Just Another Love Story?

Produced by D-Animals, Mike-Dash-E gives you the sequel to the "Thrill" video as he fast forwards to being a part of the industry. This song is off his solo debut album "Dash with Me" which is now available on i-tunes, rasputins and mikedashe.com. The video also features Thomas Pridgen who is a famous Gammy award winning drummer.

The song features vocals by Viveca Hawkins, a young singer from Berkley, CA. Viveca has performed and recorded with a who’s who of soulful hip hop outfits, including Blackalicious, Goapele, Soulive, The Coup feat. Blackthought & Talib Kweli, MF Doom, Pharoah Monch, Cee Lo, Slum Village.

Aris Jerome, the director of the video, continues to build an impressive resume with his exceptional and captivating videos. This video elaborates on a story of how fame and money changes relationships and the people engaged in the relationship. The video does an amazing job of capturing the emotions and frustrations of the video members.

Just another love story or just another lesson to learn? You be the judge.

Free At Last And Back In The Lab: Prodigy's Return

Ever since Prodigy, Grammy Award winning rapper and member of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep which also consists of Havoc, entered the industry, he took it by storm. Countless classic albums by Mobb Deep and Prodigy alone have solidified the Queensbridge duo as hip hop legends.

Havoc and Prodigy started rhyming in 1986, then later they both attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Havoc took the role of producer and secondary MC, while Prodigy assumed the position of primary MC. Originally dubbing themselves the Poetical Profits, the duo later changed its name to Mobb Deep in order to "reflect their reputation on the streets." To this fan, Mobb Deep is perhaps one of the greatest hard-core East Coast hip-hop groups of all times. Prodigy and Havoc are best known for their dark and hardcore delivery, gritty instrumentals and their never-ending vivid exploitation of the harsh realities in today's ghetto neighbourhoods. Below are two of my favourite Mobb Deep videos; Shook Ones Part II and Quiet Storm. Quiet Storm is probably in my top 5 videos of all time.

Mobb Deep as a group have released 9 albums: Juvenile Hell (1993), The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996), Murda Muzik (1999), Infamy (2001), Amerikaz Nightmare (2004), Blood Money (2006), The Infamous Archives (2007), The Safe Is Cracked (2009).


Recently, Prodigy served a three-year prison sentence in a midstate correctional facility. He was officially released on March 7, 2011.

Prodigy comes from a musical family—his grandfather, Budd Johnson, and his uncle Keg Johnson are remembered for their contributions to the Bebop era of jazz. In the year 2000, Prodigy took a temporary break from the group and released his first solo effort. "H.N.I.C." which stands as an acronym for "Head N**** In Charge". Prodigy enlisted a number of producers for the album, including The Alchemist, EZ Elpee, Rockwilder, Just Blaze and his Mobb Deep partner Havoc. The single "Keep It Thoro" (embedded below) received moderate video and radio rotation. A sequel, H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 was released April 22, 2008.



Since his release from prison, Prodigy has been locked up inside the studio with Havoc, close affiliate The Alchemist, a hip hop producer, DJ and rapper from Beverly Hills, California. I stumbled upon a UStream of Prodigy in the booth and the excitement became a constant build up until I saw Prodigy enter the recording booth and start reciting these rhymes that had me reminiscing the old Prodigy. A new song has been released titled, "Dog Shit" which features previous affiliate turned enemy and now friend, Nas.



It feels like it's the return of the late 90's. Keep your eyes out for new music by Mobb Deep and Prodigy.

From Toronto, With Love is BASED

OMG, God damn is he really going to make a post about this? WOOP yes he is!

There has been quite the controversy surrounding this young man as to whether this kind of music is destroying the rap game, or is it just the type of music that has an impact on what is hot right now? Lil B the Based God, also part of The Pack, has been making progress with his career, from his social media following on Twitter, to his millions of views on YouTube. He's been featured on the XXL Freshmen's list this year and has even had Diddy bring him out during a show in Texas.

Lil B has garnered a huge following and strong fan base, and has a lot of people "cooking". Want to know how to cook? Check out the video embedded below.



This Master Chef has released a few mixtapes, the most recent one called "Illusions of Grandeur", which features one single that has impressed many called "Base For Your Face", which can be viewed in the audio below. "Base For Your Face" is produced by 9th Wonder, a hip hop producer, DJ, lecturer and rapper from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A., and it features underground heavyweight femcee(female emcee) Jean Grae and one third of Little Brother, Phonte.



From (insert derogatory female term here) on his (insert the name for the male private parts) 'cause he looks like _________ (fill in the blank with any word you like) to "cooking", to controversial songs. Hate him or love him Lil B can possibly be the hottest thing in the near future.

For your viewing pleasure, check out these videos that sparked a lot of views and see what you think.

"SWAG SWAG"

Everybody Looks Forward to The Weeknd

There's a lot of buzz surrounding this 20 year old singer/songwriter straight out of Toronto, who goes by The Weeknd. With the release of his debut mixtape House of Balloons, which dropped on March 21st, Abel Tesfaye (the man behind the music) could be the next big thing to blow up. The mixtape has smooth melodies and is something the game could use right now.

Toronto native Drizzy Drake shows his support for The Weeknd, as he has recently been tweeting lyrics off the House of Balloons mixtape. With that said, there has been rumors circulating that producer 40 (Noah Shebib) who works closely with Drake, produced the mixtape for The Weeknd. The rumors were then clarified on Twitter when The Weeknd tweeted he didn't have input on the tape.

From Toronto, With Love expect to see more of this young unsigned talent. and if you haven't embraced his talent, follow the link http://the-weeknd.com/ to download the mixtape, or listen to his mixtape embedded below on From Toronto, With Love below.

The Journal of Wonders: Tale of the Phoenix in the Moon Labyrinth

Recently, I made a post about how dissatisfied I was with the state of the R&B genre. I typed away my thoughts and I used Trey Songz as a reference of how R&B had really downgraded down the ladder. I am actually quite relieved to make this post because ever since I began to listen to this artists work I've been listening to it quite frequently.

Born Glenn H. Adams Jr., the gifted Plainfield, New Jersey native has spent the better part of his life on some form of a stage. Growing up on healthy helpings of classic soul singers like Al Green, Sam Cooke, and Luther Vandross provided him with a solid musical foundation; but his more direct influences were contemporaries like Prince, Lauryn Hill, and D'Angelo.

As a member of an extracurricular high school program partnered with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Lenny's original aspiration was to be an actor. After seeing awe-inspiring performances by some of his music idols, he was compelled to try his hand at singing instead, and soon began honing his craft by performing at local talent shows. He eventually crossed paths with veteran music executive Darnell Scott, and was given the "big break" that aspiring artists always dream about.

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Under the new direction of entertainment and media mogul Forrest Renaissance of BlackBelt Music Group and KYA Entertainment, Lenny recently released his long-awaited full-length debut album, The Journal of Wonders: Tales of the Phoenix in the Moon Labyrinth on March 22nd, 2011.

From Toronto, With Love is proud to present you with Lenny Harold's full-length debut album, The Journal of Wonders: Tales of the Phoenix in the Moon Labyrinth. This album reconciled this long lost connection I once had with R&B. I feel synced to the music and what it represents. It's a great body of work from an artist with an obvious craving for the music. It paints on romantic canvases a painting of a gentleman in touch with reality and the joys of caressing to the needs of love. This smooth sailing is a sure pleaser to your ears and heart. The album consists of 14 original songs; production by Cass Maya; collaborations with Taylor Ryan and Solomon Cortes of WMC Productions; and the support of renowned musicians/writers responsible for some of the greatest hits in mainstream music history.



Before meeting Scott, Lenny would find himself on the very stage that inspired him to become a vocalist. Under his old moniker CHANJ, Lenny proved an undeniable force to be reckoned with when he appeared as an "Amateur Night" contestant on Showtime at the Apollo.


Commanding an audience known globally for its fiercely critical and sometimes brutal reception, he put his own stamp on Floetry's highly received sensual ballad "Say Yes." It was the mark of a consummate performer, as he recalls, "It was a lukewarm reception as I began to sing the song, but I just kept going… it turned into cheers and people standing and clapping." He won the challenge not once, but four times— earning a $25,000 dollar grand prize for his final victory. Footage of his captivating performance of the song on the Apollo and shows at other live venues has generated thousands of hits on YouTube.

After friends insisted the song’s originators see him pay homage at the Apollo performance, former Floetry vocalist Marsha Ambrosius was equally impressed with his version of her composition and was thrilled to work with him on the track "Give it All." He says of the Grammy-winning songwriter, "Working with Marsha was incredible. I'm such a fan of hers and she wound up being a fan of me too, which made for great chemistry in the studio." Lenny was able to nurture his own budding skills as a songwriter on the project while working alongside a host of industry heavy-hitters. He says, "I really just wanted to get involved with different people with different ideas. And I wanted to learn a lot so that I would have a lot more knowledge on how to really construct a song, or really get the best out of a harmony." In addition to Ambrosius, some of his collaborators included Jaime Foxx, Teddy Riley, Dre & Vidal, Adonis, and Day 26's Robert Curry and Mike City.