From Westside Connection to D-Block, the east and the west are looking to take hip-hop back to the streets, RZA looking to remain in the underground and Kid Capri on the mixtape circuit are all featured in the dual cover of December’s Source Magazine. The rejoining of the Westside Connection (Ice Cube, Mack 10 and WC) hopes to eliminate what they here as “soft-core hip hop”. Ice Cube says “What’s wrong with rap is that it’s too soft. I miss the hardcore Hip-Hop that provokes your thoughts, that gets your energy going. What happened to the Hip-Hop that made you feel a rush?”
Even those artists that have risen to success through the mainstream media seem to gather more attention than those that don’t make the news. “It’s f**ked up that the media tends to give muthaf**kas their props as rappers when they’re getting controversial or street attention. Why do I have do I have to go out and get shot…to get a big write-up in one of these magazines?”, WC says. On the east coast D-Block has formed into a label of CEO’s(JadaKiss, Styles P, Sheek Louch) who have conquered professional troubles and personal struggles.
“We ain’t just rappers, we CEOs. The LOX is like the smallest thing on the agenda right now, but the biggest. We gotta get our plate right and eat”, Styles P said. Although they are CEO’s don’t look for them to break out in the flyest whips. “Ni**as was like, ‘Damn Sheek, how come you ain’t bussin’ in no whips and riding round? Man, I wanted to say, ‘I own thousands of dollars in Pro Tools,’ but ni**as don’t understand that”, Sheek said. In this issue The Source also dips down to Atlanta to check out T.I and how he stays crunk, DJ Kid Capri on his contribution to the mixtape phenomenon and Lil Wayne on the tribulations of standing on his own.
