The New York City medical examiner’s office has officially ruled that DJ AM’s death was “accidental.” The official cause of death is “acute intoxication” coming from a fatal mix of prescription drugs and cocaine. In the literal sense, there was almost nothing accidental about Adam Goldstein’s death. Perhaps DJ AM didn’t mean to overdose - who ever does? - but ingesting massive amounts of OxyContin, Benadryl and crack is far from an accident. It’s a deliberately slow suicide.
As I worked on my review of Mariah Carey’s new album “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” for DJBooth.net, one thing kept coming up again and again. No, not, “Is it just me, or do Mariah’s breasts look particularly large on this album cover?” (Although they do.) No, I kept coming back to her lead single “Obsessed” and thinking, “Could Mariah be one of the first battle rappers/pop singers?” As improbable as it might seem, Mariah Carey, a woman whose symbol is a butterfly and married the world’s least threatening rapper Nick Cannon, might just be one of the only people to ever defeat Eminem in a battle.
Some rappers are just better. Over the beat from Drake’s “Fear,” Amiyj lays down cinematic verses that immediately establish him as one of the game’s best storytellers: “I’m trapped in between two worlds, how could you know me?/ When i can barely get in touch with myself/ I don’t know if I’m a killer or/ I’m a drug dealer or / if I should shoot a nigga to protect my wealth.” There’s nothing more I can say that Amijy doesn’t say better himself on the track. “Fear Freestyle” is a RefinedHype.com exclusive. Click to see more on Amiyj and download.
Hip-hop has always been about hometown pride, but Boston residents have always had little to brag about when it comes to beats and rhymes. That’s slowly starting to change thanks to rappers like M-Dot, a Boston-born rapper who brings some serious skill and working class attitude to his rhymes. In preparation for his upcoming album M-Dot is building buzz with his new mixtape “M.oney D.oesn’t O.wn T.hought.” Click to learn more about M-Dot and download the mixtape.
Let’s face it. There are no shortage of people who have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to all things hip-hop, but that doesn’t stop them from talking (in fact, the less they know, the more they seem to talk). That’s why I’ve created the State of the Game, a curriculum designed to school the uninitiated in all aspects of the game - or at least get them to stop spouting ridiculousness. Class is in session, suckas.
More than a couple of my afternoons have been spent playing NBA Live, so when I heard EA Sports would be releasing a mixtape alongside the brand new NBA Live 10, produced by none other than Mick Boogie, I was more excited than 50 at a bulletproof vest sale. The full mixtape will drop October 6, but in the meantime EA Sports is offering up a download of the dope “Class Of Our Own” featuring Mick Boogie, Kidz In The Hall, Donnis & Daytona.
Jenny Slate, who was making her debut on SNL, managed to let loose a relatively sizable f-bomb on air. Slate’s profanity was unusual to say the least, but the fact that a cast member slipped up and said the best/worst word in the English language during live television isn’t really that shocking. No, what’s really shocking is the amount of people who managed not to swear on SNL. For all the heat rappers catch for their “foul language,” not a single hip-hop act has ever cursed on live television, a fact that’s even more surprising when you consider the list of artists who have appeared on the show:
Fashion is inspired by many things. World-renown designer “Coco” Chanel once said that “Fashion is in the air, born upon the wind…It is in the sky and on the road.” It is evident in today’s fashion that designers are highly influenced by a number of things, among them music and dance. Recently RefinedHype.com had the opportunity to ask We Are Heroes, the first female crew to win America’s Best Dance Crew, who they would consider fashion icons in the world of dance. Here is who they chose…
Cavemen inventing fire. Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. The launch of Refined Hype. All great moments in human history, but only one sounded this fresh. For RefinedHype’s inaugural issue one of the fastest rising stars in hip-hop, K. Sparks, has dropped Closer, a soulful banger that’s as inspirational as it is dope. Click to learn more about K. Sparks and download Closer.
With the changing of the seasons comes the emergence of new fashions and styles. RefinedHype.com recently enlisted two artists, Webbafied and Senor Kaos, to give their outlook on what’s in (and out) this season. Representing two of the biggest cities in the country, New York City and Atlanta, Webb and Kaos might not be sitting front row center at fashion week but their feet are firmly placed in their cities and they’re well aware of what you might want to consider rocking this season.
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Public Enemy said it best: don’t believe the hype. Urban music and culture has found a home online, but with the explosion of new content appearing online everyday, it’s become difficult to separate what’s real with what’s just hype.
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