Jim Jones Interview(HipHopGame.com) Number 50 Kid!!!!

During the time I was in the studio with the capo himself, I learned Jim Jones is an interesting character. While he was annihilating dudes in the game Mortal Kombat , and yelling rambunctiously the phrase "FINISH HIM!", Jones had the time to do the interview with your boy. Shouts out to Dame Dash, Ryan Leslie(R.les, me and you know who killed that slim record lol), Stephen Victor, my man D. Chanda, and all the people at Koch who was there.

> HHG: "Pop Champagne" is doing real good right now. The single is buzzing.The video is receiving a good amount of plays. How do you feel about theresponse you've been getting?

>Jim Jones: Beautiful response man. It's what you want as far as you being anartist as far as coming out with a hit song, and being able to be associatedwith a great hit song. So you know how I'm feeling. You know Pray IV Reign,the new album. You guys look forward to that. I got some things coming onwith that for real.

>HHG: "Ballin" catapulted you to real big success. How do you feel whenpeople say oh he can't top ballin, and that will be his one and only hit?

>Jim Jones: I have nothing to say to the haters. I pay no mind I just keep itmoving. I'm just glad I'm on their mind nah mean, ya dig?

> HHG: Who is going to be featured on the album?

> Jim Jones: You know I got the whole Byrdgang. I got Ludacris, Busta.

> HHG: POME was a great body of work. It also had great productions on the album. Who can we expect this time around in terms of productions for Pray IV Reign?

> Jim Jones: I got Chink Santana, Ryan Leslie, Ron Browz, a couple new cats.

> HHG: Dipset is known for its anthems and like I said productions. How do you feel when people try to credit your success to the nice beats you have?

>Jim Jones: Whatever it maybe. As long as I get paid. (Laughs)

> HHG: Speaking of beats, was Kanye able to give that beat you were askingfor? Cuz I know you said you were going to whoop his ass if he didn't.

(Laughs)> Jim Jones: Nahhh. I'm looking for Kanye. (Laughs). Let me stop. Shouts outto Kanye. I fucks with Kanye. People always take my words, and take them outof context, but it was a joke.

> HHG: Recently Dame came out talked about the concert in Chicago, when Kanyewas supposed to receive his Roc-A-Fella chain, but jay refused to give him the chain. What's your take on that?

> Jim Jones: It wasn't as big as people thought. It was in the midst of medoing the interview. It was like a sidebar while I was on. So I don't reallywanna talk about that.

> HHG: In a video you recently were found at the club singing to Jays verse from Swagger Like Us.

> Jim Jones: And…

> HHG: People are a little confused.

> Jim Jones: Why? Because I like music..

> HHG: I mean on whether it's cool to be a fan of someone's music, and still dislike the person.

> Jim Jones: My personal grudge shouldn't have nothing to do with music yadig. But when he does make a wack verse or a wack song that makes me evenmore be like "Oh that shit was wack..", but when he does something good, howthe fuck can you hate?

> HHG: You're real big on swag. I know you felt Jay and TI didn't have swag in comparison to you. Who else do you feel in the game is being given creditfor possessing swag they don't really have like the capo himself?

> Jim Jones: I wasn't talking like Fuck T.I. I fuck with T.I. They took thatwrong. See I was just trying to make my point. When I say things I'm sort oflike a kid. I have no gage in what I say sometimes. I just talk in what Ifeel is the truth.

> HHG: The "Jacking Swagger From Us" record with Wayne & Twista is a goodrecord. How important do you feel swag is in the development of a rapper?

> Jim Jones: You gotta be cool. Cool has a lot to do with you being an artist. Music is a big component. If your point of view of fashion is not cool,and what kids wanna be, then there's a conflict there. All the rappers Iwanted to be like, I wanted to dress like them ya dig?

> HHG: You know you, Juelz, and Cam made a huge impact with the DiplomaticImmunity Albums. Aside from G-Unit, you guys were the only groupsrepresenting NY. So do you feel you guys set the standards as far rap groups?

> Jim Jones: I don't know if we set the standards. I'm just happy to say wewere one of the prominent rap groups of all rap history nah mean. I think wedid stand out like that.

>HHG: Speaking of Dipset, last week Luda came out and told BET that if there was one beef that he would want over, it would have to be the beef among The Diplomats. Is there a possiblity of the fans seeing you guys reunite for an album?

> Jim Jones: There's always a possibility.

> HHG: How did you feel when Cam sold Juelz to Def Jam for $2 million?

> Jim Jones: I don't think he sold anybody to anybody. I think it was abusiness move. I don't know if it was two mill but bottom line is Juelz didgood business to get out of his deal, and now he's his own boss. He has hisown ventures.

> HHG: When the last time you Spoke to Cam?

> Jim Jones: I can't say. I don't remember.>

HHG: You have had success with records like "What You Drankin On", "Love Me No More", "Reppin' Time", "Certified Gangsta", and of course "Ballin". Will this album push you over the top in terms of best rappers?

> Jim Jones: I mean that's the plan. You always want to be amongst the elite. I been doing this for a minute, and I've been putting a lot of work in so...i'm trying to make this album have real success as far as money is concerned.

>HHG: You see everyone is jumping ship and collabing with an R&B artist for a bestof both worlds type of album. What's the possibility of you and Trey Songzdoing an album together?

>Jim Jones: I don't know about me, and Trey. Shout outs to Trey. That's mylittle brother, but I know me and Ryan Leslie have a few songs. So we'llprobably do a little collabo together.

>HHG: Any last words for the fans?

>Jim Jones: Hey man, ya boy back out to play. There's been a lot of thingsgoing on that I don't really understand, and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorrythese people have been misleading you, but you know, the truth is back, andwe gon' see if these niggaz are really who they say they are. This one is onme. Drinks on the house. Jonesss!

Alone(New Poem)

"Ya'll hail me as the greatest writer of the 21st Century I make some thought-provoking shit Ya'll question whether he falling off I'ma really confuse ya'll on this one" Jay-Z

You know honestly i haven't written a poem in ages, and i don't know something just came out of me with this one...i'm not taggin anyone...none of that...just my thoughts...pure emotion...comment if you want...idc...WRITING IS WHAT I DO HOMIE

What's alone...alone is being held captive by dreary nights, forcing yourself to adapt to the eerie aura that defines what you have become....what is alone?....alone is laying down with your eyes shut, scared to open because love is no longer vacant, and darkness appears to be a suitable fortress for you to relax....what is alone....alone is beyond cold...you become a stranger to warmth, and any other synonyms that opposes your current state....alone can be viewed as a demonic term and in the eyes of some, promote solace....but in the eyes of us loners....alone is virtually a word that we trust....because that word is the only thing associated to us...the word will never befriend us or judge us...alone is word that we cling to as a crutch...because in this cold world, that word is all we have....

Slim Of 112 Interview: Hi Haters (Ballerstatus.com)

Published: Monday - December 1, 2008

Words by Carl Lamarre

What else do you want from Slim? His prolific group 112 has sold over 20 million records worldwide, and with a bevy of awards, cemented themselves into legendary status. Still, haters appear to be creeping. With everybody proclaiming the demise of 112 imminent, rather than grab some Kleenex, Slim simply smiles and waves to the haters a la Maino.

Amid all the controversy, Slim was able to conjure up his solo debut album, titled Love's Crazy, out now. In a time where many artists fall short of reaching acclaimed success on charts, Slim's first single, "So Fly," proved to be resilient. Landing a top 10 R&B record, Slim's decision to go solo at his new home, Asylum Records, has proven to be golden. The young CEO of his new label, M3 Productions, sat down with BallerStatus to reveal, in a bar none interview, his reason for going solo, relationship with Diddy, current state of 112, and why Day 26 wouldn't have been relevant in the '90s.

BallerStatus.com: I know you must be feeling good. Love's Crazy is out.

Slim: Yeah man. The wait is finally over. Man it came out ... the timing of it was great. You know, "So Fly" maxed out to be a top 10 record. Then I had a second look with "Good Lovin'". It was added to the radio last week, and it was the number one added record in the United States. Then you drop the record, Love's Crazy, and I'm getting great reviews on it. So it's like, man I feel like a kid ten minutes before Christmas Eve. You know you're supposed to be sleeping, but I can't go to sleep.

BallerStatus.com: How was the process going into the studio different, knowing all the tracks you recorded were going to be done by only you, and not with the fellas?

Slim: That right there was a challenging situation because you know the sound of 112. It took four members to make that sound, so everybody had to play their part in order for each song to come out great. If one person was slipping on that situation, it dragged the situation. With my situation, I never really had to concentrate on things like background. I would add notes here and there, but never all by myself, where someone like Q, who mastered in background, would waltz through those situations. So of course, it's situations like that. It was a small challenge at first, but I definitely got over that rather quickly.

BallerStatus.com: That's real good. Well Slim, the fans are curious to know. Why did you decide to go solo now?

Slim: I never wanted to go solo to tell you the truth. I promised I never ever wanted to go solo. What I wanted was ... I wanted to start a label. I wanted to start a label and basically, what I wanted to do, was I wanted to run it the independent way. I wanted to run it the independent way, but have the same punch as a major label. I felt like this: music is changing. Things are evolving in the music industry. When you have things like the internet, and you're able to get to certain tracks, and download, what you need to do is stop complaining about it, and adapt to the situation. Adapt to the climate.With doing things independent, you know you could sell a fraction of what a major artist could sell, and you make way more money. I can tell you that because I been in the game for twelve years, I could tell you the break down from a major deal as opposed to an independent deal. Once you're working hand and hand, at the end of the day, it's how much money you spent out or the label spent out as opposed to how much money you bring in and put in your pocket. That's where it really matters. It's about how much money you put in at the end of the day, and in your pocket. Bump all the hype, and all the wild fame. I know artists right now, that in the region ... in the region of certain states that live better than major artists that been in the game for a very long time. So I decided to hang around them, and know what was I doing wrong. Like what's up? That's what was really attractive about the situation. Their knowledge of the game was uncanny. It was like what do I need to do? I shot my game up. I started really focusing, really learning, and studying what's been going on. That's how I got this label M3. I have a great partnership with Asylum records, and everything is going great.

BallerStatus.com: You know what's really interesting in regards to artists who are on independent labels as opposed to major labels, the first thing that came to my head was Ryan Leslie.

Slim: (laughs) Here we go. That's one of them. That's one particular person.BallerStatus.com: If you can, can you give several people who are making money that we don't necessarily hear of too often?Slim: The ones who are out of control, and on the independent status? Well that's great you called Ryan Leslie because Ryan Leslie ... with dude, people don't even know this, but he's fluent in different languages. I've heard his records, and I've heard an incredible record he's done in Dutch. The records that he's done on mixtapes for years in Germany, he's like P. Diddy over there. That's how I learned about him, and that's why I wanted to work him.If you look at E-40, and his situation. Go to his career, and you will see exactly what's going on. One of the main reasons that really caught my eye was when I was in the Bay area, and I was listening to E-40. E-40 has a show on Sunday. He had a show on Sunday, and they were really clowning this particular major artist because they sold a certain amount of records and got dropped (laughs). They were like "We sold that same amount of records, and you see how much money we've made." I was like "What in the world is going on?" Go check out how Slim Thug is living. I know. I've seen it myself. It is not a game.These dudes are really living this way, and they've sold fractions of what I've sold in my music career. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what you're bringing home to your family, and how you're living. It doesn't matter about how much hype and fame you got, because the bigger the hype and fame, the faster you appear on "Where are they now?"

BallerStatus.com: In the mid to late 90s, you had Jagged Edge, Dru Hill, Next, and even B2k. My question is, why not go solo 5-10 years ago when competition was real stiff? The only competition as of now is Day 26, and they're new.

Slim: When 112 came out, 112's competition was Boyz II Men, Jodeci, and Mint Condition. We were like teenagers, and we managed to survive, weather, and sell the millions of records that we have. Our focus was never ... we didn't care whether you knew our names or not. As long you knew the brand of 112, and it was a household name, that's all that matters. That's why we were a group's group. We wanted to let y'all know that we could sing under any type of condition. That you had four lead singers in the group, and group wise, it would transform. Once we came all together ... we were powerful by ourselves, but when we came together, and made that one big robot, we were really unstoppable. That's why 112 kind of stood for.I had no itch to think to even do a solo project. The only reason I'm doing this now is because I already have a sound and I already have a brand when I'm working with 112. I have a distinctive sound.

BallerStatus.com: You touched up on this already but you mentioned Boyz II Men, and Jodeci. Back in the 90's there were some real grown ups in terms of firepower, but as of now, there's barely a spark. Outside of Day 26, do you feel R&B male groups are a dying breed?

Slim: Well you know what? It doesn't really feel like what it was about 4-5 years ago when the only group who was really making noise, even from a mainstream side was Destiny's Child. The competition is definitely different. I call the 90s the golden era, where the groups were explosive. Not to mention when you had Blackstreet, and the rest of those incredible groups. They were selling millions, and this was who we were on stage with night, after night, after night. Let's not forget New Edition. They were doing their thing too. It's like wow. As of right now, you can't really take anything away from Day 26 because they are a talented bunch of guys. It was just that we come from an era where it was very strong.

BallerStatus.com: Let's say Day 26 came out about 1995-1996, do you think they would be just another average group?

Slim: Well if they came out around that time, they would have never existed. I mean, we were the group on Bad Boy. If they were under any other type of situation, I don't know. It would be hard to say. There were advantages of being at Bad Boy at that time. With the piggy-backing of the artists and stuff like that. One thing that really set us apart is the fact that we worked with the Notorious B.I.G., who is pound for pound, one of the best rappers ever. We worked with a label, pound for pound, one of the best labels popping. We ran the charts for a year and a half. There was a Bad Boy artist for a year and a half in the top 5. I don't even know real record labels that set standards like that. Like I said, talented-wise, they have all the potential in the world.

BallerStatus.com: Well you know, there are a lot of young hungry cats in the R&B game out right now. Guys like Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Mario, Trey Songz, and even Ryan Leslie. With you being a seasoned vet, do you feel any sense you should feel worried about these artists in terms of competition?

Slim: (laughs) Worried!? Nooo. At this part of the game, they haven't done anything that I haven't already experienced. I have Grammy's. I have every award that exists except for an Image Award (NAACP Image Award). Everything else I have. I mean we've sold millions and millions of records. We toured around the world. Right now, it's about elevating my career, and taking on the transition from being an artist into a young CEO. That's what I'm doing right now. The transition is great.

BallerStatus.com: Artists like Omarion, and Marques Houston who were in their respective groups, left to begin their solo careers. For the most part, they faired pretty well. Let's say Love's Crazy goes double platinum and receives a Grammy nomination. If all these accolades and awards came to you with you being a solo artist, would going solo be a permanent thing?

Slim: Solo permanent? That's not my itch. That's not what setting out to do. What I'm really trying to do is, I'm trying to make my label M3, the next Def Jam, the next Arista, the next Jive Records, the next Interscope. That's what I'm trying to do.

BallerStatus.com: Normally when musical acts sever ties with their labels, they want nothing to do with them afterwards. What was admirable with you guys was when you guys severed ties with Bad Boy, you and Diddy were still cool. The love was still there. How were you guys able to maintain a relationship like that with Puff even though he knew 112 left the label?

Slim: Well, the problem wasn't really with Diddy. 112 never really wanted to leave Bad Boy. I'm speaking for myself. Slim never wanted to leave Bad Boy. The problem was that 112 was tied into a production deal that was horrible, financially speaking. For us taking care of our family, you want to do things for your parents, your family, and for yourself. The production deal was horrible. There was no way that we could live. It was just impossible with the numbers in that type of a deal. So what we did was, when we finished the production agreement ... people didn't even know this but we weren't directly signed to Bad Boy. We were signed through that production deal to Bad Boy. When we finished the agreement with the production deal, it automatically knocked us off of Bad Boy. When we became free agents, we became free agents at the top of our game. That's great when you're an athlete or anybody. When you become a free agent, you come on the block, and people start coming at you. You know the great thing about me, is that everybody starts coming at us, and we ended up getting an incredible deal. (Laughs)

BallerStatus.com: (Laughs) Most definitely. Congrats on being the first R&B artist signed to Asylum Records. That's a big thing. Do you feel there's any pressure on delivering considering you are the first R&B singer at Asylum?

Slim: Not really, not at all. I don't feel pressured and stuff. Pressure is when you first come out. Pressure is when people start asking you about sophomore jinx. Man I've been in this game for 12 years. If you go and listen to my album, I start my album by quoting the 23rd Psalms. When you listen to the scripture, you'll see why Slim always smiles, and why I always keep a positive attitude. The first sentence starts off real sweet. "The Lord is my Sheppard. I shall not want." It doesn't matter what's the problem or whatever challenges that are faced. That's life. When I put it in God's hands, I could comfortably smile, and know that everything is going to be alright because God watches his children. The Sheppard watches his sheep.

BallerStatus.com: At first it was confusing because it appeared like there were two versions to the "Good Lovin'" single. There was one with Fab rapping over it, and the other with R. Leslie rhyming over it. Was that intentional?

Slim: No, actually when the record was first done, because it was nobody but me and Ryan Leslie putting the record together. Ryan Leslie is very well-rounded talented. He had his rap already on the record. Well me as an artist, and a CEO of the situation, even though I did like Ryan Leslie's rap, at the end of day, I had to make sure that ... first off, I wanted to work with Fabolous, and I felt like he would of definitely kill the track. It was going to be either him or Luda. I tried to reach out to Luda, but Luda was busy at the time; he was doing the movie. When I reached out to Fab, I was blessed to know DJ Clue off the rip. DJ Clue straight up caught him right down the block. "Like yo, he's right up the block. Yo what's up?" You know for him to look out for me like that, and made that happen for me, that was hot.

BallerStatus.com: You touched on this a few minutes ago. It's safe to say you're not really feeling the whole vo-coder thing aren't you?

Slim: Big shouts to T-Pain, because he mastered it. Of course I guess because I've been in transitions for music so long. When I think of vo-coder I think of Teddy Riley, and Zapp & Roger. If you listen to the Backstreet albums, they had it running through that joint too, but they had incredible singers. I feel like if you're using it correctly, like the way T-Pain is doing it, it's all love. It's just when everybody starts jumping into it, they're trying to use it, and they don't do it the right way.

BallerStatus.com: When I first heard the album was named Love's Crazy, the first thing that came to my mind was girl stabbing your tires, and obsessing over you. Maybe those were just my experiences, but what's your interpretation of the title? (laughs)

Slim: (laughs) It's self-explanatory. Love is crazy right? Love will have you doing all types of crazy stuff. I kind of elaborated real good on the AOL Joint. I had my own blog on The BoomBox. Love is crazy, and you could experience all types if craziness. Here's my interpretation on love. I'm an optimistic, and positive cat. So I'm about highlighting the solution of the problem. So when you're in a relationship, life is about a lot of compromise, and communication and stuff like that. A lot of times when things are going wrong, they're always signs. They're always some type of sign showing you like "Oh no, there's a red flag," or this person is not feeling it this day. Sometimes you're significant other may be going through some problems. Maybe they lost their job or whatever and when they come home ... normally our problem is we bring the problem home, and that affects the relationship. Well I have a record called "Don't Say It", and basically what I'm saying is: they might be going through some crazy stuff or whatever, and if you don't pay attention, you'll rub the person the wrong way. What I'm trying to show the other person is you could say two or three things that could shut that whole situation down. If you know your mate, if you know you're special somebody, then you know how to press their buttons. Now you know how and what to get from them anyway, so why not say certain things that will make them feel good?

BallerStatus.com: You should definitely write a book man. (laughs)

Slim: I feel like they should have some type of classes or something man. (laughs) There's so much stuff going on in the world. There's a lot of crazy stuff that's happening. I mean, but then again, there's a lot of change. There are a lot of good things that are happening too. If we could just think about the positive side ... we just need something positive to look at. When I look at music, music is universal. So everybody should be able to relate to something. So why not just put out music that's not just going to sound good on the ringtone or to your ear, but put music that's going to feel real good to the heart, and soul. Those songs that when you hear, great memories come up, those songs last forever.

BallerStatus.com: Well I must have been 11 or 12 years old when Peaches and Cream came out. You know that record had people doing the dirty dirty. (laughs) Did you guys have a feeling that this record would explode the way it did when you guys first started recording?

Slim: (laughs) Yeah the record went faster than Puff thought. When we tried to tell him the name of the album, and the name of the record, he was like "Dog, peaches and cream? Are you sure?" Man, a lot of records he used to come to me, and be like "Slim are you sure?" I used to always be around him, and I kind of started developing the same ear that he had. I still got a long way to go, but at the same time, he did trust my judgment. Man that record we were so passionate, the group threw him out of the studio, and told him "Don't come back here man until after we finish." (laughs) We threw him out of the studio. It was just something special. When Mario Winans brought us the track, man, I knew from the rip that this was easy. I ain't gon' front, me and Mike in the group really wanted this track. We really structured how this record was going to go. It happened rather quickly.

BallerStatus.com: Fans are curious because there was a lot of confusion with the group. With Daron leaving, and coming back, then Mike leaving, we're curious to know, who's currently in the group 112?

Slim: Well right now, if you ask Slim, all the members are in the group. The ones that are going out on the road right now is me, Q, and Daron. One thing we do in this group right here is when a person is soul searching, in terms of what they're trying to do with their life, that situation you have to let whatever suppose to happen just happen. Whatever God has planned for you, that's between you and God. It's bigger than what I want. If you ask me, I want everybody to be together. I want everybody to never ever want to walk away from the brand. Everybody clicked pretty much. The sacrifices, the time. Nobody said one did better than the other. Nobody, because that was what the brand was. It was a group.

BallerStatus.com: That's what's up. Well you know, there was a rumor circulating around. The rumor was the reason that Mike had left was because a former group mate was trying to steal money from you and him. How true is that statement?

Slim: That situation right there ... well I'm going to keep this real one general and plain. Whenever there's a situation that's going on between family, should stay in the family house. I never say anything that's going to affect anybody's family, make anybody look crazy in the group. At the end of the day, when you love somebody, trust me, whatever the problem is you're going to fix that. It won't be in five minutes. It won't have to be in five days. It won't have to be 5 weeks. It could be 5 years, but you're going to fix it right? Well in this situation right here, I know my name was tossed in it; I never left the group because of no money. I have no money issues whatsoever. (Laughs)

BallerStatus.com: Ballin'(laughing)

Slim: I mean even if I did. I would never allow money to affect the relationship of something I felt like that God put together. We've known each other since 8, 9, and 10 years old. Whatever the problem is needs to be handled in the house, and it's going to be rectified.

BallerStatus.com: My final question for the fans is, which will we see first? Slim's sophomore album or another 112 album?

Slim: Don't know. Only time will be able to tell on that one. Like I said, it's bigger than me. I put that in God's hand.

Joe Budden Interview: I Do It For Hip-Hop (Ballerstatus.Com)

Joe Budden: I Do For It Hip-Hop
Published: Monday - November 17, 2008
Words by Carl Lamarre

It's 2008, and guess what, Joe Budden is still here. Normally when a rapper endures personal tragedies, and label disputes, they quickly falter and fade away from the limelight. Rather than simply tap out into submission, Jumpoff Joe has allowed his pen to voice his heartaches with the game, and release captivating mixtapes for his die-hard fans.





With three successful Mood Muzik mixtapes under his belt, Joe Budden has a reason to be happy for once. He recently released his latest mixtape, Halfway House, and is collaborating with his new found group Slaughterhouse, featuring Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, and Royce Da 5'9. With Joe relaxing at his new home, Amalgam Digital, he could relish the success of his recent mixtape and await his opportunity of dropping his sophomore album Padded Rooms in early 2009. Unlike some of your favorite rappers, Joe isn't into all the hype, and flashy merchandise that allures young emcees in. For Joe, as long as a fan is satisfied with his material and well-crafted lyricism, then his job has been completed.





BallerStatus.com: What did you think about the election, with Obama becoming victorious? Were you able to vote?





Joe Budden: Yeah. Hell yeah.





BallerStatus.com: How was it over there in Jersey?





Joe Budden: Well with the time I went in, it was like -- it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I went around 2 o'clock, and I was in the studio the night before. It wasn't bad. It was pretty good, much quicker than I thought. As for as the election, I was holding back tears. Some of them sh**s even fell out. It was a real big ordeal.





BallerStatus.com: Yeah I'm not even going to lie, I was crying in front of the TV. Over here in DC, people were shutting down the streets.





Joe Budden: I'm coming. I'm coming. I'm coming to DC for the Inauguration. I'm definitely coming. I wouldn't miss it for the world.





BallerStatus.com: Before I start getting into the questions about Halfway House and everything, in your opinion, which out of these tracks in your mind do you think were the best you ever recorded: "All of Me," "Whatever It Takes," "10 Minutes," or "Calm Down?"





Joe Budden: Oh come on, come on, come on. What kind of bullsh** is that? You just named ... I've been recording since I was 14, and you just named four of the best records I've ever done. You throw "Walk With Me" in there. If you add "Walk With Me," those are my five personal favorite songs to me. Those records to me are timeless. I could play either one, any one on any given day, and they will not get old to me. I can't pick.





BallerStatus.com: Those types of records are real introspective. What posses you to write those types records?





Joe Budden: Well that's how I write. I write introspective music majority of the time. Those records, actually every one of those records, "All of Me", "Whatever It Takes," all of the records -- I was really going through some sh** at that point in my life. Probably during the "Whatever It Takes" period, that was the roughest period for me. So I hold that record to a higher regard just because of the world it brings me back to. But I don't know everything just seems to gel on those records man.





BallerStatus.com: Now as for Halfway House, what's the response you've been getting from that mixtape so far?





Joe Budden: For the most part, people been telling me that they really enjoyed it, and that's the most important thing for me. The majority of the music I did on there, I did in a matter of a week and a half. With those time restraints that I have, the Joe Budden brand is what I'm most concerned about. I never want to put out a product that is not comparable to my body of work, or the type of music I want people to perceive from me. The fact that it got rave reviews, and people enjoyed it for the most part. Like everything else, it got some hate, but uh, I think it did great.





BallerStatus.com: When I was listening to the mixtape, in my eyes, I felt like there was a different type of Joe. It felt like the tracks came off as rider type music. Was that intentional?





Joe Budden: (laughs) No, not at all. Often at times, music just reflects where I am, and it kind of all just comes together. I didn't purposely plan on it becoming that way, but I definitely thought it was a progression, and a growth. Often at times, you know, Joe Budden music is more of listening music than riding music. But I thought it turned out great.





BallerStatus.com: Another thing I noticed, in contrast to the Mood Muzik mixtapes, you were real loose when you're making it. Was it an enjoyable experience making Halfway House?





Joe Budden: Hell yeah, we had a blast. We had a ball making that sh**. You know, Dub B said that it probably came out better because of the time restrictions that we had. We were doing songs without thinking. A lot of times, I'd say "Dub, let me put a hook on that," and he'd be like "Man f*** a hook. It sounds good the way it is." We'd just keep going. We didn't over think anything, and like I said sh** was great.





BallerStatus.com: "The Soul" record on Halfway House relates so much to people. You were just going back in time, talking about your childhood memories. In any sense, do you wish you could revert back in time, and relive your childhood experiences?





Joe Budden: Yeah I think so, depending on what I'm doing. Memories are a big part of life. So depending on what I'm doing, and where I am, anything can bring me back to a certain place.





BallerStatus.com: Do you miss pressing you clothes for school when you were matching, but then got mad at the girl in class when she was absent? (laughs)





Joe Budden: (laughs) Those were good days. Well I can't live that because I'm in a relationship.





BallerStatus.com: Switching gears, let's talk about the group Slaughterhouse -- consisting of you, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, and Royce Da 5'9. I was watching the YouTube video the other day, and on that "Onslaught" record, you were arguing with Joell as to who had the best verse. Out of you, Joell, Royce, and Crooked, who do you feel had the best verse?





Joe Budden: I think everybody killed it. What happens is a lot of times people see the YouTube videos, and people are like "Joe is talking all this sh** blah blah blah," but none of us is serious. None of us is serious when we're talking sh**. We're more so having a good time, and just trying to bring that competitive nature to the camaraderie that we already have. Personally I like Royce's verse the best. If I had to pick one, I liked Royce's verse out of everybody else. When you have four emcees of that caliber on the same track, that's going to happen where people are saying "I like this guy or I like this one, I like that one." Everybody is going to have a different opinion. That's the beauty of it. All four of us are really dope in our own right. We're not the same type of dope.





BallerStatus.com: What about the "Slaughterhouse" record on Halfway House? Who you think had the best verse on that?





Joe Budden: I'm going to either go with ... I don't know, it's a toss up for me. Different days, I'll say Crooked I, and another day I'll say Nino Bless.





BallerStatus.com: A lot of people on the internet, they were talking about, before the record even came out, that you and Royce had a little beef. How did you guys come together to do the track?





Joe Budden: Uh, We were supposed to do a collab through mutual acquaintances of ours for a long time. Me and him just got on the phone, like on some real sh**. We didn't even talk about that beef sh**. We had so much other sh** to discuss. When he did the "Slaughterhouse" record, his wife had just finished delivering his child into the world. My respect level for him had just shot through the roof, because he was able to get that done. Then we just continued to speak, continued to speak. Man that beef sh**, maybe just talked about that sh** yesterday for the first time. That sh**, that sh** wasn't nothing. I respect him and what he does, and he respects me and what I do. I don't know, it was more so people you know, fans of mine and his wanted to see us beef or wanted to see us collab. The beef sh** for me, that's played out. Unless it really really warrants that, and I didn't feel like that warranted that.





BallerStatus.com: You might hate me for this, but Joe, it's part of my job. Beefs, I don't wanna touch on this, but I have to. Saigon, Prodigy ... you heard what happened to Prodigy yesterday right?





Joe Budden: I don't know what happened.





BallerStatus.com: Well he almost died in prison yesterday.





Joe Budden: Yeah but that doesn't say anything. I heard that I mean. I feel annoyed talking about it. I mean ... I don't have any information on it. How did he almost die?





BallerStatus.com: Supposedly the warden was providing him with the wrong prescription. So I guess he was taking the wrong medication. N.O.R.E. was talking about getting the hip-hop police to fix the situation for the way he's been getting treated in jail, but ... What happened with you and Glasses Malone? How did that take place?





Joe Budden: Nothing. Nothing happened between me and Glasses Malone. Uh, misunderstanding.





BallerStatus.com: You put him on blast on the radio. It looked like you were a little upset.





Joe Budden: No, it wasn't about Glasses Malone. It was more so ... my point at the radio station was Akon was doing records with everybody, and Glasses Malone being one of them. Around the same time I said his name, I said he's doing records with a bunch of wack n****s. So I mean of course I could see how he would interpret that. You know, me and him eventually got on the phone. Glasses, he's a real stand up guy. I have no issue with him at all.





BallerStatus.com: Now you touched on this earlier about the camaraderie you have with Slaughterhouse, and how it's a competitive nature among you guys. The thing is a lot of internet guys, they're on the site, and they talk about how you've been getting a little cocky lately. You're feeling yourself too much. Do you feel it's cockiness, or do you feel you deserve all the attention, like in a sense you're underrated?





Joe Budden: I wouldn't say that I'm getting cocky as of late. I wouldn't say that at all. Up until two weeks ago, some of these people online never even ... up until maybe Joe Budden TV, some of these people have never even seen me behind the music, or speak behind the music. So anybody that knows me ... listen, if Joe Budden was the wackest rapper in the world, I would still be talking like that. In everything I do, I'm just that competitive, and I like to talk sh**. I enjoy it. It's not being cocky or like I'm better than anybody. Like I said, if I felt like I was doing miles and miles and miles better than people in the group, it would be a waste of time for me to do it. Me doing it, I know where I am. I have pretty good idea where everybody is, and the fact that everybody is great, I come in hoping to learn from these three guys. I mean I don't think pay that cocky sh** no mind.





BallerStatus.com: A lot of rappers, they feel like you have a tendency of saying slick sh**, like subliminals on a record, but then when they approach you about it, you say it wasn't a shot, it was witty lyricism. Do you feel these rappers are taking your lyrics out of context?





Joe Budden: I've heard that as well. Honestly I don't think I take so many subliminals at people. When I dissed Prodigy, it was the day I dissed Prodigy. For the Saigon sh**, I didn't intend for that to exist.





BallerStatus.com: Saigon said he'd smack the earth, wind and fire out of you?





Joe Budden: I mean what is he suppose to say? What is he suppose to say? I mean, I understand. I play devil's advocate a lot. I didn't mean for that to be a diss. Anytime I diss somebody ... even when I sent those bars to Jay-Z, how subliminal could that be? Like I don't do subliminal like that.





BallerStatus.com: So let's revert back time a little bit. When "Talk to Em" came out, if Jay had came back with a response, would you battle Jay head to head, even though you said he's your favorite rapper?





Joe Budden: He's one of my favorite rappers, but hell yeah. You're talking to somebody that would go head to head with anybody, win or lose. Even in a lost, not saying I would lose, because nobody plans on losing. But even in a lost, you take some information, and you learn something. So there's not anybody in the universe that I wouldn't go toe to toe with, and that's not being cocky.





BallerStatus.com: So let's say Saigon, and Prodigy wanted to do a collabo with you, would you accept it without any problem?





Joe Budden: Yeah definitely. I just reached out to Saigon not too long ago through a mutual friend. I tried to see if he wanted to get on one of the Slaughterhouse joints.





BallerStatus.com: (laughs) Damn you guys are going all in, trying to shut the game down. Y'all doing way too much now.





Joe Budden: Listen man, as far as sh** ... I mean, as far as with me, Crook, Joell, and Royce, but at the end of the day, we're doing this sh** because all of us feel it's something that hip-hop is missing. You know so much attention is being paid to guys who aren't the greatest lyricists, and lyricism is kind of being shoved under the rug. So you wanna reach out to guys who still pay attention to lyricism. Regardless of what anybody says, Saigon is still one of those people. So there is no personal beef that I have with anybody that's greater than the good of hip-hop.





BallerStatus.com: So like, How do you feel is like is getting all this attention and they're not lyrically up there? Specially, do you feel any of these rappers shouldn't warrant all this attention?





Joe Budden: No, no, no, no, no. I don't feel like that. Joe Budden is not a hater. Anybody getting attention, they warrant it for whatever reason it be. Like I'm not the guy to say people shouldn't be getting attention. I won't say any names, but just hip-hop in general, right this second is not built for lyricists. It's not built, and I won't even say that, because when you're a lyricist, you could find your way around, but it's not built for lyricism. Let me say that.





BallerStatus.com: I'm going to move away for the beef. I know you get tired of it at times.





Joe Budden: (laughs) No I'm not really giving you no juicy sh** as far as ... I don't have beef with anybody.





BallerStatus.com: I feel you. I know you and Game. I know you guys made peace. There were rumors about you going to Blackwall Street. Any truth to that?





Joe Budden: No, Uhh...





BallerStatus.com: I heard an Uhh, I don't know man.





Joe Budden: Cuz no there's no truth to it. It was nothing more than a conversation between me and him that didn't even actually materialize fully. It was more like a passive thought. He was like "Soon, I need to talk you about his BlackWall Street." I was like "Cool, I'ma holla at you", and that was literally it. Me and Game, out of 30 conversations, that maybe came up half of time. So yeah, I say no. There's no truth to it.





BallerStatus.com: So is it possible we'll see Game featured maybe on Padded Rooms?





Joe Budden: No, there is one on Padded Rooms.





BallerStatus.com: Oh really, what's the track called? Let me know.





Joe Budden: The song is called "The Future."





BallerStatus.com: So who could we expect production wise on Padded Rooms.





Joe Budden: Umm, got the Klassix, they did a lot on Padded Rooms. Blasta. Blasta beats did a lot on Padded Rooms. Who else? A guy named Future actually did the track me and Game did called "The Future." Who else is on there? Actually Klassix and Blasta did the majority on Padded Rooms. Dub-B is on there. No Sultan this trip. Padded Rooms is a great body of work. It really is.





BallerStatus.com: I'm glad to hear that. So I guess no Just Blaze?





Joe Budden: Nah. I can't afford Just Blaze.





BallerStatus.com: A lot of these rappers feel they need A-list production to break into mainstream. Do you feel you need a Just Blaze or Timbaland to do that?





Joe Budden: No, I got a Timbaland track in my computer right now that I paid $100 grand for that never came out, that I never did anything with. So just because you go to these big name producers doesn't mean, doesn't guarantee that you're going to come away a record. When you're independent, the way I am this second, it doesn't really make sense to go spend $30, 40, 50, 60, 70 grand on a beat. That doesn't make sense. You just need to go harder with beat selection. I got a track on my first album called "Give Me A Reason" that Just Blaze produced that everybody hated. So I mean it don't really guarantee that, but I love Just Blaze, let me say that.





BallerStatus.com: Whatever happened to DJ Clue? You guys still cool?





Joe Budden: Of course.





BallerStatus.com: Back to Halfway House. On "Anything Goes," you talk about leaving all your problems, and moving on to a better place. Do you ever feel the need sometimes to get away from the game, and just tuning out a little bit?





Joe Budden: No. No, not at all. You got to understand. I don't watch videos, barely ever do I listen to FM radio. Barely ever do I listen to hip-hop. So I mean I'm already out of the game. I'm not on a major label. Me leaving Def Jam was probably the best thing I could have ever of done in my life. Just for me as a person, the strain, the number strain, the number games is lifted from over of your heads. It just has done wonders for me. People watch Joe Budden TV, and they say "This guy is happy. Who knew?" I was been pretty happy just 'cause I'm so blessed. But umm, life couldn't be better for me right this second. The 3,100 I sold of Halfway House, the first week like in comparison to the 100,000 I did on my first album on Def Jam, the sentimental aspect and other side of it, quadruples the value.





BallerStatus.com: How do you feel when people label you as the "Pump It Up" guy? What do you think you got to do to remove that label?





Joe Budden: They're deprived. It's their lost and not mine. It used to bother me. Now, I just don't give a f*** because now I'm catering to the people I want to cater to. The more people that do know and find out about me is a blessing, but I'm not out here begging and dying for added attention from fickle fans that don't really necessarily follow hip-hop. I don't give a f*** about that.





BallerStatus.com: (laughs) I was watching Joe Budden TV the other day when you're at the fitted shop getting a hat. Why did you have to air out Marcus Williams like that?





Joe Budden: (laughs) Yo, that's my man. That's my guy. People don't know, but most of the people I speak to, they're really assholes. All we f***ing do is joke around, and just have a good time. Marcus Williams is one of those people. If his voice had been on speaker phone, people would of heard it. He was lighting me up. He was really dissing the sh** out of me hard. He's really good at dissing people. I had to take advantage of his voice not being on speaker.





BallerStatus.com: (laughs) You said the dude plays for Duke.





Joe Budden: yeah that was really funny. Real quick, let me just say "F*** Don Nelson," he better put my n**** in the game. He better put my n**** in the game and stop bullsh**ting. He's playing these f***ing n****s that's no where as near nice as my man. I might have to go Golden State and straighten something out. Come through with the hammer or something. (laughs)

Change Came, Saw, & Conquered (Ballerstatus.com & HipHopGame.Com)

Published November 5th 2008
By: Carl Lamarre

It’s 6:31 a.m... I’m scared to move, scared to breathe. As I was lying down harnessed in the fetal position, I clutched my pillow as a stream of tears flooded my whole room. Gazed in utter amazement, I found my eyes fixed on the remote. I looked at it with careful precision. I felt what separated me from reality was an evil conscious lurking in the background waiting to unveil to me that once again I’ve been duped. I sat, looked at the remote, and kept it moving.

“Hey, I’m going to come get you for the election party at Blackburn.” Honestly, I didn’t care to go. I wasn’t remotely interested in the party because I had a date of my own with ABC. Still just to be a fair player, I accepted the invite, and escorted my friend to the event. As I walked in, the first thing that came to mind was me thinking to myself “I need a place where I could meditate and pray.” I had promised ABC, that I would make an early appearance and glue my eyes to her solely on my own. So with no hesitation, I quickly told my friend, “Hey I’m about to go to my room.” I left, hurried back, and noticed Barack was down 8-3. The kid inside of me started crying, even though I damn well knew we were only two states in. People called, others texted, in regards to my whereabouts. I didn’t pick up. I was already late on my prior engagement with ABC, so I promised her to devote my attention to her. One call, two calls, three calls, four. Each time I heard my ringer go off, I swiftly tapped the ignore button, and continued on with my date.

“Obama going in. We won the majority in the senate already and shit”, said a joyous Greg. I felt like everything was suddenly coming into fruition. Barack was cruising 174-49. Greg reassured me that we had the election sealed up. Still, after what happened eight years ago, I knew I needed more than Greg’s overzealousness to confirm Obama’s victory.

As I was constructing questions for my Joe Budden interview, I heard these words muffled through my television: “its official, Barack Obama is our new president.” Shocked, I quickly grabbed the remote to switch to a different channel. As I switched, I heard “Barack has done it.” “Ok” I said. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence?” Every channel I tuned to was spilling out the same information. “We have a new president, and guess what, he’s black.” I began choking in tears, gasping for air. I wasn’t suffocating in pain, I was suffocating in bliss. I called my mother, and just by her voice, I knew we did it. I ran outside to go check out my fellow brothers and sisters, and see how the recent announcement had sparked their attentions. Screams and hugs illuminated the air. The aura simply spelled change. As I ran, I had an Urkel moment, and suddenly tripped. People laughed, but I didn’t care. I was too happy. I walked inside Blackburn, and was greeted with a plethora of hugs, and kisses by a bevy of people, some I didn’t even know. Even though, I was surrounded by happiness, something told me to go back to my room and pray. I needed alone time.

As I walked in my room, echoes of “Yes we can” seeped through my walls. I wanted to go back outside, but God told me that praying wasn’t optional, and was something that needed to be done. I prayed and watched my new president speak. I felt fulfilled in my own right. I started crying again. I cried until sleep grabbed me from my sheer happiness, and consumed me away.

The Skinny On Skinny Jeans

“No one on the corner got a bop like this//Can’t wear skinny jeans cuz my knots don’t fit" --Jay-Z "Swagger Like Us"

I’m sorry, but damn I think Jay has done it again. I think Jay may have denounced another fad associated with the hip-hop culture. Jay’s pompous harangue on “Swagger Like Us” may have been the final blow to the skinny jeans epidemic. Before Jay faded to black in 2003, he issued a state of wardrobe emergency on his swan song, “What More Can I Say?” With two lines, the fashion revolutionist hushed the advocates of throwbacks by urging everyone to dispose any remaining jerseys within their possession into their nearest garbage can. “I can’t wear jerseys I’m 30-plus//give me a fresh pair of jeans and some button ups.” Sadly David Stern witnessed the sales of jerseys plummet, as everyone quickly traded in their jerseys for slacks. Five years later, a disgruntled Jay-Z had to ring the alarm again on these rookies. It’s sad but its true--skinny jeans has become an epidemic in the hip-hop community.

With a myriad of people advertising skin tight jeans resembling girl models from the Gap, it’s hard to distinguish whether dudes are modeling their girlfriend’s jeans to simply emulate Dipset’s capo Jim Jones, or if the thought of suffocating their scrotum brings them a significant amount of bliss? Everybody wanted to place the dunce cap on Kanye because he was flossing some tight jeans. Before everyone considered him metro sexual. Others expressed their displeasure for his taste by labeling him gay. Now, everyone wants to trade in their hoodies, and Girbaud Jeans, for a pair of H&M jackets, and Guess jeans. Don’t blame your favorite emcee for what you wear. Blame yourself. Blame yourself for walking out the house in your baby sister’s size 4 jeans, and getting chastised by your peers in school. Blame yourself for letting the girl at the bar play you, and label you as “a wanna be”. Blame yourself for having your Uncle contemn your outfits, and label your taste in clothing as asinine at your cousin’s barbecue.

There’s nothing wrong with wearing fitted clothes. You see, that’s where the genius of Jay lies. It’s more than just bars people. The man was trying to drop hints for us. He was trying to educate the people, in that in order to be taken seriously in Corporate America, you need to come correct. Well-fitted clothes bring flare, and enticement not only to the opposite sex, but people in the professional world. You think Jay would have been able to receive his humanitarian award from the United Nations in a jersey, or better yet some jeans from Queen B. The funny thing is about this situation is that the black community used to make fun of white kids who came to school in tight jeans. Now the tables are turned, and you have the punk rock dudes looking at the kids who bumped “Get Rich Or Die Tryin” like “Ok, you’re cool.”

It’s more than just wearing skinny jeans. It’s the fact that people are making an ass out of themselves for going a couple pants sizes down intentionally. Lets’ be real, it’s sure as hell not gaining you bonus points with the ladies. One thing it’s definitely doing though is giving Jay and everyone else another reason to air you cats on blast.

Wu-Tang Documentary To Be Shown On BET(HipHopGame.Com)

Gerald K. Barclay's documentary "Wu: The Story of the Wu-tang Clan" will premiere on November 13th on BET. The film highlights the group's rise to fame in the hip-hop industry through numerous interviews and rare footages.

For those who won't be able to catch it, no need to fear. "Wu" will air several times between the days of the 13th-16th of November. The documentary will be aired in December during the holiday season.

The DVD for the documentary will be out on Nov. 18th, while an accompanying CD will be released as well. This CD will feature the group's classic material, and solo endeavors.

Catch Wu-Tang during the week of its debut on BET's 106 & Park

Posted on 10.03.2008 @04:18 by carl-lamarre

Lil' Wayne and Pharrell To Be On Fall Out Boy's New Album???(HipHopGame.Com)

We all know Wayne has a rockstar mentality. His eclectic taste in music has expanded his horizons and has opened doors for him in the music industry. From working with people like Jay-Z, Usher, and Gym Class Heroes, Wayne has cashed in huge paydays. Now Wayne has jumped ship and into the land of Rock as he will be featured on Fall Out Boy's new album titled "Folie à Deux ".

On Thursday, FOB's Pete Wentz confirmed to MTV that Wayne will be featured on their upcoming album. "We got Wayne and Debbie Harry cameos done," he wrote in an e-mail. " Pharrell produced a track too."

This won't be the first time Fall Out Boy has asked for the assistance of a prominent rapper. On their last album "Infinity", Jay-Z provided a dose of spoken word for their intro. Also, the group also had Kanye West on their remix for last year's hit "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race."

Posted on 10.03.2008 @04:04 by carl-lamarre

Buckshot Released From The Hospital(HipHopGame.com)

Legendary MC Buckshot was released from the hospital after spending 8 days due to a series of seizures.

The Black Moon, and Boot Camp Clik running man, was listed under intensive care after returning from a three week European tour last week.

While many speculate on the cause of the seizures, doctors stated that he was possibly severely dehydrated. The severe dehydration may have been responsible for the 9 seizures he suffered within a day.

Though the extent of the injury proved to be severe, Buckshot was able to walk out the hospital in good spirits.

In a statement Buckshot said: "I want to thank all the fans who called and wrote emails extending their well wishes and prayers. All the support helped me recover that much quicker." Buckshot exhibited his excitement by performing the macarena outside of the hospital.

Currently, Buckshot is working on his third album with producer 9th Wonder, his 4th studio album from Black Moon, as well as his group project with KRS ONE. Also, Heltah Skeltah's "Dirt", and DJ King Revolution's "Kingsof the Decks" are both in stores.

Posted on 10.02.2008 @13:54 by carl-lamarre

DJ Drama Promotes New Ron Artest Mixtape(HipHopGame.Com)

As the NBA season is about to kickoff, Houston Rockets' newly acquired small forward Ron Artest figures to get his feet wet and release his latest mixtape "King Of Queens."

Rolling Stones have reported mixtape guru DJ Drama will promote the mixtape. So far into his career, the Queens rapper has received backlash in regards to his efforts to rap, but with the addition of DJ Drama, the mixtape will hopefully turn the doubters into believers.

Though Artest's debut album "My World" was only able to sell 343 copies its first week, he still acknowledges that selling isn't an arduous task, especially in this day in age.

Artest explained his view to a Chinese Hip-Hop site by saying: "It is not hard to sell music. I think people who buy music are not stupid. When 50 put out Curtis he tried to fool people and his fans wanted that real 50. Same with Nas and Nastradamus and Jay with the one album that he had that was unsuccessful…People don’t want to hear lies, they want pure hearted music."

Artest's mixtape is currently online and available for download.

Posted on 10.02.2008 @13:37 by carl-lamarre

Jay-Z Receives Humanitarian Award From United Nations(HipHopGame.Com)

Besides providing listeners with intricate punchlines, and insightful stories, Jay-Z has been a gift to non-listeners as well. This week Jay-Z was presented with a special humanitarian award from the United Nations in New York.

Jay has been involved in raising funds in order to help manage the world water crisis. The rapper/mogul helped raise awareness with the water epidemic with a worldwide tour he held back in 2006.

Jay's efforts were recorded on MTV's diary, which highlighted his efforts to aid struggling African Communities. While in Africa, he created over 1,000 water pumps to help reduce the death toll of innocent children.

Reports say, a child dies every 15 seconds from not having adequate drinking water.

Posted on 10.02.2008 @13:24 by carl-lamarre

Chamillionaire Tells XXL "Houston Is Dead"(HipHopGame.Com)

Houston has been relatively quiet as of late. At least the eyes of Chamillionaire. In a recent interview with XXL, he reiterated how the unity of Texas hasn't been the same.

"I feel like [the unity right now] has got us a little bit lazy. Everywhere I go, they like, 'What happened to Houston?' And that's a problem for me." With fellow Houston rappers Mike Jones, Lil Flip, Slim Thug, and Paul Wall slowing down, Cham feels Texas has been on a slump. "It makes me look weak if everywhere I'm going, they think that just everybody from Texas fell off. It's easy to put out an album and put out a hit, but after that, what do you do?


To make matters even worse, the platinum selling artist would go on to say "Maybe they're right. Maybe Texas is dead."

Chamillionaire is currently working on his third album, while Mixtape Messiah 4 is currently out.

Here's the clip





Posted on 10.02.2008 @07:17 by carl-lamarre

Capone-N-Noreaga's "Channel 10" Pushed Back To 09(HipHopGame.com)

Capone-N-Noreaga's much anticipated album "Channel 10" has been pushed
back to Janurary 2009.


Here's N.O.R.E. to give an explantion for the delay.




Posted on 10.02.2008 @07:04 by carl-lamarre

Cool Kids To Headline NBA 2K9 Tour(HipHopGame.Com)

The Cool Kids will have the honor of headlining the fourth annual Bounce Tour, sponsored by the makers to 2K Sports' basketball franchise "NBA 2K9"

The Cool Kids have already recorded a song for the video game, titled "2K Pennies". The 2K soundtrack will have an array of musicians. This list features Bobbito, Aceyalone, and Phife from a Tribe Called Quest.

Alongside these musicians, the Cool Kids will also have the luxary of playing as themselves in the game.

2K Sports Director of brand and lifestyle marketing Tim Rosa says "We selected the Cool Kids for various lifestyle partnerships with NBA 2K9 since they are completely inline with the 2K Sports brand."

Dates and other performers have not been announced. The group's debut album "When Fish Ride Bicycles" is expected to drop before the end of the year.

Posted on 10.02.2008 @05:19 by carl-lamarre

Ludacris Releases New Fitted & Theater Of The Mind Pushed Back(HipHopGame.Com)

Ludacris has continued to prove that he's more than just a beast on the mic, he's a savvy business man as well. Ludacris continues to showcase his versatility, by expanding on business ventures. His new one entails him being the designer and creator of his own fitted.

Luda has teamed up with New Era to create the latest headgear. The fitted will include Luda's home team the Atlanta Braves's logo along the left side, while having glistening crystals on embedded on the "A" sign. Luda even has his "Disturbing Tha Peace" logo within the lining and under the visor cap. There will only be 200 caps available worldwide at the price of $125. Luda's hat will be released October 17th.

Outside of his business ventures, Luda has been prepping for his sixth album Theater of the Mind. Originally the album was scheduled for a November 11th release, but according to SOHH.com, his album has been pushed back to November 25th. The album will be featuring Chris Brown, The Game, T.I., Lil Wayne, among others.

Luda's first single What Them Girls Like, features Sean Garrett, and Chris Brown.

Posted on 10.02.2008 @03:24 by carl-lamarre

Joe Budden Releases Video For First Single Touch & Go Off Halfway House(HipHopGame.Com)

Even though Jumpoff had his sophomore album Padded Rooms pushed back to February 2009,Joey is back with his first single Touch & Go off Halfway House. Halfway House is scheduled to be released in October.






Posted on 10.01.2008 @13:56 by carl-lamarre

TI Celebrates Release of Paper Trail With Jay-Z and Lupe Fiasco(HipHopGame.Com)

TI lit up New York last night at the Hightline Ballroom after just releasing the highly anticipated Paper Trail the same day.

Known for his hit making capabilities and street persona, TI made it clear why he should be among the upper echelon when it comes to performing.

TI would perform a laundry list of hits from his catalog. This ranged from his current single, Whatever You Like, to Big Things Poppin'.

To up the ante even more, TI brought Jay-Z as a special guest. The two performed "Swagger Like Us", and left the crowd mesmerized.

Lupe Fiasco, and Swizz Beats appeared and performed as well along side the self-proclaimed King of the South. Maino would ignite the show with his banger Hi Hater to get the crowd pumped for TIP's performance.

TI's Paper Trail is currenly in stores.

Posted on 10.01.2008 @08:45 by carl-lamarre

Album Sales for 9/28(HipHopGame.Com)

Many hip-hop heads may be disappointed this week in the sales as only Young Jeezy was able to maintain a top 10 spot. Jeezy wheeled in close to 41,000 as he rounded up the top 10 at number 9. Jeezy is currently at 450,000 records sold and is clearly on his way to gold.

Wayne continues his onslaught as he comes in at number 11. The Carter III pushed about 36,000, inching Wayne closer to 2.5 million copies sold. The Game's LAX album was 14, selling 29,000.

Nelly may have lost his commerical appeal with his latest effort Brass Knuckles. Nelly finds himself at number 19, selling under 26,000 for the week. His overall total the past two weeks is almost at 110,000 records sold.

Underground artist Z-Ro made himself apparent on the radar this week by releasing Crack. The Rap-A-Lot artist was able to crack the top 50 by selling over 10,000 is debut week.

Posted on 10.01.2008 @04:50 by carl-lamarre

Jay-Z To Perform Free Shows This Weekend In Support Of Obama(HipHopGame.Com)

Jay-Z has already made it clear who he's voting for in this year's election. To make his point even clearer, MTV News has reported that Jay-Z has decided to perform two free shows in Detroit, and in Miami this weekend to demonstrate his support for presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Besides providing the fans with his hits, he will also promote voter registration, and encourage voters to support Obama's campaign according to Detroit's WWJ TV.

Jay's first performance will be in the Cobo Arena in Detroit on Saturday, while his next show will be at Bayfront Park in Miami on Saturday.

Jay has already made headlines this week by announcing his release for Blueprint 3. The album will be slated for a December 2nd release.

Posted on 10.01.2008 @03:49 by carl-lamarre

Sha Money XL Reveals Eminem's New Album Title???(HipHopGame.Com)

In a recent post, G-Unit affilate Sha Money XL, revealed some interesting news in relation to Eminem's long-awaited album. While many spectulated that the album would be titled King Mathers, Sha Money begs to differ, and claims the title will be "The Empack".

Sha Money XL would continue ranting about the possiblity of 2009 being in the reigns of Interscope. With 50's Before I Self-Destruct, Dr. Dre's Detox, and Eminem's new album, Sha advises all the haters that "2009 will not be your year".

If Sha Money's rants come to fruition, Empack will be the first studio release by the Detroit emcee since his 2004 album Encore.

Posted on 10.01.2008 @02:06 by carl-lamarre

Bow Wow To Help Increase Voter Turnout(HipHopGame.com)

From Platinum selling cds, to starring in movie flicks, Bow Wow has decided to make the next step in being active in politics.

Bow Wow has implemented a plan called Walk Across America in hopes of increasing the voter turnout in this year's upcoming election. Eurweb reports Bow dropping knowledge by saying "We need to make sure that our voices are heard and have a say in the decisions that will affect our lives and our country for years to come." The 21 year-old will be voting for the first time, and hopes to make an impact among the younger generation.

Currently, Bow Wow is in the process of finishing his 6th album titled New Jack City PT II.

Following are the stops Bow Will make to help boost the voter turnout.

10/1 Atlanta, GA

10/2 Columbia, SC

10/3 Philadelphia, PA

10/4 Richmond, VA

10/5 Mobile, AL

10/6 Nashville, TN

10/7 TBA

10/8 North Carolina (city TBA)

10/9 TBA

10/10 New York, NY

10/11 Washington, D.C.

10/12 Baltimore, MD

10/13 New Jersey (city TBA)

10/14 Boston, MA

10/15 Hartford, CT

Just My Thoughts

I never thought I would say this but I'm back at the Mecca. I'm back at Howard University. I'm back at the place where Diddy first uttered the cogent phase "Take That" in front of his peers . I'm back at the place where naif freshmen lack the intellectual fortitude, and abide to everything the upperclassmen say. I'm back at the place females are swarming every perimeter as if they were reenacting the aftermath of 9/11. I'm back at the place where people compiled their dreams, and watched it either shatter, or blossom fruitfully. I'm back at the place where I thought I would never step foot at once again. Now I'm not trying to drown you all with my real world type confessional, but I decided to go a little bit different with this one. In a world where dreams deflate, and come a dime a dozen, I was wondering to myself, "If an opportunity seized you, and was vital to your dreams, would you consider jumping towards it and sacrifice the essentials, or wait until things work out conveniently?" I had the opportunity of interning at Vibe Magazine this past summer, with six music savvy intellects. The experience was more than beneficial. The atmosphere, the aura--literally the vibe of the place, had my blood boiling. My dream of interning at a huge magazine at the tender age of 18, had come to light.

While working at Vibe, I tried to assimilate myself with all the writers by engaging in music or even sports related conversations. Whether we were talking about Kanye's Graduation, or the demoralization of the Knicks, I made sure to keep myself active in these convos. One person who I shared conversations with was Todd Thomas. Todd worked in the marketing department at Vibe, and was a real down to earth dude. One day, I told Todd about my dreams of being a writer for a huge magazine, and how i already started a blog in hopes of circulating my material. Todd seem interested in my work, and asked to see some of my material. With no hesitation, i quickly gathered my work, and showed him in hopes of drawing some interest. Let's just say with god's help, I drew some serious interest. Todd was able to hit up Jay Casteel, founder of Ballerstatus, and Athena of Morehiphop.com to promote my work. With that said, I'm here representing Ballerstatus, like Kanye repping the Roc. Same time though, I'll be honest. Interning at Vibe, and writing for Ballerstatus, had me thinking--"I can do this. I can do this right now. I should be doing what these writers are doing." My boy and I are both aspiring journalists, and we had a conversation. He was offered a spot at XXL, before his 20th birthday, while I was trying to complete my internship at Vibe. We both sat there puzzled as to why we were letting people with Kwame Brown like abilities get paid for things we could do better. After that phone conversation with my boy, that spilt second, I actually considered dropping out of Howard to pursue my career as a Journalist.

I remember walking into Danyel Smith's Office, editor and chief of Vibe Magazine, and telling her my about my life changing decision. I walked in, took my fitted off, and sat down ready to reveal my decision. My palms were actually sweaty, and my heart was beating at a cheetah's pace. I told her I felt my time was now, and that I just wanted some insight as to I was making the right choice or not. In utter dismay, she pleaded with me to reconsider my options, and look into finishing school, and pursuing an education. She even brought in two fellow writers, one Howard graduate, in hopes altering my mind. Honestly, I still was fixed on pursuing my dreams.

I spent the next two weeks of August asking everyone at Vibe as to what would be the best move for me. Surprisingly, I got some mixed responses. I had people encourage me to do what my heart said, and follow it. Others were adamant about me finishing out, because having an education is vital, especially during this day in age. With print journalists falling out of sync, and the Internet dominating all facets of the game, I was left to ponder what to do...To be continued...

Donnie Klang's Just A Rolling Stone Album Review(Ballerstatus.com)

Diddy has had his shares of hits and misses. He struck gold by discovering the late Christopher Wallace, Mase, and 112 back when hip-hop's heartbeat was still pulsating in the 90's. Then, Diddy drew some eyebrow raising moves with the signing of the all-girl band Dream, and the memorable debacle of Da Band. It's hard to dubb Puff as either the Danny Ainge of the Music Biz, or the Isiah Thomas of the game. Either way, Puff is back to showcase his latest commodity in the form of Donnie Klang.

Mr. White Boy with no rhythm, was the winner of Diddy's Making The Band, and earned himself a solo deal back in 2007. After watching his fellow comrades Day 26 catch a brick, and his homegirls Danity Kane barely teetering to Gold, Klang is now riding shotgun as Diddy tries to wheel him to success with his debut album, Just A Rolling Stone.

Klang's first single "Take You There" shows a relatively young Abercrombie and Fitch model trying to rock to the infectious beat of Soul Diggaz. Sadly the mundane lyrics leaves the audience to ponder "WTF are you doing". Even Puff's cogent "Take That" phase, and exuberant verse isn't enough to CPR the track back to life.

Even Puff's dream team isn't enough to revitalize this car crash. "Dr Love" proved to be a dangerous head on collision with stupidity, and drops of why? As Diddy tries to be the Timbo to Donnie's Justin, it's clear to see and acknowledge that there's only one JT in the game. Tracks Like "Love in Stereo", and "Which One" should be tagged with a "Listen With Caution" label simply because of the lack of fluidity, and insipidness within these tracks. Still, there's some hope as Donnie shines on tracks like "Hollywood Girls", and "Hurt That Body".

Some people lost faith in Puff after he began cosigning on acts like B-5, Dream, and Boys In The Hood. I mean Puff, I understand Cassie has your head sprung, but come on man, bringing her to 106 & Park to just get ridiculed on Youtube the next day is no bueno bro. All in All, Donnie Klang isn't a horrible singer. With some self-searching, and Lauren Ann dance classes, we could see a refined Donnie in 2009.

Ballerstatus.com

2.o out of 5.0

My President Is Black...and What Else?(Howard Hilltop)/(Ballerstatus.com)

9/25/08

Perspectives

Let's be honest for a second. I understand we're at an HBCU, and our veins are pumping black pride as our blood is raging through our coveted caramel-coated skins. I understand we've been crucified in the quote un-quote "land of the free and home of the brave" for hundreds of years.

I understand we, as a race, have had tears trickle down our faces and have endured countless "you can'ts" spewed at us. I know. Before I continue, let me just say, I'm not here to badger you with the monotonous "Obama for President." I'll save that for your professors. I'm a realist.

And, I'm a journalist. With those two intertwined, that means I'm a real journalist - or a journalist that keeps it real. What I'm saying is, how could people chant 'Obama for President' when they have no idea what he's about?

The issue I'm having is that people are oblivious to what Barack is about, but yet are praising his name simply because he's black. I appreciate the love, but let's be serious. Don't vote for Obama simply because Jeezy said "My President is Black" or because Nas said we should put Barack's face on a $5,000 bill.

People have been drowning in a pool of ignorance and think just because Jay-Z mentioned Barack on the "A Milli" freestyle, they'll be able to reach the surface.

What many people fail to fathom is that voting for a president isn't as easy as reciting your favorite song. The decision you make could ultimately determine your way of living for the next four years. I bet half of the people who read this won't be able to even utter what Obama's plans consist of if elected president. Any takers?

A lot of people are disillusioned by the fact that because Barack's black and is an avid listener of today's music, he will provide us with answers. If that's the case, could someone please provide me with an in-depth method as to how will he remove Bush's piercing policies that have scarred this nation?

Even better, can you do me the utmost favor and explain to me how my aunt will pay her hospital bill, since she just had heart surgery a week ago? It's easy to cajole a person into believing what's right and what's wrong, but it's another thing to prove why it is what it is in the first place.

It's sad when I try to converse with a 22-year-old about things we can do to help the recession, and he tells me, "Oh, buy Young Jeezy's album." You wonder why people are living in the plushest neighborhoods and are drinking the finest wines. Read a book. Better yet, since everyone is mesmerized by the beauty of the Internet, surf the Web.

Understand why we're making a huge spectacle of Obama. When I see Obama, I don't simply see a black man - I see a man of change. I see a man who will provide everyone with health care rather than succumb to the ills of society. I see a man who will cut taxes and enable people to spend their money on whatever they deem necessary. I see a man who will free the soldiers who have been subject to rampant killings and relieve them from this ongoing agony.

I did my research. I know why I'm voting Nov. 4th - it's because my president is black, and our time is due.