H.O.V!

Two flatmates stumbled through the door at 11 last night, and managed to drag me out to the pub. This is what I missed...:

Jay-Z - On to the next (live performance at the Jonathan Ross show)



By the way, the Jiggaman will return to the UK this summer for a number of concerts in Manchester (June 7th), Birmingham (June 9th) Newport (June 11th) and in London for the Wireless Festival in Hyde Park (July 4th). Get your tickets here.

B.o.B living it up!

Feel the need for some live music tonight? You don't even have to leave home because B.o.B (aka Bobby Ray), will have a live stream of his concert on his website tonight.

The concert is to celebrate the new release date of his upcoming album B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, which now comes out on April 27th - making the name of his recently dropped mixtape named 25th May (the original release date) completely useless.

If you want to have a look at the concert, and can keep your eyes open, simply step into here at 1 am tonight.

And you might as well download the mixtape while your at it, right here.

Bone!

Three years after their latest album release, Strength and Loyalty in 2007, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are back in the game again, and this time with all five group members included.

In 2008, Flesh-n-Bone was released from prison, and has since then joined up with Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone and Wish Bone, in the studio to work on their 9th studio album Uni-5: The World's Enemy. The album is, unofficially, set to hit the shelves on 27th of April this spring.

On February 16th the group, who's sold over 50 million albums over the years, dropped the second single of the album, Rebirth, following up the first single See me shine, which came out in October -09.

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - Rebirth



Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - See me shine

Track Of The Day! - Donnis

Donnis - Country cool (feat. Bun B)

Mixtape!

While waiting for B.o.B (aka Bobby Ray)'s debut album, set to hit the shelves on May 25th, the Atlanta rapper/singer hands us a little gift to keep busy.

Download B.o.B's new mixtape, appropriately named May 25th, HERE!

Track Of The Day! - Young Buck & D-Tay

I found this video of Young Buck a couple of years ago, I lost it, and now I've found it again. This is pre Buck's G-Unit era, when he was teamed up with his 'Cashville' (Nashville) partner D-Tay - who by the way has an incredible flow in every track he appears on, it's a bit of a wonder he hasn't been signed by a major label. As you can see from the slightly low budget video, the money hadn't started raining over the 'Dirty South' man back in 2000 when the duo's album Thuggin til the end was released.

Young Buck & D-Tay - Back on up

An electric machine!

So, were talking yesterday about Hip Hop with electro beats, and I'm going to keep talking about it.

This new genre is massive in the cold country up north where I'm from, Sweden. It's been going on underground for quite a while but it was with the success of Adam Tensta a couple of years ago that it almost got out of proportion.

In November 2007 Maskinen dropped their first single called Alla som inte dansar (är våldtäktsmän), and set the tone for what was about to come. The track became a bit hit in the clubs, and the group, consisting of Afasi of Hip Hop duo Afasi & Filthy and Frej Larsson of the electro band Slagsmålsklubben (Swedish for Fight Club) went touring, doing gigs in clubs all over Sweden, following the releases of singles as Pengar (Money) and Segertåget (the Victory train).

To know what I'm talking about, have a look at THIS. Probably one of the best live performances ever made.

Two years after the first single came out, Maskinen's first album, named Boys II Men, came out, proving that this sub-genre was here to stay. It includes songs bound to be played heavily in the clubs, such as Buffalo Blues - so crank up the volume on those speakers and tune in!

Maskinen - Alla som inte dansar


Maskinen - Segertåget


Maskinen - Buffalo Blues


Maskinen - Gatan upp


Maskinen - Undan för pundarn

Track Of The Day! - Three 6 Mafia

Three 6 Mafia - Feel it (feat. Sean Kingston, Flo Rida, Tiesto)


Am I the only one who wants more of this? I'm completely sold on Hip Hop music with electro/house beats. In fact, I'm gonna give you a little special on the subject tomorrow, and it's going to come straight outta Sweden!

Stay tuned... Whoop whoop!

Hello I'm the Martian!

Lil' Wayne is doing it again!

The "Martian" has released part 2 of his documentary The Nino Brown Story, in collaboration with DJ Scoob Doo. The film shows the life of a aap artist from Lil' Wayne's perspective, and focuses mainly on the world of Hip Hop after "Weezy" dropped his latest album The Carter III.

See the first part of the documentary below, and click here for the following parts.



Wayne has also been in the spotlight at this weekend's American Grammy Awards where he performed Drop The World with Eminem and Forever with Drake and Eminem.

Who's back?!

After the success of his album Man On The Moon, which came out in the summer of -09, KiD CuDi is back with a new track and video - conveniently called Cudderisback.

Track Of The Day! - Swizz Beatz

Swizz Beatz - It's Me Snitches (feat. Lil' Wayne & R. Kelly)

And we're off!

Now we're done with deadlines, done with course work for a while and done with staying quiet.

This will be the start towards new heights and the start of, at least, personal success. So I thought that what would be better than to ease you in with a little bit of music from a man who is destined to find success as well?

Last year, the best mixtape released came from North Carolina born rapper J. Cole, who followed up his 2007 success The Come Up, that got him signed to Jay-Z's label Roc Nation, with The Warm Up, dropped on June 15 -09.

Since releasing The Warm Up, which was in close battle with Wale's mixtape Back To The Feature for the position as year no. 1, J.Cole has guest starred on Jay-Z's album Blueprint 3 where he joined the Brooklyn-legend on the track A Star Is Born. Recently he also featured on Talib Kweli's track Just Begun with Mos Def and Jay Electronica

Download the best mixtape of -09... HERE!

J. Cole - Show Me Something



J. Cole - Losing My Balance



J. Cole - Last Call

Important Announcement!

Okay, so let me tell you what's going on with this blog at the moment: not much. And I'm sorry for that, but a lot of things have come in between and I've had to focus on other things for a while.

HOWEVER, I've got BIG plans for this thing! By the end of January, I'll be getting back to business and get the Rubberband back to what it was last spring. It's going to be taken to a whole other level in many aspects. I will be working on a new design during the spring; get a proper domain going; improve the content, hopefully with some interviews and such; and a Twitter feed has been set up, but not yet officially started off - find it here.

To make it a bit simple: I'm gonna to make this into a brand! It's going to be a platform for Hip hop music, for the (future) packed with action empire, for you and for me. And hopefully, when we've reached that far, others will be able to join and team up.

For now, enjoy this:

Jay-Z - On to the next (feat. Swizz Beatz)



Dizzee Rascal - Dance wiv' me



Akon & David Guetta - Sexy Bitch (Littles The General Remix)



Maskinen - Bränner

Slam Harder!

A couple of years ago I saw a video on MTV with a group I had never heard of before. I got hooked straight away. The hard style, the raw approach and sound was very different from what I had heard up to that date. I downloaded their record (this wasn't illegal at the time) and found more tracks in the same style as the one I'd heard on MTV.

That rap group was Onyx. That song was Slam Harder.



Another reason why they got my attention was because I recognized the first rapper in the video, Fredro Starr. He's done many acting jobs and has appeared on TV as well as in films. Sticky Fingaz, the third rapper in the Slam Harder video is also an actor. I'd seen him on the Conan O'Brian shows among other tv programmes.

Today, Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz are the only ones who's left in the group, and now they're back with their new track Black Rock.



I'm going to need to find their whole discography I think. You should do the same!