Hip Hop Legends

Dr. Dre Remasters the HP Envy

Introducing the first laptop built for music. With help from Dr. Dre, HP built a line of computers with Beats Audio technology so you can hear the music the way the artist intended. Watch the video & hear what you’ve been missing.

Tupac Shakur’s Track Dear Mama Inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry

Songs by Tupac Shakur, R.E.M. and Little Richard, and albums from the likes of Willie Nelson and Patti Smith are among the 25 eclectic recordings inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
Under the terms of 2000′s National Recording Preservation Act, the criteria for preservation by the Library of Congress are that the work be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” and be at least 10 years old. Nominations were gathered from online submissions from the public and from members of the National Recording Preservation Board.

This year’s list of recordings features a diverse selection of spoken-word and musical recordings that span the years 1913 (“Fon der Choope” (From the Wedding) — Abe Elenkrig’s Yidishe Orchestra) to 1995 (Shakur’s “Dear Mama”). There are now 300 recordings in the National Recording Registry.

In its citation for “Dear Mama,” the NRPB called the song a “moving and eloquent homage to both the murdered rapper’s own mother and all mothers struggling to maintain a family in the face of addiction, poverty and societal indifference.”

LL Cool J to Drop another Album

Hip Hop Legend  LL Cool J recently announced his intention to drop a follow-up to his “final” 2008 release, Exit 13.

The rap pioneer said he’s not going to rush the untitled record.

“I will take my time, and if it takes two more years, it will take two more years,” he said in an interview. “But it will be relevant for who I am at this point in my life as a human being. And those who want to hear it will be able to live with it and love it and those who can’t appreciate it because it doesn’t sound ‘pop’ enough, can absolutely ignore it. And I’m comfortable with that.”

Ice Cube to Drop another Friday Movie

While Ice Cube is best known for his pioneering work as a West Coast emcee, the multi-talented Los Angeles-native solidified a film career through his 1995 cult classic movie Friday.

With an expected return to rap with I Am The West, due out July 13, Ice Cube also says he plans to continue his Friday franchise with its fourth installment. However, one notable figure of the series needs to be on board before it continues. “I don’t want to do it without Chris Tucker. That’s what people want,” Cube told Moviefone.com. “I really want to give people what they want, especially doing it for a fourth time. We can’t just go through a movie without giving the people exactly what they want.”

Brainstorming on how the next movie could start off, Cube added, “I see Smokey working at a rehab center. Craig and Day-Day are probably selling weed by now, get busted, have to go rehab with Smokey, try to convince Smokey to smoke a joint.  That’d be pretty cool.”

With a new Friday movie still in the works, Ice Cube recently signed on to star in the police flick Rampart.

Set in the 1990s, Rampart follows Cube, a homicide detective who is investigating another police officer’s (Woody Harrelson) criminal acts, including the murder of a gang member during an interrogation.

Filming for Rampart begins in August in Los Angeles.

Sandy “Pepa” Denton of Salt N Pepa shares her thoughts on Nicki Minaj

Sandy “Pepa” Denton of the legendary rap group Salt N’ Pepa is sharing her thoughts on Young Money’s Harajuku Barbie Nicki Minaj.

The veteran emcee turned reality show star says she can relate to the position Nicki’s in now as she tries to balance her racy sex appeal with her newly crowned position as a role model.

As previously reported, Nicki was quoted telling Baby of Cash Money Records that she feels “guilty” about children that might be influenced by her overtly sexual image and lyrics.

Pepa says she knows exactly where she’s coming from and relates her days on tour to Nicki’s current dilemma.

She tells VIBE,

“Salt-n-Pepa are old in the game, we started out a little raw, so after a little while I’ve learned and changed because my audience changed. Kids started coming to my concert and I realized that I had sense of responsibility. I was cursing in my shows, and then I started seeing little kids and was like, ‘Oh what are they doing here?’ And after a while I had to stop, I didn’t feel right.”

Denton also says that she’s constantly asked her opinion on the openly bisexual emcee. She tells VIBE that she reminds her of the Queen Bee but thinks Nicki’s uncertain about her message.

“She reminds me of Lil’ Kim. Bold and you know… she’s young. And a lot of people are like ‘Oh what do you feel about her because of the message?’, but to me she hasn’t learned the message yet.”

She continues further saying that she thinks the influence of her predominantly male counterparts in Young Money have shaped her risqué persona. According to Pep not everyone’s qualified to be a role model but they should still be mindful of their influence on children.

“Not everyone’s role model material, but we do have a sense of responsibility because kids listen more to us than they would their parents. But Nicki’s young, so how’s she gonna enlighten?’ She’s new, she’s excited and what happens when you have a male camp backing you? Yeah, you might be singing those kinds of lyrics. That’s what happens when you have a male camp dictating how you should be.”

Pep made sure to add however that she has no problem with Minaj and tells VIBE that she admires her style and attitude.

“I’m not mad at Nicki. I think she’s talented. I love her style. She has a lot of attitude, she has a lot of things she wants to express so I wouldn’t be mad at that. I was there at that age, so I don’t expect her to be like ‘Oh let me start being this way.’ This is what she’s feelin’.”

Ice T gets into a twitter beef

The first Rapper to ever come out the west Coast Ice T goes in on some twitter idiots bad mouthing his acting! A singer by the name of Aimee Mann decided to share her thoughts on Ice-T’s acting skills on Twitter and lets just say Ice-T doesn’t take kindly to insults.

A Dr. Dre Sighting by Ice Cube

This got posted by Cube yesterday, I missed it because I was taking care of alot of business I having been putting off, Juggling as much as I do sometimes I cant keep up. Hip Hop moves so fast these days that we as fans dont have the time to even enjoy it anymore, But anyways below is what West Coast Triple OG Ice Cube had to say on his Blog.

What up fam,

I met Dr. Dre in the studio last night. When I got there Snoop was in the booth laying the finishing touches on another classic from the dynamic duo. He played me some tracks set for the up and coming Detox record and we talked about me jumping on board the project. Of course I talked about him doing shit on my record and he said he’d bless the album. The Game came through ready to spit but Dre just wanted every to vibe. It felt like old times when me and Dre would work on shit in Eazy’s cold ass garage.

He asked me did I diss him during the Paid Dues Show last Saturday. I did one of my new songs called “Drink The Kool-Aid” which got everybody thinking I’m dissing the whole industry…lol “You internet roaches…” I told Dre that I’d never diss the man that got me started. Here are the lyric to Drink The Kool-Aid for everybody who understand style and grace in hip-hop…check the lyrics

This ain’t Sanatra

This ain’t the Carter

This is the chaperone nigga who brought’cha

I am the author…this is Holy water

From the Holy Father the Rock of Gibraltar

Step up to the alter step up to the slaughter

Get circumsized son and turned into a daughter

Niggas know they oughta drink the fuckin’ kool-aid

Industy laid out authorities are too late

MC’s passed the due date niggas they do hate

You are Bobby Boucher I’m the Mane like Gucci

I rock the Louie but not like Kanye

Nigga see me kinda like Harry Belafonte

Step into the room they be like ah Day-O!

Yeah cause they know a nigga ain’t play-doe

Shots all fatal is this Laredo

Boarder town knock’em down just like legos

Drink the Kool-Aid!

verse 2

I ain’t the Doctor

This ain’t the patient

This ain’t that nigga always on vacation

This ain’t no white boy’s rehabilitation

This is crazier then a boat full of Haitians

This is inflation mixed with degradation

This ain’t no dead rappers reincarnation

I heard it was a New West Coast I ain’t worried

I murder more stars then Conrad Murray

I got more bars then the penitentary

I wrote this shit without a rhyme dictionary

Young bucks try to step up to the harim

Looking for some pussy I’m a old buck I dare’em

Drink the Kool-Aid

No disses. Just style and grace. On another note, I rocked the fuck outta Paid Dues. I had my son Doughboy get down wit me while WC and Crazy Toones rocked France. I think people enjoyed the show. 20 years of West Coast hip-hop presented in 60mins. It was amazing. I can’t wait to put the new show together with all my new songs. I also dropped the single “I REP THAT WEST” on’em. They loved the new shit. The single and the video will premiere and be avaliable right here on icecube.com May26th.

My nigga Sir Jinx laced my wit a dope ass track. I’mma do it wit Jayo Felony and WC. This record is coming together like sweaty ass cheeks…

No Q & A this time ya’ll. I’m in a hurry. I’ll answer all questions next time.

Keep It Gangsta

Cube