?uestlove on Fela & More: Free Promo for HHIR!

Check out 1:42

Shouts to Mayse Windu for the heads up!

Wu-Tang Wednesday #1

New feature inspired by the awesome-but-inactive Wu-Tang Mountain. Weekly updates on all things Wu. Su.

Meth, Ghost & Rae - Wu-Massacre

• I updated my First Peek article. Features and production credits have been added.


• Meth, Ghost & Rae discuss the album; Rae & Rik Cordero discuss the trailer videos, as well as the upcoming music video for "Our Dreams".


• More behind the scenes footage from the "Our Dreams" video with Rik Cordero.


• Raekwon spoke to Entertainment Weekly (pssst... the article has a link to HHIR) about the new album.


• Pitchfork discusses the new album and reviews two tracks: "Mef vs. Chef Pt. II" and "Our Dreams".


• Method Man talks PR at Def Jam and comic books.


• DJ Whoo Kid won't bootleg Wu-Massacre.


• DJ Delz interviews Raekwon at a Capone-N-Noreaga video shoot.


• Mixtape Download: DJ Mathematics & Wu-Tang Present Avenging Eagles


• Mef shits on Waka Flocka Flame.


• Waka responds to Method Man's comments.

Inspectah Deck - Manifesto

• Manifesto's tracklisting (with production credits and featured artists) has been released. The album drops on March 23rd.


• New Music/MP3 Download: Inspectah Deck - Champion (Produced by The Alchemist)

Masta Killa - Live

• New Music/MP3 Download: Masta Killa - Duel of the Iron Mic (Live) (feat. GZA)

Plans for the Future

• Raekwon to re-release OB4CLII?


• Method Man talks to MTV about his upcoming solo album, The Crystal Meth.

The 24-Carat Black – Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth | Soul Sample Sunday

Remember Soundtrack Sunday? It was a HHIR feature that kicked off just around the time that Blaxploitation Pride was popping off. As Self-Science’s site continued to pick up steam in the blogosphere, I decided to back off from the Soundtrack Sunday feature since it was Self-Science himself who shared the gigs upon gigs of soundtracks I downloaded off of Boxden (and shared here on HHIR). So… You want some Blaxploitation OSTs? You know where to find ‘em!

After some thought, I’m gonna (hopefully) try to stay consistent with a new feature called Soul Sample Sunday to substitute for Soundtrack Sunday. Soul Sample Sunday will highlight a soul album which was sampled heavily in hip hop. No download links (unless you request them/can’t find them elsewhere)! ;-D

The first installment in the new Soul Sample Sunday feature will take a quick look at The 24-Carat Black’s 1973 release Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth. This Cincinnati soul group was originally known as The Ditalians, but changed their name upon the request of Dale Warren who helped them with their sole album – Ghetto: Misfortune’s Wealth. A dark concept record which focused on urban poverty, Ghetto’s brilliance was overlooked in its own time. As fate would have it, the album witnessed its own resurrection in the 90s, sampled thoroughly on classic hip hop beats. The album was finally released on CD format in 1995.

Marco Polo & Ruste Juxx - The eXXecution | First Peek

The eXXecution
by
Marco Polo & Ruste Juxx

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: March 23, 2010
Label: Duck Down Records

Kidz in the Hall - Land of Make Believe | First Peek

Land of Make Believe
by
Kidz in the Hall

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: March 9, 2010
Label: Duck Down Records

B. Dolan - Fallen House Sunken City | First Peek

Fallen House Sunken City
by
B. Dolan

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Label: Strange Famous Records

The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble - Miles Away | First Peek

Miles Away
by
The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Label: Stones Throw Records

DJ Khaled - Victory | First Peek

Victory
by
DJ Khaled

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: March 2, 2010
Label: E1 Records

Rob Swift - Architect | First Peek

Architect
by
Rob Swift

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Label: Ipecac Recordings

Planet Asia & Gold Chain Military - Chain of Command | First Peek

Chain of Command
by
Planet Asia & Gold Chain Military

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Label: RBC Records

Protect the Plant!

It’s HempCon week here in Los Angeles, and though I’m not a smot poker, I’m all in favor of the legalization of Mary Jane. Simple and plain, I don’t believe that a plant should be made illegal – the concept just seems ridiculous to me. That’s why I’m distressed over some shit that’s been going down in Los Angeles for some time now: marijuana dispensaries/cannabis clubs are getting shut down and raided left and right thanks to City Attorney Carmen Trutanich (pssst… I voted for the other guy).

LMFAO vs. Mitt Romney

That’s right… ^ these guys ^ vs. Mitt Romney

Sorry, but this literally made me LMFAO:

The mystery man who was tossed off an airplane for allegedly attacking Mitt Romney has finally been revealed -- it was one of the guys from LMFAO ... and he claims Romney is the one who got physical first!

It all went down shortly after the two parties boarded a flight from Vancouver to Los Angeles on Monday.

According to a video confessional from LMFAO's Sky Blu, it all started when he leaned his seat back while the plane was still on the tarmac ... and Romney, who was sitting behind him, started yelling at him to put his seat back up.

Sky Blu claims Romney then reached forward and grabbed his shoulder ... so he slapped the Presidential wannabeen's hand away. Shortly after, authorities boarded the plane and escorted Sky Blu off the flight ... and the other member of LMFAO got it all on tape.

On Tuesday, Romney's spokesperson said Sky Blu became "physically violent" when asked to put his seat up ... but the spokesperson never mentioned whether or not Romney puts his hands on him.

Sky (a Democrat) says it was an "unfortunate situation" and he's sure Mitt (a Republican) is a "nice guy" ... but not someone he'd vote for.

via TMZ

Michelle Trachtenberg Doing Nicki Minaj's "Shaking It 4 Daddy"

I been liking this HHH since Harriet the Spy, shit...

Larry King Interviews Bill Maher

Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5

Bill Maher is back on the air this Friday!

Boogie Down Productions - You Must Learn | Insomniacs Club

I believe that if you're teaching history/
Fill it with straight up facts no mystery/

Meth, Ghost and Rae - Wu Massacre | First Peek

Wu Massacre
by Meth, Ghost and Rae
(Method Man, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon the Chef)

Purchase: CD / Vinyl
Release Date: March 30, 2010
Label: Def Jam

I Call Bullshit on AskMen.com’s Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2010 List

About a month ago, AskMen.com revealed their – emphasis on “their” – list of the top 99 most desirable women of 2010. The winner was Emmanuelle Chriqui. Now I’m all for seeing a hot Hebrew honey get her props, but the number one spot? Really? That’s when I got to investigating – because really, despite my troubling penchant for procrasturbation procrastinating, an urgent call to task like this demands my full attention. Paying notice to AskMen’s rating system reveals that the ultimate score that each women can earn is calculated by averaging the readers’ score with – get this(!) – the AskMen.com’s staff score. That doesn’t sound very democratic, now, does it? AskMen.com boasts that over 6 million votes were cast in this “election.” But what significance does that hold if the staff can tip the scales in favor of one woman over another? I crunched the numbers and it ain’t pretty.

Tehmeena aka Ms. Meena on MTV's Silent Library

I'm guilty of keeping my mouse cursor at the 0:58 mark and clicking it over and over and over again once every three or four seconds while Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" plays in my head. #justsaying

Get some more of Tehmeena at Cutie Central.

The Road to Recovery

I just received a mass e-mail from David Plouffe, the organizing genius behind the Obama 2008 campaign. The e-mail includes the above chart, contrasting job loss rates between the Bush and Obama administrations. The Obama supporter in me wants to say: “Haha! See that? Buck Fush. Obama’s come to save the day.” But my inner skeptic sings a different tune. The chart does an effective job in mirroring Bush from Obama (or vice versa), with the message being: A) Bush = bad; Obama = good, B) Bush = down; Obama = up. Right? But that’s kind of misleading. Could it not be that the exorbitant job loss rates at the end of 2008 until the beginning of 2009 were simply the absolute zenith? Would we imagine job loss to have ever been over 1,000,000 per month? Unlikely (but what do I know). Bottom line: While this chart is reassuring in presenting dwindling job loss rates, it’s safe to be skeptical until job loss is reversed (i.e. when we’re talking about job growth, not job loss). Just my two cents.

In the Beginning, There Was Justin Bieber

…and that’s the image that prompted me to rush out of my bedroom, into my bathroom, in a somatic effort to puke out my innards with a violent rage unmatched by the very earthquake that struck Haiti. Okay. That’s a stretch. But boy, oh, boy was “We Are the World 25” an epic fail or what? Quincy and Lionel should be ashamed of themselves. Hasn’t Haiti suffered enough? Mike must be moon rolling (?) in his grave right now.

Was is that bad? Yes, yes it was. Oh, and by the way, Jay won. Again.

In Stores Today: February 16, 2010

Another slow week! Today we’ve only got two hip hop albums to discuss: Freeway & Jake One’s The Stimulus Package and DJ Mathematics’ Return of the Wu & Friends. I’ve written about the former album, but I might as well have reviewed the latter too, because both of these releases were equally underwhelming. Next week we’ll be digging deeper with releases from Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime, DJ Babu, Madlib, Planet Asia & Gold Chain Military, The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble and more!

Also in stores and worthy of mention:

The Souljazz Orchestra - Rising Sun
Thee Silver Mount Zion - Kollaps Tradixionales
Tindersticks - Falling Down a Mountain
Various Artists - Everybody Hurts (Help for Haiti)

Freeway & Jake One - The Stimulus Package | Album Review

Freeway & Jake One
The Stimulus Package
Rhymesayers Entertainment

Preview
Purchase

The Roc-A-Fella creed during the early 2000’s was simple: dominate the game. Like Wu-Tang and No Limit before them, the leader(s) of the pack were easily distinguishable. But at the end of the day, it was always a team sport. Jay-Z, the MVP and future all-star, was accompanied by a roster of talented role players (Bleek, Sigel, Freeway and Kanye) and a solid bench (the rest of State Property). It seemed like there was either a new album or single tearing up the charts each month. Of course, Jay was the human highlight reel. But commendable (and often overlooked) gems by his teammates shone bright as well, Freeway’s debut album being a key example.

The Tape Deck '10: Volume #14 (Instrumental Edition)

The Tape Deck '10: Volume #13 (Instrumental Edition)

The Tape Deck '10: Volume #12

The Tape Deck '10: Volume #11

The Tape Deck '10: Volume #10

Mobb Deep - Peer Pressure (Large Professor Remix) | Insomniacs Club

LL Cool J - 4,3,2,1 (feat. Method Man, Redman & DMX) | Insomniacs Club

LL Cool J - 4,3,2,1 (featuring Method Man, Redman & DMX)

2Pac - All Eyez on Me (Explicit Content Only)

Today marks the fourteenth anniversary of the release of All Eyez on Me, 2Pac's fourth solo studio album. I was reminded of this occasion by Randall Roberts of LA Weekly's West Coast Sound blog. He used the Wordle application to input the full lyrics from All Eyez on Me, creating a gloriously-vulgar word cloud:

Top 5 Dead or Alive...

I joke, I joke. I keed, I keed.

Keith Murray - The Rhyme (Jay Dee Remix) | Insomniacs Club

Take Notice: Blog Tips to Protect Your Hard Work

First things first: Yes, this post’s title pays homage to J Dilla. Moving on…

Blogspot bloggers beware, Google and the RIAA are coming for your ass! A few prominent music blogs have been shut down in the past week or so, a devastating blow to the blogosphere that’s already being called #musicblogocide2010 (silly hashtaggers). As I was telling Khal on Google Buzz (which I’ve disabled – not because I’m protesting against Google, rather it’s because Buzz annoys the bejeezus outta me), now might be a good time to start backing up your work. Personally, I’ve spent months-worth of time on Blogger (no joke): many a sleepless night. I know damn well if my blog ever got shut down, I’d go into a severe case of withdrawal. All that work…gone. It’d be too much to bear.

Luckily there are some steps you can take in assuring that your hard work stays in your possession forever:

Movin’ on Up: Updated URLS for The Rap Up & My Jazz World

Two of my favorite sites have switched over to new URLs. That means that any old RSS subscriptions need to be updated as well. Why do these sites matter? The Rap Up was is influential in Hip Hop Is Read’s very existence. And My Jazz World? Well, let’s just say that Smooth’s vinyl rips have a special spot in my heart hard drive(s). (He got shut down by Blogger by the way... SMH...) These two sites are required reading (and listening) for Hip Hop Is Readers. Without further adieu, here are their new URLs:

The Rap Up

My Jazz World

DJ Critical Hype - The Art of Freeway Blends (Hosted by Freeway) | Mixtape Download

Shouts to DJ Critical Hype on yet another ridiculous blends tape. Freeway/Jake One album coming soon...

Beanie Sigel & Freeway - The Roc Boys | First Peek

The Roc Boys by Beanie Sigel & Freeway

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: March 9, 2010
Label: Siccness.net

Twista - Suicide 2010 | First Peek

Suicide 2010 by Twista

Purchase: MP3
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Label: Street Flavor Records

Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime - SomeOthaShip | First Peek

SomeOthaShip by Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime

Purchase: MP3
Release Date: February 16, 2010
Purchase: CD
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Label: Groove Attack / Mello Music Group

Snoop Dogg Presents: The West Coast Blueprint | First Peek

Snoop Dogg Presents: The West Coast Blueprint

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Label: Priority Records

Diggin' in the Crates with... Volume Four: J Dilla

Today we mark the four year anniversary of the passing of King James Yancey, a.k.a. Jay Dee, a.k.a. J Dilla. The previous sample compilation pulled from Dilla's rock and electronic digs. Volume Four contains nothing but soul and funk. One hundred samples in all, fifty and fifty, capice? Dig on, Dilla... turn it up!

DJ Babu - The Beat Tape Volume 2 | First Peek

The Beat Tape Volume 2 by DJ Babu

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Label: Nature Sounds

Freeway & Jake One - The Stimulus Package | First Peek

The Stimulus Package by Freeway & Jake One

Purchase: CD / MP3
Release Date: February 16, 2010
Label: Rhymesayers

Freeway & Jake One - The Stimulus Package (Instrumentals) | First Peek

The Stimulus Package (Instrumentals) by Freeway & Jake One

Purchase: MP3
Release Date: February 16, 2010
Label: Rhymesayers

YC The Cynic - You're Welcome | Mixtape

Check out this new mixtape from YC the Cynic. He won me over with that Digable Planets re-working on track 3. Peep the steez:

Download You're Welcome by YC The Cynic here.

YC the Cynic
Myspace
Twitter

Casual Musings on Sarah Palin’s “Notes”

Over the weekend, the Tea Party held a convention with guest speaker Sarah Palin. We all know about Palin’s “hand notes”, but before I get into that lemme just remind you: the Tea Baggers held their summit at the Gaylord Opryland. I’m not saying anything. I’m just saying. Moving along…