In light of Get Rich or Die Tryin‘s 10-year Anniversary today, MTV brings us a blast from the past with this 2002 interview with 50 Cent, a few months before his debut album impacted on the world. Not just a nostalgic watch, though, the interview also reveals information that could have changed the course of the Platinum-selling rapper’s career. A fresh-faced Fif told Sway that he and Dr. Dre were debating whether to release “If I Can’t” or “In Da Club” as the first single from his album. Praise the Lord for some good decision-making from his label, who pushed for the latter to be the lead single, huh?

50 also revealed that he and Trina recorded a song for Get Rich… called “The Magic Stick” (which would later surface on Lil’ Kim’s album, La Bella Mafia, featuring the G-Unit rapper as a guest) and gave a live rendition of “21 Questions,” before the single had even been released.

Me and Dre did ["In Da Club" and "If I Can't"] and he’s twirling his fingers right now like, ‘Which one should I go with first?’

Check out the throwback interview after the jump…

(more…)

Icons in their respective fields, Nas and Dave Grohl sat-down for the latest Grammy-special episode of Chelsea Lately. The Foo Fighters frontman played host, and interviewed the Queensbridge rapper about his Grammy nominations and how he feels hip-hop is represented at the prestigious awards show, how hip-hop beefs work, winning an Emmy for his work on Survival 1, the ESPN documentary about amputee soccer players in Liberia, and his Life Is Good song, “Daughters.”

Watch the interview clips after the jump…

(more…)

As the song goes: “Reunited and it feels so good.” Mobb Deep have put their past issues behind them (for now) and are back together. Prodigy and Havoc have decided to let bygones be bygones as this year marks the duo’s 20-year anniversary. The group will head out on a world tour this spring, beginning with Paid Dues 2013 on March 30 in San Bernadino, California.

Last spring, the group was put on hiatus after Havoc revealed on Twitter he had issues with his long-time music partner. After denying various times there were no problems, Havoc confirmed months later that Mobb Deep were officially over. Expect details of their anniversary tour to be announced soon.

via TMZ UPDATE: Mobb Deep’s publicist confirms with HHDX.

Previously:
Havoc Confirms Dissing Prodigy on Twitter: “Mobb Deep is on Hiatus, Indefinitely”
Prodigy Speaks on Mobb Deep Rumors with Cipha Sounds & Rosenberg (Video)
Mobb Deep Dischord: Havoc’s and Prodigy’s Twitter Statements

During an interview the Wall Street Journal earlier this month, The Game’s manager, Dontay “Taydoe” Kidd, expressed his intentions to reunite Game and his long-time nemesis, 50 Cent. Now it looks like the rapper himself is down with the initiative, too. Last night, the Compton MC asked his fans on Facebook to “take a minute to vote here for a G Unit Reunion,” linking to the website GUnitReunion.com. The petition has already gathered over 5,000 online signatures, but whether a reunion will actually happen is another thing; it was just last week when 50 Cent told Forbes he thinks that is unlikely.

Fellow founding member Tony Yayo also recently shared his two cents on the state of G-Unit. Speaking to MTV News, the rapper said he would love to see a reunion, but was upset with The Game’s efforts to bring down the brand with his G-Unot campaign in the late ’00s. He also added that relationships in the group where better when they were broke.

Would you guys like to see Fif and Game back together?

Watch Tony Yayo’s interview after the jump…

(more…)

Timbaland and Jay-Z have collaborated numerous times in their illustrious careers—most recently on Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie“—but now it looks like the superproducer has joined the house that Hov built for good. Early today, Jay’s Life + Times website posted the above picture with a caption reading: “Roc Nation welcomes TIMBALAND to the family.” It’s yet to be confirmed in what capacity this deal is, but congrats are in order for Timbo.

UPDATE: Roc Nation’s website lists Timbaland as a managed artist.

Related:
New Music: Justin Timberlake Feat. Jay-Z “Suit & Tie”
New Music: Timbaland Feat. Lil’ Wayne, Missy Elliott & T-Pain “The Party Anthem”
Missy Elliott & Timbaland Discuss Drake Working with Aaliyah to Angie Martinez

Rick Ross’ 37th birthday celebrations hardly ended how he would have envisioned—he was reportedly targeted in a drive-by shooting and ended up in a minor car crash—but the Bawse is doing okay. That’s according to Pusha T, who, fresh off the release of his Wrath of Caine mixtape, gave MTV News an update on the welfare of Ross, who collaborated with Pusha on his mixtape cut, “Millions.” Pusha said he hit up a mutual friend who told him Ross was “layin’ back.”

I don’t wanna hear about that with anybody. I definitely hit him up like, ‘Yo just let me know you’re okay.’ He was just like, ‘Yeah, he’s just layin’ back.’ That was enough for me.

Watch the interview after the jump…

(more…)

Kendrick Lamar had quite the honor. The Compton MC appeared on this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live as musical guest. Introduced by host Adam Levine of Maroon 5, K.Dot appeared in all black with his live to perform his now certified platinum single “Swimming Pools (Drank).” Stripping off the heavy winter gear, Lamar returned for a smooth live rendition of his Scoop DeVille-produced gem “Poetic Justice.” Both singles appears on Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city debut album, which you can buy on iTunes.

Watch both performances below….

(more…)

(ASAP Yams, a very wavy Harlem sherpa, with ASAP Rocky and more)

Those who have seen how ASAP Rocky‘s music family moves are quick to notice a few things…1) The ASAP crew dynamic is family-like both in camaraderie and in conflict resolution. Translation, if you happen to see a fight, it might just be ASAP on ASAP violence, lol. But as quickly as it flares up, it’s squashed and addressed. 2) There are elder statesmen in the group who may not hold mics, but are just as crucial to the esthetic, the vision and the direction of ASAP as the stars. One of these behind-the-scenes leaders is Harlem veteran ASAP Yams, one of the executive producers of Rocky’s Long Live ASAP album.
Yams has been an ubiquitous presence in multiple Harlem movements, so it’s nice to see him profiled on the New York Times website…Even when I first wrote about Rocky’s “Peso” video, I was thrilled to see a new generation of dapper dans carrying on the tradition of Harlem over the top peacocking. And Yams is one of the OGs connecting the dots between 80′s don divas, 90′s Lo-heads, Dipset Taliban style, and modern-day “fashion killas.”

Watch ASAP Yams discuss his own inspirations and his role in the ASAP global takeover…
After the jump….
(more…)

During the Christmas holidays, Guerilla Union announced the headliners for Paid Dues 2013 would be none other than TDE’s Black Hippy (Kendrick Lamar, Jay Roc, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q). Other performers revealed included Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, De La Soul, DOM Kennedy, Tech N9ne, Joey Bada$$ and others. Fast forward to Wednesday night, where event organizer MURS released the full festival lineup.

Notables added are Mobb Deep (?), Scarface, Talib Kweli, Nipsey Hussle, Killer Mike, Trinidad James, Freddie Gibbs, Flatbush Zombies, Juicy J, Madlib, Smoke DZA, Jean Grae, and more. The 8th annual event arrives on Saturday, March 30 at the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino, California. Tickets can be purchased here.

View the full lineup below…..

(more…)

(Camron, standing, at the Violator offices with Chris Lighty, Mike Lighty, and Eric Nicks, all seated…shopping his “new” artist, Juelz Santana)

Noreaga and his longtime friend Geno Sims collected a treasure trove of hip hop footage back in the late 90′s for a documentary show they called The What What. And in this newly unearthed trailer, there is literally too much to comprehend. There’s random bits of Big Pun, KRS One, Eminem making crank calls, Snoop Dogg at his most misogynistic, a chubby 50 Cent coveting NORE’s then-new Skytel 2-way pager…There’s Jay-Z and Amil, Capone in prison, De La Soul….and at the 2:25 mark, we see Cam’ron shopping his new 17-year-old artist Juelz Santana to Chris Lighty (RIP) and his staff. Amazing.

(Juelz Santana rapping on the spot for Lighty and company)

Now these days Geno is better known as one of ASAP Rocky’s managers, alongside Chace Infinite (another man with an long hip hop curriculum vitae), but I’ve known Geno since way back during his days at Harlem Music Hut, Bad Boy Records and more…So I’m really proud to see all his success! But no matter how busy you and NORE are, Geno….please gather more of this vintage What What footage and put this out!

Watch the vintage hip hop footage….
NOT SAFE FOR WORK, NOT FOR KIDS….
After the jump
(more…)