Ibiza is an island know for many things but rap music isn’t one of them. However, all that looks set to change this summer after MTV’s invasion of the notorious party isle for ten weeks. ‘I Want My MTV Ibiza’ is a series of ten events, each taking place in Amnesia, a converted finca that is one of Ibiza’s most iconic nightclubs.
For the opening party in July, ‘I Want My MTV’ kicked off proceedings with the surprise choice of Gangsta Rap superstar, Snoop Dogg. After going down a storm with the 5,000-strong crowd, owing to hits including ‘Snoop Doggy Dogg’ and ‘Regulate’, I Want My MTV have drafted in another US rapper to replace Duran Duran, who pulled out after lead singer Simon Le Bon was diagnosed with a throat condition.
50 Cent is hitting Ibiza on Friday August 12 to perform a selection of his musical catalogue, which is sure to include chart smashes, ‘In Da Club’, ‘P.I.M.P’, ’21 Questions’ and ‘Candy Shop’. The American rapper, who was mentored in his early days by Jam Master Jay of Run DMC, could cement rap’s place on the dance-music-orientated island if Fiddy’s performance goes down as well as the Doggfather’s.
Catch 50 Cent on the Amnesia Terrace this Friday with support from Canadian producer, Tiga and a DJ set from Mark Ronson. For those unconvinced about rap music’s place in Ibiza, James Holden, Layo & Bushwacka, Mar-T and Toni Varga, all playing in the Main Room, will be steering clear of Hip Hop.
50 Cent has been grabbing the attention of the media since the beginning of March, with a string of freestyles posted on his blog. Forget marketing strategies, Fiddy is one of those artists who can create trends on Twitter within minutes, dramatically increasing stock shares at the drop of a penny and bestowing hype on anyone he wishes.
50 Cent – real name Curtis Jackson – released his first freestyle at the start of the year, simply titled ‘Happy New Year’. A few months went by and a handful more tracks were unleashed for free. On March 1st 2011 Jackson started his bid on internet coverage in the return of new freestyles for his fans. The tracks were accompanied by vain, bold images of Curtis sitting next to his new flamboyant cars and relaxing in his mansion. The rapper also uses the pictures to advertise his forthcoming range of wireless headphones: ‘Sleek By 50 Cent’.
The tracks are classic 50; repetitive samples sewn together with hammering drum patterns and offensive lyrics. There is a mixture of soulful beats, jazz fuelled melodies and raw hip-hop. One of the freestyles ‘Ghetto As A MotherF****r’ just features a distorted guitar sample and kick drum. 50 decided to let his valued followers and fans finish the song and upload it, creating a buzz for the outcome and even more PR for the man himself. This string of releases put all eyes on 50 and is something other artist’s in the rap game crave.
Roger Sanchez is one of the most famous, not to mention most recognisable, faces in electronic music. His thirty year love affair with DJ’ing has seen him transcend broad swathes of dance music: from early hip hop and breaks to thumping tribal beats and soulful house. Huge international hits such as ‘Another Chance’ (which went to #1 in the UK) helped him gain a worldwide following, while the continued success of his own Release Yourself parties have kept him relevant at a grass roots level.
Roger’s latest work has seen him working with electro hit makers Far East Movement, the men behind the inescapable ‘Like A G6’. We talked to Roger about his long history in house music, partying with Grace Jones at The Paradise Garage and his recent collaboration with 50 Cent. Read more…
Occasional actor Dijon Shariff, like so many others, got his break when he moved to L.A. and managed to catch the eye of the right industry bods. Switching to his pseudonym Mann he was picked up by South African born producer J.R.Rotem and signed up to his Beluga Heights label: home to the likes of Sean Kingston, Jason Derulo, Iyaz and The Ready Set. In between duetting with his label mates he put together his first album, ‘Manns World’, and his first major label solo single, ‘Buzzin’. The track uses Nu Shooz 1986 hit ‘I Can’t Wait’ as its foundation, albeit souped up with many extra bells and whistles. It turns out to be an inspired choice as the single is more than happy to mine the old school of hip-hop for its inspiration while adding a modern production sheen over the top. Mann himself is in supremely confident form and puts in a solid performance. He even gives Hip Hop heavyweight 50 Cent, who pops up on a remix version, a decent run for his money.
Eminem’s resurgence continues with his latest track ‘Syllables’, a brand new record that riles against the weak lyrics of modern hip hop. Featuring guest verses from old hands Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre as well as Stat Quo and Cashis – both signed to Eminem’s Shady Records – ‘Syllables’ opens with Eminem stating that “It’s not about lyrics anymore, it’s about a hot beat and a catchy hook.”
Verses from Em, Jay-Z and Dre all come across a little “it was better back in my day” – and perhaps it was – bemoaning the youth’s love of 808 claps and catchy choruses. Ironically, it’s Eminem’s own tongue in cheek 808 filled sing-along chorus is probably the thing most people will remember about the track.
It may seem a bit rich that Eminem has suddenly riled against club friendly hip hop; after all some of his biggest hits have been filled with daft choruses. But as usual Em’s sense of humour and deft wordplay help him box his way out of any corners he gets himself into.
Pre-empting another potential album from Eminem and the much awaited comeback of Dr. Dre in 2011, ‘Syllables’ is due for release in the coming weeks.
After reaching over 10 million views on YouTube, Far East Movement’s superbly synth orientated track has landed into the hands of the one and only 50 Cent. The original video was posted just a few months ago with the typical accompaniment of flowing champagne, fast cars and a heaving club setting – a surefire sign that they’re clearly enjoying their recent, viral enhanced, success.
They keep it simple but effective with the beat, a recipe that is hard to materialize into a hit but has radically taken off in their case. It’s refreshing and addictive which is working well in the clubs and on radio.
50 Cent’s version puts a new twist on things. An interesting concept from the superstar rapper but it’s a great showcase of where 50 could potentially take himself creatively in the future. Check out 50′s take on the original here.
The single from Far East Movement is available on iTunes in the US.
As pseudo gangster films go ‘Dead Man Running’ could just be the perfect storm. Staring self confessed ‘Gangster rapper’ 50 Cent and self confessed ‘tasty geezer’ Danny Dyer; the film will see the worlds of ‘Lock Stock…’ style East End hard men and gun toting rappers collide on the big screen for the first time since Guy Ritchie placed Ludacris in his disastrous 2008 crime film, ‘RocknRolla’. The synopsis sees Danny Dyer and Tammer Hassan get in to a spot of Barney Rubble * after taking a loan from the shadowy underwourld figure, Figo (50 Cent).Predictably, the pair then have 24 Hours to pay back the 100 bags of sand * before everything goes right on top. Scenes with plenty of guns, cars, women, sharp suites and fights ensue. If all that wasn’t enough to get the readership of ‘Nuts’ magazine salivating the movie is also produced by Premiership football stars Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole.
It will either be the best or the worse film ever made.
‘Dead Man Running’ is released 30th October in the UK
* For those who don’t speak fluent Cockney “Barney Rubble” = “trouble” and “Bag of sand” = grand . You just can’t help yourself when you’re watching Danny Dyer!
This week Jason DeRulo pulls off the unprecedented achievement of topping both the UK Shazam Pre-release Tag Chart and the Shazam USA Chart at the same time with ‘Whatcha Say’ – a track that’s looking like it’s going to be one of the most tagged of 2009. New releases come from Leona Lewis, 50 Cent and N-Dubz; who look to follow up their recent success at the MOBO’s with their new single, ‘I Need You’.
