Monthly Archives: October 2018

Nick Grant’s Cypher Steals The Show At The BET Hip-Hop Awards

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People are still talking about Nick Grant’s rhymes from the Bet Hip-Hop Awards last night. Grant, who’s known as a lyrical-specialist, threw verbal fire at the screen professing “I'm a mixture of good karma and bad advice.” And later he declared “I'm just realer than n****s I admire.”

On the green carpet, Grant spoke about his drive to contribute music to the culture.

“I just learn from the greats,” he offered. “I'm cut from a certain cloth where people would record 10 songs in one night. Passionate, havng the love for it.  I feel like if I didn’t make any money off this, I would still this do this. I would work my nine to five and come home and still write raps.”

Many of the MCs who inspire Grant dropped albums this year. The young poet is excited to see so many veterans such as Eminem and Lil Wayne all put out product in the same year. When asked who delivered the best word play this year, he gave us his list.

“My top Five lyricist 2018, myself, Royce Da 5’9. Nas, Jay-Z of course. J. Cole... I’m just going off of everybody who dropped albums. My top five albums of 2018, Nasir, Daytona, the Pusha T album was dope. KOD of course. I was very huge on this August Green album. I thought that was incredible and my album, 'Dreamin’ Out Loud.'"

The Award show included a slew of hot performances, including Lil Duval, Ball Greezy, T.I., Yo Gotti, Gucci Mane, Cardi B, Partison Fontaine and newcomer Flipp Dinero. Lil Wayne was honored with the “I Am Hip-Hop” award.

“This is somebody that taught me how to write raps different ways,” Grant, a South Carolina native, said about Weezy’s influence on a generation of rappers. “Somebody that inspired me infinitely. Everything we see today with all these artist, he a piece of everything. He deserves it.”

Woodstock is BACK!

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Surely, the 1969 was a year of numerous historical moments, but for music fans that year holds unique significance of the year of Woodstock. An event like no other, the Woodstock stage was graced by legends like Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Santana, and others who performed in front of over 400,000 fans. Those who got to witness the event will tell you that nothing like this could ever happen again… and if they may also tell you that it was a crazy production and took years to turn a profit.
 
It’s true, for such a monumental event, it left some investors feeling robbed. With all the lost money put into it and the location not being optimal, they decided to shelve Woodstock. After over two decades, they tried it again for the 25th anniversary in 1994. The lineup was adjusted to fit the times, bringing in alternative, hip hop, and metal to create the perfect blend for what the festival needed at the time. Plus the thought of Metallica leading into Crosby, Stills, & Nash then to Rollins Band makes me wish I was there to watch the polarized reactions of concert goers. The 1994 edition was successful enough that the producers decided to bring it back again, but this time sooner.
 
Well that is exactly what they did for the 30th anniversary of Woodstock 99’. This one would also be called, “the one that killed Woodstock.”

To tell you every detail that lead to this title would take a while, so here is a list to help!
 
- Oppressive heat that reached over 100 °F
- Increased prices for food and drinks to alarming degrees
- Restroom facilities were limited and unusable, with a septic line backed up to boot.
- Music artists were frustrated and let the audience know
- Music artists inciting frustrated audience to get even more angry
- Trash littered everywhere
- Bonfires became out of control
- People began to loot
- Low security to stop the looting
- Someone died
 
Look, at that point I don’t care how many Nu-Metal bands were there, that festival seemed to crazy… even for me. After the festival, the investors shelved Woodstock again, hoping to forget that it even happened. At that time, I remember my friend telling me that “Woodstock is dead forever, my dude” and I believed him. With such bad press and the rise of various other music festivals, I thought Woodstock would just become a name synonymous with being the best and also the worst festival ever. But, just when you think it’s dead, the current rights holders seem to think the time is right to give Woodstock one more try in 2019 for its 50th birthday.
 
Live Nation is partnering with the historic site of the original festival, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, and agency Invnt to revitalize Woodstock in a world of festival madness. The date of the festival is currently being set for August 16th to the 18th. Only time will tell if I get a chance to experience this rebooted event spectacular, but I'm going to get myself in the mood early by sharing what I consider  the best thing to come out of Woodstock 99’ for me. I am of course, talking about Korn performing “Freak on a Leash.” Let’s see what Woodstock 2019 has to bring!

Lil Wayne Defines 'Hip Hop' At The BET Hip Hop Awards

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Lil Wayne was presented the “I AM Hip-Hop” Awards as part of the 2018 BET Hip-Hop Award on Tuesday night. Before the man with the number one album in the world took the stage, his friends and collaborators, including Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz, sang Wayne's praises in a pre-taped video package. DJ Khaled and Bun B had introduced their musical brother to the crowd. 
 
Despite all the high praise and momentous honor, Weezy took the stage in humble fashion and wanted to focus on everyone who never gave up on him.
 
“You’re awesome,” he said to the Fillmore Miami Beach audience. “To all my friends that was involved in the tribute, everybody whose face, whose voice I heard; you didn’t have to do that. I swear to God I appreciate every single one of y’all. To everybody in here who I know feels the same way, I appreciate y’all. This award right here... I must give this award to the people who refuse. What I mean is the people who refuse to stop supporting me during... You already know. The people who refuse, who haven’t seen me put an album out in six years, four years; you guys respected me. You guys supported me, you guys came to every show, you respect every album,  every feature… My family refused, refused to stop motivating me, to stop treating me as if I am not the man. As if I am not the father that I am. As if I am not the person that I am. Never let me feel anything less. Give it up for my family for that.”
 
He also had a special thanks for an extended family member he affectionately refers to as “Uncle Bob,” the New Orleans' police officer who responded to the call when Wayne accidentally shot himself as a child. 
 
“He came into an apartment one day,” Tunechi explained. “He bust in the door, guns drawn.  He saw nobody. He saw legs on the floor,  they were my legs. He saw blood everywhere. A bunch of police hopped over me, he refused to do so.’
 
Wayne disclosed that EMS were on the scene and tried to revive his lifeless body twice, to no avail. Uncle Bob drove the him to the hospital in a police car and had very clear instructions to the doctors. 
 
“He said ‘you do whatever you got to do and make sure this child makes it,’” the Grammy award winner continued detailing. 
 
Since then, Bob has never let Wayne give him any type of monetary thanks. 
 
“He refused to let me pay for his meal, refuse to let me do anything, take care of anything,” Weezy described. “I saw Uncle Bob the other day and said ‘let me help you in any kind of way.’ This man has two amputated legs. He refused to stop. He’s not in a wheelchair, he’s walking. You know what he asked for, a job. To my fans my family, my supporters, to BET, I refuse to stop. Thank you.” 
 
The 2018 BET Hip-Hop Awards also featured performances by T.I., Lil Pump, Lil Duval, Gunna, Gucci Mane, and Cardi B among others.