It’s 11 years and counting since the masterpiece known as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill captivated listeners and changed the musical landscape. Since then, we’ve been subjected to false prophicies and ‘flash-in-the-pan’ performances on award shows here and there. Basically, the thought of a return to music for L-Boogie is both a fantasy and a nightmare for fans of her music. Fantasy in the fact that another album from the legendary songstress would be the most anticipated project in quite some time. Nightmare in the fact that the possibility of this happening is slim to none.

However, there have been sightings of Lauryn lately.

The Raggamuffin festival hit Sydney this past week with the killer line-up of Sean Kingston, Shaggy, Julian Marley, Sly & Robbie, Steel Pulse, and Blue King Brown, amongst various others. But all eyes were on the ever-elusive Ms. Lauryn Hill as she hit the stage at the Enmore Theatre on Friday night [28th January] – and Rhyme & Reason was on hand to capture this rarest of performances from the seven-time Grammy-winner. Below is an exclusive photo preview from Raggamuffin’s Sydney stop-over, with more shots to come next week.

Credit Rhyme & Reason for the visuals. Question is, who is going to be the first artist to successfully land Ms. Hill on his/her album? Call me crazy, but a J. Cole/Lauryn Hill track would be crazy. Hit the jump for more pics.

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As said earlier, Baseline Studios is an important place in Hip-Hop folklore. Countless records, countless legends (Just Blaze) and countless memories are permanently embedded into those walls. Imagine being a fly in the room when The College Dropout was being recorded or when Jay, Kanye and Blaze created The Blueprint. You can’t pay for memories like that. Unfortunately, however, everything has an expiration date. In a day when so many records are pieced together via e-mail,  the closing of a studio is a reminder the days of the past are becoming more of a commodity than regularity. They’ll always be around, but their unspoken magic and impact will likely never be the same again.

Just Blaze isn’t the only one saddened by the establishment’s closing either. Kanye spoke on his sentiments towards the studio and it’s legacy.

I FEEL LIKE MY COLLEGE IS CLOSING… THE PICS OF THESE HALLS BRING BACK SO MANY MEMORIES

Keep the studio alive, it’s a vital bloodline in music. And even that is an understatement. After the jump, more photos courtesy of Alexander Richter.

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Living in the DMV (DC-Marlyand-Virginia) area has exposed me to several local artists. Some are truly talented, while some aren’t. Don Juan is one DC artist who has been making strides. He scored a local hit with the record “Lookie Looky,” which he also performed at the Club 930’s Haiti Relief concert.  Business wise, he inked a deal with Jive Records and was a featured guest on Green Lantern’s Sirius Satellite Radio program. With Green’s show highly respected for his consistency with co-signing up and coming artists, this was a major look.

So much so that Green will be taking over hosting duties for Juan’s upcoming mixtape, “Politics As Usual.” The above clip is Green and Juan chopping it up about his process of making music, his feelings towards Wale and why timing is so important to him. After the jump, catch a clip of him dropping bars and some more info on their future product.

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By now, it’s already been let out the bag T.I. has been in the studio recording new music since his release to a halfway house in Atlanta. With the that in mind, the anticipation to hear that music is often comes in the form of one question? What will he talk about now that he’s out? The question is only going to increase in frequency as Tip nears a full release date. The official LP will more than likely surface during the latter part of this year. However, since the public’s hunger for music is where it’s at, an official mixtape wouldn’t be a bad idea. A Gangsta Grillz sounds even better.

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Premature leaks and all, Wayne’s Rebirth will finally hit shelves on February 2. Given the short amount of time until Weezy is forced to turn himself in, the label decided against another push back and make the best of the situation. Here’s the final info: (Keep reading…)

Held in New York City, DrJays.com and DJPremium.com continued with the Haitian relief effort. Their event, “Shop 4 Haiti,” was held at the Manhattan night club, La Pumme. The fundraiser featured a host of retailers that night, with nothing costing more than $30. Items from Young Jeezy’s “8732,” Rocawear and Stall & Dean were on sale.  All proceeds amounted throughout the evenings were donated to UNICEF.

Miss Saigon served as the evening’s DJ with DrJays.com’s own Boss Lady as MC. Check out some pictures from the event. Read rest of story…

Reflecting on her career, Mariah Cannon Carey has worked with some of Hip-Hop’s most marquee names including: Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, T.I., Bad Boy (during their hey-day), Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne and most recently Gucci Mane. Add Nicki Minaj to the list. After weeks of listening to the audio and being subjected to behind-the-scenes and pictures from the set, the official video has arrived.

Mariah’s gearing up for the release of the remixed and revamped version of her last album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. The collaboration with Nicki only adds more fuel to the ever-evolving momentum behind her. A bunch of dolls, a marching band, a lot of red and two beautiful females serving as tour guides is what you’re going to get with this visual.

Heaven has sent for another angel. Jasmina Anema who captured the hearts of New Yorkers has lost her battle with cancer at age six. Jasmin who courageously fought Leukemia for a year had inspired thousands who wanted to help anyway possible. According to news reports, she was admitted into NYU Langone Medical Center Monday after having shortness of breath and a slight fever. Sadly her breathing did not get better but rather worse and by Wednesday afternoon she was admitted into the ICU soon afterwards.

A friend close to Jasmina took to her blog and revealed…

“Jasmina’s antibiotics are not working so her lungs are filling up with fluids…Her situation right now is critical. The doctors are trying to get the situation under control but Thea will have to make a difficult decision if this does not work.”

At 10:55 pm last night at she succumbed to her illness and died with her mother close by her side. It was just a year ago on January 20, 2009 when Jasmina was diagonsed with NK cell Leukimia one of the most severe forms of cancer. After that day she could no longer live the life of a regular five year old.

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Lil Wayne wastes no time on sleep. In preparation for his incarceration the hip hop prophet is taking care of his business. Lil Wayne & Young Money touched down in ATL on Monday and got straight to work. Tuesday they spent most of the day shooting the video for Shawty Lo’s “WTF” single off his new LP.  With the video being wrapped up in the early hours. Wayne  went straight to the set of  “The Big Dawg” music video, the first single from Playaz Circle  New LP which features Lil Wayne and Birdman.

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Before the days of the internet, the songs you received on the CD were the only songs you were going to get. Nowadays, bonus tracks are more of an expectation than gift. This wasn’t the case some eleven years ago when Mary J. Blige released her fourth effort, Mary.

Found on the limited edition version was the smooth, yet brutally honest “Sincerity” featuring DMX and Nas. X’s aggressive eight bar intro set the stages for Mary’s crooning. It was typical Mary with vocals of empowerment and pain. It was Nas, however, who would steal the show.

In 1999, Esco was only five years removed from his classic debut, Illmatic. He was still spitting with the same fire and intensity which would later define him. On “Sincerity,” Nas takes time to ponder the good life with “someone he could trust.” Ironically, the lyrics prove to be even more potent in light of his recent history with ex-wife, Kelis.

“Give me someone I could trust, not just a hottie to bone
Does she love Escobar, or love Nasir Jones?
Let me know so I could cop her the stones
What’s clear to me is sincerity…”

One’s personal life is just that, personal. However, it’s always ironic whenever art imitates life. In this case, repeats life.

DL: Mary J. Blige feat. DMX & Nas – “Sincerity”