Various news outlets are reporting that this $50 million dollar home in
Coral Gables is now off the market, thanks to the Heat's recent acquisition
of Lebron James. At one time, the home was owned by Heat coach Pat Riley.

In case you're curious, mortgage payments on a property like this would
likely run just under half a million dollars a month. Must be nice!

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Over the holidays, Young Jeezy participated in a number of events to help
give back to the community. Here, he is shown with some kids from the Street
Dreamz Foundation at Justin's restaurant in Atlanta. "I hope to show these same children that being in a position that you are
able to help someone or a few that cannot help themselves is much more
greater than having this same title and looking past these same needs," said
Jeezy. "I want to be more than just a mentor that these children see every
now and then, but they are also able to depend on as a symbol of hope and
support. This is a significant reason why Street Dreamz Foundation was
established."

Photos courtesy of www.exclusiveaccess.net

DJ Quik & Kurupt
Venue: Ruby Sky
City: San Francisco, CA
Date: June 11th, 2009
Photo: D-Ray

Tha Jacka/Tear Gas
With high expectations for this album, Tha Jacka does not disappoint.
Perhaps the most commercially viable album in his catalog, if not the most
mainstream-ready album out of the Bay in years, Jacka finds that balance
between his graphic street novels and radio-friendly jams. The only drawback
to this album could be Jacka's anxiousness to work with everybody within
email's reach. While the flooding of cameos rarely overshadows his presence,
it would be nice to hear how he sounds by himself. - Maurice G. Garland
 
Willy Northpole/Tha Connect
Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam
Although he hails from scorching Phoenix, Arizona, Disturbing Tha Peace/Def
Jam artist Willy Northpole is seriously cold on the mic. Mixing his "Hood
Dreamer" mentality with an obvious appreciation for lyricism, it is clear to
see throughout this effort why Willy has gotten the buzz he has in such a
short time. With 15 tracks featuring artists like B.O.B., Sean Kingston,
and of course Ludacris, Northpole heats up the game on his debut Tha
Connect. This album gives a taste of what Arizona has to offer, and shows
the West Coast is bigger than L.A. and the Bay. - Tony Burgos
 
DJ Quik & Kurupt/BlaQKout
Mad Science/Fontana Distribution Kurupt's opening commentary on BlaQKout perfectly sums up this collaborative
effort from these two West Coast legends: "This is one of those things that
when you put it together, you make gumbo. How can you go wrong?" DJ Quik on
the beats, along with Kurupt's lyricism and Quik's energetic flow, makes for
an imposing tandem. From the first track on, Quik's production is top-notch,
with beats like "Ohh," "Whatcha Wan Do," and "Hey Playa!" showing his
versatility for both West Coast G-funk and Neptunes-esque quality. Most of
the content is in the vein of "it ain't fun if the homies can't have none."
In the end, the one question left after hearing this album is why didn't
Kurupt and Quik think of this sooner? - Randy Roper
 
Tha Realest/Witness Tha Realest
RBC/Team Dime/E1 Music
This long-awaited debut album from former Death Row artist The Realest lives
up to its title with songs full of aggressive content ("Mind of Ah Madman"),
cold-hearted tales ("IceKold") and gun-toting realities ("Y I Keep My Burna
On Me"). And artists like Fat Joe, C-Bo, Crooked I, Devin The Dude, Sean
Paul, Ray J, Yukmouth, and WC, give this album constant breaks from Tha
Realest's abrasive bars and vocal tone reminiscent of 2Pac. Witness Tha
Realest is a decently put together album, but for most listeners it may be
too difficult to overlook Pac's heavy influence on Tha Realest's music. -
Randy Roper
 
Yukmouth/The West Coast Don
Smoke-a-Lot/Asylum The West Coast Don is Yukmouth's fifth solo album, but from top to bottom,
he approaches the mic with hunger as if it's his first go round. This album
has tons of guest appearances, like "I'm a Gangsta" with Crooked I, Ray J
and Dyson, and "All Night" with Glasses Malone and Tha Jacka, that will have
you pressing the rewind button. But there are collaborations that look
better on paper then they actually sound, like the T-Pain assisted "44."
Still, Cali representers Mistah FAB, Keak Da Sneak, Tha Realest, C-Bo and a
host of others help give West Coast Don more material to praise than to
criticize. - Randy Roper
 
Spider Loc/Land Of The Lost
Spider Loc is somewhat of a forgotten soul on G-Unit's roster, so this Land
Of The Lost mixtape/street album is properly titled for the West Coast MC
lost in 50 Cent's mix. This 16-track street album has standouts cuts like
the knuckle-up joint "Knocc Out Kid," and "When I'm Gone," where Loc takes a
minute to clear his thoughts. But there are songs like the out-of-place Los
Angeles Lakers tribute song, "Lake Show," and the sloppy flow on "Get Fucced
Up," which sounds like Loc had one too many drinks before he recorded this
track, that would have been better off unheard. Still, a few throwaways
tracks aside, this release deserves more from 50 Cent than just a promo post
on ThisIs50.com. - Randy Roper

Words by Maurice G. Garland
 
It's been a long time since the Bay had an artist who put out an album that
could appeal to everyone. With his latest album, Tear Gas, Tha Jacka made
every attempt, phone call and song that he could to let the world know an
artist from the Bay can reach past the Mountain Time Zone. So far the album
has been lauded as both a great piece of work and a blatant effort to get
more fans. As he sat at an airport waiting to catch a flight to Portland, Oregon for a
show, Tha Jacka spoke with us about the inspiration and actions behind Tear
Gas, his Muslim faith and the reason major labels are afraid to sign
independent Bay Area artists.
 
Now that the album is out, what kind of feedback have you been getting?
The first response is that the people loved it, but then after that people
didn't know what they were listening to. After weeks went past I started
getting a lot of great responses. People have been telling me it's really
quality material. I didn't get any real input at first when it came out, but
now after it's been out for a while people are speaking up.
 
As good as people are saying the album is, some are saying that the only
flaw is that you have too many features. Do you still feel comfortable with
your decision to go that route?
Yeah, and it's an independent album and it did real good, that what makes it
special. So I think it was a good decision. The people I got on there, most
people do a radio song with them. But I let them do what they felt like
doing. We gotta do what we feel sometimes. It's about making good music. I
think people appreciated that.
 
Your first single "All On Me" isn't something that people would expect from
you, based off your past catalog. What went into your decision to make that
song?
When I did that song, I ain't know it was gonna be on the album. I did that
just to promote me or what I had out at the time. I didn't expect it to make
the album. It wasn't a song for Tear Gas off top. Yeah, that song seemed to be on the other end of the spectrum of the message
your album cover and art puts out. The images were very alarming. Why did
you choose to go that direction?
At the time we did that, even now, there was like a war between the police
and the minorities. It was like the youth against the police. Out here in
the Bay Area when the police mistreat someone, we really go out and protest,
we really go hard. The Oscar Grant situation might have triggered all of
that. Then someone in Oakland knocked down five police officers, that's what
the inside cover was taken from. We're just tired of this shit, we're not
going out like that. When something happens, we're going to riot for what's
right. We're used to this out here. And the reason why I'm on the cover with
nothing on my face is that I'm saying I'm immune to the gas. I don't need a
mask. Rioting, activism, independence, and survival are all things that come to
mind when you think of people from Oakland. All the way from the Black
Panther Party up to the Too $horts and E-40s. Do you think such strong
traits are what has kept the Bay from getting back on the radar of major
companies and labels?
Yeah, I think it's kind of scary to some labels to have artists like "us." A
lot of us are independent, and you gotta do whatever it takes to get your
album out, if you know what I mean. So yeah, it scares them away sometimes.
We don't have a major label here [in the Bay] but people love the music.
They don't mind that it's independent. But I can see why labels don't rush
to do something with Bay artists.
 
It's been said that wanting to stay so close to home cripples some Bay Area
artists and the movement in general. Do you agree? What is your approach?
I like going out. I think it's better going out. An artist like myself, my
music doesn't even appeal to the Bay sometimes. I don't get the majority of
my sales from the Bay. I prefer to be gone and getting known and building
relationships, following the footsteps E-40, Too $hort and C-Bo laid out for
us. They go to Detroit, Denver, Oklahoma City, Kansas City. We're trying to
piggyback off that. We hit Arizona, the whole West Coast and the Midwest.
But we don't go to the South a lot. I know C-Bo used to go to the South all
the time and that's why he had a fanbase there. But the South has come up
and [created] their own identity and they've been supporting their own. You
gotta let them do their thing. You can't force feed niggas your music. When
you get something they like, cool. That's why I did the song with Devin the
Dude and Paul Wall. Throughout your music, you make it known that you are Muslim. Some may find
that hard to swallow, given some of the material that you rap about.
Well, I talk about that to wake the youth up, or people that don't have a
faith. We were all raised in the church, except for the people who missed
out because of the crack era. I talk about my faith because it's more than
just rap now. I do get a lot of compliments for adding that into my music.
Some people have even told me they've become Muslim from listening to my
music. I don't even hit them with the bars as much as I want to. Sometimes I
want to do more of that. I don't just want to leave my listeners out there
lost. I remember Beanie Sigel told me one time, "You don't want to be
Haram," which pretty much means "bad" in Islam. You want your music to leave
a good legacy. Your fellow Mob Figa Husalah is out of prison now. I'm sure a lot of people
want to know if they will be getting some more Mob Figaz music.
We're working on that right now. Hus got a new single out. It's a good start
to getting us back together, because the people really want it. I want
things to get to back to how they were, but he can only get out 2 hours a
day and he's got a family. We've all got kids now. It sucks that we can't be
around him the way we want to. Just getting caught up in the lifestyle, it
messes me up a little bit. But I'm happy that we at least have him home now.
//

For years, the Hollywood, California duo now known as LMFAO would kick it at
The Coffee Bean on Sunset and Fairfax, where a then unknown Perez Hilton
would blog from his office, the corner table. "Perez and I didn't have too
much to talk about, because I'm obviously a straight man, but we were
actually friends," says Redfoo. "We even watched them film the pilot to his
reality show. They filmed it on our street," adds Sky Blu. And though Sky and Foo may not share the same sexual preference as Perez,
the experimental DJs-turned-emcees definitely fit in amongst a similar crowd
- a coffee shop convergence of loud and colorful people whose style
summarizes the current Southern California scene. LMFAO describes their music and style simply as fun, stating, "We put the
F.U. in FUN, and if you don't like it, F.U.'N ya mama."
 
Redfoo is actually Sky Blu's biological uncle, but the two are only a few
years apart. They began making music together 4 years ago in various
nightclubs throughout LA and quickly earned a reputation as raucous DJs,
recognized for their energy and ability to effectively mix electro, pop, and
Hip Hop genres. Eventually, the pair began to produce their own tracks, and adopted the name
LMFAO ("Laughin' My Fuckin' Ass Off" in internet terminology, for the few
who don't already know). "Our name was originally gonna be Sexy Dudes,
because that was the name that best suited us," says Red Foo, completely
serious. "Our friends thought the name was kinda lame, but we thought they
were just jealous, so Sky jumped on iChat and asked his grandma what she
thought of it. She simply replied, "LMFAO, are you serious, my nigga?" And
that instantly became our name-the entire question: "LMFAO, Are You Serious
My Nigga?" But then we went to the swap meet to get shirts made with our
group's new name and the dude said [in a Korean accent] "5 dolla a letta."
So at that moment we cut it down to just 'LMFAO' and it was 25 bucks a shirt
instead of $120."
 
And while LMFAO's sound is completely Hollywood, it wasn't until the SoCal
kids discovered South Florida that the world began to appreciate their
music. The DJing duet actually wrote their definitive anthem to Miami nights
while planning a trip there in 2007, before ever visiting the city. "We were just imagining how it would be. You know how when you go on
vacation, you do research on where you're going before you actually go?
That's what we did before we went to Miami," remembers Red Foo. "We asked
our friends what Miami was like and they all hyped us up. We were so excited
to go that we wrote a song before we had ever even been there."
 
Sky Blu adds. "We wanted to make a song for tourists to sing and brag to
their friends back home like, "What you doin'? I'm in Miami, bitch!'" Within two years Sky and Foo bragged "I'm in Miami, Bitch," all the way to a
contract with Interscope Records and a debut album, Party Rock, which was
released earlier this summer. To this day, the group has mixed and mastered
every song they've ever recorded, including the almost 100 versions of "I'm
In Miami, Bitch" that cater to different cities throughout the world. Though the group has yet to convert many of their critics, they have
certainly amassed a huge following. And for those who still don't take them
seriously, LMFAO promises to have the last laugh.
 
Words by Eric Perrin

It's 113 degrees in Phoenix, AZ, but Willy Northpole isn't sweating a thing.
He's the coolest he's been in a long time. His long-awaited debut album Tha
Connect is finally in stores. "It feels good," he says via telephone, with the smile on his face evident
from the joy in his voice. "I know what I did. I know how important this was
for me and my city. Word of mouth is the best promotion I can have now. I
have a product that I can actually sell. I have something on the shelf. I'm
in grind mode now."
 
Willy burst onto the scene in 2007 with a Disturbing Tha Peace record deal
and an OZONE West cover. From there he found himself answering two
questions: "People rap in Phoenix?" and "Who the hell is Willy Northpole?"
 
"That's why I named my album Tha Connect," says Northpole, who spent time as
a G-Unit affiliate before joining DTP. "Everybody was asking what happens in
Phoenix. I'm going to be the connect that tells everyone about what goes on
here."
 
So tell us, because we'd hate to assume, what did you listen to growing up
in Phoenix?
When I was growing up I listened to Geto Boys, a lot of the West Coast and
Death Row stuff, N.W.A. Then we got to into Pac. Then I got on Redman, he
was one of the first artists that I kinda crossed over and listened to from
the East Coast. Then I got incarcerated and when I got out I was listening
to Biggie and Jay-Z. Since we're between the South and the West, it depends
on what catches out here. A lot of people from Phoenix are not from here.
They come from Chicago, the South, some East coast people too, but there's a
lot of Chicago guys out here.
 
The release of your debut album has been a two-year process. Would you say
you've grown through the process?
A lot of niggas can't walk these shoes. As a new artist you gotta restrain
yourself from running up in people's office with baseball bats [laughs] but
I love doing what I do. I just l love what I do. I definitely accomplished
growth in the music and accomplished things like landing videos on TV. At
the end of the day, we're still human, I have to go through a lot of BS to
get shit done. Radio is scared to play new artists. Radio used to play stuff
because it was good, but now it's so many politics. I just came in at a time
when it's fucked up. So far the reviews on your album have been pretty favorable. People are
saying it's an actual "album." Is that what you set out to do?
I come from an era where I loved albums. That's the format I laid out on the
album, instead of focusing on singles. I started off with the intro and
showed them my lyrical side, no hooks, damn near a freestyle. It's 3 minutes
of me spitting all the way through. Then we went to "Hood Shit." I'm
starting from the bottom, it's a story in the album. That was the grimier
side, going from banging and stupid shit and jail. Then we get to "Hood
Dreamer" where I'm looking for a way out. From there it leads up to "The
Life" with Ne-Yo. I have "My Beliefs" where I'm showing what went on in the
Bible days and comparing it to what's going on now. Then I have "The Story"
and my dead homie tribute. I have some Slick Rick-like storytelling on there
too. Nothing talking about rims and money. I really wanted to show me on
this album. "The Life" could've been my single, but I couldn't do that yet.
I wanted to do that after the album was out, so that way I could go back to
songs like "Body Marked Up" if I wanted to. I wanted to start from the
bottom to the top. You see how Jay-Z started with Reasonable Doubt? He blew
up and did Kingdom Come later on. Niggas hated on that, so he came back with
American Gangster. He can go back to that when needs too. But cats that come
out with their "lady records" first can't do that. Many times when an artist signs to a label run by an artist, they get
overshadowed by the bigger artist. We can't necessarily say that's the case
with you. It's easy to forget you're even affiliated with Ludacris.
I always told myself that I didn't want to be like [DTP's] other artists. I
just wanted to be signed to the label and let me do what I do. He's not on
my album or my singles, but everybody knows who I'm signed to. I wanted to
establish myself by getting my music out. It's gonna be a process but I
think it's a plus. When you think of me you don't just think of Ludacris.
But we've done stuff together, I can call him and he'll do whatever I ask. Do you think music is getting back to being homogenous, where it doesn't
always matter where you are from? You know, getting back to being strictly
about the music? Because you haven't shoved "I'm from Phoenix" down our
throats.
I'm not gonna rep my hood all the time and shove it down your throat. That's
like a Puerto Rican putting all Puerto Rican stuff on their album and not
appealing to the Dominicans, but they're Latin too. All I have to do is make
music and just rep where I'm from. Music was fucked up for a minute. I think
it's coming back out the way it's supposed to. If people let these new guys
come out it will be good. Don't get me wrong, some of these new niggas are
weird as fuck, but they're making good music though. We've got niggas
rapping again. All we've got to do is keep that base. //