Everyone has posted the Dr. Dre LA-Times story. I was slow to read it because I knew it would discuss the Detox album and I hate endless discussion about things that are not happening for along time. Hot air. It happened with the Fugees reunion. It has happened to D’Angelo. It happened to the Simpsons movie. It will happen with the Sex and the City movie. It happened with that first horrible New Edition reunion. At a certain point, lets not talk about it, just be about it…whenever, 7 years later, you feel like it.
Ok, now that I vented.
The article was interesting because Dre mentioned that he has a movie deal with Phillip Atwell. Together they’ve done some great videos, like that Dr. and Em one where Dre is Em’s good and bad conscience….
And more importantly…
“Dre made a rare public appearance this month when he announced the video of the year winner on the MTV Video Music Awards telecast in Las Vegas.
For fans, the appearance was notable for two things: Dre didn’t give a release date for “Detox,” renewing fears that the album may be lost in some twi- light zone, and his arms and chest were notably buff.
“That’s another of my obsessions,” he says a few days later of the new look. “I go in the gym two to 2 1/2 hours Monday through Friday. It makes me feel better and look better.“
Before Dre started on the weights about four years ago, he often went out drinking and eating after leaving the studio at night, and his weight swelled to 270 pounds. It’s back to 220, and he has cut his body fat from 29% to around 6%. Playfully pumping his arms, he says, “I feel like I can kick a brick wall down now.”
Yeesh. Easy, rager.
Dr. Dre, circa 1992, 29% buttermilk
Dr. Dre, circa now, 6% musclemilk (photo spotted at Nahright.com)
well, not that much, but I did get a message from Killa today. I guess he just wanted to debunk the rumors about him showing up on BET 106 n Park.
“Although 106 n Park has been great in launching the careers of diplomat members, I’m not going to be appearing on the show next week to discuss anything. When I decide to speak on anything, I will stop by Funk Flex’s show first.”
Well that will be an interesting show, for sure. Flex and Cam make great radio.
But I also heard a tidbit from a Diplomats insider…apparently, Killa has been in the studio. He’s prepping a mixtape, tentatively called “Public Enemy #1”
Also here is XXLmag.com’s breakdown of “Blue Magic” and its musical inspirations, lol…
I just love that photo, I know its random.
By the way, I’ve been twisting arms and giving noogies to get more information on that new Jay-Z album from two big homies who have already heard the majority of it…and so far what I’ve found out is that its totally a concept album, its not a mainstream album, there are very few radio friendly songs…its Hov spitting about drugs, selling drugs, dirty money, broken families and drugs…There are no cliché collabos with british rockers. There are no duets with B…so far. Bottom line, this sounds like my hip hop wet dream come true. We’ll see.
And here’s the trailer for the movie that inspired him in that amazing marketing-dream-come-true-branding-opportunity-sort-of-way..
Of course, a thematic Hov album is a dream come true for a fan too. (salivate at thoughts of Reasonable Doubt-style goodness) But I just want to point out the irony….
In the Times article it says….
“Jay-Z, the rap superstar and president of Def Jam Records, has quietly returned to the studio to record an album of new songs inspired by the forthcoming movie “American Gangster,” his first “concept” album and second CD in less than a year.The album, which his label plans to release in early November, came together over the past few weeks after Jay-Z was shown the film, directed by Ridley Scott, in which Denzel Washington portrays Frank Lucas, a early 1970s Harlem heroin kingpin….
“It was like I was watching the film, and putting it on pause, and giving a back story to the story,” he said.
The movie, set for a Nov. 2 release, depicts the Lucas character as an underworld Horatio Alger and an innovator who, despite keeping a low public profile, rose to such power that he was able to defy the Mafia bosses who had traditionally dominated the New York drug trade before being brought down by a special narcotics task force. (Its leader is played by Russell Crowe.) Jay-Z said he thought his fans would be struck by the image of a black man reaching such heights of success, even on the wrong side of the law, much like such ruthlessly efficient Al Pacino antiheroes as Tony Montana and Michael Corleone.
…Brian Grazer, the film’s producer, said that Mr. Washington also pressed him more than a year ago to consider asking Jay-Z to do the film’s soundtrack.
“I just didn’t think there’d be enough for Jay-Z to do,” Mr. Grazer said, explaining that he resisted because he and Mr. Scott felt the movie required an authentic 1970s feel.
Instead Jay-Z offered to make his own album and release it in conjunction with the movie….”
Meanwhile on the other side of memory lane….
Dame Dash is preparing the October release of the new documentary he executive produced, called “Mr. Untouchable”. The film is directed by Marc Levin, who did “Slam.” And according to a description on XXLmag.com….
“The film… will tell the true life story of Nicky Barnes, a former heroin addict turned multi-millionaire drug lord in the Harlem section of New York City. Barnes is credited with creating The Council, a formidable organization of black gangsters that oversaw his drug operations. The filmmakers spoke with Barnes himself as well as former members of The Council to give the film an added air of authenticity”
Here’s a trailer for Mr. Untouchable…
I actually saw an advanced screening of “Mr. Untouchable” a couple months ago, and its a really fascinating film about a really despicable but fascinating New York legend. But one of the best parts of the screening was afterwards, during the director’s Q&A session.
Marc Levin was asked how in the world they were able to sit down and film this no-holds-barred interview with a “snitch” who was in the the witness-protection program and who still had a million-dollar-bounty on his head. And Marc explained that one thing that helped them get Barnes to sit with them was the fact that Barnes became a poetry buff in prison and was a fan of Marc’s film “Slam,” which was about spoken word poetry. But the main reason why Nicky Barnes agreed to speak on “Mr. Untouchable” was because he was furious about the upcoming film, American Gangster. I guess, Nicky Barnes and Frank Lucas were rivals in the Harlem drug game. And throughout the film, Barnes talks shit about the “Country Boys,” aka Frank Lucas and his crew. Barnes makes fun of their clothes, their accents, and their lack of “class.” The fact that Frank Lucas was getting a major-motion picture, with Denzel playing him and all….Barnes’ ego made him risk his life to be on-camera.
It just makes me wonder what Dame said when he read the Times article today. Chess moves….
like tomorrow night soon?!?….yes, last night I bumped into the old pals Rob and Loic from Startraks, and we were discussing the I Get Money remix, lol, and then we started talking about the new Jay-Z album….and lo and behold, it looks like the big homie Funkmaster Flex will be dropping bombs on a new Jay-Z and Pharell song called “Blue Magic” tomorrow night. Nice!
And then the homie Elliot Wilson (Ego Trip Family) just hit me with the following XXLmag.com scoop about said song and upcoming “American Gangster” album….
This Saturday, I’m really looking forward to hanging out in Central Park at the New York-Tokyo Music Festival because for the first time ever, the homies from Tokyo, the Teriyaki Boyz will be in NYC, performing with their special celebrity DJ/label-owner/streetwear icon Nigo. I can’t wait to introduce them to the home crowd. Other goodies on tap: performances by MF Doom, Collie Buds, Tokyo’s DJ Uppercut with Roscoe P. Coldchain, Pharoahe Monch, etc. Also, a Nike SB/ZooYork skatepipe, and more all-around cross-cultural enlightenment : )
I also heard a rumor that there will be a surprise guest showin’ love to Teriyaki…they’ve worked with everyone from Just Blaze, Pharrell, Kanye, and Mike Watts, so……ya never know : )
I HAVE 5 PAIRS OF TICKETS TO GIVE TO THE READERS WHO EMAIL ME (at [email protected]) THE BEST ANSWERS TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS….. 1) Name the other (and in some cases more famous) groups that the Teriyaki Boyz are also part of…
2) Explain the origin and meaning of the name of Nigo’s clothing line, Bape…
3) Give me an example of how Japanese culture has infiltrated American hip hop culture… (I know this question is mad vague, I just want to see what answers I get, lol)
Good Ruck!
UPDATE:
I ALREADY HAVE MY WINNERS, BUT THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SENT IN RESPONSES!
MISSINFO.TV READERS CAN STILL BUY DISCOUNTED TICKETS, BY GOING TO “http://www.inticketing.com/evinfo.php?eventid=17931” AND USING PROMO CODE:
SUGAR (all CAPS) to get $10 off exclusive to MissInfo.Tv readers! (Thanks James!)
Tonite at the station, it was Flex, Ciph, Chris Lighty, KingNelsss from G-unit, and Tat Wza….and obviously when Hov’s verse came through, the reaction was….oh word? Goin in on Ladies Love Todd James?
Here’s the quote:
“I’m already the goat, next stop the billy…”
And immediately, some of the room insisted, nooo noo, Jay is just saying, you know, he’s aiming at becoming a billionaire…get it? Billy? Billygoat?…..Then a message even came through from Hov himself, that he wasnt going at LL.
Stop it. Just stop the foolishness. Dont insult my intelligence. I know that Hov knows that we know exactly what deftly played message comes through in that verse. As I said tonite on Celeb Drama, there are no accidents and no coincidences when it comes to someone as sharp as Jay-Z. If he didnt want to hit send on that subliminal, then he would have used some other equally clever wordplay.
And speaking of subliminals….Lighty pointed out this other part…
“When I flipped Rocawear, I told ’em gimme mine in cash…yeah, checks might bounce, alphabet boys might check my accounts…”
thank you to Sean from MTV for sending this along….not sure when this doc debuts but I’ll keep you updated. (But where the love for the hyperstrike laser-cut hightop minklined Tretorn x StrideRite kicks that I just bought on ebay?)
(paper toy by 
