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Barack Obama Inducts Jay Z Into The Songwriters Hall Of Fame

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Jay Z
On June 15th, 2017, Mr. Shawn Carter (AKA Jay Z) was officially welcomed into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame along with several other deserving songwriters. The magnitude of this event is increased because Jay Z is the first hip hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and also because Former U.S. President Barack Obama provided an endearing video explaining how he and Jay Z share a strong bond. Aside from the fact that both of them were not in attendance to the event, Mr. Obama compares himself to Jay Z in a video statement and also how inspirational his music has been. In a series of tweets, Jay Z tweeted his thanks to dozens of fellow artists who have inspired him over the years in response to his induction.

Whether you like Jay Z’s music or not, Mr. Obama’s video statement is a perfect example of the power musicians can have on their audience. We listen to artists we can relate to and establish connections with musicians who we understand. It will be neat/unbelievable if Mr. Obama is on the rumored upcoming Jay Z album. Watch the video below for a reminder of the former President’s signature eloquence.

Damian Marley Says Jay Z Is Definitely Working On New Music

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After the launch of ambiguous 4:44 Tidal ads that appeared in New York City and the net earlier this month, there have been growing rumors that Jay Z may be sculpting a new album following a 4-year break since Magna Carta Holy Grail. Although we learned the 4:44 ads are really for a movie starring Mahershala Ali, Lupita Nyong’o, and Danny Glover, there’s now stronger evidence suggesting a new Jay Z album may not be such a wild idea.

In a recent interview with Billboard, Damian Marley confirmed that Jay Z came to Kingston, and the two did in fact work on some music together. “We did some work in the studio recently and he wanted to come to Jamaica to get a tour of the place,” said Marley in the interview. I would assume the two may have been working on something for Marley’s Stony Hill album dropping July 21, if not for Marley stating, “…I did some work with him [Jay Z] for some stuff that he’s working on, I’m not really sure of the details of his project in that sense, but we worked on some music together.” Yes, signs point to a new Jay Z album in the works, and you can learn more based on this dossier of evidence. All we can do is continue to watch, wait, and speculate. In the meantime, get a whiff of Damian Marley’s recent music video for “Medication.”

Nicki Minaj Declares Her 4th Album Will Be “A Hip Hop Classic”

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In an interview (which will fully air on June 10th) with DJ Whoo Kid on his Shade 45 program Whoolywood Shuffle, Nicki Minaj announced her fourth album will be a “hip hop classic.” That’s definitely a great way to generate all kinds of buzz. Her exact words were “…it’s going to be amazing because I want to thank the people who’ve rocked with me all these years, because my fans are a different level of die-hard. So like, I always feel like I gotta make them proud. I gotta go hard. I gotta impress them, because they always waiting for me. You know, that’s a blessing in itself. So that’s next on my bucket list. To deliver my fourth album and make sure that it’s a classic hip-hop album that people will never forget.” She also said it will be “her best body of work.” She’s setting high expectations! She also discussed the nostalgia of hanging out with Drake and Lil Wayne at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards.

Let’s not forget that musical tastes are subjective, but calling something a “hip hop classic” is a pretty bold claim no matter which artist you’re talking about. Maybe she means classic as in it will be Nicki being Nicki. Y’know, classic Nicki! That will probably please her fans if that’s the case and her mention that it will be her best work is also exciting. But classic as in “A Tribe Called Quest made some classic albums,” is also an interpretation one could make and I’m expecting there will be debate about this, mostly between her die-hard fans and everybody else. I just hope everyone would hold all artists to this degree of scrutiny.

There’s no way to tell if the album will be a classic until it’s out, and Nicki hasn’t disclosed a release date yet, and we’re not sure if she revealed the title. Even after it’s out folks will debate, but I admire her for what she said about her fans. I like to see artists who cater to their fanbase because if it weren’t for public support, no artists could reach Nicki’s level of popularity. If she does bust out something that really is excellent it would be exciting for everyone to hear. I’m going to end up hearing it anyway, though. Just as the first time I heard the below track was during a routine cleaning at my dentist’s office, there’s no escape.

A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg: “Wrong” Music Video + Cozy Tapes Vol. 2 Announcement

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Earlier today, Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg released a music video for their latest single, “Wrong”. The music video is quite trippy, with an artistic vibe to it. Like usual, Rocky and Ferg continue to show off their fashion sense in this video.

Rocky also announced via Twitter that the sequel to A$AP Mob‘s Cozy Tapes Vol. 1, would be coming soon. Although Cozy Tapes Vol. 2 doesn’t have a release date as of yet, I think we can take Rocky’s word for the fact that it should be coming rather soon. Hopefully we can see a new A$AP Rocky solo project drop this year as well. But for now, check out the music video to “Wrong” below.

What is “4:44”? New Jay-Z Album on the Way?

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It’s been quite the busy year for hip-hop, and it doesn’t like it’ll slow down anytime soon. You may have already seen the ad above, either on sites such as Complex and 2DopeBoyz, or in and around New York City. Thanks to technology, some individuals were able to trace the source of these ads back to the music streaming service, Tidal. This service is of course owned and operated by famed Brooklyn MC, Jay Z.

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Hov. His last studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, dropped nearly 4 years ago. This album drought, as well as a cryptic Instagram post back in May from longtime Hov collaborator, Swizz Beatz, has led many Jay Z fans to believe that these ads may be signs of a new project from the rapper. It’s certainly very mysterious, especially considering that the ads are even appearing in Times Square.

"4:44" teased in Times Square

Whether or not the rumors are true remain unknown. I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. Stay tuned.

Snowgoons : “New Kidz On The Bloc (Video)” & Tour Dates

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Goon Bap Canadian Tour

The Snowgoons (DJ Illegal & Crypt) are bringing the Goon Bap Tour to Canada in June 2017. The lineup also includes N.B.S. and Big Kurt from Boston plus Vancouver’s own Mugg Shot.
June 07 Wed  Quebec, QC – L’Anti Bar

June 08 Thu  Montreal, QC -Le Belmont

June 09 Fri  Charlottetown, PE – Hunter’s Ale House

June 10 Sat  Moncton, NB

June 11 Sun  Halifax, NS – Reflections Cabaret

June 12 Mon  Red Deer, AB – The Vat

June 13 Tue  Edmonton, AB – The Forge

June 14 Wed  Calgary, AB – Distrotion

June 15 Thu  Vancouver – Venue TBD

June 16 Fri  Chilliwack, BC – Main Street

The latest Snowgoons album is mainly known for it’s prominent 90s golden era feature list. But the Goons don’t forget about the present and future. They easily manage to place a whole bunch of extremely gifted young guns on the album as well. Token, TJ Brown, Big Kurt, Intell and Merkules are the “New Kidz On The Bloc” proving that Hip Hop is alive and kicking in 2017:

Eminem’s Meaning Of “Stan” Is Now Officially In The English Language

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eminem stan

I’m not kidding. As if the Stans of the world weren’t already excited, the Oxford English Dictionary has officially recognized the word “stan” as English-enough to make it into the dictionary. They certainly took their sweet time. If you’re not familiar with the word it comes from Eminem’s 2000 hit single of the same name. There’s a good chance if you’ve heard Dido, you’ve heard “Stan.” The official definition is “an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity.” Yep. That’s Stan, all right. It’s going to be very weird if my parents start using this word in their daily lives. I can already hear my mom saying something like “This spinach and artichoke dip has garlic and dill in it. I’m sort of a garlic stan.”

This might not seem like a big deal, but think about it. If Eminem had never released his “Stan” song it wouldn’t be in the dictionary. It would never be anything more than a dude name outside of hip-hop and internet culture. This is just another example of how hip-hop has influenced the English language. Remember when “YOLO” made it in? Pretty soon these words are going to be tested on schoolchildren. Revisit the song that started it all below.

Gold Status Achieved For Kendrick Lamar’s “A.D.H.D”

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good old kenny

Damn. Kendrick Lamar continues to bask in success, this time in the form of mining a retroactive gold rush. Kendrick’s “A.D.H.D” has officially achieved gold status as it hit 500,000 in sales on May 8th, the first single to hit gold off of his 2011 album “Section.80.” “Section.80” itself was confirmed gold by the RIAA on April 14, 2017, creating even more of a stir when “DAMN.” was unleashed on the same day. How did we all survive this maelstrom? This news might seem like no surprise because “DAMN.” went platinum in less than a month, but it’s further evidence of the artist’s sealed appeal. Congratulations, Kendrick!

I’m not sure how “A.D.H.D” is just now receiving gold certification. I figured it would’ve happened a couple years ago. We’ve had ample time to see him evolve as an artist, but this recent gold means Kendrick’s music is finally inescapable. People must be going back and listening to his whole discography, or they’re at least paying for it this time around. Yeah, I’m talking about you. In case you forgot what “A.D.H.D” looks and sounds like, the video is posted below.

BREAKING NEWS: A Website for Tyler, The Creator’s Newest Project Has Been Discovered

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Shoutout to Reddit for always being the plug! Fans of the “Cherry Bomb” rapper have unearthed a website that they believe is counting down to a new album. With a display for “MAY 2017”, the website, linked to golfwang.com, Tyler’s official website, has a clock ticking down to what is assumed to be the evening of Thursday, May 5. This is also corroborated because a tracklist for “Scum Fuck FlowerBoy” lists May 5th under it as well. The website link here only has the countdown and box where one can attempt to guess its password. Tyler himself has neither confirmed nor denied but one can assume this very likely true as many of his projects have had a release date or April or May.

Keep watch on Dead End Hip Hop for this developing story.

Eminem returns with a “Campaign Speech” just in time for the election

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Eminem returns with an absurd freestyle clocking in at nearly 8 minutes titled Campaign Speech. The song features references to presidential candidates, terrorists, and shooting victims, alike in between rapid fire bars and wordy punchlines. Hopping on Sway in the Morning earlier today, Eminem also announced he is currently working on a new album.