Jay-Z @ Glastonbury

In recent weeks, increasing press has been given to Glastonbury stalwarts such as Noel Gallagher from Oasis, who insisted that the Festival would fall over if it turned to Hip-Hop to headline the show. The show usually headlines with Indie and Guitar bands, but due to slow tickets sales in recent years, they decided to try a different approach.

So a lot of pressure was on Mr Carter to see what he could produce. The guy thrives in pressure, and if you watch this you'll see it took only one song before the crowd was eating out of his hands.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/glastonbury/2008/artists/jayz/

Download: Say Woah - A-Trak

This is part of A-Trak's recent Nike Original Run work. It's a funky little track, and will certainly get you up and moving.

Download: Say Woah - A-Trak

Dr Dre completes Detox album - so says Snoop

Next to Gun's N Rose' Chinese Democracy album, the most long-awaited album in history has to be Dr Dre's long touted follow-up to Chronic 2001 'Detox.' Well, according to hiphopgalaxy.com and Mr Snoop Dogg, he may have finished.

Snoop Dogg has confirmed his pal Dr. Dre’s long-awaited new album "Detox" is complete, after helping to add the finishing touches.
And the "Gin N’ Juice" hitmaker is convinced the rap mogul’s first new release in nine years will put him back at the top of the hip-hop game.
Snoop reveals Dre is currently selecting tracks for the album, adding, "That record is real, it’s coming... I was starting to doubt it myself and then I went up in there and he played so much music for me it knocked my head off. I see what he got them waiting for. It’s on and poppin’. He got records, he got heat."

I'll believe it when I see it, but if/when it happens, that will be one special day. As long as he doesn't get too caught up making the 'heat' like Timbaland did with the patchy Shock Value, and focus on creating some great music.

Stream: Common feat. Pharrell - Announcement

I was a bit disappointed with Common's last album Finding Forever (even if it did contain that sweet duet with Lily Allen). It seemed that because his first Kanye produced album went well, they went to the same formula. Which was great, but not as original as I would have liked.

Out of necessity (Kanye has been busy with a tour or something), Common has sought out a few new producers, and it seems to be paying off. This duet with Pharrell is pretty tight, and maintains the enthusiasm I've been building up for this record.

Kanye's Nike Air Yeezy's

Here's Kanye sportin' the new Air Yeezy's from Nike (yes, you read right). They were designed by the legendary Tinker Hatfield, who invented a little shoe you may know called The Air Jordan.

I know Kanye has a Back to the future fetish, given the appearance of Delorean's in two of his video's, so it seems fitting that his kicks resemble the same ones Marty Mcfly wore in BTTF2. Thanks to Ferrari Murakami for the pics

Kanye West - Stalker Song/Lupe Fiasco - 4 Real

Couple of downloads from 2dopeboyz, unreleased Kanye and Lupe Fiasco tracks to be exact. They are always appreciated around here.

Stream: A-Trak feat Lupe Fiasco - Mastered

Nike has been issuing installments of their Original Run series for a while now. They take an established artist and ask them to put together an exercise tape for the running masses.

Kanye's in-house DJ A-Trak has crafted the latest version, and is streaming an unreleased Lupe Fiasco track that was meant to be on his Nike LP. Due to legal issues, a different artist appears on the official version, but luckily we still get to hear the Lupe version in it's entirety. Oh, and head to Itunes for the A-Trak/Nike collabo.

Stream: A-Trak feat Lupe Fiasco - Mastered

So You Think You Can Dance (USA) - Sweet 16 - Courtney G & Gev (Rumba)

Now this is Hot tamale sauce, as Mary would say. Another scintillating performance from this weeks show.

So You Think You Can Dance (USA) - Sweet 16 - Kherington & Twitch (Hip-Hop)

Another awesome performance from this weeks So you think you can dance, although Kherington does not look gangsta. The performance was great though.

Download: Ron Browz - Pop Browz (via Fader.com)

All I know about Ron Browz is that he was the producer responsible for the incendiary beat that Nas used to burn Jay-Z on Ether a few years back, and that's enough for me.

Here's a another crazy beat, this one quite a lot more joyful than the aforementioned Ether.

Download: Ron Browz - Pop Champagne

So You Think You Can Dance (USA) - Sweet 16 - Katee & Joshua do Hip-Hop (Choreo. napoleon & Tabitha D'Uno)

I've been very slow to pick on the fact that SYTYCD is in full swing in the states, but that is about to change. Here is a video of Katee & Joshua, whose Hip-Hop routine was choreographed by newcomer husband and wife team, Napolon & Tabitha D'Uno.

It almost brought Mary to tears. I think Mary's ear-piercing shrill would be enough to bring me to tears, but that's another chapter.

* And no, they weren't voted out (as I originally reported).

B.E.T. Awards 2008 Performances Usher, Ciara & Chris Brown

This is Ciara and Chris Brown at the BET Awards performing With you/Take you down.

Usher performs Love in this Club.

UGK won two awards, and rapper Bun B paid tribute to former partner Pimp C who died of an overdose late last year. It's hard to do this with my brother not being here," Bun B said while accepting the Best Group win, joined onstage with Pimp C's wife.

Kanye won best male artist and Hip-Hop Artist, and used his win to pay tribute to producer/rapper T-pain. "This man's a genius. What he does, what he writes...we're blessed to be in this man's presence."

As pleased as he appeared on the awards, inside it appeared he was stilling feeling the backlash from his panned Bonnaroo performance. A vitriolic West posted a lengthy rebuttal on his blog and went to great lengths to call out the haters and give up the real story on why his performance started at 5 in the morning.

Read it here

Beck - Orphans (feat. Chan Marshall)

Yes I blog about Hip-Hop and Dance, and according to the strict coda of Pure Funk ethics Beck does not qualify as either Hip-Hop or Dance. However, Beck's new track Orphan's is produced by DJ Dangermouse, the venerable producer behind Gnarls Barkley, Jay-Z's Grey Album & many others, so there is a link, however tenuous it maybe. Hey, it's hump day, let me run with it!

Anyway, this track and the other two off his new album Chemtrails, are streaming over at ilike, and whilst they are teeming with 60's influences, those influences are delightfully offset by thumping basslines and head-snapping snare's. Oh, and did I mention Ms Cat Power herself, Chan Marshall is on the track, adding her steamy, dreamy voice to the proceedings? Check it.

Stream: Beck - Orphans

Be: beck.com

BET Awards - Lil Wayne, Kanye, T-Pain, Mary J Blige

T-Pain is up for 5 awards, the most of any artist, but it's Lil Wayne, the platinum selling superstar who's performing tonight, so eye's will be on him. He'll be performing current hit single Lollipop, possibly alongside Mr West.

Kanye and Keisha Cole have 3 Nom's each.

Usher is also expected to perform his No.1 'Love in this Club'.

We'll keep you posted.

Shaq disses Kobe in Tasteless Freestyle Video - Accuses him of ruining his marriage

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant used to play together on the Los Angeles Lakers and together they won a couple NBA championships, forming one of the most lethal combo's in NBA history. Unfortunately, their ego's were as big as their games and someone had to go. It was Shaq, and he went on to win another championship with the Miami Heat.

This season, the beef appeared to be over, with the two hugging and exchanging pounds on various occasions. So Kobe makes it to this years finals, only to lose to a talented Celtic's team. So what does Shaq do? He goes and drops a freestyle (caught on tape no less) blaming Kobe for his 2007 divorce to his ex-wife Shaunie and asking him 'how does my a** taste'? He's a classy man. Who knows what'll become of this. I have to admit though, pretty tasteless Diesel.

Check out Shaq's rap video here thanks to TMZ - Peep This