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King T Back With 3 New Projects!
Fuck a Champ, the King is here! It's been a minute since West Coast veteran King T blessed us with a verse, but that's about to change real fast. King T is back in full effect, dropping not 1, not 2, but 3 projects next month! Westcoast2k reached out to the King to get the low on things.

First things first, King T is dropping a new mixtape next week, on August 1st, called "Boss Up Volume 1". It will showcase new talent as well as familiar names, and the main focus is to connect the new with the old, which is definitely a good look for new artists.

"Mostly what I wanted to do with this mixtape was showcase a bunch of new talent that's coming from the West Coast, like Young Maylay, Young Noi, Mr. West, and a few other cats. Plus I wanted to get with some of my homies like Comptons Most Wanted. I also did something with B-Real. I got a few things from the Dogg Pound, I got something with Kurupt, then I got some stuff from Soopafly with Richie Rich, Gonzoe, and Daz. I also got Tri Star and Eastwood, and I'm on like 5 cuts, but it's mainly just showcasing new talent, cause we gotta get the West back on top. As far as producers, I got Jesse West from New York, One Eye, this new kid from the West named E, and then I did like half of the mixtape that's original beats. " King T told Westcoast2k.

"I feel like it's on its way back to the West, we're gettin' a lot of play now. We just need avenues like I'm trying to give right here with the "Boss Up" mixtape. That's what it's all gonna be, showcasing new talent from the West. That's the only reason that I'm trying to do mixtapes, to get the kids and get them out there. It's pretty cool right now, because it used to be real hard to hear new talent from the West. But now people are on us, it's Down South now, and it's coming back around to the West Coast." King T continued
Besides that, King T also got a Greatest Hits album coming out entitled "G-Hits" (the old school album cover alone explains it all).

"I also got a CD coming out with my old hits that I had back in the days, like "Bass", "Played Like A Piano", "Act A Fool", "Str8 Gone", the song I was on Dre's album "Some L.A. Niggaz", or the song I did with Spice 1 called "West Ridin'". That will come like a week later after the mixtape." King T said.


On top of that, King T will also re-release his unreleased Aftermath album "Thy Kindom Come". This will be come out in the exact same form how it was mastered on Aftermath.

"We will re-issue it. It's gonna be a different version of the album than the bootleg that came out. It's gonna be the actual album that was mastered that I did with Dre. The bootleg was just put together, but we gonna put out the real one. With the bootleg I didn't really mind, I kinda helped put it together because I wanted people to hear it" T said.



01. King T - Intro / Likhittaz
02. Comptons Most Wanted, King T - Compton's Bacc
03. Tri State - Freestyle
04. Young Maylay, Deadly Threat, King T - The Grind
05. Born 2wice - Freestyle
06. The Game, King T - Hate It R Luv It (Boss Up Mix)
07. Tri Star, Eastwood - I'm Gunnin'
08. Timebomb, Young Maylay, J.R. Ewing - U Made Me
09. King T, B-Real, Let Us Know
10. J.R. Ewing - Shhh
11. Tuggboat, Young Maylay - On The Blocc
12. Bamm, Tuggboat, El' Buddah - Odale
13. J.R. Ewing - Karma Sutra
14. 40 Glocc - Interlude
15. Krazy Rik, Da Homie E, Young Maylay - Flippa Bitch
16. Apocalypse & Randum - Freestyle
17. L.A. Zuu - Freestyle
18. Kurupt - That's Gangsta '05
19. Daz Dillinger, Richie Rich, Gonzoe, Soopafly - Like We Doo
20. A Break On Broadway
21. Rated Real - Name Brand
22. Snoop Dogg - In Memory Of... (U Betta Bring A Gun - King T, Mix Master Spade)
23. R.M.I. Feat. Big Bone - Don't Get Fucc'd Up
24. Killa Ben - A Come Up
25. J-Zone Feat. Al Shid - Heavy Metal
26. J.R. Ewing - Catch Ya'



01. Bass (Original Mix)
02. Act A Fool
03. Just Clownin
04. Played Like A Piano
05. Ruff Rhyme
06. At Your Own Risk (Marley Marl Remix)
07. Got It Bad Y'all Feat. Tha Liks
08. Likwit Feat. Tha Liks
09. Positivly Negative Feat. Xzibit
10. King T's Beer Stand Feat. Ice Cube
11. Ahoe B-4 The Homie Feat. Deadly Threat & Ice Cube
12. Westridin' Feat. Spice 1
13. Dippin' (Remix)
14. Supanigga Feat. DJ Pooh & Rush
15. Ghetto Freestyle Feat. Xzibit, Tha Liks, & Sonny Gunz
16. Where Da Paper At? Feat. Xzibit & Tha Liks
17. Loud & Clear Feat. Xzibit, Defari, & Butch Cassidy
18. Some L.A. Niggaz Feat. Timebomb, Xzibit, Defari, Hittman, Knocturnal, & Kokane
19. Str8 Gone


King T is also working on his new solo album which should be coming later this year, as well as Tha Liks album which is being mixed right now.

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Set to drop this Oct., Sadat's forthcoming Female Fun album is entitled "Experience & Education" – this will be released on sturdy 180gram 2xLP and digi-pack CD (with design layout handled by our friend Ray Johnson who did the Prince Paul album artwork). We've been working hard through the NYC Summer heat to finalize and finish this certified Bronx-bred banger! So hear `dis! From Uptown to your town, Sadat X is back just for you.

Featuring stellar production from the likes of Diamond D, DJ Spinna, The P Brothers, Minnesota, Ge-ology, Scram Jones, Agallah, Ogee, DJ Madsol Desar and others – along with featured guestspots from O.C., Heltah Skeltah (both Sean Price & Rock!), Edo G.,
Money Boss Players, Agallah and Sean Black (Wild Cowboys fame)!

BABYGRANDE RECORDS FORMS JOINT VENTURE WITH DREDDY KRUGER & THINK DIFFERENTLY MUSIC GROUP

Babygrande Records is pleased to announce it has formed a joint venture with Dreddy Krugers Think Differently Music Group.

Three projects are planned for immediate release. The first which will be in stores October 18, Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture is an unprecedented pairing of Wu-Tang artists, producers and affiliates with some of independent hip-hops east and west coast elite. RZA, MF Doom, GZA, Rass Kass, Aesop Rock, Masta Killa, Del the Funky Homosapien, Sean Price, J Live, Tragedy Khadafi, C Rayz Walz, RA the Rugged Man, Littles, Cannibal Ox, Sunz of Man, Royal Fam and many more artists, producers and even award winning filmmaker Jim Jarmusch have come together for what will be a historic moment in hip-hop.

The first single, Biochemical Equation featuring The RZA and MF Doom will premiere on ITUNES next month.

The next two projects will be (i) a solo album from Wu-Tang affiliate producer Bronze Nazareth who recently produced tracks for RZA, GZA, Masta Killa, Immortal Technique and Black Market Militia and (ii) a solo album from long time Wu-Tang affiliate LA the Darkman/Embassy Entertainment.

'I learned how to make albums...the whole process of putting a record together directly from The RZA and Schott Free (Loud Records). It feels good to finally have my own situation to bring my conceptual thinking to hip-hop and I look forward to working with Babygrande to make it happen, says Kruger.

Think Differently Musics CEO and Founder Dreddy Kruger began his career as an artist signed to RZAs label Wu-Tang Records. Recently he A&Rd the debut albums for Masta Killa and Black Market Militia which led to the formation of Think Differently Music Group and the A&Ring of its first release, Think Differently: Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture.

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you're wondering how Southern rapper Petey Pablo ended up on onetime West Coast powerhouse Death Row Records, you're not alone...

"I have often asked myself the same thing," Pablo said. "But if you accept what life is supposed to be, then there's things that'll happen in your life that you won't fully understand until later on in life, but when the understanding comes at the end of the day, everything that you ever had questions about will be no more. What God put together, let no man take it apart."



Pablo offered no details about how he ended up in business with Suge Knight, but confirmed that the Death Row founder is executive producing his next album, Same Eyez on Me.

"It's like Tupac's album All Eyez on Me, which was his greatest album," Petey said of the title. "And I think this is following in the footsteps, 'cause this is my greatest album. I've been so focused and I'm ready. I've been overlooked for a long time."

Pablo is still finalizing the track list for the album, which doesn't yet have a release date, but he's so far recorded with Timbaland, Magoo, newcomers the Strike Team, R&B singer Bobby Green and Lil Jon, who produced the single "Freek-a-Leek" from Petey's last album, 2004's Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry.

"I got a lot of material," he said. "I've recorded over like 200 songs since I been out here. People have told me I've recorded more songs than Tupac."

And Pablo's not just writing songs. He's also written a movie called "When the Fat Lady Sings."

"I can't give [the premise] away right now, 'cause somebody might try to get me," said Petey, who is also acting. "I was just on 'The Shield' recently. ... So I just got a whole lot of stuff going on."

There's only one thing he's not been able to accomplish.

"I just can't find a girlfriend," he said. "Everybody keep thinking that I'm just a rapper and they scared to go to the hotels and all that other stuff, 'cause they hear about things that go on with y'all rappers. But I want some kids, man. I mean, I got a lot of animals, but I want some kids. My sister told me to have some babies."

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The life of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. is getting the big-screen treatment. Fox Searchlight, which has secured B.I.G.'s life rights, has tapped Cheo Hodari Coker to write the biopic and is in negotiations with Antoine Fuqua to direct.

Producing are B.I.G.'s mother, Voletta Wallace, and his former managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts...

Born Christopher Wallace, then taking the moniker Biggie Smalls because of his more than 6-foot, 400-pound frame before settling on alias Notorious B.I.G., the rapper's rise was meteoric. He went from a Brooklyn crack dealer to East Coast hip-hop sensation, helping establish Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy label as a hip-hop presence and aiding artists like Lil' Kim and wife Faith Evans.



B.I.G. was involved in a very public feud with West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur, who was gunned down in a Las Vegas drive-by in late 1996. In March 1997, B.I.G. was shot to death as he was leaving a Vibe party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

B.I.G.'s murder has never been solved. In 2002, Evans and Wallace filed a civil suit against the LAPD and the City of Los Angeles, alleging that police were involved. A mistrial was declared earlier this month, and a new trial is expected.

Barrow said the trio had been trying to get a film off the ground for the last five years.

"People wanted to give us check and do a film that they wanted to do, but Searchlight gave us the opportunity to really be able to come in and tell the story the way it was supposed to be told," Barrow said. "It's not just a hip-hop film, it's a film of life and a film of love. We didn't want to sell our souls to the devil, so to speak, just to get a check. The story is too important, not just to us but to hip-hop."

Barrow said he hoped to be in production early next year, and the most challenging aspect of the film will be casting.

"The most important element to casting B.I.G. is what we consider the swagger," Barrow said. "They have to have the element of the man and be able to capture the essence of who he was and his maneuvering, his relishings of life. You can't instill this in an individual -- you just have to have it."

Coker has written for Vibe, the Los Angeles Times and Premiere and was the last person to interview B.I.G. before his death. He is the author of "Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G." The biopic will not be based on the book, and Coker will work closely with the Wallace family to write the screenplay.

Coker is also no stranger to Hollywood or biopics. He did a rewrite on a Bob Marley biopic at Warners and is working on an untitled thriller for Fuqua.

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Only days before reporting to prison on Sept. 19th, Lil' Kim will release her fourth album, The Naked Truth, on Sept. 13th...

"Shut Up," the first offering from the LP has already hit the streets and is presently building a buzz across the U.S. On the track, Kim addresses the gossip and rumors that have been spreading on her. The CD finds the Queen Bee collaborating with producers like Kanye West, Scott Storch, 7 Aurelius, Fredwreck, Hot Runner and Red Spyda. The Naked Truth follows up 2003's La Bella Mafia. The album landed at #5 on Billboard 200 and sold well over 1 million copies.



On July 6th, Kim, aka Kimberly Jones, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, fined $50,000 and ordered to serve three years probation for lying under oath to a grand jury.

Kim was found guilty of three counts of perjury and one count of conspiracy this past March, but was acquitted of obstruction of justice. The Brooklyn rapper was convicted of lying to a grand jury in relation to a 2001 shooting outside of New York's Hot 97's radio station. Kim's team confronted Capone-N-Noreaga's team about the group's song, "Bang Bang." Kim's rival, Foxy Brown, took shots at the Queen Bee on the track. Moments into the confrontation, shots were exchanged and one man was injured.

Lil' Kim's The Naked Truth featuring production from Kanye West and Scott Storch is scheduled to hit stores September 13th.

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It's fall 2004 and T.I. is about to give Young Jeezy a glowing endorsement. The Southern king is onstage at the Mixshow Power Summit in Puerto Rico in front of not only peers such as Fat Joe, Fabolous and Trick Daddy, but every prominent mixshow and mixtape DJ.

Tip is telling everyone he's about to bring "the next n---a" onstage. The rapper, according to T.I., would be a dominant force within a year's time. As everybody tried to figure out who the gaunt MC was talking about, he ended the guessing and introduced the little-known Jeezy.



"I even was like, 'Who is he talking about?' " Jeezy remembered. "He said, 'Jeezy, bring your ass out.' I came out and kicked it for a little bit, and as I was about to leave, he said, 'Before you leave, we about to perform.' To see that unity, everybody was impressed. It was a good look."

Almost a year after the Power Summit, T.I.'s prophecy has held true. Jeezy's album Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 has been one of the most anticipated of the year, and the early word from plenty of critics and DJs who've heard it is that it'll be one of the top rap albums of 2005.

"All of it is good to me," Jeezy said of the disc. "The content is there, the whole motivational thing is there. The whole Let's Get It — people are going to say, 'He really meant that.' "

Since rising quickly to hip-hop prominence this year — his mixtape Trap or Die being a major tool of recognition — Jeezy says he's had to learn his fair share of lessons in the industry. He'll tell you straight up, he's basically a hustler who knows how to make songs.

"I don't how to be a rapper," he said. "I try to learn. I watch cats, see cats, 'OK, cool.' I learned, though, you have to holler at the DJs sometimes. I had to learn how to talk a little bit more 'cause I ain't a people person to where I'm gonna just go, 'What up, man? My name is such and such.' "

Luckily for Da Snowman, as he's also called, his record "And Then What" has become a big enough hit the past few weeks that every DJ with their finger on the pulse already knows his name. Jeezy was able to secure a beat from Mannie Fresh, which is rare because Mannie doesn't produce many tracks for non-Cash Money artists.

"It was cool," he said. "I've always been a fan from 'Ha,' to the first Hot Boys album," Jeezy said. "Fresh got energy. It's crazy 'cause that was the first beat he did for me. We did a couple of songs. My thing was, 'I'm finnin' to show Fresh I can rap.' N---as was telling Fresh I could go, but I be on some grimy stuff. I wanted to show him I could really make a song. A lot of my stuff is dark but [this song] gives that club feeling, 'Hey we still good.' "

One of Jeezy's favorite collabos on the LP is with his good friend T.I. on "Bang." The two teamed with Lil Scrappy for that track.

"I really think he's a good businessman," Da Snowman said about Tip. "At the same time, he opened up a lot of doors for me. Everybody does their part. He definitely did his part. Without him coming in the way the way he did — going through his trials and tribulations — and getting it how he is now, it would have been just that harder on me. People always say to me ... they try to throw little things ... 'If he's the King of the South, who are you?' I'm Jeezy. I'm Da Snowman. That's my dude, the King of the South.

"I'mma ride with him," he continued. "If that's what he claims, I don't have a problem with it. We from Georgia, we gotta stick together. We can go kick it and it's positive. People want beef and all that, but we're cool. You can't turn real against real."

Jeezy also denies that there is friction within the ranks of his group Boyz N Da Hood, which released their self-titled debut last month on Bad Boy. See, Jeezy has been pulled in two directions the last few months, promoting his solo debut on Def Jam, while trying to keep his requirements to his foursome's project. He's even had to miss many of the Boyz's press engagements.

"I want to be honest with you, man. I kinda hate it went like it did," Jeezy said about the two albums coming out so close to each other. "[The] Boyz N Da Hood album was supposed to have been out. They had to get some things straight over there [at the label]. It could have been set up a little bit better, but we G's, man. We're going to work it out. I definitely don't think it'll hurt it, because when I'm out, I promote Boyz N Da Hood. When they out, they promote Jeezy.

"It's like a lot on my plate," he added. "It ain't like I got a lot of time for myself no more. It's like I got two jobs."

Jeezy's next solo set will be "Soul Survivor" with Akon. The two are set to shoot the video within the next couple of weeks.

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Ever wonder who originally coined the phrase “Bucktown,” the slang which has since become synonymous in the Urban landscape to describe the concrete borough? That’s right, Smif N Wesson’s Tek & Steele. Yet, there is so much more to Brooklyn, New York than meets the eye. Long considered a breeding ground for crime, corruption, and untamed youth, the borough's contributions to the world of music and culture have traditionally gone without notice--- but they are there. Just think hip hop, and the names will begin rushing into your consciousness: Special Ed, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, M.O.P., DJ Premier, Mos Def, and of course, that army battalion-load of emcees known as the Boot Camp Clik...

Appearing under the name, Smif-N-Wessun, Tek and Steele's first-ever recorded experience dates back to fellow 'Bucktown' representatives and Boot Camp members, Black Moon's stellar LP, 1993's Enta Da Stage. Textured with the murky, dungeon-core production of Da Beatminerz, and crackling with the flavor of a reggae vocal long-forgotten, the collaboration would set the stage for the unique blend of sound clash street-speak which was to follow. And follow it did-- nearly 2 years later, when the fast-rising pair dropped their groundbreaking Dah Shinin' debut on Nervous Records. Acclaimed by both hip-hop and pop press alike, the record would feature an abundance of single-worthy cuts, including the now-classics, "Sound Bwoy Buriel", "Stand Strong", and "Bucktown." And the fans liked it too, copping enough copies during its opening week to ensure both a #1 slot on Billboard's Rap Album chart and #3 debut on its R&B measure-- impressive stats for a new artist release in any genre.

By the time Tek & Steele began recording their sophomore LP, Rude Awakening, Duck Down had a new recording home and distribution deal with Priority Records and was the talk of the underground scene. But just as things looked ready to take off, Tek & Steele were served a cease and desist order from gun manufacturer Smith And Wesson, which banned them from being able to record under their original recording moniker Smif N Wesson; hence, when Rude Awakening was finally released in 1998, Tek & Steele were forced to release the LP as Cocoa Brovaz---a road block which would have crippled most artists with lesser talent. Though Tek & Steele signed a deal with former Indy Powerhouse Rawkus Records in 2000(?), it was short lived, as Rawkus folded its door’s shortly after Tek & Steele had finished recording their Rawkus debut. Yet, the duo remained busy, as they stayed active by contributing to Rawkus’ Soundbombing II (“Get Up”) and III (“Spit Again”) and appearing (“Gun Talk”) on Talib Kweli’s 2002 release Quality.

Now back, and recording under their original moniker, Tek & Steele’s Smif N Wess: Reloaded, is the final piece of Duck Down’s re-emergence in 2005, as it brilliantly culminates Duck Down’s “Triple Threat”(Sean Price’s Monkey Barz & Buckshot & 9th Wonder’s Chemistry) summer. Ripe with Tek & Steele’s smokey vocals, Reloaded brings the Boot Camp click full-circle and is aided by guest appearances from all of the Boot Camp’s core members, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Tony Touch and production from Da Beatminerz, Roc Raida, Coptic and young fast-rising producers Moss and the Justus League’s Khrysis. The LP’s lead-single, “My Timbz Do Work” f/Heltah Skeltah will be impacting soon.

Tek and Steele, are more than just survivors of this diverse and musically prolific environment; they are survivors of an industry that values the fattening of pockets above all else. Despite an early career rooted in critical and commercial success, the duo's future would forever be altered by one key axiom: in the business of music, still don't nothing move but the money.

Tracklisting and credits for Tek & Steele’s Smif N Wess: Reloaded:

1.) Reloaded (produced by Dru Kevorkian)
2.) The Truth (produced by Roc Raida)
3.) My Timbz Do Work f/Heltah Skeltah
4.) Gunn Rap (produced by Khrysis)
5.) Toolz Of The Trade (produced by Da Beatminerz)
6.) Sick Em Son (produced by Khrysis)
7.) War (produced by Ken Ring & Rune Rotter)
8.) Warriorz Heart (Gangbang) f/Dead Prez (produced by Coptic)
9.) Here I Stand (The Streets Been Good To Me) (produced by Coptic)
10.) City Of Godz (Ciudad De Dios) f/Buckshot (produced by Coptic)
11.) U Undastand Me f/Starang & Tony Touch (produced by Da Beatminerz)
12.) Get Back f/The Boot Camp Click (produced by Moss)
13.) A Hustlers Prayer (produced by Da Beatminerz)
14.) PNC Boyz (produced by Coptic)
15.) We Came Up (Crystal Stair) f/Talib Kweli (produced by Da Beatminerz)

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Rumors have persisted in recent weeks that Brownsville, New York rhyme posse M.O.P. has been on the verge of signing with 50 Cent's G-Unit Records.

Group member Billy Danze confirmed with AllHipHop.com that the group is now officially signed with 50's label.

"It's a beautiful thing, it's working out," Danze told AllHipHop.com. "We're doing new joints for the album and we're currently on the Anger Management tour with G-Unit."

The group was originally signed to Roc-A-Fella, but when the label was broken up and sold off to the Island Def Jam Music Group in December of 2004, the group was caught in the crossfire.

M.O.P. ended up on Dame Dash's Dame Dash Music Group, but in May of 2005, group manager Laze E. Laze told AllHipHop.com that M.O.P. planned on a clean break from all parties.

Danze explained that the new situation with G-Unit has afforded them lots of new opportunities and he's looking forward to creating some new, dope music, which should come out in early 2006.

"We got a new situation, so we wanna start fresh," Danze said. "We cover all the grounds we need to cover now."

With the recent signing of Mobb Deep to G-Unit confirmed as well, fans of the group should expect the possibility of some high-profile collaborations. According to Billy, no matter the label, it's still all about the hardcore.

"It doesn't matter who you're making music with or what label you’re signed to, as long as you're doing it the way you've done it for years," Danze explained. "We listen to dudes from everywhere, it don't make a difference who you are as long as you got good music."

Still, many loyal M.O.P. fans may feel like the group might change now that they are aligned with an international star like 50 Cent. Billy feels that fans should embrace the new label deal.

"Because you don't like the situation that I put myself in - which is a better situation - you don't wanna f**k with me no more? That doesn't make sense to me. What it means to me is you weren't really down with us anyway," Danze told Allhiphop.com. "We do music from the bottom, we represent the parts of society that people try to forget about, and we will continue to do that, regardless of our [label] situation."

As Billy puts it, true fans will ride or die and keep showing the love. "If you're a real fan, you're gonna want me on the winning team," he said.

You can currently catch M.O.P. performing at various venues across the country performing on the Anger Management Tour.

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You heard it right... Remember that track with Crooked I and Tha Realest that was floating around but never officially came out? Well the Dynasty Boss and the Omerta CEO are picking up where they left off and putting together Drunk Driving In My Glasshouse Vol. 1. This will be a 12-15 track mixtape, and the two have already started on it. Look for out to drop this fall and be onsale on Tha Realest's official site as well as other outlets.

And no, this is not gonna be some randomly put together project with some Realest songs and some Crooked I songs that you've already heard, every single track will be Crook and Real rapping together.

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First Annual Bay Area Rap Scene Awards---Recap & Pictures!




West Coast Rydaz hit the First Annual Bay Area Rap Scene Awards, and if you missed it or live miles away, don't worry, we got you! I got some visuals and an indepth recap of the awards show for yall...

The location for this event was the Masonic Auditorium, although the event was scheduled to start at 6PM, due to artists talking to press and giving interviews, it started around 7 or so. Among the artists featured in our pictures, other Bay area bosses such as Mac Mall, Sky Balla, Cozmo, Dubee, Guce, and more were present at the Bay Area Rap Scene Awards.

Mac Minister did a good job as host for the majority of the night, telling funny stories and cracking jokes, that is when he wasn't too busy yelling at the 40+ people-who always seemed to hop onstage after every segment-to clear the area. Mac as host for the event came as a surprise, since last we heard of him, police were looking to question him and he was nowhere to be found. Word is he has been dropped as a suspect for the Fat Tone murder. No word as to why Mike Epps didn't host as originally advertised. Now to cover the winners of the night, Turf Talk received Rookie of the Year award. The purple-smokin Jacka was presented as winner for Underground Artist of the Year category as well. Song of the year was easily stolen by Mac Dre, for his cult hit Feelin Myself. As the winner was anounced, the entire building started goin dumb and rockin to the Sean T produced banger. The superhyphie Keak Da Sneak took the award for Album of the Year for Copium, beating such tough competition as San Quinn, E-40, Mac Dre, Yukmouth and others who had a good year. The Group of the Year was Federation. To no surprise, the man behind the Fed, Rick Rock, took Producer of the Year award, after his continuous success locally and in the mainstream. Finally, Mac Dre took Artist of the Year award, which is no surprise as Mac Dre's fan following increased greatly since his passing last November.

As far as the performances for the night, the first one up to perform was JT The Bigga Figga, who was also honored as the biggest Entrepenuer of the Bay that night. JT had a a few youngsters with him from rival neighborhoods in San Francisco, and preached that the older people in our communities need to set a good example, if Harbor Road and West Point can unite, then so could others. The Luniz hit the stage and performed their big hit I Got 5 On It. The two were ready to get into I'm A Raider, but the performance was cut as the music was never cued. Jacka and Hussalah along with the other Mob Figaz hit the stage and performed Hey Girl. San Quinn let everyone know that The Bay is in the Area, performing a verse of his new radio hit, as the rest of the Done Deal fam joined him on stage. The final performance of the night was by the Eastcoast's MC Bluechip, who you might have heard on early recordings with The Game. The Hayward Bossalini Spice 1 was honored and spoke a few words. Too Short was presented with the Godfather of the Bay award, and talked about the Bay Areas musical influences way before he started rapping. He also gave praise to the current trend of "Hyphy" music that has hit the Bay Area rap scene and is rapidly growing, and encouraged artists to make that type of music, as it's becoming a staple in our rap scene. 2Pac was also praised as a Bay Area icon who made a nationwide impact.

All in all, this was a great and positive event for the Bay Area, there were no fights or any trouble, although the event suffered from lack of organization and pace, it almost made it seem like a 2 hour intermission as everything stopped after an award or performance went down. But seeing all the talent from Vallejo to E.P.A. at one place at the same time showed unity, and willingness to come together and do something positive for the west. If this event is pulled off with more organization and full performances next year, this could turn into something major.

Now, we got some pictures which were taken right before the show as everyone passed through the red carpet. Check em out...


Pics gibts auf http://www.westcoastrydaz.com/news.php# ... 2623,16776,

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