We spoke with DJ Enuff about The Notorious B.I.G.’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Biggie’s affinity for Pepsi, whether fans can expect more unreleased material, and more. The Notorious B.I.G.’s relevance and reputation for excellence within the music world remain unquestioned, evidenced by the rap icon’s upcoming induction into the Rock […]
“It’s like a universal income proposal.” Raekwon has officially thrown his hat into the full-bloom (legal) weed industry. But it won’t be a strain or product line that bears his name. Instead, the Wu-Tang Clan rapper is opting for a very different, and potentially revolutionary, angle on the cannabis market. According to Forbes, The Chef has become a […]
The Biggie freestyle originally aired during a 1997 interview on radio station HOT97 with DJ Enuff. A 23-year-old Biggie freestyle is now the focus of a new advertisement from Pepsi. In a report from Variety, the soda brand worked with Notorious B.I.G.’s collaborators Cey Adams and DJ Enuff to remaster the unreleased track, which featured […]
A biopic treatment of the blues legend’s life is finally getting off the ground. After nearly a decade of delays (and a title change spurred by a brief legal battle,) a B.B. King biopic is officially in development. The update arrived via Collider on Monday, announcing Wendell Pierce was still on-board to portray the charismatic bluesman […]
A pair of Atlanta hitmakers will square up in the first installment of the livestream series’ new season. After nearly two months on hiatus, the second season of Verzuz is officially in the book. And the first contenders have been revealed. Announced via Twitter this evening (see below,) the livestream series will return with T.I. […]
Shaolin and the Beat Konducta meet in the mash-up multiverse. Wu-Tang Clan and Madlib are the latest rap legends to get the twist-up treatment on a new mixtape. Stitched together by producer Darko and posted earlier this week to Youtube, the aptly titled Madlib Invades The 36 Chambers project is just four tracks deep, threading […]
The cosmic jazz pioneer’s live show at New York City’s Storyville jazz club has landed on streamers. A rare and, frankly, stunning live Sun Ra performance from 1977 has entered the streaming ether. Recorded at New York City’s Storyville jazz club exactly 43 years ago today, the show was pressed to vinyl and released on the […]
The former First Lady unveils a soundtrack to take you to and from the booth on Election Day. Michelle Obama is ramping up her voter engagement efforts with a curated score to your Election Day outing. On Friday, the former First Lady shared a playlist of hand-picked hip-hop classics she believes “best embodies the importance […]
“What you follow, fear or love?” Hard times beckon hard questions. And like many of us, Black Grapefruit is asking away. Over the summer, as protestors hit the streets despite the viral and institutional threats to their bodies, the New York-based group released the meditative one-off, “Inside.” Recorded in their adopted upstate outpost, the track […]
The Dreamville supergroup hit the altar with a stirring four-song medley of selections from their 2020 album, Spilligion. NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series is broke out of the at-home format this week with an appearance from Spillage Village. Marking their debut with a four-song set, the Dreamville supergroup ran through stirring live renditions of four songs […]
The singer-songwriter breaks down his roots and also shares his biggest inspirations. Brandon returns to drop his new project, Coming Clean, a stripped-down release worth paying attention to. Throughout the compilation, there’s a looming aura of calmness found on each track. His lyricism in each song is also honest and natural. On Coming Clean, he […]
We spoke with R&B singer Xavier Omär about his new album, his background in the church, and how getting married affected his songwriting. Xavier Omär taught himself to play the drums when he was a child. He played by ear in countless churches throughout his life. “I would just listen, repeat the sound back in […]
What seems to be a previously-unreleased Andre 3000 verse has surfaced on Reddit. On Thursday, a Reddit user posted a clip of an Instagram live broadcast from producer and former G.O.O.D. Music COO Che Pope. The video shows Pope playing what seems to be an unreleased verse from Andre 3000. The instrumental is from the […]
October’s Record Store Day festivities are upon us and the drops span the gamut of genres, eras, and regions. Closing in on the penultimate installation of this year’s sprawled-out, three-turned-four-part Record Store Day 2020 celebration, somehow there are still quite a few exclusive drops for both novice and seasoned collectors slated for the remaining couple […]
Please support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon. Bedroom Beats & B-Sides: Instrumental Hip-Hop & Electronic Music at the Turn of the Century will be released November 6th. You can pre-order it here. Author’s note: The following chapter is the first of three focusing on Los Angeles and its significance to modern […]
This is how the story goes: seven years ago, a 16-year old tweeted “you won’t regret this” at me, along with a link to a video for a song called “Phantom.” I was ruthlessly stoned and thought it was one of the best debuts that I’d ever seen; so much that I had to turn […]
No ads, no corporate sponsorships, no capitalistic fuckery. Just the best rap music coverage. Please subscribe to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. There are a few things that can forever be guaranteed about Cleveland. People are gonna joke about the river catching fire, the sports teams are never gonna be good, and if they […]
We write our bars to the wildest beats. Please support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon. Max B came off the ark from the flood where RZA’s basement was wiped out. In the beat community, no word is more contentious than “lo-fi.” An amorphous subgenre, you could describe it derisively as soft, […]
The marathon continues. Please support Passion of the Weiss’ run by subscribing to our Patreon. Destiny can be a tricky thing. Either you accept your fate as is, or you choose to do whatever it takes to come out on the other end alive. For Pacman Da Gunman, it’s a little bit of both. Whereas […]
More people have used us as a cheat sheet for getting into jazz than we’d like to admit. Please support our efforts by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. In the receding parallel universe that was once our recognizable reality, Nubya Garcia is playing right now because it’s just what she does. In […]
The latest Teyana Taylor video features an unexpected guest star. On Tuesday, Teyana Taylor dropped the video for her latest single “Lose Each Other.” Once again, Taylor directs the video, that features her own choreography as well as a special guest star — Sir Elton John. Find the full video below. “Lose Each Other” is […]
We just let the rhythm hit ’em. Please support Passion of the Weiss by subscribing to our Patreon. Son Raw plays the MPC like a tambourine Of all the albums I’m reviewing in this series, Theo Parrish’s Parallel Dimensions is the one you were least likely to own upon its first release. Initially dropped on […]
On To Pimp a Butterfly, Lamar said: “Some people love it to death, some people hate it.” Kendrick Lamar unveils his thoughts on the pressures many rappers experience after their debut album is a hit and they move on to release their sophomore project. His meteoric rise following Good Kid M.A.A.D City’s release was explored […]
/ Homeboy Sandman, Teller Bank$, zoomo, Donald Mayhem, Open Mike Eagle and more mix things up this Mixtape Monday. Homeboy Sandman is up first with Don’t Feed The Monster, Teller Bank$ shares The Grotesque & Beautiful, zoomo is back in the lineup with Utica, Donald Mayhem drops Flamingo Hustle, and Open Mike Eagle talks Anime, […]
Please support our initiative to bring you the best new rap music every week by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. Harley Geffner‘s rap pseudonym is Pack Animal. Lil Yachty & Rio Da Yung OG – “1v1” When Yachty first started rapping with all the Flint guys, it felt a little forced. He […]
The legendary producers team up for an in-depth chat from the lab. Just Blaze and The Alchemist are set for a live in-studio discussion today. Assisting in the two-day launch party for Move Forward Music‘s new Twitch partnership, the heavyweight producers will broadcast from the lab today with host Thelonious Martin at 4:30pm EST. The […]
The livestream show was hosted by Eric Andre and featured beamed-in appearances from Pharrell, Zack de la Rocha, Mavis Staples, Gangsta Boo and more. Run The Jewels returned last night to rally fans and prospective voters with a gripping, neon-crushed, live performance of their new album, RTJ4. Partnering with Ben & Jerry’s, Killer Mike and El-P […]
The 27-song compilation is due on November 6th. A handful of previously unreleased songs from the late Ennio Morricone will be included in a posthumous collection of the composer’s work. According to a press release, the upcoming 27-song compilation, titled Morricone Segreto, will showcase The Maestro’s darker and more psychedelic arrangements recorded between 1960 and 1980, […]
The track is the first single from the new Statik Selektah album. On Friday, Statik Selektah dropped the first single from his new album, “Keep it Moving.” The track unites Nas, Gary Clark Jr., and Joey Bada$$. Stream the song below. The album will reportedly feature the Griselda collective, 2 Chainz, Method Man, Dave East, […]
Rapsody and Bilal appear on The Undefeated’s new compilation album. On Friday, Rapsody shared a new single with Bilal titled “Pray Momma Don’t Cry.” The track appears on ESPN’s The Undefeated compilation EP of protest-inspired music titled I Can’t Breathe: Music for the Movement. Stream the track and the full album below. “In music form, […]