Henry's Rap / Hip-Hop Blog May 2008 Archive

Oh no, not another rapper with a reality show. T.I. is turning real life trouble into reality TV in an eight-episode MTV series. MTV cameras will follow Tip around ... Read More

Everyone has a Madonna story these days, but this one tops them all. In a recent ABC Nightline interview, Madonna revealed that hip-hop producer Pharrell Williams (of the Neptunes) brought ... Read More

Xzibit has revealed the tragic news of his son's death via a blog entry titled "It's 4:32 am and I Have Some Bad News." Xzibit's son, Xavier Joiner, arrived via ... Read More

Tragedy is always around us. From the ongoing war in Iraq that has claimed more than 4000 lives to the mindless massacre at Virginia Tech that left 33 people dead, ... Read More

After facing threats of deportation for several years, the eye-patch wearing hip-hop legend we all know as Slick Rick has been granted full and unconditional pardon by New York Governor ... Read More

Ding! Ding!! Ding!!! We have a new No. 1. Hint: It's a 5'9" rapper from the Peach State. OK, I'll save you the guesswork. Here's this week's Top 10.

It wasn't an easy choice, but Saigon has finally disembarked from the sinking ship that is Atlantic Records' hip-hop division. After what must have been a frustrating four-year run, the ... Read More

The guys at MTV have every reason to pride themselves in their yearly Hottest MCs list. After all, it takes an enormous amount of time to sift through a list ... Read More

With David Banner's Greatest Story Ever Told now postponed to July 15, that leaves Bun B's II Trill to lead this week's pack of new rap releases. II Trill is ... Read More

Good news for music retailers everywhere. Nas has finally succumbed to pressure from his label to soften his album title. Nas' album was originally dubbed N*gger in what he publicized ... Read More

On the heels of their new release, Terminate on Sight (due July 1st), I caught up with the members of G-Unit to discuss beef, Buck, and life-changing tragedies. Did Yayo ... Read More

Rapper Queen Pen fears that her life might be in danger after an ex-boyfriend threatened to kill her, according to the New York Post. Pen (born Lynise Walters) claims ... Read More

Rising Down is not my favorite Roots album -- while I understand the concerns behind their message, I found it overly corrosive. Still, you can't deny the intensity of their ... Read More

If you have some spare time to expend this weekend, you can help Lil Wayne create an online commercial for Tha Carter III. All you have to do is create ... Read More

Had a bad case of wacktacularitis? Let me prescribe you some Rap Rx: the best in funky hip-hop music. Here's this week's Top 10 chart.

A gruesome battle has ensued at the top of this week's rap albums chart, with Rising Down and Trilla jostling for position. Find out who will reign supreme in this ... Read More

Well, it looks like the Motor City boys of D-12 are sick and tired of being treated like Eminem's background 'singers'. So, they've decided to record a mixtape, sans the ... Read More

Let's say you've just faced countless assault charges, served time in jail, watched your career spiral downhill, and survived it all. What do you do next? Wait, don't answer that ... Read More

Remy Ma now has plenty of time to plan her wedding to Papoose, but that's not the good news she wanted to hear. A New York judge has sentenced the ... Read More

It's a rumble among greatest hits compilations in today's New Releases department. Tons -- and by tons, I mean three -- greatest hits CDs from Devin the Dude, 8Ball & ... Read More

There are only two album covers that show Jay-Z wielding a cigar in between his fingers: The Blueprint and Reasonable Doubt. Incidentally, those two are my favorite Jay-Z albums of ... Read More

Despite what naysayers would have you believe, hip-hop is not some coffee shop in downtown Manhattan where rappers hold daily meetings to devise new ways of degrading women. Don't get ... Read More

*Sigh* Finally. After all the empty debates, rumors, and outrage surrounding Nas' N*gger album, we finally get a sample of the controversy-baiting disc. A couple of weeks ago, the Internet was ... Read More

This week's chart includes three new entrants, including T.I.'s "No Matter What" and the Jeezy-Yeezy collaboration, "Put On." Here's this week's Top 10 Rap Songs. Your thoughts on the songs ... Read More

The Roots' Rising Down is the highest selling rap album of the week, but Rick Ross' Trilla is not too far behind. Find out more in this week's Top 10 ... Read More

After Estelle's 2004 debut, The 18th Day, stalled at No.40 on the U.K. chart, V2 Records refused to back her second album. So, John Legend took the talented songwriter under ... Read More

Kanye West and his star-studded Glow in the Dark entourage (Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D., and Rihanna) made a stop at Duluth, Georgia a few days ago. Our hip-hop contributor Shannon Barbour ... Read More

Common has signed on to star in the latest installment of the Terminator movie series Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. Comm will play a freedom fighter named Barnes, whose task ... Read More

50 Cent was forced to stop his concert in Angola last weekend, after a man jumped onstage and ganked the G-Unit rapper's chain from his neck. According to The Angola ... Read More

Bun B's II Trill and Foxy's Brooklyn's Don Diva kick off the month of May in style, with Keak da Sneak's Deified and Pete Rock's NY's Finest Instrumental set adding ... Read More

Trouble brings out the best in just about any good artist. Just ask Eminem. With his latest song from Paper Trail, T.I. stands tall and shows strength in the face ... Read More