This week, Hip Hop was nearly all Yeezus everything, with the details about the project such as the track listing and Rick Rubin’s involvement in Kanye West’s latest album monopolized the headlines. Yeezy didn’t get all the shine, however, as 2 Chainz managed to get robbed andarrested in the same week.
2 Chainz’s Worst Week Ever
2 Chainz was the victim of a robbery on Sunday (June 9th) in Northern California. Initial reports indicated that the rapper had been shot, but both the robbery and the shooting was refuted by San Francisco police the next day. “He was not the victim of a robbery,” said a San Francisco police officer. “He was there, but he wasn’t the victim.”
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However, it was later revealed by Police Spokesman Dennis Toomer that 2 Chainz was in fact robbed of his wallet and a cell phone, which the rapper continued to deny. Ultimately, however, all speculation came to an end when TMZ released footage of the robbery:
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To add insult to injury, 2 Chainz was arrested on Tuesday (June 11th), for possession of Promethazine and marijuana. The arrest occurred at LAX Airport.
Kanye West Compares Himself To Steve Jobs, Explains “Low-Bit” Approach
Kanye West took a rare opportunity to do press this week, and the controversial rapper did not disappoint.
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During an interview with The New York Times, Kanye compared himself to a slew of high-profiled figures in music, film, and even tech-industry. “I think what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means,” said ‘Ye, referring to the late Apple CEO. “I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of Internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump. I honestly feel that because Steve has passed, you know, it’s like when Biggie passed and Jay-Z was allowed to become Jay-Z…I’ve been connected to the most culturally important albums of the past four years, the most influential artists of the past ten years. You have like, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Henry Ford, Howard Hughes, Nicolas Ghesquière, Anna Wintour, David Stern.”
Kanye also spoke on the stripped-down sound of his project. “This album is moments that I haven’t done before, like just my voice and drums. What people call a rant — but put it next to just a drumbeat, and it cuts to the level of, like, Run-DMC or KRS-One,” he said. “The last record I can remember — and I’m going to name records that you’ll think are cheesy — but like, J-Kwon, “Tipsy.” People would think that’s like a lower-quality, less intellectual form of Hip Hop, but that’s always my No. 1. There’s no opera sounds on this new album, you know what I mean? It’s just like, super low-bit. I’m still, like, slightly a snob, but I completely removed my snob heaven songs; I just removed them altogether.”
Yeezus Details Emerge, Including Rick Rubin’s Involvement
fThis week, many details regarding Kanye West’s upcoming Yeezus album came to light, including the tracklist for the project. The album boasts contributions from Frank Ocean, Chief Keef, Kid Cudi, Charlie Wilson, and more.
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Perhaps the biggest news, however, was the revelation by ‘Ye that Rick Rubin would be involved in the project. Rick Rubin confirmed his role as executive producer, and took time to describe his contributions.
“Kanye came over to play me what I assumed was going to be the finished album at three weeks before the last possible delivery date. We ended up listening to three hours of partially finished pieces. The raw material was very strong but hadn’t yet come into focus,” said Rubin. “Many of the vocals hadn’t been recorded yet, and many of those still didn’t have lyrics. From what he played me, it sounded like several months more work had to be done. I joined the project because after discussing what he had played for me, he asked if I would be open to taking all of the raw material on and help him finish it.”
Rick Ross & Lil Wayne’s Lost Endorsements Give Jarren Benton & Dizzy Wright Food For Thought
Funk Volume’s Jarrent Benton and Dizzy Wright sat down with HipHopDX this week to discuss a slew of topics. Among them was the recent loss of endorsements over controversial lyrics by Rick Ross and Lil Wayne.
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“The only thing I worry about now is endorsements with this Rick Ross shit going on,” said Benton. “I’m like, ‘God damn, if they got him, and I happen to get an endorsement…’ Shit, it’ll suck to get that money and then get that shit pulled from you. So, after that shit, I’m probably gonna be a Christian rapper on the next album [laughs].”
“Hell yeah, they did it to Lil Wayne too,” added Benton. “He just said, ‘Beat the pussy up like Emmitt Till.’ I know it was disrespectful to Emmitt Till’s family; I get it. And Rick Ross just said, ‘Slip a little Molly in her drink,’ you know. They was fucked up shits to say, but it wasn’t like, to the extreme.”
Tragedy Strikes DJ Quik’s Family
On a somber note, it was revealed this week that DJ Quik’s daughter and her boyfriend were arrested for first-degree murder and child abuse.
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The boyfriend, Darnell Moses Alvarez, reportedly beat the couple’s son, a two-year-old, with a belt for wetting himself on the bed.
An autopsy revealed that the child suffered a lacerated liver, severe internal bleeding, and multiple bruising throughout his body.
Prodigy & Alchemist’s Albert Einstein Bolstered By “Strong Composure And Focus”
This week, longtime collaborators Proidgy and Alchemist dropper their Einsteinalbum, which was reviewed by HipHopDX.
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“Sharing his first name with the famed genius, Prodigy breaks his advanced expertise down to a science on Albert Einstein. Mediocre moments occur far and few in between quality tracks, as ‘Dough Pildin’ is outweighed by the strong composure and focus contained within ‘Breeze’ and ‘Say My Name,'” explains the review.
“Though his synergy with Alchemist hasn’t quite matched that of his former duo, and the album is repetitive in nature (a sure complaint for anyone highly critical of his solo work), Prodigy continues his largely consistent reign as a still thriving pioneer of New York’s once thugged-out era.”
Other items of importance:
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–Pete Rock Remembers Creating “In the Flesh” In Front Of The Notorious B.I.G.
–Father Emcees: 10 Hip Hop Songs Celebrating Fatherhood
–Yeezus Saves: Kanye West, Black Power & Consumerism
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