The Hip-Hop Herald 10.29.09: The Best Rapper Alive Is Going Inside

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 10.29.2009

This week, Lil Wayne is heading off to prison, Timbaland talks Shock Value II, Public Enemy raises money for their next album, a potential tracklisting for Before I Self Destruct is revealed, Soulja Boy takes on the mixtape scene and the results from the BET Hip-Hop Awards!

I've been back in Australia less than 2 weeks and I'm already craving a trip overseas. I think my next trip will be to America as I've already done a lot of Europe and Japan and Singapore now in the Asia region, plus, I'd like to be able to walk into a CD shop and actually find an album by someone other than a Top 40 junkie sitting on the shelves. When I was in a shop the other day, I managed to find Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II tucked far, FAR away underneath something else. It WAS on sale though so I won't complain that much.

Anyway, we'll kick off this week with everyone's favorite (using that term lightly) Martian / best rapper alive with something that is bound to make some people laugh in the face of the Birdman abortion last week.

The News

Top Story

Lil Wayne Going To Prison


"I Am…IN JAIL!"

Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted weapons possession charges today on October 22 and is expected to receive a maximum sentence of one year in jail, although he is expected to serve around eight months in prison for the offense.

Wayne had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, but changed the plea to avoid a trial that was due to start January 20 and could have resulted in at least 3 ½ years in prison. The guilty plea stems from an incident in New York in 2007, after police found a .40 caliber handgun during a search of his tour bus. Originally, lawyers for Wayne planned to contest the charges.

It's a sensible move from Wayne's perspective in my opinion as the trial just prolongs the time he's away from the studio, which, as much as some of us may want that, he probably doesn't, and of course, the jail time is longer too.

On October 21, the plea was entered after Wayne's DNA evidence was allegedly found on the weapon and deemed admissible by a judge. The DNA evidence found was reportedly small, and Wayne's lawyers initially sparred with the prosecution over whether the DNA profiling technique used was scientifically acceptable.

Before the trial, Lil Wayne's manager had publicly taken responsibility for the gun on the rapper's VH1 special. Lil Wayne also faces a trial in Arizona for felony drug possession and weapons charges, after a 2008 arrest during a routine stop at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint.

In response to Lil Wayne's one-year prison sentence, several rappers took to Twitter (of course…), to offer their opinions.

Jim Jones drew a comparison to T.I.'s prison sentence "Thts crazy lil Wayne gets a year for a hand pistol and ti gets the same tome for having army issued rifles wit silencers U tell me wtf."

I decided to leave that particular gem unedited to show you that you don't necessarily need a sound knowledge of spelling or grammar to become a rapper. Although Soulja Boy's one from last week is probably the most unintelligible this year. With the Year End coming, sounds like a new award category…

Juelz Santana also offered his thoughts on the matter. "A! I just arrived 2 the set. Just did a MTV News interview wit Shaheem about Lil Wayne. That's some BULL SHIT!!!!" wrote Santana, a frequent collaborator of Wayne's.

I actually find it hilarious that he wrote "A" like he says it in every damn song he does. It's like, you don't think people would actually write like how they talk, but I guess Juelz Santana does.

Finally, Rick Ross also weighed in (at 350 pounds, ha! Rude I am), but provided a positive outlook on the subject:

"It hurt us. We strategize and work towards this for so long, [and] when something like that, a major inconvenience such as that, nine people out of 10, that stint could hurt them. But I think Wayne has a unique situation with his Cash Money family and now his Young Money roster, I know they got a lot of things poppin'. Wayne's got enough music. He's one of the few artists I feel could eat those 10 months up, or that year, and then come home to rap royalty. If anybody is gonna be able to do it, it's gonna be Wayne."

I'm sure he's got more music than 2Pac had recorded before he died by now if the almost weekly mixtape releases from various sources are any indication.

Cash Money CEO's Bryan "Slim" and Birdman have released their first public statement on the recent gun conviction of Lil Wayne.

"The Cash Money family will continue to support our artist and friend Lil Wayne in his current court case. We have worked with Wayne since he was a teenager, and have seen him grow into one of the world's most successful hip-hop artists, with a work ethic that is second to none," the Cash Money CEO's said.

In the hours that followed, peers such as Slim Thug vehemently defended Wayne as being an unjust target due to his status as a black celebrity. Others, such as ex-wife Toya Carter, opted to press that fans and media alike continue to support the rapper, and chastised those who have abandoned him.

With two freestyles ("Swag Surfin'" and "Wasted") recently leaking from Wayne's new mixtape No Ceilings, the CEO's confirmed that Wayne will continue to receive the label's full backing.

"Wayne has our love and commitment during this difficult time. We always have and always will stand behind him"

Well it's not as if the label seems terribly concerned with any of their other artists on the whole and it's a bit of a no-brainer to back someone who sold 3 million copies of his last album – he's a big income for the label and it would be stupid to cut him off.

Lil Wayne and DJ Drama's No Ceilings mixtape is due to be released on October 31 (but it's leaked already if anyone is interested).

Timbaland Prepares Shock Value II



Timbaland is gearing up to release Shock Value II, the highly anticipated sequel to his chart-topping album Shock Value. Timbaland hopes to recreate the success of the first installment of Shock Value, which produced three #1 pop singles: "The Way I Are" featuring Keri Hilson and D.O.E., "Give It To Me" featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake and a remix to OneRepublic‘s "Apologize."

For Shock Value II, Timbaland has brought Drake, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, The Fray, Brandy, Chad Kroger, Keri Hilson and others along.

Miley Cyrus? I swear, if she becomes the new go-to girl outside of hip-hop for a hook, I shall give up on mainstream hip-hop completely and instead turn my attention to old stuff that I haven't listened to yet and new stuff that doesn't reek of radio-reaching.

"I'm so fortunate and blessed to be able to create a Shock Value II," Timbaland said in a statement. "I'm really proud of the caliber of artists on this album and all the work they put into making it a success. I can promise that no one has ever heard Katy Perry, The Fray, or Brandy sound like this before."

Question: Do we really want to?

The first single from the album is titled "Morning After Dark" and features Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's new artist, a French singer by the name of SoShy. According to Timbaland, who has produced 10 international #1 singles throughout his career, the new album features his newest, most innovative production to date.

"It's exciting because not only am I giving fans the best of me on each track, I'm giving them a glimpse of their favorite artist in a completely different light," Timbaland continued. "This is an album that can be listened to from start to finish every single time because each song is so unique and the range of artists so diverse. I can't wait for my fans to hear the collaborations."

Please don't kill me for saying this, but I think Timbaland is doing almost exactly what Dre was doing back in the 90s – revolutionizing production styles and changing them constantly. If you think of Timbaland's production before say, 2005 it was a bit funky and a bit laid back. Now though, it's that up-tempo synth heavy style that is extremely club friendly and it's getting mad airplay. Is Timbaland the new Dre? Hell no, but he's certainly doing what Dre should be doing now, switching up the styles and actually coming out with new material.

Timbaland's Shock Value II is due in stores November 23 on Mosley Music Group/Blackground Records/Interscope Records.

Rhymefest Touring With Rakim



Rhymefest will be accompanying Rakim as he promotes his upcoming album The Seventh Seal on the aptly titled Seventh Seal Tour.

Rather than staying at hotels on the various stops of the tour, Rhymefest plans to lodge with his fans. This spectacle promptly titled "The Motorcycle Diaries" will be a video series hosted on RubyHornet.com and ElChetheMovement.com, documenting his adventures with hosting fans.

As amends for the housing in the prospective city, the fan(s) will be given two free tickets and back stage passes to the Seventh Seal Tour where Rhymefest will be an opening act.

It's an interesting prospect and will actually save him an ass-load of money hahaha. Asides from that though, he's doing something great for his fans out there and I applaud him on his willingness to connect with his fans.

Rhymefest is no stranger to constant communication with fans. Regular conversations on social networks, emails, and even phone calls have lead him to be one of the most accessible artists in the game.

"Being accessible for me is extremely important because I'm not a mainstream artist and if I'm not that artist then I've got to get in with the people and be blue collar," Rhymefest said. "But how can I be the blue collar El Che revolutionary motorcycle diary guy and not be accessible to the people?"

I think Rhymefest could very easily be a mainstream artist on the same level of popularity as say, Common, you know, not exactly hitting the Top 10 singles, but not exactly selling under 10,000 copies of an album either, if he just got some more music out! I've said it before, but there's nothing wrong with being a mainstream artist so long as you keep your artistic integrity and do what YOU want to do, as opposed to what the labels want you to do. That doesn't exactly happen a lot though sadly.

"I'm not a rapper really I'm an activist and my whole mission is to be that 'raptivist'. Being an activist is someone who cares about the people so it has to be of high importance," continued Rhymefest, who recently moved from major label, J Records, to an independent situation at dN|Be Records.

As far as his sophomore release El Che the blue collar rapper had to say: "It's more than just a name of an album it's a beginning of the movement and the album is only a piece of that movement, The Motorcycle Diaries is a piece of that movement, the 'Give it to Me' contest is a piece of the movement. The movement is something that is not based on life it's about movement and progression."

Slated for a 2010 release Rhymefest is continuing to be accessible allowing an unknown emcee the chance to win a guest appearance on the single "Give it to Me" that also features Saigon (who also seriously needs to put an album out next year).

The contest is also hosted by Chicago based RubyHornet.com where you can find more details on participating.

Musicians To Sue The Government

A group of prominent artists are moving forward with a lawsuit against the U.S. government for using music as a means for torture at Cuba's controversial Guantanamo Bay facility. Last December, news hit media outlets about how military personnel were using music to humiliate and demoralize detainees.

Rage Against the Machine member Tom Morello is participating in the suit, and revealed that reports have shown the music was played just low enough to prevent detainees from suffering shattered eardrums.

"Guantanamo is known around the world as one of the places where human beings have been tortured," Morello explained. "From waterboarding to stripping, hooding and forcing detainees into humiliating sexual acts, playing music for 72 hours in a row at volumes just below that to shatter the eardrums. Guantanamo may be Dick Cheney's idea of America, but it's not mine. The fact that music I helped create was used in crimes against humanity sickens me."

Too true. I'd hate it if something I'd spent time creating and crafting for the purpose of entertaining people was being used for the exact opposite reasons.

Hip-Hop music was a staple of the torture tactic, with selections from Dr. Dre, Lil Kim (this would be torture for me actually), Eminem, including "Kim", "Slim Shady", "White America", and Tupac's "All Eyez On Me" being used. Even though songs like Eminem's "White America" are ironically critical of American politics, the Bush Administration approved the track as a part of the "futility technique," which seeks to show torture victims the hopelessness of their situations.

The goal of the musicians' lawsuit, dubbed the "National Campaign to Close Guantanamo," is to have all government documents declassified on music torture and have the base shut down. In addition to artists such as the Roots, REM, Pearl Jam, and Nine Inch Nails, several former U.S. generals and lawmakers have joined the suit.

Previously, President Barack Obama had promised to close the facility by January 22, 2009. However, the economic crisis and resistance from Congress have delayed that goal. At press time, a court date has not been announced.

On a side note, I got really pissed off at a protest that was being held last week here in Sydney. Protesters were saying that the Government wasn't doing enough about the climate change and carbon emissions scheme and that they needed a reminder about what was important. I think these people must have been living under a damn rock because we've BEEN IN A RECESSION! The world basically had a financial heart attack, banks were scrambling to stay alive, people were getting laid off work left and right, and despite the fact that I think there have been at least 3 meetings of the world leaders to discuss climate change and carbon emissions schemes this year alone, these protesters believe that the politicians have forgotten about it. Because you know, protecting the country's financial investments should be the LAST thing on people's minds at the moment.

New Music From The Game



Game is set to release two new singles next week from The R.E.D. Album.
According to DUBCNN, the first street single from The R.E.D. Album will be released early next week. The track is titled "Crazy" and features Gucci Mane with production by Timbaland.

I honestly think that Gucci Mane on anybody's album except Gucci Mane's album is crazy. Why do rappers feel the need to bring on these abysmal guests to drag songs down? Is it like the anti-"Renegade" syndrome that now every rapper is afraid of getting killed on their own track so they feel the urge to bring someone with the rapping skill of a potato so they can outshine them easily? GAH

The first mainstream single from the album will be released the same week also. It is titled "L.A. Girl" and features Chris Brown with production credit going to Pharrell.
Game's fourth studio album The R.E.D. Album is set to be released on December 8th, 2009.

If Pharrell can make it through the entire track without one of his goofy-ass adlibs, I'll be amazed.

Kanye West To Receive Community Service



Kanye West received some good news when a court commissioner dismissed criminal charges against the Chicago rapper. West and his road manager Don Crawley were arrested on September 11 as they attempted to board a flight to Hawaii.

The pair was hit with the criminal charges after they pair broke a camera and a video camera in scuffle with photographers. The case was dismissed today, because West and Crawley reached civil settlements with the two photographers.

West must complete 50 hours of community service in exchange for the misdemeanor charges being dropped from the rapper's record. West and Crawley also completed 12 hours of anger management counseling as well.

In related news, director Spike Jonze revealed the source that leaked West's dark, 14-minute short film We Were Once a Fairytale. Jonze told the New York Times that the film, which was supposed to be sold on iTunes, was leaked from the post-production facility. It quickly spread across the Internet when it was linked from West's popular KanyeWest.com website.

"I think he was like, 'Oh, its out. I'll link to it,'" Jonze said.

Kanye, I'm really happy that you managed to avoid more serious charges, but Chris Brown had one of the best community service pictures this year!

Ok, I've used the joke once, not using it again now.

Public Enemy Raising Money For Album



Public Enemy has raised $50,000 towards their latest venture - a fan-funded album. In early October, the group joined forces with SellaBand, an online service that allows fans to personally fund projects from their favorite artists. Since then, the group has raised over $50,000 for their forthcoming album, with their final goal being $250,000. The quarter-million dollars will be used to not only fund the entire recording process, but to fund a marketing plan for the new album's worldwide release. The new CD will be Public Enemy's 13th studio recording, and their first release since 2007's How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?

Fans who contribute can receive multiple incentives, such as t-shirts, backstage passes, a studio visit during a recording session, executive producer credit and even profits generated from sales. Fans can donate at www.sellaband.com/publicenemy.

Public Enemy front man Chuck D shared his thoughts about the new deal:

"SellaBand's financial engine model goes about restructuring the music business in reverse, It starts with fans first, then the artists create from there," he said. "The music business is built on searching for fans and this is a brand new way for acts to create a new album with fans first, already on board."

I think it's an excellent idea. Much like the "pay whatever you want" concept that…some group, can't remember who (gah I only listen to hip-hop remember) did for one of their albums ended up working quite well, I think this one could too. There are heaps of fans out there that would jump at the chance to meet their favorite artists or get a credit in the liner notes, if only the artist was able to put out an album more often. I'd happily donate a bit of money to a new Pharoahe Monch album.

Chuck D also said that had had some other business he wanted to handle soon. The self-proclaimed "rhyme animal" wants to speak directly to Gucci Mane to make sure the popular rapper did not think there was any friction between them.

"What I said could be misread as mean," Chuck D said. "The old gotta help these young cats know they ain't alone."

Chuck had previously chastised Gucci Mane for dissing Jay-Z as the "hottest" artist in Hip-Hop.

I've said this many times, but if more veterans took the approach of trying to help the younger guys along, we wouldn't have clowns like Soulja Boy making a complete ass out of himself every time he jumps on his computer. But then again, if that were to happen, I'd lose a fair deal of my laughs each month.

Kay Slay Replaces Plies

A cameo appearance by rapper Plies on Kay Slay's upcoming album More Than Just a DJ has caused a rift between the emcee and Kay Slay.

According to Kay Slay, he approached Plies about appearing in the video for the first single "Blockstars," which originally featured Plies, Jim Jones, Busta Rhymes and Ray J. Their relationship soured when Plies proved to be difficult for the veteran South Bronx DJ to reach in an attempt to shoot the video for the single. "Blockstars" is the first single off of More Than Just a DJ, which is Kay Slay's fourth official album.

The release was due in stores October 13 but was pushed back until December, while a new version of the single and video was shot.

"I had to push my album to December 8, because the f**k boy gets on the record, the f**k boy clears the record, the label do all the clearances. Then when it's time to do the video, the n***a gets low. Stopped answering the phone, all kinds of crazy s**t," Kay Slay said. "But that's cool because at the end of the day, the n***a really don't owe me nothing. But as a man, you're supposed to do what men do. If you gonna do something, just honor the s**t. If you don't want to, don't f**k with it."

According to Kay Slay, he wasted no time in choosing a replacement for Plies and chose Memphis rapper Yo Gotti to appear on both the track and the upcoming video for the single.

"He [Yo Gotti] did the video and he wasn't scared to come to New York anywhere to do the s**t [without] saying I need this amount of police to do this and a n***a got have on a uniform and all kinds of all f**k boy s**t," Kay Slay snapped.

I'd say this is an equal trade overall. Not too keen on Plies or Yo Gotti although Plies does have the ‘unintentionally bad rapper with the flow of a dead person' thing going for him.

Kay Slay, who hosts the popular "Drama Hour" on Hot 97 in New York each Saturday, implied that a combination of Plies youth and his platinum success was impairing his judgment.

"This is what happens when these n***s come around early and you show them love. Plies has been on my show twice. Once n***s get a few checks...I believe its n***s around him, because the kid can't possibly have did that s**t blatantly after he came and said this, that and the third."

Plies is currently experiencing chart success with the track "Becky" and "Wasted" featuring Gucci Mane.

Ok seriously, am I missing something with Gucci Mane here? Or is he one of those inexplicably popular rappers that I'll never ‘get'?

"We got motherf****ers like Jim Jones who done sold millions of records, and Busta Rhymes, who has sold millions of records, they do the video with no problem," said Kay Slay.

Before I Self Destruct Tracklisting?



iTunes has posted a pre-order to 50 Cent's long-awaited Before I Self Destruct. Although typically sequences and final titles are subject to change, this is the first of its kind. ThisIs50.com is also endorsing the listing at this time.

Alright, time for some fun.

I present to you, Before I Self Destruct: A Day In The Life Of 50 Cent

1. The Invitation

Come to my Birthday party!

2. Then Days Went By

Why hasn't anyone replied yet?

3. Death To My Enemies

Who didn't come to my party!

4. So Disrespectful

That I didn't get any presents, even from Tony Yayo

5. Psycho

Is what I'll be if Banks forgets

6. Hold Me Down

Whilst I beat him with a wooden spoon for emailing me a "20% off Protein shakes" coupon

7. Crime Wave

Robbing vitamin stores is more effective

8. Stretch

Ah crap, my muscles have grown far too large for this singlet top

9. Strong Enough

But now, I can RIP IT IN HALF LIKE HULK HOGAN

10. Get It Hot

A pizza party isn't a party if the pizza is cold you know

11. Gangsta's Delight

TONY YAYO REMEMBERED!

12. I Got Swag

From Tony Yayo

13. Baby By Me Ft. Ne-Yo

…and Tony Yayo (hahaha ok, ok that was stupid, as is all this but I can't stop now for some reason)

14. Do You Think About Me

Tony Yayo? Because obviously Banks doesn't

15. Ok, You're Right

Well, he is busy with his own album

16. Could've Been You

But instead, I'ma share this pizza with Yayo, NONE FOR YOU BANKS!

17. Flight 187 (Bonus Track)

Ok I got nothing…

18. Baby By Me (Bonus Track)
19. Man's World (Bonus Track)

Ok, ok, in all seriousness now, the album is looking much the same as every other 50 Cent album he's ever released apart from the fact that it appears there is only one guest appearance this time round. Kind of impressive considering the current trend is to cram as many artists onto the track as possible and have them drop as short a verse as possible. I mean, none of the track names jump out at you as being anything more than a typical 50 Cent song except perhaps "Stretch", which, if that is 50 Cent's version of "The New Workout Plan", I shall stab a flaming q-tip in my ear.

BET Awards Results



The stars were in attendance as BET aired its annual Hip-Hop awards show from Atlanta. Jay-Z took home the first award of the night for MVP of the Year, beating out Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Drake, and T.I. and kicked off the show with an orchestral rendition of his Jeezy-assisted "Real As It Gets," and dedicated his award to Mr. Magic.

Drake took home Rookie of the Year honors, beating a strong nomination list that featured B.o.B., Wale, Kid Cudi, and Dorrough. Tiffany "Tiny" Cottle was on hand to accept two T.I. awards for CD [Paper Trail] and Collaboration of the Year ["Live Your Life" Ft. Rihanna].

"To all rappers and critics, I'm coming back with a vengeance. It's the king, b***h!" Tiny and Grand Hustle members exclaimed from a prepared statement.

Hahaha I can't imagine anyone called "Tiny" being able to pull that off properly you know.

West Coast pioneer and Gangsta Rap icon Ice Cube received a standing ovation as a video montage preceded his receipt of the BET "I Am Hip-Hop" Lifetime Achievement Award. In his acceptance, Cube challenged his peers to create art with integrity, and not for sale to the highest bidder.

"We gotta do what we feel. We can't be slave to video programmer, radio programmers, or A&Rs. We gotta be slave to our own creative minds," Cube urged. "To all the older rappers, keep doing what you doing. Don't let the industry push you out. As long as you got a tongue, you ain't too old to rap. BET I hope you give out two of these, because I have a whole 'nother life of work ahead of me."

I am so unbelievably glad that Cube said that in front of a BET audience. Hopefully some young up and coming guys watching the show will take note of that and not write off the older rappers as outdated and instead, reach out to them for ideas. I mean, if I was an upcoming artist, I'd be asking a number of older guys for tips. Who knows, a phone call might even result in a guest spot.

The show was highlighted by its anticipated cyphers, which this year featured strong verses from Joe Budden, KRS-One, Nicki Minaj, Mos Def, Black Thought, and Eminem.

All was not celebratory, as the show had to take a moment and acknowledge several deaths that have devastated the Hip-Hop community. Busta Rhymes took time to offer condolences and celebrate the achievements of Mr. Magic, DJ Roc Raida, and DJ AM. AM, who died in August of a drug overdose, was posthumously honored with DJ of the Year honors.

Below is a select list of winners from the show and my prediction that I made last month in brackets.

Winners

Best Hip-Hop Collabo - T.I. Ft. Rihanna "Live Your Life" (Same)

Best Live Performer - Jay-Z (Same)

Lyricist of the Year - Jay-Z (Eminem)

Producer of the Year - Kanye West (Cool & Dre, I remember thinking they wouldn't go for Kanye because of 808s)

CD of the Year - T.I. Paper Trail (Same)

Rookie of the Year – Drake (Same)

Best Hip-Hop Video - T.I. Ft. Rihanna "Live Your Life" ("We Made You")

Video Director of the Year – Hype Williams (Same)

Track of the Year – Young Money "Every Girl" ("Day N Nite", wow I underestimated how popular "Every Girl" was, even after the negative press it got from the last time it was performed live)

MVP of the Year - Jay-Z (Same)

DJ of the Year - DJ AM (Same)

Hustler of the Year - Jay-Z (Same)

People's Champ – Fabolous "Throw It In The Bag Ft. The-Dream" ("Day N Nite" overestimated Kid Cudi this time I think, a shame because Cudi really deserved recognition somewhere)

Made You Look – Kanye West (Soulja Boy. For once, I am unbelievably happy I was wrong)

Best Hip-Hop Blog Site – Allhiphop.com (SOHH, bah oh well)

Well, that's 8 from 15, not too bad, I was expecting to get about 3 given how out of touch I am at the moment with mainstream radio and television.

Soulja Boy To Release New Material



Soulja Boy is following in the footsteps of Gucci Mane by releasing three mixtapes on Halloween. The series will be distributed in a variety of locations on and offline.

Paranormal Activity is the first named mixtape and it is hosted by DJ Woogie and DJ Neptune. The mixtape offers guest appearances by Drake, Gucci Mane, Sean Garrett, Kanye West and others. Soulja Boy made the announcement via his Twitter account (of course…).

DJ Neptune said that fans will see the young rapper in a different light on the project:

"Soulja Boy is showing growth on these new mixtapes, if you want to evolve as an artist you have to try new things and I'm glad to be a part of this great project," he said.
In addition to Soulja Boy, there are a number of mixtapes coming out on Saturday for the holiday including Lil Wayne's No Ceilings, D12's Return Of The Dozen: Volume 2 and a number of others.

Well, perhaps Soulja Boy is going to go for the Lil Wayne route and bombard the mixtape industry with material until we are all brainwashed and believe he's the best rapper alive, thereby replacing Lil Wayne in our consciousness. Ok people, I'll leave it up to you, who would you rather have floating around your head: Soulja Boy or Lil Wayne?

And death is not an option hahaha

Sales Figures

Jay-Z remains in the Top 5 this week with 43,000 copies of Blueprint 3 giving him a grand total of 1,159,000. Mariah Carey's recent release, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel isn't selling quite as much as her other albums have in the past, with 21,000 copies giving her a total now of 275,000. Meanwhile, Drake's EP, So Far Gone, which continues to defy my logic, sold 17,000 copies for a total now of 197,000.

Kid Cudi sold 8,900 copies of Man On The Moon for a total now of 183,000. Eminem's Relapse remains in the charts with 8,500 copies giving his latest album a total now of 1,490,000. Lil Boosie sold 5,500 copies of Superbad: The Return Of Boosie Badazz (REALLY bad album title) for a total now of 95,000.

Royce Da 5'9" debuted this week with just 4,600 copies of Street Hop being sold. See, this is where promotion really helps, I actually had forgotten this was being released this month as did many people by the looks of things. A shame, because it's probably quite a good album that I will get around to listening to one day.

Next week, Tech N9ne's (the man is a workhorse powerhouse, seriously) K.O.D. is set for release as is Triple C's (Rick Ross' group if you had tried to forget) first release.

The Signoff

That's all for another week everyone. You can catch me on Saturday with the second part of my exploration into the Suburban Noize label with Blast From The Past.

And don't forget to keep an eye out for next week's Special Feature featuring interviews with FIVE different rappers from Monday to Friday including two legends of the game, Masta Ace and Chuck D!