In a recent interview with ‘thisis50′, Prodigy drops a few gems on everything from rumors of him being ‘soft’ and he even reveals some facts about Mobb Deep’s Beef with the Legendary 2Pac.

Michael Antoniou, photographer, launches his first solo exhibition at “Open the Gate” in London, UK based on a series of photographs from Kenya, East Africa. Four brilliant live acts, musicians and friends he has worked with over the years are seen here supporting Michael’s work on this launch night which took place on Thursday the 24th of November and the exhibition will run until the 4th of January 2012. An online version of the exhibition went live on the day of the launch, available to view here: www.michaelantoniou.co.uk/Blog

There’s no denying the obvious…if you ever get the opportunity to check out JAG’s music, you will hear something that will make you recognize that this dude’s flow is on a much higher level than most. We recently caught up with JAG to get to know a little bit about the man behind the music. With a new mixtape, titled, ‘The Art of Freestyle (Crown Me Edition)’, slated to drop in a few days, JAG prepares his inevitable takeover.

1. First of all I must take a second to let you know how much we appreciate this opportunity. Please introduce yourself to the fans and let them know who you are.

JAG “Chubby Jag Larsiny Family PDub (P.W.I.D.) Whats hat’nin.”

2. For those who don’t know, your flow may deceive some of those that may not have heard of you, many people tend to think you are from the East Coast, where exactly are you from?

JAG “South Central Los Angeles”

3. HHABC have been loyal fans of you for quite some time now, everyone who listens to you seem to spark an interest in you. One question that always seems to pop-up is how did you and Cassidy hook up?

JAG “A friend of mind ran into him and put a word in.”

4. Up until the emergence of artists like Meek Mill, Jay Electronica, J Cole, and Wale, hip hop was really suffering in terms of quality, where do you see the rap game going in the next 5-10 years?

JAG “I see it coming back around to real rap and the newer are starting to rap again.”

5. You’ve been a beast on the underground circuit, killing every beat from Dr Dre’s ‘Kush’ to Diddy’s ‘Love You No More’, is there any chance of you dropping an official album for the mainstream audience?

JAG “Of course, I been putting out these mixtapes, so that my fans can grow with me as a artist. But the album is coming for sure.”

6. As you’ve probably already heard, your style of rap may sound to be heavily influenced by East Coast hip hop, who are some of the artists past or present that have influenced your music?

JAG “Snoop, Pac, Big, Jay-z, & Jada”

7. In your opinion, who would you name as the top 5 rappers of all time…dead or alive?

JAG “Big, Pac, Jay-z, & Eminem”

8. If you could change anything about the music game, what would that be?

JAG “Politics… It would probably be more better rappers if it wasn’t for Politics”

9. Coming from California, you probably have some sort of respect for the legendary Dr Dre. Do you think we will ever get a chance to hear the infamous ‘Detox’ album?

JAG “I hope so. We been waiting for it for a long time. I think its gonna change history.”

10. Tell us a little about your upcoming project, ‘Art of the Freestyle (Crown Me Edition)…

JAG “This one I did for the real hip hop fans.”

11. What else should expect from you in the upcoming months? Do you have any other major projects in the works?

JAG “I’m always working. I’m all over Cassidy Apply Pressure 3 mixtape that’s coming out and we also have a Larsiny Family album in the works and my very own Bret Hart Experience 2.”

12. If you could describe your music in one word, what would that be?

JAG “Pure”

Special thanks to DJ Far for creating this opportunity for this interview.

Most of us go to work everyday with a cup of coffee in our hands and our heads down. That’s the life of the average person who chooses a job or career and make due the best they can. But when it comes to Mr. Barak Amen, that may not be the case. His job is to laugh at people and make them laugh at him. Sounds nice right? Hear it from the man himself. Barak is an up-and-coming comedian/entrepreneur who doesn’t take life for granted but he certainly isn’t afraid to put his many talents to good use.

1. First of all, we’d like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to chop it up with you. Now getting started, introduce yourself to the fans and let them know who you are.

No thank you for the opportunity to be apart of what you have here I appreciate the love. My name is Barak Amen I am the C.E.O of my own Enterprise. Barak Amen Enterprises Inc., Which I also have Purple Kisss Ent., Purple Kisss Full Service Salon and Barbershop and I am also a comedian. So the best part about what I do is I get to book, host, promote, and perform at all my events and ventures and get checks for each position.

2. With a name like that, I’m sure you hear all sorts of jokes and references to the President. Is that your birth name or solely a stage moniker?

Yes Barak Amen is my real name. I know with a name like that you expect me to have a chain of gas stations or some ish, but you see I look black with gold teeth and tattoos and it’s throwin you off. Im actually Black and Jewish. I was born in Melrose Ft Lauderdale and the landlord was Jewish and my mom couldn’t pay the rent a couple of months so she did what she had to do… dont judge US..

3. When you speak, there’s a noticeably thick southern accent, where exactly are you from?

Yea I have a heavy Southern accent like i said I’m from Ft Lauderdale U.S.A the bottom of the map… I’m southern please dont call it country.

4. How long have you been doing stand-up and how did you get started?

I’ve been doing stand up for about 3 years. I have always been the class clown even growing up people have always said I’m extra funny i should give it a try. So me and my wife was on a cruise for my b-day and they had this open mic competition, so she said I should try it and I did, and won. I hit ‘em with 3 hot min. Its short and sweet like a prison rape.

5. So do you see yourself doing this 10 years from now or do you have other aspirations (acting, producing, etc).

I actually like to compare myself to Diddy, Puffy, P Diddy, Swag. Whoever he is this week. But ‘ am more of a business man 1st and a performer 2nd. So i see myself owning way more ish and having financial freedom. I’m trying to build more than just a brand, I’m trying to build an empire so that when my daughter grows up she can see what to expect out of life and the men in hers

6. Are there any comedians that may have had an influence on your career or your style of comedy?

I would say that guys like the greats Robin Harris, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphie, Katt Williams, Kevin Hart not in that order but jus to name a few have for sure shown me that my image is the best tactic to throw you off guard ’cause people think I’m gon’ rap or I’m super gangster.

7. Who would you include in your top 5 greatest comedians of all-time?

Once again I would have to say Robin Harris, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphie, Katt Williams, Kevin Hart are the greats but the real doin the ground work comedians like Roy Woods Jr., Ricky Smiley, Eddi Griffin, Dave Chappelle, Ced the Entertainer. Those are the guys that let me know I can make it no matter where I come from or how hood I may come across. Funny is Funny no matter who you are.

8. What kind of music are you bumping in your ride these days? Any Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber (lol)?

If I’m not bumpin my artist Lady Whit… the first Female rap artist of Purple Kisss Ent., it’s the homegirl Khalea with her hit single “I know”. You can YouTube Khalea and see for yourself she that fire. I got the homie Asiah Dio new EP “Face Time” in the cd player rite now check him out. I try to show love to local talent, because even the big names had to start somewhere and I feel like why not here with us.

9. Any new shows or comedy tours you want the fans to check out?

I am planning a tour of the East coast at least by the start of the winter. hit me up with how I can come to your city and crack ribs out there. You can youtube some of my stuff just enter Barak Amen in the search bar. also be sure to check out my websites www.barakamen.com and www.purplekisss.com I designed myself so I’m proud of em.

10. In one word, how would you describe your style of comedy?

In one word I would drescribe my style of comedy as “Crack”. I hit the stage with that D-boy comedy. Real ish you can relate to if you grew up in the worst part of the crack epidemic or just know some real N!99@$. and when I get off stage your gonna have a Barak addiction you wanna know where can you get some more.

Orchestrating a new hip hop renaissance would seem impossible to most but for one person in particular, that task would be nothing but all in a day’s work. With the recent release of his new mixtape, ‘Don’t Try This At Home’, Noggz shares a few things about his personal life as well as his plans for the furure as an MC.

1. First of all, thank you for taking the time to chop it up with us. This interview was probably long overdue, but for the audience who may not be familiar with you and your music, please introduce yourself.

The pleasure is mine… My name is Noggz, I am a Nairobi Kenyan born, Atlanta based artist/entrepreneur & the world is just now seeing a fraction of what I have in store for ‘em.

2. HHABC has always supported your music and we’ve noticed you giving shout outs to Atlanta as well as Nairobi. Where are you originally from?

Much appreciated, I love you guys & what you stand for. I am from the great city of Nairobi, Kenya. The Pride of East Africa.

3. Ok… so that explains that ‘Nairobi’ hat that we see in your videos. Coming from another country, we assume that your vision of America was something like you see on tv or heard on the radio. How different are those images you had compared to being here and actually seeing the reality?

Life in America is… real hahaha.

Nothing can prepare an immigrant for the reality that sets upon when you set foot on American soil, but we have thick skin so…

4. So was your voyage to the States based completely on starting a music career or did you have other plans in mind?

Quite honestly it definitely was, but a college education was the basis of my “extended visit”.

5. It seems like there are a lot of carbon copy artists out there with no subject matter in their lyrics and talent seems to be scarce nowadays. How do you try to separate yourself from others that came before you and your peers as well?

You can’t fake real music, and there is only one me, and I am one unique muthafucka. As far as the carbon copy artist, well, put it like this not every restaurant can serve gourmet we do need the fast food alternatives.

6. If you had the opportunity to change the game, how would you do that? And with that question, we’re speaking in terms of the industry, radio, videos, and every entity considered a part of hip hop.

I wouldn’t try to change the game I would more so adapt, I believe only God controls my destiny and the industry is just a vessel. I am 11 years into this & I honestly feel like the best is yet to come. In other words it shouldn’t matter.

7. Since you’ve been in the U.S., have you revisited your country? And if so, was there any temptation to stay home and forget about coming back to the U.S.?

Not yet and the thought crosses my mind only about every 10 seconds a minute, I miss home a great deal. I do plan to make my first trip back home in the next couple of weeks. I can’t believe its been 10 years though, wow!

8. Is there any chance of you collaborating with any established or up-and-coming artists?

That’s really all I care for, up and coming indy talent out there doing it major. I have a couple joints in the can with artists from all over the globe. I am Mr. International baby! Hahaha!

9. Speaking of other artists, there has to be more African rappers out there that are making noise and worth listening to. America is shut off from other cultures in that aspect. Besides Akon and K’naan, who should we pay attention to?

Hell yeah, you got my lil Brother BLAYZE DEVILLE out there in South Africa, Ms. Funana (Sierra Leon), EDNA (Nigeria), one of my all time favorites Mercy Myra and a few other people that you should watch out for.

10. Tell us a little about your influences and who you listened to back in the day.

I am a music head to the core, from Michael Jackson, Snoop, Pac, BIG, Big L, Def Squad. Primarily hip-hop but I appreciate a lot.

One of my homegirls got me bumping this soft rock shit, they are some lyrical mofos now, don’t sleep on ‘em.

11. After watching your videos and listening to your music, HHABC has watched you grow significantly as an artist (Note: ‘Nothing Like Hip Hop Music, ‘No Haters’, & ‘Niaje Mbuyu’ are among our faves!) What’s next on the agenda for Noggz? The streets are buzzing now, what can we expect from you in the near future?

Quite honestly my plan as an artist is to put other artists on, I have always wanted to do so. As far as music it is just a fraction of my grand plan, when I reveal the rest of it, I think they (the haters) will surely fall sick. Ewwww.

12. One more thing… if you could describe your music in one word, what would that be?

Real

In America there is a saying that goes something to the tune of, ‘there’s a first time for everything’. Well fortunately that is a statement that many people can agree to. In fact, that phrase can be considered a universal and worldwide term. Case and point…Blayze Deville, a 16-year old rapper from South Africa who is well on his way to becoming a household name…worldwide. That statement may seem to be one that would be hard to prove, but after listening to the young phenom do his thing with the microphone, it may make you think twice.

1. Before we get too deep into this interview, Blayze, please introduce yourself to the audience. Well, I’m a 16 year old from Rustenburg, South Africa, grew up just east of Joburg in a township called Tokhoza. I was raised by my grandmother in Tokhoza while my mom was in Rustenburg making a living to make my life much easier than hers. Fast forward, I got into Hip-Hop music in 2007 and started making music in ’09, but only started taking it seriously last year in October.

2. Most artists urge critics and fans to not place their music into one particular category or genre. Tell us a little about the music you make and what exactly you want listeners to gain from it.

Growing up where I did, music was basically all about having fun. I always took music seriously until I started listening to Slim Shady and Nirvana, those guys didn’t care what you think, as long as they’re
enjoying themselves while doing what they love, making good music for everyone. So after being exposed to those artists as well as Pharrell, that’s where I pretty much took my style from. So I have no real genre
I can be confound to, my mixtape will have a lot of styles in it.

3. In some of your songs, you mention ‘New Era’. Could you tell us a little about this?

“New Era Music” is an independent label that my friends and I started and are working on bringing it up internationaly. We have artists with different styles and characters bringing their best to the table in
order to entertain our listeners. Artists you can watch out for in the next year are Black Ace, T Swagga, Eazy, and Yung-Gibbz.

4. The last few years we’ve been seeing more artists who also try their hand at producing their own tracks. Do you focus on being an artist alone or do dabble with the beats every now and then?

Well, I started out making beats and one Saturday when Eazy was having a recording session he had trouble with a hook, so I suggested that maybe I should do it. He liked what he heard and told me that I should
consider rapping. So pretty much almost every song you’ll hear from me is 100% Blayze Deville.

5. After doing a little research, we noticed that you are from South Africa. Tell us a little about that part of the world and how music is integrated into the culture.

First, I’d like to clear that our country isn’t as dangerous as international media makes it out to be. It’s way more peaceful than what you see on the news, haha! Then as far as culture goes, well lets
just say i’m more white than black, but anyway, with 11 official languages, as well as a lot foreigners making their way here, i’d say our country has the most cultural diversity in the world. Taking a
listen to our music, it has a bit of a tribal feel, such as our house music, we use a lot percussions and basslines, the parties are crazy too. Our producers love sampling old African records, so they stay
close to their culture while still being relevant to today’s music. A lot of people here are starting to open up to more styles of music other than House and Kwaito, so we’re very diverse in language, culture, and now music.

6. With Akon being one of few breakout artists from Africa, can you see yourself taking his spot one day?

I wouldn’t exactly say take his spot, but rather join him and continue growing Africa’s legacy as a musical powerhouse. There’s a lot of talent here, sadly it hasn’t quite been discovered yet.

7. Name a few of your favorite artists, dead or alive.

Eminem, Jay-Z(pre-Blueprint 3), Kanye West, Game, Pharrell, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, E11even Plus, and myself, haha. I include myself on that list because you always expect your favorite artists to be on top of their game.

8. Fellow rapper and Nairobi native, Noggz, recently complimented your rhyming skills and referred to you as ‘The Future’. That’s a big statement. How do you feel about that statement and are there any other artists from your part of the world you think we should look out for?

Well i’m actually very glad that there are people starting to pay attention to my music, and aged 16, I feel like I’ve raised the bar quite high for myself, but that won’t stop me from becoming a better musician, I’ll only keep pushing harder. On this side of the planet artists you should definitely look out for are Black Ace, Khamz Dee, Eazy, Yung Gibbz, Swiss Swagg

Listen to young Blayze set it on fire:

Blayze Deville-On Fire by Lonnie Nigel

Experience first-hand what it took for the duo we know as ‘Blackroze’ to where they’re at today. HHABC recently caught up with Blackroze for an up-close and personal interview…Hip hop is still alive and it is always an inspiration for the true fans of this special genre of music.
1. First of all, your name, BlackRoze, where does that come from?
The Name Blackroze stems from a combination of things…First of all we come from Somerville, Massachussets, home of The Winter Hill Gang and Whitey Bulger so it sort of has a Mafia vibe. Except our reason is were dropping Blackrozes on ‘Garbage’ and ‘Mockery’ like Hip Hop.

2. Give us a brief description of the type of vibe that your music brings for its listeners.
Well our music can bring many different vibes to our listeners. We make mood music pretty much, we take our experiences and our surrounding experiences and convert all that into our songs…Like our single ‘Loving Life’, that’s a party record because at the time that we made it, we were getting our party on heavy so we made a song about our ‘Party Life’….But we also have songs like our single ‘Day By Day’ which is a song about us coming up in life and trying to overcome our struggles ..trials and tribulations…and how music plays such a huge role in our lives.

3. As an aspiring artist, what is it that makes you keep going and pushing towards your goals as a hip hop artist?
I mean we do this music because its a calling in our lives, we have both been doing this for a long time …just the rush we get from seeing people that love our music and people moving at our shows would be enough for a lot of artists, but its much deeper than that for us …its a way for us to express our pain our joy with the world …countless times we have had people come up to us and tell us “Hey, so and so song you did really touched base with my actual life” and it’s things like that that fuel us to keep making good music.

4. When did you know for sure, music is what you wanted to do with your life?
Ever since we could remember, MUSIC is what was closest to us for example: AceDon Grew up in a diverse family with his mom. Being white and his dad being black, growing up in the 80s, his parents played all types of music from, The Rolling Stones to The Temptations, even as a child he knew this is what he wanted FOREVER… Cas on the other hand is a White dude but he grew up in the hoods of Brockton at a very bad time over there. So him being the only white kid in his surroundings, his peers had heavy influence on his music and his parents subjected him to a diverse range of music his entire life even as a child he knew this is what he wanted FOREVER.

5. Where do the ideas and inspirations, that help create your music, come from?
Our inspirations for our songs come from our lives and personal experiences …Even take some of our friends experiences and turn them into songs cause they maybe dont know how to express it them selfs in a way that everyone can understand.

6. What artists did you listen to as a youngster?
Wu-Tang.. Biggie.. 2Pac…Dr Dre …Snoop Dogg…Eminem…Public Enemy,……NWA…..etc TOO MANY TO NAME…

7. Speaking of other artists, who would you name as your top 5 all-time personal favorites…alive or gone?
Can’t name only 5, but i guess Eminem being first then Biggie Then 2Pac then Vinnie Paz then Big Pun I hate being asked that question…maybe if you asked me my top 20 dead or alive then I could be a little more accurate. and it would be easier .

8. If you wasn’t doing your music thing right now, what do you think you’d be doing with yourself now?
If we were not doing our music thing we would both be doing what ever it took to provide for our families…we both have multiple skills in different areas of jobs from city work to landscaping to house flipping etc.

9. Do you have any songs or videos available for people to check out?
Yes we Do …you can go to we also have a couple new videos coming and a show on sept 6th with Corey Guns and The Legendary 9TH WONDER at the Middle East in Cambridge Ma.

10. Any upcoming projects or things for us to watch out for?
BlackRoze has Graced the stage with the likes of Red Cafe ..Wu-Tang….Cormega & Nature….Joell Ortiz…Keith Murray and Big Sean and many more ……STAY TUNED FOR MORE MUSIC AND SHOWS!!!!

http://youtube.com/BlackRoze617

http://www.reverbnation.com/blackroze617

http://www.myspace.com/blackroze617

http://www.twitter.com/blackroze617

http://danejazone.com/profile/BlackRoze617

http://soundcloud.com/BlackRoze617

After a recently stopping by BET’s 106 & park Nas gives the fans some insight on a few things ranging from his sibling like relationship with Amy Winehouse & his contribution to Dr Dre’s Detox album coming soon.

Its been a good couple of years since we hit the internet and began on our efforts to salvage hip-hop in whichever way we could. We are proud of our accomplishments as we continue to push towards a new direction we thank you for your continued support and introduce to you our latest feature “Ear To The Streetz”. As you may already know HHABC keeps an ear to the ground and we have managed to keep you up to date with the latest courtesy of the streets.

We shall continue to deliver good hip-hop content for as long as you continue to support us and our movement, thank you and may God Bless you abundantly.

The lovely Tisha Campbell-Martin recently sat down with Access Hollywood to talk about her drama series on Lifetime.