Sunday, May 31, 2009

Jazmine Sullivan doing "I Need U Bad" and "Bust Your Windows" Live

She does her damn thing on both songs. But WTF is up with busting windows out though??? How come she just can't write a note detailing her frustrations with that man? What about therapy? NOPE! She goes straight for the windows. DAMN!!

JAZMINE SULLIVAN from beatmakersedition.com on Vimeo.

Artist Spotlight - The Cool Kids


I really shouldn't be doing this. The purpose of the Artist Spotlight section is to showcase unsigned or underground artists. These guys have already released an album that was available at most retailers. But, the thing is people are still sleeping on them so I'll go ahead and act like they aren't ripping up shows all over the country or having their infectious beats pounding in cars and trucks like a rebirth of Beats by the Pound. The Cool Kids' debut EP, The Bake Sale, was released in June of 2008 and was a breath of fresh air for a lot of hip hop fans. It wasn't because they have superior lyrical ability (not even close), but more because of the style of their music. They have thumping beats and a party feel to their songs that is reminiscent of the late 80's. So it's no coincidence that one of their singles was entitled "'88" in reference to, arguably, the best year in hip-hop history. The two members, Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish, met on MySpace when Mikey heard one of Chuck's beats. Ever since then they have been a group and have been putting in work. Their music has been featured in numerous video games including NBA 2K9 and NBA Live '08. They have also been endorsed by Mountain Dew for the song "Delivery Man." It looks like The Cool Kids will be here to stay. I have seen some of their concert footage on Vimeo and they really know how to put on a show. I also heard they ripped the show they did here in Cincinnati last year..........which I missed.........DAMN! Their most recent mixtape, Gone Fishing, is still available for download at http://www.coolxkids.com/. Look for the full length album, When Fish Ride Bicycles, to be released in December of this year.

My Personal Cool Kids Soundtrack:

The Bake Sale (EP)
The Delivery Man (video below)
Pennies
The Delivery Man (9th Wonder Remix)
Oscar



OLD SKOOL VIDEO SPOTLITE - The Roots - "What They Do"

Don't you just love "Big Willie-ism's." Back in the mid-late 90's rap videos had a tendency to all look alike. Actually, most of them still look alike, but I believe that is when it started. Since they came out with Organix in 1993 the Roots have been hip-hop's resident "band" and the Lex Luthor to commercial rap's Superman. "What They Do" was released in 1996 from the group's Illadelph Halflife album. This was the group's biggest hit until 1999's "You Got Me" feat. Erykah Badu and Eve. This video is, in essence, a parody of what rap videos tend to be. All of the elements are here such as half-naked women, champagne, and mansions. But, my favorite is the "Smoove R&B Club Scene" with the fake band members and the Token White Model. This is still a very funny video and a classic song as well. You can currently catch The Roots weeknights on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Slaughterhouse in the Studio

They need to stop playing around and get that album done. July 7th!!!!!!!!

Cypher City Kings

Cypher City Kings is a B-Boy group based out of San Diego. All I have to say is Video #1 >>>>>>>>> Video #2!


CYPHER CITY KINGS from Joe Kamimura on Vimeo.



Wale + ROC Nation = Success

"$150 mil, God Damn Jay you killed it, ROC Nation could be the artists' new formula to Get Rich." - Wale

Wale recently sat down with XXL and confirmed that he is still signed to Mark Ronson's Allido imprint, but will also be co-managed by ROC Nation. See below for the full article. It looks like Jay is finally putting his ear to the street again. Congrats to Wale and look for an editorial soon on the whole ROC Nation label.

http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=47408

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Deluxe Fall/Winter '09


















































Here are a few fall/winter pieces from the Japanese label, Deluxe. As always, you can expect high quality fabrics in nice, clean designs.


Source

Breitling Montbrillant Datora



















Breitling took inspiration from it's 1940's bestseller, Datora, for this new watch. You can't go wrong with classic design featuring today's technology.

True Blue's Coming Soon......





















Saturday, May 23, 2009

Drake Live at Toronto's Sound Academy

Two reasons for this post.

1. Drake gives a 'special' shoutout to Rihanna at the end.

2. Wayne and Drake had crazy ill verses on "Every Girl".

"She be jumpin' up and down, tryna fit that ass in,
Took her half an hour just to get that belt to fasten."
(c) Drizzy

President Obama at a White House Correspondents' Dinner

This guy is like Bruce Wayne, Richard Pryor, and JFK all rolled up in one. Craziness.

The President Gets Laughs at the White House Correspondents' Dinner from White House on Vimeo.

Charles Hamilton vs. Mary J. Blige's Stepdaughters Fist



Okay so all of the good jokes have been taken. "That's what he gets messing with them 'Brooklyn Girls'", "Sonic just lost ALL his rings", and "WTF is that Pink Panther on this nigga's arm" just to name a few. For a while I was thinking this was staged because it just seemed so odd how the whole thing came about, but I'll give CH more credit than that. But, this video has been garnering a lot of attention whether he intended it to or not. The girl CH is battling is Briana Latrise, his assistant AND MJB's stepdaughter. From the video it appears they got an abortion and he decided to put that back up in her face. She didn't like that too much. A lot of the comments on the blogosphere are giving Charles props for not retaliating and hitting her back which I applaud. I'm sure this incident will be referenced on one of Charles' upcoming mixtapes or debut album.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Rogues Gallery 2009 Fall Lookbook





































Rogues Gallery, considered by GQ as a brand to watch, put out an impressive 2009 Fall Lookbook. Co-founded by head designer, Alex Carelton, the brand is perfect if you like the classic, rugged look. Head over to roguesgallery.com now to take advantage of the sale on their 2008 Winter Collection.

Moncler Does It Again....


Moncler puts out another classic jacket. This jacket is similar to the fleece I posted before, but in nylon. Troy, what do you have to say about the bag?

Where's the WaleX9th Wonder Mixtape!!!












I'm pretty sure it should have been out by now. Wale recently performed at Gypsy Hut in Cincinnati. He also stopped by Corporate, along with Big Sean to sign autographs and chill. Check out pics at Corporate.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Artist Spotlight - Slaughterhouse


"I ain't lyin', sir,
You ain't gotta watch Tim Duncan jump to see a flyin' Spur.
Bentley boy, no it's not "H to the Izzo,"
But I push Buddens like Jay shoulda did Joe.
People's choice, the voice of my time,
with Royce Da 5'9", we boys and night shine.
I let Joell poison my mind,
Grab a silencer and kill y'all noise with my 9!"
- Crooked I

For all I care you can call this group Tahiry's Boyfriend and his Homies or TBAHH for short. It doesn't really matter. The fact remains that they may not be household names, but they are a supergroup. Internet cats know how they get down. Wale knows how much love Nahright shows these cats and for good reason. Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, Joe Budden, and Royce 5'9 formed Slaughterhouse in 2008 and have ripped clubs, radio shows, and tracks with a passion ever since. JoeBuddenTV showed early videos of these guys meeting up and discussing the possibility of forming a group. Even with Joe and Royce not being the best of friends, they put their differences aside and combined their talents. The first song they did was called "Slaughterhouse" and it was featured on Joe's Halfway House mixtape. I've been trying to tell anyone that will listen that you can't listen to their songs and honestly tell me that you can name a rapper that consistently goes harder. These cats do not take verses off!! The group should be having an album coming soon as well as many more freestyles and songs.

My Personal Slaughterhouse Soundtrack:

Onslaught
Wack MC's
Slaughterhouse feat. Nino Bless
Move On (video below)
Fight Klub

Slaughterhouse -"Move On" Directed By John Colombo from john colombo on Vimeo.

OLD SKOOL VIDEO SPOTLITE - Another Bad Creation - "Jealous Girl"

"I just wanna let you know that it's hurting me so, girl I just had to let you go."

Let's keep it real. Another Bad Creation (ABC) made wearing overalls, Starter jackets, and your hat to the side the thing to do. I remember thinking they were the coolest kids when I first saw the video for "Iesha." And when I was about 10-11 years old me and DMack ran into them at a hotel in Atlanta. We ran around acting like idiots with Red, RoRo, and Mark. The good ol' days. In the 90's they had some success with the album Coolin' at the Playground, Ya Know which charted 5 singles, including "Jealous Girl." This song was originally done by New Edition and was also covered by Mase and Puff Daddy. The version that ABC did is just so funny now. They definitely had people telling them how to act in front of the camera. But, the shower scenes are kind of disturbing and I'm not really sure how those weren't cut before the final version was completed. One of those kids mama's shoulda said something! With that said the song is still pretty good and it prolly won't be the only ABC video we post on The Chop Up.

Your Dentist has nothing on this guy from Bali

Every culture has its quirks and this is no different. At about 1:40 I had to turn this joint off. It made me squirm a little. Teeth filing appears to be a common practice in Bali and it has a lot of cultural significance.

Bali Culture Part 2:...Tooth Filing (Matatah) from Jan van der Meer on Vimeo.

Clean Yeezy's!

I don't know if any of you have these, but if so here is a good way to keep the dirt off.

Bun B - Keepin' Air Yeezy's Clean from zachwolfe.com/live on Vimeo.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Congratulations Trouble-T!!!

Cinco de Mayo is going down in history as a special day even more now! There is a new addition to The Chop Up!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Artist Spotlight - Sterling Simms


It's hard enough being an artist on a normal record label. But, being a male R&B artist on Def Jam must be extremely difficult for the kid Sterling Simms. He's basically fourth in line behind Ne-Yo, The-Dream, and Bobby Valentino. So it's not really your fault if you have no idea who the dude is. But, it is your fault if you don't go and try to get his album after sampling some of his music below! I remember when he first came out with the song "Jumpoff" featuring Sean P. of the Youngbloodz. I wasn't too impressed with the song at first but it grew on me. But, then every time I heard a new song from him, the Philadelphia native was knocking out doubles, triples, and a couple of home runs, for real. I thought for sure when he appeared on Jay-Z's diss record "Dig a Hole" it would only be a matter of time before his album dropped. Wrong! Jay dropped Kingdom Come, which featured "Dig a Hole", on November 20, 2006. But Sterling's album, Yours, Mine, and the Truth, didn't see the light of day until December 23, 2008. Talk about paying dues! I think with the right amount of time and promotion his first album could have been something special, but it seemed rushed. He has mass talent and takes chances. My favorite Sterling joint, "Nasty Girl", sounds like something The-Dream would do. But, it is not rip-off by any means. That song didn't make the album which I still don't understand. Hopefully he will get a second project released to showcase his skills. He does stay on his grind promoting so I think the chances are pretty good.

My Personal Sterling Simms Soundtrack:

Nasty Girl (Remix below)
Stuck in Traffic feat. Cassidy (Below)
Jumpoff feat. Sean P
Stuck on Stupid
All I Need feat. The-Dream/Jadakiss

http://www.myspace.com/sterlingsimms
http://www.defjam.com/site/artist_home.php?artist_id=635


Stuck In Traffic (Feat. Cassidy) - Sterling Simms


Nasty Girl Remix (Produced by Oddz.N.Endz) - Sterling Simms

Sterling Simms Interview from Mikey McFly on Vimeo.

OLD SKOOL VIDEO SPOTLITE - Sista - "Brand New"

Missy has been doing her thing for a while, yo!!! Before she was Supa Dupa Fly Ms. Elliott was once part of the girl-group Sista in the early 90's. Their most popular song, "Brand New", got some video play on BET and MTV back in the day and was a pretty hot song. Devante Swing from Jodeci produced this record and I think he wanted this group to be the female version of Jodeci. I mean the dance steps are really lame, but the vocals are on point. The beat is classic New Jack Swing and makes you bob your head for real. I remember when chicks in high school used to wear one pant leg up like dudes, too! Hilarious! And I ain't seen bangs like that on a female in a looooooooong time. Big ups to Sista and Missy.

Nyle - "Let the Beat Build"

I don't know who the hell this guy is, I actually thought it was Murphy Lee at first, but this video was very refreshing. RAPPERS TAKE NOTE!!!! His flow was pretty cool over the Kanye beat (even though I think Weezy did alright over the original) and he switched it up a bit. I'll do some more research and see who the kid is and get back with you.

Nyle "Let The Beat Build" from Nyle on Vimeo.

J. Cole - Trailer For THE WARM UP

Rock P did an Artist Spotlight on the kid J. Cole a little while ago. Here he talks about his deal and upcoming mixtape.

J Cole - The Warm Up (trailer) from bbgun on Vimeo.