Henry's Rap / Hip-Hop Blog

Nas pushes his playa persona to the forefront on the gleaming "Make the World Go Round," his latest video from Untitled. Frankly, this is one of Nas' most tepid music videos ever. Not even appearances by The Game and Chris Brown could save it. Then again, Nas is better known for visionary lyrics than for stunning visuals.

• Video: Nas - "Make the World Go Round" (feat. Game and Chris Brown)

If all T.I. did this week was shoot to the top of the Billboard 200 with Paper Trail, it would have still been a remarkable feat. But Tip did much more than that. When Paper Trail arrived at the top with 568,000 copies this week, it not only marked T.I.'s 3rd straight No.1 debut on the chart but also his biggest sales week since signing with Atlantic Records.

Even more significantly, this marks Atlantic's biggest sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. The previous record holder? Well, look no further than T.I.'s 2006 LP, King, which topped the chart with 522,000 units. His 2007 set, T.I. Vs. T.I.P., didn't do too badly either; it debuted at No.1 with 466,000 scans.

That's not all. T.I. also dominates the Hot 100 department, where he breaks the record for largest jump to No. 1 -- a feat he first accomplished just 6 weeks ago after "Whatever You Like" flew 71-1 the week of Sept. 6, 2008. "Live Your Life" (featuring Rihanna), the 2nd single from Paper Trail, skyrocketed 80-1 to replace "Whatever You Like" at numero uno this week.

The ailing music industry gets to breathe a sigh of relief this week, thanks, in part, to T.I.'s impressive showing.

Photo © Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Weird Al Yankovic has released a parody of T.I.'s chart-topping single "Whatever You Like." Yankovic wrote on his Myspace blog:

"My new single – which is being released on iTunes tomorrow -– is a parody of T.I.'s smash hit "Whatever You Like." The T.I. song has been number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 5 weeks now – and this will in fact mark the first time in my career that I've been able to release a parody while the original song was still number 1.

"Whatever You Like" also marks the first time Weird Al has titled his parody after the song being parodied. Weird Al's previous hip-hop parody was "White & Nerdy," his remake of Chamillionaire's "Ridin' Dirty." "Whatever You Like" appears on T.I.'s latest album, Paper Trail.

• Weird Al Yankovic - "Whatever You Like"

Kanye premiered the music video for "Love Lockdown" on the Ellen DeGeneres show earlier today. Like most Kanye videos, this one is artistic and unconventional. Take a look and let me know if you dig it or not.

• Video: Kanye West - "Love Lockdown"

Now that the dust has finally settled on this year's VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, let's peel back the veil and examine some of the best and worst moments from the show. For the uninitiated, VH1 salutes hip-hop greats every year by honoring them with special performances. This year's honorees were Slick Rick, Cypress Hill, De La Soul, Naughty by Nature, and Too $hort. Proceed for a recap of the 2008 VH1 Hip-Hop Honors. Read more...

Common goes all futuristic on us in his new video for "UMC" (UMC stands for Universal Mind Control, by the way). The Pharrell-produced single appears on Comm's upcoming album, also titled Universal Mind Control and slated for release on November 25th. Follow the link below to watch the video:

• Video: Common's "UMC" (Feat. Pharrell)

Every year VH1 celebrates the vision, innovation and overall accomplishment of seminal hip-hop artists. Major players like Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Rakim, and A Tribe Called Quest have all been honored by fellow artists at the annual ceremony. There are no specific set of criteria for picking honorees, but artists who helped set trends and influenced hip hop in a powerful way are almost always included.

The event is still relatively young, but the reception within the hip-hop community so far has been mostly positive. As you get ready to watch a telecast of this year's honors show, take a moment to peruse this handy guide to the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors.

If you ask me, Devin the Dude is one of the most talented rappers to bubble up from the southern rap ooze this decade. And that's not just my Houston bias speaking. Devin's 6th album, Landing Gear, is one of the new rap CDs worth checking out this month. Other artists with new albums on the horizon include: Black Milk, Statik Selektah, and the Knux. Here's a complete rundown of October's Top 10 Rap Releases.

Album art © Razor & Tie

The expression "paper trail" refers to a time-honored process of penning one's innermost thoughts. It's no coincidence that T.I. chose this phrase as the title of his 6th and most definitive album. For starters, Tip had many a problems to write about this time. Did I say write? Yup, T.I. ditched that off-the-top nonsense rappers always brag about and reverted to actually writing down his lyrics. The last time T.I. expressed his thoughts in black and white Trap Muzik happened. Well, lets see if he reignites that magic on Paper Trail.

Album art © Atlantic

Well, if this week's lineup doesn't get you excited, nothing will. Today marks the return of T.I.P., whose Paper Trail is in stores as we speak. Also, Termanology, the greatest half-white, half-hispanic rapper, gets a chance to make his case with Politics As Usual debuting today. Plus, Murs reminds us that election season is right around the corner with his eagerly awaited comeback, Murs for President.

Here's this week's new releases at a glance:

• T.I. - Paper Trail
• Termanology - Politics As Usual
• Heltah Skeltah - D.I.R.T
• Jean Grae & BSBD - The Evil Jeanius
• Murs - Murs for President

2008 Hip-Hop Releases Calendar: September | October | November

Album art © Warner Bros.