DJ Premier shared some sad news with the world on Thursday (June 11th). The legendary producer and DJ revealed that his mother passed away earlier this week, around two years after he lost his father back in 2018. Preemo broke the news on Instagram, by sharing a photo of his own hand holding his mother's manicured hand. "My Angel Just Got Her Wings..." he wrote. "I'm So Glad I Made It Here To Say Goodbye...The Caretakers Love You So Much That They Just Did Your Nails and Feet Before Your Last Breath...That's How A Queen Gets Handled."

"I LOVE YOU MOMMA..." he continued. "91 YEARS OF LOVE...YOU DID THE DAMN THANG!DADDY IS WAITIN FOR YOU!" Preemo shared a similar mourning post when his father passed away around this time in 2018.

Many in their late twenties and early thirties still look back fondly on the early millennium, around the years two-thousand and two-thousand-three, as one of hip-hop’s definitive eras. The platinum era, where a handful of incredible producers each moved the game forward with their own wholly unique sound. Though he’s currently in the midst of an epic run with albums like Freddie Gibbs’ Alfredo, Alchemist was actually part of that era all those years ago, a younger man still turning heads with his hard-hitting production. 

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Today, on the same day he dropped off a new collaboration album with Freddie Gibbs, Alchemist took a moment to reflect on the year 2001, by way of a throwback Source Magazine story: “Chairmen Of The Board.” Highlighting and summarizing some of the time’s defining voices, the spread focuses on Dr. Dre, Neptunes, Alchemist (“he may not be a household name just yet”), Mannie Fresh, Rockwilder, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and DJ Premier.

On paper, it’s clear that we’re looking at a one of a kind roster full of legendary beatmakers. Alc took a moment to recognize that very fact, showing his humility with a genuinely wholesome caption. “2001. Source Magazine. Look at the killers i had to swim with!!!!!” he writes. “Every person in this is a god to me. Salute to my comrades. Forever grateful.” DJ Premier also took a moment to chime in, generally speaking for all of us by saying “WOW!!! THAT WAS A GOOD YEAR!!!”

What do you think — was this the best era for producers in hip-hop history?

Weeks ago, Westside Gunn shared the surprising news that he had a frightening battle with COVID-19. “I’m feeling good now, these short breaths, this sh*t was like a tornado through my chest,” he said. “I smoke a lot so I’m trying to build my lungs back up. I was going to go out for a walk, but even when I went outside to do that, I was like, nah let me wait another week. Next week, I’ll probably try to walk for 30 minutes.”

Westside Gunn recently released his acclaimed album Pray for Paris, a project he completed while visiting the City of Love. Prior to dropping his latest record, the rapper had planned out a fantastical roll out, but his COVID-19 diagnosis put all of that work on pause. “It was so bad I had to be rushed to the hospital,” Gunn, who has asthma, told HipHopDX. “I thought I was out of here and had already made calls to have everything in order, just in case… I thought I was going to die.”

During his recovery from COVID-19 and prior to the release of Pray for Paris, Gunn said that his famous friends like Kanye West, DJ Premier, and Virgil Abloh motivated him to push through. “I was having conversations with people like ‘Ye who showed me all these designs he was working on that inspired me to design even more too,” Westside Gunn said. “That’s what built this project, my connection to Paris and the people that spoke to me when I was sick.”

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Twenty-two years ago, one of the greatest technical achievements in hip-hop history arrived — Big Pun‘s debut album Capital Punishment. Boasting an onslaught of standout tracks like “Beware,” the Black Thought-assisted “Super Lyrical,” “Twinz,” “Still Not A Player,” and countless more, Pun’s instant classic immediately captured attention thanks to a confident and unparalleled level of emceeing.

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Despite his heavyset appearance, Pun stood among the most verbally dexterous rappers of his generation, discovering pockets that lesser wordsmiths might have easily overlooked. Fueled by gritty production from Rockwilder, Domingo, Young Lord, a remixed Dr. Dre classic, RZA, and more, Pun came through with relentless flows, all but strongarming his way into the GOAT conversation — one that was cut tragically short when he passed away from a heart attack at the age of twenty-eight.

To this day, Capital Punishment remains his surviving masterpiece, the only album Pun delivered while still breathing. Though it often feels overlooked when the classics of the canon are discussed, it should be noted that the project is historical in a sense, preserved in time as being the first album from a solo rapper to go platinum. On its twenty-second birthday, the legendary DJ Premier — himself having become synonymous with hip-hop history — took to Instagram to commemorate the occasion. “THIS CLASSIC IS 22 YEARS OLD TODAY,” he captions, alongside the iconic cover. “1st SOLO EMCEE TO GO PLATINUM…SALUTE TO BIG PUN (R.I.P.) Peace To @fatjoe and #TS..”

Rest in peace Big Punisher, and should you be interested to hear a true beast on the microphone, look no further than Capital Punishment. What’s your favorite track? 

These Instagram Live Battles have everyone desiring a chance to show off their catalog. Sure, any two artists can decide to go head-to-head at any time to please their fans, but because Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have created Verzuz, many artists want their stamps of approval. We've watched friendly battles between Scott Storch and Mannie Fresh, T-Pain and Lil Jon, RZA and DJ Premier, The-Dream and Sean Garrett... and now Ray J wants his turn.

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While Teddy Riley—who just faced off against Babyface in a battle between legends—was livestreaming, Ray J was spotted in the comments letting it be known that he's ready. "Yo @timbaland I'm next up!! Who want the smoke?" The innocent request quickly circulated on social media, and since then, people have been weighing in with their opinions. Let's just say, not everyone has been kind. 

"Ray J wants to do an IG live battle, and I say let 'em. He can play 'Wait A Minute' and clear the place out," one Twitter user wrote. Another added, "Not everybody that’s in the music scene deserve a battle. Im not trying to see a Ray J, Romeo, Bow Wow, Lil Salt Shaker, mixed paprika smoke or emcee basura go beat for beat or bar for bar. Let’s cut the bulls**t people. ???‍♂️."

Supporters of the singer-reality star pointed out his discography including tracks like "Wait a Minute" with Lil Kim, "Another Day in Paradise" with his sister Brandy, "Sexy Can I" featuring Young Berg also known as Hitmaka, "Famous" with Chris Brown, and "Tie Me Down" with the New Boyz. Some have suggested Ray J battle against artists like Fabolous or Chris Brown, but not everyone was on board. If Ray J did participate in a Verzuz battle, who do you think he should go up against?

If the ongoing influx of producer battles has taught us anything, it’s that Dr. Dre is the final boss of this particular game. Formidable in every department, with a catalog that even the most esteemed producer would tremble at the mere sight off. Decades of material laced for a variety of different artists, from Death Row to Aftermath and beyond. And while the Doc has yet to participate in any of the producer match-ups, DJ Premier was originally hoping to take him on before landing on RZA, as he revealed to Sway Calloway.

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“I really didn’t even wanna do the battle,” admits Primo. “I told them I’ll do it if Dre does it. If Dre does it with me I’ll do it. Otherwise, I’m not doing it.” When Swizz suggested Pete Rock, Premier declined on the basis that he and Rock go head to head during their live set all the time. Luckily, Swizz came through and suggested The RZA, and the challenge was enough to entice Primo into breaking his Dre-only rule. “He was only the only one I could think of that I’d be down to battle, otherwise I wouldn’t want to do it at all.”

Though Dre was ultimately not in the cards, Primo was more than happy to go up against the RZA. In fact, on the day the battle was set to go down, he admits to actually feeling nervous. To be fair, the man’s phone was blowing up with setlist suggestions, with Primo laughing that several actors and famous comedians were quick to offer their suggestions. “I’m like yo, this is starting to get me out of my zone,” laughs Primo. “It was starting to get me nervous…I just didn’t want to let anything sway me from how I know I would attack based on whatever RZA throwing at me.” 

RZA and DJ Premier were the latest hitmakers to go up against each other over Instagram live for Timbaland and Swizz Beatz's "Verzuz" series. The legendary producers went head-head-head on Saturday night in an epic battle for the ages, continuing to keep fans entertained in quarantine. They started off the session by taking a trip down memory lane and recounting how they first met in 1990. Although the Wu Tang leader was experiencing some sound issues near the beginning, he eventually resolved them and proceeded to drop some more vintage heat.

Preemo kicked things off with Jay-Z's "A Million and One Questions/Rhyme No More," prompting RZA to fire off GZA's "Liquid Swords." Premier decided to go with M.O.P.'s "Breakin' the Rules" for round two, to which RZA responded with Method Man's "Bring the Pain." Premier played Mos Def's "Mathematics" for the next round, which was met with RZA's pick, Cappadonna's "Maria."

The beat-makers started to up the ante by round four, with Premier bringing Big L's "The Enemy" into the mix. RZA then fired back with Raekwon's "Wu Gambinos." We got KRS One's "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" from Preemo for round five, followed by Ghostface and Jadakiss' "Run" from RZA. The battle went on for another 25 rounds, with RZA playing a snippet of an unreleased Joey Badass track near the end.

If there was ever a match-up that would make hip-hop heads salivate at the very thought, a battle between DJ Premier and the RZA would be exactly that. Now, thanks to the brilliant orchestration of Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, who have helped bring the act of battling back into hip-hop culture through their ongoing Verzuz series, the paperwork has officially been signed.

This Saturday at 9 PM EST, you can catch DJ Premier going head to head against the RZA on Instagram Live, a duel that is one of the hardest to predict thus far. Both men are easily considered to stand among the founding fathers of hip-hop production, trailblazers of the sample-based, New York classic sound.

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Fans of Jay-Z, Nas, Gangstarr, Royce Da 5’9″, and many more are likely familiar with Preem’s extensive catalog, his style having become synonymous with golden-era boom-bap. On the other side stands Bobby Digital himself, the mastermind behind the Wu-Tang Clan and the guiding musical hand behind several of the Wu’s solo classics. Expect this battle of wits, wills, and wiles to be a proverbial stroll down memory lane, a compact history lesson for anybody even remotely interested in hip-hop’s sonic evolution.

As for predicting a winner, don’t expect this one to be easy — sound off in the comments with your pick, as well as some of the beats you hope to hear this coming Saturday night. Big thanks to everybody involved in making this happen. 

The latest additions to our scorching “Fire Emoji” playlist on Spotify include a new collaboration from Wiz Khalifa and Tyga, two cuts off Joyner Lucas‘ freshly dropped, ADHD, and much, much more. As you all spend your days wandering aimlessly around the house trying to find something to occupy your mind, why not check out our “Fire Emoji” playlist, updated weekly with the absolute hottest tracks out right now? Despite the global pandemic forcing everyone to stay inside, plenty of your favourite artists are still delivering heat. While most of this new music was likely recorded before the coronavirus escalated, it’s likely that some tracks were concocted for the purpose of keeping fans entertained during this stressful and confusing time. Whether it’s a remix of The Weeknd’s “Heartless” with Lil Uzi Vert off the deluxe edition of After Hours, or the highly-anticipated “Turks” collab with Nav, Gunna, and Travis Scott, we’ve got you covered with our specially curated collection of the dopest music out there.

Leading the way with two joints off his long-awaited debut album, ADHD, is Joyner Lucas with “Will” and “The War” featuring Young Thug. Among the rest of our newest additions is Wiz Khalifa and Tyga’s joint effort, “Contact,” which dropped earlier this week followed by some accompanying visuals. Childish Gambino also made our list with a track off his cryptically teased project, 3.15.20, titled “Algorhythm.” Tory Lanez came through with his latest single, “Do The Most,” as did Mick Jenkins with “Snakes” featuring Kojey Radical. Trouble and Quavo teamed up for their banger, “Popped,” and who could forget Murda Beatz and YNW Melly joining forces with Lil Turk to deliver “Banana Split.” With drops from the likes of Run The Jewels, Schoolboy Q, and more, check out our updated “Fire Emoji” playlist and don’t forget to follow our other specially-curated playlists.

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Sometimes, a change in circumstance can be the shot in the arm that an artist needs to revitalize their career. Whether it’s jumping ship to a new label, embracing independence or breaking away from a relationship that’d turned sour, starting fresh has been a source of inspiration for many MCs.

From The Game leaving G-Unit and carving out his own legacy to Busta Rhymes and Birdman brokering “a golden moment” for hip-hop when he signed to Cash Money, it’s often been the case that change shouldn’t be averted, but embraced. On other occasions, what’s seemed like a brightly-lit path to greener pastures morphs into something barren and desolate. Here, we find the tragic tale of Rakim’s short-lived affiliation with Aftermath and Dr Dre.

Widely regarded as one of hip-hop’s true pioneers, it speaks volumes that in a genre that’s so steeped in conflict, no one takes umbrage with the fact that one of Rakim’s popular aliases is “The God MC”. As one half of a duo that revolutionized hip-hop in the late 80s with Eric B, the mouthpiece behind Paid In Full, Follow The Leader and Don’t Sweat The Technique was about as impeccable a rapper as there was during his rise to worldwide acclaim.

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Still, there was a time where the New York native was languishing in the commercial doldrums. The reverence for his skills hadn’t depleted, but he’d reached something of a crossroads when it came to shifting units. His sophomore solo album, 1999’s The Master was an accomplished body of work that featured phenomenal production from the likes of DJ Premier and Clark Kent while displaying his lyrical prowess in all its glory. Even with its noteworthy attributes and an immense, Primo-crafted lead single “When I B On Tha Mic,” the album peaked at number 72 on the Billboard charts. To put this sharp decline into perspective, his 1997 comeback album The 18th Letter secured the number four spot with ease. Now, he was falling short of the top 50.

In his time of need, a West Coast icon parachuted into his orbit with an outstretched hand. Just as his controversy-courting protégé Eminem had helped rescue him from a time where his position seemed precarious, Dre looked to pay it forward to one of the genre’s true innovators. Announced while the Compton mastermind was on location at the video shoot for “Stan” in October 2000, Dre made the acquisition public in a brash fashion that captured the mood of his Interscope-backed imprint at the time.

“We just signed Rakim to our label, straight up,” he said, “Rakim is on Aftermath, and the name of his album is going to be Oh My God. This is going to be the biggest hip-hop record ever, straight up and coming at you from Aftermath, baby, so fuck all of y’all.”

An emphatic statement if ever there was one, it’s easy to see why the producer had high hopes for helming a new Rakim album. After all, Dre had regained the Midas touch, striking gold with not only Eminem but his own return to the fray on 2001. After admiring one another from afar, Rakim had first mentioned that “Dre‘s been putting the word out that he wants to do some beats for me” way back in 1995. A few years later, the stars had aligned at a time where Ra had found himself out on a limb.

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Left stationary within an ever-changing landscape, Dre’s guidance and awareness of the modern marketplace seemed like all it’d take for The God MC to reassume the throne. Yet by 2003, the ties between the two were severed without this potentially seminal album ever seeing the light of day. The pair “mutually decided to go their separate ways,” declared Ra’s manager Zach Katz in a statement. “There are reasons, but I really can’t get into them, just basically creative differences. And he’s already talking to other [labels].”

Now, there remains very little as evidence that the two ever even had a partnership. Save for the bhangra-infused hit “Addictive” with former Aftermath signee Truth Hurts and his formidable contribution to Eminem’s 8 Mile OST, all that remains is a smattering of leaked tracks including the gripping “After You Die” and “The Watcher Pt 2” from Jay Z’s The Blueprint: The Gift & The Curse. 

“I’m glad Jay did it… I needed that at that time,” Rakim told The Breakfast Club in September 2019. “It lit a fire for me. I’ve been out since ‘86. Everyone was categorizing rappers, “old school” or this. To be able to be on a joint with Dre and Jay let people know that yeah, I’ve been around for a while, but I know what I’m doing.”

As for what exactly went wrong, the dialogue has been one-way. Upon relocating to California and setting up shop, an ideological divide began to open up between the Dre and Rakim, that they clearly hadn’t anticipated. During a lengthy interview with Toure on Vlad TV, Ra laid it all bare.

“I guess listening to certain songs that I did– listening to stories– I guess he wanted me to do that…a gangsta rap album, I guess,” Rakim revealed. “That’s his formula, but I thought at that point I should be doing something different. I was maturing at the time. I had grown up a little bit, trying to elevate with [my] music, as well. I’m looking at it like ‘Yeah, get with Dre.’ I wanted to make a mega project that wasn’t…of course it’s hip-hop, but I wanted everybody to be able to listen to it, get this opportunity. I wanted to make the best of it. But, like I said, we would sit in the studio, and he’d put on a beat, and he would sit next to me and be like ‘yo, I want you to talk that sh*t on this one.’ I’m like ‘Dre, that’s what you say on every track you play, bruh. When you gonna let me rhyme on something?? Why I gotta beef with everybody?'”

These squabbles aside, Rakim didn’t want to imbue his music with the more exclusionary lyrical content that Dre and his entourage had become renowned for across both The Chronic and 2001, stating, “I was looking to try and do a dope album and make sure that your daughter could listen to it, my grandmother can listen to it, and it was no bars or anything. We had a different view. We tried some things. Did a couple dope joints, but once we realized…after him trying to push me to talk crap on every song, and me being rebellious, I guess he realized yo, this ain’t gon’ work. Actually, I’m the one that told Dre, ‘I appreciate the opportunity and everything, but I’m going back to New York, bruh.’ I stayed out there another month but after that, it was like listen, I appreciate the opportunity.”

Not confined purely to interviews, the scenario was also referenced in “It’s Nothing” from his 2007 compilation tape The Archive: Live, Lost and Found as he revealed:  “I went to LA to get with Dre, we tried to bridge the gap in. Take night, mix it with day, I guess it wasn’t meant to happen.”

Positioned at two different ends of the spectrum, Ra neatly summarized the parallel outlooks that both men were coming from during a conversation with HardKnockTV in 2009. “If Dre say ‘yo Ra, I want you to talk about killing somebody on this one. I’d say ‘nah, I want to talk about bringing somebody to life on this one.'” Later in that same interview, Ra leaves the door slightly ajar for them to try again: “It didn’t work out but hopefully we can hook up in the future, do a little joint together. No bridges burnt.”

Although most of his remarks focused on a lack of middle ground, one interview with Red Bull Music Academy inferred that Rakim was unwilling to relinquish the autonomy over the rhymes themselves. As we know from the thousands of dispatches from his studio, Dre is a perfectionist and once he has his vision, it becomes unwavering. This proved too much of an unassailable hurdle and, despite their somewhat uneasy truce in recent years, it made The God MC pine for the days with his old partner-in-crime.

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“He wanted me to set it off and brag about who I was and what I did. I’m glad he had a vision for me, we just couldn’t find a medium where he was happy and I was happy with either the direction, topic or whatever it was. Eric B was more that I’d say ‘yo I’m doing this on that’ and he’d be like ‘go ahead.’ That was one thing that was cool about Eric B, he never tried to detour my thought or tell me what I should be saying on a record. He left that up to me.”

For all that, despite it sounding like pure magic on paper, their visions were simply incompatible.