Your Muy Bueno Monday Sexpot, Elsa Torres

Foxy Brown, Toni Braxton In Tax Trouble [RGF]

Shakes The Clown Is Real [Listen To Leon]

“Thriller” Sales Soar Close To Eagles’ “Hits” [Reuters]

Need Medicinal Cannabis? There’s an App For That [Gizmodo]

Papoose Disses Fat Joe and References MJ In The Same Line [Broken Cool]

Meet the Magic Condom, Inspiring Teen Sex and Gay Cops [Gawker]

Michigan Unemployment Tops 15% [CNN]

Sisters Somehow Manage to Share the Same Husband [Lemondrop]

Show You Know Hip-Hop Geography, Win Autographed CDs [TSS]

Certain artists need to make the time to drop a collabo album already.

First on most people’s list would likely be AZ & Nas. Others might say Em & Royce, or Warren G & Nate Dogg. While each of those would make hip-hop heads drool, the one imaginary album I’d pick would be from Do or Die, Johnny P and Twista.

Ever since they were learning hoe’s biology on Windy City rooftops while “Po Pimpin,” these quick-tounged Crook County natives have been dropping perfectly laced r&b/rap jams for more than a decade. Now, after a brief sidetrack, the classic collective have a reunion of sorts on Twista’s new album, Category F5.

Produced by who else but The Legendary Traxster, “Yo Body” is exactly what you expect it’d be. A slow-tempo jam for the ladies, breezily boasting about sweeping them away in luxurious automobiles…preferably Cadillacs. This one is actually upping the ante, by metaphorically comparing the two. Nothing provocative, but perfect for setting the mood, whether it be cruising the whip or surfing skin. Very gimmicky. Very effective. If they would just look around (Nas & Damien Marley, Red & Meth, Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa, ABN, etc.), they might see an obvious way to simultaneously fill their pockets and keep fans happy.

In the meantime, this will have to suffice.

Download– Twista feat. Do Or Die & Johnny P - Yo Body

Previously Posted — TSS Presents Smoking Sessions With Twista | Twista - “American Gangsta” Video | Twista Feat. Tech-N9ne - “Problems” | Twista - “Birthday” Video

One of the hardest things to do in life is admit when you’re wrong. Turns out my Beanie Sigel album prediction, which I quote “…the thought of another Beanie Sigel album doesn’t seem feasible at this moment.” Apparently, I was wrong.

On September 1, the Broad Street Bully has a new LP, The Focus, set to drop seemingly out of nowhere (or at least from the the back alleys of Sigel Street). Whatever the reason for the sudden notice, I’m placing this under my mythical “don’t ask, don’t tell” category.

New Beans is always appreciated regardless of where it resonates, so don’t expect to hear complaints from this neck of the woods. With the exceptions of Freeway, Young Chris and the forgotten Gunner, Neef, (sorry, no Hov) it’s all Sigel.

1. Broad Street Bully
2. All In
3. Shot Em Up
4. Death Follows Me
5. Phili feat. Freeway & Young Chris
6. Ready For War feat. Freeway & Young Chris
7. Point The Finger feat. Young Chris
8. Get Back To Rap feat. Young Neef
9. I’m Sicker f. Freeway
10. What Are We Doing Here
11. Going Through The Emotions
12. You Over Did It
13. Why Shouldn’t I

Respect: HHNH

Previously Posted — “I Be On The Grind…”

The pianos & organs on this song bounce from wall to wall in your ear canal. Throw in the scatting & the sax near the end, this one will leave you in a short trance. And to think, I believe I read that this song was completely improvised.

Download — Ohio Players - “Ecstasy”

Interesting pairing here as we get Nasty Nas linked with the Beastie Boys. Odd but effective.

“That Nas + Beastie shit is some unabashed old man rap. I love it.” — Deen

Indeed and it’s a good thing too. “Too Many…” is the first single off their upcoming album, Hot Sauce Committee, which drops on 9.15.

Download — The Beastie Boys Feat. Nas - “Too Many Rappers”

Bonus

The Beastie Boys Feat. Nas - “Too Many Rappers” (Live At Bonnaroo) (Swiped From RR)

Some weeks can be harder to get up for than others. At TSS, we believe there’s nothing wrong with using a little help to get through the rough weeks if need be. After all, that’s why we provide The Cooler.

Not everyone’s so high on performance enhancers though. Jay snubbed Ye’s Auto-Tune adventures. Everyone wished someone had spiked Barack’s coffee after Obama’s weak first pitch and skinny jeans combo. Meanwhile swimmer Ryan Lochte needs to be retested after going Mike Jones on us.

At TSS, our production was clean and consistent as usual. We hit you with reviews of new Wu-Tang Clan and Ace Hood. The Kid Daytona picked up 4 Cigs for Come Fly With Me and enhanced the performance of our wallets by giving it away. Trackstar the DJ also blessed us with his latest summer mix, more free good music for your ears. And one knows if the World’s Fastest Rapper has some dirty secret to his speedy rhyme style. TC forgot to ask that question, but found out plenty more about Twista’s latest album.

Speaking of performance enhancers, there’s this guy. Also we learned from Professor Contra™ that rain is a performance enhancer for avoiding sociopaths. And Prop Jay took us back to when Ebony severely underestimated MJ’s future obsession with “enhancing,” his looks. There was nothing fake about his chart performance this week, however. Also J. Tinsley broke down The Game’s attempts to enhance the performance of his upcoming album by manufacturing beef with Jay-Z.

Want to enhance your own performance with members of the opposite sex? Try playing your special someone some 88-Keys to get out “The Friend Zone.” Or prove to them how cool you are by rattling off all the great local artists you’ve picked up from TSS. (This week we gave you Detroit’s Finale and Tennekey’s Haystak, Jersey’s MoO, along with more goodies from Pac Div and STL’s Rockwell Knuckles.) Just remember if we get you laid, karma demands you show support by purchasing a TSS t-shirt. Gotty’s™ promised the Crew free Harold’s Chicken (endorsed by Curren$y) if we sell 500 so hurry up cause I’m hungry.

In a world where we can’t be sure what’s real, this week provided three examples of truths we can hold onto. First, our President can give a mean speech, especially when the subject is racial identity. Second, 90’s Snoop and Dre aint nuthin’ to fuck with. And third, it’s always funny to watch clown-ass fake thugs get their ass kicked.

Even if it is by a guy on steroids.

TC wasn’t the only one on a funked-out vibe recently. On what was some completely random shuffle playlist shit on my computer, something crazy happened. Completely out of left field, “Gotta Get Mine,” by the late MC Breed and Tupac, began liberating itself through my speakers for the first time in over two years. Kicking game to those who may not be too familiar, Breed was one of the first rappers to arise out the Midwest and was reppin’ Michigan years before Marshall became the face of Motown Hip-Hop. With the help of another cut, “Ain’t No Future In Yo Frontin’,” Breed’s name was forever etched in into the genre’s rich history.

However, with no disrespect to Breed, Pac owned this song with what has become one of my favorite guest verses of all time. Little known fact, after watching this video on The Box (yeah, how many remember that?) for the first time when I was seven years old in 1993, my desire to become a gangsta rapper was cultivated. After quickly realizing I couldn’t rap or fit the image, that career path was abandoned just as quickly as it had spawned.

Pistol toting, tattoo harboring, Karl Kani sporting and coupled with a foul mouth, Pac became my favorite rapper at that very moment. I can’t honestly explain why I gravitated towards the verse seeing as how I could relate to NOTHING he was saying at the time, I just knew I became a fan. Granted, while they aren’t the caliber of his opening bars on “Hail Mary”, Pac’s intro to this verse was nothing short of memorable:

“I keep my mind on my money, money on my mind
Finger on the trigger nigga hand on my nine
Smokin’ blunts of skunk, makin’ hoes of punks
And only underground funk comin’ out of my trunk”

Yep, that about did it for me. Damn shame though, Pac never received enough credit for his guest spots. He ripped damn near every one.

Download — MC Breed Feat. Tupac - “Gotta Get Mine”

No specific details yet but it didn’t take a soothsayer to see this one coming. It seems like he just got out a few months ago.

Dah well, we’ll see how it plays out. Could be minor or major. In the meanwhile…

*Cues up “First Day Out“*

Update: His camp is saying he’s NOT in jail…but depends on who you ask.

Update: Ahem, Gucci’s lawyers say he’s not incarcerated, but “addressing all pending issues through the courts.”

When I was in my early college years, the first tastes of individual freedom coincided with my ever-increasing Black awareness and studying the Lessons of the Gods & Earths.

It was also around this time that I caught my first whiff of The Last Poets. Big Ron from NYC, who was a “career student,” was a campus music guru & historian. He was the one you went to when you wanted to hear those stories of The Tunnel or find out about an particular artist who had a strong cultural influence, regardless of genre. I can’t remember why I asked him about the Poets, but I can recall him dubbing two tapes for me, labeling them with his loopy handwriting (I still have those tapes). He started me out with This Is Madness, their self-titled debut & an assortment of others songs. I threw the tape in my Walkman & was nearly blown away. I felt informed. More than that, I felt my rage put into words, but not in the form of rap. Spoken words. Ranging emotions, thoughts & experiences all given life by this group of wordsmiths who had no direct relationship with rap, yet you could trace rap’s lineage from them.

A few weeks ago, Trackstar plunked this message into my inbox. As you can see with the tracklist, it’s a mix of The Last Poets of the past & their direct connection to the present. I wasn’t going to share it until I was speaking with someone & he told me that “I wasn’t even aware of them until ‘The Corner.’” It was then I figured it was time to pass this along. To that end, it serves as an introductory course of sorts. Or as a refresher, since I’ve been quietly enjoying it for myself, reliving my past & remembering my roots & purpose.

Download — Trackstar The DJ - Keep On: The Influence of the Last Poets

Don’t forget to enter the From Queensbridge To Brooklynati To Portland: Test Your Hip-Hop Geography contest.