Snoop Lion feels he has the “right to” pursue a reggae career, says Dr. Dre and other notable artists support his move.
The tragic passing of both Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. arguably changed the course of Hip Hop and according to noted West Coast artist Snoop Lion, the deaths of both rappers opened up the lanes for several of today’s successful rappers.
While speaking with Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, Snoop stated that the absence of both rappers opened up “certain lanes” in Hip Hop that would have not been made available had the rappers been alive today.
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“You know what, I had that discussion two or three times and I always come to the conclusion that a lot of artists wouldn’t be as big as they are if they were here. And that was with no disrespect. It’s just certain lanes opened up for artists when they were gone…On the bar a lot of rappers wouldn’t be where they are. I can’t say they names because I love ‘em all, but certain rappers that had big years, big albums,” Snoop explained. “When he was gone, that wouldn’t have been there. When he was gone, that wouldn’t have been there. That would have been his lane and that would have been his lane. And you wasn’t stepping on Biggie or Tupac lane.”
Despite this week’s release of Snoop Lion’s reggae album, Reincarnated, he’s still found himself defending his switch from a Hip Hop artist to a reggae artist.
Before speaking on his “right to” move to another genre, Snoop commented on the Mind Gardens program he brought to Jamaica, which teaches those in various communities how to grow produce they can later use for themselves and also sell.
“A lot of people come to Jamaica, steal they culture, run off and make money off of it. So, I get that. Jamaica is a very poor country. There’s not a lot of opportunity. So, I get that,” said Snoop in a video posted on RapRadar.com. “And then the musicians they treasure and they respect what they have and that’s theirs, that’s their reggae music…They all respect my move man because I built this man. Twenty-something years on that Hip Hop tip, doing what I do. I got the right to step out and do what I do.”
Known for incorporating social and political awareness into his music, it’s no surprise that Ice Cube has released his latest single, “Everythang’s Corrupt,” around this year’s presidential election.
The track, which features Rage Against The Machine guitarist, Tom Morello, serves as the lead single from Cube’s Spring 2013 independent album of the same name.
During a recent interview with the Huffington Post, the 43-year-old rapper-turned-director opened up on the album, his role in the forthcoming NWA film and his thoughts on Chris Tucker’s “doubts” of another “Friday.”
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How did you and Tom Morello link up for “Everythang’s Corrupt”?
We kind of ran into each other and admired each other’s work. It was kind of quick and passing. And then when we did the record it was a loop that my man Fredwreck put together. We just wanted the guitars to be a lot thicker and make it feel like a perfect mixture of hard hip hop and hard rock.
What’s the concept behind the song’s video?
We wanted it to have the same flavor as “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It,” which was a video that was pretty much full of real footage cut together. That video got a lot of mileage for us, so we figured the time was right for another version of that. That’s why we dropped this song first, because it’s the most political song on the album. And it’s a political time. It’s a throwback, in a lot of ways, in terms of subject matter.
Throughout your entire career you have managed to incorporate political consciousness into your lyrics. Can fans expect more of that on this album?
Yeah, but it’s a different time. You got to do it in context. So it’s not a heavily political record, but it does have statement songs and rhymes. I got a song called “Dominate The Weak,” which is just showing you how a police state would look and feel. But hip hop is in a different space right now when it comes to that. You don’t want to overdo it when it comes to the political stuff.
What are your thoughts on this year’s presidential election?
I think it’s a joke. I don’t even see how Mitt Romney is in the race. It’s a trip how they all were talking all of the elitist talk when Obama was running against McCain, but you don’t hear none of that now … It’s like they just want a white man to come to the rescue, the paramedics was already here. But that’s what it really boils down to. Dude [Romney] is just lying through his teeth … If he wins, he’s going to do what they [Republicans] always do. Get in there, make sure their homeboys is paid and everybody else can kind of get whatever they can get. It’s just a shame, because if he wins it’s going to be like, “here we go again, down the drain.”
They wasn’t on the set of the NWA movie. I don’t know where they was, cause we’re not even filming that yet. We’re still in the casting process, and it’s a Cube Vision Production. We’re still working on casting and the script. I haven’t seen the photo, but I can guarantee you that wasn’t where it was from unless they were location scouting. So you know, it’s a thing where I want everybody to be involved with the movie in some capacity — all of the members, so everyone is welcome.
Do you have any ideal candidates for who you would want to portray Ice Cube?
My son, O’Shea. He looks like me, and he can rhyme. He knows Ice Cube better than any actor, and I think he can do it. So we’re going to have him audition and hopefully he’ll show that he has the skills.
Fans are also anticipating the next and final installment of the “Friday” franchise. And earlier this year Chris Tucker admitted that he has “doubts” about the magic still being there. What are your thoughts? Well, my magic is still here so the movie is going to get done. The movie is going to be funny, and it’s going to live up to all the long-anticipated wait. I would hope that he’ll be a part of it. He’s more than welcome to be a part of it … It’s a trip, because you’re looking and somebody says that “the magic is not even there” who’s never even tried it.
We put the first one together and we can put another one together. So he should really trust that, and do what his fans want him to do. You should never out grow your fans. And if the fans want him to do this movie, that’s what we’re in this for, then that’s what he should do.
Do you have a tentative release date for the film or are you still writing the script?
Nah, it’s written. We’re just really waiting for New Line Cinema to give us their notes, and then the ball gets rolling from there to the next phase. So we really haven’t offered anyone the movie [roles] yet, until we can get the movie green lit, and get a budget. Then that’s when we can go after everybody that’s on the script and see if they’re down. But for whoever’s down, the movie is going to get made and the movie is going to be funny. One person isn’t going to stop the show.
Check out Ice Cube’s new video, “Everythang’s Corrupt,” below.
As the war on gun violence rages on and as we reflect on the Boston Marathon bombings, West Coast icon and Hip-Hop legend, Snoop Lion has decided to do his part to end the violence.
As part of Snoop’s ongoing reincarnation to Rastafarianism, Snoop has most recently taken his stance on gun violence and is urging the youth to put down their weapons.
Seeking to secure peace across the world and within Hip-Hop, today (April 22) The League of Young Voters Education Fund launched a grassroots non-violence campaign inspired by Snoop Lion aka Snoop Dogg’s song “No Guns Allowed” ft. Drake Cori B – Snoop’s daughter.
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The initiative was derived from startling statistics recently acquired by the League of Young Voters that state that a child or teen dies or is injured from guns every 30 minutes in the United States.
The primary goal of the campaign with Snoop is to decrease violence by advocating for youth violence prevention programs and background checks on firearm purchases.
During a recent appearance on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, Snoop explained how a rash of tragic school shootings motivated him to write “No Guns Allowed.”
“I wanted to make some music to try to help the next person who was thinking about loading a gun, going to a school and shooting. Maybe it would help him put that gun down and think about what he was doing before they [acted],” Snoop Lion told Morgan.
In an open letter to Snoop, which garnered national media attention from leading outlets, such as Politico and BET, Rob “Biko” Baker, Executive Director of the League of Young Voters Education Fund said “I am so inspired that you are using your platform to speak up about the nation’s violence issue. I want you to know that the League of Young Voters Education Fund is committed to spreading your anti-violence message to prevent future tragedies.”
The buzz surrounding the open letter caught Snoop’s attention and prompted him to respond publicly via his Twitter account, which quickly led to a meeting between the superstar and leaders from the League.
Snoop is now publicly aligning himself with the League of Young Voters Education Fund and their “No Guns Allowed” initiative.
“‘No Guns Allowed’ is a really important song to me,” Snoop Lion said. “I’m humbled that an organization like the League of Young Voters Education Fund supports what I’m saying in it and is taking action. Especially since they have been doing work for a long time to spread an anti-violence message in our communities.”
Spreading this peaceful message is exactly what the League is doing with the announcement of their “No GunsAllowed” campaign which will include:
● A live streaming round-table discussion with key influencers and other special events
The League’s “No Guns Allowed” PSA series will use the power of storytelling to heal communities and develop innovative ways to stop violence. The videos will inform viewers about issues related to gun violence and feature celebrities, political figures, grassroots organizers and community members sharing their thoughts and personal experiences related to gun violence.
As part of a widespread social media push launching today, League of Young Voters Education Fund is also asking people across the country to submit personal stories and photos via Tumblr and share messages using the hashtag #NoGunsAllowed on Twitter and Instagram, expressing how they’ve been affected by gun violence.
“No Guns Allowed” themed events, including interactive live streams, and a round-table discussion with celebrities, community activists and political figures, will also take place. The League has been producing non-violence events, such as their Put the Guns Down rallies, for more than 10 years.
“The League is excited and honored by Snoop’s support for our ‘No Guns Allowed’ campaign,” Baker said. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with him in the near future to reach even more people and bring some much-needed attention to the work we’ve been doing for some time to make urban communities safer.”
Chris Brown says he wants to “be taken a hundred percent serious as a rapper” before releasing a full Hip Hop album and claims the world might not be ready “for Chris Brown, the rapper.”
Chris Brown is hesitant to make an entire Hip Hop album. His latest project, X, is due later this year and Brown says it will feature some raps. However, he also claimed he doesn’t know “if the world is ready for Chris Brown, the rapper.”
“For me, I think I would have to progress more as an emcee first,” he acknowledged in an interview with Power 98. “It’s just me having fun and showcasing who I am. So an album, I would really have to be taken a hundred percent serious as a rapper. I like Rap. I love it. Music is my passion. Even on my album now, there’s a couple songs that I rap on. But as far as a whole album, I don’t know if the world is ready for Chris Brown, the rapper.”
Lil Scrappy is a lil’ jailbird — the rapper-slash-reality star turned himself in to an ATL jail this morning after cops say he refused to submit to a court-ordered urine test … TMZ has learned.
We broke the story … officials say Scrappy violated his probation back in March after a dispute over a pee test. According to court officials, Scrappy tried to turn in a urine sample that was cold to the touch and may have been tampered with … and when asked to submit another cup, he refused.
The court eventually issued a warrant for his arrest … and moments ago, the “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star turned himself in.
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On his way into the pokey, Scrap was photographed saying farewell to his fiancee Erica Dixon (seen above, holding hands) and his mother, Momma Dee … who was already sporting a “Free Scrappy” shirt.
Naturally, the VH1 cameras captured the dramatic moment on tape.
You may not be familiar with the b condom brand, but they’re one company putting their money where their mouths are when it comes to promoting safe sex in urban communities. Today, b condoms, the only black-owned condom company, announced a partnership with Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell. Long gone are the days where Uncle Luke rapped about “pop that coochie” or “doo-doo brown.” Now, Uncle Luke is active in his community and is giving back to the area where he’s from by promoting safe sex and teen pregnancy prevention. AIDS/HIV are not only a serious issue in the United States as a whole, but also in the Miami area. Per capita, Miami currently rates second in the number of new AIDS cases.
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The need for condoms among teens
In 2011, Miami-Dade county surveyed high school students and the results were interesting:
• 47 percent had ever had sexual intercourse. • 8 percent had sexual intercourse for the first time before age 13 years. • 16 percent had sexual intercourse with four or more persons during their life. • 33 percent had sexual intercourse with at least one person during the 3 months before the survey. • 32 percent did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse. • 93 percent did not use birth control pills or Depo-Provera (or any injectable birth control), Nuva Ring (or any birth control ring), implanon (or any implant), or any IUD before last sexual intercourse. • 22 percent were never taught in school about AIDS or HIV infection.
b Condoms and Uncle Luke partner for prevention
By partnering with b condoms, Uncle Luke plans on doing something about these issues by promoting safe sex and attempt to help prevent new cases of teen pregnancy. Campbell is donating 5,000 Platinum XL b condoms to a Miami, Fl area non-profit organization this summer. He will also donate another 1,000 Platinum XL b condoms through “Let The Runway Meet the Cause” to Empower U, a private, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) minority, peer-based and managed organization founded by and for people living with HIV/AIDS, during the Florida Fashion Designers Expo fashion week in Miami, Fl.
“b condoms is excited to partner with Mr. Campbell on this effort to promote safe sex in underserved communities,” said Reginald Thornton, Director of Marketing for b condoms. “Mr. Campbell is an iconic figure for his contributions to music, sports and at-risk youth and we believe this partnership provides a unique opportunity to extend his impact to community health.”
“I am very excited to partner with b condoms to advocate safe sex,” said Luther Campbell. “Teen pregnancy and STDs are mostly impacting African-Americans and Latinos and I want to help make a difference. It’s time for everyone to go Platinum.”
Nicki spent a couple of years as an Atlanta resident earlier in her career. She reflected on her time there and shouted out Gucci. “Everybody knows I had a really great relationship with Gucci when I first came out there just in terms of being on that mixtape circuit with Atlanta rappers,” she said. “Atlanta served a humongous role in my success.”
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Expounding, she said, “a lot of my classic mixtape moments were with him [Gucci]. Like he would call my phone 8, 9-o-clock in the morning … like what you doin’, shawty? You need to get up, you lazy shawty, let’s go to the studio … So he motivated me a lot, I loved being around him. No matter what, I will always respect Gucci.”
When asked if she’s spoken with him and if she believes he needs an intervention, Nicki said she stopped talking to him for a while because “he was lashing out at a lot of people.”
“So, it’s like I separate Gucci the artist from Gucci the person,” she explained. “Gucci the person is a sweet, loving, carefree, funny, hardworking dude. And so I never really paid attention to anything that he had ever said [when he was lashing out]. In terms of intervention, I think about how talented he is and I kind of wish there was somebody that could step in and say ‘Gucci, if you only knew how special you were. You would take a moment to really just get centered.'”
Nicki offered the advice from her own experience. “Not to point fingers,” she said, “because I’ve had moments when I needed to center myself. Sometimes you just need to be alone in a meditating type of place and just kinda block out all the other noise and begin to focus on who you are and what you want out of life.”
She said Gucci as an artist and a businessman has had an impact on not only her career, but the skreets scene in general.
“I think that if he can get to that place he’ll be great because nobody can ever deny the fact that he kind of revolutionized a lot of things in the underground mixtape world.”
Also in the interview the American Idol judge said she’s going to take at least a moment herself when it comes to reality TV.
“I think I have my fair share of it for now. This is the thing, like with reality TV, I’m not going to sugarcoat anything that I do … A lot of people only show one side of themselves really, and with me, when I do it, I just try to be — [I] just try to really show the real deal so people who want to be in the game see what it really entails … sometimes that’s not always the best thing for people, I guess.”
DMX says the Oprah Winfrey Network tricked him into spilling his guts during a recent interview — in which the rapper came off as erratic and strung out — and now he’s out for revenge.
DMX is furious over his sit-down with Iyanla Vanzant on her show “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” which aired on OWN. During the chat Iyanla asked X about his rampant drug use and he didn’t hold back — appearing unhinged.
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But DMX tells us … Iyanla pulled a fast one. She was supposed to ask him about his addiction to WOMEN … not drugs … and the dope questions were NEVER cleared beforehand.
He says, “Iyanla set the whole thing up to make me look bad for ratings,” adding, “That lady is toxic … My last words to her were that she can suck my d**k and she still can.”
X tells us, he’s already contacted his team to explore legal options — and wants the footage removed from OWN STAT… or else.
A woman has made a claim against the estate of late rapper Nate Dogg for unpaid child support money.
TMZ reports that Shereda Williams, reported to be the mother of one of Nate Dogg’s children, filed a creditor’s claim against the rapper’s estate, alleging it owes her $339,924 in unpaid child support.
The star, real name Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, was allegedly supposed to pay Shereda $4,358 a month, but she claims he never made a single payment.
Their child is reported to have been born in 2006.
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Shereda says the estate now owes her the outstanding balance, including the payments which have accumulated since the death of the rapper.
However, Nate Dogg is reported to have been nearly broke when he died in March 2011 from complications following multiple strokes aged 41.
In December 2007, the singer was left paralysed on one side of his body after a massive stroke and was struck by a second one in September 2008.
Nate Dogg started his career with Snoop Dogg, now known as Snoop Lion, and Warren G in the early 1990s as a rap trio in Long Beach called 213.
As well as Snoop, Nate Dogg also collaborated with musicians Eminem, Ludacris and Tupac Shakur.
Nate Dogg first found fame guesting on Dr Dre’s album The Chronic before his hit Regulate with Warren G reached the number five position in the charts in 1994.
Friend: Nate in the video of Snoop Dogg’s 2007 video Boss Life
He then released three solo albums – the first in 1998 titled G-Funk Classics, Vol 1 & 2; Music And Me in 2001 and a self-titled LP in 2004.
His friend Snoop Dogg wrote on Twitter via his death: ‘I love you buddy. You will always be with me forever and a day. You put the ‘G’ in ‘G funk’, you put the ‘1’ in ‘213’ and you put your stamp on everybody you ever did it with.
‘I miss you because I am so sad but so happy I got to grow up with you, and I will see you again in heaven, because you know the slogan ‘all dogs go to heaven.’
Two revelers celebrating the marijuana holiday “4/20″ were shot as rapper Lil Flip performed at a show in Denver, Colorado.
Thousands had gathered in Civic Center Park in Denver to celebrate, since marijuana has been legalized in Colorado.
Around 5:00pm, witnesses reported hearing four or five shots and a man, his dog and a woman were struck, as Lil Flip performed, according to reports.
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“I saw him fall, grabbing his leg,” witness Travis Craig told The Associated Press. “He was just screaming that he was in pain, and wanted to know where his girlfriend was. She was OK. And then the cops showed up real quick, like, less than a minute. They put him on ambulance and left.”
The police presence was heavy due to the 80,000 attendees who were expected to attend the weekend celebration.
“I am just grateful that no one was seriously hurt…,” Lil Flip tweeted.
Police are seeking two suspects in the shooting, which was captured on aerial footage.
Evidence shows that certain Hollywood residents give no f-cks about your 4/20 Day celebrations. Long Beach rapper turned reggae artist Snoop Lion was set to host a 4/20 party today that has already been shut down by authorities.
“Snoop Lion 420 Festival” — a giant party being held in a Hollywood Hills mansion to celebrate all things cannab!s — started at 11:00 AM … but quickly crashed and burned thanks to a bunch of fuddy-duddy neighbors.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … multiple neighbors in the surrounding area complained about the noise levels and parking situation caused by hoards of weed-loving partygoers. The fact that the party didn’t have a permit didn’t help matters either.
Cops arrived and quickly shut it down, putting a kibosh on the all-night festivities.
Our sources say no one was cited and Snoop was not there.
We think it’s safe to say that Snoop will have no trouble finding another spot to celebrate 4/20.
Snoop Lion’s new album, Reincarnated, is in stores April 23.
Lil Scrappy stays in some legal drama. The lastest from the Love & Hip Hop Atlanta star is being wanted by the police thanks to a allegedly suspect drug test.
Says TMZ:
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Lil Scrappy has pissed off the police … because he allegedly refused to piss for police … and now a warrant has been issued for his arrest, TMZ has learned.
The urine controversy bubbled to the surface back in March … when the “Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta” star was required to submit to a pee test in Georgia as part of his probation, stemming from a 2008 pot arrest.
Problem is … officials say Scrappy tried to turn in a urine sample that was cold to the touch … and cops believe it may have been tampered with. They refused to accept the sample … and told Scrappy to provide a fresh cup of yellow gold.
Well this doesn’t sound like too much fun at all. Soulja Boy and Chief Keef, who have previously collaborated a few times on tracks like “Foreign Cars” and “Say She Luv Me” are now tangled in some social networking war. It’s getting pretty ugly, and death threats are being thrown around.
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Back in January, Chief Keef’s Twitter was “hacked” and during that “hacking” some insults flew about Soulja Boy. “He’s a d-ck stealin’ every1 flow,” Fake Keef tweeted. That battle was diffused quickly, but earlier this month one of Keef’s homies GBE’s Ballout got pretty braggy over Twitter about how he stole Soulja Boy’s chain. “N L.A. Pushin On N—as Jus Too This N—a @souljaboy Chain Des N—as Fak As S–t I B Takin S–t,” he tweeted.
Now Soulja Boy has run through Facebook several weeks later making death threats to Keef and his boy. He even posted both of Keef’s phone numbers urging people to “Call Sosa” and tell him that Soulja Boy is on the way. He even claims to have an AK-47 in his hand. With Keef’s previous criminal record, is this the wisest thing for Soulja Boy to be doing? Just because you know how to “Superman dat h0e” doesn’t make you Superman, son.
Screwed Up Click alum Lil’ Flip is a wanted man in Louisiana after he no-showed in court yesterday.
Onetime Houston, Texas Hip Hop star Lil’ Flip is currently a wanted man. The Screwed-Up Click and Clover Gang member, a former Columbia Records platinum act, is currently the target of an arrest warrant, according to TMZ. Flip reportedly missed a court date yesterday (April 18) in De Soto Parish, Louisiana, for his nearby December 25 arrest.
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On Christmas of last year, Flip’s vehicle was stopped and subsequently searched. Police allege they found a Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle and marijuana. It was said to be Flip’s third drug offense at the time.
ESPN basketball analyst Chris Broussard spoke with The Daily Caller about Hip-Hop’s relationship with social issues like poverty, crime, and injustice.
“Hip-Hop is a symptom of the problem,” said Broussard . “It’s not the root cause of the problem.”
As the president of the Christian Men’s Movement K.I.N.G., Broussard has taken on the duty of fulfilling the organization”s mission of healing and empowering men of African descent through the teachings of Jesus Christ.
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Part of that objective includes bringing light to systematic racism that still affects the black family and the Hip-Hop community.
“You’ll literally have black people going to prison for crimes that white people are not going to prison for,” said Broussard. “This impacts the family.”
The Sentencing Commission analysis found that black men were sentenced to nearly 20% longer sentences than white men for similar crimes. The gap increased after 2005 when the Supreme Court ruled that federal district judges can use “judicial discretion” in sentencing.
The Brandeis study found a 30% difference in the relative wealth growth between black and white families between 1984 and 2009. With home ownership being the biggest contributor to net worth, the collapse of the housing bubble and the Great Recession of 2008 caused a black-white divide of $85,070 in median net worth in 1984 to skyrocket to a difference of $236,500 in 2009.
White Americans also tend to start off in society at a better financial status than African-Americans. Whites are 5 times more likely to receive a family inheritance than blacks, and 80% of black students graduate from college with debt as opposed to only 64% of white students.
Broussard offers a defense of rap artists as being the voice of those individuals being affected by these government policies and economic inequalities.
“[Young rappers] are writing about the things that they see and may, in some cases, experience in their neighborhoods,” said Broussard. “Poverty, injustice, crime, fatherlessness, family breakdown — because all this exists in their community.”
On the other hand, Broussard also believes that rappers are responsible for the themes and images they display to young listeners who may not have experienced that lifestyle.
“Music that [some rappers] are putting out is reaching people who don’t live in that neighborhood and reality,” said Broussard. “You have young kids who are from nice, two-parent households… and they may be dumbing themselves down to act like the rapper that they idolize.”
Lil Scrappy is a lil’ jailbird — the rapper-slash-reality star turned himself in to an ATL jail this morning after cops say he 
DMX says the Oprah Winfrey Network tricked him into spilling his guts during a recent interview — in which the rapper came off as erratic and strung out — and now he’s out for revenge.
Friend: Nate in the video of Snoop Dogg’s 2007 video Boss Life
