Diddy: the Wealthiest Artist in Hip Hop according to Forbes

Now this is a pretty interesting thing to read about. Diddy happens to be the wealthiest artist in Hip Hop ahead of Jay-Z. The guy knows his business.

What has always been surprising is the trail of M.I.A. artists that he leaves behind. A few off the top of my head:

1. Mase
2. Loon
3. Shyne
4. The Lox
5. Mario Winans
6. Danity Kane
7. B5
8. Donnie Klang

Know any others? Leave them as a comment below!

He did play a major part in the success of one of the greatest rappers of all time: The Notorious B.I.G.
R.I.P. This past week March 8th marked the 14th anniversary of his death. Definitely posting a list of my favorite Biggie tracks by the end of the weekend.

Graffiti out in Budapest

As much as I am in love with Hip Hop, you can imagine how excited I was to hear that there was a Graffiti culture out here in Budapest, Hungary. I'm here visiting for Spring Break as a part of coursework at NYU Stern. Below are some pics of the Graffiti I have had the chance to take pictures of during my first day here.

Smooth, Sweet and Smitten Saturdays

Whenever she happens to walk by, why does the apple of my eye -
Overlook and disregard my feelings no matter how much I try?

Smooth lyrics, Sweet message, from a Smitten artist
 
For this weeks love song, I decided to go with an old school favorite that's been on my mind HEAVY lately. It's a song by an old school group called The Pharcyde from the West Coast. These guys have a really cool style and have a whole collection of great music (I should know, I have their whole discography).

A lot of people know this song - better yet they know this situation. I mean, fellas . . think about that girl you see constantly and can never get to. And everyone tells you just to let it go:

See she's my type of hype and I can't stand when brothers tell me
That I should quit chasin' and look for something better
But the smile that she shows makes me a go-getter

Check out the video below:  

Smooth, Sweet, and Smitten Saturdays

So the idea of having a day where I deviate a bit from the general theme of this blog has actually sat well with me recently. As somewhat of a romantic, I'd like to share with you all the long, long list of beautiful romance songs that I listen to occasionally. This day is certainly not limited to the Hip Hop genre, because the goal is to share music that touches on some of the powerful elements that Hip Hop itself portrays.  

Smooth lyrics and a Sweet message from a Smitten artist.

So in the spirit of Hip Hop! To start us off here's the song with my favorite romantic lyrical content.

Lady Brown by Nujabes ft. Cise Starr of CYNE

Not only is this song one of my favorite romantic Hip Hop song, it's surprisingly rather recent. Also, the producer - Nujabes - (who unfortunately passed away last February 2010) created some of the most soulful beats I have heard from a recent producer. His music has a lot of jazz influence, and his genius is all over one of my favorite anime series called Samurai Champloo (learn about anime/manga at a fellow classmate's blog here!: Otaku Novice)

Nujabes beats, smooth and powerful lyrics by Cise Starr, and a lovely young lady to keep in mind.
I don't know anyone who wouldn't like this song.

Rest in Beats, Jun Seba (Nujabes).
Peace

Rap Duos: Past and notable Present Ones

Every now and then, I zone out to some Eric B. and Rakim, Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, Gang Starr, Mobb Deep, Outkast, Black Star, Nice and Smooth, Black Sheep - let me end it here, you guys get my drift given the title of this post, and the names I just mentioned.

Back in the day, the rapper/DJ duo was nothing out of the ordinary, and they would work together to create some true masterpieces. Not too long ago one of the best DJ's to ever do it, DJ Premier, lost his MC counterpart from when they used to work together as Gang Starr. I think I still have the "Mass Appeal" beat on my list of ringtones, and who could lay down dope rhymes in a monotone voice like Guru did?

Damn.

Still, today there are some Hip Hop duos doing positive things out there, although there are few. For the most part, the rapper/DJ thing isn't too prominent anymore. There is one, however, that I've become a fan of (among others) and recently released an EP

Blu and Exile - Amnesia
(click to purchase from Amazon, SUPPORT HIP HOP!)
It has a nice jazzy feel to it.