Author: Jesse Childs

Rappers in movies – Tupac’s top 5 acting performances

Tupac was one of the first rappers to crossover and start making movies. Here are 5 of his best silver screen performances. Each sheds a little bit of light onto who he was as an artist.

5. Murder Was the Case

Snoop’s 1995 movie included a cast featuring Dr. Dre, Charlie Murphy, Ice Cube, and Lil’ Bow Wow. Tupac played the role of the sniper at the end of the “Natural Born Killaz” video.

4. Gridlock’d

In this film, Pac played a rapper who was a recovering heroin addict opposite Tim Roth and Thandie Newton. It was set in Detroit and came out the year following his death. “Life is a traffic jam.”

3. Poetic Justice

This movie inspired one of the dopest collaborations between two rappers named Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Pac starred alongside Janet Jackson in this John Singleton inner-city romance. This film introduced the world to Tupac as Lucky at “the cookout” with one of its more memorable scenes.

2. Above the Rim

Not only did this movie star Tupac as villain Birdie but it had arguably the best rap soundtrack ever. His role was a side character but he left his mark on one of the most anticipated movies of the 1990s.

1. Juice

While Pac was able to embody all of his characters, none more so than Bishop in Juice. His character was an example of the T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. mantra that became his platform over the years.

Read: Rappers in movies – T.I.’s top 5 acting performances

Read: Rappers in movies – Donald Glover’s top 5 movie roles

July 19, 2020
Common’s “The Food” ft. Kanye West from the album Be was recorded live on the Dave Chapelle Show

Common and Kanye West gave us one of the best rap albums of all time coming out of Chicago with Be. “The Food” was one of the album’s standout tracks and featured West on the beat as well as the hook. The performance of the song was recorded when Common was a featured guest on Comedy Central’s Dave Chappelle Show on March 3, 2004, during the show’s second season.

The performance marked a comeback for the Chicago rapper, who had fallen off the radar until West helped revive his career. The song contains a sample from Otis Reddings “Nothing Can Change This Love“. The song ended up as the eighth track on Be and is one of the most memorable album performances from both artists.

Read: Common passed on the beat for Kanye West’s “Everything I Am” and “Heard ‘Em Say”

Read: Common was once a ball boy for The Chicago Bulls

July 19, 2020
Black Thought’s new short film is 7 minutes of Black excellence
The enigmatic frontman of the legendary Roots Crew is back with another installment in his solo series and a short film for the lead single. The next chapter, titled Streams of Thought Vol. 3: Cane and Able, will be released later this year. The first peek at what the “Super Lyrical” emcee has in store comes via “Thought vs Everybody” – The Visual Reckoning on YouTube.

Short Film for “Thought vs Everybody”

The visual was directed by Rodney Passé and filmed at Brooklyn’s Kings Theater. The powerful music video opens with a Marcus Garvey quote, setting a supernatural tone for the project. Nature scenes are juxtaposed with urban landscapes and people marching in the streets. Huey Newton’s voice adds to the vivid production before Thought gets busy delivering his signature hard-body flow.

Check it out for yourself and be on the lookout for the forthcoming Streams of Thought collaboration with Sean C.

Cover Art

Streams Of Thought, Vol. 3: Cain & Abel track list (according to Genius):
1. “I’m Not Crazy (First Contact)”
2. “State Prisoner”
3. “Good Morning” Feat. Killer Mike, Pusha T & Swizz Beatz
4. “Magnificent”
5. “Experience (Interlude)”
6. “Quiet Trip” Feat. The Last Artful, Dodgr & Portugal. The Man
7. “Nature of the Beast” Feat. The Last Artful, Dodgr & Portugal. The Man
8. “We Should Be Good” Feat. C.S. Armstrong
9. “Steak Um Feat. ScHoolboy Q
10. “Thought vs Everybody”
11. “Ghetto Boyz & Girls” Feat. C.S. Armstrong
12. “Fuel Feat. The Last Artful, Dodgr & Portugal. The Man
13. “I’m Not Crazy (Outro)”
July 17, 2020
The dynamic Blu & Exile return with new music

Miles: From An Interlude Called Life

New music from LA duo Blu & Exile is exciting news. The two connected for 2007’s “Below the Heavens” and it became a West Coast underground classic. They reconnected for 2012’s “Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them,” 2017’s “In The Beginning: Before the Heavens,” and last year’s “True and Livin’.” This time around, the album is titled Miles: From an Interlude Called Life.

Credit: Bee Gutierrez

Music announced in Complex exclusive

They dropped the single “Miles Davis” earlier this year. According to Complex, we’re in for a treat. “The project will be released through Dirty Science Records on July 17, the same day that Below The Heavens arrived thirteen years ago. The double album features Blu’s childhood friend, Miguel, Exile’s former bandmate, Aloe Blacc, and L.A. legend Aceyalone. It’s a triumphant return for a duo ready to receive their flowers once again; a nostalgic trip that still finds a way to sound remarkably fresh. Almost a decade-and-a-half after their emergence, Blu and Exile once again sounds like one of the sharpest hip-hop duos coming out of the West Coast.”

The project drops on July 17.

July 16, 2020
Rick Ross’ album Teflon Don turns 10

Florida rapper Rick Ross, with the birth name William Roberts, is a modern legend in the rap game. His album Teflon Don was released a decade ago and it marked the arrival of Ross as a titan in hip hop music. The project had no shortage of bangers, including B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast) and Aston Martin Music. It was released on Maybach Music.

He thought he was Big Meech and Larry Hoover on this album

The title is a reference to mob figure John Gotti’s nickname. He was the leader of New York’s Gambino crime family. The nickname was also borrowed by the 45th president of the United States to refer to himself. Ross, who borrowed his name from California drug runner “Freeway” Ricky Ross, has a habit of reverencing the mafia in his music. He recently showed up on Teyana Taylor’s “Come Back to Me”. What was your favorite song from Teflon Don?

July 14, 2020
The Big Day, ROTDIII, and ERYS albums 1 year later

3 acclaimed albums celebrate their first birthdays

Last summer feels worlds away. If you’re looking to reminisce over last year’s pre-COVID nostalgia, these three albums are a good place to start. We may not get back to normal anytime soon, but at least these vibes knock as hard as they did when they first dropped and can provide a temporary escape from isolation.

Chance the Rapper, The Big Day

The debut album from Chance the Rapper received mixed reviews, but his fans were not disappointed. Stand out tracks include “Hot Shower,” “Get a Bag,” and “Handsome.” A year later, Chance is out here caping for a Kanye West presidency in 2020. How did we get here?

Dreamville, Return of the Dreamers III

J. Cole‘s legion of rappers dropped the impressive Revenge of the Dreamers III last July and it is still a vibe a year later. EARTHGANG, Bas, Ari Lennox, JID, and Cole himself carry most of the weight but features from the like so f T.I., Smokepurpp, and others help round out the compilation. in 2020, they followed up the recent classic with a “director’s cut” of the album with additional music. Since then, Cole got into an intellectual feud with NoName over his “Snow on the Bluff” track. His next album is on the way and should arrive sometime this year.

Jaden, ERYS

Jaden may go by his first name but he is indeed a superstar fitting of his last name, Smith. Being in his father Will Smith’s shadow may have opened a few doors for the young mogul, but he is his own person and his talent shined through on ERYS, the follow up to 2017’s SYRE. Revisit the deluxe edition and see that this project has aged well, even though that Will and Jada love turned into an entanglement.

July 14, 2020
Hip Hop immortalized with 4 new postage stamps, and they’re fresh!

Next time you need to send an actual letter, reach for one of four new hip-hop inspired stamps. Last month, the USPS unveiled the new forever stamps. Each depicts one of the four elements: break dancing, graffiti, DJing, and MCing. According to the official press release, photographs by Cade Martin provided the imagery for art director Antonio Alcalá stamp designs.

The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the hip-hop movement with new Forever stamps. #HipHopPostageStamps https://t.co/mLTk4Nhwyk
— U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) July 1, 2020

Hip Hop goes postal

The stamps came about in partnership with the Bronx’s Universal Hip Hop Museum, which is directed by rap pioneer Kurtis Blow. According to Billboard, they were unveiled at a virtual ceremony where he said the following. “Today the United States Postal Service celebrates those elements, understanding that the roots of hip-hop are so much of a defining part of the culture itself that its history is now widely known as hip-hop’s fifth element: knowledge.”

Hip Hop stamps!

Hip hop started out as a cultural movement founded by inner-city youth in New York City, namely the Bronx, in the late ’70s and early ’80s. The movement spread across the globe in the following decades, cementing itself as the dominant force in popular culture by the early 21st century. Apparently, hip-hop can even make stamp collecting cool. They depict a woman graffiti artist grasping a can of spray paint, a B-boy striking a pose, a DJ scratching a set of turntables, and an MC rocking a mic.

July 14, 2020
A playlist of 20 powerful protest songs for 2020

The Afromerican Project curated 20 protest songs into a playlist for the ages. May 25 was a fateful day this year. The events of Memorial Day sent shock waves through Minneapolis, MN and beyond. Since then, hip-hop has reacted and a wave of protest music has become the soundtrack to the summer.

Ready 4 Liberation Playlist

Black Lives Matter got the world’s attention in a big way. Here is a collection of some new and some familiar tracks to help you stay motivated during the hot months. The protests may have taken a back seat to social distancing, but you can still fight the system in your own way with this playing in the background. Get ready for liberation with these timeless jams! It includes Kendrick Lamar, Bob Marley, H.E.R., Lil Baby, Anderson Paak, Vince Staples, Solange, and more.

July 14, 2020

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