The cover for Alicia Keys’ forthcoming album Girl On Fire has just been revealed. In a sleek, asymmetrical bob, Alicia strikes a fierce pose for the album art.

Alicia spoke candidly about the conception of the album, and how it reflects her personal growth as an artist. On her website, Alicia documents the progress of her album in diary form, and in a previous post, she metaphors the release of Girl On Fire to being freed from a confined cage.

“In some ways I felt like a lion locked in a cage,” she writes. “I felt like a girl misunderstood that no one really knew, I felt like it was time to stop making excuses for any part of my life that I wanted to change. Once I made that choice I became a Girl on Fire, the lion broke free!!”

Alicia has also accompanied this sentiment with a video released on her personal Youtube channel.

Watch her video after the jump….
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In anxious anticipation of Madden 13 to drop, Complex Media Network matched up Pusha T and 2 Chainz to preview the game in a head-to-head showdown. The promo video features the G.O.O.D. rappers in good-natured trash talking and video game jargon.

While Complex has only offered us a brief teaser, the full video will be released on August 28, the same day Madden 13 is scheduled to hit stores.

Get a glimpse of the two squaring off after the jump….

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Here’s some rare unreleased footage of the Notorious B.I.G. and Puff Daddy at the “Warning” video shoot. The clip which surfaced yesterday, features B.I.G. speaking on the success of his Ready To Die album, his newborn daughter, the name change from Biggie Smalls to Notorious B.I.G. Great stuff, check it out.

Props to RapRadar

Previously: The Notorious B.I.G. 15th Anniversary on Hot 97: Mister Cee’s Rare Gems And Memories

(photo by Conor Lamb for Vice)

We always question youthful hip-hop movements by drawing out the similarities to previous successful examples. Sometimes I feel in hip-hop, we tend to concentrate on measuring “buzz” on new artists compare to who was “hot,” last year. Essentially, we’re blinding ourselves behind the fact that young rappers like the Flatbush Zombies don’t want to be like somebody, they want to be somebody…

Hit the jump to see a behind the scenes video from their Irving Plaza Show (w/ A$AP Rocky), debuting a snippet to their unreleased track, “Snorting Coke Off A Strippers Ass.”

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Kanye’s second creation with Nike has been talked about all throughout 20111. We saw various sneak peaks and teases of the Air Yeezy 2 but earlier today the Airmag twitter account released a clearer image of the black and pink model. Unfortunately, there still isn’t concrete information on when the kicks will be released. However, Don C putting this image on his Tumblr is probably a good indicator that things are being put into motion.

The Airmag account also posted a countdown that could be for the release date or maybe the date of when they’ll release more information, after the jump….

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Back in 2004, a short three minute preview of a film titled Ecology of Love dropped on the net. The romance flick which stars Pharrell Williams and latin film actress Dania Ramirez never saw the light of day until now. Above, you can watch the full 18-minute short film that recently found it’s way on Youtube.

A stylish romance centering on a brokenhearted urbanite who, only after breaking down and getting stranded in the desert, unearths the resources to woo a French-speaking woman at a lonely motel.

Props to Complex for the find, meanwhile Pharrell joined Twitter @4real4rell last night.

Previously: Pharrell Launches Qream Liqueur In L.A. With Robin Thicke

Over the years we’ve heard numerous tracks where 2pac took it to wax to fire off rounds about artists he didn’t like. Normally, he spoke out about Biggie, Puff, Nas, Mobb Deep, Fugees & Junior Mafia but even 15 years after his death, more unreleased music surfaces. Thank God for the internet.

The first track titled “Watch Yo Mouth” throws shots towards Dr. Dre, Nas, Biggie, Puff, De La Soul, Wendy Williams and was only found in low quality mp3 before.

Props to DubCC Forums.

After the jump, another diss track featuring DJ Quik, Tha Dogg Pound and Deadly Threat titled “NY87″ and one of the best diss tracks of all time.

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(Photo via BrooklynVegan)

When fans purchased the Audiobook version of Prodigy’s My Infamous Life autobiographical book, three unreleased songs were included. RNTumblr notes that they’re possibly from the H.N.I.C. 2 recording sessions that never made the album.

New Music: Prodigy – “P Against The World” (prod. by Sid Roams)

New Music: Prodigy – “600 Benz” (prod. by Red Spyda)

New Music: Prodigy – “Life Is Real Easy”

Thanks to Eskay/NahRight & DNTumblr

After the jump watch Mobb Deep & Raekwon perform “Eye For An Eye” at last night’s show and Dallas Penn’s footage backstage with the group……

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New Music: Andre 3000 – “I Do” (Props to Shake/2Dopeboyz)

New Music: Young Jeezy – “I Do” (Snippet) (via UHTN)

North says: A lot of new music to start off the new week, first up a new track from Andre 3000 called “I Do” from the Limelight Exclusives mixtape which drops on Thursday. (Props to KC)

Edit: No Tags version has been added (Props to Shake/2Dopeboyz)

There seems to be a story developing behind this track in the past hour. According to Lowkey this is probably the collab meant for TM 103 that’s been confirmed last month around the time Young Jeezy premiered his current single “Jizzle” on UStream during a Def Jam conference call. So as of right now we have the tagless verse from Andre 3000 and now added a 30 sec snippet of Jeezy’s verse courtesy of Lowkey/UHTN.

The song is produced by MS-13 who also produced “Duffle Bag Boy” by Playaz Circle & Lil’ Wayne. (Thanks Dre/NahRight for the tid bit)

After the jump new music from Usher & Sean Garrett, Jim Jones and Rich Girl ft. Rick Ross & Fabolous….

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