The Alchemist is hitting the ground running for 2021 and has teamed with Los Angeles brand Born & Raised for an instrumental project titled Carry the Fire. The first videos is “Water Bed” where director Jason Goldwatch blends Olympic footage with Nightmare on Elm Street.
Benny Boom takes the helm and handles the remix video for Busta Rhymes’ “Czar” featuring M.O.P. Fresh off of Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God, Bussa Bus gets a black and white treatment that may remind you of the “Flava In Ya Ear” remix.
Nas is still dropping videos from his King’s Disease album and blesses us with “27 Summers” with cameos from Steve Stout and DJ Khaled.
Talib Kweli and Diamond D have teamed up for a collaborative album titled Gotham: A Hip-Hop Love Letter To New York City that’s dropping in the near future. To get a taste of what’s to come, the tandem release the first single “Far Out Bar Out” with A.F.R.O. coming through with the lyrical assist.
Joey Bada$$ celebrates his 26th birthday in style with “Let It Breathe.” Produced by Statik Selektah, the Pro Era emcee takes a look at his journey over the past decade as he prepares for the next stage of his career.
Perhaps Buffalo’s best kept secret, Che Noir has continued to smoke everything in her sight over the past year. She blesses us with a video for “Divine Knowledge,” which she also produced. If you’re sleeping, cut it out.
Mash Out Posse’s Billy Danze continues to strike out on his own with the third song off of his The Listening Session album. “Southern Man” is produced by TooBusy and the video finds Danze shaking up the industry with his aggressive rhymes as he prowls the streets.
An utter trash year is (w)rapped up over a beat by the one and only Skillz. Following an annual tradition, the Virgina emcee recaps a year that felt like it was 18 months long as he touches on everything from COVID and the presidential election to the passing of Kobe Bryant and George Floyd. It’s a doozy.
The rapping enigma known as MF DOOM has died at the age of 49.
News of his passing shocked the world when his wife, Jasmine, made the announcement on his Instagram page. The cause of his death has yet to be said.
Known for his complex rhyme schemes and trademark metal mask, MF DOOM’s career began as Zev Love X as part of the rap group KMD. He disappeared from the public eye after his younger brother DJ Subroc passed away in 1993. When he re-emerged in the late 1990s, he took on a whole new persona that cultivated a rabid fan base.
Donning a metal mask and taking on the new name MF DOOM — a nod to Marvel’s Doctor Doom — he recorded various albums while being relatively untouchable. From his classic Madvillainy with Madlib to solo ventures including MM…Food and Operation Doomsday, DOOM became your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.
It is with great sadness that we have to make this announcement, but let’s remember DOOM for all he gave to us in the wonderful world of Hip Hop.
It comes with a heavy heart that legendary dancer, actor and choreographer Adolfo “Shabba-Doo” Quinones has passed away at the age of 65. The founding member of The Original Lockers may best be known for his role as Ozone in Breakin’ and Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo.
No cause of death has been revealed. However, just a day ago, Quinones posted on Instagram that he tested negative for COVID-19 but was feeling sick.
“I’m just a wee bit sluggish from my cold, but the good news is I’m Covid 19 negative! Woo hoo!!!” he wrote.
No more than a day after the post, it was announced that he had passed away.
“It is with extreme sadness The Lockers family announces the unexpected passing of our beloved Adolfo Shabba-doo Quinones,” said Toni Basil, a fellow member of The Original Lockers and friend of Quinones.