[RAZORMACK]: HIP HOP NEWS

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Multi-platinum singer/producer T-Pain has launched a new independent record label that seeks to bypass the traditional label model, in an effort to connect directly with the consumer.

Starting with the release of “Beam Me Up,” the first single by marquee artist Tay Dizm, Nappy Boy Digital will deliver music exclusively via all major digital download retailers.

“My life and career so far has been about breaking barriers,” T-Pain told AllHipHop.com. “This label allows me to continue that by delivering hit songs in real time. No red tape, just good music. I’m excited about bringing music by new artists to people fresh out of the studio. Nappy Boy Digital is a dream come true for me.”

While Nappy Boy Digital will avoid traditional sales models, the label will continue to utilize traditional methods of promotions and marketing for its artists, including T-Pain himself, who currently holds the record for the largest number of ringtones sold at 15 million.

“You’ll hear us in the clubs and on radio too,” explained the rapper-turned-megastar, “but you can discover our tracks where people spend most of their time: online. I’m very proud to be out front on an idea like this.”

Tay Dizm, the label’s debut artist, gets an assist from not only T-Pain but fellow Floridian Rick Ross.

The Bangladesh-produced single “Beam Me Up” is currently available exclusively on iTunes, and is scheduled for a web-wide release at the end of June.


By Tai Saint Louis

Atlanta rap star T.I. has inked a deal multi-picture deal with Screen Gems and will star in three upcoming high profile movies.

T.I., born Clifford Harris Jr., will star opposite of Matt Dillon and Idris Elba in the movie Bone Deep, a thriller based on a group of bank robbers who pull off one last daring bank heist.

According to Variety, Bone Deep will also be produced by T.I.’s Grand Hustle Entertainment, along with longtime partner Jason Geter.

The second movie is titled Boulevard and is currently in development, as is the third untitled movie starring.

The news comes amidst a flurry of business moves T.I. is making as he serves 1,000 hours of community service and prepares for a one-year prison sentence for possessing unregistered machine guns and silencers.

He was arrested after an undercover agent caught him purchasing the weapons shortly before an appearance at last year’s BET Hip-Hop Awards.

T.I. will also star in his own upcoming untitled reality series on MTV, which documents the rapper’s life before he begins his prison sentence and releases his album Paper Trail.

By Roman Wolfe

Rapper T.I. will turn his legal issues into an untitled reality series that will air on MTV in early 2009.

According to Variety, MTV will follow the Grammy Award winning Atlanta rapper as he performs 1,000 hours of community service and readies for a one-year prison sentence, for possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers.

MTV has already ordered eight episodes of the series, which is being produced by Ish Entertainment and executive produced by Grand Hustle’s Jason Geter and T.I. himself.

"We began the conversations in the middle of deliberations over what would happen to him," Ish's Michael Hirschorn told Variety. "The original idea for the show had him staging a series of interventions in each episode with people in danger. But when we visited him under house arrest, it felt much bigger and more powerful than we anticipated."

The show will also document T.I. as he finishes and released his highly anticipated new album Paper Trail, which is due in stores in August.

T.I., born Clifford Harris Jr., was arrested by agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives last October, just hours before a performance at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.

The rapper took a plea deal and was sentenced to a year in prison starting in 2009, fined $100,000 dollars and ordered to serve 1,000 hours of probation.

By Rudy West

Music from Snoop Dogg’s 2006 album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment will take on a new life, as the rapper unveils his mind state behind the multi-platinum release with an upcoming animated DVD.

The film, titled Snoop Dogg Presents Adventures of Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, will feature an animated version of the Long Beach, California rapper, as he encounters skirmishes, run-ins and situations while traveling through the streets of Southern California.

"The movie will give you something to look at because when I was making this record I was real visual about it," Snoop Dogg said of the animated movie. “I had a cartoon mind while I was making it, so I just wanted to bring that to the light."

Music for Adventures of Tha Blue Carpet will be taken from Tha Blue Carpet Treatment album.

A number of rappers lend their voices to characters in the straight-to-DVD flick, including Nate Dogg, E-40, The Game, Cypress Hill member B-Real and comedians Mike Epps and Katt Williams.

Music videos from the animated feature will be available to purchase through iTunes in the coming weeks as well as Adventures of Tha Blue Carpet Treatment-themed content, which will be available through various mobile carriers.

Snoop Dogg Presents Adventures of Tha Blue Carpet is slated to debut on-demand at www.codeblacktv.com on June 24.

By Chris Richburg

Lil’ Jon hopes to grab a bigger percentage of the energy drink market when his Crunk!!! Energy Drink launches a new citrus flavored line this summer.

While Lil’ Jon is on a recording hiatus as TVT Records goes through its bankruptcy proceedings, his Crunk!!! Energy Drink brand continues to grow.

The new lemon-lime flavored drink will debut in a new yellow and green can.

Also, Crunk!!! has expanded its distribution and can now be found in stores in Los Angeles, North Carolina, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

“We takin Crunk!!! to another level,” Lil’ Jon told AllHipHop.com. “Citrus is the best damn tasting energy drink you will ever have!”

In addition to a new multi-level marketing program to launch the new line, Lil’ Jon is also planning a Crunk!!! Girls 2009 calendar.

“With the continuing popularity of the pomegranate flavor Crunk!!!, we are thrilled to be introducing Crunk!!! Citrus to the market this summer,” added Tom Mahlke, President and CEO. “Crunk!!! Citrus is the only energy drink on the market with an all natural lemon-lime taste and the renowned Crunk!!! bite. The strong consumer demand is driving the success of the Crunk!!! brand, and is the reason we keep opening new markets on a regular basis.”

Crunk!!! Energy Drink was launched in 2004 by Lil’ Jon and beverage industry mogul Sidney Frank.

For more information visit: http://www.crunkenergydrink.com/

By Morris Moore

Rapper Slick Rick was issued an official pardon by New York Governor David A. Paterson today (May 23), in a final attempt to prevent the pioneering rapper from being deported to the United Kingdom.

The 43-year-old rapper has been locked in a battle in Federal Immigration Court fighting deportation, due to a 1991 conviction on two counts of attempted murder and weapons offenses.

Slick Rick, born Ricky Walters, is facing deportation due to a federal statute that requires a lawful resident alien to be removed from the country upon conviction of an aggravated felony or a weapon offense.

In some cases, removal can be avoided with a Governor's pardon, but for a weapons offense, a non-citizen must still seek discretionary relief from deportation from the Federal Immigration Court.

"Mr. Walters has fully served the sentence imposed upon him for his convictions, had an exemplary disciplinary record while in prison and on parole, and has been living without incident in the community for more than 10 years," said Governor Paterson. "In that time, he has volunteered at youth outreach programs to counsel youth against violence, and has become a symbol of rehabilitation for many young people. Given these demonstrated rehabilitative efforts, I urge federal immigration officials to once again grant Mr. Walters relief from deportation, so that he is not separated from his many family members who are United States citizens, including his two teenage children."

Slick Rick was born in the U.K. but was lawfully admitted into the United States at age 11, where he was raised in the Bronx.

"My family and I are eternally thankful to Governor Paterson, my attorneys Michael Krinsky and Craig Kaplan at Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman and to all of the people who have supported me throughout the past seventeen years," Slick Rick told AllHipHop.com in a statement. "This has been a long and difficult road and I am happy for this to be settled once and for all. I look forward to enjoying this time with my family and friends and to continue leading an honest and productive life."

In 1991, the pioneering rapper fan afoul of the law, when during a dispute, he shot his cousin and an innocent bystander, both of whom survived the shooting.

The shooting was in response to a series of threats his cousin made that the rapper believed were going to be carried out, due to an alleged previous attempt on his life.

Walters, then 25, pleaded guilty to the attempted murder and weapons counts and was sentenced to 3-10 years in prison.

He served a total of five years and 33 days in prison, 33 days more than statutorily permitted for a waiver of inadmissibility.

Slick Rick was released from prison in 1997, but was jailed again in 2002, after performing on a Caribbean cruise ship, as he attempted to reenter the United States in Florida.

He was released from federal immigration prison in November of 2003, after serving a total of 17 additional months.



The Department of Homeland Security recently moved the case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in New York to the Eleventh Circuit, in Atlanta, although Slick Rick is expected to be tried in Florida, where he was originally arrested attempting to reenter the country.

By Nolan Strong

The Mayor of Newark, New Jersey will welcome a number of celebrities and Hip-Hop artists during the First Annual Newark Celebrity Golf Classic and Hip-Hop Business Summit, taking place this August.

The weekend kicks off with a "Welcome to Newark" dinner at the Weequahic Parks Golf Club, with remarks by Mayor Booker, followed by a white party at trendy spot The Spot on Commerce Street.

The weekend’s focus, however, will be The Hip-Hop Business Summit, entitled "Hood Economics," at Symphony, from 9:00 am- 2:00 PM.

A number of athletes, industry executives and local business leaders will meet to teach enterprising youth how to manage a business, how to diversify in business and the importance of receiving an education.

Confirmed guests include Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa, Lance Smith, Walter Briggs, Greg Anthony, actors Brian White and Michael Kenneth Smith, radio personality Ed Lover, publisher/author Karen Hunter and others.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity, including New Youth Golf Inc, a non-profit organization that introduces the sport of golf to underprivileged and economically disadvantaged minority children in the greater Newark, New Jersey area.

In related news, the owner of the New Jersey Nets shot down reports that Mayor Booker and New Jersey Devils owner Jeffery Vanderbeek were in talks with a group of investors to buy the team and move it to Newark, New Jersey.

The sale would prevent the team from heading to Brooklyn, where Nets co-owner and developer Bruce Ratner is attempting to erect the Barclays Center in Brooklyn later this year for the team.

The arena, however, will not be constructed in time for the team’s 2009-2010 season, forcing the team to play at its current home in the Meadowlands.

Mayor Booker’s aim is to have The Nets play at The Prudential Center, which opened in October.

The Prudential Center is home to The New Jersey Devils, who also played at The Meadowlands prior to this season.


By Nolan Strong

Public Enemy co-founder Chuck D has announced the launch of a new company that aims to revolutionize the way the Hip-Hop community conducts business across the globe.

The rapper's new business, The Bring The Noise Eastlink Media, Management, Music Group (BTNEastlink), will offer a wide range of business and digital media services for artists under one roof.

The new firm represents a union of several interests supported by Chuck D and the Public Enemy family over the years, in an effort to meet the total needs of the company’s entertainment and technology clients.

Under the leadership of Chuck D, entertainment lawyer and digital media consultant Dan Lugo and producer Gary G-Wiz, BTNEastlink houses the SlamJamz Records label and divisions to handle artist management, marketing, consulting, video game scoring and other services.

“Basically, it’s like putting all my diversified people under one roof,” Chuck D. told AllHipHop.com. “A lot of door knocking internationally will take place. Urban has sensibilities that are definitely planetary. But the discussions have to be more intense and more elaborate.”

BTNEastlink will offer its clients what Chuck D. defined as “what Live Nation has promised Jay-Z, to a much lesser degree,” adding that he is looking to work with veteran artists, as well as up comers, to further market them across the world.

The company also seeks to push for Hip-Hop’s complete immersion into the digital age, something Chuck D and long-time partner Lugo have already done with SlamJamz Records.

The Red Eye-distributed label already coordinates digital-only releases for two thirds of its current 45-artist roster.

With the addition of the new dedicated film, licensing and merchandising branches of BTNEastlink, Chuck D hopes to not only create new opportunities for his clients, but to also revolutionize the business model under which Hip-Hop currently operates.

“Business could stand, in Hip-Hop, to be a little more organized and less cut-throat,” says Chuck D. “I’ve seen some individual achievements over the years that basically did not look back or did not pave the road for other ways to follow. That doesn’t work worldwide. Domination does not help here. The NBA has 30-some odd teams, and the NFL has 30-some odd teams that all need each other to exist. In Hip-Hop, I’ve often seen that, if this was a Thanksgiving table, everybody got food all over their face, scrambling and running out the back door with the turkey.”

For more information visit http://www.btneastlink.com.

By Tai Saint Louis

West Coast pioneer Ice Cube will join Michael Eisner on the former Disney chairman’s CNBC talk show tonight (May 19).

The rapper, actor, director and film producer born O’Shea Jackson will appear on a new episode of Conversations with Michael Eisner during an episode featuring renowned actress Julie Andrews and Rolling Stones Magazine founder and Publisher Jann Wenner.

During his segment of the episode, Cube shares his thoughts on a variety of topics including Oprah Winfrey’s apparent snub of the rapper, even as she celebrated the groundbreaking documentary Black.White, which Cube executive produced for the FX network.

The N.W.A. co-founder also explains the thought process behind his current single “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It,” the first song to be released from his forthcoming ninth solo album Raw Footage, which hits stores June 17.

“Last year, with Don Imus and the Virginia Tech shooting, and even Michael Vick and the dog fighting, there was this swirl in the media that Gangsta rap is the root of all evil, almost,” Cube tells Eisner. “I started thinking how ironic that is. Gangsta rap was basically invented in 1985, but if you was around in 1984, you know how crazy it was in the world. So how could Gangsta gap be the cause of all these global problems.”

Since the release of N.W.A.’s seminal debut LP Straight Outta Compton in 1988, Ice Cube has established himself as not only a heavyweight in the rap game, but a well respected player in Hollywood as well.

His first on-screen turn as “Doughboy” in John Singleton’s 1991 classic Boyz n the Hood has led to appearances in over twenty-five films to date.

Ice Cube currently has three films in postproduction including Longshots, the story of the first girl to play in a Pop Warner football tournament. Conversations with Michael Eisner airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST.


By Tai Saint Louis

This summer rappers from around the globe will gather in Atlanta for a one of a kind competition, offering the emcees the chance to battle for up to one million dollars.

The World Series of Hip-Hop will be hosted at the Georgia World Congress Center August 5-9, offering signed and unsigned rappers the opportunity to compete in a bracket style tournament in three levels, to be judged by a panel of some of the most respected names in Hip-Hop.

"This is like a Hip-Hop lottery,” said legendary Queens MC Roxanne Shante, the official spokeswoman for the World Series. “You have to be in it to win it. Most people get in the industry to make a million dollars. But very few make one dollar. Here's a chance for them to make $1,000,000.00 in one night!"

World Series of Hip-Hop contestants will be divided into three age-based divisions.

The Heavyweights, ages 25 and up, will compete for the million dollar grand prize, with the three runner-ups receiving up to $100,000 in prize money.

Artists aged 21-24 will compete for the Middleweight grand prize of $500,000; while those 18-20 are up for $250,000.

The first two days of the contest will see over 200 cyphers take place over the course of 8-10 hours each day, leading up to the semi-finals and finals on the third day.

The event will be hosted by New York DJ and MTV personality Cipha Sounds and rapper-turned-radio personality Monie Love.

“I've spoken to established artists who are signed," said the event’s organizer Furqaan Clover. “They have told me that $1 million is enough to go into battle. Even known rappers can use that kind of money…the competition is going to be stiff. An unknown rapper can become an overnight millionaire in the Heavyweight category."

As tough as the competition, will be the judges, as competitors face a panel of legendary, world-renowned judges consisting of Big Daddy Kane, Dana Dane, DJ Red Alert, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Just Ice, K-Solo, Kool Moe Dee, Kurtis Blow, MC Lyte, Positive K, MTV’s Sway, Superlove Cee & Casanova Rud, and the Ultramagnetic MCs.

The World Series of Hip-Hop will also feature a Dance competition, where crews of varying sizes will compete for up to $500,000.

The largest prize will be up for grabs in the Dance Troupe category, for teams of six or more dances.

Squads, groups of five or less dancers, will compete for $250,000. Soloists also will battle in the Individual Breakdancing category for $250,000.

The event is open to the public at an admission cost of $10.

“I can't wait to see some unknown rapper, really shame some industry rapper,” Roxanne Shante continued. “I can't wait because I know it's going to be the biggest thing in Hip-Hop history. It's going to change some rapper's life. Plus, I love a good battle."

By Tai Saint Louis

Hip-Hop legend DMC will hold a press conference on Monday (May 12) to announce a new partnership with Children’s Aid and Family Services, a Paramus, New Jersey based non-profit organization serving children in the state’s foster care/adoption system.

DMC will serve as the face of CAFS’s new “It’s Cool to Care” campaign, helping to raise awareness and encourage adults to make a difference in the lives of adoptive and foster children.

“When [children in foster care] look at me, I want them to say, ‘You’re the same as me.’ I want them to understand that there is no one more special than them in this world,” said the pioneering Run-DMC co-founder. “When I saw what the agency has done in the past and continues to do for families, I was flattered when they asked for my help. I said: ‘What do you need me for?’,” he adds. “The agency and I both believe in assisting these kids to fly in their futures. We want to find families to care for them, to give them hope, and to motivate them to fulfill their dreams.”

DMC will serve as the face of the new campaign, gracing billboards, video and radio PSAs, as well as CAFS’s web site, giving a voice to the thousands of children in New Jersey who benefit from the organization’s services.

He will also take on a mentoring role in the lives of kids awaiting to be reunited with their families or taken in by new families.

The rapper will also visit the agency’s group homes and engage in dialogue directly with the children.

“We are so excited and honored that Darryl will be working with us to help bring awareness to children currently in foster care, available for adoption, and those aging out of foster care,” said Bob Jones, PhD, President & CEO of Children’s Aid and Family Services. “Darryl provides a positive role model to these children that they are not alone, that someone as successful and famous as DMC really cares about them.”

DMC has taken on the personal agenda of championing foster children since 2000, when his parents revealed that he was adopted, as he gathered information for his autobiography.

That mission began with the creation of the Felix Organization/Adoptees for Children, which he launched in 2006 with HBO Casting Director Sheila Jaffe (The Sopranos/Entourage), providing opportunities and new experiences for children without parents.

He went on to add a summer camp called Camp Felix, which hosts 150 foster children from inner city areas each year.

In 2007, DMC released the Emmy Award winning DMC: My Adoption Journey, a VH1-produced documentary that gave viewers an intimate look into the rapper’s quest to discover his birth origins.

Earlier this year, he testified in from of the New Jersey Senate in support of SB 611, a bill that would allow adult adoptees access to their original birth records.

The bill is currently in committee and will soon come before the New Jersey State Assembly.

By Tai Saint Louis

Chicago rapper Common has landed a high-profile role in an upcoming new installment of The Terminator franchise of movies.

Common, born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, will star in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, which is being produced by Halcyon Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. and Sony.

The fourth installment of The Terminator focuses on John Connor, who leads the human race in an epic battle against the machines.

Common will star in the movie as a freedom fighter alongside the central character, John Connor, who is being played by actor Christian Bale.

Others starring in the movie include Sam Worthington, Derek Anderson, Jeanne Allgood, Dan Lin, Mortiz Borman, Victor Kubicek, Jeff Silver and others.

The original Terminator movie was released in 1984 and starred current California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The movie’s sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released in 1991 and earned four Oscar Awards.

In 2003, Schwarzenegger reprised his role for Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which has grossed almost $450,000,000 dollars worldwide, since its original release.

With his latest album Invincible Summer due in stores this summer, the rapper made it clear that he isn’t the typical rapper who turns to acting in order to boost his career, although he has his eyes set on a prestigious prize.

“I'm not a hip-hop dude who wants to act. I'm an artist," Common recently told the Chicago-Sun Times, adding that he has his eyes set on an Oscar Award.

"The Oscar seems very prestigious,” Common said. “With all due respect to the Grammys, there are more music categories and it's easier to get a ticket to the show. Also if you look at it as someone coming from Chicago, there are only so many black artists who receive Oscars."

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins is slated to hit theaters in May of 2009.

By Roman Wolfe

Cash Money rapper Lil Wayne has signed on to co-star in a new major motion picture starring Forest Whitaker, titled The Patriots.

Lil Wayne, whose single “Lollipop” is currently #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart and on MTV’s TRL video countdown show, began filming for the movie in his hometown of New Orleans earlier this week.

The Patriots is about a basketball team that was assembled of players, who attended five different high schools before Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans.

Lil Wayne has been tapped to play a character named “Lamont,” a student of Al Collins High School who is skeptical of the newly formed team.

Whitaker, who is currently on the big screen alongside Common and The Game in the movie Street Kings, plays the coach of the team who is attempting to lead the team to a state championship.

The movie, which is loosely based on a true story, was written by Robert Eisele, who wrote The Great Debaters.

The Patriots, which is directed by Tim Story (Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer), is due in theaters around Thanksgiving.

Lil Wayne’s highly anticipated album Tha Carter III is due in stores on June 10th.

Rapper Queen Latifah is among the headliners of the “Songs of Soul and Inspiration” concert being produced by AARP, the world’s largest advocacy organization for the 50+ community.

The company announced today (April 28) that Latifah, along with Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, Patti Austin, Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Jamia, CeCe Winans, The Fire Choir and Ann Nesby appearing with her daughter Paris Bennett, would all perform during the concert.

“Songs of Soul and Inspiration,” which celebrates AARP’s 50th Anniversary, is being directed by Debbie Allen, who has won a Golden Globe, an Emmy and a Tony Award.

On June 21, the singers will honor the musical legacy of the African-American church at The Philips Arena. Each artist will celebrate the songs and musicians the houses of worship have produced.

"We're thrilled to bring this extraordinary musical event to Atlanta in celebration of our 50th anniversary," said Emilio Pardo, Chief Brand Officer, AARP. "The talent coming together for this show is truly phenomenal and a perfect way for our members, their families and friends to join in our celebration.”

Tickets are on sale to the general public, while AARP members can use a special code to receive a discount.

By Rudy West

Suave Records Announces Deal With Two of Hip-Hop’s music’s best known independent record labels have come together for a new joint venture.

Koch Records will work with Houston, Texas based pioneering independent label Suave Records (formerly known as Suave House Records), to release a series of albums from 8Ball & MJG, Gillie Da Kid and Jiggolo.

For Koch’s general manager Alan Grunblatt, the partnership marks a new chapter in a longstanding relationship with Suave House Records founder, Tony Draper.

"Tony and I have had tremendous success with Suave House Records in the late '90s," said Grunblatt, who predicted imminent success. "He is a brilliant record man and I'm sure we're going to have lots of gold artists as part of this new venture."

The Suave Records/Koch deal isn’t the first time Grunblatt has worked alongside Draper, who received support from his longtime friend during the early days of Relativity Records, an early distributor of Suave House Records.

As one of the leading independent labels in music, Suave House Records played an important role in bringing Southern rap to the forefront, by releasing a number of influential albums, including 8Ball & MJG’s classic 1993 debut album Comin' Out Hard.

In recent years, Draper has worked with various rap veterans, including working with Ice Cube on his independent release Laugh Now, Cry Later, which has moved over 600,000 copies.

Additionally, Draper was instrumental in working with Virginia rap group the Clipse in obtaining ownership of their masters through a groundbreaking, five-year 50/50 deal at Sony/Columbia Records.

The first release under the Suave Records/Koch deal will be 8Ball & MJG's Greatest Hits.

The album, which will include popular selections such as "Space Age Pimpin'," "Pimp In My Own Rhyme" and "Don't Flex," is the first compilation of the duo's classic catalogue in a "Best Of" format.

8Ball & MJG's Greatest Hits is slated to hit stores on May 13.


By Chris Richburg

Hip-Hop duo EPMD are donning their entrepreneurial hats with the release of their new album We Mean Business, as group members Erick Sermon and Parish Smith have launched a new label, EP Records.

The new venture is a business reunion of sorts, after a well documented business feud between Sermon and Smith broke the group up in 1993, with Smith launching The Hit Squad, while Sermon formed his group Def Squad.

The group reunited with 1997’s album Back in Business, which was followed by their last release, 1999’s Out of Business.

Despite the changing climate of today’s rap scene, Sermon is adamant about staying true to what endeared him and Smith to rap fans.

"We’re not out here to conform to radio or worry about who’s digging it," Erick Sermon told AllHipHop.com. "The core fans are going to speak up and they’re liking it and that’s all who we care about."

"It’s a combination of Strictly Business and Business As Usual,” Smith said. “Basically it’s me and E doing our own thing. We got our own label EP Records and it’s distributed through Fontana Universal; we just showing that there is no excuse or no crying over technology.”

Although Smith and Sermon are mostly featured on We Mean Business, the album will include guest appearances from KRS-One, Mobb Deep and longtime EPMD affiliate Redman.

"The album is crazy," Sermon revealed. "Everything on it beat wise is crazy. It’s real real nice, a real nice tape. I say tape because I’m keeping it essence of it here. People going to love it."

EPMD’s return to the rap scene comes as artists work to maintain success in an ever-changing music scene.

"I think if New York and LA started making records, it wouldn’t be this lopsided," Sermon noted. "People got to stop worrying about bringing New York back and stop worrying about what ni***s is doing and start making material."

EPMD’s We Mean Business is slated to hit stores on July 30.

By Chris Richburg and Martin Berrios