Angie Stone is one of my favorite singers. Not only is she a legend in the R&B and rap game, she is also the woman who supported D’Angelo in his rise to the top before he left her for skinnier pastures.
TMZ and Hello Beautiful are reporting that the singer was arrested for driving with a suspended license. One, in Angie’s defense, maybe for whatever reason she didn’t know she had a suspended license. It happens.
Angie Stone's mugshot in her 'just runnin to the corner sto' wig
Two, is she so broke she can’t hire a driver? What about her child support payments from D’Angelo, the father of her son Michael Jr?
Well…if he’s paying $40 for a prostitute he probably can’t afford child support! Remember when women used to throw it on him for free? Wow, he’s fallen on hard times!
D'Angelo Fa'Tangelo.
But Stone should be paid, cuz the girl stays busy! She probably has enough dough to support herself and D’Angelo (so he can get a trainer on that pudge, stat!) and former husband Lil Rodney Cee of the Funky Four + 1 More (and hip hop duo Double Trouble), with whom she had daughter Diamond in 1984. Continue reading...
Today on HM I have an extra special treat for you! The selection for this week is by a deadly duo of diggers from Berlin, Jake One and Mr. Supreme who together were known as the Conmen.
I saw “were” because today the Conmen have gone their separate ways, but fortunately for us they’ve left behind a trove of aural goodies, one of which I’ve unearthed for you today.
So far there isn’t a lot known about these guys, but trust, their mixes will impress the shit out of you if you are a fan of breaks, breaks and more breaks!
The Con Men do not list the tracks they are playing, which keeps it fun for those of you who like to guess what breaks are being played, and in what songs they were played. And for extra hilarity, see if you can guess each song’s label too! Show off.
Plus, together Jake One and Mr. Supreme have more years of record collecting experience than your momma has gray hairs. Unless your momma is one of MTV’s Teen Moms. Continue reading...
Brotha Lynch Hung is still doing it big after all these years. Man, maybe one day he’ll really blow. Lord knows he’s paid he’s dues–with interest! Hang in there Brotha! I think 2011 is gonna be your year. Ridin’ side by side with Brotha Lynch on this track is COS (Change of Scenery), who arguably has one of the dopest voices in hip hop right now. Watch for this track on Brotha Lynch Hung’s CoatHangaStrangla CD dropping on April 5th of this year on the indy label Strange Music.
Chris Skillz is an up an coming rapper based in Delaware who is a refreshing new voice in hip hop. This mixtape isn’t perfect, but I’ve still been bumping it all morning because Chris Skillz is the kind of emcee whose lyrics you can actually feel, unlike so many emcees today who just put shit together that rhymes in order to have something that’ll fit nicely over a beat.
Chris Skillz is also rare in that he openly talks about sexual abuse, something admirable in this world of emcees so hard cracking a smile would break them into a million pieces.
Chris Skillz recently signed with Reggie Hudson’s State City Music and I hope to see more from him in the future.
I like this dude. This mixtape is for all the emcees out there who ever had a backpack full of beats and a dream. This is real hip hop on a ground level–check this kid out before he blows so you can say you were there way back when. Continue reading...
This post was written by Heavy Mentalist’s first guest blogger, Kerry McNeil, a journalism student at Hofstra University who graduates in 2012. Though Kerry’s piece is about social media, interestingly, the 2010 sales numbers she quotes seem to support Steve Stoute’s questioning of the real motives of the committee (NARAS) behind the Grammy Awards. Visit this link to see this year’s Grammy nominees and winners. Check out her piece below.
Lil Wayne used social media from behind bars to keep in touch with fans
Social media is helping most music artists, but one particular genre appears to be using it better than the rest—and has the sales to back it up.
In 2010, Rolling Stone’s “Year in Review” reported that hip-hop sales increased 3 percent while most other genres experienced double-digit losses. According to Billboard, Nielsen SoundScan’s year-end numbers reflected a 13 percent decline for Christian/Gospel, a 16 percent decline for rock, a 17 percent decline for R&B and a 5 percent decline for country. Continue reading...
Heavy Mentalist is written by freelance multi-media hip hop, pop culture, race and social justice journalist Cherryl Aldave. The name Heavy Mentalist is a take on the classic Killah Priest album, Heavy Mental.
