This was actually a hot video until that chick started having the words “Come On” come out of her mouth.

*Still don’t believe Omarion is the King of Dance*

*Damn the video chicks are taller than these guys*

While most people were spending Christmas at home and with family, David Banner was in the hood giving out money and toys to the less fortunate. Now that’s keeping it gangster.

Since I was younger I always imagined what music would sound like 50 years from now. Particularly, what would hip hop sound like in the future? Because music tends to reflect the limitations of the equipment it is made on, I think the discussion should begin here.

We all know about the advent of the computer producer, who armed with Fruity Loops (Now FL Studio), Reason, Cubase, Cool Edit Pro (Now Adobe Audition), Pro Tools and whatever else, can create their own beats. With technology mainstreaming the hell out of the beat making process, millions of kids are trying their hand at beat making (notice the word beat making and not production). In fact, I would guess that there are more myspace beat makers than there are myspace rappers (somebody do a quick search).

Many of these kids will give up and a few of them will actually persevere becoming the next generations hit makers. We are already seeing evidence of this from artist such as Soulja Boy, who produced his hit record “Crank Dat” using Fruity. Not only that, but he built up his own fan base using myspace and the net prior to having any finances or a record deal to back him (beat that Jay-Z). Artists that take this approach will likely be the prototype artists of the future. But let’s get back to the beats.

Because the computer processors and microchips and whatever else they put in computers is getting faster and are being able to hold more data, this leaves the genre of hip hop music in a precarious place. This is because the beats will evolve faster and continue to evolve while the art of rapping has peaked.

Let me explain. Take the hip-pop song “My Love” by Justin Timberlake and T.I. The production Timbaland and Danja cook up here is some of the most futuristic I have ever heard (not unlike we are used to hearing from Timbo and Danja). When I was young and entertained such questions this is what I imagined the future of hip hop to sound like. The problem is no rapper alive could do justice on a beat like that, T.I. did his best but to me it sounded very 90s mainstream corn. Jay in his prime maybe, now, hell nah.

The reason is that rap music as a derivative of spoken word has a very folk song like, minimalistic overtone. Simply put, when it comes to hip hop production, less is more. Just look at every rap song that becomes a hit, they all contain one simple loop (Beethoven wouldn’t be impressed). There’s nothing more to it. This is simply because it is too easy for a rapper to be out shined by the beat if it gets too complex.

The pc based beat maker will likely over complicate the beat as it is far easier to program a computer to play a melody faster and in more mini-quarter tones than a human playing a keyboard could ever. This is what likely will turn hip hop as we know it into dance music (not that it isn’t dance music already but you know what I mean, that techno shit). Take Kanye West, he started of on College Dropout as true blue b-boy and now he might as well be wearing a dog costume romping around with Daft Punk.

In order for hip hop music to progress, the rappers are going to have to step it up as the beats even right now are out shining the rappers. Forget about 50 years from now, imagine 10 years from now? Hip pop will likely turn into Chicago house. But we’ll see…

Clipse reaching like crazy on this.

Well dudes, its been one hell of a ride. I started this site back in September for fun, because I was always the dude that knew all the hip hop news, trivia and fun facts [sidebar: I should make a hip hop board game for you rap nerds]. The sites popularity has grown tremendously over the last four months and it is all because of yall. You have made this site your stop for “all your hip hop on a lower level news” haha. [Sidebar: Don't you hate it when these rap nerd sites bill themselves as "For All Your Hip Hop News"...fucking geeks.]

I certainly don’t think yall care about all the hip hop news (I know I don’t), because who really gives a fuck if Hammer is making a new album. Maybe if he was getting arrested on child pornography charges it would be something to write about. Only good rappers are worth writing about, I only really care about the rest if there in some scandal or throwing a hissy fit for the youtubes. Most of these hip hop sites are owned by corporate media anyway, so they have no clue whats hot and whats not. We are the Independent!

Who knows what 2008 will bring, but just remember theres only one rule, “I Will Not Lose”. Happy Holidays yall, just having yall come to this site is the best present I could have asked for, for real, for real. My goal for December was to hit 30,000 visitors and it looks like we are going to succeed that mark. Thank you so much!

Ps. We still ain’t shit.

All the disgruntled Def Jam rappers are getting a nice Christmas present today as Mr. Carter aka Jay-Z has announced he will not be renewing his presidential duties at Def Jam in 2008. Hov said,

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have served as President of such a culturally-defining label as Def Jam over the last three years. During that time, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many of the world’s most dynamic artists and many of the most dedicated and talented executives in the music business today, including Antonio “L.A.” Reid. But now it’s time for me to take on new challenges. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to build upon the Def Jam legacy, helping to move the company into a new era of artistic success.

Even though Jay-Z is leaving Def Jam’s office space, he will still be a recording artist under his label Rocafella as he still has one more album under his contract. He has said that if he feels “inspired” in the coming year he will drop his last album fulfilling his contractual agreements. So this may be it, the last year of Jay-Z. This is actually when he retires from the music business. He has said that he would still record but “not for the mainstream” and “not for sales”.

It looks like 2008 will be a changing of the guard as older rappers like LL Cool J will also be completing their last album as per their contract. This should allow the younger artists on Def Jam more resources to pave the next few years of hip hop history. Too bad Joe Budden didn’t stay around a little longer.

Chris Stokes, current manager for Omarion, is being accused by various members of boy band group, B2k, of child molestation. He claims it all started when Chris asked him, “Can I touch you” and being so young, around 10 years old at the time, he did not know any better. The video which has surfaced shows Raz B talking to members of Marques Houston’s (also managed by Chris Stokes) family about the molestation.

At one point, Marques Houston’s sister breaks down in tears and asks if other members in the group have been molested? Raz responds, “I can’t speak for everybody, but if you want my personal opinion, I think he did.”

Another video has emerged in which another member of B2k, Ricky Romance, confirms the molestation accusations. He claims Chris Stokes made the group shower together and he was the first one to get molested. He also takes us to the house where the molestations occurred.
He even is able to get Chris Stokes on the phone whom we are heard angrily saying, “I don’t do that..that’s what Im trying to tell you, that ain’t me, I don’t do that in my life no more.”

Ricky Romance asks, “Why should you have to let muthafuckas feel on your nuts just to feel love?” Yeah why?

Keep in mind, Chris Stokes broke into the scene managing child R&B group, Immature, in which Marques Houston was apart. He later went on to manage another child R&B group, B2K. He currently manages Omarion. This is a hot ghetto mess, because all of them are some how related family wise. But really people should have known something, I always knew looking at Chris Stokes he was playing for the other team, actually dudes playing in a whole other league! He’s passed gay, he’s a pedophile. Check out the videos.

PS. Remember Omarion’s song called “Touch”.

Pharrel showing us he’s still a nigga.

Before Fifty and Kanye were stirring up manufactured controversy to increase album sales, Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer were writing the playbook. Judging by the audience reaction, Vanilla Ice had the city on lock in that sequence Jetson outfit. Arsenio was blazing Ice though. Hip pop was a strange beast back then.