The Round Up With Shaheem Reid: Shawn Pecas

Today on The Round Up, Shaheem travels to his home borough, Queens, to meet up with new executive VP of Def Jam Records, Shawn “Pecas” Costner at his steakhouse, S Prime. Costner talks growing up in the Bronx with Big Pun and J. Lo, being inspired to write sitcoms by Lucille Ball, and the meaning behind his nickname, “Pecas”, as well as becoming one of the most influential people in the music business.

Gucci Mane Speaks On Fixing His Relationship With Waka Flocka

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Judging from a recent update to this post, Waka Flocka still isn’t on very good terms with Gucci Mane. Recently, La Flare spoke to XXL about working things out with his still contractually obligated artist, and in a new interview with FADER (read it in its entirely here) he speaks more on the issue.

You’ve said you’d like to work things out with Waka, and that you’ll release a Brick Squad album this summer. Will Waka appear on that album?
He’ll definitely be on the album, just because we’ve recorded so much material to date that we were planning to put on the Brick Squad album anyway. So no matter if we work things out or not, whether he drops his next album on 1017 Brick Squad or Brick Squad Monopoly or however the situation works out, he definitely will be on the Brick Squad album. Those songs are already recorded. And we’re gonna push forward and try to let him drop the next three albums that he’s contracted to drop on my label. Cause at the end of the day it’s still business. I pride myself on being a great businessman and I think he’ll honor what he committed to and we’ll push forward.

Do you think you and Waka will be friends in the future?
I hope so. This isn’t the first time that me and Waka been at odds with each other. We always work it out. This is like the sixth or seventh time. I don’t see no difference between this and the last one.

Just Blaze & Young Guru On Hard Knock TV (Part 2)

Just Blaze and Young Guru sit down for an exclusive conversation on Hard Knock TV. In Part 2 Just Blaze and Young Guru start off talking about early Rocafella days and how they think there won’t be a conglomerate like that again for several reasons. As the interview continues they share stories of how Keep It Real Wednesdays came about and how producers would get laughed out of the studio if they didn’t bring their a game. Just Blaze goes on to say how he decided who got what beats including stories of how Cam’ron got the beat for Welcome to New York City so Jay-Z could jump on the track and how Just Blaze made the beat for Roc Da Mic for Freeway and then Beanie Sigel heard it and jumped on it.

Previously: Part 1

Big Sean On Working With Eminem

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Big Sean finally got his studio time with Eminem, but the outcome still remains a mystery as to where it will end up. Sean spoke with MTV on the experience:

“We talked for a few hours before we even worked on music. I was telling him my stories about how we were performing all around downtown Detroit and [it turned out that] he was performing in the same places. It was funny because every story I told him about how I lost a lot of friends, relationships and girls…and [how I’ve] made new friends, he was like, ‘Man, it’s crazy, because every story you telling me, I got the exact same story just in a different way. Real G’s…similar tales.”

Meek Mill Speaks On ‘Levels’

Speaking with MTV‘s Rob Markman during MMG’s visit, Meek spoke on his new single ‘Levels’.

“I always realized it’s levels,” Meek told MTV News on Monday when we sat with MMG to discuss their upcoming Self Made, Vol.3 compilation. “When I went to Ross’ house for the first time, he had every car in the driveway and I ain’t ever really know nobody that had all that stuff at one time. So you personally knowing somebody like that, you’re like, “They’re really levels out here man.’ “

Foxy Brown On The Combat Jack Show

HOT 97 Summer Jam XX

Foxy Brown stopped by The Combat Jack Show to speak on (missing her opportunity at) Summer Jam, Jay-Z writing ‘Come Fly With Me’, going deaf and more. Below is a synopsis of what you missed.

“Foxy did this. Foxy did that.” There’s been mad talk about the Ill Na Na since like forever, and while ya’ll keep staying with your face in her puss, I guarantee you ain’t ever hear Foxy talk in first person like this. From her pops bouncing when she was 4 years old, to dating Haitian Jack at 14, her and Jay Z moving from the bench to the studio to the top, getting sucker punched with the deafness, her relationship with Nicki Minaj, that bid in jail.. I put money on it that this is the realest shit she ever spoke. She took all your shots and now she’s firing back. You think she can’t hear you? You’re about to hear her loud and clear b. You gon’ learn today.

Q-Tip Lectures At The Red Bull Music Academy

Q-Tip is one of hip hop’s greatest MCs and producers. As a member of A Tribe Called Quest, he helped to shape the sound of hip hop throughout the ’90s. The group’s exceptional run of full-lengths became a blueprint for MCs looking to balance the literate and the absurd, as well as producers searching for the perfect (and unexpected) break—Tribe’s influence is pretty much unmatched in hip hop circles. Since Tribe’s split in 1998, Q-Tip has kept busy with a solo career that has included four albums as well as countless productions and guest appearances in places both expected (Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, and Jay-Z) and improbable (Chemical Brothers, R.E.M.). He has also honed his DJ chops, spinning regularly in New York City and beyond.