. 2007 May | Detroit Hip Hop

{ Monthly Archives }

May 2007

Benzino talks about working with Eminem; Campaigns for relevancy

Reeling off one ‘L’ after another, Benzino (remember him?) speaks to SOHH.com about controversy, lawsuits and possibly working with Eminem.

“I don’t got no beef with nobody,” he told SOHH. “I just wanna do music. I just wanna keep moving forward.”

You’ve read right. Zino says he doesn’t have beef with anyone, even his longtime nemesis Eminem.

“I think if me and Eminem ever got together, it would not only be big for hip-hop, it would just be big for society,” Benzino said. “Hip-Hop is a bridge to white and black races. I think there’s still a lot of youth out here confused about race in America and with him being as influential as he is, as far as who he represents and vice versa, I think it would do good for a lot of kids.”

“I think we’ve made a lot of strides as far as race relations in America,” he continued, “but I think we have a long way to go and I think he can be a very important voice to make that happen. If it was to ever happen, I’d be with it.”

Insert your own punchline here.

A Benzino/Eminem collaboration would definitely not be big for hip hop or society. It would only serve as CPR for Benzino’s career. As far as Benzino being an ambassador for race-relations, that bridge has been burned. If he truly had gone at Eminem for his possible racist tendencies and not created a circus in an attempt to advance his own career, he may have gotten some support in that regard. Now without a strongly circulated magazine, Benzino is as desperate as ever.

2007 05 22

News item
Commentary
Eminem

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Obie Trice plans on releasing “Bottom’s Up” next year

MTV has news on Obie Trice in their weekly Mixtape Monday column. Obie reveals his plans on recording and releasing his next project entitled Bottom’s Up.

All is quiet in the Shady camp at the moment — besides the hailstorm of publicity that Shady/Aftermath artist 50 Cent has been stirring up, Eminem and D12 are playing it low-key.

But that hasn’t stopped Obie Trice from gearing up for his next project, Bottom’s Up. He’s a few songs deep and hopes to be able to drop the album by the top of next year. Obie has only been in the lab with Daz Dillinger so far, but it’s another vet he’s recently linked with — former Suave House CEO and current Clipse manager Tony Draper — that has the Detroit rhyme-slinger thinking about the big picture.

“I’m in the makings with him about doing some management [for me],” Obie said of Draper. “We working some things out. It’s a good look. He knows a lot of people and knows how to move things around. He’s been out here for a minute, so that’s a good look as far as I go. I’m just trying to branch out and get in this game correctly.

Obie Trice

“I don’t really know a lot of artists — I’m in Detroit,” Obie continued. “It’s not Atlanta, where everybody is everywhere, or L.A. or somewhere like that. I actually think it’s time for me to start branching off and start connecting with cats. Getting my collaboration on and working with some hot producers — unknown and known — and just make them joints that feel good and that are radio. I just want to make that transition.”

With that goal in mind, Obie has compiled a wish list for Bottom’s Up that includes Eminem, Young Buck, Akon, Jazze Pha, and Devin the Dude. He also told us he’d ultimately like to be the type of artist who gets invited to perform at award shows and talked about for having the song of the year.

But Obie’s in no rush to pull a crossover move. He recently leaked his latest joint, “Detroit Summer,” which will also be on his next mixtape with DJ Whoo Kid, The Most Underrated (earlier thought to be scrapped). Obie revealed a few tracks he’s working with, like the cautionary “Short Distance” and “Hold Up.”

” ‘Short Distance’ just talks about how a short distance it is between being right and being wrong and what’s disrespecting a man and what’s not,” Obie explained. “It’s like a short distance between living life and not. Just that quick something can happen when you trying to back a person against a wall.

” ‘Hold Up’ [has] a real banging bass line with a constant freestyle, like a different type of flow,” he continued. “A verbatim, repetition-type flow. It crazy, something different. There’s a few joints I got.”

2007 05 21

News item
Obie Trice

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Black Milk, Bishop Lamont “Caltroit” audio

Black Milk and Bishop Lamont of Aftermath are embarking on their joint project Caltroit.

This is the first offering. Black Milk along with Bishop Lamont with the title track “Caltroit”.

2007 05 20

Audio
Black Milk

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Slum Village: Past, Present and Future

Rob Simonsen of the Portland Mercury takes a quick look at Slum Village’s past, present and future in this report.

Slum Village

He has a dim view of the duo after Dilla.

Nowadays, Slum Village seems outdated. Forever known as the group that launched Dilla’s career, the loss of their chief producer left them a mere copy of themselves—identical, yes, but a little less sharp than the original. They’ve stuck closely with their neo-soul formula, which after eight years doesn’t sound as refreshing as it did when it first hit the scene. Functioning more as a tribute to Dilla’s talent than as their own relevant force, Slum Village might need to stop relying on the past to push them through to the future, if they ever hope to regain any of their early successes.

Simonsen might be wishing for a newer nostalgic Slum sound but hopefully he doesn’t miss out on the lyrical evolution of the group, brought on in part by newcomer Elzhi.

2007 05 17

News item
Jay Dee aka J-Dilla
Slum Village

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Trick Trick makes an appearance on ABC’s Nightline

Trick Trick made an appearance on ABC’s May 15th showing of Nightline. The report was about materialism and Hip Hop. A reporter caught up to Trick Trick at the Hip Hop Summit and asked him about the message that hip hop celebrities were trying to get across. Trick talked about not spending more than you’re able to make. When asked about his own display of diamonds and jewellery, Trick said that it showed that he had made a lot of money and laughed.

Also questioned were Russell “De Beers” Simmons and several local attendees of the Detroit Hip Hop Summit.

Trick Trick

2007 05 16

News item
Trick Trick

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Mr. Wrong - “I’m Gone” audio (Bareda)

Bareda with his first single off of the new Mr. Wrong Wrong Turn album.

Mr. Wrong - “I’m Gone”

A Sick Notes production.

2007 05 11

Audio
Sick Notes
Bareda - Mr. Wrong

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Eminem and Trick Trick help out Hip Hop 4 Habitat

The Detroit News has reported that Eminem has made an undisclosed donation on behalf of the Marshall Mathers Foundation to Hip Hop 4 Habitat. The article reports that Trick Trick will aid in the construction of a house on Mack and Lakepoint in Detroit and will join Eminem for a concert for volunteers afterwards.

The foundation is looking for some more help.

Hip Hop 4 Habitat is looking for members involved in Detroit’s hip-hop community, as well as citizen volunteers, to participate in the project. They can contact Habitat for Humanity Detroit at (313) 521-6691.

2007 05 10

News item
Eminem
Trick Trick

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Detroit Hip Hop town hall meeting to take place

A Hip Hop Beyond Entertainment town hall meeting is to take place June 2nd in Detroit.

Press Release
For Immediate Release

True Infinity Solutionz
Presents
Hip Hop Beyond Entertainment
Town Hall Meeting

May 4, 2007

This is an urgent call to the City of Detroit residents!!! We are extending an invitation to all interested and concerned citizens to come out and express your views and feelings surrounding the current state of Hip-Hop within our communities and our families. Councilman Kwame Kenyatta, True Infinity Solutionz and Hip Hop Congress will hold a Town Hall Meeting Saturday June 2, 2007 from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00p.m. In the Coleman Young Municipal Center located at 2 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan to raise awareness and listen to all concerns and issues surrounding Hip-Hop. This will be an open forum that will offer long-term solutions to issues that we are facing daily as people and as a kulture.

There will be a panel discussion addressing the current state of Hip-Hop, in lieu of the recent derogatory remarks made by radio talk show host Don Imus. It’s a long-overdue call for accountability by the studio bosses who have been pumping swill into the heads of America’s children for years. Hip-Hop music from its inception has always had lyrics that were encoded to reach those who were in the streets of urban America. Music is neither good nor bad in itself but it depends on what the purpose of it is for the individual. How music is used determines its significance and the words of these songs carry the major part of their value.

We have a responsibility to educate and speak to our youth, our community and society. It is now the season to raise our sights and restore the peace, love, and unity that Hip-Hop was founded and built on. It is time to uplift and exalt each other as brothers and sisters with no regard to sexual orientation, gender, nationality, or economical status. The moment that we carry out these duties will be the moment that we can all embrace each other and move mountains. It is time to respect, recall, recapture, and reinstate the principles that Hip Hop was built on. It is time to place our women in high regard for who they are not just for the bodies they represent. The true aspects of Hip-Hop express a conscious way of life, acknowledging the influences on society, especially on children; also encouraging womanhood, manhood, sisterhood, brotherhood, childhood and family.

The panel discussion will include speakers Councilman Kwame Kenyatta, Rev. Al Sharpton of NAN Network, Rev. Horace Sheffield of New Galilee Baptist Church, Bob Law of Philadelphia WURD 900 AM Radio Personality of the Respect Yourself Talk Show, City of Detroit Hip-Hop Industry professionals and Artists, Nick Speed, Hip Hop Congress, Temple of Hip Hop, Project Art, Detroit’s Talented Extravaganza, True Infinity Solutionz and many more. This is more than a meeting , more so the beginning of a high velocity movement.

For further information or to participate in the panel discussion you can contact Marshell Lumas at (313) 740-8677

2007 05 10

News item
Nick Speed

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