News

Kanye & 50 Cent Reviews, Talib Kweli Posts Up, New Song From The Roots on iTunes, Little Brother Album Sampler.
Banks told 50, 50 told Kanye
• So the big day for hip hop has arrived and after all the hype leading up to the release day, it feels like these two albums are already behind us. This is the day and age when MTV can script “it’s Britney Bitch” into the first minute of telecast and then sell it as a ring tone five minutes later. It’s the dawn of the “I want it Yesterday” generation. The stage is set for the battle of numbers and a weeks worth of claims of who is on top until we get that Soundscan chart next Wednesday. Let the games begin.

• The Okayplayer reviews are up for Kanye West’s Graduation and 50 Cent’s Curtis. Review writer Adrian Ruhi rebukes 50 for sticking to his Formula (pun intended) and not taking chances to grow as an artist. Can’t argue with that but you know many of us still bump it in the whip. Writer Mel Blunt praises Kanye for his overall pop sensibility in his review. While you are in there, read what we are saying about Public Enemy’s new release How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?

The event surrounding these head-to-head releases has conjured so much excitement and attention that overall it’s been great for hip hop, great for music and the fans, and hopefully great for the struggling record labels who need all the help they can get. We hope that the success of the popular artists will trickle down to those lesser known. KUDOS!

• Talib Kweli signed on to personally thank the Okayplayer community for our continued interest and support in his career as well as to ask what we feel his next single should be.

• Peview songs with Little Brother’s Get Back Sample including the joint with ‘Lil Wayne. Get Back is in stores October 23rd.

• There is a new song from The Roots which has surfaced on iTunes. “Marathon Man” is one of the tracks that didn’t make the Game Theory album and is being released as part of a deal The Roots have with recording software/hardware giants Digi-Design, as ?uest explains. THIS IS NOT A SINGLE.

At the time, I thought the song would make a good outro to the album before I ever heard the Dilla tribute track. Sroll down for fwmj’s “Rappers I Know” featuring a video from Kanye’s interview on Hot97 yesterday.

-okpdan