In the music video, “Till the DJs Gone,” Boston native Juma – a mysterious figure oft shaded by dark sunglasses who at first acts as a pensive observer – navigates a contemporary milieu under the spell of a corporate subconscious controller. Men and women stare at ipads and cell phones, brainwashed by the messages of greed and consumerism propagated by the digital screens set before them. Juma breaks the communication by hacking into the mass system that disseminates the pervasive messages in order to send out his own message. The song and video transform into a commentary on the state of commercial music as Juma states, “We’re being force fed radio/transmitting garbage/the corporate media monsters.” He ultimately asks us, the listener, to take control and reshape the face of music. Juma creates a meta-narrative of the independent artist rallying against a commercialized cultural system through his music.

The purpose of the song is “to heighten awareness and to help people to start thinking twice and three times about why certain things are valued,” according to Juma.

He jokingly calls himself a “conspiracy theorist.” Juma is a rather upbeat and humorous person, but he holds fast to his beliefs. “The lyrics of the song are talking about mass media and using radio as a point object. What I wanted to visually get across with the video was, the core of the song, the story of awakening. So it’s really about making people aware of agenda setting, which is a communication theory that posits that news media and media systems may not be able to tell us what to think, but certainly what to think about,” says Juma, who makes sure to fleck his statements with academic language.

“We are all being bombarded with these messages that effect who we are. And the intent of these things is to trigger a particular consumer behavior. I tend to feel like there are capitalistic forces at work in the world,” he continues. “The prospect to monetize human existence – in a sense is kind of crazy – is antithetical to why we’re here. It totally devalues who we are as human beings.”

The single, “Till the DJs Gone,” is off his upcoming sophomore album, Fall of the Giants, which is set to be released on January 31st. The title track of the forthcoming album, “Giants Fall,” had a video release during the summer of 2010. But unlike his most recent video, the “Giants Fall” full-length music video has a run time just under eight minutes. The video follows a struggling alcoholic, played by Juma, who grapples with deep seeded issues of witnessing his mother being abused by his father as a child.

“Domestic violence is the backdrop to this guys present day…. He is really in dire straits psychologically,” says Juma. The character creates an imaginary psychologist to help him sort out his twisted memories as he spirals deeper into a suicidal depression. A force emanates from a bible in the house – of which the character is reaching for – which transports him into a spirit world, “where he fights his giants in the form of these demonic smoke projectiles.”

This David and Goliath theme runs not only through the two singles, but the entirety of the album. “The whole album is about winning, overcoming, its about freedom, fear, and limitation. Whether its personal fear that holds people back from being the best that they can be. Whether it be societal limitations that keep people from coming together or keep people from excelling in society,” states Juma. His strength in his music stems from his ability to take a macro-perspective. “It speaks to overcoming any and all forms of obstacles, may it be emotional, spiritual, intellectual, societal. It speaks to the celebration of those giants falling.”

“I am a man of many giants,” states Juma. His album, though having political and cultural meanings, is rooted in a personal narrative. “What inspired me to come up with an album was my own personal giants in my own life. And that change to victory made me want to share it.”

His ideas work as thematic motifs and ubiquitous narrative arcs. The political bent on the album can also be applied to the music industry, something that Juma has a strong opinion about. “In celebrating the fall of giants, it absolutely connects to the deconstruction of the old model, institutions, and the old music industry… an institution that we now realize was in need of deconstruction, and now reconstruction.” Juma is a completely independent artist who often produces his work on his own. Furthermore, Fall of the Giants – like his first album – will be released on his own record label, Inniss Entertainment.

Juma’s opinions on the music industry are steeped in experience, as he is no newcomer to the rap game. His debut album, Blast Music, features the song “Pray 4 U” with guest vocals from Grammy winner John Legend. Juma befriended Legend back in 2001 when they were both working at a Boston management consultant firm. This was a time when Legend was still relatively unknown, slowly gaining popularity. After trading mixtapes, Legend and Juma decided to collaborate, creating a song about having faith in the face of adversity.

“Music has always been a part of my life,” explains Juma. He has opened for Fat Joe, Amanda Diva, The X-ecutioners, Kirk Franklin, and many others. When asked about why he makes music, Juma jokes, “the heavens didn’t open up, and a voice didn’t come down and say ‘Juma, do an album,’” the omniscient voice stated with a deep rumble. For him, music is just a given; it is a piece of his life.

With his upcoming release, the sister single of “Till the DJs Gone, “We Don’t Really Care,” is available as a free download on his soundcloud page. And further information about Juma can be found at facebook.com/JumaMusic.

So what’s next for Juma? After watching a TV show on the apocalyptic Mayan predictions for 2012, Juma jokingly mentioned that he is “reshaping [his] plans for the year.” But it is more likely that his future parallels his opinion on the music industry; we are moving back to “where it should be, back into the hands of the curators. With the digital age and the ability to record and release music at no cost has empowered artists.” And Juma is doing just that – exactly what his own music suggests – which is to defy the corporate music giants.

Heavy D, formally known as Dwight Arrington Myers, was pronounced dead earlier today in Los Angeles. The cause of his death is unknown, but is said to be health-related.

Heavy D, born on May 24, 1967 in Jamaica, was an actor and rapper. He was known for being a part of Heavy D & the Boyz, which gained fame mostly in the late 1980s. His song “Now That We Found Love” was the backdrop of the wedding scene in the movie “Hitch.”

His most recent performance was in “Tower Heist”, in which he made a cameo appearance as a security guard.

Missy Elliot attends the 10th anniversary party of TAO New York at TAO on October 16 (WireImage)

Now we know why raper Missy Elliott has been MIA for a few years.

She’s been at home dealing with Graves’ Disease, she confesses in the latest issue of People magazine (print only).

She hasn’t been able to write or rap and has even had trouble driving a car.

“I couldn’t keep the brake down and almost crashed,” she told People, and she couldn’t “even use a pen.”

The disease has also given her mood swings, dizzy spells, lumps in her throat, bulging eyes and lost hair.

Graves’ is an autoimmune disease marked by an overactive thyroid and the overproduction of hormones in the gland, which is in the center of your neck.

Symptoms include bulging eyes, goiter, skin discoloration, nervousness, insomnia, tremors, hyperactivity, sweating, weight loss with increased appetite, diarrhea, heart palpitations, weakness, clammy skin, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and mental/mood instability.

There is no cure for Graves’ but the symptoms of overproduction of thyroid hormones can be treated and managed.

Rapper Saigon just released new music video for “Clap” Monday. The tune/video features Faith Evans and is the fourth single from his debut album “The Greatest Story Never Told,” which was mainly produced by Just Blaze. The album quickly ranked #1 on iTunes chart on the release day.

Check out the Blast review if you are curious!

NEW YORK — Hip hop scene suddenly got a newcomer, Brooklyn-based rapper Max Burgundy, who just released his debut EP “#Waiting.” He effectively illustrates his own emotion throughout the EP by mixing his real words with the colorful/solid beats. With his raw straightforward hip hop style, Burgundy has already shared stages with artists including Das Racist and Twin Shadow, and also has collaborated with producers such as OMEN (Drake, Lil Wayne, Ludacris) and KHRYSIS!!! (9th Wonder, The Away Team, Little Brother). Blast sat down with Burgundy and he openly discussed this crucial turning point in his life and where he would go from here.

BLAST: You just released your debut EP “#Waiting” on May 2. What does this title mean?

MAX BURGUNDY: “#Waiting” means a lot of things to me. The first is, I feel like I’ve been waiting to be a musician, waiting to rap, but also, I’ve done a lot of work in the food service industry so I think a lot of people say, “Oh, what are you doing?” “Oh, just waiting.” You know, “Waiting for a table to come,” “Waiting for people to leave,” “Waiting for people to pay.” And, I’m just waiting to do something different. [I’m] waiting for art to, um, to make itself. [I’m] waiting for me to make art. It’s kind of what it meant.

BLAST: Why did you choose “Hey Love!” as the first single?

MB: As the first single, I just felt like it was…it was approachable, I think the rest of the album is a little bit darker, um, in a good way. And, I felt like “Hey Love!” was something that could be a song people could really get into and listen to. And, I thought it was an alternative love song. I think a lot of people are quick to come in for 3 minutes and just say to many babies, “Love this” and, “Love that,” and leave. I think that’s great but I think “Hey Love!” is really supposed to capture, and I hope that it excessively captures, what love is like, especially as a younger maybe more humble shy guy. You know, I think it gets to the point where sometimes women are so beautiful that it’s intimidating. And, I think that’s what I’m trying to capture there!

BLAST: What was your first reaction when you finished making the EP?

MB: Um, I was just glad [that I] had it done. I had 6 songs that I can perform and I can go out and start, maybe tour a little bit, do shows and get some recognition but more than anything, it was just relief to get that done because I felt like that the first couple of songs needed to be deeply personal. And now I can go in to start making some more music, maybe collaborate with other people and [it could be] more experimental [to do] electronic album or live music album. So, relief, pretty much!

BLAST: For your song “UNITE,” what kind of unity are you talking about?

MB: Um, I think, the first level of unity is something that hits close to home, which is just being from the Bronx and having lived a lot of different neighborhoods that people would consider [as] bad neighborhoods, um, just, warning all those people to realize [that] we are all kind of being pushed down but if we really unite, if we stand up, then there is, um, we have a voice that can be heard. There is a movement that can take place and really starts with us and our own self determination. And, that’s pretty much what I’m talking about there on a personal level, but I tried to make it as broad and approachable as possible. So whether you are in Egypt or Wisconsin, what happened with the teachers and the unions, or whether you are in, um, you know, Jamaica or anywhere like all oppressed people can be united. In fact, the more oppressed people that are united, the stronger those people would be!

BLAST: How do you think unity will affect the society?

MB: Oh! I mean, unity makes like, an ideal society, so I don’t think unity would ever really happen but unity would make life great. I mean, you would see no crime. You would see people helping all people cross the street and you would see everyone have food, equal amounts of food on their plates. Um, I mean, I guess unity is somewhere, it’s for,,, to some people would become, I don’t know!! Um, but, I think, unity could make society go further than where we are going right now.

BLAST: What’s your main music influence?

MB: Main music influence? Um, older hip hop. Hip hop that I grew up with. Um, Jay-Z, a little bit of Eminem, and then also just alternative itself, I feel like I have a lot of friends and groups right now, and bands here in Brooklyn that are really pushing the limit musically. Maybe they are not doing rap but they are doing different stuff, Twin Shadow, Das Racist. Um, then some of the newer guys, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, I feel like I really respect their grind. I mean, you see them everywhere. So, I respect a lot of those dudes. Those are the guys that push me to get back into this and say, “Alright, I really can compete, regardless of age, regardless of, if it’s my time now or later, I can compete with them.”

BLAST: When did you start making music?

MB: I mean, I’ve been writing rhymes my whole life.

BLAST: How old are you?

MB: 25. So I’m from the Bronx and an 80’s baby, and the first genre I ever really remember listening to is hip hop, so hip hop has always been there. I definitely am one of the first generations of people [saying,] “No no, other genre than hip hop!” And, it took me a long time for me to expand my horizons and get into stuff like Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, and you know, Daft Punk, and all those crazy shit but I’d say, in earnest I started making music, maybe, in October. I went on a trip. I was in the Middle East and I was supposed to go there to do some business stuff and I realized, “I don’t wanna be that kind of corporate business slave” and I had a flight, took the flight back, had been over to London, um, got off the plane in London and I said, “I’m not going back to New York right now. I wanna take a break.” Once in Paris, [I] hang out with beautiful waitresses, ate amazing food, smoked a lot of weed, and, I needed it to make music creating arts, so that’s it. So, [it was] October last year when I said, “That’s it. I’m gonna make an album. I’m gonna call it ‘#Waiting.’” And, I’m gonna start finding producers now.

BLAST: Your slogan is “Oreos for breakfast!” What’s the meaning behind this phrase?

MB: “Oreos for breakfast,” it’s like, you know, when you are a kid and your parents are gone, or you have a substitute teacher, or, you only have a babysitter, and you are so unruly and crazy that it’s just like, do whatever the fuck you want. Have Oreos for breakfast. It’s like, I got a feeling like, you grow up in this regiment society, and it’s like, you need to wake up, you shave, you wash your face, take a shower, you have a bowl of cereal with lots of grains of oats, and then, you have to go to school, you learn, you plug away at your desk job, and then, you come home and you eat your, you know, steamed vegetables and all that. And, it’s like, “No! Fuck it. Have Oreos for breakfast!” So, that’s kind of one meaning and the other meaning is just like, in a lot of ways, “I’m an Oreo,” that was the phrase that a lot of people said for a long time and a lot of different, and, you know, it has so many other connotations but, on the surface, it just means you are mixed-race, it’s kind of like, “I’m an Oreo. Have me for breakfast.” What’s the most important meal of the day? Breakfast. Why not having Max Burgundy when you wake up?

BLAST: You state on Facebook that you “hate fucking celebrities and twitter beefs.” Can you explain further?

MB: Um, “hate fucking celebrities and twitter beefs,” that’s pretty much what I do, I think. I saw a lot of people getting into those beefs on Twitter. Twitter almost all of a sudden just exploded. You have people like Fab (Fabolous) and Soulja Boy going on at each other and it’s kind of ridiculous so I was like, “Man, where does it come from?” I felt like, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, hip hop was so real and people were dying, you know, it’s crazy, now people are on Twitter having beefs, not even having real-life beefs. I mean, a lot of people forget [something like] that Jay-Z stabbed someone. It’s not even what my anger is going for but, it’s so silly but it’s what you have to do, you have to exist on Facebook or Twitter so that’s kind of more me just mocking it and saying, you know, “Fuck Twitter. Fuck Twitter beefs.” And, in terms of “hate fucking celebrities,” um, yeah, I just think the ideas of celebrities are kind of ridiculous. And, whatever your art is, you should be recognized just for your art. But right now, you have someone who puts out a great song and it’s not even about the song anymore. It’s like, what picture do you have of them? Do you have something of them that compromises their position? Do you have videos of them? Weird shit of them, you know, getting out of a taxi. But it’s like, what about the song? Is this song good? Is this song good at all? So, it’s kind of like, if you are a celebrity, I’m gonna get close to you because obviously, it’s gonna get my name out but then, I just, you know, fucking leave.

BLAST: Is there something people should know about you?

MB: I’m Max Burgundy and I’m them. I’m just trying to be a vehicle for a voice for what I think and I think a lot of people think like me. So, never be shy. Always salute if you see me in the street. Let me know where you are headed [and] we can share a cab together. I’ll give you a swipe on the subway [or] whatever you need because I’m here for my people and my fans, you know, my movement.

BLAST: You will have a show in New York City on May 12. What kind of show can we expect to see there?

MB: A lot of, you know, medley work, a lot of new shit that you haven’t heard, some old stuff that I have done. Um, obviously records off of “#Waiting” and maybe a couple of new things off of a project that I’m assembling with Kay Kay On The Beatz, coming out in June. You should hear a little bit of both? But, in terms of my show, what I will bring is gonna be me and my DJ Jeff Haze, and we are just gonna go in and go crazy. The beats are gonna be very loud. I’m probably gonna scream at people [and I] may even bring a megaphone. I might take my clothes off and people would be dancing onstage!

Max Burgundy will do a show at the Arlene’s Grocery in NYC on May 12.

California-based rapper/producer DJ Quik just released “The Book Of David,” his eighth album. The title comes from his real name, David Blake. As such, there is a personal concept through the album.

The album kicks off with an elegant intro track “Fire and Brimstone,” backed by jazz piano melody lines. Therhythmic track “Do Today” sounds dreamy and sharp simultaneously since funk music really helps the rap be outstanding and vivid. “Killer Dope” has the same effect, the combination of hip hop, funk, and sort of jazz is the huge factor.

As one of the guest singers, Jon B. does an excellent job in the album. He participates in several tracks, particularly “Real Women,” the second single from the album, which significantly highlights his soulfu

l vocals. As he beautifully hits the high notes along with solid rhythm, the track gives the listeners a sense of excitement.

A fun tune “Hydromatic” combines effective dynamics throughout the track; its dramatic and entertaining.

With straightforward strong lyrics, “So Compton” definitely has a similar vibe to 90’s Hip Hop.

“Time Stands Still” completely changes the entire mood with its romantic mellow love song featuring Dwele’s sweet vocals. This sexy tune makes female listeners fall in love with how DJ Quik is telling the romantic story here.

The last track, “The End” is extremely groovy with Garry Shider’s guitar. The tune is somewhat reminiscent of  Sly and the Family Stone. The first part consists mainly of a bunch of vocals, then DJ Quik is gradually dominating the tune with his powerful rap.

The creative album gives listeners a new perception of West coast rap by serving hip hop as its main dish with a lot of other music condiments to taste each track. It definitely has something unique.

Hey, why don’t you Like Blast’s Facebook page?

*Track list*

1. Fire and Brimstone

2. Do Today (featuring Jon B. & BlaKKazz K.K.)

3. Ghetto Rendezvous

4. Luv of My Life (featuring Gift Reynolds)

5. Babylon (featuring BlaKKazz K.K. & Bizzy Bone)

6. Killer Dope

7. Real Women (featuring Jon B.)

8. Poppin’ (featuring BlaKKazz K.K.)

9. Hydromatic (featuring Gift Reynolds & Jon B.)

10. Across The Map (featuring Bizzy Bone & Bun B)

11. Nobody (featuring Suga Free)

12. Boogie Till You Conk Out (featuring Ice Cube)

13. Flow for Sale (featuring Kurupt)

14. So Compton (featuring BlaKKazz K.K.)

15. Time Stands Still (featuring Dwele)

16. The End (featuring Garry Shider)

NEW YORK — Urban music and television personality DJ Megatron was shot and killed while going to a store near his home on Staten Island early Sunday morning.

Born Corey McGriff, the 32-year-old was found by police, dead with a single gunshot wound to the chest around 2 a.m. No arrests have been made.

DJ Megatron occasionally hosted a BET segment and had a career at urban music radio stations from Philadelphia to Boston, according to the Associated Press. He hosted the TV show “What’s Good.”

His manager, Justin “J. Smoove” Kirkland, confirmed the deejay’s death.

DJ Megatron worked at New York’s WKRS-FM and had worked at Bostons Hot 97.7, Philadelphia’s WPHI-FM The Beat, and worked on BET’s “106 & Park” countdown show.

“He will truly be missed,” BET said in a statement.

He leaves three children.

Rapper Nate Dogg, whose real name was Nathaniel D. Hale, reportedly died on Tuesday. He was 41. The Long Beach Press-Telegram first announced his death after the rapper’s family told them.

The cause of his death was not available, but he had suffered strokes in 2007 and 2008.

He was nominated for four Grammys and well-known for collaboration songs like “Regulate” with Warren G, “Area Codes” with Ludacris, “Lay Low” and “Crazy” with Snoop Dogg.

Snoop Dogg tweeted, “We lost a true legend n hip hop n rnb. One of my best friends n a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at poly high where we met. all doggs go to heaven yo homie n baby brotha bigg snoopdogg!!… RIP NATE DOGG.”

Ludacris added, “There is a certain void in hip hop’s heart that can never be filled. Glad we got to make history together.”

March 9 was the day when the legendary Brooklyn rapper Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was shot and killed in Los Angeles 14 years ago. He released his first album “Ready to Die” in 1994 and released the next one “Life After Death” two weeks after his death in 1997. His last album ended up selling more than 10 million copies.

His murder is still unsolved today,

As he was also known as Biggie Smalls, #BiggieDay was a trending hashtag on Twitter all day Wednesday, which was started by Diddy. Some artists, including Lupe Fiasco, Nicki Minaj, Trey Songz, and Wiz Khalifa, showed their respects on Twitter.

R.I.P. Christopher Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997)

For the Super Bowl this Sunday, while Wiz Khalifa, with his tune “Black and Yellow,” will support his Pittsburgh team, Steelers, New Orleans-based Lil Wayne, aka “Weezy,” is about to support the Green Bay Packers by his remix song “Green and Yellow.”

Weezy raps in the tune, “Got a call from my homey, this just in/ The Packers in the Super Bowl and they better win / They call him Big Ben, but he weak, though/ We in Dallas, but we Lambeau Leap, ho/ Long hair, don’t care, Clay Matthews/ We sh–in’ on these fools, no bathroom/ Yeah, got a pocket full of big faces/ Throw it up, touchdown on Ike Taylor.”

“Pink Friday” rapper Nicki Minaj, 26, had to leave a hotel in London on Friday because a lot of Minaj’s fans aka “Barbz” posed a security threat and disturbed the hotel patrons.

The rapper tweeted, “Long day of press only to find out we’ve officially been kicked out the hotel! Lmaoooooooo. Rescue me barbz!!!! Pleeeeeeeasse.”

She added, “And they said yesterday while I was out doing press, a fight broke out and an ambulance was called for 1 of my barbz.”

Even after relocating to a different hotel, massive crowds of fans rushed into wherever the rapper was, which made her tweet, “OMFG. Trying to Get out of that club felt like world war f**king 3. Lol. London is crrraaazzzzyyyyyy. Thx 4 cmn out u guys!!! Xoxoxoxooxox!”

Jamie Foxx only achieves mediocrity with his release of his album Best Night of My Life on December 21. This release falls in the gray area on the spectrum of R&B albums. The whole album does not stand out as drastically different, yet only some songs fall into the same format of previous albums. Most likely, Foxx fans will only be compelled to give it a shoulder shrug after playing it.

“Winner” was released earlier this year and received a lot of radio play, making it the only song on the album sure to get your head bobbing. The song features T.I. and Justin Timberlake and was used during promotions for the 2010 NBA Playoffs. If it does not stand out as a lovable track then it is at least recognizable as a commercial hit.

Unfortunately the rest of the album has lackluster tracks that are quite forgettable after a first listen. The beginning songs feel more like a hip-hop album versus R&B and feature many rappers including Drake, Ludacris and Rick Ross. The last half of the album is mostly ballads with only Foxx singing on the tracks. Some songs deviate from the signature sensual style that Foxx has established with his last two albums, which works great for songs like “Winner,” but is unfortunate for “Freak.” “Freak” maintains Foxx’s voice and uses little auto-tune, but the techno-style beat of the track distracts from the lyrics. It stands out from the style of the rest of the album and might provoke a skip from Foxx fans.

Moving away from ballads and songs that prominently feature his voice, Foxx uses more auto-tune and up-tempo beats for many songs on this album. He begins the album with a cover of Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be.” While the song has an old school feel, Foxx quickly dissipates any hopes of a soulful album by auto-tuning his voice for the intro. He follows the intro with the track from which the album gets its name, “Best Night of My Life.” This track is more of an expected Foxx style and gives some familiarity to his fans.

His album Unpredictable still stands as his best release yet, with many popular singles including “Unpredictable” and “DJ Play a Love Song.” Foxx’s release of Intuition was disappointing, but the singles “Blame It” and “Just Like Me” carried the album and helped it to still get some positive attention.

Foxx has released “Fall For Your Type” featuring and written by Drake as his first single on the Best Night of My Life album. Some have already heard Drake’s unofficial version of the song, which Foxx used as a reference track. The single sounds like Drake’s signature style and has the unfortunate challenge of overcoming perceptions that Drake’s version is better than Foxx’s.

Best Night of My Life is a decent album but Foxx has not reached the bar that he set for himself with Unpredictable. If fans are looking for a classic Foxx R&B album then they may want to look elsewhere, but he may be attracting a new group of listeners with the variety of music styles present on this album.

NEW YORK — Rapper Ja Rule, whose real name is Jeff Atkins, pleaded guilty on Monday to attempted criminal possession of a weapon and will serve two years in prison.

This all started when police pulled the 34-year-old rapper over after a concert in New York and found a semi-automatic handgun hidden in the rear door of his luxury Maybach in July 2007.

He will be registered as a gun offender.

The rapper tweeted, “Minor setback for a major comeback.”

Atlanta-based rapper T.I.’s new album “No Mercy” is hitting stores Tuesday, although the rapper is still in jail for a parole violation.

Also, the new video of the album’s title track is available.

T.I. posted his latest letter from jail to thank all the fans, which is on his blog site, trapmuzik.com.

In the letter, he said: (spelling errors uncorrected)

“So here it is…NO MERCY, the most honest and intimate installment of my life story as promised. Hope y’all enjoy it and it lives up to the very high standards I’ve set for myself or anyone who’s to be considered one of the best. I must admit it takes a lot to go through as much as I have and still keep the love in your heart and in your art. But at the end of the day, if that’s what it takes to produce the music that keeps the world of hip-hop evolving on it’s axis….Then even the lowest of the lows of my life was all worth it. Thanks again for your prayers, your time and attention. And remember….It does’nt matter how long it’ll be before the next time you see me. What matters is that I’ll be a better man before that time comes. The longer I sit, the smarter I get.

I’d like to give a vey special thank you to all the fans who’ve been writing me and lifting my spirits everyday. I read all of them. Although I would never be able to write you all back…I’d like to list as many of you individualy as i can and thank the others collectively. It’s a relief to know that there still are people who see a man with a life and not just another headline in the news. Most of you sound very concerned and optimistic at the same time about my situation. Let me assure you all that I am deffenitely keeping my head up. I don’t consider myself done by far. Also many of you are convinced as I am that God has a plan for me that he’s preparing me for. How do you tell God Almighty that all you wanna do is LIVE LIFE ??? What if all you wanna do is be a father to your kids, a husband to your wife, and son to your mother while providing insightful motivation through music and lending a helping hand when posible to those who need it most. Well guys…That’s the topic of discussion between me and the MOST HIGH at the moment. I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out. Who knows maybe you can look foward to hearing the dialogue between us set to music on the next album…which I’ll be announcing the official title to sooner than later. But until then, thanks again for all your understanding, love and support. Y’all take it light and be eazy.

- Love King.”

Snoop Dogg prepared a track for Prince William’s upcoming wedding to Kate Middleton. The tune is named “Wet,” which is the second single from his album “Doggumentary Music.”

In a press release, the California-based “Gin & Juice” rapper described the song as “the perfect anthem for Prince William or any playa to get the club smokin’.” And his “smokin’” song will be available at 4:20(!) p.m. Pacific Time Tuesday on his official website.

Not exactly a sweet romantic love song.

Here is not-so-meaningful “who to blame” game happening right now.

Kanye West on Friday canceled a performance on NBC’s “Today” show to protest what he called a “set up” when he was interviewed on the program regarding his comment about George W. Bush.

“Runaway” rapper was supposed to perform on the morning talk show on November 26 but canceled after the awkward interview on “Today” on Wednesday..

West tweeted, “I’m not performing on the Today Show for obvious reasons. I’m so happy the world got to see just a small piece of ‘the set up.’”

An NBC spokeswoman also confirmed the performance was canceled.

Regarding the “Today”  interview, West also intensely tweeted, “HE TRIED TO FORCE MY ANSWERS. IT WAS VERY BRUTAL AND I CAME THERE WITH ONLY POSITIVE INTENT.” “Everything sounds like noise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYTHING SOUNDS LIKE NOISE!!!!!!! I don’t trust anyone!” “He played clips of Bush and asked me to look at his face while I was trying to talk to him. I wish Michael Jackson had twitter!!!!!!” “…And I don’t hate Matt Lauer… We don’t promote hate. That’s the whole point!!! I promote love and truth!”

OK, so where was MJ coming from to this issue?

As someone promoting “love and truth,” was it really the best solution that the performance got cancelled?

This morning, Lil Wayne, real name Dwayne Michael Carter, has been released from jail after serving eight months of a one-year sentence for gun possession.

His fans have been tweeting “#FreeWeezy” for months while he was in jail and he was a trending topic on Twitter this morning.

After his release, Wayne was going back home in Miami and getting ready for a party celebrating his release is scheduled for Sunday.

He also posted a picture on Facebook to prove everyone he was alright.

Everything started a year ago when the “Lollipop” rapper pleaded guilty to attempted weapon possession, admitting he’d had a loaded, semiautomatic .40-caliber gun on his tour bus after a show in 2007. He was sentenced to a year at Rikers Island jail and went in this past March, but got time off for good behavior despite being in solitary confinement since October 4th after getting popped for possession of headphones for an MP3 player were found hidden in his trash can.

Black El x Durkn (Blast staff photo/Steve Osemwenkhae)

Despite competing in an online market that’s harder to be discovered from than Craigslist’s “missed connections,” Boston rapper/producer team, Black El x Durkin, has already created a surprising buzz for themselves.

Every day, the Internet becomes more riddled with free hip-hop mix tapes. The sheer amount of new rap music that can be accessed online makes the task of uncovering brand new artists almost impossible. Success in the over saturated world of online mix tapes is generally reached by artists who are already established in the mainstream (see Lil Wayne, Andre 3000), or those who produce such an alarming volume of material that they become difficult for Hip-Hop heads to ignore (see the mix tape back catalog of Chicago duo Cool Kids).

With their debut project, Color Commentary, Black El x Durkin has caught the attention of a number of well-respected hip-hop blogs. This fact alone demonstrates the promise of the local duo. Production of backpack rap being at an all time high, the emergence of an artist with just one EP under their belt suggests that there must be some talent behind the release. A few listens to their rookie mix tape confirms that this local duo has enough skill to move from the free downloads of datpiff.com to the charts of the iTunes store.

Black El’s flow has a tight, punchy quality similar to that of Talib Kweli. He has the ability to consistently fill bars with quick and clever couplets, particularly on tracks like “Go!” and “Hi(GH).” The MC is also aware of the value of a decent sing/rap-along hook, the likes of which is best achieved on “Once A Week.” One can easily envisage an audience of college kids playing a game of hip-hop call and response to this song.

In terms of Black El’s lyrics, it is refreshing to hear a young Boston rapper not banging on about how “wicked crazy” the college party scene is, a la Asher Roth or Sam Adams. Though the song “Lunch Line Rap” (with lines like “keg stand girls – too easy to tap”), might find itself providing the soundtrack of a few games of beer pong this semester, most of El’s lyrics deal with more traditional hip-hop motifs. The MC creates mix of witty word play (“close to big Bills like Claire Huxtable”) and self-referential story telling (“I cheated, I beated, copied all that / applied to twenty jobs, ain’t received a call back”). There are times at which the rapper’s complaints about his middle class upbringing fail to pack much of a poetic punch. For the most part, however, Black El shows himself to be an MC who can start either a party or an interesting dialogue.

While Black El’s rapping is more than satisfactory on this ten-song mix tape, what really impresses is the tight production of Northeastern alum, Durkin. The DJ has been doing the rounds, playing club nights around Boston for a few years. “Color Commentary” exposes Durkin’s skill as a beat-maker to a mass audience for the first time. The producer’s tracks manage combine a number of well-established hip-hop techniques in some intelligent ways. Chopped and looped soul samples, relied upon by producers like 9th Wonder (formerly of Little Brother), are made to work along side throwback, boom-bap baselines of artists like Cool Kids. Durkin builds both multi-layered tracks and more straightforward tracks for Black El to spit to throughout the album. “Chutes & Ladders” combines repetitive vocal samples, a strong 808, synths, and various other electronic sounds. Whereas, on “The Jam” all Durkin needs is to play around with the tempo of some old soul records and add some drums to create a full sounding instrumental. Perhaps most importantly, Durkin’s production fits Black El’s flow brilliantly. The MC has to be pleased to have found a producer who compliments him so well.

As well as the buzz surrounding their debut release, Black El x Durkin has also been well received in live settings.

The duo played The Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge on Monday and will likely continue to build their local fan base. Based on the evidence they’ve produced so far, this pair looks set to gain popularity over the next few months. Get to know them now and your friends will think you’ve made the coolest local hip-hop discovery since DJ Premier met Guru.

Color Commentary is out now and available online.

NBA superstar Dwight Howard’s new educational children’s album, Shoot for the Stars, is for a good cause. The record benefits The BETA Center, an organization that specializes in the support of families in crisis and teen Moms in the Orlando area. Credit must given to Howard who, since entering the NBA straight from high school in 2004, has demonstrated a level of maturity and responsibility that is rare amongst today’s professional athletes.

The album, as one might expect, boasts a number of covers of classic stadium anthems that have been hilariously tweaked to make reference to Dwight’s status as a pro basketball player. Tag Team’s 1993 hit “Whoomp! (There It Is),” becomes “Hoop (There It Is).” And what of MC Hammer’s masterpiece, “U Can’t Touch This?” You guessed it, rather than the DIY-praising hook of the original, the all-star Center refreshes the archaic lyric by making “Howard” rather than “Hammer” time.

As well proving him as a better role model than many of his colleagues, Howard’s new record also demonstrates that he may have more book smarts than most of them too. Whether he required a lyric sheet when recording his version of the timeless “ABC’s,” this reviewer can neither confirm nor deny. We’ll have to wait for any possible live performances of the song to know for sure.

Aside from the fact that the NBA’s “Superman” had a surprisingly talented supporting cast with him in the studio (session musicians who have played with the likes of Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder), there isn’t much more to say about this album.

Instead, lets take a look at the “All Time Top Three List of NBA Players Doing Dorky Things For The Entertainment of Children.” Take a moment, if you will, to imagine just how much free-throw-interrupting smack was talked off the back of some of these ill-advised career moves:

3. David Robinson appears on Sesame Street — 1998

Former Spurs big man sung the alphabet and hung out with Count von Count. His segment was supposed to be done with Elmo, but in a legendary on set feud, the Count locked the red fuzz ball in a coffin and stood in. It was later revealed that the Count had been angling for a job as an NBA statistician, a position he still covets.

2. Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Mugssy Bogues, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, and Sean Bradley star in “Space Jam” — 1996

Perhaps more of a travesty than the goofy appearance of the NBA legends in this film is the fact Bill Murray was also roped in to play a role in the green screen misadventure. Thankfully, Murray’s career bounced back and MJ returned to the Bulls for three more championships.

1. Shaquille O’Neal stars in “Kazaam” — 1996.

Widely acknowledged as the worst film about a rapping 7-foot genie of all time. The Celtics’ newest star also recorded the soundtrack. For a double-whammy of unashamed awfulness, the “Big Shamrock” tops our chart.

Dwight: you have work to do.

What would you do if you won the lottery tomorrow? This is the question that opens the highly amusing if predictable new hijinx-in-the-hood genre comedy, "Lottery Ticket," starring the rapper/actor, Bowwow.

It turns out not to be the film’s central question, however, which is more like: What would you do if your desperate ‘hood suddenly know you’d won the lottery but hadn’t cashed your ticket yet? It’s a question worth asking in a community raised on the rags-to-riches tales of rappers and ‘ballers, pushers and pimps, the escort and the entourage. The answer of course is: a lot of running and hiding, and a lot of deciding whom you trust.

To a large extent, "Lottery Ticket" follows the formula of "Friday," the 1995 comedy that solidified Ice Cube as a movie star and spawned several sequels and imitations. Both "Friday" and Lottery Ticket" feature an affable, straight-laced hero who has to negotiate money problems and lady problems (he’s got to choose between the ghetto versions of "Madonna and whore") with the aid of a more mischievous, comic sidekick. Ultimately the solution for both heroes lies in a decision to "quit clowning" and stand up to the bully who menaces his streets even if it means sacrificing his body in hand-to-hand combat with a monstrous thug.

Director Eric White seems to wink at Friday’s influence both with visual references and the occasional offhand line. He even casts a graying Ice Cube in a key supporting role. Bowwow proves a formidable onscreen air. As tough-but-untested nice guy, Kevin Carson, he has genuine charisma. As his sidekick, Benny, Brandon T. Jackson is toned down several thousand notches from Friday’s Chris Tucker, but he’s affable and funny as a guy who plays at being a bad influence (but is plainly harmless). While the film is heavy on cameos from veterans of the genre, it’s these likable actors who really carry it along. They’re funny when they’re in trouble and they’re easy to root for.

"Lottery Ticket" is short on substance. It’s heavy on clich©s and it’s got a little bit of unwanted melodrama. But the gags are good, the dialogue is witty and the actors are funny. If you’re looking for something light, this one’s a winner.

A month after having heart surgery, local rapper Gang Starr MC Guru has died at age 43.

MTV.com reported that the rapper, whose real name is Keith Elam, died from cancer. He had undergone surgery for a heart attack.

Born in Boston, Guru’s fame rose in the late 1980s when he was half of the duo Gang Starr with partner DJ Premier.

The duo was a major part of the underground rap scene in the 90s.

MIAMI — Lloyd Banks, famous for songs like “On Fire” and “Hands Up,” is making his return to rap and the mainstream with his new hit single “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley,” featuring Juelz Santana. The record is off his upcoming album tentatively called ‘he Hunger for More 2 and has received an overwhelmingly positive response, having made its way into New York’s Hot 97 radio rotation only a week after its release and after shooting the music video. MTV Jams premiered the song March 15 to a national audience.

Banks has been out of the spotlight as a solo act for nearly four years since the release of his sophomore album Rotten Apple in 2006. He has since been dropped from Interscope records.

In 2008, as a founding member of G-Unit, Banks was featured on every song alongside G-Unit cohorts 50 Cent and Tony Yayo on the group’s sophomore album Terminate on Sight. The album received lukewarm reviews and had lackluster sales. T.O.S was best known for the single “Rider pt 2.” The spotlight — and the public’s attention — appeared to be moving away from G-Unit, Lloyd Banks, and even 50 Cent in what looked like a trend shift.

After 50 Cent’s fourth album, Before I Self Destruct, failed to meet expectations, people began questioning whether the era of gangster rap was finally coming to an end.

Despite his lack of a solo major label release over the past few years, Banks has continuously put out music for his diehard fans and mix tape circuit junkies who still refer to him as the PLK, or “punchline king.” The ambitiously titled 5 and Better Series mix tapes started in late 2008 with Vol 1 Return of the PLK and have created the momentum needed for his return to the spotlight.

In December of 2009, Banks released the self-titled fifth edition to the mix tape series, V, featuring such songs as “Big Bully,” and “Rather Be Me.” For the first time, he was opening up and talking, rapping, about G-Unit’s apparent downfall and disputes with other rappers. Acknowledging that things have changed, Banks confidently maintains that G-Unit isn’t going anywhere in one of the mix tape’s highlight tracks “We Remain.”

On January 10, while in Toronto for a concert, Lloyd Banks was arrested for assault. He was later extradited and released, but with media outlets like MTV, Rapradar, and even Perezhilton covering the story, people began discussing Lloyd Banks’- for better or for worse. With the success of V and the media attention received from his incarceration, Banks thought it was the perfect opportunity to make his calculated return.

Since the release of “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley,” Banks has gone on a media blitz, doing interviews with anyone who requested them. Some of the interviews were with media such as 1515, MTV’s Mix tape Daily, and XXL show. Banks is poised to make a heartfelt return to rap, claiming that he is what the game has been missing.

The Hunger For More 2 has yet to receive a release date and will be released independently through iTunes, although it is clear the people over at G-Unit records hope to find a distribution deal after the album’s first single made such an impact.

Kanye West just can’t stay out of the news for a single day.

At least time it’s for something good.

Kanye and Lady Gaga will get together for a 34-city North American Tour called “Fame Kills.”

The tour kicks off November 10 in Phoenix and will make only one New England stop on December 16 at the DCU Center in Worcester.

We can’t forget that Kanye has sold 15 million albums and won 12 Grammys, even if he has a huge mouth.

Check out famekillstour.com for more info.

The first season of Royal Pains is coming to an end and in celebration of the finale next Thursday at 10 p.m. the cast and crew produced a music video. Here’s “THE ROYAL PAINS WRAP RAP” by TWO LIVE JEW & THE RP CREW

Lyrics to the Royal Pains “Wrap Rap”:

Spoken: Yeah girl… I’m gonna examine you good. This Divya and this my opthalmascope…

Ahhh!
No signs of papilledema,
No increased intracranial pressure.
Say AHH stick your tongue out.
AHH!
No abnormality of the soft palate muscles,
The uvula is midline. Midline!
Glossopharyngeal nerve is intact,
No masses in the neck or thyroid,
Lungs, heart, abdomen are normal,
Repeat the words: ball, flag, tree!
Cat box cup…
Ball, flag, tree!
Car bell juice…
Ball, flag, tree!
Pen shoe jar…
Ball, flag, tree!
Count backwards from 100 by 7′s.
93, 54, 62, 63…
No neurological abnormality,
No explanation for her hallucinating.
Let’s take it up a notch!
Repeat the words: ball, flag, tree.
Ball, flag, tree!
Car bell juice.
Ball, flag, tree!
Pen shoe jar.
Ball, flag, tree! x 15
Let’s take it up a notch!

It seems no celebrity is safe from an super-litigious America. But in this case, the star seems completely at fault.

Page 6 reported today that rapper Lil’ Wayne is being sued by Red City Entertainment for bailing on a concert in the Bahamas last September. The promoters for the show had to cancel the 2 a.m. show when Lil’ Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, didn’t show up. About 5,000 fans with $70 tickets were turned away, but Page 6 did not say whether or not they were refunded.

The papers, filed with the Manhattan Supreme Court said “When Carter did not arrive at the concert, the police went to his hotel room” and “found him passed out and unwilling to perform.”

Glenn Gitomer, a lawyer for Red City Entertainment, said, “He appeared to be intoxicated.”

The rapper’s reps could not be reached by Page 6 for comment and whether or not fans will get a “heart felt” apology remains to be seen.

I have never been a huge rap fan, but anything mixed with video game soundtracks, namely The Legend of Zelda, of which I am a dedicated follower, is sure to find its way onto my iPod.

The aptly named Ocarina of Rhyme features ten tracks that dub vocals over classic Zelda tunes.

The mash-ups include Common and Hyrule Market, Jay-Z and meeting the Owl, Clipse and the Lost Woods, and my personal favorite, Slim Thug and Mike Jones and Great Fairy’s Fountain, and many others.

A project like this has the possibility to fail so, so hard, but instead the execution is great, allowing your inner nerd to shine alongside famous rap artists.

Download the 10 tracks over at the Ocarina of Rhyme website free of charge.