In T.I.’s first post prison interview, he speaks on the new album due out August 24th and how its more aggressive because it’s based more on feelings rather than Paper Trail, which was based around thoughts. He also speaks on how he didn’t write much while he was in jail because there wasn’t much activity that inspired him to create.

Beans chats with the Source to set the record straight on why he is coming after Jay

This Oceans mixtape is serious!!!! I never saw people having that much fun in the studio before and creating hot shit on the fly like that. We caught up with Q while he was recording his verse for Vegas Baby!!!!

I shot MTV’s Sucker Free Sunday with Jada last week in Atlanta, and after we finished I kicked it with him about the Hip Hop Game. The real question that I wanted to ask was – With Jada being considered one of the best emcee’s in the game today, how does it feel that he isn’t compensated like that? I mean.. in most jobs (sports, movies, corporate america) the dude who is the best generally makes the most money… but in rap, that isn’t the case. How does he feel about that? What are your thoughts about that?

5 questions with Tag Recording Artist - Q Da Kid

Fabolous discusses how he got started on Tim Westwood. He’s so serious while telling his story (either that or he has a cold). He touches upon meeting Lil Mo, who many rappers owe thanks. He talks about dropping on 9/11 with people like Jay and Mariah. Says he thought, “Oh great, I’m probably gonna bomb.” Interesting…

Special Contributors: Gossip Girlz

With Season 4 of the Wire premiering on BET this week, I thought it would be only right to sit down and kick it with the home boy Maestro (Harrell) who played Randy (the Snitch) on the Wire (Season 4 & 5). Currently, Maestro is signed to So So Def and an accomplished actor (among other things).

Personally, Season 4 of the Wire was the best. The ‘kids’ kept your interest. So lay back, kick it, and enjoy the ride…

Yall Know What This Is: A Day With Maestro…

GG: Hi Maestro…

MH: Hi…Nice to meet you

GG: Well let’s jump right into it with some basics first….

MH: Okay…where would you like to begin?

GG: First things first…are you still in school?

MH: Yeah I attend Morgan Park Academy. It’s a school on the South Side of Chicago.

GG: How old are you?

MH: I’m 16, I’ll be 17 in July

GG: Where do you live?

MH: I live on the south side of Chicago with my mom and dad.

GG: How old were u when u got started in the business?

MH: I was about 2 years old when I got started. My parents knew they wanted me to be in entertainment and I just took to it.

GG: Exactly what do u do?

MH: I’m a overall entertainer. I act, sing, play the piano… I do it all. I’m also starting to get into song writing and production.

GG: So I heard you were signed to So So Def…how did that come about?

MH: I actually met Jermaine when I was 11 years old. He said he definitely saw something in me and that he was gonna sign me. After putting me through development and me living with him for a year and a half he signed me. That’s when he had his deal with Virgin Records. Then when he left Virgin and went to Island/ Def Jam he took me with him.

GG: Are u currently working on your album? What kind of music?

MH: Yeah, JD and I are in the studio off and on right now working on my album. Its going to be a R&B album, but its going to reach everybody so I don’t want to really put it in a “genre.”

GG: Can u give the readers a list of accomplishments thus far?

MH: So far, over the course of my career I’ve been on the Jay Leno show 6 times, I’ve had my own tv show, I’ve done the Broadway production of the Lion King, I’ve been in two movies-Ali & Barbershop, I’ve been on one of the most critically acclaimed shows (The Wire), I’ve made appearances on ER, Cold Case and I had a MTV Super Sweet 16.

GG: You mentioned MTV’s Sweet16, how real is all that?

MH: The show is definitely realistic, you just have to watch what you say because in the editing process they can make you look like a jerk if your not careful.

GG: How did the Wire come about?

MH: The Wire was actually just another show I auditioned for, and they were interested so they flew me to Baltimore to meet with me, and the rest is history.

GG: I noticed the kids were not the focus on the last season of the Wire & only saw u on 1 episode. Did u miss going to the set everyday?

MH: Yeah I had a small part in season 5, but I feel it was for the best. I never want to be type cast as one character. I want to be known as Maestro and not Randy. But it was different because we had alot of fun on set.

GG: How’s Snoop in real life?

MH: She’s really like that, shes hood…LOL…but when you know her, she’s one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet.

GG: What have you leaned from Jermaine Dupri?

MH: I learned that you always have to be yourself and be the best at what you do.

GG: Are your parents involved in your career?

MH: Definitely, all the things I’ve done wouldn’t be possible without my parents support. They gave up their lives to give me a better life, and I’m thankful for that.

GG: What’s a typical day for Maestro?

MH: A typical day for Maestro… is school, going to chipotle, piano lessons, vocal lessons, then coming home making music and playing NBA2k8…LOL!

GG: Any advice you’d give to someone your age about getting started in the business…music or acting?

MH: I would tell them as far as both fields go; you have to stay dedicated and not to give up. It’s a numbers game; you just have to wait for your number to be called.

GG: What is the difference with your acting career and your singing career?

MH: I feel my acting career is in my hands. Its up to me to get the roles, I make or break my own career. With music, it’s not as simple, its a lot more waiting involved, and the label determines your fate. It’s not really in your hands.

GG: Is there a preference?

MH: They both have their pros and cons. With acting I have more control, but I have to fit the description their looking for. With music there is no description, but I have less control.

GG: How has everything changed since you got signed? MH: Well now I have an outlet for my music, and I get more respect in the industry by having a producer such as Jermaine who believes in me.

GG: Since you did the Wire?

MH: Since I’ve done the Wire a lot has changed. I get recognized on a day to day basis by people who love the show. It has also brought about more work for me as an actor.

GG: Out of all the things you have accomplished, which one are you most proud of?

MH: One thing I’m most proud of is my episode of Cold Case. I feel that was the strongest performance I have ever given as an actor.

GG: What’s next for Maestro?

MH: I have a movie coming out called “The Promotion” it comes out June 6th. And hopefully my album will be coming sometime this summer. So I’m just ready for the ride.

GG: Thank you so much for taking the time to sit and chat it up with me.

MH: My pleasure…

LOOK OUT FOR THIS KID…HE’S THE FUTURE!!!

During the four year interim since Freeway released his classic, soul
stirring solo debut, Philadelphia Freeway, the ferocious lyrical kingpin
has evolved as a man and as a artist. However, two very important things
for him have gone unraveled, his lauded skills and the respect his
vehemently delivered words bring.

The City of Brotherly Love native is so respected, that one of the
biggest figures in the music industry, 50 Cent, was eager to join rap’s
greatest MC ever and one of it’s most successful executives, Jay-Z, as
the co-executive producer of Free’s highly anticipated new LP, Free At
Last.

“I look at Jay like he’s Bruce Leroy in “The Last Dragon” and he’s got
the glow,” Free tells. “He’s got the streets on lock but he knows how to
balance it out and get mainstream love. Fif too. He has that hood
devotion but he can sell records. That’s my ultimate goal before I leave
this game; to master that balance.

“It’s definitely a blessing to have two people who not only hold a ton
of weight in the music industry but mean so much to pop culture in my
corner, but it also means the world to me that the streets still have my
back,” he added. “That tells me, that no matter who’s name is attached
to this album, I have to make sure my performance on this project is
nothing short than what the people have come to expect from me.”

Free At Last is a musical collage of cinematically absorbing soul
soundscapes, urgent club bangers and Free’s transfixing narratives of
his birth into the rap game, struggles in the streets and strife he
continues to encounters professionally and personally.

“I feel that basically I was doing me,” Free said. “I didn’t get caught
up with what’s going on the airwaves and what they’re playing on the
airwaves. I feel the true fans are gonna love me for me. We gotta take
it from the ground. The hard work is just beginning now. I gotta reach
the people and tell them we got good product, and make them recognize.
We got the streets buzzing crazy, we got the hood, the radio ain’t gonna
have no choice but to play it.”

Producers Chad West, Bink and Scott Storch are among those who helmed
the beats, on the mic, Free commandeered guest appearances from Jay-Z
(the neighborhood bell ringer “Big Spender,”), 50 Cent (the melodic, yet
cautionary “Take it to the Top”), Rick Ross, Lil’ Wayne and he’s even
buried his old battling with d-Block and features Jadakiss on “Walk with
Me.”

The always authoritative Scarface appears on the unassailable “Baby
Don’t Do It.”

“That joint is a little old,” Free described of the record. “That’s why
you hear me on the song still making references to Biggs, Jay and Dame
Dash. It was basically how I was feeling at the time. They was breaking
up Roc-A-Fella at the time, but we didn’t know it.
It’s definitely therapeutic to speak on it. I’m one of the artists that
was really in the middle of it. The people need to know how I feel about
the situation. They need to hear my point of view too, because we are
all different entities, but part of the same structure.

“Me and Face was gonna do some other record, but he heard the beat for
that and was like ‘I need to get on that.’ He brought that intensity to
the table,” Free added.

Although Freeway is still a loyal member of Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella roster,
the insightful MC says when Jay severed ties with the label’s
co-founders Dame Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke, it forced him to grow
up.

“In the beginning, they spoiled us,” Free, who’s also became an integral
part of one of the strongest rap crews ever, State Property, began to
describe. The group which included Beanie Sigel, Peedi Crakk, The Young
Gunz and Oschino and Sparks released two critically albums, their
self-titled debut in 2002 and the follow up The Chain Remains in 2003.

“A lot of the business that goes into making a album was taken care of
for myself and everybody else on the Roc,” Free went on to say. “Like
when I did Philadelphia Freeway, I didn’t know nothing about producer
splits and paying people for features. I had a lot of nice features on
my first album like Mariah Carey and Nelly. I didn’t have to worry about
the numbers or nothing. Everything was mapped out for me. So now that we
deal with Def Jam directly, I had to learn a lot about all that stuff
while doing this new album.”

Freeway’s ultimate learning experience through the past few years had
nothing to do with baselines, bars or even budgets. He came closer to
God during a pilgrimage to Mecca.

“It’s the best flight I ever took in my life,” Free said about first
embarking on his 2004 journey. You know that if anything happens to the
plane, you’re automatically going to Heaven because you’re traveling for
God, your religion. Once you get there, it humbles you because everybody
is the same. There are Princes, Kings, I’m a rapper, they all coming
together for one thing, to worship God. I seen people with no legs
literally crawling and not asking for help. Rich, poor, everybody is the
same. It is very humbling.
I got a lot of knowledge man. It’s heartfelt for me man. It meant so
much.”

Free’s trip had such impact on him, he seriously contemplated giving up
his music career.

“You can’t really balance it out because as a Muslim, you’re not really
supposed to be doing the music thing,” he explained.

That inner conflict is something Free still struggles with today. Music
is his love and passion, but his religion is his belief. He’s also given
up drinking and smoking.

Elsewhere on the album, “This Can’t Be Real,” which relies of a looped
sample of those exat words, is a summary of Free’s life from the
beginning to now.

“I tell you about the streets, why I rep the part of the city I’m from,”
he added. “I tell you about how I got on, the feeling I had when I got
on. I break it down all the way ’till my first album came out and how I
feel now with Jay and Dame breaking up. There’s a line where I say
‘People as is Freeway left naked? He won’t sell another record.’ People
was really like ‘damn, the Roc broke up and they left y’all out in the
cold. What y’all gonna do?’

“I really went personal with this album,” he continues, but I still gave
you my analyses of what’s going on in the hood, kept my metaphors sharp
for those who just want to hear skills and I even snuck in a couple of
those party joints I’m known for.”

To help build even more anticipation for his LP, Freeway has a been
releasing various Freestyles every week on the internet via a series of
blasts he’s dubbed “Freestyle Fridays.” The bearded wonder has also put
out two recent mixtapes with DJ Don Cannon called Live Free or Die
Harder and Live Free or Die Harder 2. In 2008, Freeway resumes his
career as a actor (his film debut was in 2005’s “State Property 2.”)
with the release of a independent film called “What We Do.” He’s cast as
the lead and plays a man who’s fresh home from prison but soon finds
himself being pulled back into a world of nefarious activities and
wayward thugs. State Property Members The Young Gunz and Sparks also
star as does comedian Michael Blackson.

Five Questions with Freeway

1. How did you get 50 and Jay to both EP this album?

Well you already know about my relationship with Jay and the Roc Family. Me and 50 got cool and started hanging cuz our albums dropped around the same time. He called me up like “I fucks with you!… Anything that I can do to help you out let me know”. So we came up with the Executive Producing idea and presented it to Jay. He was with it and here we are. The results are good. It’s great man. The album is CRAZY!!!!

2. Alot has changed since your last album (with Dame and Jay spliting up)… Did that affect this release? The title of the album makes me think that you felt like you was being held up.

It didn’t affect my first project, alot of time has passed since my first album came out. It affected me on this one to the point where I had to figure it out and see where I was situated. It made me get on my job and stand on my own two feet to get this project done.

3. Who do you have featured on the album?

We got 50 Cent, Jay Z, Jadakiss, Scarface, Busta, and Marsha from Floetry

4. Where do you feel the Philly Hip Hop scene is? Are there any hot underground groups out there that we don’t know about yet?

Philly is ill! There are alot of talented MC’s and underground MC’s that haven’t got their breaks yet. I hope to open some doors with Free At Last

5. What is the next single?

We just released “Take It To The Top” featuring 50 cent

Final Words:

I just want everyone to know that I worked hard on this album! It’s the street, soulful shit. Make sure you go out and get that!

Keyshia recently stopped by The Tyra Banks show and opnely discussed her trials and tribulations growing up (being adopted, mother in prison, etc…). Check it out:

Also… be sure to check out the upcoming December issue of Vibe Magazine (on stands on November 12th). Keyshia Bares all for her fans (translation – She is NAKED!). Peep the cover…

Rap duo the Clipse has signed a 5-year, multimillion dollar contract with music mogul Rick Rubin at Sony/Columbia Records.

A&R rep Hip-Hop-who has helped guided the careers of Jay-Z and Kanye West and helped to broker the Clipse deal-said he personally sought out the pair. “I been a fan of the Clipse since I first heard them,” Hip-Hop said via statement. “And I ain’t a fan of too many things. Every song they come with it, lyrically. They were on a real short list when I got to Sony; I was going all the way to make this happen. We trying to be more of an artist-friendly company, and focus on artists we really love. I liked them three years ago, I liked them yesterday, and I feel like they can be a group with a future.”

Clipse – consisting of Virgina brothers Pusha T and Malice – first hit the airwaves in 2002 with their platinum debut, Lord Willin’. In late 2006, they dropped the critically acclaimed Hell Hath No Fury and have since released several volumes of the “We Got It 4 Cheap” mixtape series.

Their multimillion dollar contract with Columbia accommodates not only forthcoming Clipse albums, but also solo efforts from each brother, and collective recordings with MCs Ab-Liva and Sandman. Together, the foursome comprises the Re-Up Gang, which will enjoy 50/50 profit sharing with Columbia and will retain ownership of their masters at deal’s end. A Re-Up release is slated for March of ‘08, followed by a Clipse album scheduled for this summer. “The Clipse represent everything that we’ve all known Rick Rubin to represent: hip-hop in its purest form,” said Pusha T via statement. “To know that the head guy is a creative guy as well, that makes me feel good. I come from being surrounded by creativity. And I felt like in going forward, I wanted to be able to put out as much music as I wanted to. That was my goal. That’s been the one thing that’s hindered the Clipse. And Sony’s allowing us to do that.”

The group’s manager, Tony Draper, said there were several deals on the table, “but only one label stepped up to the plate; that was Rick Rubin and Hip-Hop.” Clipse join a roster of urban acts including the recently signed Jim Jones and Beyoncé.

Five Questions with The Clipse

1. What does it feel like to be signed by legendary producer Rick Ruben at Sony?

Its a dream come true. We look at Rick as a fore runner of hip hop. He and Russell are the guys from behind the scenes that I noticed in my younger years of hip hop. I feel like the Clipse will have a fighting chance now, being that Rick is a very creative guy. He know trials that the artist go through as well as the business side of the game.

2. What do you hope to accomplish with the new album?

We feel like the restraints have been lifted off of us from our previous work. We look forward to being more creative with our new album. Letting the vibe come together and just get our vision out to the fans.

3. What do the Clipse bring to the table that is missing from the game?

Authenticity! We bring lyrically driven hip hop to fill the MC void from the late 80s thru mid 90s.

4. Who is Malice?
The Malicious…Malice is a B-Boy like any other B-Boy that loves hip hop. I love beats, freestyle, break dancing, beat boxing, etc. I’m just a B-Boy who got his chance to make an imprint in the game and let his vision be heard.

5. What happens when u put Malice and Pusha T together?

When u put both of us together u get the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. We like the tag team duo from hell… the wonder twins! Nobody can beat us. Then with our group Re-Up Gang (Clipse, Ab-liva and Sandman) we’re like the Fantastic 4. We all paint such vivid pictures in our rhymes it seems like we be using all of the colors in the 64 pack crayola box and other rappers are only using the 12 pack box.

Final Words:

Shout to our management Tony Dreper for his professionalism and business savvy. Also Tony Gonzalez for his hustle, and for always keeping the Clipse’s best interest in mind at all times. Re-Up Gang and Clipse album comin in ‘08… be on the look out!