Sade: Hip Hop Chimes In About Sade's Greatness

via New York Magazine

Missy Elliott
Watching her sing "Smooth Operator" live! One of my favorite songs. She always sounds just like the record! I'm excited she's has a new album — that's my favorite moment, when I heard she was blessing us with her sound again!

Talib Kweli
My favorite Sade memory is watching her perform Love Deluxe in its entirety at Madison Square Garden. The band (Sweetback) was so tight, and even though she left her spot at the mike only a couple of times, when she did she was so sexy it was magical. I learned a lot about precision that night. There was not a note or move out of place.

Rakim
I grew up on soul music, but when my pops introduced me to Sade just before Diamond Life hit, it was a revelation. That voice and her style just took out even the hardest hood at the knees. "Smooth Operator" may have been a smash for everyone worldwide, but that was my track, and you can catch me referencing what she was trying to get across from Paid in Full up to my new album. Being in the biz for about the same amount of time, I respect and try to emulate how she floats above the industry ... one of the few that can do things on her own terms, knowing her fans will watch out for her. To this day, she's one of the artists I can listen to with 100 percent admiration. I can't wait to get my hands on this album and congratulate her for continuing to build her already iconic place in the world.

Tajai, Souls of Mischief
When I was young, her record was one of the few my mom would play that I would enjoy, too. As a kid, I’d want her to turn off her music so I could hear LL Cool J or someone like that, but Sade and Luther Vandross were two records I dug, too. Sade transcends the age gap. I’ve never seen her live though I’ve always wanted to. I also remember hearing rumors that (famous drug dealer) Felix Mitchell would fly out to Paris to see her shows.

Joell Ortiz
I always think of the song "Ordinary Love" whenever someone brings up Sade, because that song came out around the time my dad bounced. After he left, my mom used to sit in her room, getting high while listening to "Ordinary Love" over and over again for weeks. That was saddest time of my young life. Whenever I hear that song, I well up with tears."

Keri Hilson
My Dad would whistle Sade melodies randomly all the time. As a kid, I used to try to whistle along to "Cherish the Day" or "Sweetest Taboo." He was a real Sade fan and made me one, too! We couldn't be in his car even for five minutes without hearing her voice!

Kanye West
"THIS IS WHY I STILL HAVE A BLOG. TO BE A PART OF MOMENTS LIKE THIS ... NEW SADE ... HOW MUCH BETTER THIS THAN THAN EVERYTHING ELSE"

Read the full article here:
NY Mag: Vulture - Missy Elliott, Rakim, Talib Kweli, and More Talk to Vulture About the Greatness of Sade

Eric B Interview With Trace TV

Rakim Concert At B.B. Kings New York City

Photos:
Wire Image

Full concert report:
XXL - Rakim Soldiers Through Sound Issues At NYC Release Party [With Pictures & Video]

(video courtesy of itsphototime)

Robin Thicke: It Was Jay-Z Idea To Get Nicki Minaj On That

via MTV

"It was Jay's idea," Thicke said about how Nicki Minaj came to be on "Shakin' It 4 Daddy." "We were in the studio, and I played him the whole album. He was like, 'You should get Nicki Minaj on that. She's got that voice. She's got that swag.' So I leaned over and was like, 'Somebody get Nicki Minaj on the phone! Jay-Z said so!' Next thing you know, we called Nicki. She was excited. But once we told her it was Jay-Z's idea to get her on the track, she started screaming on the phone. She was all excited. She's a super, super talent. I can't wait to do a video with Nicki. There's a power in her. It's not just that she's sexy and that's the only way she can get you to like her. She's got charm — not just sex. Some women may use sex to get what they want; others have charm. She's got charm."

Read more here:
MTV - Jay-Z Co-Signs Robin Thicke's Use Of Rakim And Nicki Minaj

Robin Thicke - 'Sex Therapy' on Interscope/Star Trak in-stores December 15.

Tuesday 11/17 Street Date Album Reviews 50 Cent, Leona Lewis, Kid Sister And Rakim

via the New York Times

50 Cent 'Before I Self Destruct' (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope)

Taken as a whole this album has a pleasingly morbid tone, in keeping with the best moments from 50 Cent’s first two albums. But context is this album’s undoing. This summer he released a series of mixtapes and a book: both arrived, and disappeared, quietly. “Before I Self Destruct” is the ramblings of a stubborn heavyweight pushing retirement, not clever enough to replace declining agility with wit.



via the New York Daily News

Leona Lewis 'Echo' (J Records/Syco)
3 out of 5 stars

For Lewis' second swing at bat, she launched a makeover of her own, and not a moment too soon. "Echo" has a sense of fun, and a youthful vim, rarely on display on "Spirit." It's faster, harder and way catchier.

While "Spirit" favored flabby ballads, encouraging Lewis' naive will to show her chops, "Echo" focuses on trim, upbeat pop songs, inspiring in her a new sense of pith. She cut her showy melismas in half, hitting the melodies head on. Luckily, they're melodies worth hitting.



via the Los Angeles Times

Kid Sister 'Ultraviolet' (Downtown Music)
Three and a half stars (Out of four)

Chicago's hip-hop newcomer Kid Sister likes to talk up her girl-next-door appeal in interviews. While it's a safe bet that your neighbor isn't pals with Kanye West -- his DJ A-trak is Kid Sister's go-to producer -- "Ultraviolet" is brimming with the artist's down-to-earth candidness.

A two-time veteran of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Kid Sister's long-awaited debut is, first and foremost, an upbeat and futuristic club record. It also showcases her Midwestern work ethic and sense of humor. Over the ambient, Tangerine Dream-sampling "Let Me Bang," she's doing her laundry before hitting the dance floor, where she declares that she likes "to do it nice and slow." But don't get any ideas. "By that I mean my flow," she clarifies.



via the Los Angeles Times

Rakim 'The Seventh Seal' (Ra Records/Tuscan Villa/SMC Recordings)
Two and a half stars (Out of four)

The apotheosis of rap's first Golden Age, Rakim spent the lion's share of the 2000s mired in label purgatory at Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records. Sadly, the fruits of their collaboration remain unheard, with Rakim unwisely discarding the Dre beats in favor of a cast of mostly unknowns. Indeed, the "Seventh Seal" is undone by its boilerplate production -- rote drum patterns, predictable piano lines and antiseptic studio technique.

The rappers who have stayed artistically vital despite advancing age (Ghostface Killah, Scarface, Slick Rick) are champion storytellers who continue to burnish their craft. Rakim remains frustratingly opaque, with the brunt of his songs dedicated to rapping about rapping. The 41-year-old attempts to channel the ferocity of his Reagan-era rhymes while balancing a spiritual side ("Man Above") and romantic disposition ("You & I," "Psychic Love," "Still in Love.")

Source referenced articles:
NY Times - 50 Cent 'Before I Self Destruct' Album review
New York Post - Leona Lewis, 'Echo'
L.A. Times - Album review: Kid Sister's 'Ultraviolet'
L.A. Times - Album review: Rakim's 'The Seventh Seal'

Rakim: Billboard Magazine Q & A

Billboard: You're about to release your first album in almost a decade. Why did you choose the track "Walk These Streets," featuring newcomer Maino, to reintroduce yourself?

Rakim: Maino is an artist that I feel walks what he talks -- you can tell what he raps about and what he's been through is very similar. You've got a lot of rappers that rap about what they've heard or seen, but I think Maino is one of the rappers that has actually lived it. He has credibility. And that's one of the things I wanted to point out with this album: There's nothing fake on this album. I wanted to make a real album and at the same time show some love to the people I got respect for and vice versa.

Billboard: Which rappers are authentic and excellent right now?

Rakim: Lil Wayne is doing his thing and so is Drake. But I really like the way Fabolous is holding down New York right now. Jadakiss is also repping New York, heavy.

Billboard: Speaking of New York, what do you think of critics claiming that the Big Apple isn't holding its weight in terms of the genre these days?

Rakim: New York is kind of all over the place with its sound right now. Overall, I think the substance of hip-hop is a little shallow and I think listeners and consumers realize that. We need to get back to a little more consciousness -- to the essence of hip-hop, not just partying and negativity.

Billboard: What's to blame for the current state of hip-hop?

Rakim: Radio plays a big part. Before, labels were able to predict what would be a hit or not, but these days, radio has so much control and power that labels sign acts based on what radio will play. It's unfortunate because a lot of it is politics instead of talent. Everyone is trying to make money, and the genre is being manipulated by money. You have a lot of material out there, especially from New York, that should be getting airplay, but then you have powers that be that push that to the side. If your label puts a lot of money behind your project, then you'll hear your music on the radio. Otherwise, it's a struggle.

Billboard: You signed your last deal in 2000 with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. Why did you decide to walk away from it three years later?

Rakim: One of the main reasons why it didn't work out for me and Aftermath is because I felt my music should sound one way and they felt it should sound another. But, I learned a lot from watching Dre, and when I left California, I knew it was time for me to get my own label. I was fortunate enough to team up with Fontana and Tuscan Villa for distribution and to be able to drop my album myself.

Billboard: You released your first album, "Paid in Full," in 1987 with your former partner Eric B. Considering your long career, do you feel you get your due?

Rakim: I feel like I deserve a little more credit. There are certain things that I wish people knew -- certain things that I feel I started and certain things that I'm responsible for. Sometimes you wish people knew where a certain style of rapping came from or who was the first one to say whatever. That isn't always the case, though. Hopefully, I can get back to where I start setting trends again. Even more, I hope I make that happen with this album.
(source)

Rakim 'The Seventh Seal' Album Preview

Click below for the stream:
The Seventh Seal album by Rakim

Rakim 'The Seventh Seal' Tracklist:

01. How To Emcee
02. Walk These Streets ft. Maino & Tracey Horton
03. Documentary Of A Gangsta ft. I.Q.
04. Man Above
05. You And I ft. Samuel Christian
06. Won’t Be Long ft. Tracey Horton
07. Holy Are U
08. Satisfaction Guaranteed
09. Working For You
10. Message In The Song ft. Destiny Griffin
11. Put It All To Music
12. Psychic Love
13. Still In Love
14. Dedicated

Rakim - 'The Seventh Seal' on SMC Recordings/Ra Records/Tuscan Villa Entertainment in-stores November 17.

Interview With Rakim

via Showing Out

SO: The Seventh Seal is finally coming out. How does it feel to have a solid release date for the album?

Rakim: It’s a long road, man. To finally get to that point is a blessing. Word up.

SO: The cover art has you with sand slipping between your fingers. Is there any meaning behind the picture?

Rakim: You know, like the sands of time. It’s like being in control of time, almost, or being a burier of time. The name of the album is called The Seventh Seal, and the seventh seal is dealing with the signs of the times, from the plagues that’s going on. From the Ebola viruses, swine flu, to the weather that’s taking place, to the tsunamis and bad hurricanes, it’s all signs of the Seventh Seal. The sand pouring through my hands is letting them know that time is at hand.

Read the full interview here:
Showing Out - Exclusive Q & A With Rakim

Rakim and Killer Mike at AC3 Hip Hop Festival Atlanta, GA

Killer Mike and Rakim seen here performing at the AC3 Hip Hop Festival in Atlanta, GA at the MySpace show Saturday October 3.

(video courtesy of samrhansum1)

Rakim announces "This Is Me Live From New York City" with long awaited-The Seventh Seal

Rakim has been out of the limelight for quite some time, but he is still highly revered from the golden age of hip hop and up to 2009 as a pioneer.

In this interview with Billboard's Gail King, Rakim sheds some light on how spirituality plays a role with the much anticipated "The Seventh Seal".

BB: What's the story behind the title, "The Seventh Seal"?

RAKIM: The seals are from the Bible- Revelations and the coming of the Apocalypse. But Islam, Judaism, Christianity: all have a version of the same events. The Lion of Judah breaks the seven seals one by one, each imparting knowledge and inflicting catastrophe, ending with seven trumpets announcing the end of Times. After the Apocalypse, God rises from the ashes to recreate the Kingdom, taking only the greatest elements from the past with them.

When you look at Hip-Hop, I want to do that: to spit fire and take our best from the ashes to build our kingdom; to recognize all the regional styles, conscious lyrics, the tracks, underground, mainstream, the way we treat each other. Lose the garbage and rebuild our scene. I've always tried to insert consciousness and spirituality in my records, interpreting the writings of all cultures and religions and how they apply to life in modern times.

BB: Does this album contain any material from the unreleased album you did with Dr. Dre or is it all new music?

RAKIM: No, that's locked down in the lab for now. This is me live from New York City, everything brand new.

Read more of the article here

Rakim "The Seventh Seal" is tentatively set for September 15