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Tag: <span>Rap</span>

Why Would Sada Baby Not Rank Eminem In His Top Five From Detroit?

Originally posted on Vibe 4/19/2019

Eminem is the most prolific and successful rapper of all time. His stats can’t be faded. When it’s all said and done, we’ll be retiring his number in every stadium he’s ever sold out.

With over 100 million records sold worldwide, an Oscar for Best Original Song, 10 No. 1 albums, more than 1 billion streams on Spotify, two top 100, all-time best selling albums, Marshall Bruce Mathers III is the highest selling rapper of all time. His top five status should be firmly cemented.

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Dakari

INTERVIEW: Producer Dakari on His African Roots & How He Became G-Eazy’s Top Engineer

Originally posted on Billboard 12/10/2018

Hip-hop may have originated in the Bronx but not even Kool Herc could have imagined the reach and impact that his art-form would soon achieve. Rap officially kicked down the door in 2015 when Spotify reported that hip-hop was the most listened to genre in the world. In 2017, Nielsen’s Music year-end reportshowed that R&B/hip-hop had taken the crown from Rock to be the most purchased music in the United States.

That kind of global reach has empowered new creators from all over the world. For Zimbabwean producer Dakari, hip-hop has provided a way of life for him that he couldn’t have dreamed of. After moving to Dallas, DG would have his coming of age moment in high school that would eventually lead to a world class internship and writing and producing for G-Eazy.

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Nip

INTERVIEW: Nipsey Hussle Teams Up With Recording Academy For ‘#NoCover’ Documentary

Originally posted on Billboard 10/5/2018

It’s been a groundbreaking year for Los Angeles MC Nipsey Hussle. This past February, his major label debut album Victory Lap peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and his acclaimed LP is garnering Grammy buzz. On Thursday (Oct. 4), he teamed up with the Recording Academy for #NOCOVER — a new documentary series that takes a look at what goes into putting together a concert experience. Swanky West Hollywood digs played home to the screening as

Reporters and industry professionals gathered in West Hollywood for an early look along with a chance to speak with Hussle about the process.

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Regulator

INTERVIEW: Warren G on His YouTube Original Documentary ‘G-Funk’ & His Influence on Rap: ‘I’m the G-Funk Era’

Originally posted on Billboard 7/31/2018

When you think of the pioneers of West Coast rap, there are a handful of names that come to mind: Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, 2Pac, Eazy-E, Snoop Dogg, E-40, Too $hort. Arguably the most deserving name, however, is consistently glossed over. Warren G, as both an artist and producer, is one of the most important names to the culture, and you might not even know why.

The pioneer of the G-funk era not only ushered in a new musical subgenre, but was personally responsible for introducing Snoop Dogg, Kurupt and Daz Dillinger to Dr. Dre, along with being instrumental in helping to shape the sound of Dre’s first solo album, The Chronic.

Billboard was able to sit down with the Regulator to discuss his YouTube Originals documentary G-Funk and his influence on rap.

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Warren G

MOVIE REVIEW: Warren G’s Brilliance Revealed In YouTube’s ‘G-Funk’ Documentary

Originally posted on Vibe 7/25/2018

In the 1990s, three best friends at Long Beach’s renowned Polytechnic High School polished a new sound at the intersection of funk and rap music. Warren G, with the help of Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg, ushered in what will be forever known as the g-funk era. While the three didn’t create the musical subgenre, they built on the foundation created by the West Coast rap quintet Above The Law and took the sound worldwide. YouTube Originals partnered with Warren G to create G-Funk, telling the untold tales of arguably hip-hop’s most underrated legend.

The full-length documentary starts off in Long Beach, Calif. as we’re introduced to a young Warren G and Snoop Dogg. “Every time you seen Warren, you seen Snoop,” Warren recalls as he and Snoop trade stories of their early LBC experiences. They would later meet Nate Dogg at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and form the group 213.

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Jimmy Duval

INTERVIEW: Producer Jimmy Duval on Creating XXXTentaction’s ‘Look at Me!’ & Expanding Outside of Rap

Originally posted on Billboard 7/17/2018

It’s not everyday that you wake up to your song hitting one million streams online and without even realizing it. For Jimmy Duval, that hard-to-believe scenario about producing his first hit almost never happened. “Look at Me!,” the track that took Florida rapper XXXTentacion from SoundCloud to RIAA Certified Platinum was a beat that was never meant to land in XXX’s lap.

If left up to his late collaborator, the success of the record was also never meant for Jimmy to enjoy. Initially released on SoundCloud by Rojas, a former associate of Jimmy’s, the song not only left him off the credits, but he didn’t even know it existed until his manager happened to stumble upon the track.

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Greedo

EVENT REVIEW: Los Angeles Shows Up to See 03 Greedo One Last Time at Globe Theatre Event

Originally seen on Billboard 6/18/2018

Filled with family and friends, the Globe Theater played host on Friday night (Jun. 15) to what could possibly be Los Angeles MC 03 Greedo’s final performance for a very long time. 

On that fated Friday night, there was just as much jubilance as their is anxiety about the future. The show, put together by Red Bull, was a celebration of Los Angeles producer Ron-Ron’s birthday. Greedo was adorned by fans and friends as he got to let the uncertainty of his future melt away for a few minutes — before he is set to turn himself into authorities to begin a 20-year sentence, after pleading guilty to possession of more than 400 grams of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon in 2016.

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Ziggy

INTERVIEW: Zaytoven Discusses His Faith, Gucci Mane, “Trap Holizay” LP & Joint Album With Lecrae

Originally posted on HipHopDX 4/25/2018

Often considered the architect of the trap music sound, Atlanta producer Zaytoven recently teamed up with Red Bull Music for The Note. The documentary series takes a dive into the life of Zay and explores his relationship with trap music, as well as his devotion to his faith.

HipHopDX was able to catch up with Ziggy before a special screening of his documentary in Los Angeles where we talked about the duality of church and secular music and the tremendous amount of music he has coming out this year.

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