SIGT HIP HOP STOP W/RON GRANT I New Mixtape From Dej Loaf, New Black Thought Song with 9th Wonder And Styles P, Chance The Rapper Teams With Chicago White Sox, Phife Dawg Memorial Service, Eve Talks New Music, Paul Wall Talks Lean, New J. Dilla Track

by Ron Grant • April 8, 2016

New music news seemed to dominate this week’s Hip Hop news cycle. A ton of new tracks were dropped in anticipation of new albums and mix tapes. But of course, there was some drama mixed in, as well. Take a peek at some major headlines from the week.

DEJ LOAF DROPS A NEW MIX TAPE, ALL JOKES ASIDE

The Detroit emcee made a name for herself with the song “Try Me” a few years ago and hasn’t slowed down since. This new project reportedly will give way to Loaf’s debut album, which she’s said to be in the studio working on right now. All Jokes Aside dropped yesterday and can be streamed right now.

BLACK THOUGHT TEAMS WITH 9^TH WONDER AND STYLES P ON NEW TRACK

Last week, it was Royce Da 5’9” who blessed us lyrically. This week, the lyrical monster known as Black Thought steps up to bat. And he brought Hip Hop legends 9^th Wonder and Styles P with him for the new song “Making A Murderer.” Any praise we give won’t do this song justice. You just gotta give it a listen yourself.

CHANCE THE RAPPER’S NEW ROLE: CHICAGO WHITE SOX AMBASSADOR?

The Chicago emcee continues to prove himself as a renaissance man of the new millennium. Not only did he help to redesign the hat for the White Sox, ESPN reports that he is now close to becoming an ambassador for the Sox to help market the team to a younger demographic. This young emcee is truly taking the term “power moves” to a new level.

MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR PHIFE DAWG

The four-hour service took place at the Apollo Theatre and tons of huge names in music came out to pay respects. Of course there were ATCQ founders and members Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White. But Phife Dawg was also honored by an A-List of Hip Hop royalty including Kanye West, Chuck D, Busta Rhymes, Consequence, Andre 3000, KRS-One, Grandmaster Flash, Kid Capri, Kool Herc, LL Cool J and Dave Chappelle. Proof of Phife’s huge impact and everlasting legacy when it comes to Hip Hop music.

EVE TALKS NEW MUSIC COMING SOON AND PRAISES NICKI MINAJ

Many would count Eve among some of the greatest female emcees of all time. As of late, she has focused more on her acting. She’ll appear in the new film Barbershop: The Next Cut, opening April 15. But she did take to Twitter and to Access Hollywood to discuss both the new movie and possibly some new music coming soon.

PAUL WALL DEFENDS LEAN

Self-medication in Hip Hop is something that is not new, is a subject that has more attention nowadays. But Houston rapper Paul Wall does not agree with Master P that Lean (a drink of syrup originating in Houston) is killing a generation of Hip Hop heads. He instead placed more blame on things like improper diet, obesity and alcohol. Check out his full interview below.

NEW J DILLA SONG “SUN IN MY FACE” FEATURING MIGUEL AND BLU

The world can rejoice! More new music from J. Dilla is on the way. And this week saw the release of a new song called “Sun In My Face” featuring new age crooner Miguel and underground Hip Hop hero Blu. With Dilla’s signature, sweetly smooth production, this one is a winner.