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AllHipHop ChartWatch for November 4, 2009

 

The
Hip Hop has been sparse on the charts these last few weeks with only Jay-Z and
The Black Eyed Peas moving any numbers in the top ten.  Hopefully things should start to turn around
as the big fourth quarter albums begin to drop. 

Until then at least some rivalry will be able to hold the fans
attention.  I’ll be honest…a rap beef
between Rick Ross and 50 Cent never really interested me.  Even the beef between Fat Joe and 50 seemed
dated and unnecessary.  For awhile there
I thought the Joe Budden/Raekwon incident would produce some decent tracks from
two great lyricists but all we got was youtube videos.  Granted they were entertaining videos but I
would have appreciated a song or two.  I’m
even starting to wonder whether Jay-Z will respond to 50 Cent’s constant poking
in the media.  But Beanie Siegel….That’s
a different story.  I don’t think a true
Hip Hop fan can deny that Beans can hold his own with Jay-Z (lyrically) which
means we might actually get a decent rap battle between two greats.  We may get an actual mainstream battle
between two MC’s.  When’s the last time
that happened?

Well
like I said earlier the charts are lacking on the Hip-Hop side.  It’s like Michael Jackson came and knocked
Hip Hop out of the top 10.  The late
great King of Pop holds the number one spot with the movie soundtrack This Is It.  That leaves Jay-Z and The Black Eyed Peas
holding the eleventh and fifteenth spot on the countdown.  The Black Eyed Peas sell another 29,000
copies of their latest album The E.N.D
while The Blueprint 3 moves a strong 40,000.

Meanwhile,
congratulations need to go out to Tech N9ne. 
The Midwest MC managed to grab the number 14th spot (beating out B.E.P) by
selling 30,000 copies of his latest disc K.O.D.  He was in “Dropping” last week so it’s nice
to see him crack the top fifty and do some decent numbers 

Drake
falls from the 23^rd to the 41^st spot but still manages to
sell another 12,900 copies of his mixtape-turned-album So Far Gone. Rick Ross and Triple C’s sell about 11,523. Wonder if that will make 50 Cent weep?

Sadly,
there was no Hip-Hop in the top 10 and only what is up above in the top 50.  Maybe a little verbal sparring
between some Hip Hop heavyweights coupled with some late year releases will
boost the upcoming week’s sales.  Let’s
move onto “Dropping”.

           

Dropping
This Week

 

First
up in “Dropping this Week” is a producer out of Switzerland.  He has produced for the likes of the French
r&b duo Les Nubians, the Westcoast, underground MC Blu, and Canadian Hip
Hop group Swollen Members.  Underground producer
Chief finally releases his debut album. 
The Swiss beatmaker drops his debut album, Collabo Collection, which is a gathering of tracks created between
2005 and 2009.  The album features some
of the previously mentioned artists as well as Tha Connection, Abstract Rude,
and John Robinson.  This should have a
nice sound.  If you haven’t had a chance
to hear any music from Chief then this album offers you the opportunity to
catch up.

Kentucky
Hip Hop trio return with the second installment of their album released last
March.  Cunninlynguists drop Strange
Journey Volume II a new album featuring E-40, Sean Price, Blue
Sky Black Death, Bronze Nazareth, Poison Pen, Guilty Simpson and J-Zone.  There is also an extended version of the
album being released that contains twelve instrumentals so if Cunninlynguist is
your type of group you probably want to pick this one up.

Next up, Gift of Gab from the
critically acclaimed duo Blackalicious, releases another solo album.  Escape
2 Mars is the rapper’s second solo album and features Del The Funky
Homosapien and Brother Ali.  Gift of Gab
is known for his lyrical ability so those looking to hear a complex rhyme
structure that may be lacking on their local radio should pick this one up.

Keeping up with the “Hell” theme as
shown by his debut album For The Hell Of
It, and subsequent discs Hard As Hell,
and Hell Up In The Bronx comes the
latest album from Hell Rell, Live From
Hell.  The album is Hell Rell
live.  At this point it’s hard to keep up
with who is in/out/feuding with/dropping out of/just an affiliate of Dip
Set.  Fans of Hell Rell shouldn’t be
disappointed.  I don’t know about the
rest of us but the fans should like it.

Underground Houston Rapper K-Rino
releases his latest album Solitary
Confinement. K-Rino has been rapping since ’83 and has been involved in the
Houston underground scene for a number of years.  If you’re looking at hearing some wordplay
out of H-Town then this will be the album to pick up.

Next up is Atlanta duo The Yin Yang
Twins who are releasing Legendary Status:
Yin Yangs Twins Greatest Hits.  Actually
I don’t know who is releasing this one because it doesn’t have “Whistle While You Twurk”, “”Say I Yi Yi”, and “Wait
(The Whisper Song)” but it does have “Salt Shaker”.  I guess that’s a greatest hits.

 Next up are Hip
Hop pioneers Masta Ace and Ed O.G who team up to release the album Arts and Entertainment.  The album features Posdanus of De La Soul, Large Professor, DJ Spinna, KRS-One, Mr.
Lif, Akrobatik and Chester French. Production is handeld by Double O of Kidz in
the Hall, M Phases, DJ Supreme One and Frank Dukes. 

It’s not often that a female MC
releases an album these days.  Chicago MC
by way of Atlanta Rita J releases her
debut album, Artist Workshop, on the
underground label, All Natural, Inc.  The
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale graduate has worked with other artists like DJ Spinna, Digable Planets, J-Live, Jungle Brothers, Stacy
Epps, Stahhr the Femcee, and Black Spade. 

Fans of Hip Hop should give her a chance and take a look at the debut
album.

That’s it for Dropping this Week so
go pick up an album or two.

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Over the weekend producers Play-N-Skillz hosted their 3rd annual Halloween Bash at the House of Blues in Dallas, TX.

 

The extravaganza was a “Superheros, Actors and Entertainers” themed party and featured several big name guests including rapper Slim Thug, video director Dr. Teeth, Angela Simmons, Play-N-Skillz new artist Inertia, rapper Tum Tum and Rich Minds Records.

 

The multi-Grammy award-winning producers who recently signed a record label deal with SRC/Universal creating their own imprint G4 Muzik, and who have a new mixtape out entitled “Recession Proof” entertained a packed house of guests that all were dressed in creative costumes, a requirement for admission to the event.

 

 

Play came dressed as a GI Joe, while Skillz, came dressed as entertainer Sean Paul and was accompanied by Angela Simmons dressed as the lovely Minnie Mouse.

 

 

Slim Thug came dressed as Jay-Z sporting a Yankee fitted hat and humorously saying, “I’m looking for my Beyonce,” while Dr. Teeth was dressed as the late Jam Master Jay and at one point broke out the running man dance to chants of “Dr. DMC” Dallas’s Lingerie Football Team also made an appearance dressed in partial uniform and New England Patriots backup QB Isaiah Stanback was spotted on the red carpet.

 

Play-N-Skillz “Recession Proof” features all original music and includes features from Mannie Fresh, Slim Thug, Talib Kweli, Gorilla Zoe, Pitbull, Bun B, Slim of 112 and Krayzie Bone.

 

The duo plan to follow up their mixtape with an album entitled “Out Tha Box” which will be released on G4 Muzik.

 

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This past Thursday at the Nokia Theatre in New York City, three of the most notable and some would say most influential artists in their respective primes, brought the present to the past, then back to the future in style with the Wonderland High School Tour. How else could you describe it? Over 45 years of professional experience between the three, close to 20 studio albums pressed, and know by millions across the globe, Snoop Dogg, Redman & Method Man led the packed audience down memory lane, while proving that each could still hold their ground.

Redman and Method Man opened the show to immediate roars while a small squad brought out a few old school fist pumps (ala Arsenio Hall). There was electricity in the air, as well as other things. Redman was the sparkplug of the two, free roaming the entire stage from the start. While Method Man worked the crowd as well, just less animated compared to his brethren. All of this was happening before the first song was performed.

 

They started off with hits from the “Blackout 2”, showing off their master of ceremony skills, playing a Hip-Hop inspired game of Simon Says with the crowd. Not one command from the “high” flyers was met with a rebuttal. The audience was building their stride, anticipating what was to come. When Redman took it back to 1992 with ‘Time for Some Action’ (I know, the title was grammatically correct), the crowd exploding into one arm bouncing and tippy toe jumps at a hectic pace. Then Method Man, showing love to his Wu-Tang family including ODB (rest in peace), jumped two years ahead with his hit “M-E-T-H-O-D Man”. The classics were in session from that point on from ‘You’re All That I Need’ to ‘I’ll Be That’ to ‘How High’ and so on. And what is a Redman and Method Man performance without the stage dives. Nobody was hurt during the ritual.

Little did the crowd know that while Method Man was “walking on water” (he was standing on top of the crowd that was holding him up), Snoop Dogg was making his way into the building, rocking his Yankee blue fitted with the matching Yankees jacket. After a brief intermission, the Dogg Father was on stage and the “electricity” in the air became thicker. It was all about ‘Gangsta Luv’ from the start.

Snoop Dogg is just too cool for even himself. His swag is impeccable, and although complaints are levied against artists that perform in a box on stage, Snoop even makes the box acceptable. It’s only right that Snoop Dogg is laid back. All of his hit records are smooth and they reach across his entire career. The West Coast was definitely in attendance with Lady of Rage making an appearance, while Ice T and Coko were seen backstage. Dogg Pound representative, Kurupt brought lyrical and hype man skills to the table. The audience loved it, singing along with all of Snoops hits from ‘Gin N’ Juice’ to ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” (where Snoop showed his fellow fallen soldier some love) to “Ain’t No Fun featuring Kurupt”.

 

Overall, the Wonderland High School Tour proved that Career Artists are just as viable now as to when they’ve debuted. So be on the lookout for more features on Career Artists in Hip-Hop.

Will “Deshair™” Foskey is a social journalist/blogger, born and raised in New Jersey. His most recent project, www.TheRacetoNowhere.blogspot.com has launched to rave reviews this past summer.

 

 

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            It’s
a cold, sparse week out there for Hip Hop. 
There are only three acts representing Hip Hop in the top 50 with two of
them in the top ten.  Jay-Z drops from
three to four selling 41,000 copies of his latest disc The Blueprint 3.  The Black
Eyed Peas fall a spot from five to six with their smash album The E.N.D.  The group moves another 34,000 copies.  Meanwhile, Drake is beyond the top ten but
still manages to grab the 23^rd spot selling 17,000 copies of his mixtape-released-as-a-album

So Far Gone.

            Some
solid albums have dropped over the past few weeks but haven’t come anywhere
near the top ten.  The commenters below
usually say that Jay helped to clear out autotune but the question is what is
left?  A lot of Hip Hop is being thrown
against the top ten’s wall but none of it appears to be sticking.  Let’s see what happens in the upcoming weeks. 

 

Dropping
This Week

 

            First
up this week is another installment to the J. Dilla collection.  This posthumous release by the late, great
Jay Dee entitled Dillanthology, vol. 3
features guest appearance by Madlib, Guilty Simpson, Black Thought, Common, and
D’Angelo.  The production is, of course,
handled by Jay Dee as J. Dilla.  Those
that are fans of Slum Village, J. Dilla, or Hip Hop in general should go out
and pick this one up.

             Next up is the new face of Ruthless
Records.  Newcomer Hopsin is an actor who
has appeared in Fame and That’s So Raven (If Drake can come from Degrassi then I guess this dude can come
from That’s So Raven) and now is
making his recording debut with the album Gazing
At The Moonlight.  I don’t know too
much about him except the fact that he wears white contacts and his first
single is “Pans In The Kitchen.”  We’ll
see if he’s going to be the one to bring Ruthless back.

            Then
we come to the Rick Ross backed group Triple C’s (Carol City Cartel) with their
debut album Custom Cars & Cycles.  The group is composed of Ross, Gunplay, and
Torch who have been rapping together for the last decade.  Don’t know how this album is going to be
because you never know what you’re going to get when rappers bring their
friends into the booth.  You never know….

            Next
up is Brooklyn MC Sha Stimuli who is well known for releasing a themed mixtape
each month during the year 2008.  He now
drops his debut album entitled My Soul To
Keep.  The album feature Freeway,
Young Chris, Torae, and Bellringer with production by Just Blaze.  If you have any doubts about him take a look
at one of the 12 mixtapes he released last year.  This one should be sure to impress so pick it
up.

            Next
we come to Canadian Hip Hop group Swollen members who release their fith full length
studio album Armed To The Teeth.  The album features Tech N9ne, Saafir, Talib Kweli,
Everlast, and Glasses Malone to name a few. 
This is the first album that the group has released in around three
years so fans should go out and pick this one up.

            He
was one of the features on the previous album and now he returns with his 10^th
studio album K.O.D (King of Darkness).  Guest
features include Three 6 Mafia, Brotha Lynch Hung, King Gordy, Kutt Calhoun, Krizz Kaliko and Big Scoob.  Fans of Tech N9ne and his Strange Music label
should not be disappointed by this latest release.

            Last but not least is Houston MC
Z-Ro with his the second installment of his drug inspired trilogy.  Cocaine
is the rapper’s 13^th solo studio album and features the usual
Houston suspects.  It comes on the heels
of the Z-Ro’s last release, Crack,
and before his next Heroin.  He’s really going all out with the drug
theme.

            That’s it for dropping.  Go out and pick up an album.

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ChartWatch for October 21, 2009

The last few weeks have had
Jay-Z and Mariah Carey holding it down for Hip Hop, but this week we have a
newcomer.  Well, they aren’t really a
newcomers…they have just made their way back onto the countdown, but we will
get to them later. 

First
we have Jay-Z at number 3 with his latest album The Blueprint 3.  So far the
Brooklyn MC has managed to sell well over platinum since its release September
8, 2009.  This week the album moves
another 55,000 copies.

Next
up is the group I was speaking of in the intro. 
The Black Eyed Peas manage to not only make it back into the top 10,
but also to grab the number five spot. 
That is an 18 spot jump coming from the 23^rd position last
week.  The groups latest single “Meet Me
Halfway” is most likely the reason for the boost of their fifth studio album The E.N.D.  Since its June release the album has already
been certified 2x platinum and this week it sells another 40,000 copies.

What
do the next two artists have in common? 
Gucci Mane.  Mario enters the
charts at number nine with his newest album D.N.A
led by the first single “Break Up” featuring Sean Garrett and Gucci Mane.  Meanwhile, Mariah Carey grabs the number ten
spot and sells another 30,000 copies of her 12^th album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel featuring
the Gucci Mane assisted “Obsessed”.

Moving
beyond the top ten we have Drake who holds on to the number 30 spot with his EP
So Far Gone.  This week the Cash Money/Young Money artist
manages to sell another 17,000 copies of his album before the album.

Finally,
Kid Cudi grabs the 50^th spot with his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day.  The G.O.O.D Music artist manages to sell
another 11,000 copies of the disc bringing his US total to 169,000 and his
worldwide sales to 340,000.

 

Dropping
This Week

           

Back
in 1997 this duo burst on to the charts with a 70’s and R&B inspired album
called Uptown Saturday Night.  Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede, collectively
known as Camp Lo, have not been able to garner the same type of mainstream
success as their debut, but over the last decade they have released some solid
albums that would please any fan.  Camp
Lo once again works with producer Ski (responsible for “Feelin It”, “Politics
As Usual”, and “22 Twos” off of Jay-Z’s Reasonable
Doubt along with Camp Lo’s Uptown
Saturday Night) to create the Hip Hop/blaxplotation sound for which they
are known on their fourth album, Another
Heist.  Since the commentators below
are always talking about Jay-Z affecting careers, how much of an affect do you
think Jay-Z had on Camp Lo’s career by using some of their beats for his debut
album Reasonable Doubt?

Next
up is Brooklyn born and Queens raised MC Cormega.  His sixth studio album features Havoc, Lil’
Fame, Tragedy Khadafi, along with Hip Hop legends Marley Marl, DJ Red Alert,
PMD, Grand Puba, KRS-One, and Big Daddy Kane. 
Let’s not forget that the album has production from pioneers like DJ Premier,
Large Professor, and Easy Mo Bee to name a few. 
Cormega is another artist that has released some solid albums over the
past few years so fans may want to pick this one up.

Next
up is Westcoast MC Fashawn, whose debut disc, Boy Meets World, is completely produced by Los Angels native Exile.  Fashawn has a buzz in the underground,
especially after the positive reviews of his mixtape with The Alchemist titled The Antidote.  That’s two well respected producers that the
young MC has worked with so the music is probably on point.  You think we are moving back to the age where
one producer crafts a whole album?

Keeping
it in the West we come to Boss Hogg who is the first artist to be released on
Mac Mall’s Thizzalmic Records.  Boss Hogg as King Creepa features J-Diggs, Crest Creepas, Holly
(Black Mafia), Jamal Minix and features production by Mr. Slap, Baby Joey and
College Boys.

Keeping it in the bay we come to
J-Diggs who is releasing three albums on the same day.  Da Good,
Da Bad, and Da Ugly are three disc that are supposed to show all sides of the
artist, J-Diggs.  The trilogy features Keak
Da Sneak, P.S.D., Chop Da Hookman, Vital, Lenny Williams, Baby Bash, Mac Mall,
Matt Blaque, Y.S., Crest Creepaz, Coolio Da ‘Unda’ Dogg, Mac Dre, Dubee,
Rydah J. Klyde, Jacka, Dem Hood Starz, Bleu, Pillionaire, Crest Creepaz, Duna,
Glasses Malone, San Quinn, Cutthoat Committee, Mob Figaz, Money Gang,
Thizz South, Thizz Latin and more. 

That’s a lot of people but it’s three albums so that’s to be
expected.  Fans of the Bay should be
pleased this week.

Wu Tang affiliate Killah Priest
returns with his ninth album, Elizabeth.  He is known for having intricate wordplay and
strong religious undertones in his music. 
The album is just Killah Priest with production work being helmed by DJ
Woool.

You may or may not have heard of
this next producer but you have undoubtedly heard some of his music.  His music is used heavily in a variety of
commercial outlets such as movies, television, and video games but still
manages to keep an authentic Hip Hop sound. 

RJD2 is releasing a vinly box set containing a collection of his music titled
2002-2010.  The set also contains & unreleased songs
by RJD2.

One fourth of Slaughterhouse releases
his fourth, solo, studio album.  Royce Da
5’9” returns with Street Hop which
features Phonte, Busta Rhymes, Trick-Trick, K-Young, Bun-B and, of course,
Slaughterhouse.  Production is handled by
DJ Premier (who actually executive produces the album), Emile, Nottz,
Streetrunner, and Denaun Porter to name a few. 

If you like Detroit, Royce or Slaughterhouse this will be an album to
pick up.

Finally we have former Shady/Aftermath
and current GMM (Grown Man Music) MC Stat Quo. 
Even though he is no longer with the label the rumor is that Stat is
still working on Detox so we will see
what comes of that.  The Atlanta rapper
returns with his second album this year, The
Great Depression.  Fans of Stat and
the album released earlier this year should not be disappointed by his latest
effort.

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The top 10 this week has the same amount of Hip Hop that it had on it last week.  Jay-Z’s eleventh studio album, The Blueprint 3, holds the number five
spot.  This week the Marcy MC managed to
move up one spot in the rank and sell another 64,000 copies of his latest disc.

I
know she’s not totally Hip Hop but you can’t deny that the music has a heavy
influence on her albums.  Mariah Carey is
right behind Jay-Z with her 12^th studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. 
She sells 53,000 copies of The Dream and Tricky Stewart produced disc
but takes a drop from the third spot to sixth.

Moving
above the top ten we have The Black Eyed Peas at the 23^rd position.  Their latest album The E.N.D continues to
move units selling 25,000 copies this week.

Next
we come to Drake at the 30^th spot with his mixtape-turned-album So Far Gone.  This is a rerelease of the mixtape released
almost a year earlier and containing five out of the original 18 songs. This
week Drake “Drizzy” Rogers manages to sell 19,000 more copies of the EP.  So far the Canadian MC has managed to sell a
little over 140,000 copies of an album that was already released and has less
than half the original songs.  If that’s
any indication of how his debut album will sell then it looks like
CashMoney/YoungMoney will have a good year.

           

Kid
Cudi falls from 32 to 48 but still manages to sell 12,000 copies of his debut Man On The Moon: The End Of Day.  So far the G.O.O.D Music artist has sold over 150,000 copies of his first disc and has been pretty competitive on the charts. Fat Joe and Ghostface sold under 10,000 units. of Ghostface Killah’s Ghostdini: The Wizard Of Poetry In The Emerald City pushed 7,200. 73. Fat Joe Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 sold 8,300

Let’s
move on to “Dropping” and see if any of the artists are going to help Jay and
Mariah hold it down for Hip Hop next week.

 

Dropping
This Week

We
have a lot of duo and compilation albums coming from some well respected
individuals in Hip Hop this week.

First up in “Dropping” we
have members from a well known group that has worked with artist like Tupac,
Notorious B.I.G, Swizz Beatz, and Mariah Carey. 
Bone-Ified appears to be mainly Bizzy Bone and Layzie Bone of Bone
Thugs-N-Harmony.  The new album, Thug Smoke Out, features the duo plus
two songs by Krayzie Bone.  I’m not sure
if this is official or not but I’m sure someone in the comment section will let
me know.  Any BTNH fans out there?

Next
up we have another duo consisting of Del Tha Funkee Homosapien & Tame
One.  The West Coast MC and the New
Jersey native get together to release Parallel
Uni-Verses.  Tame One has been a part
of the Artifacts and The Weathermen while Del has worked with everyone from Ice
Cube to the Gorillaz.  This album should
definitely be a display in lyricism from two well respected underground MC’s.

Keeping it underground we come
to D.I.T.C which is short for Diggin’ In The Crates.  The 90’s crew consisted of Showbiz & A.G. (Andre the Giant), Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Fat Joe, O.C., Buckwild, and the late great Big L.  Each one of these individuals has separately
gone on to achieve success in the rap game in some form or another, but in the nineties
they displayed their serious lyrical skill as a group.  Those that aren’t in the know
and want to hear some
of their favorite MC’s earlier works may want to pick up Rare and Unreleased, Vol.
II or Rare
Breaks: Stack Two.

Here’s another underground group
that had its debut in the nineties and has been making lyrical music ever
since.  People Under the Stairs returns
with their seventh studio album, Carried
Away.  The Los Angeles duo rap over hard
hitting underground production which should please any Hip Hop head…if you’re
into that sort of thing.  P.U.T.S is
usually a consistent group so you may want to give this album a shot.

R.A the Rugged Man has been
rapping since the mid nineties and is now releasing Legendary Classics, vol. 1. 
The Long Island MC is also an accomplished writer, contributing to books
and magazines directed at the Hip Hop audience. 

This album is a collection of…legendary classics.  Get a sense of history and pick up a copy.

Moving back to the present we have
DJ Khaled and E-Class who drop DJ Khaled
and E-Class Present From the 305. 
The album features Billy Blue, Red Eyezz, Bizzle, Piccalo (ya’ll
remember when Tupac played Piccalo in that episode of A Different World?  This is
only the second time in life I have seen someone named Piccalo), and Flo Rida.  This should be a typical DJ Khaled/Florida
affair so if you’re into the sound then pick it up.

You may know him as Lil’
Sci’ but on this album he goes by John Robinson.  Sometime last year he made an album that was
entirely produce by MF Doom and now he returns with J. Rawls, an underground
producer best known for his work on Mos
Def and Talib Kweli are Blackstar. 
Together Rawls and Robinson are known as Jay Are (get it….J Rawls and J
Robinson…J Are…I like stuff like that..moving on) and are releasing a new album
The 1960’s Jazz Revolution Again.  The duo summarizes the album
as “an education of the past that is relevant to
our present times, while giving ode to a period that flourished in political
activism, progressive social movements, and cultural creativity.”  It’s always nice to see creative projects
like this so if you get a chance give it a listen.

Ruff Dog entertainment gets a mention this week for having
a….I believe I call it an interesting…album cover.  The
Package.  That’s it for them.

That’s it for Dropping This Week.  They are selling cd’s for five dollars at
places like Wal Mart and on Itunes. 
That’s bootleg prices.  Go pick up
an album or two.

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After the BET Awards’ dedication to Michael Jackson, which was met with mixed reviews, the network went back to the drawing board for the 2009 BET Hip-Hop Awards, held annually in Atlanta. In spite of the obvious skepticism, this year BET put together a surprisingly balanced event showcasing the underground, mainstream, and past stars of Hip-Hop culture.

 

Unfortunately, this year security was very strict about any type of cameras or recording materials. Of course, this couldn’t stop people from furiously tweeting throughout the show.

 

The festivities kicked off with an orchestral ensemble of drums and string instruments backing Young Jeezy, who came out promptly for the Blueprint 3 track “Real As It Gets.” Jeezy was shown love as a hometown favorite, but it was almost as if the crowd didn’t expect Jay to appear. When he did, there was a huge ovation as both men spit their verses in matching black outfits and mist effects behind them. In an allusion to his stolen MTV Awards moment last month, Jay hit his b-boy stance again, and thankfully this time pint-sized spoiler Lil Mama was nowhere to be seen.

 

Mike Epps was solid in the role of host, never going overboard with any jokes and keeping the crowd amused after being forced to repeat a segment several times for mispronouncing “choreographer.” (“I know how to say choreographer! You didn’t have to bring the white man out here.”). Of course he had Lil Mama jokes as well, explaining that she was really 46 years old, and just hopped on stage to check on her grandkids.

 

For 2009, this event’s theme was “Hip-Hop giving back.” Here, emcees got to answer the ever recurring question of what they were doing for their communities. The acknowledged organizations included 50 Cent’s G-Unity Foundation (http://www.gunityfoundation.org/), Busta Rhymes with the Orange Rock Corps (http://www.orangerockcorps.co.uk), Young Jeezy’s Street Dreams Foundation (www.usda2day.com), and Jim Jones with the Entertainers 4 Education (http://www.e4ea.org).

 

Gucci Mane’s presence was the musical centerpiece of the show. The east Atlanta representer was a part of several performances, first starting with his verse on Mario’s hit single “Break Up.” His appearance was treated like a big event, and pyro flashed in the background as Gucci strutted on stage clad in a garish fur coat. His audience reception was bigger than Jay-Z’s and after Mario and his dancers vacated, Gucci went into “Wasted,” and OJ da Juiceman ran out to another huge ovation. It came across very good live, but we’ll see how it translates on TV.

 

Later, Gucci returned for protégé Soulja Boy’s “Gucci Bandana.” SB’s collection was determined by tweet requests from his over 1 million followers. Gucci was still the most popular rapper among the performing trio (SB, Shawty Lo, Gucci), but Shawty Lo’s appearance was the most memorable courtesy of an outfit ensemble featuring a Mary Poppins-esque umbrella and galoshes. Finally, Gucci ended his night hitting the stage with Wale and go-go band UCB for “Pretty Girls.”

 

 

The first great moment was Kid N Play coming out to hit their classic dance steps after the New Boyz claimed that “Hip-Hop needed a change” and they were bringing dance to the culture. Kid N Play brought everyone to their feet with their kick, spin routine, and encouraged the New Boyz to keep cultivating their sound.

 

Undoubtedly, the main reason to watch this show is for the three cyphers. DJ Premier was on the boards for all three, and the first featured Wale, Nipsey Hussle, G-SAN, and KRS-One. The preceding three did well, but as a veteran freestyler it was the Blastmaster who emerged with the best verse. The second group featured Nicki Minaj, Buckshot, Crown Royal, and Joe Budden. Minaj surprised many in the crowd with an engaging verse highlighted by a clear, precise flow, and several vocal inflection changes mimicking the chipmunk soul sample effect and the snobbish accent of an aristocrat. The flair and energy Minaj showed had everyone thinking she took this round. That is, until Joe Budden ended matters.

 

 

The controversial Jersey lyricist casually strolled front and center and shut down the mic. Even though this type of Atlanta crowd wasn’t familiar with his history, his bars were too good and an audience that was previously going wild over Soulja Boy and Gucci Mane was mesmerized by his performance. Even with the physical assault from the Wu and scrutiny from other vets like Melle Mel, Budden didn’t hesitate to throw a few subliminals their way (“I said something that got the vets upset/But I’m a student of the game/Not a teacher’s pet.”). There were further nice lines about artists needing majors to succeed, while he just needed the “Ethernet,” which was juxtaposed with the classic diss “Ether.”

 

And when everyone thought the cyphers were done, we saw Premier again flashed on the screen surrounded by Mos Def, Black Thought, and Eminem. Before they said a word, the crowd started buzzing and clapping (especially among press row), because anyone with a semblance of Hip-Hop awareness knew what was about to go down.

 

Mos started first, and ripped it with a verse showcasing veneration for Islam and its offshoots like the Nation of Gods and Earths. Midway, Mos started going back and forth between traditional rhyme schemes and the Jamaican toasting that originated Hip-Hop, eliciting claps from the audience. Black Thought went in next, and brought his usual rapid-fire, flawless flow. He spit longer than Mos, and got the crowd even more engaged as Eminem stood next to him nodding and taking in the bars. The crowd buzzed anytime Em appeared on screen, no doubt anticipating a great closer as each emcee’s verses built further anticipation.

 

 

People have marveled at Eminem’s verse of “Forever.” It you were impressed with that, just make sure to tune into this award show. I gave up trying to write down what he was saying because the flow was too nasty and fast for my hand, but I can verify the crowd went crazy when he brought an assonance heavy rhyme scheme that brought together several Arabic names to highlight how he was mixture of several figures like Barack Obama and Saddam Hussein. Honestly, once he finished the show could’ve ended right there.

 

Ice Cube was honored with the “I Am Hip-Hop Award,” acknowledging his achievements as an emcee, actor, and film producer. Chuck D introduced him, and Cube had words for both Hip-Hip newcomers and veterans.

 

“We gotta do what we feel. We can’t be slaves to video programmers, labels, or networks,” Cube explained. “To the veterans, don’t let yourself be pushed out… If you have a tongue, you’re not too old to rap.”

 

 

The closing performance was from the newly reunited Goodie Mob. Cee-Lo began the two-song set with a piano melody before going into the classic single “Cell Therapy.” ATL fans knew their history, and rose to their feet to sing along with the influential collective. They ended with Big Boi joining them for “Get Rich to This” to close out the show. While originally maligned by fans when it was released, fans gave the track love, and Goodie looked rejuvenated and ready for their just announced nationwide tour.

 

All in all, the BET’s 2009 Hip-Hop Awards has something for everyone. The award winners won’t be spoiled here, but the real meat and potatoes of the show are the cyphers and Ice Cube’s award win. In addition, the show will have an all-star remix (Snoop, Jim Jones, Soulja Boy, and Nipsey Hussle) of Dorrough’s “Ice Cream Paint Job,” Fabolous and the Dream (“Throw It in the Bag”), new tracks from Ludacris and Lil Scrappy, and Snoop Dogg featuring the Dream (“Gangta Luv,” “Gin N Juice”).

 

The BET Hip-Hop Awards will air on October 27 at 8PM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What
do Jay-Z, Drake, The Black Eyed Peas, Ghostface Killah, and Kid Cudi have in
common?  They are all in the top….fifty.  Over the last couple of weeks there has been
a surge in the release of Hip Hop albums.  We have had everything from Brother Ali to
Playaz Circle in “Dropping this Week”.  A
few of them, like Kid Cudi and Drake have managed to make it into the top ten
but it looks as though now the only representative for Hip Hop in the upper digits
is Jay-Z…unless you want to count Mariah Carey.

The “Obsessed” singer enters the charts at number three with her latest album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.  This is the R&B Diva’s 18^th
album (if you include greatest hits and compilations) and features writing by
Tricky Stewart and The Dream.  Although
Carey did work with producers Timberland and Jermaine Dupri during recording
those particular songs did not make the final tracklisting.  Hey, at least she got Gucci Mane for the
remix.  That’s a good thing…right?  Although there is not a lot of Hip Hop
represented on the original album expect some of her more popular songs to be
remixed and feature the latest flavor of the month from the rap world.

Meanwhile,
the owner of Roc Nation (and occasional Mariah collaborator) Jay-Z, drops from
two to six with his latest album The
Blueprint 3.  The album sells a
steady 86,000 copies after entering the charts a few weeks ago.

That takes care of Hip Hop in the top 10. 
Drake grabs the number 18 spot with his mixtape-released-as-an-album So Far Gone.  The Cash Money/Young Money artist moves
32,000 more copies this week and continues to build up anticipation for his
debut album, Thank Me Later.

At
the twenty third spot are The Black Eyed Peas who continue to sell more of
their monster album The E.N.D.  This week the group moves another 29,000
copies.
Cudi’s, Man on
the Moon: The End of Day sells another 17,000 copies and lands the number
32 spot.

I don’t usually endorse
an album but if you haven’t picked up Ghostface Killah’s Ghostdini The Wizard Of Poetry then I just don’t know what you’re doing with your
life.  This week he picks up the number 30 spot.  The album
features duets with R&B artists including Shareefa, Raheem DeVaughn, Jack
Night, Estelle, John Legend, Lloyd, Ron Brownz, and Ne-Yo.  It’s Ghostface!  When was the last time you heard a Ghostface
album and went “Uhhhh……it was ok” (I’m not counting that 718 compilation
album).  Go to a store people.  Get an album or something.

 

Dropping
This Week

 

Depressing
album sales aside, there have been some solid albums coming out in this section
for the last few weeks.

           

I’m
going to be biased and start off with Joe Budden.  One fourth of Slaughter House releases his
sixth official studio album, Escape Route.  You may love him or hate him but can you
really say dude can’t rap?  As a matter
of fact, I have rarely heard anyone that has listened to the Mood Musik series
say he can’t rap.  His latest album has
Slaughterhouse, Young Chris, and Wale on it so it should be an interesting
listen.

Don’t
tell him autotune is dead.  Harlem’s own
DJ Webstar releases his latest album, The
Rooftop.  The album is actually a collaboration
between Webstar and Jim Jones and features Juelz Santana, Brucie B, and Styles
P to name a few.

            I’m
going to finish of the week with BK representative Fat Joe.  He releases his ninth studio album Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E 2)

with guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Ron Browz, Akon, Pleasure P, T-Pain, Lil
Kim, Raekwon, and Swiz Beatz.

            Told
you guys it would be a short week.  We’ll
see if the numbers get better for next week’s ChartWatch.

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 Not too much Hip Hop in the top 10 this week. Jay Z is the only one representing in the top 10 and continues to sell a lot of of albums.  The other Hip-Hop from last week suffered from some serious drops in sales.

We have a new number one this
week.  Pearl Jam enters the countdown
with their new album Backspacer.  They are followed by Jay-Z who drops a spot
on the countdown.  The Blueprint 3 sells
130,000 copies and claims the number two spot.

Three Days
Grace enters the countdown at number three with their new album Life Starts Now.  Whitney Houston comes behind them in the
number four spot with her latest album, I
Look To You, selling 62,000 copies.

Miley
Cyrus’ Time Of Our Lives comes in at
number five.  She is followed by Brand
New’s, Daisy, and Five Finger Death
Punch’s War Is The Answer.

The King of
Pop, Michael Jackson, come in at number eight with his compilation, Number Ones.

Rounding
out the top ten is Harry Connick Jr. with My
Songs and David Gray with Draw The
Line.

Moving beyond the top 10 we have Drake whose latest album, So Far Gone, sells 34,000 copies but drops from the sixth position to 12.  Also, let me give a quick clarification.  So Far
Gone is not Drake’s debut album.  It is a re-release by his record company of a mixtape.  There were a few comments last week that he
didn’t sell enough but in actuality he sold a pretty decent amount of an album
that is available for free on the internet. 

70,000 last week and 34,000 this week?…Hate it or love it that’s pretty
impressive.

Kid Cudi also take a drop this week from four to 17 with his debut album Man On The Moon: The End Of Day.  The Kanye West protégé sells 30,000 copies of
his album this week.

The Black
Eyed Peas sell another 28,000 copies of their latest album The E.N.D and secure
the number 18 spot.

Last up Lil Boosie takes a drop from the number nine spot to number 44 with his new album Superbad: The Return of Boosie.  The southern MC sells 13,000 copies of his
latest.

 Even though there were quite a few drops for Hip-Hop on the countdown, there are a lot of new albums coming out this week.

           

           

Dropping This Week

 

For the
last few weeks we have had some good artist coming out with albums.  Hopefully fans are starting to see that
decent music is getting out there.  This
week has some nice new ones.

Let’s get
things started off right with Staten Island’s own Ghostface Killah.  His brother from the Wu, Raekwon, dropped a
well received album a couple of weeks ago so hopefully Ghost can keep the Wu
numbers up.  Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City is a title that
would mean career suicide for most rap artist, but with eight other critically
acclaimed albums under his belt Ghost is sure not to disappoint.  The album features duets with R&B artists
including Shareefa, Raheem DeVaughn, Jack Night, Estelle, John Legend, Lloyd,
Ron Brownz, and (of course) Ne-Yo.

Next up is the New York group
Anti-Pop Consortium with their fifth album Fluorescent
Black.  The group has done a lot of
work in the underground since their debut back in the late nineties.  After going through a break up, getting back
together and dropping another album, the group returns with their experimental
blend of Hip-Hop.

Then we
come to Corey Miller a.k.a C-Murder. 
Although recently losing his appeal the incarcerated rapper drops his
ninth studio album with guest appearances from Snoop, Juvenile and B.G.  I could be wrong but I thought he had made a
name change to get away from the whole murder image.  At this point members of the NAACP are
calling for an investigation into the case but for the meantime it appears
Corey Miller will remain in jail for awhile. 
Fans out there can support him by getting the album.

 Across the
pond we have Dizzee Rascal who is dropping his fourth studio album Tongue N’ Cheek.  The London born MC usually puts out good
music that is well received by the U.K. crowd where each of his albums have
sold over 100,000.  He doesn’t get the
same response here in the U.S but this album could be the turn around.

            South
Florida MC Dynas did some work with Rawkus records a couple of years back and
now comes forward with his debut disc.  The Apartment is not being released
through Rawkus but should still maintain that underground sound with guest
features from Slick Rick, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and J. Dilla.  If you get a chance take a listen and give
him a chance to show you there is more in Florida than Rick Ross and Plies.

Underground
Houston rapper E.S.G returns with his…actually you can never really tell how
many albums he actually has but I think the count is somewhere around
sixteen.  His latest, Everyday Street
Gangsta, has features from Houston regulars including Bun B (yeah I know he’s
from Port Author), Slim Thug, Hawk, Chamillionaire, Big Moe, and Trae.  Those that are fans of the Houston sound
should not be disappointed by this.

Keeping it
in Houston we have Lil Flip with his fifth studio album Respect Me.  The album
heavily features Jay Townsend and comes two years after the release of his 2X
Platinum disc, I Need Mine.  As a matter of fact Lil Flips last three
albums have gone at least platinum so we’ll see if he is able to keep up the
streak in this economy.

Former
Westside connection rapper Mack 10 returns with his ninth studio album, Soft White.  The album is supposed to delve into some
personal issues from the last couple of years and features artist like Red
Café, Glasses Malone, J. Holiday, Anthony Hamilton, The Game, Jim Jones, Lil Wayne,
Birdman, Akon, and Mannie Fresh.  Mack 10
is coming with an army on this album so hopefully fans will be satisfied.

Lebron
James has a documentary coming out about his trials, tribulations, and eventual
success in his high school and NBA career.  You know what that means….super produced
soundtrack having very little to do with the film.  There should be some good music on here though.  The soundtrack features Drake, T.I., Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Rich Boy, Soulja Boy, Tank, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Eminem, Tyrese, Toni Braxton, Jordin Sparks, and Omarion.  There has got to be a hit or three on
there.  Eminem is spitting pretty hard on
that Drake song so this may be one you want to pick up.  So keep an eye out for the More Than A Game soundtrack.

            Playaz Circle is back after their 2007 Disturbing tha Peace debut, Supply & Demand with
their new album Flight 360: The Takeoff.  Now some would say they played second fiddle
to Lil’ Wayne on their hit song “Duffle Bag Boy”, but the duo returns with Mr.
Carter as well as Raekwon, OJ Da Juiceman, Ludacris, Bobby Valentino, Jagged
Edge (I’m as surprised as you are), Young Dro, and Cee-Lo.

The next album comes from New York Mc Skyzoo.  I would say something about his disc, The Salvation, but he already did a good
job so here’s his quote.  “If you’re looking for mixtape tracks, you may have to
look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for music that tells a story (possibly
yours), music that is the most honest of its kind, music that makes sense when
you play it, then this is where your $15 belongs on September 29th. The album
is everything I’ve ever wanted to say.” -SKYZOO

Last, but certainly not least, is
Westcoast MC Warren G.  The man who
brought us The G Funk Era drops his seventh studio album The G Files.  Dude is a
legend on the West so there is not much to say about him.  The album features Snoop Dogg, Raekwon (Snoop
and Rae are busy with the features this week), Travis Barker, Nate Dogg, Ray-J,
and Cassie.

            That’s it for “Dropping This
Week”.  Go out, find a store, and find an
album.

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