J. Cole's "Cole World: The Sideline Story" debuts atop the Billboard 200

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

From the moment he was signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation, every move made by J. Cole was legendary. Representing North Carolina, J. Cole was hailing from an undeveloped rap scene. During the early 2000s, Petey Pablo had given buzz to North Carolina. But, following his movement, no mainstream artists came.

J. Cole was unlike the typical Southern rappers, as his drawl is barely heard on his records. Also, J. Cole has a lyrical ability unmated by most current rappers, regardless of genre. The overall style of J. Cole immediately made him one of the brightest new stars in the rap game. Mainstream hip hop fans did not have a chance to hear J. Cole until his verse on "A Star is Born."

Despite being signed to Roc Nation, and featured on The Blueprint 3, J. Cole still did not have a solid release date. Because of this, J. Cole flooded the mixtape scene. In 2010, his Friday Night Lights mixtape proved to be his final one. A little less than a year later, J. Cole has finally released his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story. The album was projected to sell over 200,000 copies in its first week and has done so, debuting on the top of the Billboard Top 200 albums.

With this, J. Cole has had the highest debut for a North Carolina rapper.

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Lil Wayne explains feud with Jay-Z

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Before his career reached its current level, Lil Wayne tried to challenge Jay-Z. During the 2006-2007 period, Lil Wayne released several Jay-Z diss songs. All of these tracks were ignored by Jay-Z and he invited Lil Wayne to record on "Hello Brooklyn 2.0."

Lil Wayne returned the favor on "Mr. Carter," featuring Jay-Z, and sampling his line from "Lucky Me." In 2009, Jay-Z released his comeback, The Blueprint 3. He featured Drake, who had recently signed with Young Money.

Birdman had many negative things to say about Jay-Z, following the release of his comeback album. Among the things he said, Birdman continued to claim his camp had more money than Jay-Z. A response finally came from Jay-Z on "H.A.M." with his "baby money" diss.

Nearly nine months went by, without an official response from the Cash Money camp. Lil Wayne teamed up with Jadakiss and Drake for his "It's Good" track. On the song, all three rappers are talking about hardships and how they overcome them. Lil Wayne has the final verse on the song and he uses it as an outlet to respond to Jay-Z's "baby money" diss.

The diss turned heads and everyone has had something to say about it. Most rappers, including those signed to Cash Money, have said they want to see the beef. The reason many want the beef is because hip hop was established on competition. Recently, Lil Wayne fully addressed the Jay-Z diss and how he feels about the comments by outsiders.

Lil Wayne said there is no competition with rappers. According to the Young Money CEO, the gangsta rappers, skateboard rappers, and white rappers are all happy. Competition in hip hop died a long time ago, as Lil Wayne feels. Lil Wayne went on to say competition died with "them old ass rappers." Now, says the ever-popular rapper, everyone is focused on making money and good music.

When asked about dissing Jay-Z, Lil Wayne said it is all in how a person interprets what he said. Wayne said he knows he will never be upset by a person's reaction to anything he says. Because of this, Lil Wayne says what he wants to. Lil Wayne said every man has to face the consequences of what they do and he also said he knows there will not be any for his "It's Good" song.

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DJ Whoo Kid supports Lil Wayne/Jay-Z feud, says it will be Good for Hip Hop

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Years have passed since hip hop has had a true lyrical war. The last high-profile hip hop feud took place in 2009. Out of nowhere, Rick Ross decided to take on 50 Cent. The feud was highly publicized, as it also led to 50 Cent's vendetta against the ever-popular WorldStarHipHop.com.

Before the success of Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne tried taking on Jay-Z. But, following the release of his album, Wayne changed his style. After Jay-Z released The Blueprint 3, Birdman began making statements about Lil Wayne being better than Jay-Z.

50 Cent's DJ, Whoo Kid, spoke on the recent battle between Lil Wayne and Jay-Z. After nearly two years of slick comments from Cash Money, Jay-Z subliminally dissed the crew on "H.A.M." The line on the song has become known by many as the "baby money" line. Lil Wayne responded to this line on his song, "It's Good," which is featured on his Tha Carter IV.

DJ Whoo Kid says a feud between two of rap's central figures would be good, if they keep the battle over records. A lot of time has passed since the last feud and Whoo Kid thinks the ideal battle would be between the Carters.

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Why Jay-Z will not Respond to Lil Wayne

By The Voice
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

The last time Jay-Z openly feuded was 2001, when he fired shots at Nas and Prodigy. Jay-Z's feud with Nas was viewed as one of the best in hip hop. At the end of the day, no blood was shed and hip hop now has a powerful duo. But, since that time, Jay-Z has not called anyone else out.

Two years following the epic Jay-Z vs. Nas feud, Jay-Z was offered the CEO position at Def Jam. At this point, he officially became the president of rap. While he helped build the Roc-A-Fella Records camp, he was taking over an already-established company.

Jay-Z only stepped down from his Def Jam position to take on another position with Live Nation. Through his deal with the promotions company, Jay-Z was granted Roc Nation. It has only been a three year run with Roc Nation and many of the biggest artists in the game are either signed to, or managed by the company.

Now, with a large stake in the overall entertainment industry, Jay-Z only raps for fun. Lil Wayne attempted to diss Jay-Z a few years ago, also. In 2006, Jay-Z claimed he returned to the rap game to save it. Wayne felt the rap game did not need saving and if it did, he would be the one. Teaming up with Jim Jones and Dipset, one of Jay-Z's biggest rivals, Lil Wayne created an anti-Jay-Z wave. As beef was brewing, Jay-Z shockingly invited Lil Wayne to provide the hook and a verse on "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" off American Gangster.

Lil Wayne returned the favor and invited Jay-Z on "Mr. Carter." On the song, Jay-Z passed the torch down to Lil Wayne. Despite mending the fences, Birdman continued to take shots at Jay-Z. When he released his comeback, The Blueprint 3, Birdman said the album was not as good as Tha Carter III. Birdman said the album did not deserve the acclaim it received. It did not stop there, as Birdman called Jay-Z out over money, claiming to have more.

Each time Birdman mentioned Jay-Z, in 2010, he claimed to have more money than him. Jay-Z, having had corporate money for nearly a decade, laughed this off and mentioned "baby money" in "H.A.M." Nearly seven months later, Lil Wayne took the response upon himself and called Jay-Z out. His verse took aim at both Jay-Z and mother-to-be, Beyonce. The timing could not have been much worse, as Beyonce revealed her pregnancy the next day.

There are a number of reasons why Jay-Z will not even entertain Lil Wayne's latest diss. First off, Jay-Z is the head of one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world. Jay-Z left his gangster phase in the 1990s and has not appeared even slightly "urban" since his 2003 "retirement." As the head of several other companies, with stakes in others, Jay-Z now entertains for royalty and he would not jeopardize his good standing for a petty rap war.

The most important reason Jay-Z will not step into a battle with Lil Wayne is because of the child recently announced to the world. While Lil Wayne has several children, he is a young father. At an older age, Jay-Z is expecting his first child and he holds himself in a different manner because of this fact.

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Drake also unaware of Lil Wayne's Jay-Z diss on "It's Good"

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Lil Wayne captured the attention of fans and critics, when he used his verse on "It's Good" to go after Jay-Z. Despite collaborating with Jay-Z several times, tension has existed between Lil Wayne and Jay-Z. Birdman claimed to have more money than Jay-Z, which led to the "baby money" diss.

Nearly eight months after the fact, Lil Wayne responds to the cheap shot with a more direct hit. The "It's Good" track also features Jadakiss and Drake. Jadakiss was once a rival to Jay-Z and was also signed by Jay-Z. Last week, he said he had nothing to do with the diss song.

Drake, who was featured on The Blueprint 3 and also had a verse from Jay-Z on Thank Me Later, spoke on the diss. He said he had no idea Lil Wayne was going to go after Jay-Z. It seems as if Drake was in the dark, as he said he recorded over a beat and then he sent it back. Drake made it clear he had nothing to do with the diss, as he would like to have Jay-Z on Take Care.

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Lil Wayne talks "It's Good" Jay-Z diss

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Yesterday, Lil Wayne grabbed the attention of hip hop listeners when he went after Jay-Z on "It's Good." During Jay-Z's "retirement" phase, Lil Wayne took several shots at Jay-Z. Not much came from these disses. Changing the situation, Jay-Z invited Wayne to collaborate on "Hello Brooklyn 2.0."

In turn, Lil Wayne recruited Jay-Z for a verse on his "Mr. Carter" track. In the song, Jay-Z seemingly passed the torch down from himself to Lil Wayne. However, following the release of Jay-Z's comeback album, The Blueprint 3, Birdman began taking shots at Jay-Z.

Each time Jay-Z made a move, Birdman had something to say about it. For the most part, Birdman felt Lil Wayne should receive the same treatment as Jay-Z. However, when he claimed to have more money than Jay-Z, Jay-Z responded on "H.A.M.," with his infamous "baby money" diss. Over the past few months, people have wondered if Cash Money would deliver a solid response.

Nearly nine months after the diss, Lil Wayne responded on "It's Good." Without calling Jay-Z out by name, the Young Money CEO threatened him and Beyonce. Speaking on the situation, Lil Wayne said he knows nothing will come from his disses. Wayne explained how music is only how it is perceived and many people perceive his line as a diss towards Jay-Z. But, with no names called, it is not clear who Lil Wayne was actually talking about, even though everyone in hip hop has a good idea.

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Jadakiss staying out of Lil Wayne/Jay-Z beef

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Having been away from the game for a little while, Jadakiss finds himself in the middle of hip hop's biggest headline. The Yonkers rapper recently provided a verse on Lil Wayne's "It's Good." The song was recorded for Tha Carter IV. In the song, all the rappers talked tough, but Lil Wayne went as far as dissing Jay-Z.

Ever since the release of The Blueprint 3, Birdman has been trying to challenge Jay-Z. When talking about Hov, Birdman often tries comparing him to Lil Wayne. After topping the Forbes list, Birdman stated he had more money than Jay-Z. As one of the original "money rappers," Jay-Z took shots at the Cash Money crew.

While Jadakiss was featured on Lil Wayne's diss record, he is making it clear he has nothing to do with it. On Twitter, Jadakiss angrily denied having any involvement in the feud. Jadakiss said the people need to stop it because he has no issues with Jay-Z. In 2007, Jay-Z signed him to Roc-A-Fella Records, however two years passed before he released an album with the label.

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Jay-Z explains "Watch the Throne" title and talks Hip Hop History

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

There has been a lot of talk about Watch the Throne. For that matter, there has been a lot of talk about Jay-Z. This has been the case ever since the release of The Blueprint 3. Despite all of this talk about him, his business, and his music, there has not been any talk from Jay-Z.

For years, now, Jay-Z has not had much to say to the media. During these years, he has made many of his biggest business deals. The only time Jay-Z talks to the media is when he is preparing to release a new album. But, throughout the promotion for Watch the Throne, he was silent.

Jay-Z broke his silence and talked about the new album. Many thought he and Kanye West were being arrogant when they named their album. However, Jay-Z discussed this title was just about protecting the culture of hip hop.

Much like when he last returned to the hip hop game, Jay-Z returned at a time when hip hop needed him the most. The music all sounds the same and Jay-Z said he and Kanye West intended to change things when they came out with their latest album. Jay-Z said their album is bringing diversity back to hip hop and their music is bringing the competion back, as they compete with the current music out there.
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"Watch the Throne" will not Leak

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

In recent years, albums from popular hip hop artists have released albums that leaked weeks before its release. Jay-Z fell victim to this, in 2009, when he released The Blueprint 3. The same year, 50 Cent fell victim when his album was leaked a month before its release.

Many artists, such as Drake, Lil Wayne, and others have fallen victim since then. The most-anticipated album of 2011 is Watch the Throne, the collaboration album between Jay-Z and Kanye West. When the first single, "H.A.M.," was released, more hype was built.

With Watch the Throne set to come before the end of the month, John Meneilly, Jay-Z's manager promised this album would not leak. One reason why the release dates have been kept under wraps is to keep people off the trail to avoid the album leaking.

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Birdman talks Jay-Z's "H.A.M." diss

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Ever since 2009, Birdman has been challenging Jay-Z, warranting no response. First, he said Jay-Z did not deserve an award for The Blueprint 3. He felt his "son," Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III, was a better album.

Jay-Z is known for being the ultimate rap businessman. Many rappers have modeled their business skills after Jay-Z. Birdman had something to say about that, too. For over a year, he has claimed he has more money than Jay-Z.

After letting these slight jabs pass for nearly two years, Jay-Z decided to respond. When he teamed up with Kanye West, Jay-Z saw a wide open opportunity to put the "best rapper alive" and his "father" in their respective places. On the "H.A.M." song, Jay-Z called them out over their "baby money"

Birdman denied having any beef with Jay-Z and said he would continue to spend his "baby money." He recently added that he has several business ventures going with Cash Money, he owns several cars, and he has money stashed away. While he many not have as much money as Jay-Z, Birdman does have money, some call it "baby money," but he calls it Cash Money.

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Will Jay-Z release a New Album in 2011?

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

In recent years, Jay-Z has been spending more time running his businesses than making music. Despite being considered one of the best rappers of all-time, Jay-Z said he was a businessman. Coming from the Brooklyn projects, Jay-Z had one of two ways to make a better life for himself.

Jay-Z spent most of his early adult years trying one way to build the life he always wanted. After spending eight years in the "crack game," he decided to enter the rap game. Lucky for Jay-Z, the fans fell in love with him. Many people looked towards Jay-Z for inspiration, as he pulled himself to the top.

From 1996 until 2003, Jay-Z released an album each year. Along the way, he made other stars through Roc-A-Fella Records. During this time, Jay-Z also branched out into clothing and film ventures. Even though he was the biggest face of the entire company, Jay-Z ran things behind the scenes the best that he knew how. But, following the release of his 2003 album, Jay-Z decided to hang the mic up for good.

In 2006, Jay-Z returned to the rap game and it was almost as if he had never left. His flow was a little different and he boasted more about his cash than usual. With the economy heading down in a fast motion, many fans were turned off by some of Jay-Z's lyrics. He would turn things around one year later with the release of American Gangster. After watching the Denzel Washington film, Jay-Z was inspired to record an album based upon his own life in the streets.

Following the release of his critically-acclaimed album, Jay-Z took some time off to reorganize his business ventures. In 2009, he returned with another critically-acclaimed album, The Blueprint 3. Last year, Jay-Z experienced all kinds of success. Jay-Z is mostly behind the scenes with most of his work. Roc Nation is his new company and the label manages and promotes some of the biggest names. Willow Smith, Rihanna, and J. Cole all released music for the label in 2010.

While Roc Nation has been doing well and Rocawear has been a steady brand for years, Jay-Z returns to check in on the rap game every now and again. This year, Jay-Z is already in the studio as he and Kanye West are recording Watch the Throne. Even after reaching the top of the mountain, Jay-Z still feels as if he has something to prove to the people who thinks he has nothing left in the tank.

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Jay-Z and Kanye West recruit DJ Premier to join "Watch the Throne"

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the new collaboration album between Jay-Z and Kanye West, Watch the Throne. For the first time, Jay-Z and Kanye West will be sharing an entire album together. Fans of both rappers are extremely excited about this news.

Kanye West has worked with Jay-Z his entire career, but each time they have collaborated, West has been Jay's artist. But, on their most recent collaboration, "Hate," the rappers were equal. Kanye said he wanted to prove himself to Jay-Z and record with him as an equal.

After planning to do an EP together, the chemistry between the two rappers led to them deciding to do a full album. Because both are considered among the best in the game. Legends from the game have even stopped to take notice of what the rappers have planned. Pete Rock already signed on to be a producer for the album and another legend has also agreed to produce for the album.

DJ Premier confirmed his work on the album and he admitted he had been wanting to work with Jay-Z for nearly two years. He had wanted to do something for Jay-Z on The Blueprint 3, but he did not get his work together in time, so his beats were not used on the album. Premier already feels the pressure of doing work for a Jay-Z album, but he feels twice the pressure dealing with Kanye West too. However, he sees this as positive pressure and he feels what he brings to the table will help the album stand out.

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Nas regrets not collaborating with Raekwon last year

Last year, as Raekwon was gearing up for the release of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II, he announced Nas as one of the guest features on the album. For unknown reasons, Nas did not appear on the album and Rae seemed to be a little offended. He said he understood how busy Nas was with everything going on, but he made a promise.

In the end, the joke was on Nas because Raekwon's album was viewed by many as one of the top albums of the year. Later, Nas would go on to praise both Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II and The Blueprint 3 by former rival, Jay-Z. Nas was supposed to appear on both albums, but did not.

When speaking of the proposed Raekwon album, Nas admitted he messed up when he was not a part of that classic. Nas has yet to talk with Raekwon since last year, but he is confident they will collaborate in the future. He said it is likely for them to collaborate on the project Rae has in store for this year.

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