ARIST OF THE WEEK: Jahpan

You might have heard about a little contest we had a few months back called our Artist of the Week contest. Basically, we run a segment every week spotlighting a different artist that you need to take heed to if you're a real hip hop fan. We get countless emails and about artists can get featured on our channel, so we decided to give them an opportunity. We opened our doors to independent, up-and-coming hip hop artist to enter a chance to be crowned the next Hip Hop Official Artist of the Week. Our inbox got flooded with entries, and we selected the best 16 to go head-to-head in an elimination style contest. Four rounds later, Rhode ISland native, Jahpan was the last man standing. Here's his story...

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: M.O.P.

The Mash Out Posse sat down with us to talk about their upcoming album, Foundation, which drops September 15 a.k.a. Tomorrow. Man, you can't really touch these guys when it comes to hardcore hip hop. Their music might make you wanna slap your own mama.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: KRS-One & Buckshot

Please forgive me. This is a week late. I'm trying to play ketchup.

What can I say that hasn't already by said about KRS-One? Dude is a legend. He's the Teacher. And one hell of an interview. Buckshot is a legend in his own right. He's be a part of numerous classic records and along with Dru Ha started the infamous Duck Down Records. The two team up to dropa an album together called Survival Skills this upcoming Tuesday. It's gonna be pure hip-hop. You're probably gonna like it...but don't take my word for it, listen to KRS and Buck tell it...

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Chali 2NA

The verbal Herman Munster, Chali 2NA, from the legendary L.A. underground group Jurassic 5 talks about the journey that is going solo. He discusses his main goals in crafting his solo debut, Fish Outta Water, and how he loves tapping into the human aspect of his music and really connecting with fans on a emotional level. I can dig it. Chali also reveals how his son of all people inspired his music. Dope interview.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: DJ Muggs

He's also one of the most respected producers in the game. Also one of the most underrated. DJ Muggs is an original member of the famed Cypress Hill and Soul Assassins movement. He's been the man behind the boards for some classic hip hop music. You've heard the name, but you might not be familiar with his legacy and impact on the game. Now's your chance to rectify that situation. This is DJ Muggs...



And we got an extra clip that we couldn't fit into the original interview. Christmas comes early on HHO...

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Fashawn & Exile

Fashwan has an album coming out. Exile produced it. It's gonna be good. Wanna hear them talk about it? Of course you do, because you like good music.

Boy Meets World drops October 20.




[BONUS] DOWNLOAD: Fashawn - "Life As A Shorty"

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Crooked I.

We sat down with 1/4 of the Slaughterhouse machine, Crooked I, at this years Rock The Bells. He was able to shed some light on the whole Joe Budden vs. Raekwon beef that popped off at the L.A. show. Craziness. Crook also talked about the new Slaugterhouse album that is in stores RIGHT NOW. Buy 2 for Hip Hop.

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.

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

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.

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.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Crown Royale.

What do you get when you mix 1 part Michigan microphone master with 1 part vinyl vandalizer from the World Famous Beat Junkies crew? You get a shot of Crown Royale. Meet the new duo, compromised of two veterans to this hip hop landscape, Buff1 and DJ Rhettmatic. If you're not familiar, Buff honed his mic skills in Michigan as part of the Athletic Mic League crew while Rhett earned his stripes winning the DMC West Coast Title in 1996, and the ITF World Champion in 1997 for his turntablism skills. These dudes are no joke.

Now they've joined forces to release a new album together, with Buff on the mic and Rhett on the beats. Wondering what it will sound like? Pure unadulterated hip hop. Some real live shit. Take a look for yourself...

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Mayer Hawthorne.

Say hello to Mayer Hawthorne. This dude is creating one of the the most unique buzzes in the hip hop game right now with his fusion of 1960's Motown soul, Do Wop, R&B and a splash of classic break-driven hip-hop. It's so refreshing, because nobody...and I mean NOBODY...is on this steez. Hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mayer Hawthorne a.k.a. DJ Haircut a.k.a. Andrew Cohen is making retro soul cool again. Thanks to Peanutbutter Wolf, who signed Mayer to Stonesthrow Records, we will see an album in early Fall.

The lead single, "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" had the internets going crazy, and nobody seemed to know what to think. Everybody was asking the same question: Who is Mayer Hawthorne? Well, we got your answer right here. In the interview, he talks about how the Mayer Hawthorne character came to fruition and discusses where he'd like to see him go.

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Blaq Poet.

Ya'll remember Screwball, don't you? They dropped an underground classic in 2000 CALLED Y2K that featured the headnodic song "H.O.S.T.Y.L.E." Well, then you also remember Blaq Poet. The fonder of the group returns for his solo effort, The Blaq Print, which drops June 30th. It's street rap at it's finest, and not to mention it's produced by the legendary DJ Premier. How can you front on that? This ain't no playing around here, this is some real grimey-type NY hip-hop.

Blaq took time out of his busy day (he was shooting a music video, and came through on his break) to come through the studios and bless us with an interview and a live performance (coming Friday). He talks about the new album, working with Premo and how he got started spittin back in the day in the Queensbridge. After you watch the interview, listen to the lead single, "Ain't Nuthin Change" which is produced by Premier and sounds like a 1997 neck breaker. I'm lovin it (no McDonals)

[DOWNLOAD] Blaq Poet - "Ain't Nuthin Changed"

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: 6th Sense.

Since it's the start of the 6th month of the year, it's only right that 6th Sense sets it off as our first Artist of the Week for June. But it goes beyond simple mathematics... 6th is nice, yo. The NY rapper/producer is killin the game right now, and everything that he touches seems to break necks. Although he started rapping first, lately he's been making a name for himself with the beats, working with everyone and their momma including Outasight, The Kid Daytona, Mick Boogie, UNI, Donny Goines, Cook Classics and Evidence...just to name a few. The resume is too extensive to put it all here, and quite frankly you don't have enough time to read it all. But if you're not familiar with the music, it's time to heighten your awareness take notice of 6th Sense.

After the video, download yourself some tracks and thank me later.



[DOWNLOAD] U-N-I - "Stakes Is High" (Revised) (prod. by 6th Sense)
[DOWNLOAD] 6th Sense & WIldabeast - "What Up (Eye Know I'm Nice)"
[DOWNLOAD] 6th Sense & Wildabeast - "Arcade Fly" (Remix ft. Donny Goines, Buff1, U-N-I & Fashawn)

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Busta Rhymes.

Without question, Busta Rhymes is a Hip-Hop legend. He's took the game by storm back in 1992 as he stole the show on the historic "Scenario" posse cut. I mean, his verse stills stands up to today's standards, and I've never met anyone who can't quote a line from his verse And he continues to do it to this day. The Bussa Bus has a brand new album dropping today, appropriately titled Back On My B.S. In a recent sit down interview after a show in L.A., Busta opens up about how he never wants to retire and still rocking out a the ripe old age of 65. Why? Because he loves Hip-Hop. He also explains the god-like feeling he gets from being able to move the crowd and make em say some shit he thought up in his crib over a bowl of cereal. That's power.

Enjoy the interview...

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: GLC

GLC was first introduced to the world on Kanye West's song, "Spaceship". Now, the Chicago-bred emcee his making a name for himself. That name is GLC, which stands for Gangsta L. Crisis. Yes, I had to look it up. Despite the unknown initials, GLC has been named Hip Hop Official's Artist of the Week. Fully cosigned by Kanye, and signed to his G.O.O.D. music label, GLC has been making illa noise straight out of Illinois. See what I did there? Tracks like "Big Screen" and "Flight School" have hip hop heads excited about his upcoming album, Love, Life, and Loyalty due out this summer.

Check the interview below for more on GLC and his upcoming album...

ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Tech N9ne (Part 1)

One of Hip Hop's hardest working emcees, Tech N9ne, reps for Kansas City, Missouri. In fact, he basically put the city on the map. As the co-founder of Strange Music, he has become one of the most successful independent artists of all time. He's done it his way since he started, ,even when other people wouldn't take notice. They're noticing now.

He's built his name and fanbase on the strength of his high octane stage shows, which will turn any non believer into a walking disciple. Last year alone, Tech was the third highest grossing urban touring act in the country, behind 2 guys by the name of Jay-Z and Kanye West. He's official. So it's only right that he was named Hip Hop Official's Artist of the Week.

In Part 1 of this 2 part segment, Tech talks about his upcoming collabo album, called Sickology 101, which coincidentally hits stores tomorrow. He also gives you some insight to his next solo album, K.O.D. which will drop October 27th. If you've never seen Tech live before, do yourself a favor a catch him on the 2009 Rock The Bells tour this summer. HHO will be there. Will you? Peep the interview, then cop a free download from Tech's album that drops tomorrow.



[BONUS] DOWNLOAD: Tech N9ne (ft. Crooked I & Chino XL) - "Sickology 101"

Artist of the Week: Kid Sister.

The Chicago hip hopstress Kid Sister is our Hip Hop Official Artist of the Week. Her genre blending style is equal parts hip hop, classic Chicago house, and new wave electro, mixed together and covered in spunk. The majority of you were probably introduced this ball of energy when she hit the scene back in 2008 with her Kanye backed track "Pro Nails."

If you're one of the few who lives under a rock and are not familiar with Melissa, it's time to take notice. She linked up with the indie record label, Fool's Gold, which is run by Kanye's DJ and her current boyfriend, A-Trak. She plans on releasing her debut album, Dream Date, later this year. She talked to HHO about her upcoming album, her live shows, and what she has on tap for the rest of 2009. Here's a hint, whatever the hell she wants...Personally, I think she needs to add "Red Bull spokesperson" to her resume. After the interview, cop yourself a free download of her latest song.



[BONUS DOWNLOAD] Kid Sister - "Get Fresh"]

Artist of the Week: PAC DIV (Part 2).

In Part 2 of our Artist of the Week interview, the Cali trio, PAC DIV, talks about their underground banger, "The Mayor" thats sweeping the nation. It's such a dope song, they even have their own dance. Think Humpty, not Souljah Boy. The fellas also let us in on their mindset when they touch the stage for a live show. If ya missed Part 1, get your late pass on. Peep the bonus download of "The Mayor" below.

[DOWNLOAD: PAC DIV - "The Mayor"]