Lupe Fiasco speaks to DJs around the country via the Atlantic Elite DJs conference call.  After two years in the making, his new album LASERS is due to drop  March 8th, 2011.  Lupe speaks to DJ Judge Mental about the balance between his artistry and satisfying a major record label.  Did he have to bend any in the creation of this album?  Listen and find out.

Lupe talks to the DJs on the call about the new album, who he has and would like to work with, producers on the album, the future of his music, new MC's he likes, sneakers, collaborations and more.  Representing strong for Chicago the new single released today has guest features by Common, Jennifer Hudson, and production by No ID.

Conference Call with Lupe Fiasco Part 1

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Conference Call with Lupe Fiasco Part 1

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Lupe Fiasco, Common, Jennifer Hudson & No I.D. - We Can Do It Now by Hypetrak

You can also buy the new single "The Show Goes On" here http://lupefiasco.com/theshowgoeson/

DJ Judge Mental & Kaotiq Simfoni “12 Monkeys” by KaotiqSimfoni

Having just dropped off their supremely dope mixtape "God's Black Son", Kaotiq Simfoni, comprised of producers Zimbabwe Kev and Zulu Faz, have joined forces with Atlanta beatsmith DJ Judge Mental for their new project "12 Monkeys". Using the Bruce Willis flick of the same name as inspiration, "12 Monkeys" finds Kaotiq traveling through hip-hop's timeline in order to preserve hip-hop's roots. From rare interviews to classic '80s beats to rare samples, the project not only challenges musical boundaries, but smashes them.

Project is available via http://www.refinedhype.com/hyped/entry/12-monkeys/

Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne - Stuntin Like What from Killa Gorillas Tv on Vimeo.

Fat Beats: The End Of A Hip-Hop Era

DJs Nazareth Nirza (left), aka Rhettmatic, and Michael Buchanan, aka House Shoes.

September 19, 2010

Fat Beats, a world-renowned hip-hop record shop specializing in vinyl releases, will shut its last retail outlet on Sunday. The closing of the Los Angeles store follows the closing of a New York location earlier this month, and some are calling it the end of an era.

"The DJ is the backbone of hip-hop, and they play vinyl. We were catering to the DJs and any hip-hop aficionados," says Nazareth Nirza, a hip-hop DJ who goes by the name Rhettmatic. He's worked at Fat Beats in Los Angeles for the past 15 years, along with other luminary DJs and producers.

(Read full Article on NPR.org...)

Richard Branson

Richard Branson: Five Secrets to Business Success

I am often asked if I have found a secret – or at least a consistent answer – to successfully building businesses over my career.

So I’ve spent some time thinking about what characterizes so many of Virgin’s successful ventures and, importantly, what went wrong when we did not get it right. Reflecting across 40 years I have come up with five “secrets.”

No. 1: Enjoy What You Are Doing.
Because starting a business is a huge amount of hard work, requiring a great deal of time, you had better enjoy it. When I started Virgin from a basement flat in West London, I did not set out to build a business empire. I set out to create something I enjoyed that would pay the bills.

(Read Complete Article on Entrepreneur.com..)

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T.I. appears on The Today Show to promote his directoral debut in the new movie Takers. He clears up comparison to Ocean's 11 and speaks on his return to the stage for a secret concert in NYC.

Please listen to my demo – Commercial

By Judge Mental | July 9, 2009

Please listen to my demo Commercial?

Every since the sound of music has been recorded and delivered through a tangible form (something you can put your hands on), there has been a constant evolution towards a smaller and less tangible medium. In 1900 the vinyl record was introduced and although it took 55 years for it to become the most popular consumer container of music, only 30 years later, cassettes where the most popular container of music (and along with cassettes came the home made demo). Within 10 years CDs made cassettes obsolete and within only 8 more, most music (and demos) were no longer delivered on anything tangible.

Read Entire Article...