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The hip hop world was shocked when A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg passed away suddenly earlier this year. Yesterday, the band announced that they had recorded a secret, sixth and final album with Phife Dawg before his death.

Phife Dawg was one of the founding members of A Tribe Called Quest, one of the most influential alternative hip hop groups of all time. He passed away earlier this year due to complications from diabetes at the age of 45, shocking many in the music industry. 

Hip hop fans across both coasts have a lot to celebrate, as today marks the birthdays of two rap legends: the West Coast's late, great Nate Dogg and the Bronx's own Fat Joe.

Long Beach rapper Nate Dogg was born on this day in 1969. Nate Dogg was one-third of the rap trio 213, which also featured Snoop Dogg and Warren G. He scored his first hit single with "Regulate," where he and Warren G helped popularize the "g funk" style of hip hop. Outside of 213, Nate Dogg had a long career where he collaborated with a who's-who of West Coast rap stars, including Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur. Nate Dogg passed away in 2011 from a stroke. He would've been 45 today.

Today is also the birthday of a Bronx legend, Terror Squad's Fat Joe. The "

After numerous delays on his previously announced Boys Don't Cry, Frank Ocean surprised fans with a new visual album, Endless, and the promise of even more new songs to be released this weekend.

Endless, which Ocean says is different from his oft-delayed new album, is a visual album in the vein of Beyonce'sLemonade. Besides new tracks like "Device Control," the album also features a cover of The Isley Brother's "At Your Best (You Are In Love,)" where Ocean shows off his multi-layer, smooth vocals. Endless also features collaborations with Radiohead's  Johnny Greenwood, English singer/songwriter James Blake, R&B singer Sampha, and more. Ocean debuted Endless on a 3AM&nb

De La Soul continues their gradual roll-out of tracks from their upcoming, star studded And The Anonymous Nobodyalbum with "Greyhounds," a new, slower paced track that features Usher.

The two MCs of De La Soul, Posdnous and Dave, deliver two narratives on "Greyhounds" -- the first about a small town girl whose life takes a tragic turn after she moves to New York City, and the second story is about a pair of hustlers trying to make it on the road -- while DJ Maseo provides a deliberately paced, driving beat. Matching the tone of the track, Usher delivers a somber, seductive hook that ties the song together.

"Greyhounds" is the latest track off of And The Anonymous Nobody to be released. De La Soul has slowly b

Brooklyn emcee Joey Bada$$ took to New York City streets atop a double decker bus last week to premiere a new video for the single, “Devastated." This week, he headed to SoHo alongside Pro Era's Kirk Knight, Nyck Caution, and CJ Fly to take over the new Adidas Originals store on Spring Street for its opening, then made his way to the old store on Wooster Street for a performance to celebrate the location's closing. 

At the new store, Joey made time to talk to his fans while his fellow Pro Era members juggled questions on a panel. Later that night, Joey and Pro Era took the stage at the old Adidas Originals store to perform a medley of fan favorites and ended the set with a memorable rendition of "Devastated."

On Wednesday, August 17,

Comprised of Prince Paul (Stetsasonic, Gravediggaz), Ladybug Mecca (Digable Planets), Rodrigo Brandão (aka Gorila Urbano), and Don Newkirk (The Dix), BROOKZILL! is set to drop its debut album Throwback To The Future on October 7 via Tommy Boy Entertainment, which includes lead single “Saudade Songbook” ft. Count Bass D.

In anticipation of the album release and the quartet’s inaugural live show in New York City, Prince Paul has dropped the second of three mixtapes, BROOKZILL! Mixtape #2 The Ladybug Mecca Mix, which is available on Soundcloud. With a cameo from Erykah Badu, the nearly 13-minute mix is a non-stop journey into not only the minds Prince Paul and Ladybug Mecca, but also Brazilian culture.