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EXCLUSIVE: Outabodies EP



The indie hip-hop trio Outabodies has a new EP out that they were nice enough to let us post here. You know you're mad curious after seeing the above picture, so....

Download it!
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Exile Hip-Hop in the East Bay



Deuce Eclipse of Oakland hip-hop crew Zion I will be performing at a show on the California State University - East Bay campus on November 13. I'm pretty hyped about this, since I haven't really been to a good hip-hop show since I've been in California (that Kool Keith show in SF was alright). Along with the campus, the show is being promoted by East Bay Express, an area alternative weekly newspaper, and Amnesty International.
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50's Back, Again



It's not socially acceptable to admit you like 50 Cent, but I do. I love him and I have since I heard him on the 8 Mile soundtrack. Curtis Jackson is likely the best in the game at making hypnotic and addictive songs.

Don't believe me? Check out his new track "Crime Wave."
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Eminem's Slaughterhouse

Either peacefully or through violence, grudges always resolve themselves. It looks the grudge between friends Royce da 5'9 and Eminem, which arose when requests by Royce to be signed to Shady Records were rebuffed during the period when Eminem was promoting 50 Cent. Royce is now part of the back-to-basics hip hop crew Slaughterhouse and rumor has it that they're in talks to sign to Eminem's Shady Records label.

While Eminem seems to be very hit or miss in his ability to make songs, there is absolutely no doubting his lyrical ability. He has probably the most raw talent of anyone in hip-hop. Hip-hop group albums often work as an outlet for all the members of a group to showcase their ability. If he were to be a significant part of Slaughterhouse's next record, he would likely shine in that environment.
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The Roots Are Back! (Again)

While listening to NPR's All Songs Considered, they profiled a new album by the Roots. The album, put out only a little over a year after 2008's Rising Down, has been described as "gospel" by those who have heard it, according to drummer ?uestlove.

One song, "How I Got Over," has been released and is available to hear at okayplayer.com. The download link has been taken down however. The Roots have always been fantastic performers, but they seem to really be shaping together a good studio sound with their last two albums. I hope "How I Got Over" is a sign of more to come.
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50 Cent's Advice Is Valuable

Writer Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly is ridiculous:

The idea of rapper 50 Cent branching out into motivational philosophy writing is silly enough on its own. Given how 50’s music career has been going lately, I’m not sure anybody should be taking advice from him. Still, that’s not what made me laugh when I saw The 50th Law, the upcoming book that 50 co-wrote with The 48 Laws of Power author Robert Greene. (No word on what happened to the 49th law.)

No, the reason I LOL’d was The 50th Law’s completely ridiculous packaging. HarperStudio has spent Lord knows how much money to make The 50th Law look like some kind of kitschy Bible: faux-leather cover, gold-leaf edging on the pages, built-in satiny bookmark. Who are they kidding? As a mass-market paperback — or better yet, a pamphlet — maybe I could take 50’s dispensed wisdom seriously. Presented this way, as some sort of luxury heirloom text, I’m afraid this book is simply a joke.

Then again, this does suggest a possible marketing plan for The 50th Law, out Sept. 8: Perhaps if HarperStudio has copies placed strategically in hotel-room desk drawers across the nation, a few unsuspecting travelers might mistake it for a Gideon’s Bible and read it that way, by accident. But you tell me. Am I judging this book too harshly by its cover?

Yes, Simon, you are. I'm not sure what the politics of 50 Cent's album push-back are, but I think advice from a guy who went from being a bullet-riddled crack dealer to co-owner of VitaminWater, included in the Forbes list and having a net worth of $1 million is not something to be dismissive of.

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Michael Lives On


Thanks to The Budos Band for this gem.
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