Archive for November, 2010

Snoop Dogg Drops “Wet” for Prince Wiliam’s Bachelor Party!

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Hip-Hop’s Top Dogg, Snoop, has released his brand new single  “Wet” via his SnoopDogg.com, Facebook, Twitter,  WestFestTV YouTube channel and MySpace social networks at 4:20 pm PST.

An anthem made for Prince William’s bachelor party, “Wet” is the second single off of Snoop’s upcoming 11th studio album entitled, Doggumentary Music, coming March 2011 .

Produced by The Cataracs, “Wet” can arguably be called the follow-up song to the Grammy-nominated single “Sensual Seduction.”  From its hypnotizing beat to its alluring and lustful lyrics, “Wet” is making its early case for the official nightclub song of 2011.

Additionally, Snoop is asking his fans to create a video of them dancing to the new single “Wet.”  The fan that garners the most video views, will win a trip for two to the U.K. courtesy of Snoop to celebrate the release of “Wet” in royal fashion.  Fans can enter the contest by uploading their videos to YouTube and/or tweeting the video link to @SnoopDogg with the hashtag #WET.  All contestants must title their YouTube video “Snoop Dogg Wet Dance.”

Make sure to download “Wet” now and take a listen to “Wet” below.

Google Buys Groupon for $2.5 Billion

Monday, November 29th, 2010

Rumors have been making their way around the web since early Sunday morning about Google officially acquiring Groupon, the largest, most well-known daily deal site on the web. Although both parties have yet to release a statement, the buyout seems to make sense.

Groupon has become one of the quickest internet success stories, with a growing revenue of over $1 billion to date. Its daily deals bring in approximately $50 million per month. With the Google/Groupon union, Google will have the ability to fuse deals with their local business directory, Google Places, creating an opportunity for a huge pay off. In addition, Google will be able to play a larger role in the online shopping world.

As for Groupon, the site has been trying to take down similar services that have attempted to copy their success. Now, under the wing of Google, Groupon will be able to fend off these new sites more easily. Many are criticizing Groupon for selling too early and losing their local touch, while others are applauding the buyout with a positive outlook for the new union. What do you think of the latest acquisition in the online sphere?

Behind-the-Scenes of Far East Movement’s “2gether” Video

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Check out an exclusive look of all the behind-the-scenes happenings on the shoot of Far East Movement and Roger Sanchez’ music video for “2gether,” courtesy of Rover. Makers of the insanely fast 4G Wi-Fi hotspot device, Rover Puck, the Wi-Fi technology company has teamed up with Far East Movement (Interscope) for their new music video, “2gether.”

“2gether,” featuring Grammy Award-winning House DJ, Roger Sanchez, is the new single off their first studio album, Free Wired, is a collaborative effort that’s bridgeing the gap between technology and music.

Head over to Rover Puck’s YouTube page to watch as Far East Movement shows you how to live Free Wired! Get your Rover Puck online at Rover’s official website and be sure to cop the single, “2gether” or the new album Free Wired on iTunes now!

Blast That Sample Pt. 3

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Blast That Sample, Cashmere’s weekly series from our resident hip-hop genius, continues to drop jewels on the under appreciated art of hip-hop sampling.

In our third installment of “Blast That Sample”, Cashmere is blowing your mind with just how far back today’s producers are digging in the crates to retro-fit old classics into today’s bangin’ joints.

---

This week’s sample is “Blow Your Mind” from Nicki Minaj’s debut release, Pink Friday

Cashmere’s own (@antpooh) will be thrilled to find out that Nicki samples Prince’s “Darling Nikki” from his classic Purple Rain soundtrack.

Cali Swag District drops “Kickback”!!

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Cali Swag District drop their second single, “Kickback”!! They got all of LA doin’ the dougie with their first single, “Teach Me How To Dougie”, reaching Number 1 on Billboard Heatseekers with over 18 million hits on YouTube.

Hailing from Inglewood, CA, this group of teenagers break the boundaries of gangsta rap that has been typically associated with their neighborhood. Bringin’ in their own style and flavor, C-Smoove, Yung, JayAre and M-Bone are definitely here to stay and make their mark in the music game.

The highly anticipated video is here for your viewing pleasure. Check out the new “Kickback” video and tell us what you think. And head over to iTunes to get the new single today!

Huge Music Monday

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

Thanksgiving week usually marks one of the biggest album release weeks of the year—and, this year is no different. With many of the year’s stand-out acts opting for a Monday release date in order to capture fans’ attention, as well as capture a full seven days of sales for Nielson SoundScan charts, it’s no wonder that most artists dropping albums today followed suit.

By far, one of the most anticipated album releases today goes to Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Already being called one of the most artistic albums of the year, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is predicted to dominate sales this holiday week. Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday has also been garnering attention as a huge release of the week.

Other notable releases today include Ne-Yo’s Libra Scale, Lloyd Banks’ H.F.M.2, My Chemical Romance’s Danger Days and Ke$ha’s Cannibal. This week’s Monday release trend may soon become the norm. The question is: which albums will you be purchasing this Thanksgiving?

Cashmere Film Spotlight: Red Bull Presents Bouncing Cat

Friday, November 19th, 2010

This past Tuesday, the Cashmere crew humbly attended Red Bull’s premiere of Bouncing Cats at the Downtown Independent Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. Directed by Nabil Elderkin, Bouncing Cats is the inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda by using the unlikely tool of hip-hop with a focus on b-boy culture and breakdance.

In 2006, Abraham “Abramz” Tekya, a Ugandan b-boy and A.I.D.S. orphan created Breakdance Project Uganda (B.P.U.). The dream was to establish a free workshop that would empower, rehabilitate, and heal the community by teaching youth about b-boy culture. Based in Kampala, Uganda, B.P.U. has recently expanded to include permanent classes in Gulu, Northern Uganda. Abramz teaches classes three Times a week to more than 300 kids from all parts of the country. Many of the children are homeless, victims of war and poverty, and few can afford proper schooling yet they walk from miles away to attend the B.P.U. classes. As Abramz says, “This is where many people’s pride is. It’s a skill that no one can take away from us.”

Crazy Legs, one of the founding members of the world famous Rock Steady Crew, visited Uganda after receiving an invitation from Abramz to teach b-boy classes. What he discovered upon his arrival was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Traveling throughout Uganda, from the southern slums to the war-torn North, Crazy Legs encountered a passion for hip-hop and desire to learn amongst the most squalid conditions.

Bouncing Cats follows Abramz, Crazy Legs, and Breakdance Project Uganda on a journey to use hip-hop culture for positive social change. The film features narration by Common and interviews with Mos Def, Will.I.Am, and K’Naan.

We know a lot of people are unhappy of the direction that music and hip-hop is heading towards. We all miss the good ol’ days of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Eric B & Rakim, Boogie Down Productions, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five…the list goes on.

Well to these citizens of Uganda, hip-hop is more to them than just music…it is their LIFE! Hip-hop literally has saved their lives…So for those of you who still love real hip-hop, please make sure you check out Bouncing Cats at BouncingCats.com and make a donation.

There is no doubt in our minds that this documentary will touch your hearts, the way it has ours.  Check out the trailer for Bouncing Cats below.

Cashmere Book Spotlight: Jay-Z: Decoded

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

On Tuesday, November 18th, Jay-Z released his first book, Decoded, which gives readers a peek into the life one of hip-hop’s greatest lyricists. The book covers a wide range of topics, from his childhood in the Marcey projects, drug dealing, his influences, politics, race, and what it takes to be successful. Decoded also analyzes the lyrics of several of his hit songs, providing readers with explanations for the metaphors and an understanding HOVA’s ideology that we’ve never had before.

On his book tour, Jay-Z stopped by The Howard Stern Show and The Daily Show to discuss not only his book but other questions as well including, if he and Beyonce are expecting, his discovery of Rihanna, and thoughts on Kanye West.

As part of the Decoded promotional efforts, Jay-Z partnered with Bing to create a scavenger hunt that hid the pages of his book in 200 locations that played an important part in his life. The first person to “decode” Jay-Z wins a lifetime pass to every single Jay-Z show for the rest of their life.

You can pick up your copy of Decoded over at Amazon. And check out his interveiw with Howard Stern and his appearance on The Daily Show below.

Cashmere Tech Tuesdays: The enTourage eDGe

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

The enTourage eDGe dual screen eBook reader is the perfect gift to give this holiday season. Deemed as the world’s first dualbook, eDGe has a 9.7″ black and white E-ink screen on one side and 10.1″ LCD color touchscreen on the other, along with 4GB of internal memory and Wi-Fi & Bluetooth capability.

Write your daily notes on the mini-notebook, or record your funny holiday moments with the audio-video recorder. You can flip the screen to be used tablet style, scribble notes in the margins, or highlight text. What a great stocking stuffer!

So, make sure you make the ‘nice list’ this holiday season, cuz’ you’re gonna want to get your hands on this!

Snoop Dogg Premieres Music Video for “New Year’s Eve”!

Monday, November 15th, 2010

To follow up with the release of his first single off his upcoming album Doggumentary Music: 0020,  dropping March 2011, the big Snoop Dogg has dropped a brand new music video for “New Year’s Eve.”

In the video, Snoop, Mike Epps, DJ Quik and many more show you how to celebrate in style. Directed by Dylan “Pook” Brown, the music video features Snoop and his leading lady rolling in the New Year at a party fit for a boss—with music, friends, champagne and plenty of Landy Cognac to go around.

Check out the music video below and make sure to purchase “New Year’s Eve” ft. Marty James on iTunes today!