Yep, I been waiting on this one for a second. Pill drops his follow up to his 4180: The Prescription mixtape. For those who have heard or seen the video for “Trap Goin’ Ham” and think that is all this guy is, pull up a seat. He’s not your average rapper out of the Atlanta. Grab the mixtape (The DJ or No DJ versions) and check out the album artwork. On a sidenote: King Jerm claims to have put me on the Pill. He didn’t, but since he likes getting credit…

Download: Pill – 4075: The Refill [Mixtape] (DJ)

Download: Pill – 4075: The Refill [Mixtape] (No DJ)

For some reason I honestly thought Beanie Sigel wouldn’t throw any major shots at Jay-Z here. Well, actually he didn’t. 50 Cent (Who was just on the hook) did it for him: “You changed man! You let the money change you Jay! You used to be from Marcy nigga! Now you’se a pass the Grey Poupon ass nigga! You don’t want the shooter? I’ll take him.” I’ll need more listens to the actual song before I give my opinion.

Hey, when is 50’s album dropping again? Pretty soon right? Okay.

Sidenote: This is a radio rip. CDQ will be added when available. Added CDQ

Download: Beanie Sigel feat. 50 Cent – “I Go Off”

“When I throw the motherfuckin’ death blow… they don’t die right there. You expect them to die right there and they die six months later.” – 50 Cent from Gomez Bros. interview.

I’ll be the first one to admit it. I honestly thought Rick Ross had overcome 50 Cent’s full-scale assault to end his career that had claimed the lives of a few rappers in the past. Ricky had a #1 album with Deeper Than Rap, is definitely one of the hardest working men in Hip-Hop as of late (How many music videos has this guy put out this year?), and even got voted the #5 “Hottest MC’s In The Game” by MTV.

But then I heard the audio from the other day when 50 called in to the Gomez Brothers’ show on Shade45 and he made reference to his “death blow” (Around the 10:47 mark in the interview).

And then I thought about it: Did 50 Cent’s stream of baby momma interviews porno activities, cartoons, & financial records take too much out of Ricky’s career? Although Deeper Than Rap did debut at #1, right now the sales sit at 380,000 copies (It definitely should have did more with what was put into it). Triple C’s album did get released last Tuesday to almost no fanfare (Except 50’s trivia jabs, Rick Ross’s promotion & poorly received clips). Hell, we even late on the review for Custom Cars & Cycles and we haven’t gotten any comments or e-mails cursing us out about it.

To keep it all in perspective though: Honestly, this could be due to the economy. Or, did 50 Cent possibly fatally cripple another rapper? You waiting on Rick Ross’ next album?

Just thinking….

Listen: 50 Cent Interview With Gomez Bros.

Here’s the official version of Weezy’s No Ceilings mixtape. If you already got the one we put up earlier this week, this one has higher sound quality as well as four new tracks (Plus official artwork if you like to keep your iPod clean like me). Tracklisting, artwork, & download link below. Props to the homie BDK over at Tha Carter Cartel for the links!

1. Swag Surf

2. Ice Cream

3. D.O.A.

4. Gudda Gudda Skit

5. Wasted

6. Watch My Shoes

7. Break Up (feat. Short Dawg & Gudda Gudda)

8. Banned From TV

9. Throw It In The Bag (remix)

10. I Think I Love Her (feat. Tyga & Shanell)

11. Shanell Skit

12. Wayne On Me

13. I’m Good f. T-Streets

14. Poke Her Face (feat. Jae Millz)

15. Run This Town

16. I Got No Ceilings

17. Skit End

18. No Ceilings (feat. Birdman)

19. Oh Let’s Do It

20. Single

21. Sweet Dreams (feat. Nicki Minaj)

Download: Lil’ Wayne – No Ceilings [Official Mixtape]

Lil’ Wayne’s highly anticipated No Ceilings mixtape leaks days earlier than the expected date (Oct. 31st). It’s really not a surprise since all of Weezy’s music get leaked early. The official version should still drop on Halloween so for now no official artwork and no DJ (That last one may not be such a bad thing). We’ll update the post when the official does drop. Tracklist below…

1. Swag Surfin’
2. Ice Cream Paint Job
3. D.O.A.
4. Interlude
5. Wasted
6. Watch My Shoes
7. Break Up (feat. Short Dawg & Gudda Gudda)
8. Banned From TV
9. Throw It In The Bag (Remix)
10. I Think I Love Her (feat. Tyga & Shanell)
11. Interlude #2 (feat. Shanell)
12. Wetter
13. I’m Good (feat. T-Streets)
14. Poke Her Face (feat. Jae Millz)
15. Run This Town
16. I Gotta Feeling
17. Outro

Download: Lil’ Wayne – No Ceiling [Mixtape]

By now, we all should know that the best part of the BET Hip Hop Awards is the cyphers. Last year’s crop of rappers involved were good but this year they got such talent as KRS-One, Mos Def, Joe Budden, Nicki Minaj, Wale, and Eminem.

Cypher Part 1: Joe Budden, Nicki Minaj, Buckshot, Crown Royal, & DJ Premier
Nicki Minaj was okay nice (Once you get past the weird flow) and Budden killed it.

Cyper Part 2: KRS-One, Wale, Nipsey Hussle, Gsan, & DJ Premier
Good to see KRS in the mix. Nipsey did his thing. Sidenote: Watch Wale’s face when Gsan is rapping.

Cyper Part 3: Mos Def, Black Thought, Eminem, & DJ Premier
They put this last for a reason. Good to see Em in any cypher; On BET or down the street.

Update: Download BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher 10 Minute Megamix

Ever since I posted up Dro’s rendition of “D.O.A.”, I’ve been waiting on this one. After many delays, Young Dro and Don Cannon bring you R.I.P (I Killed That Shit). Dro raps over everything from Plies’ “Plenty Money” to Puff Daddy’s “Mo Money Mo Problems”. Still waiting on that official album though… DRO!

Download: Young Dro & Don Cannon – R.I.P (I Killed That Shit) [Mixtape]

You know most of us on the nappyafro Staff don’t usually do posts on Saturday right? But why the hell not? Especially when you get new music like this. First we got a CD quality version of Eminem’s “Taking My Ball” off the upcoming DJ Hero: Renegade Edition video game. Then we got three new songs from Drizzy Drake (Even though all sound like there works in process). “Say Something” is supposedly off Timbaland’s upcoming Shock Value 2, “Believe It Or Not” is with Gucci Mane, and “King Leon” solo. Sorry for just posting up songs and running without giving some award winning insight…but it is Saturday night. What do you want me to do?

Download: Eminem – “Taking My Ball”

Download: Timbaland feat. Drake – “Say Something”

Download: Gucci Mane feat. Drake – “Believe It Or Not”

Download: Drake – “King Leon”

It’s been almost a year since we did the article on XXL’s “The 10 Freshmen”. The XXL magazine cover featuring their picks for “Hip-Hop’s Class Of ‘09” gave the new blood the much-needed light, caused widespread debates, and may have forever linked the careers of all the rappers involved. What have been the fates and progress of the “The 10 Freshmen” since then? Here, we look at the progress of each rapper, look at the album released, and give them a grade based on their success (As well as get King Jerm’s take). Class is in session….

Wale
Even though Wale already had a buzz in 2007 (That year he was featured on the cover of URB and released the mixtape 100 Miles & Running), the XXL cover helped elevate his game. While his debut album Attention: Deficit has been pushed back a few times and has yet to be released, Wale still made waves by having his first single feature Lady GaGa, releasing another good mixtape (Back To The Feature), signing/touring with Jay-Z, and being the official house band for the 2009 MTV VMA’s along side UCB.
Albums Then: 0
Albums Now: 0
Grade: B
*King Jerm Says: “Dude got some good exposure since he made the list..now all we need is the album.”

B.o.B.
Bobby Ray (As he goes by now) probably had the most artistic evolution on the list. His steady touring and mixtape releases steadily grew his fan base and made his reach beyond you standard Hip-Hop listeners. But rumor has it that the hold up on B.o.B.’s debut album, The Adventures of B.o.B., is due to label drama with Atlantic Records. Is this the reason for the name change and retirement talk? You can always download Should Have BeenThe First Album.
Albums Then: 0
Albums Now: 0
Grade: C
*King Jerm Says: “This cat retired (you need a career to do that) then he came out of retirement…I think he should have stayed retired.”

Asher Roth
Out of all the rappers on the list, I think a lot of people pegged Asher as the safest best as far as Hip-Hop stardom goes; He had a hit single (“I Love College”), he could rap, and of course, he was white. While Asleep In The Bread Aisle got mostly positive reviews and did marginally well selling around 60,000 and placing #5 on the charts, he got more noise for making a controversial nappy headed hoes joke during a Rutgers University event via Twitter.
Albums Then: 0
Albums Now: 1 = Asleep In The Bread Aisle
Grade: C
*King Jerm Says: “He WAS the Great White Hope until Eminem came back out…now Asher is nowhere to be found.”

Charles Hamilton
Poor Charles. After releasing mixtape after mixtape during 2008/2009, Hamilton hit a few bumps (Or huge potholes) in his career. Here’s just a few: He reportedly stole a beat from Black Spade, got punched in the face by his onetime girl on video, and he listed a deceased J-Dilla as executive producer on his (Now shelved) digital only The Perfect Life album (Whom he never met). This supposedly led to him being dropped by his label, Interscope Records. Other than a few leaked tracks here and there, Charles has been quiet on the Hip-Hop front.
Albums Then: 0
Albums Now: 2 = The Pink Lavalamp (Digital); The Perfect Life (Shelved)
Grade: F
*King Jerm Says: “This cat took more losses than Nas.”

Cory Gunz
Other than releaseing overlooked mixtapes, kicking freestyles, and contributing a verse to a scrapped version of “A Milli” for Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter 3 album, Cory is probably in the same position he was when he graced the XXL cover. It’s no question of his lyrical ability, but with no certified street bangers or official album in sight, you have to question his future a little. He did recently a mixtape hosted by DJ Drama, Heir To The Throne. That’s something right?
Albums Then: 0
Albums Now: 0
Grade: D
*King Jerm Says: “Who is this guy? Peter “Uptown Baby” Gunz son?”

Blu
When the XXL cover was shot, Blu was the only one who actually had a critically acclaimed album under his belt (Below The Heaven w/Exile). Since then, he has went unconventional and continued to put out joint albums (The Piece Talks & Johnson&Jonson). Still no word on the official full solo album but he seems content with his position in the game.
Albums Then: 1 = Below The Heavens w/Exile
Albums Now: 3 = The Piece Talks as C.R.A.C. Knuckles, w/ Ta’Raach & Johnson&Jonson as Johnson&Jonson, w/ Mainframe
Grade: C-
*King Jerm Says: “Who is this guy again?”

Mickey Factz
Even though he released the song “Incredible” to some buzz and was featured in a Honda commercial, the biggest thing Mickey may be known for this year is being by Joe Budden’s side when Joe got snuffed. Factz still makes music and released mixtapes since being named a “Freshman” but he is nowhere near making a impact higher than the XXL cover.
Albums Then: 0
Albums Now: 0
Grade: D
*King Jerm Says: “Is this the same guy from the Honda commercials? Hold up..he raps? Didn’t know that!”

Ace Hood
When Ace appeared on the XXL cover, Ace had the most going for him; he was signed and backed by Def Jam and DJ Khaled. Didn’t really matter. While he had notable rappers and producers featured on singles and his albums, both releases from Ace Hood, Gutta & Ruthless, didn’t garner the attention of a Def Jam album and are mostly considered fails. I don’t see a third try in his future. On the upside, he was featured along side Julez Santana, Jadakiss, & Fabolous in a BET Hip-Hop Cyper.
Albums Then: 1 = Gutta
Albums Now: 2 = Ruthless
Grade: D+
*King Jerm Says: “One of the few cats from the class that actually released an album. I can’t knock Ace’s hustle at all.”

Curren$y
After leaving Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money label, most rapper’s career would have majorly staled. Not Curren$y. He went the mixtape route a dropped eight mixtapes before going the digital route with Amalgam and releasing two albums. And even though each album hasn’t gained much attention as in sales, the Internet buzz on Spitta is high. He best days may be in front of him.
Albums Then: 0
Albums Now: 2 = This Is Not A Mixtape & The Jet Files
Grade: C+
*King Jerm Says: “He is always releasing something..too bad no one wants to hear it.”

Kid Cudi
Even though Cudi was placed last on the XXL cover, he did well for his self this year. Lead by his hit single “Day ‘n’ Nite”, Kid Cudi’s debut album Man On The Moon: The End Of Day went on to sell over 100,000 units in the first week placing #4 on the charts as well as receiving critical praise. He also got a guest spot on Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 album and is rumored to have the lead role in the upcoming comedy series called How To Make It In America produced by Mark Wahlberg. It’s been a good year for Cudi and so far he’s head of this class.
Albums Then: 0
Albums Now: 1 = Man On The Moon: The End Of Day
Grade: B+
*King Jerm Says: “I wouldn’t know this guy if he was singing his song on stage with a Kid Cudi shirt on!…Wait..wasn’t he at the VMA’s?”

You gotta support this for 3 reasons: #1. Chaundon can rap (Check out his verse on L.E.G.A.C.Y.’s “TKO”). #2. Chaundon is a cool guy (As we found out when Jerm interviewed him). And #3. Anything referencing the movie Black Dynamite can’t be bad right? As a added plus, while you’re downloading Black Dynamite’s Revenge for the free, you can also purchase another, Black Dynamite (Yea, I was confused too). Check out the tracklist and then get both Black Dynamite’s.

Download: Chaundon – Black Dynamite’s Revenge [Mixtape]

Purchase: Chaundon – Black Dynamite [Mixtape]