Sometimes Hip Hop can move at a pace too frantic for even the most devoted fan to keep up with. Albums and mixtapes are released at breakneck speed, careers are made and broken with the swipe of a pen, and somewhere in between all the madness actual music (the quality of which vacillates between excellent and god awful) is being made. Twitter provides a nice summary of everything 140 characters at a time. And if you’re the type that would rather not be bothered with stepping into the Twitterverse to catch up on the latest in Hip Hop, we’ve filtered through the top rapper’s tweets and consolidated all the week’s events into one convenient feed.
This week, Lil Wayne heads to ESPN to reveal Tha Carter V album cover and Kanye West remembers the joy that the late actor Robin Williams brought to him and many around the world.
Krayzie Bone Spreads Awareness About ALS
There’s a challenge going around dubbed the “ice bucket challenge.” For those that don’t know why celebrities and sports teams are dumping a bucket of ice on their heads, the challenge is meant to raise awareness for ALS, short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Still waiting to see all of Bone thugs-n-harmony dump buckets of ice on their heads for the cause.
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Kanye West & Robin Williams Throwing Up The Diamond
Robin Williams passed away on Monday (August 11) and was celebrated by rappers, actors and artists through their respective social networks. Kanye West thanked the famed actor for all the joy he brought into the world and shared a vintage picture of him and the comedian throwing up the diamond. Robin Williams is best recognized for his roles in Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting, and as the voice of the Genie in Aladdin.
Ice T: “Where Are Your New Leaders In Hip Hop?”
During the protests over the death of Michael Brown, many are looking to influencers to comment and speak to their large fan bases. Ice T, who has no problem saying what’s on his mind, addressed the new generation and asked, “Where are you NEW leaders in Hip Hop?” Ice T and Chuck D have stayed far from mum on the topic but in reality, who would you say are our new leaders in Hip Hop?
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N.O.R.E. Reminds Us That He’s Only 36
It looks like N.O.R.E., born Victor Santiago Jr., wanted to get a few things straight. One being that he was only 36, just like Kanye West (who just turned 37 in June), Rick Ross (he’s 38… but close!), Pusha T (he turned 37 in May) and 2 Chainz (he’s 36, turning 37 this year). The emcee first appeared on the music scene as Noreaga when he and Capone released their debut album, The War Report, in 1997. He was only 20.
Top Dawg Calls Sway Out On A Name Slip
Top Dawg Entertainment’s CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith tweeted that he heard Sirius radio personality and MTV host Sway pronounce “TDE” as “CDE.” Although it was meant to be a joke, there could have been a few reasons for why Top Dawg heard the “CDE” pronunciation. 1) If you say the “T” really fast it could sound like “C.” 2) CDE is a completely new label that nobody knows about… yet. Except Sway, of course.
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Lil Wayne Visits ESPN’s “SportsCenter”
Lil Wayne is open about his love for sports. In fact, he loves sports so much that he took his final album cover and revealed it on “SportsCenter,” a show on ESPN. Music fans might have been asking themselves, why ESPN when there are a plethora of music networks and outlets for him to choose from? Well, rap and sports have gone hand in hand for a while now and while it used to be the athletes that made the crossover to music, musicians are now showing up on sports networks to give their opinions on sports matters. It’s only a matter of time before a high-profile rapper leaks a highly anticipated album on ESPN, so why not start with the album cover?
Statik Selektah Addresses The Blogs On Leaks
It’s nothing new. Blogs have been leaking music without permission for years. And while it hurts to hear your music out when sometimes it’s not even the final product, many artists have grown numb to it. Statik Selektah has officially released music off his upcoming album What Goes Around… but the internet always craves more. Since the release date is August 19, a few tracks with big features have made its way into the blogosphere. No harm done, just make sure you buy the album for the final mixed product.
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Talib Kweli Recruits Protesters For Ferguson
Journalists, activists and more have been arriving to St. Louis to join the protesters in Ferguson, Missouri. The protests have been ongoing since the death of Michael Brown in early August. From the beginning, the protests have been met with violent and heavy police force and that is why Talib Kweli put a call to action for those who want to join him in helping “the true protesters shine.”
Eminem, Proof and Robin Williams
The timelines on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were filled with pictures of Robin Williams when the world first learned of his death. Hip Hop Facts dug up a classic picture of Eminem, Proof and Robin Williams to share along with their condolences. According to M Live, the picture was taken on February 23, 2003 backstage at the 45th annual Grammy Awards in New York City. Robin Williams has always shown appreciation for Eminem and even praised Em’s success with 8 Mile when he visited the set of “Total Request Live.”
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Jeezy Asks For Justice
During the protests that took place after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, a QuikTrip convenience store in Ferguson, Missouri was looted and set on fire. The Atlanta emcee paid a visit to what was left of the building to see what the outcome amounted to with his own eyes. Originally sharing the picture on Instagram, Jeezy wrote, “I had to see it for myself!! The answer is not tearing down our own neighborhoods and communities, the answer is goin to the source of the problem in numbers. So many numbers that they know they don’t have a chance. We want justice not chaos!! #ferguson #st.louis #saveourchildren #justiceformichaelbrown.”
