Jay-Z Taking his Time with Blueprint 3

For the third installment in Jay-Z's Blueprint album trilogy, Jigga's made it clear he's taking his time to create a product he and the world can be proud of. According to transworldnews.com: The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z's third studio album since ending his retirement in 2004, was scheduled for a December 2 release date. However, the album's only single "Jockin' Jay-Z (Dope Boy Fresh)," which was released two months ago, has yet to have a video and there has been little news about the album since. The only confirmed information about the album is that Kanye West will be heavily involved with the project's production. There were many rumors that West would be the album's sole producer. However, there have been subsequent reports that Pharrell and possibly Timbaland will also be featured on the album's production. The Blueprint album is set to feature the original T.I./Jay-Z/Kanye West/Lil Wayne track "Swagga Like Us", as well as a remixed version featuring Nas, Andre 3000, Young Jeezy and Jay-Z. Most production for the new album will come from Rocafella alum Kanye West. The album also marks Jay-Z's final album under Def Jam contract, before he moves to recording for Roc Nation under the new Live Nation record label. Other noteworthy records coming soon are Kanye West's "808's & Heartbreak" and Ludacris' "Theater of the Mind" on November 25th. 50 Cent plans to release "...Before I Self Destruct" on December 9th, and there's rumors of a new Eminem album called "Relapse" possibly for December 23.

3000 Fashion in 2008

Rap Star Andre Benjamin better known as Andre 3000 is considered one of the most sought-after lyricists these days. Almost every verse he drops as a cameo on other albums or remixes turns to gold, giving the rapper much respect, and reason to be considered amongst the discussion of Top 10 emcees in the game right now. Add to that the fact that Andre has been acting as well, with movies such as Four Brothers and Semi-Pro, and an upcoming role in "Battle in Seattle". But now Andre 3000 may become sought after for his clothes as well. He's been featured on the pages of many style/fashion magazines for his different looks. The next natural step? To release a fashion line with his own personal stamp of approval. The rapper recently unveiled his new line of clothing called "Benjamin Bixby" at a party at Barneys New York during Fashion Week. The line is said to be inspired by 1930's Ivy Athletics and according to the NY Times "looked like Ralph Lauren having a Steampunk moment." The name Benjamin Bixby derives from an episode of MTV’s “Punk’d” on which Mr. Benjamin was the victim of an elaborate joke: At the fabricated scene of a car accident, a Maybach salesman demanded his name, implying that Mr. Benjamin was responsible for the damages. Unaware of the setup, he blurted out “Bixby,” the last name of the actor who starred in the television series “The Incredible Hulk.” Later, to create a persona for his fashion line, Mr. Benjamin combined his surname with that of Bill Bixby. The character is a world traveler whose wardrobe includes things like a $995 cotton corduroy blazer, a $350 felted waistcoat and a $95 newsboy cap. At Barneys, those clothes now hang next to lines like Double RL and Engineered Garments, which have a similar bent of Depression Chic. Read more about the quirky, interesting and stylish Andre Benjamin at NYTimes.com

Will 2008 be the Year of 3000?

One of the most interesting guys in hip hop has got to be Andre 3000 from Outkast. You don't always hear his name in the news, but he's done quite a bit. He not only is 1/2 of the legendary rap duo of Outkast, but he's done cartoon, TV and movie acting as well. He's constantly listed on the top fashionable celeb reports when he attends events too. So what will the rapper be up to in the coming year? According to Vibe magazine's talk with the rapper: I've been reading a couple of things [scripts]. Can't talk about them though, you know how that is. The clothing company will be out fall/winter 2008 it will be in your stores. Maybe in the following year we'll start talking about our own retail store. The clothing company Dre is referring to is Benjamin Bixby. Other good news is 3000 has 2 new movie roles coming up, with Battle in Seattle and Semi-Pro (2008). He also has word of a solo album on the way. Dre's definitely one of the most underrated talents in rap today, so be on the lookout for him to breakout even more. Check out the very interesting Outkast website here.

MTV's Top 10 Hottest MC's Today

First, here's the breakdown of MTV's list: 10. Jim Jones 9. Common 8. 50 Cent 7. Jay-Z 6. Young Jeezy 5. Kanye West 4. Andre 3000 3. Game 2. T.I. 1. Lil Wayne Let the disagreement start. First off, I don't have Lil Wayne and like a lot of his songs. But having listened to rap for quite a while I can't put him at the 1 spot on that list, especially when I see names on the list more deserving. I'd put Common, Jay-Z or Andre 3000 at the 1 spot before Wayne. In fact, those would be my top 3 if that was the list I was working with. There's some obvious names missing too. Nas is a definite miss by whoever conjured that list up. His album "Hip Hop Was Dead" was praised by many and his wordplay is always on point. Possibly this list is based on sales or who's working with people on projects now, but I'd also consider adding the names Talib Kweli, Papoose, Lupe Fiasco and maybe Saigon on there. That's the real hotness in hip hop. My guess is this list is MTV's temperature taking of hip-hop right now, but Jim Jones has not done much lately since "We Fly High". View the MTV list along with its criteria/explanations here.

Rap Cartoon

It appears Andre 3000 of Outkast fame has diversified even more. He now has his own cartoon on the Cartoon Network "Class of 3000". The show features Sonny Bridges, a once-talented musician who now teaches kids about the wonders of music in the world. It's interesting to see the moves rappers make to diversify these days. Smart moves to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Why not? The cartoon airs Friday at 7PM/8PM on Cartoon Network. In other news, it appears Jay-Z's "Kingdom Come" album has leaked and response to his come-out-of-retirement project has been generally poor. Many blogs seem to have posted bad reviews of the latest tracks from the Jiggaman...stay tuned...

Who are the Best MC's?

Many circles debate over who the top all time rappers are, so I need to weigh in..these are gut impressions I have, having listened to rap since early on, its a VERY tough list to compile so I broke it down to all time and then my best today: All-Time - quick list 1-Rakim (considered the Godfather of Rap by many) 2-Nas (people say he's fallin off on recent cds, but overall top notch) 3-Jay-Z (you can argue he's commercial but he just keeps makin hot music) 4-BIG (a career cut short, but his personality shone through on the mic) 5-Kool G Rap (in terms of rawness, you cant stop G Rap) 6-Guru (Gangstarr pioneer with a raspy monotone flow) 7-Q Tip (people overlook him way too often, but his verses shine) 8-2PAC (Im not his biggest fan, but he belongs here) 9-Ice Cube (another gangsta rap pioneer, influential) 10-LL Cool J (remember this is the all time list :) Tops Right Now 1-Nas (anticipation is great for his Hip Hop is Dead album) 2-Jay-Z (anticipation is greater for his next release) 3-Common (so underrated and overlooked still today) 4-Talib Kweli (this guy has alot to say and says it well) 5-Black Thought (Roots frontman, also underrated) 6-Lupe Fiasco (he's a newcomer but very promising) 7-Mr Lif (underground cat who speaks volumes w/socially conscious raps) 8-Kanye West (believe it or not this guy does more than produce) 9-MF Doom (former KMD group member now makes ultra-creative albums) 10-Andre 3000/Mos Def (neither rap so much these days but they should be!)

Review: "Idlewild" - Outkast

Idlewild - Outkast (4 out of 5) Outkast achieved its most critical success and acclaim as a group after their last double cd release, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below", which won album of the year Grammy. On this cd many felt the group departed what made it such a great rap offering in the past, by succumbing to Pop-crossover status with hits like "Hey Ya!" and "Roses". But what was not realized, was that this dynamic group was breaking apart and testing new waters in musical innovation. "Idlewild" is the 25 track cd sountrack to the same-titled Outkast movie. The cd is yet again more musical innovation with many fresh offerings, from rap to soul jives and showtune style music. It seems to provide a perfect backdrop for their latest movie, which is in itself like a Broadway show. This album definitely is full of soul and innovation and should take the listener on a musical journey, whether they see the movie it backs or not. The group consisting of two members, Andre 3000 and Big Boi, continues to move in 2 seperate directions yet their music together is still a treat to listeners. This cd wont disappoint as it takes you back to a time when song and dance mesh to take you on a wild musical journey...tracks to enjoy are the marching band backed "Morris Brown", "PJ & Rooster", "Hollywood Divorce", "In Your Dreams", and "Mighty O". "Chronometrophobia" is a track done solo by Andre 3000 exclusively on the fear of timepieces..the track shines and makes me long for ATLiens to come back once again..