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DJ Zone on the 1s and 2s

While “DJ Zone” may not immediately ring a bell, the names Aesop Rock and Macklemore surely do. Both artists have called upon the Portland-based turntablist to not only tour with them, but also cut it up on their records, including Aesop’s most recent, The Impossible Kid. 

Born in Portland, Oregon, DJ Zone (real name Patrick Lorenz) was raised in a musical household. His grandmother played violin and piano as a little girl and got a scholarship to Julliard School of the Arts, the prestigious New York City music school. She inspired his love of classical music, jazz and ragtime. His mother raised him on ‘60s and ‘70s classic rock, which helped mold his vast knowled

The Long Beach hip hop legend revealed the cover art for his new album on Monday.  The album, titled Cool Aid, features a cartoon Snoop Dogg, in a style that bears a definite resemblance to the artwork on his classic album Doggystyle, selling a Kool Aid-like drink.  Cool Aid will mark Snoop Dogg's first album since last year's Bush, a funk-inspired affair produced by Pharrell.

Apparently, Snoop has been working closely with acclaimed producer Just Blaze for this project, as Just Blaze recently commented in an interview with Billboard that his work for this album, “felt like and updated version of that old Death Row sound, kind of an updated G Funk.”  Snoop Dogg recently went on Jimmy Kimmel to discuss the album, and he offered this explanatio

This past Saturday, Tyler, the Creator held a fashion show in Los Angeles for Golf Wang, his new fashion line.  However, he also used this moment in the limelight to debut a new track of his called “My Ego.”  The song begins with an assortment of ominous, glitchy synth sounds before making way for a boom-bap drum pattern supplemented with a lush string arrangement.  The song tackles some of the controversies that have followed Tyler throughout his career as he raps, “Said some old lines was offensive/I was young, I can't apologize for that shit.”  

Tyler, the Creator has since made it known that the track will never be released or performed again.  The event was attended by several prominent rappers such as YG and Kanye West

Rapper Apathy, born Chad Bromley on March 8th, 1979, was formerly known as “The Alien Tongue.” He is an MC and producer out of Willimantic, Connecticut and has been in the game since 1994. He has done work with artists such as Celph Titled, Jedi Mind Tricks, Army of the Pharaohs, Diabolic, Styles of Beyond and more. 

His debut album, Eastern Philosophy on 2006 included collaborations with Celph Titled, Ryu, and Blue Raspberry and was his first major release. The second album was Wanna Snuggle? released 3 years later in 2009 and the third being Honkey Kong in 2011. In 2014, Apathy released his 4th album Connecticut Casual and it climbed its way to #41 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. 

In 1991 Apathy j

After a six year hiatus, "VH1 Hip Hop Honors" will be returning this year with the theme All Hail The Queens.  This years event will pay honors to the female pioneers and vanguards who broke down barriers in the largely male-dominated genre of hip hop and paved the way for a greater feminine presence.  In addition to being  honored at VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens, Queen Latifah will also function as the event's executive producer.

Queen Latifah emerged as a force to be reckoned with when she released her debut album, All Hail The Queen, in 1989.  The album was propelled to success on the back of the single “Wrath of My Madness,” and its feminist anthem, “Ladies First,&rdqu

Nipsey Hussle has released the latest track in his Marathon Mondays series, "Question #1," where he teams up with Snoop Dogg to remind listeners about the harsh reality of gang violence.

Listen to "Question #1" here.

While both rappers have known affiliations with the Crips, neither Nipsey Hussle or Snoop glamorize gang life. The song's title refers to the question "Where you from?," a question which both rappers say could get you killed, depending on the answer. “Where you from? I don’t bang. Where you live? Where you hang? Say the wrong thing, get banged,” Snoop raps.

Nipsey Hustle is still working on his new album &quo