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Common F/ Makeba - "Blue Sky" (Produced by No I.D.)

(Photo By InsideSoCal.Com)

"Blue Sky"

After an eventful Summer, veteran Chicago rapper/actor Common is gearing up to release his ninth studio album The Dreamer, The Believer. The album will be released via fellow Chicago rapper Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label. This single will serve as the second release from the project. It is to be noted that this cut includes a strong sample of "Mr. Blue Sky" by British Rock group Electric Light Orchestra aka ELO. The production here is dope. The piano combined with the light instruments gives off a feel good/inspirational type of vibe. The hook is on point too. Makeba's vocals are laced over the earlier mentioned sample. She does a flawless job as her vocals are stong and very pleasing to the ear. Also, the lyrics really bring the uplifting feel of the production to life. The verses are fire, Common kills from start to finish. He has a smooth up-tempo flow and his wordplay is clever and memorable. "Aston Martin king, Luther with dreams. The young Denzel the way I move through scenes. I'm like a preacher that once was a fiend. A story of change that came with wings. Pretty as the skyline, the sky is my eye line. Son of the most so from up high I shine. Suited in Prada, stay mellow like LaLa. Young fresh with dollars, ladies go gaga;" the way he incorporated the name dropping in those lines was pretty slick. And that's just the first few lines of the track. He drops a lot more gems in the remainder of the cut. Overall, this song is a banger and worth putting into heavy rotation. But please take the opportunity to listen for yourselves and form an opinion. The Dreamer, The Believer is supposed to be released on November 22, 2011. While fans wait, they can catch Common on a new upcoming AMC show called Hell On Wheels. Common takes on the role of a freed slave. The show will run for about 10 episodes and premieres November 6, 2011. Readers can learn more here. -MinM

News: VH1's Pop Up Video Makes A Comeback With Hip-Hop

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VH1's infamous video series Pop Up Video is scheduled to make a comeback, after a nine year hiatus. And the series is returning with a special new feature. That feature is Hip-Hop videos. Hip-Hop videos had been left off of the show during it's original run because they didn't quite fit the VH1 image at the time. VH1 was tailored more towards R&B, Pop, and Rock music back in the day and therefore felt the need to stay away from the Hip-Hop genre. Hip-Hop is a dominant force in the current industry though, so guess the network felt it was time to get with the times. The Hip-Hop videos featured on the show will date back to as early as 1995. VH1 has ordered 60 new episodes of Pop Up Video and the show is scheduled to make it's big return sometime in September. Additionally, the show is said to have a more updated look with new graphics. Pop Up Video originally ran from 1996-2002 and covered a large variety of videos from artists like Boyz II Men, Gloria Estefan, Creed, and more. Basically, the premise of the show was to provide a wide range of info and fun facts about music videos to viewers. This was done via little bubbles that popped up during video playback. The show was quite a hit and the pop up concept has been used in tons of different shows over the years ever since.

I used to love this show. However, I never realized that they didn't air Hip-Hop videos. That is so odd to me. Old school Hip-Hop music was no worse than some of the old school Rock music. In fact, a lot of the Hip-Hop music was probably tamer. Well at least Hip-Hop is getting a chance now. Guess it's better late than never. I'm curious to see what videos they choose to pop and what kind of info/facts will be provided. Anybody plan on catching an episode or two? -MinM

Queen Latifah And VH1 Present: Single Ladies

(Photo By VH1.Com)

Some time ago, the site featured a brief piece on Queen Latifah and a television venture that she was working on with VH1. If readers care to refresh their memories, the article can be found here. Anyways, the show has gone from a simple idea to a reality. The show has been titled Single Ladies and will run for about an hour. Single Ladies has been dubbed a comedic drama and centers around the entertainment and fashion industries of Atlanta. The show will consist of three main characters: Val, Keisha, and April. Starring as the leading ladies of the series are none other than: Stacey Dash as Val, LisaRaye McCoy as Keisha, and Charity Shea as April.

News: Hip-Hop Gets A Wrestling Brand

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Apparently, the genre of Hip-Hop and the sport of wrestling are being combined into a new brand of entertainment. The brand is entitled the Urban Wrestling Federation aka UWF and is set to launch this Spring.

News: Cory Gunz Documentary To Debut On MTV

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MTV made the announcement that it will be airing a documentary featuring Bronx rapper Cory Gunz. The documentary will air in six parts and was produced by Nick Cannon. The documentary will chronicle Gunz's journey into Hip-Hop and is entitled Son Of A Gun.

News: Method Man Teams Up With Jamie Foxx For New Horror Show

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Method Man is one of several people tapped to make an appearance in Jamie Foxx's new upcoming show. The show has a horror theme to it and will be titled Night Tales. Night Tales is slated to feature veteran actresses Stacey Dash and Denise Richards as hosts. The show will be based off of BET's 2008 film, Nite Tales: The Movie. Reports state that there will be 26 episodes of the show and it will run for at least two seasons. NBA star Mitch Richmond has also been named as a second executive producer. Foxx's No-Brainer Productions is backing the show. And don't worry if television isn't your thing. Foxx has plans to take the series beyond the small screen. So far, Foxx and company are working on internet and comic book components for the series as well. As mentioned, Meth is among several people scheduled to appear on the show. Other celebrities on deck include: Tom Arnold, Jason Mewes, etc. At this time there have been no episode details made available or no planned air date revealed. Should anything else emerge about the series, an update will be made accordingly.

I love horror themed anything, so this show sounds interesting to me. The fact that it's BET based does make me question it's quality though. The network has been lost it's credibility in the programming department. At the same time, Jamie has been behind some pretty decent shows in the course of his career. So guess we will just have to wait until it airs to see if it's any good. On a random note, where the heck did Denise Richards come from, lol? She just seems out of place in the whole scheme of things. Oh well, anybody else interested in the show? -MinM

2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards Review

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Last night (10/12/10), BET officially aired the 2010 Hip-Hop Awards. Any news about the show prior to this is due to the fact that the award show had already been recorded. Regardless of when it happened, it was a major disappointment from start to finish. Mike Epps was a mediocre host at best. His ridiculous outfits got more laughs than his jokes.

News: DJ Kid Capri and Producer Just Blaze Are Masters Of The Mix

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DJ's don't tend to get a whole lot of spotlight in the Hip-Hop community. And it looks like BET and Centric networks are looking to change that via a new reality show. The show will be entitled Master Of The Mix and the networks have enlisted Hip-Hop heavyweights DJ Kid Capri and producer Just Blaze as hosts.

News: Drake To Help Kick Off New MTV Show

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Drake is set to join forces with MTV and help them debut their new pop culture show entitled, The Seven. The show will center around the seven most popular news stories of the day. Additionally, the show will feature live interviews and performances. It is slated to run for about 30 minutes.

World Of Jenks - Episode 1: Heaven And Hell (Maino)

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Andrew Jenks is a 24 year old documentary maker from New York. He gets a little more involved than your average filmmaker though. He likes to move in with his subjects and really get personal first hand insight on their story. For example, one of his first films was about senior citizens who lived in an assisted living facility. He didn't just interview people or visit for a day, he MOVED in. The film was titled Room 335 and was picked up by HBO. It is one of Jenks most popular works to date. In January of this year, Jenks signed a deal with MTV to take his documentary style and apply it to a tv series. The series is called World Of Jenks and features people from all walks of life. Some of his subjects include: a person with autism, a homeless person, a NFL cheerleader, etc. However, for his unofficial premiere episode, he chose to move in with a convict turned rapper. That rapper was Maino.