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“Common’s 10th album, Nobody’s Smiling, is a dark and stark portrait of the streets of his own Chi City. With emerging talent pitching in alongside the 42-year-old lyricist’s always sharp lyrics, Nobody’s Smiling is a sparkling release in what’s been a tepid year for rap releases (so far).” – Vibe

When the legend Scarface laces your track with an iconic flow, you’re that man. Pittsburgh rapper, BOAZ, paired up with FACE for his single, “Hard To Forget It”, which on Boaz’s upcoming mixtape series that will be introduced in a few weeks.

“I’m really trying to solidify myself as a guy whose music is sincere and from the heart. I want to connect with the fans in a way. I don’t want to be a bad influence. I want to inspire people and not so much by the words in the music, but by the effects of the music,” Boaz said of his upcoming album on Rostrum Records. He stated that working with Scarface was a a privilege.

The 2nd installment of THE PURGE looks like it will be 10x better than the first! You know that film, where you are given a day to get away with murder or any crime you choose to deter criminals for doing such all year long. What a crazy ass concept, but THE PURGE films are nothing to f*ck with. Not only are these great horror films, but it leaves a lot to your imagination. What would you do under these same circumstances? Is there something you want to do and wish you could get away with it? lol It’s a little terrifying if you think about it. That’s what makes THE PURGE ANARCHY an already cult favorite. (Edited: Initially I said there were 3 movies total but The PURGE: Anarchy is the sequel to the first film)

FreeOnSmash states that ‘the track struck Hov so much he recorded it and sent it back in 30-40 minutes tops’. I must say that his verse on Jeezy’s ‘Seen It All’ is one of Jay’s most memorable. The single was initally meant for Jay Z’s ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’, but was saved for Jeezy’s album which would be released much later. These two has layed down some hardcore duets in the past, but ‘Seen It All’ means just that…we’ve now seen it all.

I like this record because Kiesza, the Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and dancer from Calgary, reminds me of two soprano favorites; Teena Marie and Sheena Easton. It’s cool how Kiezsa lends her voice to that party rock-style music, although the video doesn’t reflect how hard this song goes in the club. However, this dance beat and Kiesza’s voice is an excellent combination. Her fetish for New York, 90′s hip-hop, breaking, locking, and street jazz moves, is reflected in Hideaway’s visuals.

When I see pictures of starving children in the media, on the internet, etc, with their bones and ribs sticking out, I break down in tears every time. Photos like these devastate me, not only because it shows young children suffering, but it’s a reminder of how inexplicable it is that we have these hungry kids and billionaires on the same planet at the same time. There should be enough food in this world to feed everybody. I will never understand this phenomenon, the epidemic of starvation. It’s heartbreaking to say the least.

To add insult to injury, this clown of a charity organization in South Africa called “Feed A Child” adds racism against these kids into the mix. They put out a video depicting a black child as a lap dog. It shows the little boy being given treats by a white woman as he rests his head on her lap. When he brings her a newspaper in bed, he is given another treat. What type of nonsense is this? Feed SA Director Candice Etberg has reportedly defended the ad, pointing out, “This is a great advert that highlights what is actually going on. The average dog does eat better than most children in this country.” But I don’t buy that bullsh*t.

Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, Immortals) stars in Dracula Untold, the origin story of the man who became Dracula. Gary Shore directs and Michael De Luca produces the epic action-adventure that co-stars Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, and Diarmaid Murtagh. It’s set to be released October 3, 2014.

“We’ve been way overdue for some new music from longtime rapper AZ, as today he shares his newest single “Red Magic.” The new offering serves as the latest release from his long-awaited 9th studio album , which is still awaiting a concrete release date. S.O.S.A. recently revealed on the heels of approaching the original projects 20-year anniversary that Do or Die II would in fact be his final project. We’ll still see the Almighty Zig-Zag on features down the line, but fans should be cherishing his final lap in the solo game.” – FreeOnSmash

Paula Patton,,,PLEASE take this man back! LOL! ROBIN THICKE is doing every thing imaginable to win back the heart of his wife. Following his performance at the 2014 BET Awards, Robin Thicke has released his new single “Forever Love” from the forthcoming album, PAULA. He produced his 7th studio album, featuring love ballads dedicated to his wife of 9 years. The LP is available to pre-order ahead of its release via Star Trak tomorrow.

“As one of the biggest songs from Coldplay‘s new album, we’re not surprised to see a bunch of high profile remixes surfacing. However, AlunaGeorge have now come into the spotlight for their own take on the song, while adding in a signature sound we’ve become associated with from their debut album, Body Music. The release coincides with the duo supporting Coldplay at the Royal Albert Hall in London on July 1st/2nd.” – OnSmash

“Busta Rhymes and Eminem are no strangers to one another, having previously teamed up for 2006’s “I’ll Hurt You”. But if the comic book-referencing cover art is any indication, their latest collaboration, entitled “Calm Down”, is a mighty clash of rap’s swiftest lyrical titans.

Of course, no battle can truly begin without the right music; producer Scoop DeVille borrows the horns from House of Pain’s classic “Jump Around”. From there, two of the most furious spitters in all of rap-dom engage in six minutes of intense battle: Eminem is toxic and acerbic, making references to Abe Lincoln and his brain as a fried egg, while Busta is his usually dense, manic self, somehow managing to include “Fahrvergnügen” into his fervent wordplay.

Seriously, if you get a chance, read through the pair’s myriad lyrical bombs. That is, if you manged to scoop your brains off the floor first.” – Consequence of Sound

The 2014 BET Awards opened with 2 legends, PHARRELL WILLIAMS, and MISSY “Misdemeanor” ELLIOT”, who gave an electrifying collaborative performance at the Nokia Theatre in L.A

‘Shortly after making his return to the BET Awards, Chris Breezy unleashed his new single “New Flame” alongside Usher and Rick Ross.” – Nahright

Back in 1993, the classic hip hop group, SOULS OF MISCHIEF, released one of my favorite hip hop songs of all time… “93′ TIL INFINITY” (the track Rick Ross used for his new release, ‘Thug Cry’). Their new hit, “There Is Only Now”, is real and good hip hop and we need more of this! All the old school vets should return just like SOULS OF MISCHIEF to take back the hip hop game and bring it back to its roots! “There Is Only Now” is also the title of their upcoming album. THEY’RE BACK!

“The Illest” by the FAR EAST MOVEMENT reminds me of that Katy Perry & Juicy J “Dark Horse” song with the deep bass, hip hop-infused rock combination. This song only has 4 million Youtube views versus their other projects that reached 30, 40, 50 million views and beyond. I guess a lot of people aren’t feeling it, crediting the bass line as the only thing good about it.

FAR EAST MOVEMENT, the hip hop quartet reppin’ in Los Angeles, grew insanely popular after their song “Round Round” was featured in the “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” movie, and its subsequent soundtrack, video game and DVD. Kev Nish, Prohgress, J-Splif, and DJ Virman, dropped singles like their mega hit, ‘Like a G6′ and catapulted into worldwide fame. “The Illest”, the lead single from their upcoming 5th studio album, “KTown Riot”, is one of the songs I work out and jog to early in the morning. It gets me going, and gimmick or not, these dudes made a hell of a name for themselves.