Transcript
Flobots Discuss Fight With Tools & Activism
Causecast.org caught up with Flobots at the Night of Hopes and Dreams event for the Somaly Mam Foundation to discuss their unique blend of hip hop and activism, and the group’s goals with Fight with Tools, an online resource for their Street Teams and anyone who wants to connect and help to create real world change. “In another way, it’s taking who might be music fans, and might be a little bit interested in trying to do something, and helping them coach themselves along the way to activist work, in a way that makes sense to themselves,” Brer Rabbit explained. “It’s one thing to say, hey go and volunteer at a soup kitchen, and then somebody goes and does that, and they come back and they’re empty. So it’s about ‘ideafying’ something that you can be an expert on, which is your own community, and you can contact our national coordinator, and then we can coach you through any of the ways to be more effective in that cause that you’ve identified. So we’re trying to show that people can be experts in their own communities, and actually be the resources that the communities need. And in that same process, like, maybe if the music was their jumping off point, now, they are resources for us, to get other people to respond to them.”
Watch a video clip below and check out the entire interview here.
Eminem Admits He Was In On Bruno’s MTV Movie Awards Prank
RapRadar.com spoke with Eminem following his appearance at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards over the weekend, where the rapper cleared up whether that incident with Sacha Baron Cohen’s character Bruno landing his bare ass inches from his face was a stunt. “Sacha called me when we were in Europe and he had an idea to do something outrageous at the Movie Awards,” Em confessed. “I’m a big fan of his work so I agreed to get involved with the gag.” After storming out of the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, Slim said he went back to the hotel “and laughed uncontrollably for about 3 hours.”
How Nicki Minaj Differs From Other Female Rappers
Honeymag.com spoke with Nicki Minaj in a Q&A, asking the the female hip hop artist what separates her from other lady rappers. “A lot of record companies are like, ‘Why is she rapping and singing? Is she the bad girl or she the good girl?’ The thing that separates Nicki Minaj from the other girls is that I have to do what I want to do and that’s the only way I feel free,” Minaj explained. “If you ever go to a Nicki Minaj show, you’ll see girls screaming like how they screamed for Cyndi Lauper back in that day. We’re setting trends. This is about a new culture of girls and I’m spearheading that movement. It’s about excitement. It’s about being smart, but being sexy. It’s all those things that girls want do, but sometimes we feel like we have to do one or the other.” Check out the entire interview here.
Mims Discusses ‘Guilt’, Economy, Jewelry & Touring
Rapdirt.com caught up with Mims for a Q&A as the Manhattan rapper prepares to release his second album ‘Guilt’ on April 7th.
Q: So with ‘Guilt’ I’m hearing you are reflecting on your success in the face of the brutal economy and how this is a common sentiment in the game right now, but what are the tangible effects in how you’re writing? How do you not sound tone deaf to what’s going on right now without depressing everybody?
A: Because I think that it’s not about, one, the album ‘Guilt’ is not just about the economy. It’s a understanding of where the economy sits and that means that I’m not gonna be overly braggadocios in my music, but that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna give you records that take it there and have an up tempo sound.
I don’t wanna depress anybody. I wanna make a album that makes people happy, but I also want them to know I’m aware of the times because gonna have people that wanna hear about what’s going’ on and then you’re gonna have some people that wanna just get lost in the music. I give you something’ on the album for everybody.
Q: Break down how ‘Guilt’ compares to ‘Music Is My Savior’. Is there a track or tracks that if people weren’t told beforehand, they’d would be shocked it’s coming from Mims?
A: ‘Guilt’ and ‘Music is My Savior’ don’t compare. The only way they are similar is that the artist is Mims. As far as records are concerned that you’ll be shocked. I think that people who thought so little of me from a record like ‘This is Why I’m Hot’ that for me to come back and surpass them with any music that I do right now is gonna be a wow factor; any record.
Q: You’re not one to wear shiny rocks with perceived value like some others in the game, so maybe the benefit of the economy tanking will be to clear the decks of the stereotype of rap’s focus on flaunting wealth?
A: You know, I’d say this. There’s a time and a place for everything. There’s nothing’ wrong with somebody shining’. I just don’t think now’s the time and I also believe that that doesn’t make you a man ’cause you can put $100,000 around your neck. It doesn’t make you anybody. It makes you a lot more shinier than the next person.
So for me, who really cares about that? That doesn’t determine anything other than – honestly to me, other than the fact that that person was probably stupid for hanging’ a house on their neck when they could probably put that money somewhere better.
Not to say that I’m not interested in jewelry, but I think there’s an extreme. I think when you start talking’ about 100,000 and some of these people aren’t millionaires. Some of these people aren’t even rich and they’re putting’ that stuff around their neck, they’re stupid.
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Paul Wall Makes Amends With Chamillionaire
HipHopDX.com caught up with Paul Wall in a Q&A, asking the rapper about the differences he and fellow Houston artist Chamillionaire have had in the past and whether the two are now on good terms are is there still some bad feelings. “Nah, amends have definitely been made 100%,” Paul said. “We just did a show together a couple weeks ago in Houston, a car show that was pretty dope. So I think amends have definitely been made; ain’t no hard feelings at all on either one of our parts.”
Asked if the pair might do a collaboration album like perhaps ‘Get Ya Mind Correct ‘09′, the 27-year-old responded, “Man that would be a nice thing, it would be a beautiful thing but I don’t think its going to happen. Mainly because were on separate record labels, but its something Id love to do. Whether or not he wants to do it, I don’t know. But I’d love to do it.” Read more.
Shawty Lo: Diabetes Walks Don’t Make Me Less Of A Gangsta
Insite Atlanta spoke with Shawty Lo in a Q&A, asking the D4L rapper about his move to fight diabetes pubicly and if the ailment might hurt his tough guy image. “I don’t worry about it hurting my image ‘cuz I’m real,” he responded. “If a grown man crying, that don’t mean he ain’t real. I’m real. That’s why people love me so much ‘cuz I don’t try to pretend this or pretend to do that. What I do is what I do. If I do [the diabetes walk], that don’t make me less than a gangsta. They can check my whole background. What I talk about I’ve really lived. I’m makin’ a negative into a positive. People follow me for some strange reason. When I was incarcerated, older men told me that it was something about me: ‘If you were to go to church, everybody would go to church.’ He said I was that type of person to make people change and make stuff happen.” Read more.
Kanye West: Crashing EMAs On Justice Was ‘A Big, Terrible Thing’
Fader magazine spoke with Kanye West in a Q&A, where the Chicago rapper talked about his new album '808's & Heartbreak', and regretting the incident at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, where he stormed the stage after losing the Best Video award to Justice vs. Simian 'We Are Your Friends' (video below). "When I did 'The College Dropout', it was really a new idea that caught people off guard," West said. "This album is a complete new idea, some whole different sh** that's gonna change music again. I think it's our responsibility to be fearless, to have the masses' and radio's ear and still push the envelope. That's why I was always supposed to be the independent champion. And that's why it was such a big, terrible thing when I ran on stage on Justice. It was like, Aw, he's one of them now. He's no longer the kid who went to art school and stuff. It's like, now he's just... [too big]."West continued, "And that was a great awakening to me, to not be so caught up in your own hype. There's a reason why the universe plans for certain things to happen the way they are, and the only thing that you can be responsible for is your art. I used to feel this sense of entitlement that's completely immature. I needed to really get past that. It's been a great detriment to people liking me, me being a spoiled baby, and people still make jokes about it, but they don't realize I'm not that same person."
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Ludacris Impressed With Mark Wahlberg’s Work Ethic
Ludacris took part in a Q&A with Baylor University's The Lariat, where the rapper talked about his new film 'Max Payne' and working with co-stars Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg, who've been in the business a little longer than him. "It was great. I have been in 'Crash' and some other movies with A-list actors, so I have had a chance to be around a lot of decent actors," Luda responded. "I didn't really get a chance to do anything with Mila Kunis, mostly with Mark. He is just extremely professional - he definitely comes prepared. He is focused, just there to work. And I think he puts everybody in place, where they need to be. So just seeing him work and how dedicated he is was - whew." Read more.B.G. Stays Relevant Long After Cash Money Exit
AllHipHop.com caught up with B.G. in a Q&A, where the rapper talked about how since leaving Cash Money he's been able to build his own label Chopper City Records from the bottom up. "A lot of people, when I left Cash Money... they counted me out," the New Orleans native explained. "A lot of people wrote me off. A lot of people thought I couldn't do it without Cash Money and it's now, what? Six or seven years later and I'm still here. I'm still relevant. I left Cash Money on my sixth album and I'm about to drop my 11th solo album and that ain't even including the Hot Boys albums or the previous Chopper City Boyz albums. The streets kept me relevant. I do it for the streets and I stay true to myself. I followed what was in my heart and I didn't let anybody tell me what I could and couldn't do. I kept giving it to them man and the streets just embraced me. I'm here and it is what it is I ain't going nowhere." Check out the full transcript a href="http://allhiphop.com/stories/features/archive/2008/09/15/20499164.aspx">here.
