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I’m not a smoker but I’m a Wiz Khalifa fan. Is that an oxymoron? Regardless, Kush and Orange Juice is still in rotation (no pun intended) on my iPod, and I’ve watched his fan base grow exponentially in the months following its release. All that being said, I didn’t really see this one coming.

The Pittsburgh native surprised many experts after pulling out a landslide victory in MTV’s “Hottest Breakthrough MC Of 2010″ competition over the weekend. A project conceptualized by the MTV News staff in late June spawned a list of 20 MC’s that was presented to fans worldwide;  offering an opportunity to choose who they felt was the best of the best. The initial round of votes produced a top 5, which included (more…)

Download: Ice Cube — “Drink The Kool-Aid”

Thirsty?

Ice Cube has that refreshing West Coast flavor to quench your thirst with this new track off his upcoming I Am The West, dropping in September.

Have Peanut make you a pitcher—grape or red?—while you download and enjoy. Thanks to RR for the initial taste.

S.O.S. Please!

According to Variety, pop princess Rihanna will make her feature film debut in Battleship, an upcoming big-budget action film based on—you guessed it—the Hasbro board game. No word on what role the Bajan chanteuse will play; though she’ll likely be the love interest of either co-star Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood) or  Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights), I secretly hope she’ll be a gun-toting badass in the vein of Ripley or Sarah Connor.

The film is being directed by Peter Berg (Hancock) and will be shot on the Hawaiian isle of Oahu in September or October.

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Download: Nelly — “Tippin’ In The Club”

After the critical and commercial beating his last album Brass Knuckles endured, Nelly is determined to rule the clubs and charts once again. Rap Radar got their hands on this kinetic new joint, which may or may not appear on the St. Louis slugger’s forthcoming Nelly 5.0.

Turns out Wyclef is taking his support and love for Haiti to the highest level possible – to the nation’s presidency. Let sources “close to the government” in Port-au-Prince tell it, the legendary musician is only waiting on the paperwork to become official before next week’s deadline.

Polls set for February and March were cancelled by the earthquake that devastated the country on January 12. They will now be held November 28.

When he announced the election last month, Mr. Preval rejected the formal recommendations of a U.S. Senator, Richard Lugar, that the eight-member Provisional Electoral Council be disbanded due to corruption, and that the banned party of exiled former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Fanmi Lavalas, be allowed to sponsor candidates.

While the reports are saying one thing, Clef himself has given no indication he desires the position. (Keep reading…)

Vado’s one of the hottest names on the streets. The Dipset reunion appears to be in motion. The “Boss of All Bosses” run is one of the better Gangsta Grillz series in sometime. Yep, this is the summer Cam was talking about when he said it would be a hot one. Better late than never, I suppose.

This past Friday, Cam stopped through DJ Naim’s birthday party in Jersey to bless the mic for a little bit. Giving Mister Cee some time to relax from spinning duties, Giles ran through a list of hits including “Get ‘Em Girls” and “Just Fire.”

Last night, Foxy Brown performed live at the famous B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill in New York City’s Times Square. Though the show comes on the heels of a recent arrest following an altercation with a neighbor, the Brooklyn MC was determined not to let any legal issues stand in the way of putting on a fun, energetic show.

A show which, of course, did not start on time, so DJ Obsession held the crowd down with a selection of classic hip-hop, R&B, and dancehall songs, whipping the crowd into a frenzy before the performances finally began.

Once Foxy bounced on stage, she ran through a litany of hits and fan favorites, including “Stylin’,” “Ain’t No,” and “No One Else.” Between songs, Fox Boogie took time out thank her fans, offer tenets of girl power, and rail against her detractors and enemies.

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Look, it’s some stuff that’s just unacceptable. There comes a point in time when logic has to overpower ignorance. It just has to. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen at most Hip-Hop concerts. I understand everyone is under the influence of something and the music is loud and several other factors go into making the atmosphere condusive for some type of altercation to go down. That still doesn’t make it right whenever something does happen. (Keep reading…)