The R.E.D. Album

(The) Game puts off retiring for another LP release. Titled the R.E.D. Album, the record is going to come out December 8th on Interscope Records. At least it was, until Game decided to push it back to 2010, which I think is a good move personally. First off, the boy is off Geffen, and back on Interscope. There isn't a Aftermath/G-Unit tag, but hey, linking back up for sure with Jimmy Iovine is always a good move right? The question is whether or not Game can do it again. He did it with the Documentary. He faltered just a little bit on Doctor's Advocate, and LAX was a banger with the exception of 2 maybe 3 tracks in total.

If there is one thing that Game has proved, is that he can make awesomely good music without the help of 50 Cent or the Good Doctor. Now the question is whether or not he's going to be able to do it again on the R.E.D. Album and better yet, how well people are going to respond to the release.

I remember seeing an interview where Game was talking about his "retirement" after L.A.X. and he was saying that he had done evreything tha the had wanted to do and had said everything that he had wanted to say. My question is, if that's true, then why another album? What's the reason for it, it doesn't make sense? That Better Days track is nice, yeah, but the Krazy record is not so much. Big Money is decent, but I don't think its first single material. Game constantly steps his bars up and steps his albums up. L.A.X. was a phenomenal album to say the least.

He took the name dropping thing to a whole new level, but made it nice with the Never Can Say Goodbye record. Letter to the King was inspiring, much more so than another "conscious record x Nas" aka Jeezy's My President. Everything about that song was good.

I want to keep this one short and sweet, considering how the others have been kind of long. I'm looking forward to The R.E.D. Album. I want to see what Game comes up with this time. From the tracks I've heard already, I'm thinking that it should be a banger of an album. He's worked with some of the best producers and he was recently quoted in an interview saying that he finally hooked up with Pharrell and that he is trying to get DJ Premier on the album, something that I think would be a dope collabo. The Cool and Dre beats will still be there and with Dre apparently back in the studio with him, I can only anticipate exceptionally good material.

Hopefully he doesn't do any random 50 Cent disses like he did on the Cool and Dre helmed Money track, the "I'm a bout a dollar, 50 Cent ain't real" line. And hopefully, he gets Young Buck on the album. Buck has been grinding for a minute and if there has been anyone that I've wanted to see win when going up against 50 Cent, it's definitely that boy from Cashville.

On the Grind: Sonny Black

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present as the first artist spotlighted in the On The Grind section: Sonny Black.



Follow Sonny Black on Twitter at: @OfficialSonny
Follow Me on Twitter at: @idoitforhiphop

Sonny Black is an up and coming independent artist from St. Louis, Missouri. When you think of St. Louis and music, you probably first think of Nelly or Murphy Lee. Maybe even Jibbs. Not me. The first thing that I really think of is Miles Davis and Chuck Berry. It's telling then that on Sonny Black's Myspace, you see, under the section of influences, pictures of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, amongst others. These are the kind of people who have influenced him. Don't get me wrong, he can make music that gives you the feel of the club like a Nelly or a Chingy or a Huey. You can hear that in one of his songs Party Girl. But he's a great deal more than just the club. Frankie and them did the songs that won the ladies, but more importantly than just that, they had great lyrics and a potent message. Sonny Black possess those same qualities.

Take this new song of his, Still Water, that's been climbing internet radio stations charts for a minute and is bubbling, just waiting for a chance to jump into the iPods and airwaves of mainstream America. It's a great track that has an equally great message. The song is built around the premise that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. It’s a good motto to hold when looking at Sonny Black. With lyrics like: "But I understand the lives of those that share my pain only want the same, Heaven on Earth so sweet the name, But rappers get sold like Valerie Plame" or "Rap dudes talk about how they body bag dudes, we all got the tools to clap fools, but the fact is y'all just some starving actors with musty armpits and rusty ratchets.", one can see that he's talented.

But looking beyond just him, the lyrics are telling you to open your eyes and see that everything isn't exactly what it appears to be. So don't get it twisted. Listen to Party Girl and you'll see that he can get people on the dance floor the same way that he can be introspective on Still Water and tell you how things are in St. Louis.

People need to listen to Sonny Black. He's got bars and something tells me that he's going to be coming up soon.

Download Still Water here:

http://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/q8vupq

Check out his myspace here where you can see videos of freestyles he's done over beats such as Maybach Music 1, Jokes on you, and a scorcher over Dead Presidents.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/OfficialSonny

New Section: On the Grind

Periodically, I'm going to write articles about artists who are on the grind and artists who I feel deserve a good look and a helping hand. These are artists who are putting in the time and the effort to make it to the top and more importantly, are making good music while they're doing it. These are the underground artists, the indie people who need support to get to the next level and are doing their best to bring their story and their struggle to the rest of the world. I do it for Hip Hop and these artists do too.

Stay tuned as the first artist in this new section will have his or her article up soon.

Jadakiss Top 5 Dead or Alive

Follow Jadakiss on Twitter: @Therealkiss
Follow me on Twitter: @idoitforhiphop

If you think about how sales have gone down, the numbers that Jada put up for The Last Kiss are really good. The others went gold, and he didn't do that this time around, but how many people are even going gold? He did damn good with what he had. More importantly, he made good music. While none of his singles really cracked the Billboard Top 100 with the exception of the banger that was By My Side feat. Ne-Yo, he had kept his name in the streets alive through mixtapes and through the big remix songs, the "Let's grab 1000 artists and throw them on here and just loop the beat!", those. His guest features weren't that many, but he made them count.

Last Kiss sold very well, and Jada said that the fans were not going to have to wait as long as they did for this last one. Another five years is a long time, you know? So he's coming out with another album, hopefully in 2010, entitled, Top Five Dead or Alive.

Interesting claim. Let's forget the people that Kiss would have to be going up against in the "Alive" section. People who not only claim that they're lyricists, but also, are respected as lyricists. Let's just go with those who have passed on. Let's look at the super big names. B.I.G., Tupac, Big L, Big Pun. I'm not trying to build a Top 5 Dead or Alive list right here, but Jada's already got some stiff competition. I think that he could potentially mess with one of the people on that list, maybe. I'm not naming names because I don't want people coming after me, sorry. THEN you factor in that he's got to be going up against people who are alive? Jay-Z? Nas? Joell Ortiz? I could keep going. And no, I didn't forget about the white boy.

It's my personal belief that Eminem can and will, if needed to, rap circles around anyone who has ever walked this earth and has claimed the title of MC or rapper. I know I just said I wasn't going to make a Top 5 DoA list, but come on. Jada is nice. Don't get me wrong. Say it with Fab's voice too. Jada is Niiiiiice. But I really don't think he's Top 5 Dead or Alive.

I'm just a fan, you know? I don't mind hearing great, phenomenal music. Whatever I feel, Jada believes that he's Top 5 Dead or Alive and he's going to be coming out the gate strong in order to show that he is. Shit, let him prove me wrong. My iPod will appreciate it and I know, most importantly, the other fans and other hip hop heads will too.

Until then, I got Can't Stop Me in the playlists.

Beatology 101

Every once in a while I'll post up links to beats I've done and put on my twiturm. Some of them will be available for free download, others might be things that I've already given to someone and just wanted to showcase.

Free Beat 1:

http://twiturm.com/epqxh

Free Beat 2:

http://twiturm.com/rbgkr

Check them out.

Moving Bad Boy to Interscope

Twitter follows:

Follow me: @Idoitforhiphop
Follow Diddy: @iamdiddy

I don't understand it. No wait, I do. I take that back. I can completely see why Jimmy Iovine said yes to this. Think about it. What act from Bad Boy in the past couple years has really worked and has had staying power? Don't worry, I'll wait. There's Danity Kane, but they've broken up and they're history at this point. There's Red Cafe. Now, he makes good music, but I still don't know when that debut album is coming out. Furthermore, I haven't seen any "official" mixtapes from him in a minute. The only other people are the LOX. With the exception of Jada's last album which is a tribute to Jada, the LOX don't really sell records. We Are the Streets did good, but that was back in 2000. No Security back in June sold how much? Exactly. You have Day26 who…don't make me laugh.

I watched one show of the second season of their Making the Band. Their hats alone made me want to change the channel. That was before I heard what they were saying. Then I did change the channel. But okay, Day26 has sold a decent amount of records in the post 2006 sales world, so I'll put them on the list of who Bad Boy has.

Which brings us to Diddy.

Diddy sells records. If you don't believe me, look at Press Play. That album went past Gold in 2006. If he came correct and did the auto tune right and had the Lady Gaga like danceability of the tracks, and lets be honest, Diddy is about dancing and partying, he could do it again if not maybe go past Platinum. So Bad Boy has Diddy. But why would Jimmy Iovine sign over all of Bad Boy for Day26 and for Diddy? That doesn't exactly make sense. Which brings you to the thought about Diddy's way of breaking new talent.

Look at Danity Kane. Look at Day26. Diddy takes the "On to the Next One" approach. He had Danity Kane but then he got bored and MTV wanted another season, so he made Day26. Diddy creates groups and artists and then releases them with one or two singles coming from the album. It makes its money and then Diddy moves onto the next one. In this way, he makes sure that he makes his money and that the label makes its money. All he's done here is swapped out Atlantic Records for Interscope Records as the parent label that he needs to pay. Obviously we don't know the cash flow situation, but I can only assume because he made the switch, Interscope is giving Diddy more capital with which he can broaden the scope of his artists' return.

I don't see Bad Boy changing the idea behind its line up anytime soon. Pop groups and R&B. Where are the real spitters? This is the label that arguably the greatest rapper of all time was a part of. Where are the rappers?

Or did reminiscing about the shiny suit era make Diddy want to try to bring it back, but in the wrong way?

Jimmy Iovine knew that Interscope would make its money back from the pop route and said fine, let's do the deal. But it’s the actual fans of the old Bad Boy who suffer the most. I'm getting ready to catch the Last Train outta this bitch then.

The Ability of Ace Hood to make a "Comeback"

Note: All numbers comes thanks to Wikipedia and various hip hop sites that get their hands on record numbers and chart numbers. They could be wrong and I could be wrong. But the message stays the same
Follow Ace Hood on Twitter: @AceHood954
Follow Me on Twitter: @Idoitforhiphop


I firmly believe that Ace Hood was never gone, therefore he can't exactly make a comeback. Before I continue, let me state that I'm from Florida. Broward County in fact. Thus, the 954 that Ace Hood represents is the same 954 that I'm from. I'm in NYC now for college. So don't take any of this as hate. Take this as an honest opinion.

Now, on to more important matters. Ace Hood's first album sold 124,476 copies. Now that's not the greatest look when it comes to album sales. Look at what he did when he came up. The guy had the backing of DJ Khaled, one of the best DJs in the game. He had two mixtapes out, as well as the street single, Cash Flow, and the ladies record, Ride with Trey Songz. Cash Flow peaked at 120 on the Billboard 100, while Ride hit 90. Strangely enough, Cash Flow didn't even crack the US Rap charts. Ride, because of its content for the ladies, did far, far better, hitting 14. The biggest look that he had was appear on DJ Khaled's third album, We Global.

Ace Hood was on Khaled's lead single, Out Here Grindin. Furthermore he was on the record an additional time, on Final Warning. Last but not least, Gutta came out on We The Best Music/Def Jam. He had the backing of a major label. Why did the record underperform? The same reason why We Global underperformed and the same reason why his sophomore album did far worse.

Rick Ross and Southern Music.

Rick Ross has soaked up all the love that people have for Florida in the game. He's come out and he's continually improved, either record sales, lyrics, or both. But there can only be so many giants from one area. Jay had to battle Nas for the title of King of NY. Trick Daddy and Ross butted heads. Ace Hood can't compete with Ross. Not because of lack of bars, but simply because they're basically the same camp. Down in FL, it's thicker than water. Also, people are starting to get tired of the same sound, which is what Ace Hood is. He has the anthemic singles just like his mentor, DJ Khaled. He has The Runners, The Inkredibles producing his records. But it’s the same sound. Real as it Gets from Jay-Z's BP3 was one of the weakest songs on there. People were excited to hear Jay and Jeezy on the same track after Go Crazy, but shit get Don Cannon to be behind the boards again.

So what does Ace Hood do when his first album doesn't do the greatest of numbers? He goes back to the drawing board. Within a year, actually within 7 months, he releases his sophomore album, Ruthless. Now, many artist s have been afflicted by what's called the sophomore jinx. My question is, when your first album only did roughly 120k, why would you try again less than a year? I'd take a little bit of time off, work the mixtape circuit a little bit, gain a bigger buzz. I'd guest on more records, and more importantly, not DJ Khaled records or records that are associated with him, because people sometimes just pass Khaled because they know what the subject is about: We the Best.

But that's not what he does. The first time around, he had T-Pain doing the hook on his lead single. This time, he decides to double up and get not just T-Pain, but certifiably one of the best persons to put on a single to get people interested, T-Pain's boss. Akon. The result was Overtime, which in and of itself is a good record, with the exception of the fact that putting both Akon and T-Pain on there means that someone is going to lose their look, in this case, T-Pain was overshadowed by Akon.

It didn't help. Overtime hit 119 on the Billboard 200, one spot above Cash Flow. On the R&B charts it did worse. Cash Flow hit 55, but Overtime peaked at 70. Again it didn't crack the Rap charts. His second single wasn't about the ladies this time. He decided to do something a little out of the box at least for him and what was expected of him, and he enlisted Jazmine Sullivan's help for the second song, Champion, which also featured Rick Ross. This one performed worse than Overtime did.

Now, we're coming to the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010. Ace Hood has to make a decision. He has to start making honest to god hit records and he needs to back that up with an album that at least sells 250k.

Enter his (somewhat as of posting) recent Tweet through his Twitter (@AceHood954): New album on the way called Underrated.

The question is whether or not he can prove that he's here to stay and whether or not he can make hits. Cash Flow was a good song. Ride was good, the remix was better with Santana and them. Overtime had an excellent hook. Champion had a great message. He needs a song that has all of those mixed together. He needs to find a way to make fans want to buy the album as opposed to download it. The question is can he do it?

I think he can.

His plan should be simple. Do something that people don't expect him to do. Jazmine Sullivan was a good choice. It opened his audience up a bit more. Find artists to collaborate with that it just wouldn't make sense. Get Khaled to open up that book of contacts and make something happen.

Call up Asher Roth. Do a track like Luda and Game's song from Theater of the Mind. Call up Ne-yo. Every rapper and their weed carrier has done a ladies song with Ne-yo, (See another Florida artist who did it and did it well, Plies). More importantly, get beats that aren't from The Runners or The Inkredibles, or Cool and Dre. Yes, They're all from Florida and yes they're all Khaled affiliates. Get like Kanye West. You can probably get in touch with him through Khaled after Go Hard. Get Neo Da Matrix through Jadakiss. Shell out the money if you really can and get Timbo. Do the underground a favor and get the Alchemist. That would be an interesting song. But don't do the same thing all over again.


People are starting to get tired of that. Ross was smart with Deeper Than Rap and he got J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League to craft arguably one of the best Hip Hop Albums of 09 when it comes to production. You're not a niche rapper. Unless you let yourself be one.