City of Dope: September 2006

B.A.R.S. Awards '06

Oh snap, its almost time for the second annual BARS Awards which is coming up in December. It looks like they have updated their shitty website into a less shitty one, and it wasn't really working to well for me. Im not sure when the voting ends, but I think it's coming up pretty soon, so head over and make some picks even though I would imagine that the whole thing is rigged anyway.

Mistah FAB Signs to Atlantic

From BallerStatus.net

The 24-year-old rapper is very excited about the new deal, stating he felt that Atlantic was the best choice after fielding offers from various major labels since January.

"We've been in a bidding war since January with a lot of majors," Mistah FAB told BallerStatus.com. "I sat down with every president across the country. I think that Atlantic showed the most interest, not only that, but they stuck with it. Some labels, we shied away from and we haven't heard from them since. But, Atlantic has constantly stayed on our bumper, trying to get us involved in their whole movement and what they're doing."

I'm not sure if the rest of the world is ready to start riding the yellow bus, but I guess we're going to find out soon enough. By the way, Fabby is the new guest blogger over at XXL.

R.I.P twobeesinabucket.com

2006-2006

Time to pour out a little liquor and have a moment of silence.....

It appears that Old Dirty Bucket has officially thrown in the towel on the blogging world. It's too bad because this was my always my first stop on the links. I think he got a girlfriend or some crazy shit like that. Oh well, best of luck with that, and if not, I'll probably see you again on the mean streets of the internet.

Double Shot of Motion Man

Unfortunately, Motion Man is one of those dope MC's whose been around for what seems like forever, but I bet you don't have a copy of any of his records. There's alot to like about this guy, mainly for the fact that he still drinks Old E 40's and will breakdance on stage if he's egged on.

He's got a new one out now called "Pablito's Way" that you should definately go cop. Of course he's got Kool Keith on there, but alot of heavy hitters from the Bay show up including Too Short, Gift of Gab, Mistah FAB, and DJ Q-Bert. You can get a sample of the album by going over to Strivin and download the single, "Confidence".

Below are a couple of new videos....peep game.

Motion Man feat. Gift of Gab
"One Time For Your Mind"

Motion Man
"Megalo Maniac"

Real Big

I don't really think that these guys are some dope rappers, nor do they claim to be, but the music these guys make is always pretty weird. Check out this little write up in The Fader...

“When I first heard ‘18 Dummy’, it sounded like rap meets rave,” says Doon Coon, one of the group’s three MCs alongside Goldie Gold and Stressmatic. In the song’s first minute, listeners are bombarded by CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM bass kicks, spastic blinks of melody, and a computer-voice chorus from Federation producer Rick Rock, all underneath a free-associating verse by Coon that references El Niño, various Northern California neighborhoods, serpents, baby powder, Red Lobster clam chowder, Remember The Titans, kites and the Triton synthesizer, before unexpectedly breaking into song: If you sleazy all you beezies say, We loooove you Cooooon… It’s some out-there shit, even in a regional rap scene where rainbow-tinted goggles and ecstasy grimaces are considered pretty normal.

Dont Hate The Player

Check out the new video for Dan the Automator's, "Don't Hate The Player", featuring Hieroglyphics.

Watch it here. (quicktime)

"So Tall" Video

Zion I
"So Tall"

Let Him Introduce You To The Stunna Life

From The SF Guardian:

First nicknamed the Rolling 20s in the ’70s, then the Twomps in the ’80s, the group of East Oakland avenues below MacArthur and between 19th and Fruitvale avenues received its present designation, the Murder Dubs, in the early ’90s, when a neighborhood hustler named P-Dub began a lethal reign of terror in an effort to control the local drug trade. Naturally, this didn't endear him to the community, which locked its collective doors to him the night his number came up, leaving him to be gunned down in the street by pursuers circa 1994.

Yet despite this violent legacy, the vibe in the Dubs seems remarkably friendly, at least in the company of its most famous son, 23-year-old MC and producer Beeda Weeda. Head of the sprawling Pushin' the Beat (PTB) camp — whose roster includes a half-dozen talented producers, as well as rappers like Lil Al the Gamer and veteran crew Under Survalance — Beeda is on familiar terms with most of the neighborhood, though this doesn't prevent a nearby group of kids from treating him like a star.