New Mixtape -- Ze --- Ze's Living Lounge LP

Rapper/ Producer Ze is back in grind mode with his new release Ze's Living Lounge LP. It features pretty much all of Team Arson and all produced by Ze (I do believe).

P.S. Nova's hook for "Star Fire" crazy!!!


DOWNLOAD IT HERE

When You're A Star

DRAG

YOUNG DRO Mixtape

Young DRO is back with a new mixtape. So Giddy Up and download this now! Polo shawty!

DOWNLOAD HERE

01. Intro
02. Money Machine
03. Check Out My Swag (Feat. Travis Barker)
04. Splurge (Feat. Rich Kid Shawty)
05. Polo Down
06. Coo (Feat. Mac Boney, 5 Mics)
07. Strip (Feat. T.I., Trey Songz)
08. Outta Here (Feat. Young AJ)
09. Lotta Money (Remix) (Feat. Diamond, Slim Thuga)
10. Dboy (Feat. Doeshun)
11. Sweat (Feat. Chris Brown)
12. Move On (Feat. 5 Mics)
13. Grand Hustle Kings (Feat. B.O.B., T.I.)
14. Freeze Me (Remix) (Feat. Gucci Mane, T.I.)
15. Make A Movie (Remix) (Feat. Twista, Chris Brown)
16. Outro

Black Boy White Boy

DRAG

Last Emperor - Secret Wars

While his album was very unmemorable The Last Emperor made one of the best rap songs ever in 1999 titled Secret Wars. It was a play on the Marvel Comic series of the same name where different characters were pitted against one another to see who would be the victor. The Last Emperor puts rappers against the comic book characters in a vivid and exciting display of words and creativity. He goes off track a bit with the Ninja Turtle and G.I. Joe refs but hey still a great song.

T.A.G. vs the X-Men

DRAG

Steve Stoute Writes A Letter To The Grammys

Record Exec turned Business man Steve Stoute recently wrote a letter to the Grammy Voting Board. I think the letter is pretty accurate in its claims and seeing as how this years Grammys was super lame the Board needs to take note.

Over the course of my 20-year history as an executive in the music business and as the owner of a firm that specializes in in-culture advertising, I have come to the conclusion that the Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with contemporary popular culture. My being a music fan has left me with an even greater and deeper sense of dismay — so much so that I feel compelled to write this letter. Where I think that the Grammys fail stems from two key sources: (1) over-zealousness to produce a popular show that is at odds with its own system of voting and (2) fundamental disrespect of cultural shifts as being viable and artistic.

As an institution that celebrates artistic works of musicians, singers, songwriters, producers and technical specialists, we have come to expect that the Grammys upholds all of the values that reflect the very best in music that is born from our culture. Unfortunately, the awards show has become a series of hypocrisies and contradictions, leaving me to question why any contemporary popular artist would even participate. How is it possible that in 2001 The Marshall Mathers LP — an album by Eminem that ushered in the Bob Dylan of our time — was beaten out by Steely Dan (no disrespect) for Album Of The Year? While we cannot solely utilize album sales as the barometer, this was certainly not the case. Not only is Eminem the best-selling artist of the last decade, but The Marshall Mathers LP was a critical and commercial success that sold over 10 million albums in the United States (19 million worldwide), while Steely Dan sold less than 10% of that amount and came and went as quietly as a church mouse. Or consider even that in 2008 at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, after going into the night as the most-nominated artist, Kanye West’s Graduation was beaten out for Album Of The Year by Herbie Hancock’s River: The Joni Letters. (This was the first time in 43 years that a jazz album won this category.) While there is no doubt in my mind of the artistic talents of Steely Dan or Herbie Hancock, we must acknowledge the massive cultural impact of Eminem and Kanye West and how their music is shaping, influencing and defining the voice of a generation. It is this same cultural impact that acknowledged the commercial and critical success of Michael Jackson’s Thriller in 1984.

Just so that I’m not showing partiality to hip-hop artists (although it would be an entirely different letter as to how hip-hop music has been totally diminished as an art form by this organization), how is it that Justin Bieber, an artist that defines what it means to be a modern artist, did not win Best New Artist? Again, his cultural impact and success are even more quantifiable if you factor in his YouTube and Vevo viewership — the fact that he was a talent born entirely of the digital age whose story was crafted in the most humble method of being “discovered” purely for his singing ability (and it should be noted that Justin Bieber plays piano and guitar, as evidenced on his early viral videos).

So while these very artists that the public acknowledges as being worthy of their money and fandom are snubbed year after year at the Grammys, the awards show has absolutely no qualms in inviting these same artists to perform. At first I thought that you were not paying attention to the fact that the mental complexion of the world is becoming tanned, that multiculturalism and poly-ethnicity are driving new meaning as to what is culturally relevant. Interesting that the Grammys understands cultural relevance when it comes to using Eminem’s, Kanye West’s or Justin Bieber’s name in the billing to ensure viewership and to deliver the all-too-important ratings for its advertisers.

What truly inspired the writing of this letter was that this most recent show fed my suspicions. As the show was coming to a close and just prior to presenting the award for Album Of The Year, the band Arcade Fire performed “Month of May” — only to… surprise… win the category and, in a moment of sheer coincidence, happened to be prepared to perform “Ready to Start.”

Does the Grammys intentionally use artists for their celebrity, popularity and cultural appeal when they already know the winners and then program a show against this expectation? Meanwhile the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences hides behind the “peer” voting system to escape culpability for not even rethinking its approach.

And I imagine that next year there will be another televised super-close-up of an astonished front-runner as they come to the realization before a national audience… that he or she was used.

You are being called to task at this very moment, NARAS.

And to all of the artists that attend the Grammys: Stop accepting the invitation to be the upset of the year and demand that this body upholds its mission for advocacy and support of artistry as culture evolves.
Demand that they change this system and truly reflect and truly acknowledge your art.

Steve Stoute

via RapRadar

Black Mamba Mini Movie

Kobe Bryant stars in this Nike Commercial directed by the awesome action movie director Robert Rodriguez. Bruce Willis, Kanye West and Danny Trejo star in this mini movie.

The Boss

DRAG

New Music: Street Scott - Rocket Man

Street Scott is back with the new single "Rocket Man" from his upcoming release Onto Something Beautiful. I've been playing this all morning on repeatery! This jawn goes dumb.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

REMIX????

DRAG

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3

I love fighting games, and the Marvel vs. Capcom franchise is a pretty great one.....but this one is sort of lacking. The story is pretty much non-existent but that's not really relevant. The gameplay is awesome. The online mode is great with the exception that you can't see the game being played unless you're playing in that particular match. What really gets me is the character selection. They scaled back alot in this installment and it seems like key character from the Marvel side are missing. It would be great if Venom, Carnage, Silver Surfer, DareDevil, Cable, Psylocke, MegaMan, The Mandarin, SabreTooth, Strong Guy....I could go on. But, when I see characters like Arthur and Tron its like super weird and gimmicky. But all in all the game is fantastic, just a few minor character flaws.

Deadpool

DRAG

New Mixtape: Express - Gametime

The young homie Express delivers his first mixtape Gametime. He produced much of his CD and I think I'm on it like 3 times. This is a pretty well rounded CD from a 17 year old. And he only started producing like a year and a half two years ago. 10 songs real quick in and out.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

Show Time!

DRAG

New Music: Jase Inspired ft. Street Scott

My little bro and fellow Team Arson label mate Jase is releasing his mixtape Ready For Takeoff in a few weeks and here is his first offering from the project featuring his brother Street Scott.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Inspirational

DRAG

Blazer Mid SP - Foamposites

This are dope! Seeing as how I'm not a big fan of the original foamposites --- these are extra crispy! Get Em!


More Eggplant

DRAG

Walk Like An Egpytian

Egyptians are clearly upset...and I guess right fully so. Think I learned about this whole mess is that the US gives Egypt 1 Billion Dollars a year. Really?? Really?? Yeah really. But that's not the point of this post. I have heard some believe that this will eventually take place as well in the United States. These are my reasons why I doubt it.

1) No matter how much people complain about America, its a pretty good place to live.

2) Americans are lazy. Ask someone to actually get up and do something about an issue is the best way to not get it done. People couldn't stop Twittering (tweeting) or updating their Facebook Status' long enough for them to stop a riot.

3) The only issues that seem to get debate over are Gay Rights, everybody's new trend "Bullying" and Universal Health Care.

4) I think a lot of people would die. Reason - Things go in order from City -- State --- National. So that means the Police are you're first line of action. Police gonna shoot ya! I mean Police are tasing white women in America --- WHITE WOMEN! If the good ole boys of the Confederacy could see this America they would be outraged.

The time Al Gore won the election but then it turned out Florida wanted to give it to George W. Bush, that would have been a great time to RIOT (protest).

Bailing out the financial organizations and still leaving the people to pay the bill while the CEO's gave people Millions in bonuses basically laughing in everyones face --- Great time to Riot (protest).

Ya see there is always a good reason to Riot (protest) we just don't do anything about it.

Viva La Rebellion

DRAG

Super Bowl 45 bought to you by THE PACK

Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers for winning Super Bowl XLV! It was actually a good game. Super Bowl's are usually boring but this was a good match up. The Packers were dropping like flys and they dropped a bunch of for sure catches, but in the end The Steelers 2 interceptions did em in.

I Going To Disney World (do they still say that shit?)

DRAG