The Making of 3 Feet High & Rising.

It was 20 years ago. Can you believe that? Can you even fathom that? This album is older than some of you reading this right now, and it's one of the greatest albums ever.

In the springtime of 1989, three teenagers from Long Island released an album that changed hip hop history forever. You gotta remember, when they dropped this album, it was unlike anything anybody had heard in hip hop at the time. Rap music has an edge. Artists like Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Slick Rick, Eric B & Rakim, Run DMC, and KRS-One reigned supreme. De La ushered in a new style and sound all their own called the "D.A.I.S.E.Y. Age", prompting the masses to call them "hippies" and label their music "alternative." With the success of the album and crossover hit "Me, Myself, and I", De La essentially launched a new jazz-inspired, positive-minded sound to the masses, which we all know as the Native Tongue sound. Although they weren't the first group out the gate (The Jungle Brothers were), they took the Native Tongue sound to new heights, which eventually helped birth groups like A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, Queen Latifah, Leaders of the New School (and Busta Rhymes) and the Jungle Brothers.

To celebrate this timeless classic, the good folks at HIPHOP.COM have a nice little feature on the making of the album. They talk to De La Soul's Posdnous and Dave (formerly Trugoy the Dove), the album's producer, their fellow LI school friend and Stetsasonic member, Prince Paul, and some of their golden age contemporaries about the making of this all-time classic. This is a must read for any hip hop fan. And yes, you have to read. It's not a YouTube video. It's not an mp3. It's an article....with words. Remember those?

PART 1 | PART 2

Eminem Covers XXL.

Marshall Mathers gets the cover treatment for the June issue of XXL. In the article he talks about some pretty personal topics including his drug addiction and Proof's death.

“Everyone felt his loss, from his kids, to his wife, to everyone. But, for some reason, in hindsight, the way I felt was almost like it happened to just me…Maybe at the time I was a little bit selfish with it. I think it kind of hit me so hard. It just blindsided me. I just went into such a dark place that, with everything, the drugs, my thoughts, everything. And the more drugs I consumed, and it was all depressants I was taking, the more depressed I became, the more self-loathing I became…By the way, I’m just now at the point where I’m better talking about it. It took me so long to get out of that place where I couldn’t even speak about it without crying or wanting to cry…Proof was the anchor. He was everything to D12. And not just the group-for me, personally, he was everything.”

Courtesy of Rap Radar.

Kanye's Complex Magazine Shoot.

Go behind the scenes to see how Kanye, Chris Milk and Complex made this futuristic photo shoot using the latest technology. It included an interview with Yeezy himself as well as the photographer. The video is very interesting. This isn't your typical fashion shoot, they used some very high tech design for it. I think the photos turned out dope. See below.

Shout out to Complex for sending these over. Check out their website, it's mad official. This is one of the few magazines I read on the regular.

New West: Fashawn.

Yesterday, I posted an entry called the New West, which highlighted 5 upcoming Westcoast artists who are making noise in the industry. It linked you to four of the 5 VIBE articles that profiled U-N-I, Diz Gibran,. Shawn Jackson, and Dom Kennedy. Well, today is the fifth and final article from writer Jason Parham. This one focuses of Fresno MC Fashawn who has been carving a name for himself in the blossoming West Coast movement. Fashawn is an HHO fav, and came through the studio a few months back for an interview and live performance. That's right, we saw the future. Now it's your turn. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

New West: Fashawn

RELATED: Artist of the Week: Fashawn | Fashawn - "Shut Up and Let Me Go" [LIVE]

Meagan Good in Complex.

Meagan Good recently did a photoshoot for Complex Magazine. No words are really necessary. I'm a fan. Enjoy the photos and make sure to watch the behind the scenes video.

U-N-I in The Source.

I just got a press release in my inbox informing me that the Cali duo, and Hip Hop Official Artist of the Week as been named the Source Magazine's Unsigned Hype for the month. They're in the mag with Game on the cover, looking like he's about to blow his head off.

Props to Eazee for the graphic.

Melyssa Ford Maxim Magazine Shoot

And a video to top it all off...

June SOURCE Covers

According to this Hip Hop publication, Hip Hop rocks. Two different covers this month, one for N*E*R*D* and one Gnarls Barkley

N*E*R*D

Gnarls barkley