004 to 2007. “At the first radio meeting after he was signed, [the label decided to] do nothing. They didn’t want to mess with the grassroots.” But recent examples of rappers who have secretly signed to labels while continuing to market themselves suggest that the trend’s truly taking hold among those still trying to make their break. The idea is simple: Artists market themselves gradually, via social networks and blogs, avoiding oversaturation. They make their music using low-budget production techniques. And then, once their “indie” success wins notice in the mainstream, their label backers come out from behind the curtains.

According to industry insiders, Pittsburgh’s Wiz Khalifa has been signed to Atlantic Records for close to a month now. (You may have noticed Kush and Orange Juice, the title of his most recent mixtape, trending on Twitter and Google.) Asked about the signing, Khalifa said, “Whatever people want it to be, that’s what it is. I didn’t say yes, I didn’t say no.” Either way, he released Kush independently, planning, as he told VIBE.com, the publicity behind the project himself. “The mixtape was done last month, but I really wanted to do it up and make sure something like this [buzz] would happen,” he said. “I got some more tricks up my sleeve, too.”

Meanwhile, Atlanta’s Spree Wilson recently inked a deal with Jive records without disclosing it. “They want me to market myself,” he explains. “Mixtapes, pre-projects — all before the album, [in order] to create a buzz.” (Release dates for Spree’s upcoming projects have yet to be announced.) And Warner Bros. calls Brooklynite Theophilus London — who independently released I Want You in August April and counts Solange Knowles among his fans — a “new signee,” despite the fact that it’s known that he was signed late last year.

These marketing plans are meant to capitalize on, and strengthen, an artist’s independently generated buzz. Practical concerns aside, this carries the always-magical whiff of rebellion. “Rebel music always does well, because kids always want to rebel against something,“ says Archibald Bonkers. It’s the new hip-hop cred: succeeding without a record label. So why sign to a major at all? “Money. That’s the only thing,” says Khalifa. Rappers “have to start rolling the weed and sweetening the lemonade.”

I try to stay away from the trend of just posting covers of upcoming projects, but I figured with everyone either loving or hating Drakes choice in artistic direction that this would be good for conversation at the least…