Nas made a visit to Angie Martinez at Hot 97 earlier today to promote his new single, “The Don” and his upcoming Life Is Good album. Queenbridge’s finest spoke on the four year gap since his last solo album, his son Knight and the divorce from his ex-wife Kelis, and the current state of hip-hop. Nas revealed one song off his new album will be “Another Black Girl Lost,” and how his daughter Destiny persuaded him to appear on Tyga’s new album. The two end their conversation touching on Heavy D’s contribution to his new single, and the tragic news of slain teenager Trayvon Martin.

“You never wanna hear that kind of news. When it happens, you remember how many Trayvon incidents happen every day all over the world and have been happening. It doesn’t seem like the race problem will ever get solved. There’s a sickness that needs healing that this guy Zimmerman is dealing with and all the Zimmermans around the world. They’re dealing with hatred, ignorance, sickness, and they’re living in fear so I’m rocking my hoodie for my man.”

Audio: Nas on Hot 97’s Angie Martinez Show (3-28-12) (Part 1)

Audio: Nas on Hot 97’s Angie Martinez Show (3-28-12) (Part 2)

Audio: Nas on Hot 97’s Angie Martinez Show (3-28-12) (Part 3)

After the jump, Nas speaks more on Trayvon Martin, working with No I.D. on his new album, the media and their access to his personal and financial life, the controversy involving an African promoter, and more on MTV’s RapFix Live….

(more…)

(Rihanna takes the “tube” to Drake’s London concert)

Rihanna is doing promo for her upcoming movie debut….Battleship (yup, the movie based on a boardgame). So why not take the girls to her buddy Drake’s Club Paradise show? (And yes, she and Drake hit the afterparty too) And why not cause a lil’ ruckus by using public transportation…while wearing thigh-high boots and cutoffs? No biggie. I’m still not wild about her wig-like blond ‘do, but other than that….Rihanna’s whole style is boss to me. I’m there with the whole retro London creepers and BOY throwback post-mod-punk look. And even though, NCB and most every other guy I know hates this pointy gel-nail trend that Japanese girls have been rocking for ages…Rihanna’s gold fingers are fly to me. Love? Hate? Check out the gallery below for more photos of Rihanna’s commute and Battleship press conference….

But what about those rumors that Rihanna visited Ashton Kutcher’s house for a middle-of-the-night hang? Well, as random as that hook-up sounds…I have a larger problem with the coverage of her response.
HuffPo says: “Rihanna, Ashton Kutcher: Singer Rips Reporter For Relationship Question”

Haha, really? Perhaps we’ve changed the definition of “ripping”…
Watch video of Rihanna’s Ashton answer for yourself…
After the jump
(more…)

The Trayvon Martin tragedy has made its way all the way to the White House. Earlier this morning, President Obama addressed the the senseless killing with a touching speech.

“If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon. I think [Trayvon's parents] are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves, and we are going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. Obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through, and when I think about this, I think about my own kids, and I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this and everybody aspect of this, and that everybody pulls together — federal, state and local — to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened. I think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how does something like this happen. And that means we examine the laws and the context for what happened, as well as the specifics of the incident.”

After all the public protest, the Dept of Justice is looking into his murder, why the shooter was not arrested, and the actual Florida state law “Stand Your Ground” that “gives the benefit of the doubt to a person who claims self-defense, regardless of whether the killing takes place on a street, etc.”

That law is what allowed Zimmerman to go free. It’s been promoted by gun-proponents, but opposed by law enforcement. But it still exists in Florida and 21 other states. (via NYTimes)

A photo of the Miami Heat dressed in their hoodie warm ups to pay tribute to Trayvon Martin after the jump.
(more…)

(left to right: Michael K. Williams aka Omar Little, Ol’ Dirty Bastard aka Ason Unique/ Dirt McGirt/ Big Baby Jesus/ Dirt Dog/ Osirus)

Ok, this news out of Hollywood completely blew my mindgrapes.
So apparently there’s going to be a movie….in which Omar Little, Baltimore’s homo-thuggiest bogeyman, will play the late great Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Wu-Tang’s untame-able icon. Alright, to be more specific, it’s actor Michael K. Williams who will be playing Ol’ Dirty Bastard…but Williams will always be Omar from The Wire.

And that’s not the only headcrack here. The movie isn’t even an ODB bio-pic, it’s called Dirty White Boy because it’s based on the life of ODB’s much maligned manager Jarred Weisfeld. I actually worked with Weisfeld numerous times during his run with Dirty. And I think anyone else who saw their dynamic, as well as the very contentious dynamic between Weisfeld and the rest of Wu-Tang….knows this story can be an interesting one but only if it’s done honestly, no gloss.
I can only imagine that there will be some serious push back from Wu-Tang members. Meanwhile, according to Deadline Hollywood, Dirty’s mom Cherry is onboard.

The third shocking element to this project, is the caliber of production that is involved. The project is being developed by Part & Labor, a Williamsburg-based crew that recently produced the Oscar-winning Mike Mills’ film Beginners. Both the director Joaquin Baca-Asay and screenwriter Brent Hoff are upcoming talents.

Remember the short-lived VH1 series that followed Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Jarred Weisfeld?
Well, watch this 2003 clip of Dirty, Jarred and Dame Dash, arguing about RocaWear…
After the jump
(more…)

Nicki Minaj just touched down in Japan, and you can only imagine the mutual adoration for her out there. In the past few days, the ramp up for her Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded and revealed collaborations with Nas, Cam and Chris Brown…as well as a multi-million dollar Pepsi deal. But today, the Complex Magazine team released Nicki Minaj’s cover feature! Part 2 of their 10th Anniversary issue, and the counterpart to their Justin Bieber cover.

This Nicki Minaj story is extra near and dear to my heart because Complex’s EIC and a dear friend, Noah Callahan-Bever asked me to come out of my weird self-imposed magazine retirement to interview Nicki in Indianapolis during SuperBowl weekend….and talk about her unstoppable ambition, her exhausting run, her dreams of having a family, and….of course, the pitfalls and daggers she’s facing every day.

While setting up the interview, it was clear that Nicki has been forced to fortify her fences….as soon as we sat down, she became the same girl I first met in 2009…with Auntie Deb, before the Young Money signing, before the fashion world embraces, before it all. Equal parts lion and lamb. Happy to talk about meeting her idols (Madonna), gripe about her performances, and sip on margaritas (yes, salt all on the rimrimrimrim).
(Thank you to NCB, Rob Kenner, Nicki, Safaree, Kate Rosen, and Ebro)

Nicki Minaj: Doing the Super Bowl with Madonna doesn’t really change Nicki Minaj’s personal goals. My goal right now is still to put out Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, sell five million copies eventually, and tour every country in the world. That’s what I’ve been working toward. So while the world is talking about, “Oh my God, I can’t believe Nicki Minaj was at the Super Bowl!” I’m mixing and mastering my music. In my scheme of things it’s way bigger.

Miss Info: Because those surprises can’t replace the things you want to achieve by yourself?
Nicki Minaj: Because my goal the whole time has been for people to see me as a stand-alone artist. I came out with Young Money, the biggest hip-hop label in the world at that time. And then it was, “How do I branch away from Lil Wayne?” One of my biggest records was with Drake, “Moment 4 Life.” Even with the Super Bowl, it’s Madonna’s moment. I’m just sharing in that moment. It’s not Nicki Minaj’s moment. Nicki Minaj at the Grammys—that’s my moment. I’ve just been constantly on this quest to stand alone.

Note: There was an interesting conversation that Nicki and I had that somehow didn’t make it into the feature, but Nicki basically said that she has a 5 year plan…and that part of her future she insists will include getting married and having kids. In fact, as driven as she is…Nicki almost seemed to have this ideal white-picket dream life in mind. Hubby and babies, working every once in a while, like a Gwyneth Paltrow…or again, like a Madonna.

Check out more of Nicki’s stunning photos and more of our one-on-one chat….
After the jump!
(more…)

Odd Future are performing tonight at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom so the crew stopped by Hot97 to talk to their old pal Peter Rosenberg….and most revealing was Earl Sweatshirt’s candid comments about why he was sent away to a boarding school in the South Pacific in 2010, right when he and Tyler the Creator were first blowing up.

Rosenberg: When did you actually leave?
Earl: June of ‘10….
Rosenberg: are you aware that shit was going bananas
Earl: I was aware, because of the internet….initially I was annoyed. But I also got to see that all this shit isn’t fun all the time. For instance, the block that we came up on, we could do whatever we want. I was up there the other day just trying to skate around, and you f–kin’ can’t do it.
Rosenberg: Have you have anything crazy happen to you yet?
Earl: Yep. (Was it weird?) Yep….I was takin’ a piss at Six Flags. And someone asked me if I was Earl Sweatshirt…
Rosenberg: So your parents attempt to pull you away from [hip hop] failed?
Earl: No, that’s not it at all. Muthaf–kers think that my mom heard a song and was like “nah! I’m not f–kin’ with this song!”. (so clear it up) I was f–king up…outside of music. I was f–king up. (are you better off than before you left?) Most definitely.
Rosenberg: A lot of us feel like you could be one of the best.
Tyler: You could be the next Sean Paul.

I love the camaraderie and comfort level that these guys share with each other and with Rosenberg. And Earl’s post-boarding school clarity is most promising for his legion of fans too.

More Odd Future links
After the jump
(more…)

Drizzy is probably one of the last rappers I would see covering a men’s fashion magazine … but, when he does tailor up, he does it right. Oddly enough though this GQ April 2012 Style issue interview with the YMCMB rapper doesn’t go into great depth about Drake’s sense of style, instead, Drake talks about the struggles he went through as a young rapper, the rocky relationship with his father and his rise to fame.

“I’m trying to find the same feelings that I had for women when I had very little going on, which is tough,” he says. “When I was in my mom’s house, I had nowhere to go, no real obligations. My girlfriend at the time, if she was mad at me, my day was all f*cked-up. I didn’t have anything else. And that made for some of the best music, I think, to date. Records where I felt small. That feeling is hard to capture when you’re sitting out here in a space like this.“

Catch more pictures from the photoshoot and excerpts after the jump……

(more…)

The first season of T.I. and Tiny’s reality show has come to a close. In the final episode titled “Final Words of Wisdom,” T.I. prepares for his AKOO fashion show but runs into a few minor road blocks.

via Yardie/MWP

Catch all the previous episodes from Season 1 after the jump….

(more…)

For the first time since her untimely death, the family of Whitney Houston sat down for an exclusive interview conducted by Oprah Winfrey. Aired earlier tonight on “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” Whitney’s brother Gary Houston, her sister-in-law Patricia Houston, and 19-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina opened up on the passing of the iconic pop star, fond memories, rumors and negative speculation about Whitney’s passing, and her life leading up to the tragic moment in February.

Watch Bobbi Kristina’s one-on-one interview with Oprah, after the jump….

(more…)

It’s been such a great week with tons of careful and caring content in honor of the 15th anniversary of the Notorious B.I.G.’s death.
From never seen before album art, to Complex’s murder insight from an LAPD detective, to the first radio interview from Biggie’s daughter….
But to really finish the week off, Hot97’s legendary DJ Mister Cee put a special tribute mix that only he could do.

Earlier in the week, Cee told me:

1) He would be mixing 3 hours straight rare Biggie music. We’re talking live versions, original versions of songs like “Dead Wrong”, demo tracks, and never heard before mash-ups with new verses!!
2) He would not be speaking at all during the mix! (Now I realize it’s because he has clips from huge artists who worked with Biggie or were influenced by Biggie.)
3) This mix would make me tear up.

One hour in and Cee has been right about all 3. If you aren’t tuned in via radio, then you better be watching online, or listening online….or checking back at the top of every hour for the download link.
This is history.

Watch Mister Cee mixing live in the Hot97 studio via ustream!
Hear Angie Martinez’s vintage interview with B.I.G. from 1996,
plus more after the jump…..

(more…)