Nas & Damian Marley - As We Enter (Music Video)

As Nas and Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley prepare to release their album 'Distant Relatives,' I can't help but think about other rap & reggae combinations that did the deed. Their video for 'As We Enter' shows the darker, grittier side of both artists, while jumping over a springy beat. The black on black wardrobe with the post-apocalyptic scenery pays a little too much homage to Jay-Z, but the track is so dope, you don't pay any attention to it. Back to my original point. Rap & Reggae, especially coming from a New York perspective, was heavy back in the 90's and early 2000's. As a matter of fact, both Rap and what we call Dancehall came from the olden art of dubplating. Maybe Jr. Gong and Nasir can bring that trend back. Check out the video for 'As We Enter' and some of my favorite Rap/Reggae clashes...

Dear Lupe Fiasco

It's funny how with one piece of news, hip-hop can look like it's reviving itself. Not that a hypothetical collab bringing the likes as (long breath) J. Cole, Asher Roth, The Cool Kids, B.o.B. Wale, Diggy, Charles Hamilton, Blue, and yourself, Lupe, would merit that kind of happiness. It's just that the last time I've seen a musical work in progress with so many dope names on it was.. never. Aside from Ski Beatz' tape (which still hasn't come out) and Young Money, no one's putting out good mixtapes or albums with a gang of MC's. It's all about the solo act, and pretty mediocres one at that. I remember when putting out a compilation meant everybody brought their A-game and not just their wallets. Then again, no one can really complain about that with you, or most of the artists slated to appear in the work, tentatively entitled "All City Chess Club." If there was ever a time for group and posse cuts a la 'Triumph,' 'Flava in Ya Ear,' '4,3,2,1', and 'Banned From TV,' it's definitely now. Hopefully your collective and Ski Beatz' situations work out. One thing though: What happened to Child Rebel Soldiers?? All this talk about collaborations and we're missing an epic one. Get to work on that after LASERS...

Supreme x John Coltrane T-Shirt Collection

Okay, let's get this out of the way... I despise Supreme, in all of their overpriced, over-hyped, overbearing, underwhelming glory. However, I can respect when something is dope. That's the case with their latest collaboration with the John Coltrane Foundation, which features three t-shirts with the jazz great's likeness. Yes, the t-shirts are simple, but they feature an icon actually related to underground culture (we're not going to delve into Supreme's track record). Regardless of how you feel about the brand, there's no denying how dope this collab is. Check the rest of the pictures...