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…
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…
It used to be said that rap’s a war zone and that nobody’s safe. And, like real war, its veterans can be left with their mental a little out of place. Some retreat from the limelight to try and rebuild their lives, while others attempt to retool their act for a much-hoped-for revival. Then there are those who are so troubled they could only find solace is in the arms of the Lord.
Yesterday, we learned via Middle Eastern news channel Al Jazeera (where else?) that former Bad Boy artist, Loon, has given up his secular ways and converted to Islam. Forgive us for the yawn that followed our initial WTF, it’s just that we’ve seen this before. Loon is only the latest rapper to find religion, check out some more…
