Massholes Vol 1 Coming Soon

Yo wats the dilly? Fresh out the studio, hit up at myspace.com/roystealthvsrec.  Comin soon is Massholes Vol 1 the Mixtape. Check it out, I’ll keep ya posted when that shit drops. Peace

A few things

Got 2 Brand new tracks up on the myspace page! “Time to get it!” & “Childs Play”. Check those out now!!!

Also make sure to drop your email address to me for my SHURM newsletter coming soon. I prefer you email me at Shurm@vitalsinerecords.com or send me a message on myspace.

Also for show bookings,collaborations,and any business inquiries email adminstration on the site with your contact info and you will be answered as soon as possible.

im out.

—SHURM

Kenn Back on da Grind

Whattup Whattup its ya boy the one and only Big Kenn Dogg, im back on da grind producing fiery hot beats and layin down the vs law on my lyrics, got a few tracks hittin the page soon be sure to check them out. platinum heat banga ft. SHURM and a laid back smokin song wit  my boy Stealth. I got vital mixin up a new masterpiece for me  goin to call it the Kenn anthem yes yes, be sure to keep your eyes open for that new shit coming up soon. Keep safe and watch out for those coppers, Stay on da grind,… Peace like reese’s

T.I. Ends His Road To Redemption, Prepares For Sentencing

For the past few weeks, MTV has been documenting rapper T.I.’s final days before he begins his sentencing for a conviction he received in 2007 after he was caught attempting to purchase guns.

T.I. will end his journey this Tuesday, March 24 with Road To Redemption’s final episode. The episode will follow T.I. as he ties up a few loose ends before he serves his year and a day sentence beginning on March 27.

Since its debut on February 10, Road To Redemption has struck an interest with viewers due to T.I.’s openness and honesty about his past and his eagerness to keep others from making the same mistakes he’s made.

“[T.I.] felt that he was undergoing a karmic reckoning, a time when he would have to balance the scales of his life and integrate who he was with who he is,” Ish Entertainment principals Stella Stolper and Michael Hirschorn explained in a statement. “We’ve never seen someone so introspective, so smart about how who he was back in the slums of Atlanta is affecting who he is now.”

For the past seven episodes, T.I. has intervened in the lives of teenagers who have taken part in everything from drug dealing to breaking and entering. Each episode has ended on an optimistic note with each episodes subject realizing the error of their ways.

The finale of Road To Redemption will air tonight, March 24 at 9 p.m.

Krayzie Bone Talks Bone Reunion, “Fixtape” And K-Fed

Midwest Hip Hop legend, Krayzie Bone, recently spoke with HipHopDX to offer up some exclusive details on today’s release (March 24) of the rapid-fire spitter’s new solo street album, The Fixtape Volume Two: Just One Mo Hit, as well as the June 30th release of the new Bone Thugs-N-Harmony group project, Uni-5, and the forthcoming Bone-sponsored release from Britney Spears’ ex, Kevin Federline.

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have sold over 12 million albums, won a Grammy and two American Music Awards, but the Cleveland quintet’s most jaw-dropping career feat may have been landing a mention on celebrity news site TMZ last month for their recent work with backup dancer turned Britney baby daddy turned rapper Mr. Federline. The question on the minds of every Bone fan in the weeks since that news broke has been why did the legendary harmonizing street thugs sign a pop princess’ former flame to the group’s independent BTNH Worldwide label?

“I didn’t even know that my people was actually talking to him at first,” Krayzie revealed, “because I had no idea about it until I started seeing it in the tabloids and on the different websites…I really didn’t even like know who he was at first. K-Fed, I didn’t know that name until somebody told me that’s Britney Spears’ ex-husband…After then I was like, ‘Oh nah, we not messing with him.’ But then after I spoke to my people, they told me that they had conversations with him and that he was possibly looking for like some writers, and you know, like some production and stuff like that. So I was like, ‘That’s what I do. [But] I wanna hear some of his music first and foremost.’”

“People gon’ say I’m crazy, man,” he continued, “but to my surprise the stuff that he let me hear, it was pretty decent. He told me that he didn’t get a chance to really put out the music he wanted to [with his first album], and he made mistakes in putting out the music that he did – you know, by putting out the club stuff. I really didn’t hear none of his old music, but the stuff that he let me hear was like really deep. He was talking about his life. He was actually telling his side of the story [of the split with Britney] in a more mature, adult kind of way, opposed to just being on the record saying ‘Fuck Britney.’”

When Federline returns from being on the road with Ms. Spears, who is currently touring, Krayzie will hit the studio with his newest signee to craft K-Fed’s first Bone-backed project – much to the dismay of longtime group loyalists.

“If everybody is wondering what we’re doing,” said Krayzie, addressing Bone nation,“we’re simply helping him with the production, and just trying to give him a platform to stand on so people will listen to his story. After hearing him talk, and just kickin’ it with him, [I learned that] he definitely got a story to tell – where he came from, and where he ended up.”

For those fans not exactly excited about the Thugs latest undertaking, a new Federline-free Bone project will be in stores shortly. Featuring all five original BTNH members, the aptly-titled Uni-5, is due June 30th – about three months shy of the 15th anniversary of the release of the group’s classic Creepin’ On Ah Come Up debut EP. The thugsters latest full-length is being led by two recently released to the ‘net buzz singles: “The Game Ain’t Ready” and “Nuff Respect.”

But as with any new Bone group outing, before any discussion of the actual music can take place, the seemingly always present question regarding the group’s most free-spirited member must be addressed.

“Bizzy Bone is definitely back into the fold,” Krayzie noted. “Although Bizzy is signed to another label [as a solo artist], he can still do Bone Thugs-N-Harmony as a group…Everybody [in the group is] still doing them. This is a business. We all businessmen. [But] everybody can always come together for a Bone project, always. ‘Cause everybody know this where it all lies at, for real.”

As previously mentioned, it’s not just Bizzy returning to the group fold for Uni-5, but the album also marks the return of long-incarcerated fifth member Flesh-N-Bone.

“Aww man, it’s definitely a wonderful thing, man, just to have all five of us back together” replied Krayzie when asked how it feels to have Flesh finally back in the Bone mix after serving an eight-year prison term. “Flesh, he real happy. He real positive. He a way more mature person since he been locked up. His vocabulary is very polished. His demeanor is polished. He just a totally different person. And with that kind of maturity coming into the clique from another person, it ain’t gonna do nothing but help us out.”

“Bizzy has matured a lot [too],” he continued. “He has stepped up to the plate and been around and been available, and made sure it’s been convenient for us to catch him whenever we need to catch him. So, I mean, everything has been going smooth so far.”

Not only will Uni-5 mark the first time all five of the Ohio rappers’ have recorded together in nearly a decade, but the disc will also mark the first time Bone has released a truly independent group album.

“We got released from Interscope in 2008,” Krayzie revealed. “I requested to be let go, because I really wasn’t feeling we were being respected for what we was worth. To me people didn’t really know our music. They were just in the business just to be in Bone’s business. People just heard how much money you could make from Bone, and I think that’s why they wanted to be in business with Bone. But, as far as the love for the music, and as far as the push and the drive to really promote it and get behind it and treat it like the artists we are, they didn’t have none of that.”

Despite netting a gold album with their sole Interscope-funded project, 2007’s Strength & Loyalty, which spawned the Akon-assisted platinum smash single “I Tried,” Krayzie is adamant that Bone is better off free of major-label interference.

The group’s BTNH Worldwide label is currently in talks with several possible distribution homes, with a slew of new releases planned for 2009. In addition to Wish Bone’s long-awaited solo debut, The Wish Master, and a Flesh-N-Bone and Layzie Bone duo project entitled The House Boys, Krayzie is also planning to unleash Coming From The Midwest, a compilation of prominent regional acts [“I’m trying to get at everybody,” he noted regarding the project.“I’m trying to get at Eminem. I’m trying to get at Kanye West.”]. While the guestlist for the comp is currently unconfirmed, fans of Midwest Hip Hop should expect a collaboration or two between Krayzie and fellow lightning-tongued rhymers Twista and Tech N9ne.

But before Bone’s new group effort, and any of the aforementioned BTNH Worldwide projects hit store shelves, supporters of Cleveland’s finest can cop The Fixtape Volume Two: Just One Mo Hit. The follow-up to last year’s The Fixtape Volume 1: Smoke On This!, is due in stores today.

“The first ‘Fixtape’ was my very first [street album] ever,” explained Krayzie. “I had been wanting to put a mixtape out for years, but just was so tied up with other stuff I never got a chance to. [So ‘Just One Mo Hit’ is] basically a continuation from volume [one] – got some [popular instrumentals from 50 Cent, Freeway, Outkast, etc. to rhyme over], and a couple of original tracks on there. I think the fans will really be satisfied with it. I got some nice songs on there, some nice remake songs.”

“But I just wanna let everybody know,” he continued, “that this is a ‘Fixtape,’ which is the mixtape. The official Krayzie Bone solo album, which is entitled Chasing The Devil, will be out December 15th, ’09… It’s like when you out here chasing the fame, and the money, the glamour, the women and all that, basically what you chasing is the devil…So it get real deep on the album. I’m touching on subjects such as the RFID chip…the chip they trying to get people to get implanted into ‘em. It’s a human tracking device, and they already got ‘em inside the passports… [On the album] I’m basically trying to show people where we are in time. Like, people have always heard Bone talk about the last days. And I just wanna inform people and let ‘em know exactly where we are in time by comparing the stuff that we see on the news and in the world today to what The Bible told us [two-thousand years] ago.”

The Fixtape Volume Two: Just One Mo Hit is in stores now on RBC Records.

Saigon Talks Studio Gangsters, Industry Regrets

Saigon has often been an outspoken emcee. Known just as much for his headline grabbing statements as he is for the music, the Brooklyn native is back on the scene after releasing All In A Day’s Work, a collaborative album with producer Statik Selektah.

In a forthcoming interview with BET.com, Saigon reflected on his time spent on a major label, rappers glorifying negative lifestyles, and his biggest industry regret.

Much has been written about Saigon’s relationship with his former recording house, Atlantic Records. One of the breaking points for Saigon came when a label executive suggested a collaboration with one of the label’s R&B acts.

“They wanted me to do a record with Pretty Ricky,” he says. “They were serious. One of the execs told me, ‘Saigon, it would be a good thing if you went in with Pretty Ricky. You guys could do something great.’ Saigon and Pretty Ricky? That doesn’t even make sense.”

Saigon also took some time out to address the glorification of violence and hustling in the industry.

“It’s stupid,” he said. “Real gangsters don’t do that. Tough guys don’t want you to know they’re tough. Everybody’s talking about street cred. Number one, when you’re out in the streets, you’re not thinking about street cred. It’s not something you sit around and glorify.

“When gang members go to jail, they get caught up in the RICO laws [and they’re surprised]. What’d you think? You’re running around with gang tattoos and a red bandana on your body. With organized crime, if they got pulled over, [they’d tell the police] ‘We’re not in the mob, what are you talking about?’ They didn’t walk around with signs that said ‘Gambino Family.’”

With a new recording home in Amalgam Digital, Saigon says he has more creative control than he did on a major label. However, when looking back on his career, he revealed one regret.

“I regret not reading my contract,” he says. “Not to take anything away from my attorney, because my attorney is the illest. I think if I could’ve asked him more questions and been more inquisitive instead of worrying about my financials—because I was dead poor when I signed my deal—I wish I would’ve studied it more and understood the guarantees that you can put in your contract.

“If I would’ve had certain commitments, they wouldn’t have been able to do me like they did me.”

In hopes that others will learn from his crucial mistake, he offers one piece of advice.

“Read your mutha fuckin contract. If you can, get a ‘play or pay.’ If you can get a play or pay, if they don’t put you out, they’ve got to pay you. That’s one of the industry inside tricks.”

KRS-One And Buckshot Considering Big Features For Album

In late 2007, KRS-One and Buckshot both announced that the veteran emcees from The Bronx and Brooklyn respectively would be linking for a collaborative, joint-venture LP. Nearly a year and a half later, sources close to Duck Down Records have confirmed the recording underway of this momentous meeting of the masters of ceremony.

The two emcees have reportedly opened the studio to an array of star-studded guests. Last Friday, Mary J Blige recorded for the project over a reportedly “tantalizing” Black Milk beat. The track is reportedly titled “On The Grind,” featuring Blige on the chorus, bridge and the song’s opening and closing. Over a decade ago, the Queen of Hip Hop/R&B worked with the label for her famed “I Love You” remix with Smif N’ Wessun.

Other confirmed guests to date are K’naan, as well as label-mates Naledge, Heltah Skeltah and the aforementioned Smif N Wessun. Production duties are already in the works for Havoc, 9th Wonder, Marco Polo, Khrysis, Illmind and MoSS.

While a star-studded list has already confirmed involvement, the Duck Down reps added that 50 Cent and Immortal Technique are also in discussion to appear.

The Havoc-produced track “Robot” will be turned into a video April 20th, directed by DXnext alum Todd Angkasuwan.

The KRS-One and Buckshot album is presently planned for August release through Duck Down Records.

Hip Hop Album Sales: Week of 3/15/09

American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson took this week’s #1 spot with her RCA Records release All I Ever Wanted. The Pop star had some debut company. Sandwiched between U2’s No Line On The Horizon, fresh R&B faces The-Dream and J. Holiday [click to read] premiered with their Love Vs. Money [click to read] and Round 2 respectively. Between Def Jam’s hit-making songwriter, producer and performer and Capitol’s flagship R&B artist, was roughly 100,000 units, despite a simple two spots.

Although not at the top of the pack this week Jamie Foxx [click to read] and Beyonce remained neck-and-neck. Intuition [click to read] trailed I Am…Sasha Fierce [click to read] by just over 1,000 units.

T.I.’s [click to read] Paper Trail [click to read] topped Kanye West’s 808’s & Heartbreak [click to read] in a race decided by less than a 1,000 units for Top 10 status. Keyshia Cole remained strong another week with her A Different Me [click to read].

Top 200 Album Sales (Top 5 Hip Hop/R&B)

Rank	Artist	Album	This Week	Est. Total
2	The-Dream	Love Vs. Money	151,242	141,463
4	J. Holiday	Round 2	55,373	55,398
8	Beyonce	I Am…Sasha Fierce	28,192	1,977,158
9	Jamie Foxx	Intuition	26,980	740,877
13	T.I.	Paper Trail	23,302	1,796,022

Brother Ali’s [click to read] debut week of EP+DVD package The Truth Is Here [click to read] found the Rhymesayers veteran in the Top 200, at #119. K’naan’s [click to read] Troubador [click to read] also made the cut, for a third consecutive week, at #146. Project Pat’s [click to read] first Asylum Records release, Real Recognize Real [click to read] also made a third go, fallinga t #164. Joe Budden’s [click to read] Padded Room [click to read] did not make the Top 200 this week.
Lil Wayne [click to read] sold just over 12,000 copies of Tha Carter III [click to read], placing him at #41 this past week, 10 spots lower than last week. Meanwhile, Bad Boy Records‘ Notorious Soundtrack [click to read] closed out the urban showing on the Top 200 at #177.

Other Notables

Rank	Artist	Album	This Week	Est. Total
41	Lil Wayne	Tha Carter III	12,174	3,070,643
119	Brother Ali	The Truth Is Here	4,825	4,861
146	K’naan	Troubador	3,885	25,532
164	Project Pat	Real Recognize Real	3,252	16,523
177	Various Artists	Notorious Soundtrack	2,944	124,490

Can The-Dream contend with Beyonce and Jamie Foxx in long term runs? Will Gorilla Zoe, Saigon or Capone-N-Noreaga make a stand? Stay tuned to HipHopDX.

Saigon Talks Greatest Story Contents and Plans

After securing an exclusive distribution deal with Amalgam Digital for All In A Day’s Work and Warning Shots 2 last week, Saigon is working toward an official record label deal to back what he has billed as his true debut album, The Greatest Story Never Told.

With singles “Pain in My Life” and “Come on Baby” releasing in the last few years, Saigon says he has not been given sufficient backing from radio stations for The Greatest Story Never Told, especially after what happened in 2007 concerning a Mobb Deep/Hot 97 show. “What people don’t really realize is that the Prodigy incident almost fucked my career up…Being that it was a Hot 97 event, the program director pulled it, so I was pretty much banned from the radio.”

While the latest track, “Believe It,” was released online last spring, Saigon stated that there was no intention for it to hit radio airwaves. “That was pretty much our song to say, ‘fuck it, we off Atlantic.’ We never really worked that as a single at all.”

With that said, he did explain that once The Greatest Story Never Told does find a new home, he would like to put out “It’s Alright,” co-produced by Just Blaze and Kanye West. “I definitely want to use that as a single,” he stated.

Continuing, Saigon added, “It’s a record featuring Marsha Ambrosius from Floetry. I think that will be one of the more impactful records [off of The Greatest Story Never Told]. It’s a real touching record.”

Ambrosius, who is signed under Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Records, also has her own project in works, which Saigon commented on. “Just [Blaze] is doing a lot on her record. I’m hearing a lot of it behind the scenes, and it’s coming out amazing.”

Switching gears to Warning Shots 2, Saigon explained that fans can expect the sequel of Warning Shots to be a better fit to his musical talent. “It’s more well-rounded than Warning Shots 1. When I did Warning Shots 1, I was really oblivious to anything.”

As Saigon has stated before, he has lent his own production on Warning Shots 2. The Mooseknuckle-native revealed to DX one of the tracks he produced, as well as how it came about. “I produced the first single myself; it’s called ‘Pussy.’ It’s about women, and I don’t really delve into that topic that much.”

Getting the co-sign from Just Blaze, Sai added, “It’s a great record. I produced it and played it for [him]. Just loved it, so he was like, ‘fuck it, put it on Warning Shots 2.’”

Looking to release that first single, followed by the full Warning Shots 2 by the beginning of summertime, Saigon is poised to make 2009 the year of the Yardfather. “I just want to put out a lot of music because my whole situation dealing with Atlantic Records kind of threw me off [track].”

Saigon and Statik Selektah’s All In A Day’s Work album drops tomorrow as a digital-only release through Amalgam Digital.

50 Cent Plans Two Studio Albums For 2009

It looks as if the “three-headed monster” of Dr. Dre, Eminem, and 50 Cent have not left the studio in recent months, as 50, along with Eminem also plans to drop two albums in 2009.

Speaking with MTV.com, 50 not only took credit for inspiring Eminem’s 2009 double output, but said he too will be give his fans a two-album year.

“What they don’t know…the new announcement is that I’m dropping two albums,” 50 said.

“I’ve had an opportunity to record since I thought I was releasing an album in December,” 50 explained. “But the portion of my record that I recorded with Dr. Dre was incomplete, because there was no opportunity to mix it. The only song that was mixed that I worked on with Dr. Dre is ‘I Get It In’ —that one is out now. It’s cool, but I need the rest of them to be mixed before I can present my project to the public.”

Fif said that Before I Self Destruct will follow Eminem’s Relapse which is set to hit stores May 19, and the second album of the year will also follow Eminem’s tentatively titled Relapse 2.

After revealing plans for his 2009 releases, 50 was mum about the concept for the upcoming “Crack A Bottle” video.

“The concept…this video is very artistic. It’s an idea that Em and Paul [Rosenberg] agreed on. It’s exciting.” But when asked about any more detail he replied simply, “I’m not telling you.”

The video for “Crack a Bottle” premiers April 7.

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