I remember the days when the big beefs were settled in a crazy violent and bloody way.  The days when 2Pac and Biggie’s insults actually got people killed.  In those days, rappers were going to jail for serious crimes, crazy drug charges and all kinds of assaults.  Everyone was doing time, and everyone’s albums were selling like hotcakes.
I mean think about it.  Snoop Dogg, now one of the mellowest and most commercial dudes you’ll meet was a member of the Crips, was charged (and acquitted) as an accessory in someone’s …

I’m not sure if you’ve heard about Kanye’s latest little annoyance, but I’ll quickly fill you in.  He and Spike Jonze (yes, the Spike Jonze of Where the Wild Things Are fame) were making a short film together.  Kanye, apparently thinking the video was finished, leaked it on his blog. 
It wasn’t up for too long or anything, but long enough that Jonze felt the need to issue a statement.  More importantly, Jonze got to do something many people have been dreaming about for a long time.

Behind the Scenes With …

Hip hop has long been lampooned for being homophobic, and with even venerable groups like Tribe showing off some less-than-stellar judgment on the matter, it’s understandable why the genre as a whole has a bad rap.
But this new phrase seems to be even more over the top than the ridiculous nonsense that Eminem throws out.
Basically, more and more frequently now, rappers (I should note that it’s primarily commercial rappers who are doing this) drop some ridiculous phrase then toss out a “no homo” at the end.  This Current TV …

Somehow I can’t find the video of the actual incident (most of them have been taken down due to a copyright claim by Viacom), which is totally fine by me.  We’ve all heard all about how Kanye ran on stage when Taylor Swift won the award for Best Female Video, beating Beyonce’s Single Ladies video.  Rolling Stone has a good written coverage of the deal if you’ve missed it.
Basically, it’s another example of Kanye’s self-aggrandizing nature.  He’s a narcissist and, quite frankly, not a nice man.  Besides all the other …

At the Grammy’s a few nights ago, a very pregnant M.I.A. performed.  In fact, it was actually her due date!
In the words of Queen Latifah, this was a hip hop ‘rap pack’.  Yes, that was a Latifah play on the ‘rat pack’ nickname.  Still, it’s not everyday you’ll see M.I.A, Jay-Z, Kanye, TI and Lil’ Wayne all perform together on the same track.
It seemed to be one of the biggest hip hop Grammy performances in recent memory, which is definitely a good thing.  Plus, it’s not really that bad.

WPvideo 1.10

Since Kanye is running out of ways to act like a clown and get some attention, he’s decided he needs a name change.  After all, where do you go after you make an entire album with AutoTune?
Well, you try to change your name to Martin Louis the King Jr.  That’s right.  According to Contact Music.  No doubt this will result in another big rant on Kanye’s blog as he disputes the rumor, but if it’s true I have to say that I’ve lost even more respect for him.
Just to celebrate …

Not that this is major news, because it’s definitely a case of some dude trying to make his name by taking on someone far more famous than him, but it’s still pretty entertaining.
Apathy, an emcee from Conneticut, has taken aim at Kanye West, remixing Love Lockdown, a vocoder/synth filled track from everyone’s favourite egomaniac.
It’s worth a listen, mainly because at one point he tells Kanye that he should have stuck to producing.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Otherwise, Apathy has some decent tracks.  A fairly aggressive emcee, his flow is …

Because of some busy-ness in the real world, I ain’t got a lot of time to get my write on (or, apparently, choose a decent picture).  So I’ve decided to temporarily forgoe the usual witty commentary you’ve come to love and expect at 4080 and post a sampling of the music I’ve been feeling recently without context.
That said, scroll down and prepared to get your groove on to some tasty new treats.
K-Def – The Program ft. Dacapo (Willie Boo Boo: The Fool, 2008)
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
via: From Da Bricks
88 …

Yesterday, the blog at Complex.com published a brilliant post detailing the “unauthorized history of puppets in hip-hop.”  It features five (mostly) classic rap videos which contain at least some puppetry, including “Ass Like That” by Eminem, “Champion” by Kanye, “Da Art of Storytelling” by Outkast, “Me and the Biz” by Masta Ace and Pac’s “How do you want it?”  If anything, it demonstrates that current hip-hop suffers from a serious lack of puppet content. 
The best part of the post, though, is the music video remix of M.O.P.’s “Ante Up” with Bert and Ernie.  …

I know, it’s a bold statement…
Until you read this.
The peeps at the Bonaroo festival were VERY unimpressed with Kanye’s performance.  He came on late, gave a half-assed show, and was, well, Kanye.
And he wasn’t just late, he was 2 hours late.  Awful.  Especially because his original start time was already around 3 am.
So people complained about it,  and I was shocked to see how furious he was.  He’s a diva.  The male Mariah Carey.  And yet he was mad that people could accuse him of giving a weak show.  We’ve …