There’s always an excitement factor to awards shows, but many leave of us feeling unfulfilled in the end. Thankfully, the Internet is making this less of an issue. Why waste three hours in front of the TV when you can just watch all the good parts online later? For last night’s BET Hip-Hop Awards, the freestyle cyphers were the highlight and here they are for those of you who were too busy watching NBA season openers, ripping bongs, or whatever else you do on weeknights. This clip featuring rhymes from Mos Def, Black Thought, and Eminem was actually the last to air, but probably the best overall. You’ll find two more cyphers, with appearances from Joe Budden (he KILLS it), Nicki Minaj, Wale, and more after the jump…
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Let’s be honest, a Madonna x Lil’ Wayne collaboration was inevitable, and not just because Weezy will hop on a track with anybody. See, the Queen of Pop has been working with MCs since big sis was still playing with Barbie. Not everyone knows about her roots in the genre, but Complex is here to explain all of that. Keep reading to check out our retrospective on Madonna’s long history with hip-hop…
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In case you hadn’t yet heard the news, Max B.’s conviction in that robbery-murder case in New Jersey has ended in a 75-year prison sentence. For a dude who didn’t pull any triggers, that seems a bit steep, but we digress. Despite the sadness of the occasion, we refuse to be swept into the outpouring of grief that is engulfing the Internet today, and instead choose to celebrate young Charley Wingate the way he would want us to: by reliving a few of his waviest moments. We’ll miss you, Max; hip-hop is about to get a whole lot more boring. Owwwwwwww!
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Even though A-Trak isn’t Kanye’s DJ anymore, he’s still making moves. In addition to touring, the Montreal native has been working on a bunch of mixes, most notably the popular remix to Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face,” entitled “I Poke Her Face,” featuring Kid Cudi, Common and Kanye. With the March release of his official debut album, Infinity +1, and his new electro-hip-hop mix-CD Fabriclive.45 hitting U.S. stores today, A-Trak’s momentum is only getting stronger.
Hard to believe that A-Trak is 27 years old, since we’ve followed his career since he was a teen prodigy winning DMC DJ battles. He’s undoubtedly a man of few words, but who knows? Perhaps it’s a sign of musical genius? Read on for A-Trak’s thoughts on salsa, breakups and crazy sunglasses in our latest Complex 7, along with a special contest where we’re giving away a 500 GB Hard Drive filled with A-Trak’s music…
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It’s not easy being “conscious.” Any rapper who tries to add any balance of positivity to the game is automatically expected to be some kind of saint. But even a smart, balanced brother like Mos Def can sometimes get infected by d’evils'the Las Vegas police just issued a warrant for his arrest after he allegedly smashed an innocent photographer’s equipment at the MAGIC Trade Show.
But before you judge Mos, perhaps it’s time for a little history lesson. At times, even the most thoughtful MCs lose their cool, black the fuck out and get ignorant. Check out some classic examples below…
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When it comes to the “look” of hip-hop, Cey Adams is definitely a founding father. The Jamaica, Queens native started out bombing trains in graffiti’s heyday, went on to display art alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, designed iconic logos for LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys, and co-founded the design firm behind classic rap album covers like Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet and Biggie’s Ready to Die. So when it came time to compile the visual history of the genre in a book, it was only right that Adams take the helm.
DEFinition: The Art and Design of Hip-Hop by Adams (with Bill Adler) looks back at more than 30 years of hip-hop-influenced art. Organized into seven chapters (graffiti, album covers, advertising, film, cars, kicks and fashion), “DEFinition” is the first book to put together all the various media of hip-hop art. Complex recently spoke with Adams and Adler for an exclusive interview, and got them to tell stories behind a few specific images from the book…
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If you’ve ever wanted to shine like one of your favorite rap artists, without robbing them for their chains here’s your chance. Esteemed auction house Phillips de Pury & Company is holding the first ever live bidding-war for hip-hop’s most blinged-out pieces on October 1st.
In consultation with Minya Oh (a.k.a. Miss Info), the auction will be putting 70 pieces on the block in an effort to raise in $3 million. The event, dubbed “Hip Hop’s Crown Jewels” will benefit three non-profit organizations under Russell Simmons‘ charity Rush Community Affairs. It will be open to the public (you’ll need tickets) and everyone will get a chance to try the pieces on in person. The signature bling being auctioned off used to grace hip-hop icons like MC Lyte, Biz Markie, Slick Rick, and modern-day flossers like Pharrell, Diddy, and 50 Cent. See which pieces will be available below.
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Middle-aged white guys buy snazzy sports cars and flaunt them as if they’re chrome, fuel-injected, super-charged effigies of their now flaccid cocks. Rappers, on the other hand, buy gaudy medallions attached to equally gaudy links and rock them as if they’re platinum-and-gold-plated, diamond-encrusted effigies of their now flaccid cocks. So you can imagine how emasculated your favorite rapper feels when another rapper, or local stick-up kid, comes along, takes their shine, and leaks a picture or youtube video. It’s like they’re holding their penises (¡NH!) fully exposed for the world to see! Ay Carumba!
In any case, the latest incident of manhood snatching befell poor widdle Yung Berg while the diddy-bopper cruised the mean streets of Detroit (what he was doing wearing jewelry in the D, we don’t know either). Needless to say, Berg is probably somewhere licking his wounds. But cheer up, lil’ buddy! You just entered a club whose members include hip hop’s elite.
To boost Berg’s gloomy disposition, Complex combed the annals (ayo!) of hip hop history (along with rumors and allegations as well) to compile an authoritative list of the most notorious chain snatchings ever. To be fair to the victims and the vickers, we rated each incident by how emasculating it was to their careers, as well as the probability that the snatching actually happened (since almost none of the incidents can be verified by police reports) . If you don’t read this blog, you’re just robbing yourself.
Click here to start the snatchin’!
Words & Photos: Maurice G. Garland
On a typically busy night in Atlanta last week, Greg Street and his Sneaker Friends '08 event at the Fabulous Fox Theatre found itself in direct competition with a Lil Wayne show only a few blocks away. Its safe to say that most ATLiens prefer Ice Creams over Lollipops.
The sneaker heads were definitely in the house as both local retailers like Laced Up and national brands like Puma put their best foot forward to bring attention to Atlanta's much slept-on sneaker culture. Check out a gang of photos from the event after the jump.
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Last night, we lost one of the best know b-boys of all time when Wayne “Frosty Freeze” Frost passed away at the age of 44 at NYC’s Mount Sinai Medical Center. As a pioneering member of the original Rock Steady Crew, Freeze is credited with inventing the popular “suicide” move and introducing breaking to the masses through his appearances in Flashdance, Wild Style, Beat Street and Style Wars. Remember the O.G. after the jump with his appearance in Flashdance and a recent video interview.
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