He kept around 40 journalists waiting as he arrived fashionably late for a news conference in Auckland today, sporting his trademark dark glasses and designer threads.

He’s not afraid of admitting he does not plan to do any sightseeing while here.

“I’m going to sleep. All I want to see is the back of my eyelids,” he said. “The correct thing for me to say would be I’d go and see the capital, but I’m just going to perform really good, then I’m going to sleep.”

West is touring to promote his latest album, 808s & Heartbreak, which is hugely inspired by what’s been going on in his personal life. Check out the full video and see what he had to say.

Via HHDX:

I didn’t go and start nothing. If they rewind the cameras, they’ll see how it started,” Shawty Lo told MTV. “I’m a man. I respect every man as a man. If a man disrespects me, what am I supposed to do? T.I. needs to contain his people. We’re not standing down. I performed my music; 107.9 called me to perform. I didn’t come to start no beef with him. I gave Tip a shout out at the BET [Hip-Hop] Awards.

Shawty Lo also speaks on his beef with T.I.

Basically, I didn’t start saying anything about Tip. I was performing my music,” Shawty Lo explained to MTV. “During ‘Foolish’, all of them was coming in front of the stage doing their mugging. After ‘Dunn, Dunn’, I performed the diss record ‘Don’t I’. That’s what made me perform the diss record. I ain’t gonna lie; they was disrespecting me. I wasn’t gonna let them disrespect me.

Check the jump to see video footage of the scuffle.

Read the rest of this entry »

Via SPIN:

As Plies’ DJ dropped the first beat of the night, an ugly truth was unveiled: The rapper’s style seemed less like the future of the genre and more like its mediocre present — his set was heavy on crunktastic Southern beats and light on artistry or word craft. Worse, not one song was properly finished, including “Please Excuse My Hands” and “Who Hotter Than Me,” both from 2008’s Definition of Real, and “Shawty,” a track originally featuring T-Pain found on 2007’s The Real Testament.

As if this is a surprise to anyone. Plies, in New York City and they’re supposed to go wild? I can’t see it. And the people at VIBE should be slapped for calling him the “future of rap”.

“Just the positioning. I’m not comfortable where I’m at right now,” he adds. “My song ‘Get Up’ is performing great. I’m happy with ‘Get Up.’ It moved faster than ‘I Get Money’ at radio. But I’m just looking for the opportunity to present more of my material [prior to the album's release]. It’s not the strongest effort on my album; it’s just a great start for me.”

Curtis, maybe you should just work on putting out some better material and then people might be happy. You were happy with ‘Get Up’? That song was absolute trash. Lets see what you can manage to put out in 2009.

Damn it feels good to be back. I always feel so out of the loop when I get back from being out of town enjoying my social life. Meantime, the internet never sleeps, nor do these rappers. For all you New York people, Jadakiss is going to be making some stops at various retail locations on the 20th and the 21st. I wish I could make it so I could hear that laugh of his in person.

Via Billboard:

Kanye West was arrested after an alleged assault outside a U.K. nightclub, but was released without charge, according to British press reports.

The 31-year-old artist was detained in the early hours of this morning (Nov. 14) after an incident involving a paparazzi photographer.

The incident took place outside the Tup Tup Palace club in Newcastle, north-east England, after West’s performance at Newcastle Arena last night.

Damn, Ye’ and photographers don’t mix too well. Relax, smoke a blunt and chill. Life could be worse. Anyway, check out what Kanye had to say after the incident after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today, Q-Tip kicks off the 2K Sports Bounce Tour in San Francisco backed by his live band and EPMD’s DJ Scratch with supporting acts The Cool Kids and The Knux. Pacific Division and Janelle Monae will join select dates. Check the tour dates after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Via XXL:

Suge Knight apparently has his eyes on Kanye West’s money. The former Death Row mogul reportedly blames Kanye West for being shot at his Pre-MTV party at Miami’s Shore Club back in 2005.

Knight recently (09/12) filed a lawsuit in Bankruptcy Court suing West and The Shore Club for negligence, personal injury and premises liability. The court document states that in addition to being wounded, Knight also lost a 15-carat diamond studded earring worth $135, 000 inside the Shore Club. Suge claims an employee found the earring and assured it would be returned to him. The earring has yet to be returned. Knight also claims he was so embarrassed he had to flea Miami in a private jet.

Suge is seeking for all his medical expenses to be covered and “for damages for the loss of use and enjoyment of the earring.” Though he’s bankrupt, Knight secured a deal that will allow him to keep a percentage of the money should he win the suit.

Suge Suge Suge…I guess you have to try and get that money somehow. This dude needs to get his priorities straight.

cou⋅ture: being, having, or suggesting the style, quality, etc., of a fashion designer; very fashionable.

Dope Couture: a sarcastic interpretation of upper class bourgeois style, high-class art, fashion, street and pop culture. If you’re un-familiar with Dope Couture you best get familiar. Artists such as Lupe Fiasco, David Banner, Big Sean, Talib Kweli, Kidz In The Hall and Mick Boogie have rocked apparel from Dope.

They just launched their Fall 2008 lineup featuring some of the hottest t-shirts to ever grace the fashion industry for men and women. Check the jump to see some of the Fall 2008 lineup as well as some pictures of your favorite artists rockin’ the tee’s.

Read the rest of this entry »

So here are the details of the project, straight from Mick Boogie.

“Hello all. So… we are back again. This time, with a special mix and a website devoted just to this really exciting project. Me and Terry Urban got together and decided to do a project honoring two of our favorite musical forces… Jay-Z and Coldplay.”

“If you love Jay-Z and you’re not into Coldplay, this is for you. If you love Coldplay, but don’t mess with hip-hop, this is for you. If you love all good music, this is definitely for you.”

We proudly present to you…

TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT EST…

DJ Booth was invited to preview the 10-track recording, and the experience was nothing short of a trip to a hip-hop version of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Over production by the Neptunes, with three tracks coming from Mr. DJ of Dungeon Ratz Productions, Common channels flows reminiscent of Afrika Bambaataa, but goes a bit light on his usual socially-conscious subject matter.

Make sure you guys go check out what DJ Booth had to say about the rest of the album.

As most of you know, some new Luda tracks found their way to the internet today. Ludacris had some words to say about it.

“Although I don’t know where the leaks came from, the 3 songs leaked to the internet today were unfinished tracks and premature versions of songs. I’m glad that my fans are excited about the new project, but to get the final masterpiece, the album Theater of the Mind premieres on Nov 25th”

Via MTV:

Wayne’s son, Dwayne Carter III, was born Wednesday afternoon (October 22), at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, a rep for the rapper told MTV News. It’s Carter’s second child. He has a daughter, Reginae Carter, with Antonia “Toya” Johnson, his high school sweetheart, whom he married in 2004 and divorced two years later.

The identity of the boy’s mother had not been announced at press time. Hmmm, wonder who it is.

The Slim Shady has been working with Curtis on his upcoming LP. They’ve been working on the track Norman Bates Motel together among others.

“So far, I’ve kinda kept to myself and wrote what I felt was exciting from my perspective. It’s always fun working with Em for me. He’s in a space where he has the luxury of just being able to sit down. The rest of us … me, I do the actual footwork. Dre hasn’t had an album out in seven years. Em — two years. Me — seven, eight months. They send me out to test the waters, and everyone else will jump in the tub. I stay a little more active. Em is by far the biggest rap artist, period. I’m the largest Hip Hop touring artist. I travel more places than he travels to be in front of a live audience.”

If you wanna read more about Curtis and Eminem check out the rest of the article.

Via MTV:

ATLANTA — Weezy F. Baby is having another baby. Lil Wayne announced Saturday night during the BET Hip-Hop Awards that he’s having his first son in just a “couple of days.” He was onstage accepting the Lyricist of the Year Award when he told the crowd at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center of his impending bundle of joy.

Wayne’s final words when accepting the award were, “I got a son dropping any day, pray for me.”

A re-release of the Carter III with new tracks and a new baby boy on the way. Wayne won’t stop.