Glad to see they’ve finally released the visual to one of Dee-1′s popular records off the second installment of his “I Hope They Hear Me” mixtape series. I was actually right there in LA when they shot this video, some five months back. Shouts out to the homie Colin Pierce for the Director’s credit!

Mother’s Day has just passed and I can’t help but to reflect about all the single mothers that have had to sing sad songs to get through the pain of being abandoned by unfit fathers that fled. While you’re spending time with your mother, there are some that are spending time alone (for whatever reason) thinking about the time spent.

If you missed your weekend fix of fresh produced music, here’s something that’s guaranteed to get you going!

The first time I caught wind of the voice from the R&B songstress, Becca, I thought “OMG.” With no disrespect to Becca’s originality stemming from a not-so-easy upbringing in the Midwest, her presence on the Swag Boyz Production is reminiscent of a young Mary J and early Keyshia Cole. She does a damn good job at incorporating her pain into her music. “Come Back” gives you an up close and personal perspective about an unbalanced relationship due to the mate’s undying love for and dedication to the streets. Sounds familiar?

President Obama has made it very clear in a recent interview that he is in support of same-sex marriages, something that he once opposed. This recent change of heart was attributed to his forward-thinking views, which have very much so “evolved.”

More interesting is the fact that his Republican challenger has made it clear that he doesn’t support this large base of constituents. “I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said while campaigning in Oklahoma.

President Obama will definitely get a lot of support for this announcement as well as much expected hate from the opposing party. Does this increase the chances of Obama getting re-elected? Where do you stand?

Two of my favorite musicians, DA Wallach & Maxwell Drummey have bursted back onto the public scene together, re-introducing Chester French to the a world that missed the hell out of them. Their thoughtful, yet unapologetic lyrics are very much so apparent in their new release, “Black Girls.”

Race is a big deal in America and this racy video features a lesbian, interracial couple that has no shame in embracing each other on camera. Interestingly, Chester French makes no appearance in this video, which is fine if you like to watch two women get it on for four minutes. Hopefully, you can see the bigger picture being painted in living color, while appreciating the lyrics at the same time. In this song, lead singer, DA, exclaims that the world is turning brown and I’d have to agree. But this Friday, we’re going green!

Last night, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre brought back 2Pac, who was literally in rare form. I would’ve loved to have been there to personally witness the reaction of the Coachella attendees when Pac entered the stage, greeting the thousands upon thousands of patrons that frequent this event each year.

It could easily have freaked out a bunch of people if they weren’t sober. I’m pretty sure someone still believes that he performed last night. However, there was very expensive technology being used to produce such a high quality 3D image. At the same time, even though we know we were watching a holographic image, it just felt good to bring back 2Pac in good spirits..#PunIntended

Steve Stoute, Jay’s main man, framed this scenario best with his best-seller, ‘The Tanning of America.’ In this book, Stoute addresses the many occurrences in history where cultures clash and Elton John’s on stage with Eminem, while Jay-Z is on stage with Bono. These collaborations were most likely inspired by Run DMC & Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” a song that changed the collaboration culture in music.

By the way, Jay-Z at #SXSW last night, c/o American Express is definitely considered a tanning moment.

Another ode to marijuana, or at least that’s what I thought when I saw the song title and the artist. It’s no secret that Mac Miller and most of his compadres are quite fond of the substance known to the cool kids as “LOUD.”

Why, you ask? Well, because of its intense smell that is apparent whenever its in your possession. Surprisingly, this song is about music and sound preference. As crazy as it sounds, I’m getting to an age where I can’t stand too much LOUD music but there was a time when that’s the only way I could listen to it. Mac is definitely deffer than most but if you’re not tryna be deaf anytime soon…turn the music down bro!

Mac Miller – Loud by Fresh Grind1

Trey Songz is all over the place. He was just in Milwaukee two days ago, driving the ladies insane. Just recently, he was up in the Bay. While doing an interview with Selena of 94.9 WILD he was almost lured into a sick Chris Brown/Rihanna joke but he instantly put an end to it. In fact, he was so cool about not entertaining the joke that Selena couldn’t change the subject fast enough.

See, to some of us this is entertainment, but to others, this is real life. The reason I can support Trey Songz’ response is because radio hosts usually get away with their instigating and keeping up with bullshhh. We treat Chris Brown as if he should die for his mistakes he made when in relationship with his girl who just happened to be a R&B/pop sensation we’re entertained by. If he should continue to be disciplined, we shall as well!

The homie Dee-1 continues his mission and never fails to provide us with the visuals. I was on the set of the unofficial video he did for this song, which was featured on Uncle Snoops GGN Network. I also remember when he spit this verse in the cypher that was held in Milwaukee. I like how he incorporated the audience into his flow. One of the comments that stood out to me the most on YouTube was, “this dude deserves millions of views, gotta make it happen.” They’re right!

Don Trip has proven to be one of the South’s best kept secrets. While he continues to deliver with the energy of a freshmen emcee, the maturity of the subject matter in his music puts him in a separate lane.

He begins the track making reference to his fight for parental rights, and proceeds with making a toast to never give up or never let go!

Shouts out to @SpittyWill of DirtyGloveBastard.net for the assist.

Shouts out to @ArcaneofTCS for sending over the very inspiring bootleg artwork to he and his partner, Young Focus’s new collaborative project, “Paranormal Karaoke” which is set to be released on the 1st of February. The duo has come along away from their Sex and Pencil Shavings days. While their music has definitely matured, it’s safe to say they haven’t…which is what makes the Cranberry Show the indigestible group that they are! See below for their newest single release, “Traffic Lights.”

Here’s another dope artist to add 2 the collection. Pun intended! The Chicago native, @ADD2theMC just recently released a new visual and it’s deeper than rap. We’ve come along way from the cotton fields or have we? You’d think we were still in them if you knew the alarming statistics that describes the African-American presence in prison. #Add2That

The homie ASAAD’s from West Philadelphia, born and raised and in the studio is where he spent most of his days. If you’re not already, get hip and hop on the bandwagon. ASAAD keeps it all the way real and links up with @twinsmatic who provides the mellow instrumentation in the background.

So here it is, the groove slightly transformed. Just a bit of a break from the norm. Chill out, max & relax ’cause it’s all cool.

WTF! Another shooting has taken place near Virginia Tech and this time an officer has been shot! These students can’t catch a break. Just this last Wednesday, parents were testifying about the university’s response that resulted in their children losing their lives in the April 16, 2007, shootings, which left 33 dead, including the shooter.

Read Full Story HERE

One thing is for sure, when Samuel L Jackson speaks, you listen. Jackson has something to say about gun violence and shockingly enough, he gets his point across without any expletives. We can play the Blame Game or we can just #PutTheGunsDown

Rick Perry: When asked if he could name the three agencies of government that he’d do away with when he got in office, he responded back with, “I would do away with the Education, uh the uh, i uh, Commerce, and let’s see, I can’t, the third one I can’t, sorry, oops.” This is after he looked down at a sheet of paper that possibly revealed the third agency. I’m convinced, these politicians are smoking marijuana!

#ThatShitCray

One thing is for sure, Heavy D put on for the light skinned, big brothas! With his recent performance at the BET Hip Hop Awards and talks of releasing a mixtape, it’s safe to say Heavy D wasn’t done working with and for us! What’s even more crazy is last night, Heavy D was just seen paying respects to the late, great Joe Frazier on Twitter, as everyone else.

TMZ has reported that the 44-year old Hip-Hop pioneer was rushed to a hospital from his Beverly Hills home where he was pronounced dead. This is truly an unfortunate loss but it reminds me of Nate Dogg’s passing. Like, was he sick or anything that lead to this? Are we keeping enough tabs on our Hip-Hop royalty or are we just replacing them?

Last night when Joe Frazier was pronounced dead, Floyd Mayweather tweeted that he and #themoneyteam would pay for the funeral. That’s fine but are we taking care of our people while they’re alive? Either way God’s plan still stands.

It’s crazy but everytime i’m with our Executive Director, Biko Baker, people think he’s Heavy D. Whether we’re in a restaurant or on a plane, it never fails. People are probably gonna flip when they see him now.

I was just recently asked to play Grand Theft Auto 4 by a 9-year old. I figured I’d join em and when I did, I was appalled to see how much the game has been modified. At the same time, I was amazed at how good of a reckless driver the kid was. He knew all the codes to re-up on expensive cars, guns and was well-versed in assaulting by-standers on the streets. He even told me to cover my eyes when the half-naked lady appeared on the screen.

I mean, I like driving and shooting people in a game as much as the next person, but this shouldn’t be a kid’s passion by any means. Of course, this is just a game, but the reality is that everything in the game is a reflection of some incident that has taken place in someone’s life. I honestly feel like a kid could play this so much that the violence around them would feel as fake as the game.

GTA just keeps getting more real as the years progress. And here comes the 5th edition. This is as real as it gets!

Watch GTA 5 Trailer

Not for the immature!

Happy Halloween! Whats really scary? [as opposed to What's Really Good]

Anyways, this dude Elbee has a dope flow. I’m in love with the production and the visual is attractive as well. My first thought was, here is some more Tyler The Creator a** BS, but it’s kinda catchy.

“The officer was possessed by the devil, he approached and said, I’m gonna arrest you.”

Hailing from Brooklyn, Elbee Thrie represents the group ‘PhonyPPL.’ Stop acting fake and give this joint a listen!

I disregarded the “devil” insert at the end. I hope you did too!

Steve Stoute recently dropped a book a few months back called, ‘The Tanning of America.’ I haven’t completed it but I have read the first couple of chapters on my iPad and I’m impressed at how much I learned so far about marketing and brands that crossed over. If marketing is something that you’re into, I can honestly recommend the first few chapters at least (LOL).

Stoute sits down with his business partner Jay Z and discusses some of his recent ventures of which a few excerpts are cited in the ‘Tanning of America.”