:(

On Friday May 4th Adam Yauch aka MCA of the Beastie Boys passed away at the age of 47. 47 is way too young to die but he led a life of purpose. Music, Art and Activism was his game and he played it well. I'm going to post one of my personal favorite Beastie Songs "So What Cha Want"

Watch This!

This is a really cool documentary put together by Heartless Creativity about a group of people putting on for the 757 (that is the Hampton Roads area in Southeast Virginia for those of you who aren't down with the area code lingo, proceed) musically. I am honored to know the guys of A New Born Thriller, they were guests a couple of times for the Urban Metal Music Festival shows that I used to put on in Radford. And I also remember going to one of the "Beechmont" rehersals waaay back in the day. And the guys of Teleport Team [they will ALWAYS be Frontside to me, sorry guys :)] are a couple of my really really good friends from high school. The other artists featured are BEEF and the Dope Dreamerz whom my brother and myself had the pleasure to see perform and was really in awe of them. In this doc they talk about things like how they all came to know each other and the struggles of trying to get noticed outside of the 757. It is a really good watch, please enjoy!

Spitta Back At It

I love Curren$y, but being a Curren$y fan can be exhausting. I swear every week this kid is coming out with like complete albums. His work ethic is crazy, but although its so much quantity, its all quality. This is his new joint with Wale "What It Look Like" from his upcoming 450th album The Stoned Immaculate. I like the track, Wale provided a nice simple hook and also provides a verse. As always Curren$y is like butter on a track while Wale always seems to attack a track, Curren$y always melts into it becoming a part of the music. Anyways here's the video.

Get More: Curren$y, What It Look Like, Music, More Music Videos

Get This.

One of my faves Yelawolf released his debut album Radioactive and boy Catfish Billy did not disappoint. Yelawolf and his team of producers including Will Power, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Diplo and even Eminem crafted an album that is radio friendly without abandoning the underground that Yela has been a part of for many years. The album has features from Fefe Dobson, Kid Rock, Pooh Bear, Gangsta Boo and of course Eminem as well as a few others. You can listen to this album from front to back without skipping. My personal faves are "Good Girl" "Animal", "Everything I Love The Most" and "Hardest Love Song In The World", but dude the whole album is really good. I'm proud of Yelawolf, I've been a fan for a little while and I hope that he has a lot of success. Word.

Jams

Here are some songs that I've been digging lately.
Up first is this ASAP Rocky from Harlem, USA. Now from the little research that I did on this kid and his music, his tracks sound like he's reppin Houston TX harder than Harlem. But in this clip for the just released "Peso" the imagery and energy is straight NYC. Personally it makes me feel nostalgic and the music is dope, I ain't mad at it.

And here is a bonus from ASAP Rocky. I have a feeling this kid is the next Hood Hipster Hero.


Up next we have Rick Gonzalez, no excuse me "Realm Reality". Primarily known as an actor (most recently appearing as Jesus in Lady Gaga's "Judas" video) he has actually been an MC for quite a while. He released his latest mixtape "Invisible Man" not too long ago and despite the fact that he's a 30 something year old dramatic actor he is actually dope. It doesn't hurt that's he's fine AND this beat is the truth. It definitely gives me a mid 90s BK vibe.

I Miss You Man: DMX

The other day I was driving around listening to the radio and DMX's "How's it Going Down" came on. I friggin lost my mind! That was the JAMMMMMMIIIIIEE. Then it got me to thinking how much I miss DMX. When DMX first popped on the scene he came with a vengeance, and I 12 year old Tylia was legit in love with him, like fully. Looking back it's kind of weird, but I was all about DMX. My middle school bestie Shawquana even made me a DMX key chain LOL LOL! But really though his passion his energy his flow his delivery his mania! To me DMX was the perfect rapper.Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood is still one of my favorite albums of all time. He could do a song for the ladies, he can do a song for the thugs, he can do a party anthem/ catch phrase for slightly out of touch older white people, he can do a song with Marilyn Manson! DMX could do it all, he was, for a while, untouchable. Now we all know that isnt true due to his ongoing drug abuse and jail stints DMX seems to be out of the game for good. But for a good solid streak DMX was THAT DUDE. Thats why I Miss You Man!

Jammie of the day

This is the latest video from Virginia legends Clipse. I feel that upon driving into the Hampton Roads area you should be given their first album Lord Willin like its a brochure telling you the sights you should see. Also Clipse+Pharrell+Kenna=Yes.

Also one half and older brother of the Clipse Malice aka Gene Thornton has a book coming out soon titled "Wretched, Pitiful,Poor, Blind and Naked" chronicling his awakening from God. He posts motion picture-esque excerpts from the book and man this stuff is moving. I am even moved to purchase and read this book myself and I NEVER read books. Check out an excerpt below.

Malice's Book Excerpt #1 from Malice of the Clipse on Vimeo.

Major Jammie of the Day

In vein of the last post how about some throwback Kanye for Jammie of the day. This right here is "We Major" my favorite track from Late Registration this joint is pretty epic.

Jammie of the Day

This is Curren$y's new video for his single "Michael Knight" from his new album Pilot Talk 2 coming out this month on 22nd, mind you that Pilot Talk just came out in like August. This kid never stops working. Oh and the chorus of this song is painfully simplistic and possibly one of the best choruses of all time. All Time!

MICHAEL KNIGHT from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Gurl this my JAM

A few days ago I decided on a whim to download Wale's current mixtape More About Nothing the sequel to Mixtape About Nothing and I'm glad I did. I mean I was never a super Wale fan, I appreciate his talent as an MC (and I think he's a cutie) but musically he didn't really hook me, until now. My jammie right now is his take on Sam Sparro's (who is like my new favorite person) "Black and Gold". But the mixtape as a whole is a really well put together project with dope tracks and Wale's fantastic wordsmithyness (yes that's a word) so here is Wale's "Black and Gold"

Download This (These)

*Check out my amazing outfit and Tyrone's awesome hightop*
My brother Tyrone aka "Popjaye" just released the first taste to long awaited upcoming mixtape Popularity! (he threatened me to say all of that) its called "Popularity 4 You". In the words of Popjaye "Hampton City Stand the F*** Up!"
And please dont forget about the summer BANGA BIU BBQ

Obsessions are Healthy.

This weeks obsession is a hip hop artist from the south with east coast lyricism. His name is Curren$y. He has been through the corporate hip hop ringer being signed to New Orleans rap powerhouses No Limit and Cash Money/Young Money. It wasnt until he decided to leave all that behind and go at it on his own to make a mark on the game. His style is laid back its none of that oh i shot this dude, i sold this blah blah blah that's going in rap right now, he raps about clothes, kicks, weed and the women folk. He has a slew of mixtapes out but will be coming out with an album Pilot Talk through the revamped Roc-A-Fella imprint. Its a really cool movement he's a part of and I am looking forward to all that he does in the future. And in true Tylia fashion you already know I will smash that. The end. Oh here's a few videos.

Curren$y - King Kong from Creative Control on Vimeo.

P.S Download the "Smokee Robinson" mixtape. JETS Fool!

My 25th Burr! Day

Last Saturday I turnt (yes turnt) 25, go me. The celebration started the night before at Red Lobsters ( yes Lobsters) cause we classy like that. It was my Grandmother, mother, brother and myself. It was nice, I got me some Lobster tails honey!



Bright and early on my actual birfday I visited some Dominicans to get my scalp burned and Vietnamese to get hair ripped from my eyebrow region, then I brought me these babies:

I like to call them the "Mu Phi's" in honor of Mu Phi Epsilon, Purple and Black, yeah buddy.
So after all that saturday evening I prepared myself to go to Norfolk for the Crowd Control Tour feat. Donnis, Izza Kizza, 88Keys, and Kidz in the Hall. This was my birthday suit:

So we finally get to Norfolk to see the show. And this is the summary of the show in so many words: About 50 people showed up but every performer put on a show as if it was sold out, I was upset not many people showed, but I had a good time. The best part of the night was meeting Double 0, the producer, DJ and brains behind Kidz in the Hall. He was very cool, and very hot, lawd. So here are some pictures to wrap this post up.




All in all it was a cool birthday, yay.

Guru.

One of hip hop's greatest and most influential MC's is going through the fight of his life right now. It was reported sunday that he had went into cardiac arrest and has since went through surgery but as of right now still in a coma. Hopefully he will pull through because he is waaay to young to go at 43. Matters of the heart are very very touchy, that's how my pops went. But me and hip hop jazz heads all around the world are sending good vibes his way. I will leave you with my favorite Gangstarr joint "Royalty", this reminds me of ol school rap city, like Big Lez & Joe Clair rap city :sigh:

Robots and Martians

For those that dont know I am a hiphopmetalheaddiscofiend. I love all types of music but let it be known I am from the Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop therefore hip-hop is in my blood. Dont confuse hip-hop with rap music, they are two different things. It is kind of hard to explain to the average folk who dont get it. The best way I can describe it as rap music is made to make money, hip-hop is made to make music, get it? If you dont, to the corner you go, your on time out! I am bringing this point up because hip-hop always had many sectors if you will. When I was coming up in the 90s you had 'gangsta rap'(Dre,Snoop,Pac) you had 'hard-core' dudes (Wu-Tang, Onyx etc.) and you had 'alternative' cats (A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Jungle Bros. etc) and for the most part from what I can remember they co-habitated alrightly<---yes that is a word! Now a days there are these new skool peeps coming up (Kid Cudi, Wale, B.O.B etc.) and you have old dudes getting mad talking about skinny jeans and auto tune and stuff. Now I agree with the whole auto tune thing but like many phases it will have its time and it will disappear. And I have respect for the old school but I admire the kids coming out with now that is new and refreshing. The point im trying to make is if your a young dude saying how things are corny right now, the radio sucks, the industry sucks, that's ok because these things are preventing your shine. But if your an old dude complaining about the same things your just looking like a bitter old dude to me. You had your time, things change, keep doing your thing, you have people that'll ride with you regardless so stop trying to knock others people hustle. Whether that hustle is respectable or not. Yes im talking to you Jay-Z! Your 40 dude you have 'the hottest chick in the game', you have money in the bank, you have a huge catalog of work, leave it alone. I feel "D.O.A." although a great track is a little disrespectful especially since Kanye used autotune beautifully on 808's and Heartbreak. Im also talking to you KRS-One and Buckshot, I bow to you fellas, I really do, but in "Robot" you just sound like some old bitter dudes im sorry but you do. All im really saying is let everyone do them and in the end real recognize real, survival of the fittest and all that mess. If any of the dudes coming out these days are real then in 10 years they'll be complaining about the new influx of hip-hop kids. Leabing thoughts the only dude to me who can complain is Ghostface Killah, because he's friggin Ghostface Killah!via Missinfo


And Im Done.

Today starts my weakend.

Thursdays are my fridays, friday is my saturday, saturdays are my sunday's but like a sunday where there is a three day weekend so you can go out. Know what im saying? Anyways im going to smooth in out right now with these choice cuts. First up we have Tanya Morgan, for the longest time I thought it was some R&B chick and I was always thinking why is this chick like on legit hip hop websites and blogs? Turns out its a group HA! Anywho here is their jammie "So Damn Down"

Next Up is Red and Meth "Mrs.International" with a hook by Eric Sermon. Redman KILLS this song.

2 pennies for my thoughts

So here are some quick 2 cent entries. This time with some of this week's new album releases, specifically in the hip-hop category.Please note that I have not heard any of these albums. I am merely going on their history in the game, what I've heard so far, and flat out how I feel about them. Here we go.
Eminem Relapse. ::sighs:: Alright, I personally tuned Eminem out after the Marshall Mathers LP. I think I've stated before how much I loved the Slim Shady LP, that ish was CLASSIC. It also laid out the formula that Eminem would use again, and again and again when it comes to his albums. There is absolutely no doubt about Em's delivery and lyricism and obviously there will be the die hards that will back him no matter what.Im not one of them but I would totally smash the homie sorry Em. Next.

Busta Rhymes Back on My B.S.. I love Busta, his energy is crazy...his energy is crazy. But really though his energy is crazy. I have not been excited about a Busta album since Extinction Level Event. "Arab Money" is hot but they should have released the album while it was hot. The suits took too long and the hype cooled down and I dont think Bus would fair too good. Sorry Trevor. Next.

Method Man and Redman Blackout II. I love Red and Meth, these are both emcees, I have not heard any material from the album. I'm sure its crazy, will I buy it? Sorry guys, I won't, it's a recession, I got to get my eyebrows waxed, I need an oil change and tire rotation, I got a verizon bill...Next.

On a related sidenote:My brother and I was talking about the new crop of rappers coming up and I compared it to the early and mid-nineties when we had groups like A Tribe called Quest, and De La Soul and hip-hop was being infused by jazz music. These days we have cats like Charles Hamilton and Kid Cudi which is the alternative so the blah blah blah and the so and so's and the music is being infused with rock, but not rock in the traditional "Walk this Way" sense. So I do think that hip-hop is in a good place. Sometimes you have to dig to find things that satisfy your eardrums and therefore your soul.

BKBS Jammie

This is "Brooklyn Bullsh!t" by Joell Ortiz.So funny everything this dude says I know someone just like that. This dude is the truth, he's a free agent, someone put him on! Hip-hop needs this cat.

Jammie

This is Shyne with "Bonnie and Shyne" feat Barrington Levy. Shyne got the shaft real hard. Quick history lesson, back at the turn of the century when Diddy was Puffy and was dating J-Lo he and entourage including Shyne was involved in a shooting. Long story short Diddy got off while Shyne got I think 10 yrs or less in jail (to lazy to look up info right now). My brother and I was talking about how much potential Shyne had but then that whole thing happened. It seemed like Diddy just left him in the dust. Grimey. I think he should be getting out pretty soon. I wonder what he is going to do when he gets out. If he's smart he wouldnt do anything to put him back in jail.

No-No-No-Notorious

So this weekend my brother and I plus pretty much all the ghettos across the nation went to go see "Notorious" the Biggie Smalls biopic. I thought it was a good movie. I mean hip-hop heads already know about the life of Biggie so pretty much anything they were going to put in the movie was no surprise. However I thought it was very well put together. Gravy played Big very well. It depicted Biggie as a really sweet guy who really loved his mother and just wanted to do good. He was funny and charismatic, the chicks like really loved and I could see why. I honestly have a posthumous crush on biggie, kind of weird, kind of well... weird. I don't know what Lil Kim was biatching about. I dont think she was depicted badly at all, I think she was depicted as well Lil Kim. She seemed sort of innocent enough till big told her to up the sex appeal thus creating the Lil Kim we came to know. You kind of felt bad for her cause she really loved big but she really couldnt have him like she wanted. At the end before his death it seemed big was really getting his stuff together. He wanted his kids to come out to Cali to visit him, he wanted to sit down and talk to Kim and end all the drama, he was really coming into his own. As we all know some douche decided to end all of that. And for what!? Anyways all in all I enjoyed it. It was soo funny cause the hood was all up in that theatre. Anytime a song came on everybody was singing along, and nobody got shot! Even though one dude in the front kept gettin really loud, but it was beautiful though. Notorious we are we are, notorious, he is he is.