08th Apr2011

Neil Portnow Discusses Grammys’ Award Consolidation

by iSpit

In the broadest reorganization of the Grammy Awards’ 53-year history, the Recording Academy has consolidated dozens of awards categories, altered eligibility requirements and rewritten the rule on how members may vote.

The impact will be immediate as next year’s 54th annual Grammy Awards will have only 78 categories, 31 fewer than presented at the 53rd ceremony held in February. Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow, Academy chair emeritus Jimmy Jam and Academy VP of Awards, Bill Freimuth made the announcement Wednesday at the Academy’s headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif.

The most noticeable changes are in the stripping of gender-based categories in pop, R&B, rock and country. There will no longer be separate awards for male or female vocals, simply an award in each genre for a single “solo performance.” Several instrumental categories have been eliminated as well.

“Every year there are changes but we’ve never … stopped and stepped back to look at the whole thing,” Portnow told Billboard in an exclusive interview. “[We asked], is there an underlying infrastructure and rationale across all the awards as to how we’re (more…)

14th Feb2011

Best Grammy Speech Ever – ODB “Wu-Tang is for the Children!”

by iSpit


Download Video or MP3 -Iamnotarapperispit.com

16th Dec2010

George Clinton Sues Black Eyed Peas Over Sample

by iSpit

George Clinton has filed a copyright lawsuit against members of the Black Eyed Peas, their Universal Music Group label and Cherry Lane music publisher for allegedly sampling his song “(Not Just) Knee Deep” on a Grammy-award nominated album.

According to the complaint, filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the funk pioneer’s song wound up in remixes of the Black Eyed Peas’ “Shut Up,” first released in 2003.

Clinton’s original song appeared on his 1979 album “Uncle Jam Wants You” and ran more than 15 minutes long. An edited version reached No. 1 on the Billboard Black Singles chart, besting Michael Jackson’s first solo hit. “(Not Just) Knee Deep” was later sampled by artists such as De La Soul, LL Cool J, MC Hammer, Snoop Dogg, and 2Pac.

Clinton has become more aggressive on the copyright front in past years with several cases involving his intellectual property. He’s enjoyed some success in court, getting a judge to acknowledge his ownership in the legendary phrase, “Bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yay” and winning a ruling that record labels violated his rights by re-releasing four of his 1970s albums. These victories seem to be emboldening him on the legal front.

(more…)

12th Dec2010

7 Hits and 5 Misses of the 53rd Grammy Nominations

by iSpit

Hits

1.”F*ck You” for Song of the Year
Yes. Thank you Jesus.

2. No Ke$ha
Also, thanks to the Grammy voters for shutting out that highly offensive, wildly trashy pop trifle Ke$ha.

3. Janelle Monae’s Triumph
Standing ovation for nominating the awesomely talented and weird Janelle Monae. Too bad she didn’t get any important acknowledgment for The ArchAndroid. She did get nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance and Best Contemporary Album.

4. The Roots’ How I Got Over for Best Rap Album
OK. This is only their annual left-field nomination designed to please all sides. Sadly, it probably won’t amount to a win, but you still have to admire their consistency.

(more…)

22nd Oct2010

Rhymefest Is Running For Alderman

by iSpit

Che “Rhymefest” Smith talks to supporters at a South Side car wash Thursday, before announcing his candidacy for 20th Ward alderman. (Zbigniew Bzdak/ Chicago Tribune)

The 20th Ward includes the Woodlawn, Englewood and Back of the Yards neighborhoods. Ald. Willie Cochran is seeking re-election there.

Smith said his vision for the ward includes an engaged community in which small business owners would be able to expand, youth would find productive ways to fill their time and elders would be sought out for their wisdom.

“The wheel doesn’t have to be reinvented,” Smith said. “It just has to be reinstated.”

For too long, the community has struggled, he said.

(more…)

09th Oct2010

Jay-Z Is Not In The Illuminati…He Is Here To Distract You

by iSpit

That is the assertion of artist Jason James, who has been following much of the debate about the “Jay-Z is a Mason” as much as the rest of us. He sent this email earlier in the week and  wanted to share so that you all can discuss.  

What up everybody..

I received an email from some random idiot tonight accusing me of using Satanic imagery in my music. So I took some time and wrote a blog post to shed light on the whole Illuminati in Hip Hop thing. I’m sending this out to all you guys just to read and if you feel like it, go ahead and re-post…

**DISCLAIMER: I’m using Jay-Z, Kanye West and Rihanna as a point of reference because it seems that the 3 of them have been the main focus of all of this over the top Illuminati stuff. Now with that said, let’s get busy.**

 

Lately the world of Hip Hop has been going a little crazier than usual. “Jay-Z is part of the Illuminati”, “Rihanna is flashing Masonic hand gestures in photo shoots”, “Kanye West is using Illuminati symbolism in his videos”. I even received an email from some random nutjob claiming that myself and Rodney used Illuminati-esque imagery on the cover for Marvelous World Of Color and I secretly wrote about Satan on a song called “The Architect” (Satan is sometimes referred to as the architect of the world in the bible).

 

Sorry to tell you folks, but you couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

Is the Illuminati real? Yes. Do they have a plan to form a world government and control everything you say and do? Yes. Are your favorite rappers knowingly included in this grand scheme? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

(more…)

30th Jun2010

John Legend & The Roots – Hard Times (Live In Studio Performance)

by iSpit

John Legend and The Roots cover Baby Huey and the Babysitters’ “Hard Times” for their collaboration album Wake Up!, in stores on September 21st. Black Thought also raps a little something on this.

Press release below…

(more…)

07th Feb2010

Karma Is A B*tch I Tell Ya….Taylor Swift

by iSpit
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Guess who broke their Grammy? Mwhahahahaha (c) Dr. Evil.  American sweetheart had some butterfingers at he Grammys.


“Beyonce had the greatest album of all time”

Via:

01st Feb2010

Jay Electronica – Exhibit C (Live w/ The Roots & Mos Def) (Video)

by iSpit


Download Video or MP3 -Iamnotarapperispit.com

Jay Electronica performed Exhibit C with Mos Def live last night at The Roots’ Pre-Grammy Jam Session, and OKP was there to capture this footage, live at West Hollywood’s The Key Club.

Related: Mel D Cole was on deck for some pics of his own Set 1 | Set 2

Via:

20th Jan2010

RZA’s New Rap: Filmmaker

by iSpit

<b>RAPPER:</b> RZA co-founded the hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan.

Call the RZA hip-hop’s foremost alchemist. The self-professed former drug dealer-turned-Grammy-winning rapper-producer has defied all odds to spin not lead into gold, but démodé pop culture and arcane philosophical beliefs into platinum disc upon platinum disc.

And now, after spending years under the tutelage of several high-profile filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, he’s preparing to unleash his unique mash-up sensibility on the big screen, in a project that will be part chop-socky flick, part spaghetti western and all RZA.

As founding father of the hard-core Staten Island rap collective Wu-Tang Clan, RZA (pronounced “rizza,” given name: Robert Diggs) conflated the spiritual enlightenment found in ’70s kung fu movies with racially incendiary teachings from the Five-Percent Nation of Islam, adding to the mix references to Taoism and comic books, numerology and snippets of mafia don movie dialogue, articulating a plaintive yet hard-bitten ghetto cri de coeur.
(more…)

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