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  • Rapper Proof Killed, Pointer Sister Passes Away

    The world of hip-hop is one that has a tragic tendency toward lyrics that display a glorification of violence, drug use and death. It’s unfortunate, but this is due in part to the fact that most rappers both grew up and live in situations where those things are far too common. Lyrics seem to mirror actions and because of that hip-hop gets the credit of being a journalistic outlet with the clearest lens you would ever see through, the eyes of the people involved. We are reminded time to time of how real the life of a rapper can become.

    One of those times came early Tuesday when rapper Proof, whose real name is Deshaun Holton was shot and killed in front of a Detroit nightclub in the wee hours of the morning. Unlike some killings of rap legends such as Tupac, Biggie Smalls and Big L, it seems Proof fired the first shot in an apparent gun battle which left the man he shot, 35-year old Keith Bender Jr. with a bullet wound to the head. The club all of this violence happened at, Club CCC on Detroit’s famed Eight Mile Road, was apparently operating at an illegal hour of the night. This is reportedly the third shooting in or around Club CCC. The rest of the details of the shooting including who actually shot the rapper are unclear as of yet.

    Proof becomes the second rapper in the group D12 to be murdered. Previously in 1999 another member of D12, Bugz was brutally killed during an altercation that got out of hand at an amusement park in Detroit. D12 was reportedly supposed to begin work on its next album this month. Details of whether that will change are not clear yet. This also mark’s another in what has become a long chain of events that have left rapper Eminem devastated. A couple of weeks ago, friend and fellow rapper Obie Trice was shot on a Detroit freeway but survived. Just a few days ago, Eminem filed for divorce from his wife Kim. Proof was Eminem’s best man at the ceremony. In addition, the killing is eerily similar to Eminem’s “Toy Soldiers” video, in which Proof is shot and killed on a Detroit street. Newly divorced and with the killing of a close friend and fellow rapper on his mind, Eminem’s world seems to be a little more gloomy.

    In other sad news, June Pointer of the Pointer Sisters passed away at the age of 52 on Tuesday at a Los Angeles hospital. June Pointer reportedly died of an undisclosed form of cancer. On her own, June recorded a top 30 R&B single “Ready for Some Action” in 1983. However, she will probably be best known for her work with her sisters, which included three Grammy awards and numerous top 100 Billboard singles. Some of the groups most well known songs include “He’s So Shy”, “Automatic” and perhaps their most recognizable hit “”Jump (For My Love)”. The Pointer Sisters songs were featured in some scenes in the 2003 hit film “Love, Actually”. In the film Hugh Grant plays the Prime Minister of England and listens to the songs of The Pointer Sisters throughout the movie.

  • MIXTAPE MONDAY vol. 1

    This Week’s Mixtape Up for Review is DJ Kay Slay’s “The Art of War”

    Dj Kay Slay The Art Of War

    This mixtape got off to a bad start. The first thing I heard was an ad for a car dealership in Jamaica, Queens. I hope this isn’t the direction that mixtapes are heading. When I heard the ad, it reminded me of the first time I saw a commercial at a movie theatre before the previews started, a true sickening sign of the times. Once I threw up and got back to listening to this mixtape I liked what I heard.

    Papoose is well featured on this mixtape, being a DJ Kay Slay signed artist. He showcases his flow in both slow and fast speeds on the first track “Faces of Death”, and goes at a more medium pace on “Riding Dirty (remix)” which also features the up-and-coming rapper Chamillionaire. In “Faces of Death”, Papoose gets thoughtful, talking about suicide and examples of ways in which we unexpectedly face death every day. Papoose has had previous mixtape success with songs on the thoughtful side like “Charades” where Papoose raps about his thoughts on the rap industry and “Mother Nature”, a track written about Hurricane Katrina. It’s dealing with tough issues outside the normal realm of hip-hop that separates Papoose as a rapper.

    Cam’ron hosts this mixtape and the Dipset influence is big on this mixtape. The track “War” features Cam and Hell Rell waxing poetic about street drug wars. Jim Jones has a solo track on the tape called “These Niggas Gonna Die Tonite”, where Jim talks about the assassination of his enemies and the further prosperity of his friends. Dipset member 40 Cal rides the beat with one of the better flows I’ve ever heard from him in the song “It’s 40”. On one line 40 even gets a bit religious with a biblical line; “It’s 40, that N.Y. capital G, that corrupt the big Apple like Adam and Eve”.

    This mixtape features rap veterans like LL Cool J on the track “Freeze” and Busta Rhymes on “I love my bitch”. It also manages to get some Southern influence into this mixtape with tracks from T.I., Young Buck and BG. Sprinkled in to the mixtape are a couple of freestyles, along with the usual mixtape shoot-outs promoting the newest Dipset album. Overall a wide ranging mix of the hip-hop industry, along with a lot of tracks your going to want to hear again make this mixtape worth going to your local Bodega and getting.

    OVERALL SCORE: 9 out of 10

    BEST LINE ON THE MIXTAPE:

    “Think I won’t kill, I got more will than a fresh prince”

    -Tommy Gunz


  • It’s a dreary day in Queens today…

    It’s a dreary day in Queens today. Its rainy, windy and cold, a great day to look forward to the near future. The Yankees have their first home game Tuesday; when the boys of summer are here; you know good weather is on its way. College students across the country are on Spring Break, either spending it in on some drunken beach paradise, or at home with nothing much to do beside go to the mall and get their parents to do several loads of laundry. Many people can feel the warm breezes of summer in their head and before long it will be Memorial Day, the first official beach day of the year. With that in mind, I thought what better thing for me to do then give all you music fans something to look forward to in the weeks before Memorial Day.

    Here are some much-anticipated musical releases coming out in the next 50 days:

    Daniel Powter – Daniel Powter
    You might not recognize the name, but if you’ve watched American Idol, you will recognize the voice. Powter’s #1 hit single Bad Day is all over the radio, but millions of American Idol fans hear it every week on TV. Bad Day is that song you hear during the montage of each Idol contestant’s experience on the show after they get eliminated. This singer/songwriter is hoping you give him a chance and go out and buy his whole album on April 11th.

    Toby Keith – White Trash With Money
    This country music mainstay comes out with his 11th studio release on April 11th, but you can look for something a little different than the pervious ten on this one. This is Keith’s first release under his own label “Show Dog Nashville”. The album is the first since Keith’s ’97 release Dream Walkin’ that’s not produced by Jon Stroud. Will a change in production translate into another in a long line of hits for Keith, or will fans be answering the question he posed with his ’99 album How Do You Like Me Now?! with a big fat “not very much”.

    Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs – Under the Covers, Vol. 1
    The indi-college rocker (Sweet) and Bangles frontwoman (Hoffs), team up on a collection of 60’s-ish covers that range from The Bee Gees’ Run to Me, to The Beach Boys Warmth of the Sun, to The Who’s The Kids Are Alright. The whole album was recorded at Sweet’s California home, and also includes tracks originally done by The Mammas and the Pappas, The Velvet Underground and oh yes, The Beatles. Interesting is the understatement of the year in talking about this calabo that comes out April 18th.

    Bruce Springsteen – We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
    The Boss pays tribute to folk music legend Pete Seeger in this fifteen track, dual disc release that has Bruce covering some of his favorite Seeger songs with a Springsteen twist. Springsteen recorded the tracks with an eclectic collection of musicians to back him up, including Conan O’ Brien house band members Richie “La Bamba” Rosenberg and Mark Pender. Noticeably missing, however, was E-Street Band and O’ Brien member Max Weinberg. The Folk fusion album comes out April 25th.

    Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam
    College rock fans rejoice on May 2nd when Pearl Jam releases its first studio album since 2000’s Binaural. While almost all of the early 90’s Grunge-rock bands have faded out, Pearl Jam remains a mainstream reminder of those good ‘ol rainy Seattle days. Pearl Jam has already released the first single from Pearl Jam, World Wide Suicide. The song has the familiar grungy edge that Pearl Jam has nearly patented, but still remains catchy. From all early indications expect more mastery of the art of grunge rock from this most recent release.

    Mobb Deep – Blood Money
    Rappers Prodigy and Havoc, collectively known as Mobb Deep are senior citizen when it comes to the hip-hop industry. They have a number of studio releases under their belts, in addition to countless tracks on mixtapes. Both rappers have given the solo thing a shot but haven’t been as successful as Southern counterparts Andre 3000 and Big Boi. After signing to G-Unit and Interscope records, Mobb Deep makes their first release under 50 Cent’s label on May 2nd. Through industry beefs with heavyweights like Jay-Z, and colaborations with some of the industries top producers these two have the respect of the industry. With that being said, Deep’s latest studio release Blood Money has a lot of hype behind it. Will the rap duo give hip-hop fans more of what they have come to expect under a new label? Blood Money will answer that question.

    Look out for part two of the pre-Memorial Day Music Preview Tuesday.
    COMING NEXT… THE INNAGURAL MUSIC HELP WEB MIXTAPE MONDAY