We sat down with well-known hip-hop figures Esso and Torae in NYC’s Club Touch to discuss issues ranging from the state of ‘08 hip-hop to the artist’s favorite books. Look out for Esso’s collab with 2DopeBoyz coming soon.

“If Jason Bourne was to record and join forces with Zack Morris, they’d form my performance.”

Asher Roth - A Milli Freestyle

Ahhh, Asher Roth. The rapper you love to hate, or hate to love. Like it or not, this guy has been everywhere as of late. Signing to Steve Rifkind’s SRC Records with the likes of Akon, The Wu-Tang Clan and Pharaohe Monch, the impact homey is destined to make is huge. His skills stand alone, and on his latest mixtape with DJ Drama and Don Cannon, it is so very clear. Jay-Z thinks he’s hot shit, Andre 3000 is down with the cause, and his next stop is right here on illRoots.
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“I get the beat from Maestro, a-fuckin’ right hoe.”

Maestro. I’m sure you’ve heard the name. He’s produced for the likes of Ice Cube, David Banner, Big Gipp of Goodie Mobb, Dem Franchize Boyz, Chilli of TLC and many others. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. He’s one of Lil’ Wayne’s favorite producers too. Having produced the smash hits Prostitute Flange and Kush as well as the the opening track off Tha Carter III, 3 Peat, Maestro is taking the hip-hop world by storm, one beat at a time. In the following interview, I talk with Maestro about being a high school teacher, his production process, Tha Carter III and Lil’ Wayne, who he’d like to work with, how he got started and much more.
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Words By: Demik

Slink Proper - Holla [Download/Stream Here]
Slink Proper - Keep Running [Download/Stream Here]

So Slink Proper hails from the Mid-West, Specifically the Twin Cities over in Minnesota where I am from as well. This Emcee has caught my eye, or rather my ears for that matter, I’ve been watching him progress over the last few months and finally got a chance to sit and chat with him and grab a few minutes for an interview.

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It’s imperative I bang on something or play something on a consistent basis. Not because I’m fearful of getting rusty, but because it’s a major part of my life. There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll be making music, in some capacity, my entire life.

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The visual artwork of that time period is how I navigate through what I do. That’s why I made the Style Wars reference. I only see “Hip-Hop” through those eyes.

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Jimmy Choo’s
She Loves Everybody
Jay-Z - Excuse Me [Chester French Remix]

So as most of you know Max and D.A. know as Chester French have an album coming soon, but if you can’t tell how talented they are by there work with Idle Warship(Talib Kweli & Res) then your a horrible person at heart. Nah, I’m kidding, but seriously these two are extremely talented and with such talent I’m glad to see that Pharrell and Star Trak notice and give them the just exposure. So without any more of my stammering I give you Chester French…….Enter D.A…… Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know what my position in the industry is right now, but I like the feeling of people knowing and liking my music whether they’re in the industry or if they work at Rite Aid.

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At first it was just some battle minded “I’m the illest” type shit. Later I found the Art of War and read about invincibility’s deeper meaning: knowledge of self, strengthening of your weakest links, knowledge of the enemy, and most importantly the foresight to resolve conflict and be victorious without battle.

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[Tracklist And Interview Inside]

Okay so look for this to be officially dropped right here next Tuesday. Until then, I will quench your thirst with all the artwork that will be going down with this project, and a dope convo with Jelani via the big homie 6th Sense. So check it out, and come back next Tuesday. You better get that free propane for your iPods. Also be sure to check out WaitYouCanRap.com. Enter Jelani..

PREVIOUSLY: Wait You Can Rap!? [Intro]
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Kenny Burns and Marky.

Okay, so as many know we are making our daily moves and as we do this there are small things that I feel need some “explanations”. For this to happen, many people say why not go directly to the source of things, I mean directly from the horse’s mouth. So as we watch this motion picture called “Life” unfold, there becomes need for director commentary on certain scenes. Just imagine if you were watching “Finding Nemo”(yes, Finding Nemo, I have a son, sue me) and the guy from Pixar was sitting next to you talking about the whole thing. So for the most part, we talk to the man known as Kenny Burns and his thoughts on Studio 43, Wale, Rocafella and all the many other occurences.
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Click Here To Download The Confessional.

West Coast Week moves right along as we go to church and talk to the Bishop himself. Directly above this as you can see you can get that new fire directly from Dow Jones’ crib. I got that brand new new.
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J. Hen (Front), Dow Jones (Back)

LL Cool J - Girl If (Ft. Trey Songz)

Kicking off our westcoast week on the features section of the website, I got you that exclusive with longtime mixtape DJ, Dow Jones and production partner J. Hen. Making up one of the most prominent production duo’s of the year with a string of singles underneath their belt, its hard not to notice the work and dedication that they’ve put in. Dow Jones has been doing mixtapes since he was 14. Besides all this, they have a dope ass blog and have been supplying that fresh production for the longest.
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Donny Goines - What The People Want (Prod. by Ron Browz)

I was fortunate enough to be able to catch up with New York emcee Donny Goines. In this interview Donny speaks on the current state of hip-hop, the Sean Bell verdict and his song Kill A Pig, his upcoming album and much more.

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