Kid Cudi Explains G.O.O.D. Bond

Kid Cudi has always been one for isolation. The rapper famously crowned himself "Mr. Solo Dolo," but he recently opened up about his links to the G.O.O.D. Music family and why he feels more solidarity with his crew than ever.

"It's the only time where I feel like I'm around people that understand me," he told Complex. "I felt like an orphan before then. It's good for me, man. I don't really click well with people. I don't know what it is, but everybody in this family, I click with. From 2 Chainz to Big Sean to Q-Tip. I've been seeing Q-Tip since I've started in this business and he's always had my back. You can look online and check. I'm just really happy that everybody embraced me and they don't think I'm too much of a nut job. When you work with your family, it's love behind every record and you want everybody to win. I love hearing Pusha rap. I love hearing his raps, man. It will never get old. I've told him that. And that's the exciting thing. I'm around people that I'm a fan of, that I grew up on and sh*t, and I can watch them create and do what they do and I can contribute and be a part of history. It's wild."

Nas Album Release + 18 Years Since Illmatic * Jay-Z 16years Since Illmatic

Nas’ 10 th studio album Life Is Good is in stores today after his release party last night at Bagatelle in New York City. Fellow Hip-Hop artists in attendance celebrating Nas’ new album were Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes, Jermaine Dupri, and music was provided by Q-Tip. Here a shot of Jay-Z and Nas celebrating during the release party. The above picture is great not only considering Nas and Jay’s past combustible history, but also for the fact they’ve entered uncharted territory for Hip-Hop as two emcees two decades deep that have maintained relevance and high skill levels. As they continue releasing albums, especially of the quality Nas just dropped, it’s becoming highly difficult to rank any of their peers or predecessors above them. Just consider for a second that Illmatic came out 18 years ago and Reasonable Doubt 16 years ago. Then reflect on how many trends and rappers have come and gone since then. The majority of our greatest emcees and groups are pretty much done as far as being at a high level by their third or fourth project. It’s been an amazing run for both and hopefully a signal that future older emcees will let their music mature with their age and life experiences.

By Devere Moore

Q-Tip Working With Kendrick Lamar

Rapper/producer Q-Tip revealed during an interview with Giant Step that he's currently in the studio with a wide range of artists working on new material, including D'Angelo and Kendrick Lamar.

"I’m basically doing a lot of production right now and that’s going really well," he said. "I’m about to start my new album in the latter part of the summer and it should be out next year, so I’m excited about that. I’ve been excited about music in general, so it’s really good. I’m making music for other people and myself: Kendrick Lamar, D’Angelo, [and] Ledisi."

Tip's next album will be his first since 2008's The Renaissanceand his first since inking a deal with Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint.

Ice-T Explains Pop's Influence

Ice-T's documentary The Art of Rap has gotten a tremendous amount of buzz from hip hop fans and critics. In a recent interview, the rapper/actor/director shared his opinion on contemporary hip hop and its pop-oriented approach.

"In the movie Mos Def quotes Q-Tip: ‘Rap is not pop. If you call it that, then stop.’ The true origin of rap is counter-culture. The true origin of rap is say something that they’re not saying on the radio," he explained. "When you kind of blend into what popular culture is doing, you’re losing the power of hip hop. We’ve got to keep rocking the boat. We’ve got unemployed people, we’ve got a black President, we’ve got election year, we’ve got Occupy Wall Street. If you’re just going to rap about ‘I got money and we balling,’ and all that, you’re not doing with it what it was meant to do. It’s meant to rock a party, but it was meant to change the world."

"I think that a rap aficionado, the hardcore rap fan, will always go away from pop, in the same way a hardcore jazz fan will never think Kenny G is really a jazz artist," he continued. "You gotta kind of know there’s always going to be that purist who’s going to be like if it ain’t beats and rhymes, if there ain’t a DJ, then that ain’t Hip Hop."

Q-Tip Calls Out Paltrow Defenders

Gwyneth Paltrow created a small firestorm by tweeting "N***as In Paris, for real," during Jay-Z and Kanye West's show in Frence. As everyone chimes with an opinion, rapper/producer Q-Tip gave a thoughtful rebuttal to anyone who felt the need to defend the Oscar-winning actresses poor word choice.

"Listen rush simmons, toure, and all Black folk who are sympathist to this gwen paltrow n***a thing," Tip tweeted. "She may not have meant harm, sure it was in the heat of the moment but that fact that she showed not 1 IOTA of apologetic tone...given the historical weight of that word is not responsible on G paltrow's part."

"As powerful as hip hop is it DOESN'T erase the years of damage that not only that word has done but circumstances that usually surround it," he continued. "Sure there is empathy for the Black American struggle from all races but the empathy should be extended to the great pain we as blacks have experienced for generations. For the pain that we still deal with in our communities daily"

"Paltrow shouldve offered a 'If I offended anyone I'm truly sorry' as a person who loves black people and understands there's a scope of black folk that exist beyond the ones she partied with in Paris who are still dealing w/the complexities of their circumstances. Black folks that don't know about giving a white person a 'pass.' Rush? Toure?"