Eminem, Alexis y Fido, Rick Ross, Asher Roth and Depeche Mode
the music press
mon 5/25/2009
- After a five-year hiatus, Eminem returns with the much-awaited Relapse. "Over 20 relentless tracks, he piles rhyme on top of rhyme till you're brain hurts trying to keep up. Funny and furious, the album is a virtuoso display to make young pretenders (like Asher Roth) sound like rank amateurs," proclaims the U.K.'s Telegraph. "If it's stronger than his last album, Encore, that's because Em's doing what he does best: cleaning out his closet. And there's more psychotic shit piled up in there than ever," observes Rolling Stone.
- Reggaetón duo Alexis y Fido are back with Down To Earth. "The duo proves reggaeton's rough edges can be smoothed over: singers can stay in tune, rapid-fire flows aren't married to recycled beats, and electronica can finally have a permanent place at the perreo dancer's dancefloor," writes Rhapsody. "Most of the songs have dembow and had some crazy production," notes Real Talk Reggaetón, adding that the two "kept their word of staying to their reggaetón roots while still keeping up with the new trends in the genre."
- Miami rapper Rick Ross releases his third album, Deeper Than Rap, on his own label, Mayback Music Group. "He may rap like he's out of touch with reality, but with bass lines this deep and synths this huge, you might forget the present era's woes yourself," suggests Entertainment Weekly. "Titular aspirations aside, Ross’ goals are actually minimal: to provide absurdist and escapist sunshine rap that sounds good in a Maybach, for people who can’t afford to drive a $344,000 car," writes The Los Angeles Times.
- Rookie MC Asher Roth releases, Asleep in the Bread Aisle, an "admirable debut from a talented young artist searching for his own voice," according to AllHipHop. Not so fast, says Spin magazine: "Roth's debut boasts a laziness that borders on contempt. Unburdened by Kanye's melancholia or Eminem's vertiginousness, Roth is perfectly likable, and perfectly bland." Vibe agrees: "[F]or all of his touted promise, Asher needs to study the game a bit longer before he’s ready to graduate."
- Veteran technopop outfit Depeche Mode release their twelfth album, Sounds Of The Universe. The Onion's A.V. Club loves it: "[E]ven in 2009, Depeche Mode’s members are masters of electronic pop, crafting an inimitable sonic atmosphere that almost never sounds dated." URB magazine says the Brits have "produced another album fit to fill headphones and stadiums." The New York Times is not impressed: [E]ven at its most imaginative, this is seamless Depeche Mode filler, music that could be made by any number of acolytes."
Flo Rida vs. Gorilla Zoe
versus
tue 5/19/2009
| name | Tramar Dillard, aka Flo Rida. | Alonzo Mathis, aka Gorilla Zoe. |
| pronounced | Flow Rydah. | Gorilla Zoh. |
| date of birth | December 16, 1979. | March 25, 1979. |
| place of birth | Miami Gardens, Florida. | Atlanta, Georgia. |
| signature look | Tank top, sunglasses and gold chain. | Backward fitted cap, sunglasses and gold chain. |
| style | Electro hip hop. | Southern hip hop. |
| down with | 2 Live Crew and The Groundhoggz. | Boyz N Da Hood. |
| debut album | Mail On Sunday. | Welcome to the Zoo. |
| latest album | R.O.O.T.S. | Don't Feed Da Animals. |
| pals around with | Trick Daddy, DJ Khaled, Rick Ross and Kesha. | Yung Joc, Young Dro, Rocko, Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy. |
| breakthrough track | Low. | Hood N****. |
| current hit | Sugar. | Echo. |
| killer collab | Street Money by Rick Ross. | What It Is featuring Rick Ross. |
| label | Poe Boy. | Bad Boy South. |
| the critics | The Guardian: "His genius lies in pitching his records just right: he injects these songs with enough grit to interest hip-hop fans, without scaring the pop audiences his catchy hooks are designed to ensnare. It's ruthlessly effective, though difficult to love." | The N.Y. Times: "A bruiser with a sandpapery voice, he was a reliable teller of corner-boy tales and, it seemed, a willing cog. But his 2007 solo debut album, Welcome to the Zoo, revealed a burgeoning oddball ear." |
| in their own words | "I have a lot of R&B influences: rhythm and soul, rock. Dudes like Jimi Hendrix, as you can see I got him tatted on my arm. Marvin Gaye inspired me. My sisters grew up singing in the gospel choir, so that did too." - Flo Rida | "It's about music, man. It's not about putting a puzzle together or piecing together something [predictable]. It's not about that. It's about making some music. A hit is a hit." - Gorilla Zoe. |
| web props | 268,061 friends on MySpace. | 110,016 friends on MySpace. |
| best video moment | Spinning on what looks like a giant Oreo cookie in "Right Round." | Talking dirty to the ladies with Young Joc in "Juice Box." |
know your enemy
daily dos
wed 5/13/2009
Rick Ross gets called out by Louis Vuitton for wearing "counterfeit" LV sunglasses on the cover of XXL magazine.
tones of home
daily dos
mon 4/6/2009
Rick Ross takes aim at G-Unit in a diss track, "Crack a Bottle," but makes sure to give a shout out to 50 Cent associate Eminem.
spin city
daily dos
mon 3/16/2009
After months of denying he worked as a corrections officer, Miami rapper Rick Ross tells XXL magazine: "Yes, it was me in those pictures."
stop the bleeding
daily dos
fri 3/6/2009
Rick Ross takes a trip to the races with John Legend in a new video, "Magnificent."
con senos
daily dos
mon 2/2/2009
50 Cent goes after Rick Ross and slips in a warning to Lil Wayne in a diss track called "Officer Ricky."
más y más
daily dos
fri 1/30/2009
Rick Ross gets the green light from John Legend on a new track, “Magnificent.”
Nelly vs. Rick Ross
versus
tue 10/21/2008
| name | Cornell Haynes, Jr. | William Leonard Roberts II. |
| hometown | St. Louis, Missouri. | Miami, Florida. |
| birthdate | November 2, 1974. | January 28, 1976. |
| what's in a name | Short for his real name, Cornell. | Inspired by infamous drug dealer "Freeway" Ricky Ross. |
| before going solo | Member of the St. Lunatics in the mid-'90s. | Member of the Carol City Cartel in the mid-'90s. |
| the look | Sunglasses and shiny gold teeth. | Sunglasses and a thick beard. |
| style | Hip hop. | Hip hop. |
| boasts about | Bedding beautiful women. | Being a drug kingpin. |
| breakthrough track | Ride Wit Me. | Hustlin'. |
| platinum debut | Country Grammar. | Port Of Miami. |
| killer collab | For My featuring Lil Wayne. | Luxury Tax featuring Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy and Trick Daddy. |
| beef | KRS-One. | Plies. |
| once worked | For UPS and McDonald's. | As a prison guard. |
| in his own words | "[W]ill I ever sell 10,000,000 records again? To be honest, I don't think so. [laughs] Would I like to? Hell yes." - Nelly | "I may not be a role model, but I most definitely could be motivation for a lot of people in the hoods." - Rick Ross |
| most recent release | Brass Knuckles. | Trilla. |
| the critics | All Music: "Nelly's locale certainly informs his rapping style, which is as much country as urban, and his dialect as well, which is as much Southern drawl as Midwestern twang." | Rolling Stone: "Rick Ross has one supreme asset: the thundering basso-profundo voice that threatened to puncture a million sub-woofers when his drug-kingpin anthem 'Hustlin' went massive back in 2006." |
| webprops | 227,666 friends on official MySpace. | 375,796 friends on official MySpace. |
| best video moment | Trying to get his girl back in My Place. | Ridin' in style in Here I Am ft. Nelly. |
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