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The LUV NY collective, consisting of Ray West, AG, Dave Dar, OC, Kurious and Roc Marciano continues to stay busy, working on quality hip hop projects that will stand the test of time. In 2012, they released their self-titled project and that album was just re-released this year on double vinyl http://www.fatbeats.com/products/luv-ny-luv-ny-2xlp which is a must-have for any serious collector. The project combines the original LUV NY album with the The Snake Tape EP and features new artwork and and an unreleased song by Lord Tariq and AG. To celebrate the newly released vinyl, LUV NY proudly presents the latest visually accompaniment featuring Dave Dar. "Me and Mine" is produced by Red Apples co-founder Ray West and the video finds Dave Dar doing his thing on the streets of New York.

Timabaland, the executive producer for the television show “Empire”, says he has completed his upcoming album and will use television as a platform for the new music. "Yes, it's done. I'm doing a TV show with that," he said in a recent interview. "I'm not going to talk about it. I'm going to leave it at that." The legendary producer, behind different hits from Justin Timberlake, Jay Z, and Missy Elliott refused to elaborate on details about his new album, which doesn't have a release date. On "Empire", Timbaland has had major success with the multitude of songs that helped drive the show's powerhouse ratings. "Empire: Original Soundtrack From Season 1" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and forced Madonna to debut at No. 2 earlier this year. T

Iggy Azalea's extended work partnership with rapper and producer T.I. has officially ended, according to T.I., with Azalea's extended argument with Q-Tip from late last year being the final straw. When talking to 'Ebro In The Morning' on New York radio station Hot 97, T.I. said he decided to not work with Azalea anymore "after the Q-Tip thing", referring to the beef where Q-Tip sent Azalea a series of tweets about the history of rap/hip-hop. Azalea then referred to the tweets as "patronizing" and then adding "I'm not going to play hip-hop squares with a stranger to somehow prove I deserve to be a fan or deserve to be influenced by hip-hop." The argument with Q-Tip followed behind Azealia Banks calling out Iggy Azalea for picking and choosing aspects of black culture but ignoring the

One of the most powerful things, if not the most powerful thing, in hip-hop music is the ability to reach someone with a message. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five had their version of "The Message" in 1982, then came the politically natured messages of pioneers like Public Enemy and KRS-One. Sadly, somewhere along the way, the messages got torn up and rearranged, lending to the mainstream rap pollution on the radio today. Void of anything of substance or reality, it creeps into the young minds of countless children and gives them the wrong idea about what hip-hop truly is. Fortunately, there are preservationists of the culture and Jahi is one of them. As a member of PE 2.0 (Public Enemy 2.0), the Oakland resident has a profound effect on young minds with not only his music, but al

Spike Lee has been receiving plenty of backlash from politicians for his upcoming Chicago-based film "Chi-raq", but it won't deter him from highlighting gun violence in America. In a recent interview with Deadline, Lee said it was his responsibility as filmmaker to produce a project that reflects the realities, no matter how harsh, of Chicago's crime levels especially those throughout the city's South Side. "I would just be irresponsible as a filmmaker to not comment on this self-inflicted genocide, which is happening," he said. "The majority of the shootings and the killings are in the south side of Chicago. Chicago - I mean I'm not the only one to say this - arguably is one of the most segregated cities in the U.S." Lee began producing the film in June and spent r

Former Oakland resident and current New Mexico transplant Raashan Ahmad is always working on something. As an emcee in hip-hop collective Crown City Rockers (formerly known as Mission), Raashan showed the world his penchant for intricate rhyme schemes and emotionally evocative lyrics. Although Crown City Rockers haven't put out an album since 2009's The Day After Forever, they never really broke up. In fact, Raashan, percussionist Woodstock, bassist/producer Headnodic, drummer Max MacVeety and keyboardist Kat Ouano reunited for a performance at the annual Hiero Day in Oakland on September 7 of this year. When Raashan isn't touring the world with his solo material, he's making music and loving life. Most recently, he teamed up with fellow Crown City Rocker Headnodic for the secon