Slaughterhouse is one of the most underrated groups in hip hop history. Check out this dope show at SOBs in NYC last night.

Outkast’s Andre 3000 continues to receive accolades in his endeavors outside of the Hip-Hop realm. The rapper-turned-actor and much more has been heralded by GQ Magazine as one of the Best New Designers in America for his prep-inspired men’s line Benjamin Bixby.

As part of GQ’s third annual search, Dre, born Andre Benjamin, was selected alongside five other designers as “a class of designers whose vision is as broad and diverse as the country itself.” Joining Benjamin Bixby are Save Khaki, Robert Geller, Yigal Azrouel, Shipley & Halmos, and Rogues Gallery.

Of the six designers selected, Andre is the only one who does not come from a strictly fashion background. He first introduced Benjamin Bixby in February 2008, as a self-funded venture. At the time, the line consisted of about 70 pieces inspired equally by Hip-Hop’s love of prep styles in the 90s and college football circa 1935.

While the line is a departure from the funky styles that became synonymous with Andre 3000 during his promotion of Outkast’s last two albums, he explains it was drawn from the same creative place, but
crafted to be more accessible to consumers.

“During OutKast’s Stankonia period, I looked like I was from Mars,” Andre tells GQ. “The music was otherworldly, and my character reflected that. I wanted to put that spirit into classic clothes, but
ones that people could actually wear.”

In September, Benjamin entered into an agreement with upscale retailer Barney’s to offer Benjamin Bixby clothing in the U.S. exclusively through Barneys.com. The pieces offered online run from $95.00 polo shirts to $395 sweaters, to outerwear in the $1500 price range.

While rumors of an upcoming Andre 3000 solo album or Outkast reunion album continue to brew, Dre seems to be much more quiet on the Hollywood front. Following his role in last year’s Battle In Seattle, the story
of protesters at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999, Dre was scheduled to appear in New York, I Love You.

However, with New York scheduled to hit theaters in February, information about the film does not include Andre as part of the ensemble cast, which brings together Natalie Portman, Kevin Bacon, Ethan Hawk, Saul Williams, Robin Wright Penn and many more Hollywood A-Listers.

Spotted: Allhiphop

Juelz Santana takes the time to remember Biggie’s influence on New Yorkers and hip hop in general. RIP…

MC’s rep says despite earlier statements, album will not be associated with Tha Carter III. Can he do another milli the first week? We’ll know in a couple of months! Lil Wayne announced the official release date and title of his next album: Rebirth is due April 7 — and his publicist has confirmed to MTV News that it will be a rock album. Of course, Wayne has been rocking with a guitar for some time now.

The first single is called “Prom Queen” and will debut on the Internet right after a live stream of his concert in San Diego on January 27. The show will be available for stream on MySpace.com. Wayne — who will perform at the Grammy Awards on February 8 — hinted at a change in direction for his next LP in October during the BET Hip-Hop Awards.

“I don’t know if we’re gonna release Tha Carter IV now,” he told MTV News on his tour bus. “I think we’re gonna release Tha Carter III — a new Carter III with none of the same songs, though. None of them. Not one! We don’t wanna call the [next album] we got coming out Tha Carter IV. That was the dilemma we were in. We want Carter IV to be what everybody wants it to be.

“This is something brand new, so we don’t want it to be some experimental thing, ’cause some people are not gonna like this. I don’t want them to not like Tha Carter IV. But I do have an album coming soon, very soon, and it’s gonna be called … Tha Carter III: The Rebirth. The birth of a new beginning.”

Those plans have been changed a bit. Wayne’s rep told MTV News that the April 7 release has absolutely nothing to do with Tha Carter III or any of his previous hip-hop efforts.

Source: MTV

Kanye West debuted the red colorway of his upcoming Louie sneakers this week while visiting the Louis Vuitton Fashion show in Paris. I like the clean yet forward-looking style.

If I had restrictions, I would have done it in three weeks,’ MC says of the no-limits album. Jay-Z’s been busy lately, recording verses for DJ Khaled, the “Notorious” soundtrack and Young Jeezy’s “My President” remix. But that doesn’t mean the Brooklyn wordsmith is ready to release The Blueprint 3 just yet.

Typically, when Jay has a project in the works, it only takes him a few weeks to wrap it up. This time, though, there’s been no rush. “For me, the process of making an album is difficult with so many things going on,” Jay told MTV News backstage at his “Eve of Change” show. “And me, I wanna make it beyond and above. I’m gonna take my time with it. I don’t have any quotas, and that’s a good thing. It may be too freeing. It’s a good thing and a bad thing. You know, I think I need some restrictions. ‘Cause if I had restrictions, I would have done it in three weeks. I would have made what I believe to be a great piece of art.”

According to Kanye West, the album’s rumored sole producer, the music recorded so far for BP3 is “phenomenal.” West spoke with MTV Base in November and reiterated Jay’s claim that the album could have been released. But after the positive feedback for “Jockin’ Jay-Z” and T.I.’s “Swagger Like Us,” Hov decided to keep cooking up tracks.

“We went in, and we [did] the whole album,” West explained. “He wanted to do a few more joints, so he kinda pushed it back. Now we’re gonna go in and just work on some more records. So I got some more stuff to kill it with! I think [Jay pushed the album back because] ‘Swagger’ just did so incredible. We wanted to go up [and make sure] everything was on that level.”

In addition to “Jockin’ Jay-Z” and “Swagger Like Us,” the Jigga Man said his “Notorious” track, “Brooklyn Go Hard,” is also slated for the album. “I actually recorded a lot of records already,” Jay said. “You know, all those records that leaked [online] were on The Blueprint 3.”

The Blueprint 3 is believed to be Jay-Z’s last contractual album due to Def Jam, his current recording home. The rapper, who served a three-year term as the label’s president, signed a new $150 million contract with Live Nation over 10 years. It remains unclear, though, which company will distribute albums for Jay-Z under the Live Nation deal.

Source: MTV