Music EXCLUSIVE: Donnis Interview + “Run This Town” Freestyle

Before Outkast accepted the award for Best New Rap Group amidst a sea of boo’s at the ‘95 Source Awards, no one really knew what rap music from Atlanta was supposed to sound like. Fourteen years later, and a quick listen to the radio might convince you that the only things going down in the “A” are choreographed dances and drug dealing. Twenty two year old, Jonesboro, GA native Ladonnis “Donnis” Crump wants to help change all that. Or, at least, help bring the climate back to ‘95 when you could pretty much rap about whatever you wanted as long as the music was good and the lyrics were dope.

With his 10 Deep sponsored mixtape “Diary of an Atlanta Brave” causing a major buzz in the industry, Donnis came by the Complex office to talk about why he loves New York City, how he managed to snag J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League production for free and why he didn’t sign with DJ A-Trak back in ‘07. And with New York currently in a frenzy over Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 and his Sept 11th concert at Madison Square Garden, Donnis hit us with an exclusive freestyle over Hova’s “Run This Town”. Read on to listen to the freestyle and read the full interview below…

Style Brand Profile: New Era x Tradition

BRAND: New Era

SINCE: New Era in 1920; Tradition in 2006

HOME BASE: Buffalo, NY

WHY WE CO-SIGN: As soon as Jay-Z killed the throwback jersey on wax, we started patiently waiting for sports gear to make a return. Since then we’ve seen a couple companies try to capitalize on that market with pieces that were either too uninspired or poorly designed. But finally, there seems to be a rightful heir to the throwback throne. New Era, the company that makes every hat in your closet, and Tradition, an Atlanta-based apparel design company, have come together to create New Era presents Tradition. The line signals not only a return of sports attire but also the HBCU steez that rappers used to rock heavy in the mid-’90s…

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL PROFILE…

Music Killer Mike Presents: 10 Underground Atlanta Artists You Need to Know

Killer Mike has some A-town artists he can’t wait to tell you about.

Atlanta is many things to many people. Musically, the A has given us everything from iggety-underaged rappers with their clothes worn backwards to hard-ass trap music, mindless stripper jams, and all kinds of experimental shit in between. On Killer Mike’s latest project, the double-disc album Underground Atlanta, that releases today, the Grand Hustle rapper brings artists from all sub-genres together to showcase the full range of talent in his hometown. Complex caught up with the big homie to get his thoughts on 10 new and emerging Atlanta artists that you should be up on. Most of them are on his album, so cop that and see what the hell he’s talking about!

Style Retail Spotlight: Standard Atlanta

STORE: STANDARD

CITY: Peachtree, Atlanta location in August 2003; Lenox Square, Atlanta in November 2008

SINCE: 2003

FOUNDED BY: Farshad Arshid

PRICES: $$$ (out of 5)

WHY WE COSIGN: When you think of the fashion capitals of the country, the usual suspects quickly come to mind: New York, Los Angeles and Miami. Now thanks to shops like Standard, you may have to include Atlanta on your sartorial short list. Founded in ATL by Farshad Arshid , Standard features all the brands you’ve come to love and lust after like, Stüssy ,Play Cloths, and ALIFE as well as Gant, Public School and Generic Surplus. So you can go with the traditional streetwear look or go a little up-market with some cut and sew pieces. Or feel free to mix and match—doesn’t matter, whatever works for you, Standard can do. “Our goal is to push individuality and originality when it comes to fashion.” says Farshad. And no, the prices won’t have you eating Ramen for the rest of the month: t-shirts run from $24 to $100 and sneakers from $40 to $120. Sounds like that should be the standard for every store, no?

For more pics/info of the store and an interview with Farshad hit the jump…

Music Big Kuntry Breaks Down ‘My Turn To Eat’

T.I.’s Grand Hustle roster is deep. Ever since the Pimp $quad Click dropped their slept-on group project in 2005, we’ve been waiting for the crew’s most inventive member, Big Kuntry King, to go solo. Well, it looks like we’re finally getting our wish on September 30th, when Kuntry is releasing My Turn To Eat, his aptly-titled solo debut on Atlantic Records .

While Kuntry’s spent almost ten years in T.I.’s shadow, he’s capitalizing on that shady position by dropping his album on the same day as Tip’s Paper Trail. Hopefully this marketing move will bring some new fans to the South’s other King. After listening to the album yesterday, Kuntry gave Complex his track-by-track analysis…

Music Supreeme Breaks Down Its ‘Crazy’ Video

We can’t be mad at the so-called (not by us) “hipster” rap movement'after all, it’s a monster we helped create. But history tells us that the followers will always outnumber the leaders. A note to the gerbils: Name-dropping clothing brands in your raps do not make your lyrics original. Wearing slim-fit jeans is not a creative risk. And doing a streetwear collabo before you do an album is not progressive. Fuck. Outta. Here.

Which brings us to the ATL-based trio Supreeme. We’ve been rocking with them for a minute, and for good reason: These dudes are bringing ‘08 forward, fuck bringing ‘88 back. The music is weird, the raps are fresh, and the lane is entirely their own. Get familiar.

To tease the pre-album mixtape Silver Medallion (out Sept. 12), they VHS-filmed a video for “I’m Crazy.” See the video and check out a quick Q&A with Negashi Armada (the second MC on the track) below…

Style Retail Spotlight: Wish

Located in Atlanta’s coolest neighborhood Little Five Points (also known as L5P), Wish is a must-see if you’re traveling in the land of Luda. After a store re-design in September 2006 by New York-based architect Raphael Berkowitz and designer Sam O’Donahue, Wish’s inlaid wood interior elevates its goods to godly status.

More than just a premium sneaker and streetwear boutique, Wish carries brands like Corpus, Diesel, Gourmet, In4mation, Staple Design, and Australian label PAM. Its premium accounts with coveted brands and limited releases by MadFoot, JB Classics, Nike Quick Strike, and Alife have created long lines around the block by the local repeat customers. While you’re there, spend some time in the library-esque lower level, which if filled with dramatic glass and a wood sneaker display. See more of the store’s chic interior below.

Music T.I. Gets ‘Whatever You Like’ From Jim Jonsin

With consecutive smashes like “Bring ‘Em Out,” “What You Know,” and “Big Things Poppin’” under his belt, the summer of ‘08 just wouldn’t feel right without T.I.’s annual stamp on the season. After his new album Paper Trail’s first two singles (the Danja-produced “No Matter What” and Swizz Beatz-produced “Swing Ya Rag”) failed to take off, he’s hoping that the third time will be the charm with his new one “Whatever You Like.”

The single was produced by Jim Jonsin, who’s on a bit of a roll right now after banging out Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop.” And although Jonsin has produced everything from teeny pop (Pretty Ricky’s “Grind With Me”) to heavy metal rap (Trick Daddy’s “Let’s Go”) in the past, his collaboration with Tip has the same airy synths and sing-along verses as Weezy’s recent hit. Listen to “Whatever You Like” below.

Style Street Detail: Two For The Money

Part of having a good friendship is being there when your homie needs you. And shopping can definitely be one of those moments.

This week’s street detail tag team from Atlanta must frequent the same stores, because they sent in a photo of themselves rocking coordinated outfits with the same colors and brands. But even with all the similarities, some key details give them each a unique look. Read about their outfits after the jump, then vote on whether you think they’re “Stylin’” or “Wildin’” in our new poll.

[Want to be featured in our weekly Street Detail blog? Email a picture of yourself to streetdetail@complex.com]

Music Shawty Lo Answers T.I. On The “Foolish” Remix

This week will be remembered as the moment when the T.I./Shawty Lo beef finally came out of the closet. After throwing subliminals at each other for the last year, they both publicly acknowledged the tension for the first time in separate radio interviews'Tip on ATL’s 107.9, and Lo on Kay Slay’s show.

Now, on the brand new “Foolish” remix, which features DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Jim Jones and Birdman (on the vocoder!), Lo contunues his quest to bring Tip’s Bankhead origins into question: “Cross your T’s and dot your I’s / I’m the real Bankhead, that’s no lie!” It ain’t exactly an ether, but its the closest either of them have come to saying the other man’s name on record. Listen after the jump.