KevinNottingham.com » Whatchu Think?

What Do You Think of the New Site Design?

Kevin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:03:20 +0000

KevinNottingham.com has gone through a number of design changes since its inception over 4 years ago. Some of you may have been with us long enough to remember the different looks of the site. As the site grows, along with our staff and content, changes need to be made to ensure the site stays clean and uncluttered. Enter today’s new design. While the design changes are subtle, they are quite noticeable on the home page. With the mass quantity of articles that get posted on the site everyday, we have opted for a more “magazine-style” layout to allow articles to stay on the front page longer. By making the images on the front page smaller, it also allows the site to load a bit quicker as well. Once you click on an article though, the site is exactly the same design as what everyone is used to.

We’d like to hear your thoughts though. The KN Staff is still torn on the new design and we’d like for our readers to help in the decision as to whether we keep the new design or go back to the old one. Voice your opinion in the comments and/or poll below… thanks!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Will A Tribe Called Quest Ever Make A Reunion LP? [Poll]

Justin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:30:38 +0000

The hip hop million dollar question pops up once again courtesy of Hard Knocks TV and their recent interview with Phife Dawg and Beats, Rhymes & Life director Michael Rapaport [watch]. Phife sounded pretty optimistic about the possibilities of A Tribe Called Quest recording that long awaited reunion album when asked, but this isn’t the first time he’s voiced that sentiment. At least publicly, Q-Tip’s never seemed too keen on the idea and we’ve rarely heard from Ali Shaheed Muhammad (and Jarobi if we’re including him) on the matter.

But as we all know, things can change. As Phife says, “I know we’re friends at the end of the day, and Q-Tip and I definitely mended our friendship, so that’s the start. You’ve got to start off with that cause if we’re not cool and we force ourselves to do a so called album that we owe the record label, it will leak into the music and our fans are going to be disappointed. I’d rather not do it if we’re going to disappoint our fans. But if it’s all seriousness to it and we can get the job done, then let’s do it.”

So we ask you the KN.com readers, what do you think: is ATCQ finally gonna put all the BS aside & make this LP happen or is it time for fans to give up on the reunion dream & just enjoy what Tribe has already given us? Hit the jump to vote and let us know!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

A Tribe Called Quest Explains Their Beef With Documentary

Justin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 06:06:10 +0000

I’ll be the first to admit, I was one of those questioning & confused by Tribe’s disdain of the Michael Rapaport directed documentary. I couldn’t understand why there wasn’t support, why only Phife showed up to the premiere, etc. Vindication for A Tribe Called Quest is an understatement. Q-Tip lays out exactly what led to ATCQ’s opposition and it’s justified to say the least. Check out the interview about as The Abstract gives Sway the details we’ve all been waiting to hear. In spite of all this, the legendary group has said they don’t want fans to boycott the film and encourage them to see it.

Most Ridiculous Sample: Game Edition

Carsten — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:01:24 +0000

Late last week, Game let loose off his new single “Red Nation” which has been a trigger to discussions on the net. The track, produced by Game’s go-to beat-smiths Cool & Dre, samples the techno tune “Kernkraft 400” (German for “nuclear energy 400”; that fact alone leaves a bitter taste these days) by Zombie Nation. The song from 1999, instantly became an underground hit in European clubs and the “Sport Chant Remix” is often used at North American sporting events as a celebratory or motivational theme.

Let’s face it. Game needs a hit single otherwise he won’t get the green light from Jimmy Iovine to finally release his oft delayed RED Album. So what would be better than a Lil Wayne feature and a hit sample? Should the track get our “most ridiculous sample stamp”? Compare both tracks below and watch Zombie Nation’s video to “Kernkraft 400” after the jump.

Game – Red Nation (feat. Lil Wayne)
Produced by Cool & Dre

Zombie Nation – Kernkraft 400
Produced by Zombie Nation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5LW07FTJbI

Site Updates + New Features!

Kevin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 22:27:08 +0000

We are always looking for ways to improve your experience here at KevinNottingham.com. Over the past few days you may have noticed a few new tweaks and features. If you haven’t, let us fill you in on the newness…

Probably one of the biggest improvements is the addition of the streaming audio player for each single song posts. We understand how valuable your time is. With the influx of music dropping on the daily, who has time to download everything we post just to see if you like it or not? With the inclusion of the streaming audio player, all you have to do is click play. If you like the track, hit the jump and click download. If you don’t, move to the next post. In addition to saving you time, it may also allow you to more easily check out artists that you’re not familiar with. So it’s a win for the artists that we post about as well!

The next major improvement is the integration of a new commenting system. There was nothing wrong with the old one, but this new one is SWEET. In addition to threaded comments, readers can now choose to comment using their Twitter or Facebook profiles. The new system is powered by Disqus and if you want to utilize all of the cool features, you can head over there to create an account; though it’s not necessary. Anonymous and guest comments are still allowed. You can also let us know what you think about the post, whether you “like” it or “don’t like” it. Since this is a complete overhaul of the old comment system, please bare with us as we all learn how to best use it.

In addition to the new comment system, we are always looking for new ways to build KN.com into more than just a website, but a community. Thus, we are looking to REWARD you for leaving comments! One way of doing that is with the new Top Commentator widget at the top right of the site. Readers who leave the most comments will be rewarded with their name, avatar and website link right on top of the site. This feature is still in the testing phase and we’re working out some bugs. Right now, in order to qualify for Top Commentator you must have a website link associated when you post a comment (ie, log into the comment system with Twitter, Facebook, or Disques). You can also check out the site’s Recent Comments and most Popular Comments on the widget as well.

Lastly, we realize that Facebook and Twitter are here to stay. So we’ve made it easier for you to share our posts with our new Facebook “like” button and our updated Tweet button. If you dig our posts, feel free to share them with your friends! If you’re looking for KN.com around the net, all of our social networking site are prominently displayed on the top right of the site. Justin just recently created a KN.com Last.FM group. So if you’re on Last.FM, make sure you add us.

This ain’t the end… as new suggestions and ideas come in, we’ll continue to upgrade and improve KN.com. If you have any suggestions of your own, feel free to leave a comment. If you want to just let us know what a great job we’re doing, that’s appreciated as well!

Examining The Lil’ B Phenomenon

Justin — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 14:30:04 +0000

I can picture some of the reactions to this one — “Oh know, KN.com has succumbed to the Lil’ B mania.” Well… not exactly. Let me be clear, I dislike this guy’s music (though he’s got a good ear for beats) & you probably won’t see any posts of his music any time soon. I’ve been one of the many heads preaching the word that this dude is terrible & questioning why so many were backing this “based” musician. This was the same guy that told Kanye West he would, um, violate him in uncomfortable way because he didn’t respond to a collaboration request. When DJ Drama compared Lil’ B to ODB & Kool Keith, I was ranting & raving about how crazy that statement was. But, I’ve started to reevaluate my position on Lil’ B and a back & forth with Killer Mike actually helped give me a different perspective. After hearing a sample of his relatively coherent material & checking out some interviews, I realized this guy is clearly not as dumb as he acts. Yesterday, I even declared him marketing master. Just as Rick Ross plays his persona, it has become more & more apparent to me that Lil’ B is doing the same.

As this realization was taking place, I stumbled upon a perfectly timed article by Andrew Noz on this exact subject. Noz has been following this guy for awhile now & probably knows him more than any writer/journalist/blogger/etc. out there. So what exactly is the point of all this? Mainly, it is to make sure you check out Noz’s great article on the phenomenon that is Lil’ B. But it’s also a chance for us to look at & possibly question our own views on hip hop. Are we willing to accept that artists like Lil’ B are just as much a part of the culture as someone like Brother Ali or Reef The Lost Cauze? You can hit the jump for a few select excerpts & read the whole thing over at NPR’s site.

So what do you think? Is Lil’ B just as ignorant as he appears to be or is there more than what meets the eye? Is he the new face of “fun rap” or is his music a cancerous element to hip hop? Hit the comments & let us know.

Lil B’s sonic scope is nearly as wide as his topical domain, drawing from an influence and sample pool where gangsta rapper du jour Waka Flocka Flame and true school New York emcees like AZ mingle with blind opera singer Andrea Bocelli and indie favorite Ariel Pink. His finest work has an ethereal and angelic quality indebted to British electronica songstress Imogen Heap. On “I’m God” he floats through the track and challenges nature itself to a rap battle. “Cooking Dance,” a collaboration with fellow internet-bred rapper Soulja Boy, might be the first truly psychedelic instructional dance rap song.

…..

For entertainers before him, the Internet merely provided a distribution method or a promotional tool. For Lil B, it’s home. His musical output reflects the relentless pace of a Twitter feed, the oversharing of Facebook, the lawless and recursive humor of 4chan memes, the vapid celebrity obsession of Perez Hilton.

Name The Jacka’s New Single

Justin — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:30:41 +0000

The Jacka is currently working on his new solo LP, entitled Murder Weapon, and has decided to let his fans help him choose the name of the first single. Hit the jump to stream & download the currently untitled song and hit the Bay Area emcee up on Twitter @theJacka to give him your suggestion. The contest will end on New Year’s Day when The Jacka will announce the winning track title. Also, make sure you cop The Jacka’s collaboration EP with Andre Nickatina entitled My Middle Name is Crime, which is available now on iTunes.

Deltron 3030′s Deltron Event II To Finally Be Released?

Justin — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:14:07 +0000

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw3AAR0mboE

Deltron Event II has become the underground Detox (along with Kno & Tonedeff’s Chico & The Man) as most fans doubt it will ever see the light of day. Well here’s the first update we’ve had in awhile via this video of Del The Funky Homosapien laying down some vocals for the LP. There’s been rumors about a sequel to 2000′s classic concept album Deltron 3030 since 2006 but not much concrete info has been revealed. Apparently all the production from Dan The Automater & Kid Koala is finished and it’s just up to Del to record the vocals. Maybe we’ll finally get to hear this much anticipated album after all. Spotted at We’ve Got The Jazz.

Little Brother: Good*Fella Radio Hip Hop Series

Kevin — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 09:45:44 +0000

A few weeks ago, Little Brother had an in store appearance at the legendary Fat Beats record store in New York City. Good*Fella Radio was in attendance to ask a few questions. Definitely some good info in here… new Foreign Exchange album in October, Photo solo album top of next year! I can’t believe we’re getting a new FE album so soon; I guess cuz there was so much time between the first and second.

Question: Which group do you prefer Phonte in? Little Brother or Foreign Exchange? If you could only get music from one group, which would it be? Obviously Tay already made that decision for us, but tell us what you think after the jump in our poll.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Most Ridiculous Sample: Eminem Edition

Carsten — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:41:27 +0000

With the recent leak of Eminem‘s sixth studio album Recovery, the track “No Love” has seen the light of day and I think it’s worth to get our ‘most ridiculous sample stamp’! “No Love” features Lil Wayne and is produced by Just Blaze, who’s already been behind the boards for our first most ridiculous sample post after chopping “Dragostea Din Tei” for T.I.

This time he dug even deeper in the European dance secene with sampling “What Is love” from Haddaway. “What Is Love” has been one of the biggest Eurodance hits of the 90′s and reached to the top of the charts in 12 countries. I for my part think it It could have been much worse but decide for yourself.

Eminem – No Love (feat. Lil Wayne)
Produced by Just Blaze

Haddaway – What Is Love
Produced by Dee Dee Halligan & Junior Torello

Rumor Alert: Lauryn Hill to Headline Rock The Bells 2010 with A Tribe Called Quest?

Kevin — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:58:51 +0000

Twitter is going crazy right now, as URB has leaked a rumor that Lauryn Hill has been tapped to headline this year’s Rock The Bells tour. Of course this has not been confirmed yet, but we should know soon enough as Guerilla Union will be holding their Rock The Bells Launch Party tonight in West Hollywood where they will be revealing this year’s lineup. Also rumored for the tour is A Tribe Called Quest. I hope the rumors are true!

User Poll: What’s Your Favorite File Sharing Service?

Kevin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:28:11 +0000

The contributors here at KN.com have recently been discussing what file sharing sites to exclusively use on the site. The past few months we’ve been using UserShare to upload single mp3 files and for the past few years we’ve always used RapidShare for our mixtapes and compilations. For links that we find around the Net, as well as links that artists send directly, we just use the link that’s already available. Recently I’ve been seeing a lot more comments about people having problems with certain links on the site and though this poll won’t fix everyone’s problem, at least we’ll get a good idea as to the file sharing sites you prefer.

Two services that I am seeing as the most efficient lately are UserShare and MediaFire. Currently, I am proposing that all future links on KN.com will be used on either one of these two services. UserShare will most likely be used for single mp3 files, whereas MediaFire will be used for mixtapes, compilations, or anything in a zip file. From here on out we will use those sites regardless of other links that are sent to us (meaning we will download and reupload here). But before we make the final decision, I want to hear what you like… we may change our mind based on the poll results!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

* Bandcamp, of course, is superior to all the above and if sent a Bandcamp link we will definitely use that.

Rytmus: Jediny [prod by DJ Premier]

Justin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:29:33 +0000

Marek Kamarýt sent us a track from a Slovak emcee named Rytmus. The track is called “Jediny” and is produced by the legendary DJ Premier. My question for you is this: can you bump a track that you can’t understand? The beat is some serious heat from Premo but is that meaningless if you don’t know a word the emcee is saying? Listen to the track after the jump and let us know your opinion.

DOWNLOAD

Top 5 ODB Moments on TV

Justin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:00:20 +0000

Ol’ Dirty Bastard was an original. So many rappers try to show off their charisma but no one did better ODB. Here we revisit some of the Wu-Tang Clan emcee’s funniest moments that were caught on camera. Check out the top 5 after the jump and add any others you can think of in the comments section.

5. ODB vs. Teen Mother: A teenage mother calls in to MTV and directs a question towards Dirty and he gives her the blunt answer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3zAaq1CccI

4. John Norris attempts to interview Dirt McGirt: MTV’s John Norris wasn’t ready…ODB takes Norris all over the place in this hilarious interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX3ZPcA4tjQ

3. Ol’ Dirty Bastard on Stool Cam? One of the strangest videos out there, ODB is well…taking a dump but of course he turns it into a funny scene for ILL TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srMKbiDD7CU

2. ODB on Yo! MTV Raps: Dirty appeared on the classic show with Ed Lover & Doctor Dre and dropped this hilarious freestyle while he was a little “tipsy” to say the least.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rLf-4xgNwc

1. Ol’ Dirty interrupts the Grammy’s: You knew this was gonna be number 1 right? Before there was Kanye jumping on stage to interrupt Taylor Swift, ODB announced that “Wu-Tang is for the Children.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS181X4F3bw

Women in Hip-Hop Beyond Misogyny

J. Rizzle — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:33:05 +0000

How important are women to hip hop? Our women are very important to hip hop; they are not “bitches”, “tricks” or “hoes”… they are our mothers, sisters, wives and daughters and they have a voice that will always be an important part of hip hop. If it wasn’t for women there would be no men in hip hop… you feel me?

I attended this panel discussion after the film documentary ”Say My Name” at the Words, Beats and Life Bootleg Festival this past Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. This was a good way to closeout the festival with a very important topic that is effecting hip hop . Thanks to Dr. Jared Ball the founder of FreeMix Radio for the mp3 hookup as well as the information he provided me. Also check out his site FreeMix Radio for more topics that effects the artform we love called “Hip-Hop”.

The Words, Beats and Life, Inc. Bootleg Festival continued this afternoon with a discussion of misogyny and efforts led by women to combat such practice in and out of the hip-hop world. Speakers: Hanifah Walidah (scholar/artist), Toni Blackman (scholar/artist), Iona Rozeal Brown (scholar/artist) and Aysha Upchurch (hip-hop dancer). Moderator: Goldie Deane, DC Urban Arts Academy Director/Playwright.

Hear/Download the audio after the cut…

DOWNLOAD

The Great Bootleg Debate: Who Feels the Pain? The Industry, The Artist or The People?

J. Rizzle — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:06:03 +0000

I attended this panel debate at the Words, Beats and Life Bootleg Festival this past Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009. This was a good way to kick off the festival with a topic that is effecting hip-hop . Thanks to Dr. Jared Ball the founder of FreeMix Radio for the mp3 hookup as well as the information he provided me. Also check out his site FreeMix Radio for more topics that effects the artform we love called “Hip-Hop”.

What began as an exploration into the role, function and impact of intellectual property rights, copyright as part of this week’s Words, Beats and Life, Inc.’s Bootleg Festival panel Radio Retaliation: Intellectual Property and Hip-Hop Subversion became a powerful debate over who suffers most from bootlegging, or “illegally” distributing copyrighted materials. The panelists included: Nick Schonberger (scholar/curator), Michelle Smith a.k.a. Noodles (On-air host, WPFW/Cookiewear) and Naji Mujahid (emcee), Kenzo Hakuta (Dir., City of God’s Son) and Dr. Jared A. Ball (professor/founder of Freemix Radio). The discussion’s moderator was Bomani “D’Mite” Armah, “Poet with a hip-hop style.”

Hear/Download the audio after the cut…

DOWNLOAD

Sciryl & Riva: My Best Friend [Hip Hop]

Kevin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:48:58 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P92us-5L8bc

Yeah, I do glance over my email from time to time. If I’m not in the middle of something, I may just check it out. The above video, from a 2007 Def Poetry show, caught my attention. The dude, Sciryl (that’s lyrics spelled backwards), wants to hit me up with some music to post. What do you think? You interested in hearing more from this cat?

He sent me one of his older joints which you can grab after the cut. I haven’t heard it yet, but I think I’ll be hittin him back for his latest stuff.

DOWNLOAD SCRIRYL – S.C.O.O.P. (Slight Change of Original Plans)

Detox Gets A Release Date!

Ben the Intern — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:30:03 +0000

Yes, you read the title right, Dr. Dre has given (another) tentative release date for his 3rd studio album, Detox. He has this to say about the up-coming cd, ”I’m just now — over the last couple of months — starting to feel that it’s going to be right and it’s something I can be proud of, and everybody is going to love it. In a perfect world, I’m shooting for a November or December release.” Dr. Dre mentioned Jay-Z, NaS and Lil’ Wayne as artists that will appear on Detox and said that once it is out, he will promote it and return to teh studio exclusivly as a producer. Original interview seen over at rapbasement.com.

*Props to Hetal for this quick info

So… what do y’all think? We all know that release dates have been mentioned and we have all heard that Detox will be dropping “this” year. Having seen Relapse and news of Relapse 2, is this the year we finally get Detox!?

K-Swiss: Remastering the Classic

Kevin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:30:06 +0000

We all know that sneaks and hip hop go hand in hand. So when I saw the new K-Swiss ads rotating on the site, I had to go see what their new ad campaign was all about. I rock a lot of different shoes, but you can’t get any more classic than the K-Swiss classic white sneaks.

This year, K-Swiss is apparently revamping their Classic line by going back to the original look from 1966, but giving us the comfort of today. I’ve been rocking K-Swiss since 1985 and can tell you that I’ll definitely picking up these new sneaks.

I wanna hear from you though… what are you wearing and what was your first pair of sneaks? I know there are a lot of fashioin gurus on the site, so tell me… aside from Run-DMC’s “My Adidas”, how have sneakers played a role in hip hop?

kspace.kswiss.com

Mary J. Blige: The One (feat. Drake)

Thomas — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:30:14 +0000

The Queen of Hip Hop/Soul is singing in Autotune? Not sure why? Really don’t understand it. The imperfections in her voice is what has made her speical. She doesn’t need Autotune. As a long time Mary fan I’m not sure how to take this. Hit the cut for the link and sound off on the track…

Mary throwback video’s (“I’ll Do 4 You” Arsenio Hall in 1993)