finally back on...updates a comin'....

school start'd so ive been laggin on this ish...i got an internship at my buddies store too so that eats up a lot of my tyme...i'm movin to gainsville to work at cplus'z label this up comin summmer CHEA!...finallly got my foot in the door....

Plies: The New Testament

By Alex Thornton

In 2006, Plies had a potential hit on his hands with the original version of “I Wanna Love You.” After being arrested last summer for being connected with a club shooting (his entourage allegedly opened fire on the crowd who came to see him perform; it’s a long story), the label opted to officially give the record to Snoop Dogg and Akon, leaving Plies to pay his bail and start over. A year later, he’s resurfaced with “Akon Lite” (a.k.a. T-Pain) for “Shawty” and seems to be back on track after his last attempt was derailed.

Fans of pre-crunk, Southern Hip-Hop are the most likely to latch onto The New Testament (Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic). While there are a few radio-ready club songs (“Shawty” or “I Am the Club”) most of the album is dark and hostile, similar to earlier work from No Limit. For the most part, the production is less glossy than recent Southern releases and doesn’t rely on overly complex concepts or fancy effects. Even the more upbeat songs like “Friday” or “Money Straight” are still a welcome nod to kind of rawness that once brought people to Cash Money albums.

The downside to his throwback style, though, is that Plies suffers from the same lack of depth that eventually drove those Cash Money and No Limit artists to want to start branching out and exploring different approaches. While he certainly has the attitude down, he resorts to lashing out at the same nonspecific enemies as any other rapper of his sort (haters, the system and white people). On “100 Years,” Plies is full of complaints but low on insight, and while he’d tell you that his lyrics or “for the streets,” the best street rappers find ways to put their problems in a context that makes them seem both unique and universal at the same time. Plies, on the other hand, is just another dude talking about how the haters don’t wanna see him shine.

While rough around the edges, The New Testament actually does have an appeal due to its nostalgic style, but like most trips down memory lane, that appeal is limited. Plies is on the edge of representing something that’s been lost over the last few years, but it isn’t something we need back so desperately that a mediocre version of it will accomplish much.

WWW.ALLHIPHOP.COM

Swizz Beatz: One Man Band Man

By Rashaan Meador

Most producers have their run and their sound or style gets burned out. Usually this happens because their sound stays the same or the artists they had the most success with are no longer relevant. Swizz Beatz has leaped over both of these hurdles. Starting his career in the late 90’s, he was hotter than fish grease up until 2001, cooled off, and since ‘04 has been providing hits for anyone who has gone platinum. His voice sampling for hooks technique (Cassidy "I'm A Hustla," T.I. "Bring 'Em Out") started a whole new phenomenon for producers (say Thank you Rick Ross) and he single handedly put Beyonce’s last album into the stratosphere. With his emergence of his newfound sound, he gives us One Man Band Man (Universal Motown), an album that differs from the typical compilations we get from producers-turned-rappers.

Never known as an MC, Swizz manages to create songs that not only have a hot beat , but lyrics and hooks minus the assistance of any of those artists that have benefited from his hit-making magic. Also, instead of producing everything himself, he lets up and coming knob twisters like Neo Da Matrix and Needlez get some shine.

The majority of the music on this album is strictly “in the club” material, which is not a bad thing. All of the songs have a common denominator; simple hooks, repeating verses, and beats with a constant knock. “It’s Me B*#@hes” and the remix featuring Lil’ Wayne, Jadakiss and R. Kelly have been bubbling all summer. The Young World Music produced “Money in the Bank” is another club heater that utilizes the same formula. The Needlez produced “Top Down” with its majestic horns captures the celebratory theme that underlies the majority of the album.

What’s admirable about this project is that it pretty much sticks to Swizz’s strengths. Many similar attempts finds the artist lost in a war between being themselves and a different type of artist. “The Funeral,” which sounds like he watched too many horror movies one night, is really the only song where he strays into the area of trying to be lyrical and deep. To his credit, Swizz fairs better with the introspection on the Coldplay sampling “Part of the Plan.” The rest of the album is true to hitmaker’s nature of creating anthems that people can dance and sing the words to. One Man Band Man plays as an audio desert; short, sweet, and something that’s not going to fill us up, but tastes great.

WWW.ALLHIPHOP.COM

Nas: Nas’ Favorite Things (Part 2)

By Chuck "Jigsaw" Creekmur

Nas’s look and image has always remained relatively consistent since he made his debut in the early 1990's. It is not by accident. The thirty-something rapper offers his tips for staying fit and healthy (after running down his gadgets, cars and other objects in Part 1). In addition, AllHipHop threw some Hip-Hop-related questions that really had Nasir Jones thinking.

AllHipHop.com: Do you have a particular workout regimen or dietary thing that you stick on?

Nas: Well I think push-ups, no pork, not too much beef. Not too many carbs, not too many yellow things, cholesterol. I say not too much ‘cause I indulge in some of them every [so often], except pork. But I just don’t want to lie, you know. Be a “fegitarian” with iron is cool. That’s like a vegetarian – vegetables with fish. I heard that’s the new s**t. It’s all kinds of ways, whatever floats your boat, but you gonna need some iron, some protein. You’re gonna have to balance the beef out sometime, know what I mean.

AllHipHop.com: What about your workout, more like cardio and lifting weights?

Nas: Definitely cardio and the weights when you get a chance, but you know always knock out some pushup and sit-ups get your blood flowing. Gotta be on the [treadmill], because your heart’s a muscle you got to work that out too, so got to keep that. Also, play ball and swimming.

AllHipHop.com: Yeah swimming is underrated. What was your first job like?

Nas: Never had a job. Never had a boss and I never will have a job and a boss. My pop told me, “Be your own boss.” That’s why I got in music, no bosses in this. When we get an executive inside, a lot of people be like “Yo, you signed to Def Jam is this guy your boss?” I went, “Nah, if I sign with Def Jam and I’m behind a desk, maybe it’d be different. But as far as music we each other’s boss, we both play for people, together.” You know what I’m saying nobody’s like you better be here at this time tomorrow or you’re fired. It’s nah, we’re collectively together, you can’t sit down and tell Kanye West what you gonna do. We working on our own - together for people. So I don’t think I ever had a boss. I don’t think I want to be behind a desk unless it’s for my own thing.

AllHipHop.com: Now these are five quick, really basically lines of questions, answers, Run-DMC or Wu-Tang?

Nas: That’s not fair. That’s not fair. That’s not fair. Nah, I can’t do that ‘cause Run-DMC… because I’m from Queens first of all, and Run-D.M.C. laid it down, they’re the Rolling Stones. Other than that you’ve got the Wu ‘cause there’s never been anything like it and there’ll probably never be anything like the Wu again.

AllHipHop.com: Alright, this is gonna be harder, but Kane, Kool G Rap or Rakim?

Nas: [Pauses] I say G Rap. I say Kane and Rakim so much, I’m gonna give it to G Rap this time because you know G don’t get the credit of being a sick motherf**ker, he said that line [in “Death Wish”] for me. And I smiled, “sick motherf**ker.” But then you felt that he was a sick motherf**ker when he said it, like that n***a there is in the class by his self.

AllHipHop.com: On a normal day: Rap, R&B, Rock or Jazz?

Nas: Jazz.

AllHipHop.com: Jazz, why?

Nas: Probably grew up around it. And you know it was cool out music. I’ve been listening and doing rap for so long, you need a break. And the Jazz like, you know John Coltrane and Coltrane is crazy. You know stuff he did… and Ellington is crazy too. Miles [Davis’] Kind of Blue.

AllHipHop.com: Steak or salad?

Nas: Steak. I need me a steak.

AllHipHop.com: A night on the town or night at home?

Nas: I mean, home is great. You know, I always got home. I like to do a night on the town. I’m already home, so a night on the town.

WWW.ALLHIPHOP.COM

Nas: Nas’ Favorite Things (Part 1)

By Chuck "Jigsaw" Creekmur

Nas has been one of Hip-Hop’s most beloved sons through the years. But, what does the rap star love? AllHipHop.com caught the Queensbridge king and conversed about what he utilizes to complement his even-evolving life.

AllHipHop.com: What’s your favorite gadget and why?

Nas: Like I, I mean like I’m not really a gadget dude, but I’d say my [T - Mobile] Sidekick. I can go online, email and all kinds of s**t.

AllHipHop.com: Has that helped you stay more connected? I know before, when we talked, you weren’t into computers like that.

Nas: Yeah, yeah that [sidekick] and a laptop, an Apple. I have an Apple that comes with a camera. You know that’s kind of cool. You know I iPod it up.

AllHipHop.com: Okay and speaking of the iPod, what do you think of the emergence of the digital era?

Nas: I mean it’s… I think that’s not the last [gadget] that we’re gonna see of you know that advanced technology stuff. So I mean just as I get used to that something else pop up and be like, “Wow, what’s this?” So you know when vinyl left and CDs came and DVDs came, I was prepared for whatever changes that would happen. All the changes [are] for our own convenience. It’s easier [organize] all the songs and stuff, you know. It’s easy.

AllHipHop.com: What are your thoughts of downloading in the digital era? Sometimes some people are using it, other people in the industry is generally opposed to it, but you get a lot of people leaking records to the Internet.

Nas: I think the record buyers are not there. You know the CD buyers are not there Me personally, I don’t get anything out of downloading, I can hear it but it’s not enough for me, like I want to experience the going in the store and dealing with the package and reading the stuff, and hearing it differently than over a computer the first time. [With Hip Hop is Dead], there’s no way I could hear it on the laptop or even with the speakers. I got to hear it in a system. There’s no way I can do a laptop. It just ain’t loud enough. It ain’t clear enough. It ain’t hot enough.

AllHipHop.com: What’s the one materialistic thing that you can’t live without?

Nas: Man, I’m a sucker for a car and this is just being a dude, man, since Tonka toys and trucks and s**t man, racetracks. This ain’t got nothing to do with talk about cars, make who I am you know. People get confused when I say s**t [about material items], “Oh he’s bugging.” No, I’m a sucker for cars. I always have the nicest cars since I’ve been of an age to drive. You know and jewelry jeans, man, I love jewelry.

AllHipHop.com: Tell us about a particular car, something surprising…

Nas: What’s the crazy s**t? There’s some old s**t, like an old ’78 [Chevrolet] Nova s**t, because one of my cousins had one back in the days when I was a kid. So you know I always wanted one of them things. So I’ve been looking at one, you know get it souped up, get it hooked up real crazy with the engine. Also the old school classic Rolls Royce from like the ‘50s. You know, some cars, there’s some cars I hear that’s in Cuba when you know they stopped the exports, imports from, embargo thing started right. There’s some cars left out there that I heard are like crazy And other than that, you know the [Rolls Royce] Phantom I think they got a convertible coming out. I’m real psyched about that.

AllHipHop.com: Yeah, I’m trying to get a 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am. The old school Smokey & the Bandit joint.

Nas: Crazy! But see they got a lot of them [old cars] have problems, a lot of them have a lot of issues with the engine and all that.

AllHipHop.com: What’s your favorite clothing line?

Nas: You know what’s f**ked up? I don’t if they f**k with the brothers, man, but I always liked Gucci since I was about probably seven, probably because [of] my mama. But I always liked them. I don’t know how they are with the brothers, you know, but Gucci [and] Prada… I like some of the new brands too. I like all the $300 jeans that make you feel like you’re doing something.

AllHipHop.com: We noticed your sneaker game a little bit with the Puma’s there Do you have any particular favorites?

Nas: I mean, I’ve always been the Nike and Adidas man, you know. Jordan brand is my favorite. But, just a cool casual sneaker? Shelltoe [Adidas], white on white.

AllHipHop.com: Do you have a favorite book?

Nas: Yeah, Private Convictions [which is] Richard Pryor’s life story and Miles Davis by Quincy Troup. And I love Love Unlimited, Barry White’s book, you know a lot of biographies.

AllHipHop.com: What ties those together as being your favorites?

Nas: I mean they survived, being incredibly talented in the world, when people wanted to wipe them out of existence and suck them dry and use them and spit ‘em out when they was done. They survived, they paved the way for people like me, so I always wanted to see what they were made of and what they were into.

WWW.ALLHIPHOP.COM

Nas: Nas’ Favorite Things (Part 1)

By Chuck "Jigsaw" Creekmur

Nas has been one of Hip-Hop’s most beloved sons through the years. But, what does the rap star love? AllHipHop.com caught the Queensbridge king and conversed about what he utilizes to complement his even-evolving life.

AllHipHop.com: What’s your favorite gadget and why?

Nas: Like I, I mean like I’m not really a gadget dude, but I’d say my [T - Mobile] Sidekick. I can go online, email and all kinds of s**t.

AllHipHop.com: Has that helped you stay more connected? I know before, when we talked, you weren’t into computers like that.

Nas: Yeah, yeah that [sidekick] and a laptop, an Apple. I have an Apple that comes with a camera. You know that’s kind of cool. You know I iPod it up.

AllHipHop.com: Okay and speaking of the iPod, what do you think of the emergence of the digital era?

Nas: I mean it’s… I think that’s not the last [gadget] that we’re gonna see of you know that advanced technology stuff. So I mean just as I get used to that something else pop up and be like, “Wow, what’s this?” So you know when vinyl left and CDs came and DVDs came, I was prepared for whatever changes that would happen. All the changes [are] for our own convenience. It’s easier [organize] all the songs and stuff, you know. It’s easy.

AllHipHop.com: What are your thoughts of downloading in the digital era? Sometimes some people are using it, other people in the industry is generally opposed to it, but you get a lot of people leaking records to the Internet.

Nas: I think the record buyers are not there. You know the CD buyers are not there Me personally, I don’t get anything out of downloading, I can hear it but it’s not enough for me, like I want to experience the going in the store and dealing with the package and reading the stuff, and hearing it differently than over a computer the first time. [With Hip Hop is Dead], there’s no way I could hear it on the laptop or even with the speakers. I got to hear it in a system. There’s no way I can do a laptop. It just ain’t loud enough. It ain’t clear enough. It ain’t hot enough.

AllHipHop.com: What’s the one materialistic thing that you can’t live without?

Nas: Man, I’m a sucker for a car and this is just being a dude, man, since Tonka toys and trucks and s**t man, racetracks. This ain’t got nothing to do with talk about cars, make who I am you know. People get confused when I say s**t [about material items], “Oh he’s bugging.” No, I’m a sucker for cars. I always have the nicest cars since I’ve been of an age to drive. You know and jewelry jeans, man, I love jewelry.

AllHipHop.com: Tell us about a particular car, something surprising…

Nas: What’s the crazy s**t? There’s some old s**t, like an old ’78 [Chevrolet] Nova s**t, because one of my cousins had one back in the days when I was a kid. So you know I always wanted one of them things. So I’ve been looking at one, you know get it souped up, get it hooked up real crazy with the engine. Also the old school classic Rolls Royce from like the ‘50s. You know, some cars, there’s some cars I hear that’s in Cuba when you know they stopped the exports, imports from, embargo thing started right. There’s some cars left out there that I heard are like crazy And other than that, you know the [Rolls Royce] Phantom I think they got a convertible coming out. I’m real psyched about that.

AllHipHop.com: Yeah, I’m trying to get a 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am. The old school Smokey & the Bandit joint.

Nas: Crazy! But see they got a lot of them [old cars] have problems, a lot of them have a lot of issues with the engine and all that.

AllHipHop.com: What’s your favorite clothing line?

Nas: You know what’s f**ked up? I don’t if they f**k with the brothers, man, but I always liked Gucci since I was about probably seven, probably because [of] my mama. But I always liked them. I don’t know how they are with the brothers, you know, but Gucci [and] Prada… I like some of the new brands too. I like all the $300 jeans that make you feel like you’re doing something.

AllHipHop.com: We noticed your sneaker game a little bit with the Puma’s there Do you have any particular favorites?

Nas: I mean, I’ve always been the Nike and Adidas man, you know. Jordan brand is my favorite. But, just a cool casual sneaker? Shelltoe [Adidas], white on white.

AllHipHop.com: Do you have a favorite book?

Nas: Yeah, Private Convictions [which is] Richard Pryor’s life story and Miles Davis by Quincy Troup. And I love Love Unlimited, Barry White’s book, you know a lot of biographies.

AllHipHop.com: What ties those together as being your favorites?

Nas: I mean they survived, being incredibly talented in the world, when people wanted to wipe them out of existence and suck them dry and use them and spit ‘em out when they was done. They survived, they paved the way for people like me, so I always wanted to see what they were made of and what they were into.

WWW.ALLHIPHOP.COM

T.I.: The Man Who Would Be King

By Jake Paine

T.I. just couldn’t wait to be King. In 2006, if there were any other bidders for the crown of the South, Clifford “T.I.” Harris raised his hand and his voice – blocking out whatever and whoever else.

As his fast-selling T.I. vs. Tip album continues to find buyers, and get discovered through second and third singles, T.I. spoke to AllHipHop.com about the motion to become king, the pressures of going corporate, and why Grand Hustle isn’t your typical label built around one star. As the new album continues to burn in the ears of fans worldwide, it’s worth noting the journey, and masterpiece, leading up to the soul-search.

AllHipHop.com: After King, the crown appears to be glued on, and not moving. Respect due, but after Slim Thug called his album Already Platinum and ended up reaching for gold, critics and fans really came down hard. When you did King, looking back, was there any doubt that it would be challenged?

T.I.: No. None. Believe it or not. Because whether you know it or not, [before] King, the groundwork was already laid. It was already unanimous at that time. It was undisputed. Just think about it: before T.I., who was King of the South? The term didn’t exist. So how can you say that he’s not? I felt like it was just like about time.

AllHipHop.com: “What You Know” was the hardest single out last year, and without doubt, it played the longest. DJ Drama pointed out to me that it was you going back to your roots with a hard, soulful street record that your longtime production affiliate DJ Toomp made. It marked the journey you made to the top. Is that how you see it; was it all that intentional?

T.I.: You look at your strengths and your weaknesses, and you ask yourself, “What do people like about you?” You keep all of that and you add in as much as possible that could attain you a market that you haven’t reached. “What do people who don’t know of you yet already need to know about you?” Then you make a song called “What You Know (About That).” [Laughs]

AllHipHop.com: Growing up, did you ever think you’d see a rapper or hear a rap song during a Super Bowl commercial?

T.I.: [Laughs] I never put that much thought into commercials, period. It’s just one of those accolades that you acquire along the way of gettin’ to where you want to be. It’s sort of like most of us who really, really do it in this game, it’s so hard, we just keep our head down and keep workin’, and then, before you know it, we look up and we’re Jay-Z, or we’re Puffy, or we’re 50, or we’re T.I. All the little things that you accomplish along the way, you hardly ever really stop and smell the roses.

AllHipHop.com: Of those guys, you’re one of, if not thee youngest to do it. At a point in your life where so many people might settle for “prince,” how does it feel it be “king”?

T.I.: Shhh…phenomenal. It was definitely a high standard. I put it up there. It didn’t mean half as much to me when I said it as when people tried to deny me of it. When people told me I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t be it, that’s when I started going harder.

AllHipHop.com: From Eminem back in the day, to the Shop Boyz recently trying to merge with Rock Star Energy Drink, has the Chevrolet deal affected the way you’re writing your lyrics?

T.I.: Not at all. Until I become a partner or get in bed with a conglomerate or a corporate sponsor that’s willing to compensate me to be mindful of my lyrics, then I don’t see the need to.

AllHipHop.com: One of your favorite albums is Jay-Z’s Blueprint, which was more or less, free of guests. That was at a time when it might have been in Jay’s best interest to put Beanie or Bleek or Freeway on a hit record. With T.I. vs. Tip, you haven’t prominently featured Grand Hustle artists. Is that difficult, as a friend and mentor, when your artists see the major vehicle for exposure that is this album?

T.I.: Nah. Because in my camp, everybody, they earn they keep. It’s a matter of you doing what it takes to break you as an artist. You’re gonna have to come up with that record. If there’s a song on my album that has an artist on it, it’s the opportunity that the artist took.

For instance, anybody can come in when I’m making a record and say, “Hey, I like this, I wanna get on it.” Very seldom will I say, “Nah, you can’t do that.” So I have songs with Big Kuntry, with Young Dro, Mack Boney, Alpha Mega, so on and so forth. But in the song-picking process, I’m not gonna say that I have to get all of these things done. I can’t put that before picking the best songs to make the best quality album. At the end of the day, man, whoever is standing, is standing. That’s not to say, “These songs aren’t good.” If you did your thing, you did your thing. Just like when they’re picking their first singles, it’s not mandatory that it’s a record T.I. produced or T.I. is on; I allow them to do their thing. They allow me to do the same.

AllHipHop.com: As I’ve walked around the Atlantic Records building, it seems as though I’ve seen your face all morning. [T.I. laughs heavily]…

T.I.: That’s what happens when you pay the bills somewhere, man.

AllHipHop.com: Well, that’s what I want to ask you. For a while, 50 Cent was calling himself Curtis “Interscope” Jackson. When you’re in New York, how do you feel when you walk around the Atlantic building?

T.I.: Like I’m at home. Period.

AllHipHop.com: As musicians and as men, what was the chemistry like with Eminem?

T.I.: Man! All around mutual respect. We recognize the differences in one another. I know he do what he do to death, and he knows the same thing about me. We respect it. Man, we really met each other for the first time and it felt like we’d known each other for a long time. We’d spoken over the phone before, but actually face-to-face, doing these records was when we met. We gelled like we’d known each other for years. Because I don’t know everything that he goes through, and I haven’t experienced everything that he’s experienced, but I’ve gotten a piece of it. I know how you can feel like you can never get time to yourself, and you’re giving more of yourself to the game than it gives you. I understand a lot of the things that other people ridicule him for, out of their lack of knowledge for the situation. We just respected each other. I’m sure he can respect certain things about me that other people might not be able to.

AllHipHop.com: “Live in the Sky” is an important record. It speaks to me. I’m told it’s a sensitive issue with you and subsequently, it’s a tough question to ask. With all the talk of the state of Hip-Hop, do you feel that if that single had gotten out there further, that it would have bettered your Grammy chances for Album of the Year?

T.I.: It was a single. It was a video.

AllHipHop.com: I know that.

T.I.: It just didn’t overshadow “What You Know (About That).” With that single, we sold records. We went from 1.3 [million copies sold] to 1.6 off of that single. It ain’t like it didn’t have the opportunity. I think the Grammy’s would’ve been bombarded with T.I. if we had my already-four nominations, plus equate the other singles. I think it was, “We’ve had enough of T.I., let’s give the other cats a chance,” you know?

AllHipHop.com: You were the first person that ever used the term “trap” to me. Do you feel that five or so years later, that the term “trap music” has been bastardized both other rappers in the game?

T.I.: I mean, man…[sighs]…you should’ve asked [Tip] about that, but I’ll speak on it a little. I think it should be used as any term is used. There are some who’ve taken the term and done it justice, and there’s some people who’ve taken the term and exploited it. All in all, as the originator or the founder of the term, I’m just happy that people are using it in everyday conversation.

AllHipHop.com: One of my favorite ad-libs ever in a verse was, “Y’all ain’t never seen a dope-boy play piano and rap at the same time” on “Be Easy.” Looking at that line, how do you think the balance exists in Hip-Hop today between musical ability and street credibility?

T.I.: Mmmm. I think it’s very important to infuse the two. I think that your talent and your natural ability gets you to a certain point. I think that your will to work hard gets you to another point. But I think that your ability to relate to the core of this Hip-Hop game is what gets you to either of those points. If you don’t have that in the beginning, it’s very hard to make it to point it to point B or C.

WWW.ALLHIPHOP.COM

Chingo Bling - They Cant Deport Us All [Retail][2007][GroupRip]

Part I
http://link-protector.com/262230/

Part II
http://link-protector.com/262232/

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Hurricane Chris: Ratchet City

By Haaron Hines

If you asked M.O.P. about ratchets, you'd get an entirely different explanation than you do from Hurricane Chris. Ratchet is a lifestyle in Shrevport, Louisiana - where the regional "Ay Bay Bay" has recently become commercial rap vernacular. The Pologrounds/J Records artist wants his face and talent to spread like the slang he's helped his DJ spread. In his teens, that just might happen.

Hurricane Chris, and his 51/50 Ratchet debut have a lot to prove. But the former battle-rapper isn't caught up in ringtone labels. Chris explains his roots, his name, and the components of his album to AllHipHop.com, who keeps it ratchet all day.

AllHipHop.com: For those of us who don’t know, can you explain what it means to be “ratchet”?

Hurricane Chris: Ratchet is more than a word, it’s a culture. But mostly it’s just us. Ratchet is how we walk, talk, eat, live, all that. That’s our swagger, that’s what we are. If you in the club and you run into both your baby mamas, that’s ratchet. If you on the block with the same clothes you had on the day before, that’s ratchet. If you party all night, come home when the sun come up, take a shower and go to work, that’s ratchet. It’s all about being free, wilding out, and living life to the fullest.

AllHipHop.com: The word ratchet is also used as a slang term for a firearm in many cities across America. Are you worried about possible controversy from the association of that word with you and the movement?

Hurricane Chris: Well, it might mean something different in different places. It can mean that here too. It can have a bunch of different meanings. But that’s not what our movement is about. That’s not what we’re putting out there. We’re about living life the best we can. I’m the first one but it’s so much more to the movement. We got a lot coming, man. We’re trying to get it bigger than everything out there. And it can be bigger than everything because it’s not like anything that’s out there. You’ll see, just wait.

AllHipHop.com: You’re gaining a lot of momentum for yourself and your movement with the single, A Bay Bay. Where did the “A Bay Bay” chant come from?

Hurricane Chris: The “A Bay Bay” came from a DJ in my home town, in Sheverport, LA. When he would come in the club and do his thing everybody would be like “A Bay Bay, A Bay Bay.” We decided to take it and make it into a song.

AllHipHop.com: Was that record made for the specific purpose of having the obligatory “club song” or was it something that just happened?

Hurricane Chris: It was part of us, part of the movement, part of where we’re from so we just did it. We never thought it’d get so big, but it did. It’s crazy right now. People are loving it everywhere. It's real catchy. It gets stuck in your head the first time you hear it. Everybody relates to it, White folks, Black folks, hustlers and thugs.

AllHipHop.com: Artists are usually labeled by their singles. Can fans expect something different from your next single or have you chosen to stay in the “party song” lane?

Hurricane Chris: My music, my album is more than “Ay Bay Bay.” Me, the whole movement is versatile. There’s a lot of versatility. The movement is not just the party songs. Anybody who hears my album will know how it is. If you want to see the bigger picture, get the album. It comes out at the end of August.

AllHipHop.com: There are many new rappers who get in the game with the hopes of having a hit single, which ultimately leads to ringtone sales. Are you worried about being labeled a “ringtone” rapper?

Hurricane Chris: I’m a fan of Hip-Hop. I’ve always loved Hip-Hop. I’m a Hip-Hop artist. I will always consider myself a Hip-Hop artist. I don’t get into the labels. I don’t get into all that, “He’s not a rapper, I’m not a rapper,” or the “He’s a rapper, but I’m a MC.” I don’t concern myself with it. But, at the same time, I won’t let people call me anything that belittles or disrespects what I do and, at the same time, I don’t try to make myself seem bigger than anybody else.

AllHipHop.com: Where does your name come from?

Hurricane Chris: My name comes from battling. I come from battling. That’s why I’m standing here. I would be going against all these dudes and they’d say their rhymes then I’d say mines and destroy them. After it was over everybody would be quiet. I’m like a storm, like a hurricane. Because a hurricane will destroy everything then after the storm hits everything is real quiet.

AllHipHop.com: Is there anyone in the game right now you feel you could take in a battle?

Hurricane Chris: [Laughs] Honestly, our movement is bigger than that. We’re trying to do more. We don’t get involved in little stuff like that. But if the fans want it and somebody is willing to pay to see it go down, then we’ll step up against anybody.

AllHipHop.com: Louisiana has changed a lot since hurricane Katrina. How has it affected you and your music?

Hurricane Chris: Everybody always asks that question. “What’s it like back home? How’s home doing?” Home is home. I wake up happy to be where I’m from. That only made us stronger. Hurricane Katrina came and left but we’re still there. We been there and ain’t going nowhere… That’s another thing that’s ratchet. [Laughing] See, we getting real deep into it today.

AllHipHop.com: So, with that in mind, what can fans expect?

Hurricane Chris: When I write, when I rap, I think about the fans. I try to give people what they want so that’s what I did when we did the single and everything else on the album. I tried to talk about a lot of different subjects. I feel like there’s something on the album for everybody. When I come to your town, spend that money. I’m going to give it all I got. You’re going to get a show. That’s what the whole ratchet movement is about, doing everything to the fullest.

WWW.ALLHIPHOP.COM

Common Lands At #1, Talks Album Success

By Mike Winslow

Rapper Common has landed the first #1 album of his career with the release of his 7th and latest album, Finding Forever.

The album, which was released via Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music, moved 155,329 copies during its first week in stores, besting his previous chart ranking, which was #2 with 2005's album BE.

Finding Forever beat Korn's latest album Untitled, which will land at #2 with over 123,000 units sold.

According to Common, the success of Finding Forever, which also hit #1 on iTunes, is due to the honest of the album's lyrical content.

"I always wanted to be that voice for all people,” Common told AllHipHop.com in a statement about the album. “If I tell you a story about some spacey astrology thing that's because I’ve experienced it or I’ve been next to somebody who experienced it, if I tell you a story about selling some dope or getting robbed or shot that’s because I’m next to the person that knows the person it happened to… I rap from a truthful place.”

Common is currently preparing to film a video for the single “Drivin’ Me Wild,” which features Lily Allen.

Producer Kanye West will also make a cameo appearance in the video, which is being shot this month.

In related news, Common is preparing to release his third book, titled M.E. (Mixed Emotions).

The rapper's first book, The Mirror and Me, teaches lessons about life, the human spirit and human nature, while his second book, I Like You, But I Love Me was nominated for a NAACP Image Award.

M.E. (Mixed Emotions) is due for release later this year.

WWW.ALLHIPHOP.COM

smh @ homothugz...

ya some duestch thought it'd be sweet to hold on to my computer...not really a good idea...im back...and better than? idk? something?...... got some new UGK comin' it'll be on here eventually...