Raekwon Speaks On Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang

Looks like they’re still going through with it….I just don’t feel right about it, but eh…from Keith Murphy, VIBE:
Coming off 2009’s critically acclaimed Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II, the long-in-the-making sequel to his 1995 landmark classic, Raekwon is not wasting anytime for a follow-up.
The super lyrical Wu-Tang Clan spitter is set to drop his new release Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang, which will hit stores in September. And according to Rae, the quick turnaround is all by design.
“Right now, being that everyone respected what I did on the last album, I don’t want to have people feeling that I’m going to be away again for a long period of time,†he told VIBE. “For me, I try to stay hands-on with my hardcore base of fans and let them know, ‘Yo, I’m not going to be doing those disappearing acts like that anymore.’â€
Longtime fans can expect the prerequisite Staten Island contingent on Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang as well as a few surprises.
“Method Man, Ghostface, Inspectah Deck, and GZA all appear on the album,†Raekwon says of his Wu-tang brethren. “At the same time I got some other guys involved like [The Roots’] Black Thought—I love his talent. I think that when it comes to him delivering what level I wanted to go he was the perfect man. I also have Raheem DeVaughn who sounds like Curtis Mayfield over a Shaolin track.â€
When it comes to the album’s sound, Rae describes Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang as dark yet energetic. But one notable name who will not be on the project is longtime Wu musical mastermind RZA. “RZA doesn’t have to be on every album,†Rae says. “I wanted to give some other producers a chance. It’s not about beef. We can stand on our own.â€
PaperMag’s Drake Interview Leftovers

This is cool, PaperMag’s Jozen Cummings let loose some extras from the Drake interview they did, which I will intertwine with (hilarious) pics from Drake and Lil’ Wayne’s ‘Miss Me’ videoshoot, courtesy of The Hottest Ishh. Check out after the jump.
On his music, not his looks, drawing fans:
It’s funny — the thing that I hear the least is ‘Drake makes bad music.’ People always have something to say about the way I look or the way I dress. People nitpick at my physical appearance more than my music, which is fine with me because when I look in the mirror, I know I’m not an unattractive person.
On finding the time to return to acting:
I have an extreme desire to get back into acting and I’ve been in conversations non-stop about what kind of projects I’m going to pick, who I’d like to work with and things of that nature. I really have to gauge it off of how well this album does and what the demand is for Drake after this album, and I’ve gotta see how much time I can afford to take off before people hear from me again. If people love Thank Me Later, then I’m going to keep it going. As crazy as that sounds, and as vulnerable as that sounds because it sounds like people are deciding my fate, it’s just me being honest with you. If… it’s unanimous that they’re over [Thank Me Later], then yeah, maybe I’ll have a little bit more time to act before I go back in and make another album. But I’m pretty confident in the music that I made. I think music will be commanding my life for the next little bit, and hopefully I can find a month or two months to film a movie.
On playing Obama:
I hope somebody makes a movie about Obama’s life soon because I could play him. That’s the goal [laughs]. I watch all the addresses. Anytime I see him on TV, I don’t change the channel, I definitely pay attention and listen to the inflections of his voice. If you ask anyone who knows me, I’m pretty good at impressions. Slowly but surely, I’m not in the study mode because nobody’s called me about anything, but I just pay attention so when the day comes I’m not scrambling to learn how to speak like him. I want to be involved in great film projects. I don’t want to do the basketball movie that everyone does. I don’t want to do the typical black film that everyone expects. I think that I have enough experience to actually be involved in a real meaty project full of substance.
On why he’s not concerned about overexposure:
Overexposure would be me in every single video, me on Twitter every single day, me ..having my hand in all these pots because I feel I’m hot. That’s overexposure. Overexposure isn’t when people love you too much and are excited. I hate when people confuse the two. I actually say no way more than I say yes to opportunities are presented to me.
On keeping calm:
I wake up and I’m scared to flip my phone over because I don’t know what songs have leaked or what girl has said what about me. I don’t let it show because I care too much about the people around me and I need them to feel like I’m solid. No matter how much I may be going crazy inside, I always keep my composure for the sake of the people around me.
On negative blog commenters:
I definitely haven’t said this before, but I stopped going on a computer. I have a problem where if I go read a hundred positive things about me and there’s one guy in there who says ‘I hate Drake’ that’s the one I pay attention to. I think that’s a common problem. Negativity hurts us more than positivity helps us. I asked about 10 or 20 people around me, ‘When’s the last time you went on a website and commented on something, like a song dropped and you went on and said, ‘That song is hot’ or ‘That song is terrible?’ And everyone I asked around me, whose opinions I respect, the people I love, were like, ‘I’ve never done that before.’ And these are all level-headed, intelligent people whose opinion I respect, so I just started saying to myself, ‘It takes a certain type of individual to really participate in a group discussion about someone else, especially if they’re going super hard with consistent hate.
On how he honors his mentor, Andre 3000 from Outkast:
I have a shrine in my apartment dedicated to Andre. I took a door off a barn and had an artist take the lyrics from his verses [and put them] on this barn door. As soon as you walk into my apartment that’s the first thing you see.
Drake On Peter Rosenberg’s Jewstream Channel

Wow, not Jewstream though. Whatever works.
Dow Jones (Tha Bizness) Speaks On ‘The Carter IV’
The way he’s talking it’ll be the greatest album of this decade. I’m still wondering if it will even come out in the same capacity as prior to Lil’ Wayne heading to Rikers.
Lil Duval & Devin The Dude Speak On Marijuana & Cocaine
Lil Kim Speaks On ‘Detox’, New Album
Lil Kim talks about her next album and says she is on Dr. Dre’s Detox.
9th Wonder Introduces The Soul Council
9th Wonder introduces his new production team which consists of himself, Kash, E. Jones, Khrysis, Amp & Fatin.
Source: Nah Right
K-Ci & JoJo Trying To Make A Comeback

From HipHopBlog.com:
After fading into obscurity and becoming beset with drug and health problems, former Jodeci frontmen K-Ci and JoJo Hailey appear to be poised to make a return to the industry.
“We made a lot of mistakes and we just putting it all on the table so you won’t have to read the Internet and magazines about us. We letting it be known and K-Ci & Jo Jo “Come Clean†comes out in October.”
The brothers are allegedly clean and sober and are working hard on a new album and tv show called “Come Clean.” No word on whether or not this helps kick-start that long-awaited Jodeci reunion.
Now, the first thing I did was look at that picture. And I laughed. HARD. That, plus the previous videos and pictures of them passing out on stage and using a bodyguard as the preferred mode of transportation among other things, got me thinking, “this shit just ain’t gonna work”. Maybe they could do like every other washed up entertainer (or non-telented person) and do some sort of reality show…but them, I forget that not only were these dudes talented as 1/2 of Jodeci, they also has a great career as just K-Ci & JoJo. With that said, I can’t help but think that if they can stay chill from the spotlight ‘a-la Kanye’ and let their music regain the spotlight, well, maybe we can look past that hairdo you see at the top of this entry and trully enjoy their their musical talents again. Assuming the drugs and alcohol haven’t taken it away. Toss it up.
::steps off soapbox::
Check out the video of them at the Essence Music Festival this year:
Big Noyd Speaks On Working With Mobb Deep
Taken from the same book as the Aesop Rock interview.