[NEW] Raekwon (ft. Ghostface, Method Man, Inspectah Deck) - "Flying Daggers" (prod by J Dilla)

Sound the sirens. Hide the women and children. The Wu is back! This joint is fire. Five legends on one song? It's disgusting. Dilla channeled his inner RZA on this one, and came with a classic Wu sounding beat. Deck set off the song with his best verse since "Triumph." Rae brings his classic mafioso drug dealer rap. Method Man brings comes with his usual top notch braggadocios word play. And Ghost manages to spit a hard ass verse while still mentioning every article of clothing in his closet.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 drops September 8th. Yes, I'm officially excited.

[DOWNLOAD] Raekwon (ft. Ghostface, Method Man, Inspectah Deck) - "Flying Daggers"

[NEW] Drake (ft. Saukrates) - "The Search"

Two of Canada's most famous rappers on the same track. All they needed was Kardinall Offishall for the trifecta.

[DOWNLOAD] Drake (ft. Saukrates) - "The Search"

Courtesy of Nahright.

EMINEM DISSES NICK CANNON AND MARIAH CAREY.

This is straight ether. And hilarious. If anyone deserved this, it's Nick Cannon.

[DOWNLOAD] Eminem - The Warning (Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon diss)

THROWBACK THURSDAYS.

CLASSIC. This song is so pimp, it makes Bishop Don "Magic" Juan jealous. It also helped put Twista on the map.

QuESt - Broken Headphones [DOWNLOAD]

The long awaited debut album from a rapper called Quest.

[DOWNLOAD HERE.]

Brought to you by the good people at iLLRoots and 2dopeboyz.

WESTCOAST WEDNESDAY.

The Coup - "Fat Cats, Bigga Fish"

I can't even tell you how many times I've listened to this song in my lifetime. Boots Riley's storytelling is phenomenal - one of the most underrated MCs in the game. If you're not up on the Coup, you need to wake up and smell the revolution. Oakland in the house. What up, Rob?

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: B.O.B. aka Bobby Ray.

Bobby Ray isn't your average hip hop artists. As a singer, songwriter, rapper, producer, drummer, keyboardist, and guitar player, he probably has more talent in his pinky finger than you and I have combined. Because he's from the South thinks outside the box, he gets compared to Andre 3000 more than enough, and he's okay with that. But he wants you to know that he's not Andre, he's not your typical southern rapper, and he's not something you can put a label on.

He also talks about the song he did for Reebok in which he flipped the classic Bonita Applebum.

[NEW] Wale (ft. Gucci Mane) - "Pretty Girls"

Wale premiered this joint a while back while on tour. I heard it for the first time at the Key Club a few months ago. He finally delivered the mp3 version for you.

[DOWNLOAD] Wale (ft. Gucci Mane) - "Pretty Girls"

[NEW] DJ Honda ft. Mos Def - "Magnetic Arts"

When DJ Honda and the Mighty Mos linked up for the first time with "Travelin Man" it was instant magic. That track stays in rotation, so when I heard they hit the studio together again I was geeked. My geekedness was not in vain either, this one is fire. Go!

[DOWNLOAD] DJ Honda ft. Mos Def - "Magnetic Arts"

Courtesy of X.

[VIDEO] The Grouch & Eligh ft. Slug - "!BOOM!"

This one slaps. Produced by Amp Live from Zion. Legends!

[NEW] Kid CuDi - "Call Me Moon Man"

New cut off CuDi's new album, Man In The Moon, which drops Sept 15. For my L.A. peoples, CuDi will be performing this Sunday at the House of Blues with Asher Roth and Pac Div. Maybe I'll see you there.

[DOWNLOAD] Kid CuDi - "Call Me Moon Man"

[NEW] Jay-Z (ft. Kanye West & Rihanna) - “Run This Town”

Here's the official first single from Jigga Man's upcoming album, Blueprint 3 ("D.O.A." was just for the streets). The album drops on Sept 11...which happens to be the 8 year anniversary of his original Blueprint album. Word on the internets is that every urban radio station in the country played this song at 9:11 AM. Now that's gangster.

[DOWNLOAD] Jay-Z (ft. Kanye West & Rihanna) - "Run This Town"

Link courtesy of Nah Right.

[NEW] Guilty Simpson & Madlib - "Coroner's Music"

If you haven't heard the incredible news, Detroit rapper Guilty Simpson is teaming up with legendary producer Madlib for a collaboration album cleverly titled "O.J. Simpson." See, Madlib's real name is Otis Jackson, meaning his initials are "O.J." and Guilty's real government last name is "Simpson." Put them together and you have "O.J. SIMPSON." See, I told you it was clever. This is the first leak from the album, which drops this fall. This project is going to be bananas.

[DOWNLOAD] Guilty Simpson & Madlib - "Coroner's Music"

Shout out to Stonesthrow for this one.

THROWBACK THURSDAYS.

Something ain't right...it's the strobelight.

Classic. Dres was that dude back in the 90's.

RAEKWON TALKS ABOUT PRODUCERS ON OB4CL2.

Today, the tracklist was released for Raekwon's highly anticipated album and it features production from some of the best to ever do it, including Dr. Dre, Pete Rock, Dilla, and of course the RZA,
We sat down with the Chef to talk about the producers he enlisted on his upcoming album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, and why he decided to work with multiple cats instead of just the RZA like he did on the original. Hotdamn, I cannot wait for this shit to drop.

THE ROLE OF THE DJ IN HIP HOP.

Yo, if you're a DJ, ever wanted to be a DJ, or even just listen to hip hop music - you need to watch this interview. Two certified legends, Kid Capri and DJ Revolution talk about the importance of the DJ in this culture. Real talk. Just because you happen to own some turntables and have a laptop with Serato , that does not make you a DJ.

[NEW] N.O.R.E. (ft. Kid CuDi) - "Floating In the Sky"

This is dope right here. Not a combo you would think normally put together, but it works. Kinda like peanut butter and pancakes. Seriously. Try that shit. It's delicious.

[DOWNLOAD] N.O.R.E. (ft. Kid CuDi) - "Floating In the Sky"

DJ QUIK x NIKE COMMERCIAL.

These are the first pics from a new Nike ad campaign called "Hyperize" that features the legendary DJ Quik and a handful of NBA ballers decked out in old school attire. Something tells me this is going to be good.

Check the photos, and stayed tuned for the commercial when it drops.

WESTCOAST WEDNESDAY.

They wanna be like Compton.

Quik is a musical genius. If you didn't know, you better ask somebody. Respect game.

WU-TANG CLAN'S DEMO TAPE [1992]

Wooooooooooooooow (c) Flavor Flav.

We all know Wu-Tang ain't nuthing to fuck wit, but you need to fuck with this. This shit right here....this shit RIGHT HERE? This shit is def. This is the original Wu-Tang Clan demo tape this spit out back in 1992. One year later, they took the industry by storm after they released their debut album, Enter The 36 Chambers, on Loud Records. I think we all know what happened after that...

Take a trip back in time and see where it all started. You'll hear some extremely raw versions of familiar cuts (including an original version of the "Diary of a Mad Man" beat that the RZA cooked up) as well as some brand new shit. The RZA graces every song, as he probably did 90% of the leg work for this. Thank God he did...

[DOWNLOAD HERE.]

A colossal shout out to Blind I for this one.

Fashawn x Exile.

Yesterday Fashawn and Exile came through the HHO Studios to bless us with an interview and live performance with a few cuts from Fashawn's upcoming album, Boy Meets World. Exile produced the whole thing, and trust me when I tell you the album is going to be fire. Stay tuned for the footage in the next month or so. Shout out to the homie DJ Mister Mike for the photos.









And of course, everyone who comes through needs to leave their signature on the board.

[NEW] Ghostface (ft. Raheem DeVaughn) - "Baby"

Some new Pretty Tony smoothness from his upcoming R&B album, Wizard of Poetry, droppping September 29th.

[DOWNLOAD] Ghostface (ft. Raheem DeVaughn) - "Baby"

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Dom Kennedy.

Welcome to Leimart Park, California where Dom Kennedy is the mayor. Not familiar with him? Well, it's about time to get your catch up on. Dom has been holding it down for the Left Coast since he dropped his debut project, The 25th Hour, a few years back. He's been steadily growing his buzz on hard work alone. No frills, no gimmicks, just the grind. His latest album, Future Street/Drug Sounds looks to push him to that next level with a disc full of timeless music. But don't take my word for it, let Dom explain...



Download his last album HERE, bump it in your whip, and then send your thank you letters to hiphopofficial@gmail.com

CLIPSE INTERVIEW: Part 2.

In Part 2 of our interview with the Clipse, the fellas talk about their highly anticipated upcoming album, Till the Casket Drops. They discuss how they linked up with Kanye and talk about the exposive first single, "Kinda Like A Big Deal" which was produced by the homie DJ Khalil. If you missed Part 1, go get your late pass.

Crown Royale - "We Gotcha" [Live]

Buff1 and Rhettmatic drop another heat rock in the HHO Studios. This is a Hip Hop Official exclusive...but you already knew that. This shit bangs.

[VIDEO] Kid CuDi (ft. Kanye West & Common) - "Make Her Say"

[NEW] The Roots - "How I Got Over"

New music from Jimmy Fallon's house band. It's good to hear Black Thought doing his little singing thang that he's been doin on Late Night. This is the first single from their upcoming album, How I Got Over which drops Sept 29th on Def Jam. Is it just me, or is this year full of incredible album releases? Yeah, I thought so.

[DOWNLOAD] The Roots - "How I Got Over"

[VIDEO] U-N-I: "Land Of the Kings"

And now for something a little different...

PREVIOUSLY: [DOWNLOAD] U-N-I - "Land of the Kings"

WESTCOAST WEDNESDAY.

What you know about this? No seriously...does anybody know a damn thing about G-Mo? In fact, have you ever HEARD of G-Mo? If you're like me, you bumped this underground tape during your sophomore year of high school, and you thought it was pretty dope. The only thing I knew about G-Mo was that he was from West Covina and he liked ballin'. But honestly, that's all you needed to know.

Back in 1995, I bumped the shit out of his album, Ballin 4 Life. I mean, yeah I was 16, and yeah he's not the greatest rapper ever. But fuck, the songs slap. The music is straight G-Funk, and I'm from Cali, so that funk runs in my bloodstream. I can't even help it. So, this shit brings back memories for me, and hopefully opens your ears to new classic (to me) Cali music.

G-Mo - "Ballin"

[VIDEO] El Prez - "Floss Angeles"

Featuring Convinced, Dale Danja, DNEZ, Chris Focus, and C-San. This song appears on Prez's upcoming project, Animal Style!, which is a (2)DopeBoyz Presentation in conjunction with IM-King Clothing. Check for that later this month.

Check out the cameo from the HHO bawse, Daylan.

BAD IDEAS IN HIP-HOP: Ron Artest's Tribute to Michael Jackson.

I swear, this dude's heart is in the right place, but....well, let's just say sometimes his execution is shaky. To say the least. The latest Los Angeles Laker, Ron Artest, decided to record a tribute song to the late great King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Unfortunately, Artest is insane. Like I said, I'm sure the dude means well, but come on, this is just bad.

The lowlights include the lines:

-"Michael, Michael, Micahel, you my nigga" (which happens to be the hook)
-"I know a thug wil cry for you, my dude. No R&B singer really make me cry, make me want to meet you...touch your hand"
-"You used to show me love. I know you didn't know me, but you showed me love."
-"Get off my nigga's back, all his music was straight crack"
-"I know you in heaven, I hope to see you next year." (Whaaaaat?)
-"He's my dude, he's your dude, he's a really tight dude."

and my personal favorite...

"Even though I'm always strapped, I'm putting down my Mac for Mike Jack. He's so wavy."

But don't take my word for it, listen for yourself:

[DOWNLOAD] Ron Artest - "Michael, Michael"

Wow. That was a really bad idea in hip hop, Ron Artest.

[VIDEO] El Michels Affair - "The 38th Chamber"

Ok, no joke...the El Michels Affair album, Enter The 37th Chamber, might be my favorite album of the year. If you're not up on game, let me school you real quick. Basically, it's a New York funk/soul band re-interpreting some of the greatest Wu-Tang songs of all time. A full band playing lacing classic RZA production? It's incredible. Get that shit today. You will be sending me a Thank You card within the next week.

Anyways, above is a video for a medley of cuts off the album, including C.R.E.AM. and Shimmy Shimmy Ya, .

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Shawn Chrystopher.

Hailing from the City with No Seasons, a.k.a. Los Angeles, Shawn Chrystopher is set to break out big. Claiming to be "more than a rapper" is often times a cliche thing to say, but with Shawn you know it's the truth. After receiving a substantial co-sign from streetwear giant L-R-G, and gaining steam from his two previous mixtapes; IWG: I Wear Glasses and IWG2: I Told You So, Shawn's debut album drops this August. It might be a little different from what you would expect from your typical L.A. rapper. And that's just the way Shawn wants it.



[BONUS] download his first single "Untitiled" right here. Stay tuned for more from Shawn, and also check out his blog.

[VIDEO] Joell Ortiz - "Just A Change"

Dope video. You can't beat live instrumentation outside under the sunshine.

[VIDEO] Drake - "Best I Ever Had"

Forgot to post this last week. Forgot to do a lot of shit last week. Sorry.
Directed by Kanye West.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Wale.

This past weekend, we caught up with Wale at the Standard Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. He was in town to perform at the rooftop pool party, and talk to us, of course. He talks about his highly anticipated upcoming debut album, Attention Deficit, which is dropping this fall. He also opens up about the an inner conflict her has about never growing complacent and his fears of becoming happy with success. Ch'yeah.