Drake Live From Hyde Park w/DJ Semtex
Our homie DJ Semtex linked up with Drake in Hyde Park, no, not the one on the south side of Chicago which is home to Barack Obama, RTC and others...but the one in London. Drake missed the studio interview due to a late-running studio session with Rihanna (who he is writing for right now), and instead did the walk and talk with Semtex the following day. Semtex kicks things off by talking about Drake's NYC show, which featured a rare appearance by Lyor Cohen, getting his publishing rights right, his non-work relationship with Rihanna, his upcoming album Thank Me Later and more...see the video below.
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Barack Obama's NPR Interview
President Obama talked to NPR's Michele Norris and Steve Inskeep yesterday at the White House. The interview focused heavily on American relations in the Middle East and Muslim world. Obama faced questions regarding the United States' relationship with Israel, and if he felt it would be necessary to stop supporting Israel as much in order to better the U.S.'s image with other territories in the reigon. Obama declined to agree with the NPR hosts, instead saying it is not necessary to stop supporting the State of Israel, but it is necessary to be honest with them regarding the situation and the negative direction things are moving in Israel and Palestine. Obama insisted on a two state solution, a freeze on settlements, and an increase in security efforts from the Palestinians.
"No, I don't think that we have to change strong U.S. support for Israel. I think that we do have to retain a constant belief in the possibilities of negotiations that will lead to peace. And that's going to require, from my view, a two-state solution that is going to require that each side — the Israelis and Palestinians — meet their obligations. I've said very clearly to the Israelis both privately and publicly that a freeze on settlements, including natural growth, is part of those obligations."
You can read and listen to the full interview here.
Trouble Andrew: No Gimmicks
Time and money can lead to many bad decisions. And I'm not talking about those that blow their savings on, well, blow, or blow (shut your mouth). I'm talking about those bored athletes and actors that decide to ride their image into the music industry, or to Samuel L. Jackson's scorn, those rappers that want to be actors without ever reading Shakespeare. Such musical efforts often land flat, or as pro snowboarder Trouble Andrew says, 'I think in some cases it works, but in most cases it’s corny.'
Corny is something that Andrew hopes to avoid as he preps for the release of a new LP in the fall, and is currently on the road promoting the re-release of his 2005 self-titled debut. The pro snowboarder sort of fell into a musical career, literally. After a gruesome injury that sidelined him for 9 months, he did what a lot of people would do. He holed up for 9 months at his girlfriend's house and messed around with musical instruments. His girlfriend just happened to be Santigold, who grabbed his tapes while he wasn't looking, brought them to Shitake Monkey, and boom, a recording career was born. But Trouble Andrew doesn't want people to think he's just a snowboarder trying to cash in on a large fan base ready to follow him into Tower Records, er Coconut Record, er Itunes. "The most important thing to me as far as music goes is to make real music," he said via phone while on tour in Minneapolis. "I’m not trying to make songs about snowboarding and skating, that’s not my thing. I think it’s actually cool when people don’t know what I have done in snowboarding and find out after the fact. I think it’s automatic for somebody to feel like, ‘ah man, that sounds like a gimmick.’"
In this exclusive RH Interview, Trouble Andrew speaks snowboarding vs. music, his music influences, just messing around with 4 track recorders, the Hot Sauce Committee, and more. Read the full interview below.
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Jay-Z x Eminem: "Renegade" Live @ DJ Hero Party
Eminem and Jay-Z each took the stage for the big DJ Hero blow out last night in L.A. Jay-Z took the stage first, then brought out Em for "Renegade", which was followed by Eminem's own mini-set. Check out the video below courtesy of Big Boy's Neighborhood.
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Anaa Falchi...E La Dolce Vita
There's only so many Duck Down and Bun B posts I can handle in a row...A good dose of estrogen into the RH blog just feels right at this time. I headed over to Kanye's spot and found this talented cutie, Anna Falchi and her BEP soundtracked promo video. View it below.
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La Coka Nostra: "Choose Your Side" featuring Bun B
"I'm an example of Western civilization's decline."
Bun B snaps on this Alchemist produced, La Coka Nostra track. Everlast rocks it as well, and I'm digging Everlast of late. His last LP, and material since then has taken a more socio-political focus, and this track continues on that trend. Listen and grab below. Also check out our interview with Everlast here.
Marco Polo x Torae: Armed And Dangerous
Double Barrel, the Marco Polo x Torae LP is in stores today. Just in case you're on the fence about purchasing a copy, or even if you've decided one way or the other, we have this promo mixtape presented by DJ Concept featuring select tracks from both artists. Check out the tracklist and download below.
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Quest: "Champ's Been Here"
QuEST goes in on Jadakiss' "Champ Is Here" . This cut is off the upcoming mixtape, Only One Month Left, which is mixed/host by DJ RTC and presented in conjunction with RH, DopeRoots, and HipHopDX...damn! Get the track below...
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