Wiz Khalifa & Amber Rose Cover the New XXL

Wiz On Getting Together With Amber: “I love my baby. She’s gorgeous and it makes me look even cooler when I show how much I love her to other people… When I met Amber, she loved me for who I was. I had some money, but it was like to pay my bills and literally set myself up for a future. But I was wearing the same camo shorts and high-tops and Chucks. But she liked my swag and she liked me for who I was and I wasn’t afraid of that… She didn’t wanna date any entertainers or anybody in the business. She didn’t know who she wanted to be with, but she knew who she didn’t wanna be with.” Wiz Khalifa links up with Toronto’s, The Weeknd, for, “Remember You.” “O.N.I.F.C.,” drops December 4th.

ASAP Rocky "Peso" (Re-Post)

Had To post again cause of the recent Rocky infatuation growing at an all time high right now..

Future - Tony Montana (Edited Version)

We told yall all along what this dude was gonna do. If you havenet heard any of his mixtapes then I suggest you play one...this aint nearly one of the best I promise you..hes next..

Wale Ft. Drake – I’m On One (Remix)

Nardwuar Interviews LiL Wayne...

NARDWUAR IS THE BEST TO EVER EVER DO IT!!!

Fat Trel - Respect With The Teck (Produced By Lex Luger

Still going in...
LOOKOUT FOR THAT FAT TRELL AND ZIM "LIVE NIGGAS TRACK" SOON PEOPLE!!! VERY SOON

Music Video: Theophilus London “Century Girl” featuring Devonte Hynes

CENTURY GIRL feat. Devonte Hynes from Theophilus London on Vimeo.

REFLECTION : TOP 10 MIXTAPES OF 2010!!! CARTEL LIVING EXCLUSIVE!

I had been contemplating even doing the post for the last couple of weeks. I knew that if I were going to do it I would actually have to go back and listen to several mixtapes throughout 2010 to make sure my credibility and my superior listening skills in music is in way shape or form flawed. I listen to over the course of a year roughly about 1000 mixtapes I would say (not including albums). So as you can imagine it is very hard to narrow down the best of the best. Before I go any further I want to lay down some rules before anyone gets mad and wonders why your favorite DJ’s mixtape wasn’t added on to this list and yada yada yada.

Rule #1. – Mixtapes will solely be based on an artist solo effort.
Rule #2. - No compilations (in other words, no “Best of’s” and “Series”)
Rule #3. - Must be an official authorized mixtape by the given artist. No DJ made up mixtapes that the artist is unaware of.
Rule#4. - Mixtape must be available for download (I will include all listens and download through Datpiff because of the fast speeds and easy listening gadget on site. So if you don’t have a membership please get one now. They have every mixtape in the world dating back to 2000 or something.)
Rule #5. - Don’t cry and just accept the fact that these really were the top 10 mixtapes of 2010.

With that said I still feel like I am forgetting a couple of cds or something but if I am, pleasssse by all means let me know what I am missing or what I got wrong. That’s what post like these are for right?

HERE WE GO -

#10. Nipsey Hussle – The Marathon


This mixtape came so late in the year right after Christmas that some may believe this actually qualifies for a 2011 pick. Never the less the mixtape came in 2010 and baby it was a monster! This mixtape confirms what we all thought about Nipsey when he first came out with the “Bullets Aint Got No Name” Series with just raw west side tales of a Gangsta all the way Crippin with a great ear for the best beats. The number one trend on this entire list is great production and this mixtape never falls short on any production levels. The majority of the mixtapes chosen on this list have their own producers and do not settle for the now cliché “50 Cent” early 2000’s approach of just rapping over other peoples beats and making your own song out of it. Nipsey creates his own sound on the west coast without any help from Snoop or Dre and that in its own right is an accomplishment in the struggling west coast in today’s southern hip hop landscape.

My personal favorite = #12 “Call from the Bank” (Rapping on a MGMT beat = Pure Genuis)

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

9. Lil Phat- “Death Before Dishonor”

The true wild card out of the entire list. I think I will probbab ly get the most flack off this mixtape choice, especially since I left off some of your favorites such as Lupe’s, “Enemy of the State” & Jeezy’s “Trap or Die 2”. But please hear me out or better yet hear Lil Phat out. His first mixtape release with DJ Khaled ,“Life of a Youngsta” was decent by all means but pretty much went over real rap listeners heads simply due to the over saturation of mixtapes and albums dropped every year. This release however, on the brink of Lil Boosie’s incarceration set the tone for Trill Fam and their spot in hop hop. Why all the attention is on Young Money at press time, there is a “No Limit/ 90’s Cash Money” aura that looms over Trill Fam's music. The hard edged gangsta tales of Baton Rouge are so convincingly conveyed through each track. With in house producer “Mouse on the Track”, they seemingly take over where Mannie Fresh and Cash Money left off in their high points in developing their own unique style. Mouse is responsible for the emergence of Lil Boosie in my eyes and that’s why when another member of the Trill Fam continues to carry the torch for his rap la-familia its exciting! The rap tales on this mixtape are almost “Pac” like. I hate comparing anyone or saying anyone name in the same sentence as Pac but the realness and sincerity of the songs that Phat puts out on here are almost mind blowing as he navigates you through the street life of a Lousiana, "Post Katrina" era. Like I said this one is a true wild card off the radar mixtape but for real rap listeners this cd is more then worthy of a top ten selection in this years selections.

My personal favorite = #4 “Sick Shit”

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

8. J. Cole – “Friday Night Lights”

Coming off lots of momentum from the BET Rap Awards and of course the Freshman Top 10, Cole seems to seemingly run through freestyle and hand crafted classic song after song on this almost heroic mixtape. The North Carolina native makes this rap thing seem so honest and takes the the glitter out of the glammer of the bright lights that most rappers always seem to always turn on for the audience. Cole appeals to a much wider audience then the traditional fan in my eyes. With a soft spot for the women he and Drizzy Drake breeze through rap classics such as, “In the Morning”, where he spits raps about the ups and downs of that ever so special morning sex. Then flips the script and raps his ass off on timeless freestlyes that give us an inside look at “Fayet-Nam”(Fayetville, N.C). The Roc Nation MC is just brutally honest in his approach and wins over music fans every day and Friday Night Lights given away for free is almost insane when you think about it in the context of its album format.

Favorite Quotable= “ Before Im Gone” -
The more n-ggas sayin’
Cole the wrong one bringin’ the city shine
All he ever doin’ is paintin’ pictures of crime
Tellin’ stories of pain, paintin’ pictures of dope
Bitch if you listen I’m paintin’ pictures of hope
That boy in class embarrassed because he broke
Hopin’ the day he won’t be the butt of somebody’s jokes
See me; I lived it all from dirt-poorin’ and trailer
Worried about my mother and never trustin’ my neighbors
To middle-class with a backyard and my own room
To bein’ the only black kid in my homeroom
academically gifted and followed my own rules
Was runnin’ the streets hey ma I’ll be home soon
Was out chasin’ ho’s, was out hoopin’
Them n-ggas wasn’t ballin’ but yet they was foul shootin’
So meet the newest role model who don’t know how to fake this sh-t
Never sold a rock and look I made it bitch

My Personal Favorite= #9 “Higher” (Just Feels good)

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

7. Rick Ross- “Albert Anastasia"

This mixtape could have easily been rated higher when you think of the magnitude of this banger. The emergence of the two songs “ M.C Hammer” & “B.M.F” set the tone for entire Summer! Just when the haters thought 50 Cent actually had some type of effect on Ross’s career, he jumps out with the biggest street anthems of the year. The well rounded selections of music are just brilliant to say the least. The connection with Diddy is almost comical but somehow it works. Its like he has resurrected a simmering career from Ross and made him sizzling hot like a brand new artist. Not quite Biggie, but its not bad being Ross. His smooth laid back approach on timeless songs just makes him the coolest fat man to ever throw on lavender crock skins. “BOSS!” (In my best Ross voice).
My Personal Favorite- “B.M.F” (Of course)
Favorite Quotable- "Rose’ that’s my nickname, Cocaine running through my big vein”

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

6. French Montana- “Mac with the Cheese 2”

With so much bullshit coming out of New York its so refreshing to get a new breath of life from the Mac with the cheese. When Max B was not incarcerated he elevated Frenchie’s game to another level. The Coke Wave series of mixtapes are regarded as the holy grail in places such as Hartford, Connecticut and upper Tri State areas. No one ever thought that the light skin kid from Africa who used to freestle on Smack dvd’s would sign with Akon and Konvict music and emerge as the front runner for the “New” New York. With Mac with the Cheese 2 he has single handily put his name into the XXL Freshman top 10 with just one mixtape. If he does not get on that cover of the magazine then it would be a crying shame. The intro on this mixtape is quite possibly the best intro I have heard in the last decade of music. With a great list of features to go along with the new Konvict signee Frenchie has made his smooth southern draw New York flow a unique style that listeners have grown to love. Managed by Waka Flocka’s mother he has the potential to take over the streets in 2011 for good and make the Diplomat movement not as anticipated as some would think. With some of the artist from New York growing in age such as Jadakiss and Fabolous, its only right that the new breed carry the torch for Hip Hop’s mecca. Most people reading this will argue with me leaving several New York artist mixtapes off this list and having French Montana’s on here instead. But what can I say other then the fact I pick the hottest shit period. Features from Nikki Minaj, Jada, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Waka Flocka, O.J, Bun B, and Curren$y.If your favorite rapper isn’t on here its because they just didn’t come with it mixtape wise and this Mac with the Cheese simply did inside and out.

My personal favorite= #1 –“ Intro” & #8 “So High”

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

Favorite Quotable - #10 “Im on it” –
“And I be's the jungle fever
Get the heart cheaper, lower than a dark caesar
Unbeatable, unbelievable and the drug dealers love me told me I don't need the blow
Here's a half a brick nigga you don't need to show”

5. Big Krit – “Big Krit Was Here"

All I can say is = LONG LIVE PIMP C!!! R.I.P Chad Butler. Although Big Krit’s subject content stretches from welfare to hustling and cadillacs and what ever else goes on under the sun in Mississippi. My point is that when Pimp C died a part of me and a lot of real rap listeners died as well. Just like pimp he raps but his production is just as deadly. What we all didn’t know is that a guy from Mississippi not named David Banner would come out and flip scriptures of pimpin and inner city struggles as well. A couple of MTV Jams plays and recognition from many other artist who uses his help along the way (ex. Devin the Dude and Slim Thug & Curren$y). This mixtape showed the people that south has something to say. We We been saying this along. If he isn’t a Freshman top 10 this year as well I don’t know what is. This body of work made sure everyone knew BIG KRIT WAS HERE.

Favorite Quaotable#4- “Hometown Hero”-
“Flyer then I have to be
Talking to the Lord, I can't stay,
Who gone save hip-hop after me,
That's like a torn ACL to an Athlete,
Boobie Miles, Friday (Night) Lights,
Capture me, In my hometown...”

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

4. Dom Kennedy- “From Westside with Love"


I cant say this enough: DOM IS THE BEST ON THE WEST RIGHT NOW!!! This rapid fire flow is so unique its crazy that not too many people don’t give this guy the props he deserves. All of his mixtapes including “Future Street” and “25th Hour “, make him the all around artist that make legends. He has the tools to make him the best in the game but somehow because of the geographic climate currently in hop hop he cannot get enough attention to his mixtapes to shake up the masses. The wordplay is so clever it would make Jigga himself scratch his head on his punchlines. If you honestly think Llloyd Banks and Fabulous are the punch line kings…I dare you to listen to this mixtape or any of the past mixtapes I just named and listen to the way he delivers. The classics Dom drops almost effortlessly without even breathing from line to line make any listener feel as though they should jump into the rap game. His partner Carter is another artist to watch for simply because of the style and flow. If you are not familiar with Dom Kennedy please please please download this and take a listen and see what you missed in 2010 from this classic mixtape that opened the flood gates for his following.
Favorite Quotable- #3 “1997”

“Has some iceberg and I used to want that Coogi
Back in 97 man my uncle wore the Gucci
And he rocked Polo, and he wore the Stussy
I am no marine but these niggas do salute me
Catch me on Peco, I am like the Lucy's
Give it to em raw, I am like the sushi
I hate how rappers use the term "fresh" so loosely
Bad ass nigga, I am like Boosie
But that just might have went over yo head like a kufi
If I was a DJ, I would be Brucey
Or any of them niggas Biggie shouted out on juicy”

My personal Favorite Song #13- “Speaker Phone”

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

3. Big Sean – “Finally Famous Vol 3.”

No surprise G.O.O.D music would end up on this list some where down the line. The surprise is that maybe that Kanye isn’t on this list. Many of the games veterans were not heavy on the mixtape scence this year and this opened the door for many of the young guns of the game to walk right on thru the door. Big Sean’s entire “Finnally Famous” mixtape collections have set him up to deliver one of the most anticipated albums of 2011. He gave us countless punch lines and wity flows that make him in my eyes in the top 10 MC’s period in the game currently right now. Doesn't hurt to have a co-sign from Kanye as well I guess. Crazy thing is that because he knew people would say that, Kanye is not on the entire mixtape except a quick freestyle where he and Sean exchange some verses on the last track. But from the intro to the end of this mixtape there is no skipping tracks and just hot songs to make you believe what Kanye himself must have believed when he signed this dude. His flow over Gucci Mane’s “Lemonade” beat makes you almost forget the original version because its just so clever and the flow pattern is just unmatchable. You couldn’t rap like him if you tried your hardest. This D-Town artist brings his own slang and style to the game that makes people just stop and watch because its just star power at its finest. A true star in the making. Believe that. Im never wrong.

My personal favorite Song - #2 “ Meant to Be”
Favorite Quotable – #6 “High Rise”-
“I never followed suit u were more like pin stripes
Riding ye's maybach smokin so it's cloudy
With 3 girls who spend all day doing pilates
Getting money niggas think I joined Illuminati
Throwin west side up I'm feeling like illuminati
Now isnt it ironic that I'm in a big body
Paranoid cause every rapper named big got bodied”

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

2. Wiz Khalifa- “Kush & O.J”

Where do we start with Mr. Khalifa? Ever since the Flight School mixtape this guy has been on a roll that is just unstoppable and undeniable. The songs that he creates make you just sing them all day. Long before “Black and Yellow”, this artist has created hit after hit. The only difference is that the songs he created before were just never played by your favorite DJ. The hits he has made in his career give him a whole fucking set in an entire night in the club. Sad part about it is that the most mediocre song that he created is perhaps his biggest hit. Nevertheless, the guy who spends $10,000 a month on weed (LMAO), delivers arguably the best album/mixtape of the year. This was hard for me not to name this number one simply because of the impact of this albu…umm cough uggh..I mean mixtape on the internet world. When this got uploaded on the net it was so congested that I had to wait to download the damn mixtape. The 100,000 in the first week through his own link has to be a record right? Either way it probably is one of the most downloaded mixtapes of the year next to the likes of Kanye’s “Yeezy Effect” & Eminem's "Remission". Just a cool nerd killing beats and without a doubt the best hook maker of our generation. With little features on this mixtape this skinny little kid from Pittsburgh delivers a knockout classic that will forever be embedded in the hearts of his cult following. This is perhaps the cd that made him not just an internet sensation and created awareness to the bandwagon followers that I meet randomly that swear they listen to an artist since….since…like the beginning of time or something. Regardless the end result is = TALYOR GANG OR DIE.


My personal favorite song- “Never Been” & “Kid Frankie”

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

1.Wale – “More About Nothing”

The following will maybe get me killed in some areas, : NOT ONLY IS THIS THE BEST MIXTAPE OF 2010 BUT WALE IS IN THE TOP 3 RAPPERS RAPPING TODAY BEHIND KANYE AND WAYNE (EMINEM DON’T COUNT…DON’T ASK MY WHY). Wale will go down as the most underrated rapper of all time behind the likes of Big L, Soulja Slim, Rakim, E-40, Mac, AZ, and a long list of rappers who never get the respect they deserve. This mixtape is the most genius mixtape I perhaps have ever heard. Not only was it best mixtape of 2010 but it was also one of the best mixtapes ever made. Wale's album looks like dog shit compared to this mixtape (I still thought the album was 4 mics though..just saying). No other artist in the world touches on topics that Wale does while still oozing out the bravado that he does so well. From baby father dramas to songs created to the inner thoughts of Tiger Woods. It leaves you wondering, “ What cant he rap about?”. So talented and so fresh at the same time make me actually envy him. I have never felt that way about another person before ever in my life. He raps like Wayne mixed with Kanye in a District of Columbia caligraphy drawn all over the tracks on this mixtape. Almost like Tom Brady in the Zone he just raps in this wave that has a pattern where its almost like seeing sounds. This mixtape with plenty of Seinfield exerts make it even more creative then the title would insinuate. Just when you think life is about sex, drugs, money, and cars here is a mixtape with no purpose on garnering the attention of a particular audience and just focuses on creating the best music we have heard in 2010. He cleverly runs through songs that just make you smile at the mind of a genius.(Mind you, Mixtape about Nothing part 1 is nothing short of a classic as well) Picture Russell Crowe in “Beautiful Mind” rapping and this is it.. His metaphors on here are Godly and matched by none. With songs such as “Downtown” making womens hearts melt all across the world as well. Its really hard to put into words what exactly makes this mixtape so wonderful other than just listen to it from beginning to end and just free your mind of any pre misconceptions and just enjoy
Favorite Quotable- EVERYTHING!!! sike...

#6- “Number One”-
When you strive for perfection,
Desire get confused and you could lose your direction,
I lost my connection with a brethren,
Athlete mentality so fuck my competition,
Me and him was homeless, maybe we still cool,
But every time we book, we stay in our green room,
Maybe it's on me, or brother it's on you,
Or maybe its they fault that we aint holla since June,
Fuck it we on the move, none of use tryna lose,
I am out of this world and you a man on the moon,
I'll meet you in the sky,
Look this whole time, we was comin from separate towns to hold down,
I figure this where my heart at,
This shit has got my soul,
I tell them niggas picture me rolling I get the Kodak,
If ya'll don't know ya history ya'll should look a lil' closer,
I feel like Quasimodo with all this shit on my shoulders,
They say this media changed, these verses gettin strange,
Who you know famous and rich can say the same?
How can niggas blame us, I am not ashamed but,
I don't understand how this game made us strangers, look,
Competition, for the love and anyway it go, they gon remember us,
My nigga, its all love, that's how this shit be goin when you go for number one,
We tryna be number one, number one, we tryna be number one,
When you strive for perfection,
Desire get confused and you could lose your direction,
I lost my connection with my woman,
I needed her support but she was thinkin bout a marriage, FORGET IT!
I know your love is the purest,
But sexin without affection is necessary for some of us,
Here's my heart you can hold it, I won't need it on this road trip,
And I ain't tryna cheat so go head, leave me to my lonesome,
GO! you free to go about your business,
But if we back to business hope we resurrect the feelin,
I'm a real nigga, them other niggas fill in,
The only girl I say I love you, and I'm not pretendin,
Look, I got no time for that type of connection,
Meantime, I hope you keep your vagina protected,
Your friends say, why we not together yet
Sad but its true, but I ain't on ya level yet,
Tryna keep a level head,
Workin like a Mexican,
Runnin this bitch, feel like I deserve a medal here,
First placin it, wine wastin it,
With all due respect, I cant have you in the way of it,
Competition, she in love, and anyway it go,
I'm gon remember her, but still,
My nature, its all love, that's how that shit be goin,
She vying for number one,
Tryna be number one,
She tryna be number one, she tryna be number one, tryna be number ONE!

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

So that Raps that up this year. Please feel free to comment and bash me as much as possible or share your thoughts. I love it. This wasnt really as tough as I thought but still leaves me wondering did I miss something? hmmmmm

Bronze Medal Category
J. Millz- He Nasty Vol 2
Camron- Boss of All Bosses 2 Dj Drama
Young Jeezy- Trap or Die 2
Bow Wow- Greenlight 2
Chris Brown & Tyga- Fan of a Fan
Fabulous- There is no Competition 2
Hot Dollar- Back on the Throne
Young L.A – Suntrust Leland
Rich Hill – “Limos were cool in the 90’s”
(Best Artwork of the Year)

Pharrell Confirms New Neptunes Album

During a discussion with The Herald Sun, Pharrell speaks on the next Neptunes album.

This new Neptunes record we’re working on right now is vicious. It’s definitely harder – it totally demands sweat.

He also breaks down the difference between an actual Neptunes album compared to a N.E.R.D release.

Music is music. But with N.E.R.D we put more of our personality into it, that’s just us being us, and with Neptunes we produce for a lot of people so we allow space for their personalities, for them to be themselves and our music sort of commandeers the direction a bit.

Christmas In Harlem f. Cam’ron, Vado, Jim Jones, CyHi Da Prynce, Pusha T, Big Sean, Teyana Taylor & Musiq (prod. Hit-Boy)

N*E*R*D • Nothing • N*E*R*D Nothing Deluxe Edition CD and T-Shirt Bundle

Product Description
There are many lessons that come from age and experience, and when one discovers such a thing, one is compelled to broadcast it to the world. This is that. Sometimes those declarations sound like the cantankerous frustrations of cranky old men. But while this piece of writing you find in your hands does indeed center on one very important lesson, it will come with none of that "Back in my day!" nostalgia to scare you away. Because this is a story about right here and right now. Yes, there are hints of the future and just a bit of the past, but it's certainly about today.

Which is to say: it's about NOTHING.

NOTHING is the title of the 4th studio album from Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shae Haley - collectively, the three musicians-slash-producers-slash-singers-slash-songwriters known as N*E*R*D. (No-one Ever Really Dies). Formed as a concept band in their hometown of Virginia Beach, in 2000, N*E*R*D stands - defiantly - ten years later as a group of musicians who have worked tirelessly to carve out and conquer a new space in an otherwise nebulous musical world.

Amazingly, this was not the album you were intended to hear. Early in 2010, Pharrell, Chad and Shae sat in their Miami recording studio listening to roughly 20 songs, recorded over the previous year, that they believed would form their newest album. Previous LPs, like their critically-acclaimed, highly-influential IN SEARCH OF, and its follow-ups, FLY OR DIE and SEEING SOUNDS, had explored the diasporas of the rock `n roll sound. They tenaciously, passionately created a musical space that subscribed to no boundaries or set of rules; and in that, created a loyal and dedicated following of fans that came from a myriad of backgrounds. In many ways, the group could have easily gotten away with releasing just about anything and it had a very good shot at finding some success. But N*E*R*D is not a group that feels comfortable with just getting by.

"It didn't feel right. Sitting there and listening to it, it was definitely a new sound, an experimental sound. With a little bit more work, we'd have had something that the average person probably would've been just as happy with," says the group's vocalist and co-songwriter, Shae of the first sessions. "But we would *know*. Our core fans would *know*. It wouldn't be us."

"People are concerned with war and the world. People are still dealing with their issues even if we think thing have changed," explains Pharrell. "And when we looked back on those 20 records, they weren't really saying what we wanted to say. They weren't good enough."

And so N*E*R*D scrapped all 20 of those songs and decided to start over. They went back to NOTHING.

"I believe in making `something' out of `nothing,'" says Chad Hugo. "Anyone who makes art or expresses themselves in any creative way, it's a challenge to empty out the cup and then try and refill it again. You want that challenge, to see if you can come up with something new and not rely on what you've done before. That's how we motivate ourselves." Did you catch that? Some of the most successful musicians in the world, who have every reason to just rest easy and trade on their name and reputation, scrapped an entire year's worth of work to challenge themselves and make something better. Clean the slate and start again. Do it better. Do it right.

To understand this approach, one only need appreciate what N*E*R*D has meant to Pharrell, Chad and Shae. Under the Neptunes production moniker, Williams and Hugo changed the sound of pop music with their sophisticated minimalism, unleashing a limitless number of hits for artists like Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Snoop Dogg, The Clipse, Gwen Stefani and on and on and on (seriously - this could go on for another ten pages, so just TRUST, ok?). N*E*R*D was never meant to be a one-off side-project. The trio formed the band out of a genuine thirst for creative exploration - a hybrid of rock `n roll, hip-hop, R&B, country, blues, sci-fi. It was intended to be a manifestation of "folk" music, whoever and wherever those folk might be. It culminated in the 2001 release of IN SEARCH OF, a thoroughly un- self-conscious exploration of the human condition that, nearly a decade later, remains a standard- bearing, risk-taking template for any other artist searching beyond themselves. NOTHING is a return to that form.

"We wanted to go back to talking about whatever we feel, whatever we saw," says Pharrell. "When we first started playing music, we started with nothing and that was a pretty cool place to go back to."

Throughout their history, N*E*R*D has always marched forward with a quiet desperation. They have been afforded all the luxuries that come with success - and yet, this is a band that still grinds it out as if they were a starving local band working the club circuit. Two-thirds of their year is spent on the road, touring incessantly. They play big metropolises and small Midwestern cities, from festival shows to more intimate college campuses. Certainly, it's not something they would ever have to do. But it's in the experience of playing live, in creating and sustaining and riding that connection with their audience, that they discovered the essence of their music and for why they exist.

"If you want to know how to run something, you gotta work in the mailroom first," says Pharrell. "I don't want that to come out the wrong way but playing live is our mailroom, it's our laboratory, it's where you see the connection between music and your songs and the fans and the reaction you get all in one place."

"There's no greater feeling than looking out at an audience, whether it's in New York, Australia or Japan, and seeing kids - black, white, Latino, male, female, whatever -shouting the words back to you or rockin' out and having a good time," says Shae. "It is the most beautiful thing."

NOTHING not only taps into that connection with their growing fan-base but also reaches back to the days of IN SEARCH OF - but more in spirit than in actual sound. "It's so 1970s, multi-flavored denim, when there weren't so many rules." Pharrell describes. Shae adds that if In Search Of... drew inspiration from the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire and Steely Dan, then NOTHING "is more like The Doors or the band America."

The sound of NOTHING, through its 14 tracks, is decidedly stripped down - like their debut - but no less powerful. Whereas the albums FLY OR DIE and SEEING SOUNDS pumped the volume up with big band rock songs, NOTHING is a rock `n roll soul album. The first single, "Hot N' Fun," features the Neptunes' collaborator and friend, Nelly Furtado. It is a bounce-filled, sweaty summer club track that has echoes of old-school roller-skating jams. Astute music heads may hear a trace of De La Soul influences in the song's bravado, which Pharrell admits could be the case: "No matter what I do or who I work with, the Native Tongues are in my DNA."). Other songs like "Party People" and "In The Air" cultivate the youthful idealism of hearing a favorite song for the first time, while Pharrell spins slick-tongued poetry about the appeal of women. For him, his approach is to "not sing sexy shit, but sing about real shit in a sexy way."

Back when N*E*R*D first started, Pharrell and Chad described the group, saying, "N*E*R*D is a basic belief. People's energies are made of their souls. When you die, that energy may disperse but it isn't destroyed." And that is the lesson in all of this. This group of talented and successful artists shunned a dependence on their past and concentrated on their present, knowing that whatever they put out into the world would always be out in the world.

They created NOTHING. And Nothing Ever Really Dies.

Shanell – Honey Magazine Interview (Video)

Music Video: M.I.A. – Story To Be Told

Big Boi ft. Andre 3000 – Lookin For Ya (Jedi Remix)

My Top 5 (MVP ...not just lyrical)
No Order....

Wayne
Wale
Kanye
Dom Kennedy (Very close if you argue Gucci or Wiz at this wildcard pick)
& of course Andre 3K

Cee-Lo Green – F*ck You (Video)

BITCHES AINT SHIT!!!!

Slick Get Your Brother Please....

My Man 50 Tyson..Goin in once again

Chimi Get Your Father Please....

Bun B feat. Drake : Put It Down

Download

M.I.A Back with the MIXTAPE TO MINDFVCK YOU!!!

Download Mixtape Free | LiveMixtapes.com Mixtape Player