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RIP to the great Don Cornelius of Soul Train

A person called the police from Mr. Cornelius’s house on Mulholland Drive in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood just before 4 a.m. and reported shots had been fired, a police spokesman, Chris No, said. When officers arrived, they were let into the house and found Mr. Cornelius lying lifeless on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head that appeared to be self-inflicted, said the Los Angeles County assistant chief coroner, Ed Winter. Mr. Cornelius was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 4:56 a.m., Mr. Winter said. “It was reported as a suicide, a self-inflicted wound,” he said. “I have investigators at the hospital.” “Soul Train” was one of the longest-running syndicated shows in television history and played a critical role in spreading

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Rap Gods original artwork by Paul Stone up for sale

Incredible illustrator Paul Stone has announced that he is putting the original artwork for Rap Gods up for sale. Rap Gods, illustrated in pen, ink and acrylic is nothing short of amazing. In regards to the piece, Paul says: "Hip-hop has always been my major passion; the music I've followed fanatically since my teens. As its title implies, Rap Gods brings together many of the genre's key players (some for the very first time), including Ice Cube, Big Boi, Flavor Flav, Guru, Ice-T, Eminem, Q-Tip, Xzibit, DMC, Snoop Dogg, KRS-One, 2Pac, Redman, Jay-Z, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Kool Keith, Rakim, Dr Dre, Posdnous, Nas, Pete Rock, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Mos Def, Chuck D, Notorious BIG, Slick Rick and Method Man." Chuck D of Public Enemy says: "When I saw Paul Stone's work I recognized a

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Souls Of Mischief heading to Europe on tour in March

Oakland hip hop legends Souls of Mischief return to the UK and Europe for the first time in 2 years since their "Montezuma's Revenge" tour. It's almost 20 years since the release of the classic '93 Til Infinity', but the group members, as part of the Hieroglyphics Crew, have remained one of the most prolific artists on the scene with numerous solo and group releases on Hiero Imperium Records. They still tour regularly all over the United States and Canada, and are due to perform at SXSW on their return from Europe. 2012 starts with three solo albums being released in quick succession. Tajai has already released his new collaboration with Sleeprockers called Machine Language, Opio is set to release his new album Vultures Wisdom Volume 2 on the 28th of February and Phesto's new solo a

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Money B returning with new editions of the Goin Way Back Show

After a short break, our good friend Money B of Digital Underground will be returning in February with brand new installments of the Goin Way Back Show - your new portal for all things classic hip hop. At goingwaybackshow.com you can download the podcast, listen to new music, read the latest news on classic hip hop artists, see classic videos & pictures and find out where your favorite artist will be performing next. Requests, shout outs and comments can be called in to 702-252-4927 or you can email them to moneyb@moneyb.net. Check out the official site for more: http://www.goinwaybackshow.com/

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Return Of The Funky Man by Lord Finesse - 20th Anniversary

January 28 marks the 20th anniversary of "Return Of The Funky Man" by the legendary Lord Finesse. The follow-up to Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth's "Funky Technician" from 1990, Return Of The Funky Man found Lord Finesse sharpening his skills even more and getting down with some of the best in the game. As well as handling production on six of the 16 songs on the album, Lord Finesse also rhymed over tracks produced by DJ Aladdin, Diamond D, SLJ and Showbiz. Engineering for the album was handled by Jazzy Jay and Skeff Anselm. We salute the legendary Lord Finesse and encourage hip hop fans worldwide to get Return Of The Funky Man into the collection. It's available for download at iTunes here http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/return-of-the-funky-man/id358064217 and is essential liste

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EXCLUSIVE: Chuck D interview by Flatline

Flatline: When you look back on Public Enemy's debut, what do you remember most about putting the album together? Chuck D: Well, what I remember most about putting the album together, is that I wrote it while working as a messenger for my job, and I wrote it traveling the highways of Long Island…and putting the album together in the studio, at a studio called INS Recordings, Steve Lindsey was the engineer. Hank Shocklee, Bill Stephney, Eric Sadler and myself, it was around the time the Mets were winning the World Series in 86, so it was an interesting time. We were right across the street from City Hall in lower Manhatten, so going into the city every day recording the album was an experience. We kinda put it together pre-production wise in our studio in Hemstead, Long Island. F

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