Bishop Nehru: “Meeting MF Doom Changed My Career” [Video]

Bishop Nehru opens up about the turning point in his career, which came about when he met MF Doom after one of the rapper’s shows. Nehru said that he was stunned when Doom came nonchalantly walking up to him and gave him props on his new music, which used some of the “Doomsday” rapper’s beats. When asked about Doom wearing his trademark mask in the studio, Nehru said that he wore it off and on throughout the time they spent together, but Doom wasn’t strict about having it on all the time. He adds that they are both really close now, and Doom is even friends with Nehru’s father.

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Nas Discusses “Illmatic” Anniversary & More On Real Time With Bill Maher [Video]

Continuing his press junket on celebrating 20 years for the release of Hip-Hop’s magnum opus (yeah, yeah, debatable to some), Nas appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher last night. Although he mostly seemed stiff while the rest of the panel, which included Sea Shepherd’s lead conservationist terrorist Paul Watson discussed political bullsh*t, Nas warmed up when Bill began a series of questions for the heroic emcee. The legend spoke on life and if any changes have been made in impoverished communities since Illmatic was released, DeSean Jackson’s “alleged gang affiliations”, and more. Do remember, Illmatic XX due out April 15th.

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Killa Sha – Cash (Audible Doctor Remix) [Stream]

Four years ago, the rap world lost one of Queensbridge’s most dedicated soldiers. Killa Sha aka Sha Lumi The Great was running with Tragedy Khadafi and Craig G as a youth as part of The Super Kids, before connecting with his high school classmate Havoc to DJ for the Poetical Prophets crew when they got a deal with 4th & Broadway as Mobb Deep. He then branched out to form the Killa Kidz crew with his boys from his block, where he moved into rhyming before embarking on a solo career. With three popular mixtapes and an unreleased Marley Marl project under his belt, Sha finally released the GOD Walk On Water LP in 2007 with contributions from Havoc, Large Professor and Tragedy. He soon began work on his follow-up, The Shepherd, and an album with Large Professor, but sadly his progress was hampered by his constant struggle with diabetes, which eventually claimed his life in January 2010. Thankfully for his fans, Sha was able to complete his sophomore album before he left us, and his good friend DJ Phantom has been carefully preparing for it’s release ever since. The first release from this eagerly awaited project is Audible Doctor’s majestic remix of “Cash” from Sha Lumi’s debut. Laced with Sha’s excitable adlibs and his trademark verbal wisdom, “Cash” is a fine example of the Queensbridge rap science we can expect from the new LP when it drops later this year.

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MindsOne & Kev Brown feat. Homeboy Sandman – Pop [Stream]

Produced by Kev Brown. Cuts by DJ Noumenon. Taken off the MindsOne & Kev Brown “Pillars” EP, available worldwide April 1 CD, LP, cassette, and digital formats. MindsOne reunites with legendary Low Budget Crew producer Kev Brown to offer hip-hop connoisseurs another round of boom bap driven instrumentals and lyrical inspiration in the form of “Pillars”. Following the success of their critically acclaimed album “Self Reliance”, the MC duo of KON Sci and Tronic began conceptualizing an exclusive new EP with the bass-minded beat maker’s talents in mind. Concise and thoughtful, “Pillars” explores notions of loyalty and mortality, laments the stagnation of modern day musical creativity, all while celebrating the limitless possibilities of the culture. A tall order for a compact record, but the combination of Kev Brown’s instrumental virtuosity and MindsOne’s authority over the spoken word aims to achieve just that. The EP features a guest appearance from the ingenious Homeboy Sandman along with instrumentals from up and coming producer Sam Brown, and a brand new remix of “Legion of Doom” by MindsOne stalwart KON Sci.

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Jermaine Dupri Shares Candid Thoughts On Katy Perry; Talks Working w/ Jay-Z, Usher & Mariah Carey [Video]

Multi-platinum producer, rapper and songwriter, Jermaine Dupri made a stop by Sway in the Morning and spoke candidly on all-things music. Our Shade 45 morning show went over-time to hear Dupri’s interesting back stories behind working with Jay Z, discovering Bow Wow and how Snoop gave him his name and opens up entirely about working side-by-side with Mariah Carey. Katy Perry set a new record on the Billboard’s Pop Songs chart, topping a record previously held by Mariah Carey for the most weeks at No. 1, thus claiming that she “dethroned” MC — JD then gave his honest opinion on all the above.

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