Dj Ken Walker
Ken Walker’s Urban Assault - Friday 11th June 2010
Ken Walker’s Urban Assault - Friday 11th June 2010
1. The Opposite Of Adults
CHIDDY BANG
(Virgin)
2. Like A G6
FAR EAST MOVEMENT
(Interscope)
3. Turn It Up
MISHION feat ROSCOE DASH
(Interscope)
4. Freaky Song
NOTTY BLACK feat T PAIN
(Phase One Communications)
5. Smack It Up
CRISTOL feat SEKAY
(Hussch Boy Records)
6 That Girl
LAZA MORGAN
(Atlantic)
7. Loyalty
BIRDMAN feat TYGA
(Cash Money)
8. I Like
JEREMIH
(Island Def Jam)
9.Champagne Life
NE-YO
(IDJMG)
10. Up And Running
ESSICA JARRELL
(Digiwaxx)
#1 The Opposite Of Adults – Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang hail from Philadelphia USA and combine the elements of hip hop, indie & electronica to form their rather unique sound. The latest single helps itself to some heavy clever sampling of the MGMT hit Kids and the end result is a bit messy in parts but overall it seems to work quite well. If Kanye digs it, it’s gotta be cool. The lads are making their way to our shores for Parklife in October to catch em live if you can.
Jay-Z & Tinchy Stryder join forces.
Rap mogul Jay-Z and the UK’s Tinchy Stryder have joined forces for Takeover Roc Nation a new, multi-faceted entertainment company. Takeover Roc Nation will focus on management, merchandising, records, and more. Most recently, Stryder teamed up with Atlanta rapper/producer Lil Jon for the track “Give It All U Got.” He also owns both a clothing line and a publishing company. Jay-Z’s joint venture with Stryder and Stryder’s Takeover Entertainment will make this project Jay-Z’s second international joint venture. Back in 2008, Jay-Z linked up with Norwegian songwriting/production duo StarGate to create a new record label entitled StarRoc.
Peedi Crack’s a free man.
Veteran North Philadelphia emcee Peedi Crakk is home from a year-plus prison sentence with new music and a new attitude towards the industry. The State Property member, and former Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella solo artist had reportedly been sent to prison early last year for a parole violation, though details were kept private from press.
The emcee, who worked on The Roots’ 2006 Game Theory album as well as their 2008 Rising Down follow-up was released from a Pennsylvania prison April 1, confirmed an associate. The emcee is now at work in a Philadelphia’s Bat Cave Studios, recording new music and the first single “Not Ready,” is out now on Itunes. Peedi will also make an appearance on The Roots’ How I Got Over, due on the 22 of June.
Get ready for DJ Hero 2.
Video game publisher Activision is once again taking to the 1’s and 2’s. They are planning to release a sequel to their smash-hit music game DJ Hero in September, and they’ve already assembling a star-studded playlist. Players will be able to spin a multitude of hip-hop, dance and pop tunes from the likes of Dr. Dre, the Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and over 85 other artists. “DJ Hero was the best music game of 2009 and with DJ Hero 2 we’re delivering a new easy to pick-up, challenging-to-master experience that all players can enjoy together,” said David Haddad, the Chief Operating Office of Activision’s other music hit Guitar Hero. “With new social game modes, the inclusion of full microphone support, all-new levels of creative freedom and an amazing soundtrack, DJ Hero 2 is the ultimate mixer of music and friends.” DJ Hero 2 will also feature a number of new gameplay additions. The game has added a new multiplayer mode, and perhaps most exiting for DJ purists, a freestyle mode. This mode will allow players to scratch, sample and crossfade in over 70 different mash-ups from some of today’s hottest DJs and producers. Furthermore, one of dance music’s most famous luminaries Deadmau5 will be available as a playable character.
DJ Absolut sues Drake.
DJ Absolut is suing for money that he feels is owed to him for Drake’s hit single, Best I Ever Had.” The single catapulted Drake to success but Absolut says he wasn’t compensated properly. According to the deejay, he didn’t even realize that his beat had been used for one of the biggest singles of 2009. Once he found out, he allegedly called Kia Shine to let him know about the song. This comes according to a lawsuit that was filed in Queens Supreme Court recently. According to Absolut, Shine agreed to pay him 20% of all proceeds that came from the beat in 2008, something that hasn’t happened with this track. Absolut says Shine secretly set up a deal to get 25% interest of the song’s copyright last September.
In a recent article, Absolut’s lawyer Brian Levy notes that they have tried to get Kia Shine to respond but have not been able to reach him. “Kia Shine needs to uphold his end of the agreement. It wasn’t my client’s desire to resort to legal action to get him to do it. We’ve reached out to him, but he has not chosen to respond.” Drake has previously said that he has never met with or worked with Kia Shine. “There have been questions posed to me the last few days about the writing of Best I Ever Had and I figured I’d take the time to clear the air directly. I have never met Kia Shine or worked with him. I wrote the entire composition in Toronto and I borrowed one line from a Lil Wayne song that he produced the beat for. The claims of 25% ownership are false and for a artist to brag about splits on a song is distasteful to begin with.”
Dj Ken Walker
Ken Walker’s Urban Assault - Friday 09th July 2010
Ken Walker’s Urban Assault - Friday 09th July 2010
1. Ride Remix
CIARA feat ANDRE 300, LUDACRIS & BEI MAJOR
(Sony)
2. Just You & I
RICKY BLAZE
(Atlantic)
3. Tattoo Foreva
DETAIL feat T PAIN & LIL WAYNE
(Universal Republic)
4. Save Me
SHIFTY & THE BIG SHOTS
(IO Perso Records)
5. Break My Bank
NEW BOYZ
(Asylum)
6 Mrs. Delicious
MC MAGIC
(Nastboy Records)
7. Billionaire
TRAVIS McCOY
(Sony Music)
8. Party Hard
DONAE’O
(Myish Records)
9.Jaters You Love Me
MIMS
(American King Music)
10. Laid Back
DUO LIVE feat SNOOP DOGG
(Redpemption Music Group)
#1 Ride Remix – Ciara feat Andre 3000, Ludacris & Bei Major.
This remix has a real feel good vibe about it. From Andre’s slick intro to Luda’s mad flow to the Miami Bass beats it all adds up to a must have track for every urban DJ out there. This lady just keeps ticking along and pumping out tune after tune after tune. She’s never been quite able to emulate the early success she had with 1,2 Step & Goodies but she still has a loyal following of fans and this doesn’t disappoint.
50 Cent launches petition against Diddy.
50 Cent has launched a Twitter-based petition against Bad Boy CEO and Hip Hop mogul Diddy. The petition is focused on Diddy’s supposed exploitation of the legacy and music of the late Notorious B.I.G. saying “When was the last time Diddy really was ‘biggin up his brother,’ not biggin up his bank?” According to 50, the petition stemmed off of the recent video for Jay Electronica’s “The Ghost of Christopher Wallace,” in which Diddy was featured. The full petition can be read below, and fans can sign the petition here..
http://twitition.com/lxvqo
The return of Mystikal.
Following his release from prison Louisiana rapper Mystikal was more than eager to get back into the studio for his next project. “Everything is lined up for me, it’s amazing,” Mystikal explained to MTV News. “I didn’t throw pity parties for myself [while in prison]. I knew I was too blessed to be stressed and I knew I was gonna get through it. I’m still on Jive. I still have an obligation to fulfill with them guys. We gonna do it in a major way.” The rapper has already secured a number of noteworthy appearances for his upcoming album. Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes will both be featured on the album and producer’s Pharrell Williams and Mannie Fresh are both lending their talents for the project. “I just talked to him the other day,” said Mystikal, speaking on Pharrell. “He says he got an armored-tank beat for me. I can’t wait to hear what that sounds like.” Aside from working on his upcoming album Mystikal has performed at a number of events including VH1’s Hip Hop Honors, the Zulu Ball, and most recently the Essence Music Festival. Mystikal was released from prison earlier this year after serving six years for a sexual battery and extortion charge. He has yet to speak on a release date or a name for his upcoming album.
The fiasco that was Sugar Hill Records.
In a recent interview with The Village Voice, former Sugar Hill Records in-house drummer Keith Le Blanc opened up about the label’s history. The label helped catapult the Sugar Hill Gang & Grandmaster Flash to stardom with “Rapper’s Delight & The Message,” but news of artist mistreatment and crooked accounting practices revealed a dark side to hip-hop’s pioneer label. Le Blanc discussed label heads Sylvia and Joe Robinson’s unethical business practices with respect to paying their artists. “Really, the best way to get money out of the Robinsons was to be related,” he said. “Beyond that, the one that got the most consistent money was [in-house arranger] Jiggs Chase, cause he was arranging songs all the time...looking back, it seemed like Sugar Hill used money as a tool to manipulate people to do what they wanted. I wish I didn’t have to say that in an interview, but I can’t lie, that’s how it seemed to me. It seemed like whenever a group asked for what they were supposed to get, they got thrashed by the company, didn’t get anything released for a while, and were left to go broke. It was the old pimp game. It’s a shame, cause if Sugar Hill had done even 25% of the right thing for their artists, they’d have been the biggest rap label ever.” Le Blanc also discussed the Sugar Hill Gang, saying that they were a company manufactured group. He even went on to explain how Sugar Hill Gang’s Big Bank Hank had his peers write lyrics for him. “All the other rappers didn’t consider the Sugar Hill Gang to be real rappers. They just got lucky. They hadn’t lived the life, they hadn’t invented anything. They took what people were already doing in New York and Sylvia got her son [Joey Robinson Jr.] to find some kids to imitate what was going on in New York. There wasn’t so much resentment towards the Sugar Hill Gang as jealousy that they got to be the first group out. I think Sugar Hill Gang is the only group that was manufactured - the others all had their own material.” He added, “For Big Bank Hank, [the Cold Crush MCs] definitely had to write raps for him. I know the Furious Five helped him write at times, and [fellow Sugar Hill Gang member] Wonder Mike would help him. Sometimes Sylvia Robinson would even help write lyrics for them. It was a joke in the company - they’d make jokes in the studio under their breath.”
Dj Ken Walker
Ken Walker’s Urban Assault - Friday 16th July 2010
Ken Walker’s Urban Assault - Friday 16th July 2010
1. Erase Me
KID KUDI feat KANYE WEST
(Universal Motown)
2. Heartbreaker
LIL FLIP
(Flyboy)
3. Live Fast Die Young
RICK ROSS
(Island)
4. Just You & I
RICKY BLAZE
(Altantic)
5. Make It Hot
CITY OF GOD
(Bieler Brothers)
6 Gaucho
CHARLES HAMILTON
(NeWco Music)
7. Speaking In Tongues
R KELLY feat LUDACRIS
(Jive)
8. Bottoms Up
TREY SONGS feat NICKI MINAJ
(Songbook)
9.Good Times
BENZINO feat MARIO WINANS & JOE BOOM
(Oasis Music Group)
10. Grown Ass Woman
KELLY ROWLAND
(Columbia)
#1 Erase Me – Kid Kudi feat Kanye West.
I’ve lost count of how many times Kudi has graced the top position on my chart over the past 2 years at times it must seam monotonous but the reason for this is simple. The man keeps pumping out great tunes, working with the best artists & producers and his label has basically given him the freedom to go nuts. Erase me is no exception to the rule. It’s rhythm draws heavily on the Motels 70’s classic “Total Control” then it takes it to a whole new level by breaking down into metal fused mayhem with the assistance of Kanye West. The new album is only weeks away from being released. And I personally can’t wait…
Jay-Z & Sade to perform for Alicia Keys.
Urban diva Alicia Keys will be holding her seventh annual Black Ball charity event this September, and has invited two huge musical guests to headline. Rapper Jay-Z and newly returned singer Sade are on the bill to help Keys raise awareness for HIV and AIDS.
"[Sade and Jay-Z] are both icons and both major influences of mine,” Keys said in a statement this past week. “I am overwhelmed by their generosity in helping us continue the tradition of making the Black Ball the best fundraiser in NYC. There are more surprises coming up!"
The event, which raises funds for Keys’ Keep A Child Alive charity, will help provide treatment and care for families who are suffering or have been affected by HIV and AIDS in parts of Africa and India. The Black Ball will be held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York at the end of September.
The woes of Too Short .
Hip Hop pioneer Too Short was arrested last week in Boise, Idaho. The Dangerous Crew founder was taken in by police after security from the city’s Knitting Factory Niteclub. Reports state that the 28-year Rap veteran attacked security, when they told Short he was not permitted to bring under-aged women backstage at the drinking venue. Short and an associate were arrested for misdemeanor battery. Too Short was later released on bail from Ada County Jail and he will be expected to return to a Boise court date on August 4th. Earlier this year, Too Short released the digital album, Still Blowin. He will appear on Fat Joe’s The Darkside Volume 1 album, due later this month.
Lil Wayne to be released in November.
Rapper Lil Wayne’s one-year sentence has been cut down by several months. The rapper is now expected to be released from Rikers Island in November, four months early. News of this new release date was revealed in prison documents attained by MTV. Lil Wayne has been serving time at Rikers since March 8, 2010 and an early release date for the rapper is reliant upon him not receiving any violations or infractions. Earlier this week a letter from Lil Wayne, addressed to his fans, was posted on his Website weezeythankyou.com. “Let me just say that I have the best fans in the world! The devotion, dedication, support, love, and most of all, prayers are simply the best,” said Lil Wayne in his letter. “I never imagined that I could have such an impact on people’s lives. Because of this, I vow to be a bit more careful of what I say.” A rep for the rapper has yet to confirm report of Lil Wayne’s early release.
Warren G set to release Regulate G Funk Era: Part 2.
Veteran rapper Warren Gis releasing his seventh studio album this year. The EP, titled Regulate...G Funk Era: Part 2, will be available digitally. The project is the second installment to his triple platinum ‘94 album which included the Grammy nominated classic “Regulate” featuring Nate Dogg. And the top ten hit “This DJ”
The album is Warren G’s second in as many years. His last album was released in ‘08 on the then-Koch Records and featured Snoop Dogg, Bishop Lamont, Ice Cube, and others. Regulate...G Funk Era: Part 2 is scheduled for digital release later on this year. Sadly Nate Dogg will not be making an appearance on the album as he’s still recovering from the 2 strokes that he suffered in the past 2 years.
Jazzy Pha’s weight loss update.
Over the last few months, Atlanta producer Jazze Pha has channeled his energy from making music to bettering his own health. The man behind such hits as Ciara’s “1,2 Step” and T.I.’s “Let’s Get Away” began a rigorous exercise regiment with trainer Kenya Crooks in April and since has lost 42kgs as part of his USD $1000 Weight Loss Challenge. With a goal to lose 50kgs before the end of August, Jazze Pha thanked his fans for their continual support. “The love and support that has been shown is overwhelming,” he said. “It makes me feel good when people come up to me telling me they’ve been praying for me and how much my weight loss journey has inspired them.”
Dj Ken Walker
Ken Walker’s Urban Assault - Friday 23rd. July 2010
Ken Walker’s Urban Assault - Friday 23rd. July 2010
1. Wake Up Everybody
JOHN LEGEND & THE ROOTS feat COMMON & MELANIE FIONA
(Columbia)
2. Shake Em Up
SHAKE-A-VEL
(Comcast)
3. Free Mason
RICK ROSS feat JAY-Z & JOHN LEGEND (Island)
(Poe Boy)
4. Just You & I
RICKY BLAZE
(Altantic)
5. Holdin U Down
JAZMINE SULLIVAN
(J Records)
6 Gamez
BEI MAJOR feat KERI HILSON
(Jive)
7. Fancy
DRAKE feat SWIZZ BEATZ & T.I
(Young Money)
8. Just The Way You Are
BRUNO MARS
(Elektra)
9.Pay Ya Dues (G Mix)
SNOOP DOGG
(Priority)
10. Everybody Dance
KAT DELUNA
(Universal Motown)
#1 Wake Up Everybody – John Legend & The Roots feat Common & Melanie Fiona.
Usually when I hear that artists are embarking on a cover album of Soul classics, I cringe, whine and moan and the end product falls way short of the mark and in most cases, quite embarrassingly so. Gladly this is not the case with Wake Up, the new album from John Legend & The Roots. It’s choc full of reworked and remoded classics that do the original artists proud. The first single is their take on the O’jays 73 classic Wake Up Everybody and man it’s a belter. Other highlights include Compared To What, Love The Way It Should Be and the brilliant Donnie Hathaway classic Little Ghetto Boy. The album is released Sept 21st. and is a must have for any serious soul fan.
Lloyd Banks is off the hook.
G-Unit rapper Lloyd Banks has been cleared of all charges filed during a 2009 altercation in Ontario, Canada. A confrontation between Banks, his entourage and promoter Chris Hines began after the two parties got into a disagreement over being compensated for a show in Brantford, Ontario. Banks posted bond and was later, but news broke that the charges were formally dropped Thursday afternoon via the following statement from Banks attorney, Scott E. Leemon, Esq.
"Banks would like to thank his Canadian counsel, Patrick Ducharme, and the authorities in Ontario for ‘doing the right thing’ after a careful and neutral evaluation of the facts. It is good to see the system actually worked.”
The perils of Foxy .
Diva rapper Foxy Brown faces felony charges as the result of a recent altercation with a neighbor. Foxy got into a confrontation with a woman that had an order of protection against her, stemming from a previous 2007 incident where Foxy was accused of clubbing her with a BlackBerry. The two women crossed paths, at which point the accuser, Arlene Raymond, looked at Foxy. “Bitch, what are you looking at? What the fuck are you looking at?” yelled the rapper, according to police sources. Raymond called police, at which point Brown was arrested. For violating the order of protection, she was charged with one count of criminal contempt - a class E felony. Foxy’s rep was not available for comment.
Beats for Bieber WTF?.
While Dr. Dre has inched his way closer to presenting fans with his long-awaited Detox album, he’s also taken some time out to collaborate with other artists. He recently produced a song with Jay-Z, “Under Pressure,” which is said to be the first single from the album and now he’s reportedly teamed up with Justin Bieber to crank out some tracks.
The 16-year old pop star tweeted today, “Got to be in the studio with the legend himself Dr. Dre. Made a couple beats and he gave me some advice...i was hyped. can u blame me?” The young singer has gained co-signs not only from his mentor Usher, but also from rappers like Game. “He’s another artist that breaks the color lines,” Game told Rap-Up TV. “Everyone loves this kid and he seems like a good kid. More power to him."
Bieber’s peer Sean Kingston also tweeted that he’d spent some time with Dre and Bieber in the studio.
Rock Steady Crew celebrates 33 years in the industry.
The legendary break and hip-hop collective Rock Steady Crew will be ringing in its 33rd anniversary with an all-ages two-day music event this week. The celebration will begin on July 31 at 3 PM in New York City with a crew and solo break dancing battles, featuring Skeme Richards, DV One, Ervin Arana and Renegade on the one’s and two’s. The winners of the battles will be entered into the Sony Ericsson UK B-Boy Championships World Finals in London. Following the dance battles, there will b a presentation of this year’s recipient of the Spy Award and Rock Steady alum Crazy Legs and D-Stroy will host the “For the Funk of It” funk styles party. The Rock Steady celebration will continue the following day at Lincoln Park in Newark, New Jersey with a free outdoor concert and food drive from 12 PM until 9 PM. The concert is slated to feature a number of acts, including Big Daddy Kane, EPMD, Kurtis Blow, Black Sheep, Artifacts, Lords of the Underground, 9th Wonder, Immortal Technique, Mickey Factz, Dynasty, Eternia, Chill Rob G, Lakim Shabazz, Homeboy Sandman, Rakaa of Dilated Peoples, Bishop Lamont and Brown Bag AllStars. Somebody get me a jet!