Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean was given a hero’s welcome in one of Haiti’s most destitute slums, riding on the shoulders of his cheering countrymen to the site of a small-business project he helped develop.

On his first trip to Haiti since being named a roving ambassador by President Rene Preval in January, the musician met legislators and accompanied Czech model Petra Nemcova to a school in the impoverished neighborhood where he was born. (more…)

  Rating:
  Review Date: November 12, 2007
  Website: TrueBless Website
  Label: Else Where? Entertainment

TrueBless “Mission ISPossible” Album Review
I was fortunate enough to be able to build with TrueBless a couple months back, and it was an uplifting experience to say the least. The former college basketball star turned educator and youth mentor has a life story that reads more like a Hollywood script. The story of TrueBless is filled with struggle, hardship and loss – yet illuminates lessons of love, strength and perseverance. And his debut album “Mission ISPossible” does the same. (more…)

Lincoln, the resurgent American luxury brand, announced today a multifaceted marketing partnership with a rising star and Grammy Award-winning performer Common to promote the 2008 Lincoln Navigator and other brand initiatives.

“Lincoln is excited to be associated with Common because his success story is gaining momentum at the same time that ours is,” said Mike Richards, general marketing manager for Lincoln.  (more…)

Bill Maher crossed with “Meet the Press” for the hip-hop culture — that’s the potent formula behind “SpitFire,” a new talk show hosted by rap pioneer Kool Moe Dee.

The show is an offshoot of IAmHipHop.com, a recently launched social networking site. Concentrating on all things hip-hop, the portal (http://www.iamhiphop.com) will also begin posting three- to five-minute segments of various “SpitFire” episodes at the end of November. (more…)

From harrowing experiences as a child soldier to international recognition as a hip hop artist, Emmanuel Jal’s life has followed an extraordinary path. At the age of seven, he was taken away to fight with rebel forces in Sudan’s brutal civil war. After his escape, Jal is now working on a new album and documentary about his life.

Watching Jal’s performance on stage, it is hard to imagine his life as a child soldier in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. (more…)

Loud.com and the Wu-Tang Clan are whetting appetites for the Wu’s upcoming release with the “8 Diagrams” Mixtape. The legendary Wu-Tang Clan will release their last album “8 Diagrams” on December 11th, 2007 through Loud/SRC Records. The “8 Diagrams” mixtape is available for FREE download exclusively through Loud.com. It features 29 tracks of new and unreleased Wu-Tang material. (more…)

Rawkus Records standouts Blue Scholars released their digital-only LP Joe Metro today and are offering a free preview of the title track here:
http://terrorbird.alphapupserver.com/music/BS-01JoeMetro.mp3

Also be on the lookout for Blue Scholars’ upcoming national tour dates with Psalm One, Swollen Members and Evidence.

  Rating:
  Review Date: November 6, 2007
  Website: Sirah Website
  Label: Broken Complex Records

Sirah “Clean Windows Dirty Floors” Album Review
I say this all the time, but nobody ever listens: “The underground needs to support more dope female emcees!” After all, most mainstream crews either had or have a “first lady.” Death Row had Rage. Roc-A-Fella had Foxy. Bad Boy had Kim. No Limit had Mia X. Ruff Riders have Eve. So So Def has Da Brat. Flipmode has Rah Digga. Those Dirty South cats have Trina. The list goes on and on. However, you don’t see the same with underground labels. Blacksmith has Jean Grae and the Rhymesayers have Psalm One – and that’s about it. (more…)

  Rating:
  Review Date: November 4, 2007
  Website: COS Website
  Label: Square One Entertainment

Citizens of Sleep “Sometimes I Just Can’t Get Outraged Over Copyright Law” Album Review
I found myself doing Spring cleaning in the Fall. Yeah, at times I can be a pack rat so I was forced to purge a few things. While browsing through my various belongings, of course I had to stop and look through my collection of classic hip-hop music. Most of the cd’s brought back many memories; just by looking at the cover art of some I was able to reminisce on what life was like when I first bought the albums. When listening to Citizens of Sleep’s Sometimes I Just Cant Get Outraged Over Copyright Law I was able to reach back into my adolescent years in hip-hop in the same manner. (more…)

The Redbull Big Tune Beat Battle National Championships came to Seattle’s Neumo’s, pitting the top two producers from each Big Tune city against each other.

Twelve individuals from 6 different cities (Houston, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago), went head to head, showcasing their hottest beats for the title of the country’s best beatmaker. (more…)