Arguably two of the best (and exciting) young emcees in Hip Hop today have announced a joint album. Speaking to Bootleg Kev, J. Cole confirmed that he and Kendrick Lemar have already penned “four or five songs” for an album saying “I just started working with Kendrick the other day. We got it in finally, again… We actually worked, bouncing ideas, which was great. The vibe was so good that it’s absolutely gonna happen”.

Without doubt – this will be dope.

It’s been a while since I got excited about a Lupe Fiasco record. It’s no secret his output after The Cool has been a little off – even at his own admission. But it seems the tide is about to change because he’s just announced the release of Food & Liquor 2, the sequel to his critically acclaimed (now classic) debut album. Moreover, the project will be a double LP with a first single due later this month.

If this album is a fraction as good as Food & Liqour – I will be a happy man.

According to IFTN (via 2dbz) Grammy award winning rapper André 3000 will play the legendary Jimi Hendrix in a new planned biopic.

The film which will reportedly begin production in Ireland later this month will be set between 1966 & 1967 – the year Hendrix was discovered by Linda Keith (former girlfriend of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards) and introduced to manager Chas Chandler who took Hendrix to London to record his debut album Are You Experienced.

Directed by John Ridley (writer of ‘Three Kings’, ‘U-Turn’) the film has been tentitavely titled ‘All Is By My Side’ – no release date has been announced.

Very sad news out of New York as it has emerged founding member of the legendary Hip Hop group Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch aka MCA has lost his battle to cancer. Yauch battled the disease for 3 years but succumb to it yesterday – he was 47 years old.

As an integral part of the the Beaste Boys, Adam helped launch Hip Hop into the mainstream consciousnesses with albums such as Licensed to Ill, Paul’s Boutique and Ill Communication – his legacy is unforgettable.

Read the official statement issued by his band members after the jump…

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Fans of cult band The xx will be happy to know they’ve just announced a string of dates across Europe, including 3 shows London. The group will stop off in France, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Norway and Belgium ahead of the release of their much anticipated, much needed sophomore album (title/date yet to be announced).

To give fans an equal chance of attending the special shows, tickets will be allocated via a lottery system – fans can sign up here.

Full dates after the jump…

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Finally, someone with the cojones to speak the truth about the current trend in mind-numbing strobe light ‘urban’ music…

In an interview with NME, Drake candidly expresses his opinion on what he calls “David Guetta, Pitbull music” saying: “For me, the David Guetta stuff just doesn’t work. I don’t really wanna go there. There’s other artists, that’s their sound. They feel in order to thrive internationally that they gotta do straightforward, four to the floor, David Guetta, Pitbull music”.

The ‘Take Care’ rapper went on to express the way he prefers to work, saying: “I’d rather go to somebody like Jamie xx and tell him “Look, I really wanna turn the club upside down, but i wanna do it with integrity, with soul”. As we reported last month Drizzy has already expressed his desire for Jamie xx (who produced the title track on his latest album) to have a “bigger presence” on his next LP.

Music is subjective and it’s catered to everyone – but I appreciate Drake’s honesty here. Artists who feel they must mute their talents by releasing basic four on the floor productions to achieve success internationally, aren’t really artists at all. If they were they’d challenge their own talent and push for it to evolve naturally in a way that not only caters to their fanbase but also attracts new audiences.

(via FACT)

Last week what felt like every website/blog was carrying stories and rumours that Dr. Dre would be taking the 2Pac hologram he debuted at Coachella on tour. Now, a video has surfaced of the good Doc speaking to camera just before his festival performance thanking fans and the companies involved for making his idea come to life. Most interestingly though – in anticipation of the rumours that would ensue, Dre says “this was strictly for Coachella. This was not done for a tour” but then confuses the situation by saying “if a tour happens… We’ll see. But this was done strictly for Coachella”.

I guess “we’ll see”…