Anti-Lilly & Phoniks – It’s Nice Outside [Album Stream]

Over the past few years, Houston emcee Anti-Lilly has experienced a lot of hardships. Stretches of serious depression combined with the monotony of a 9-to-5 lifestyle, temptations from the streets and betrayal from a close friend forced him into isolation. Using Phoniks jazzy soundscapes as a coping mechanism, Anti paints a vivid picture of the struggles he’s endured since we last heard from the duo on 2014’s “Stories From The Brass Section”. The album’s 17 tracks are stitched together with voicemail’s the young Houston rhyme-spitter received from friends and family trying to reach him while he was shut out from the world. Through it all, Anti emerges from his experiences with a renewed optimism, letting the world know “It’s Nice Outside” despite all the pain and suffering he’s withstood. “Thank y’all. This is the only way I know how to get through it. I lost my way for a while, honestly I’m still tryna figure everything out. I’m learning that we all are, though. I done lost as much as I gained, but it was all necessary. This album is dedicated to everyone who feels like me. Thanks for being so patient with me. God Bless” – Anti-Lilly It's Nice Outside by Anti-Lilly & Phoniks

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Dave East Talks Story Telling, Serving Jail Time, Favorite Rappers, Childhood, Harlem & More [Video]

Hard Knock Tv’s Nick Huff Barili sits down with Dave East for in-depth interview at Truth Studios. Part 1 starts with Dave East painting the picture of what his childhood was like growing up in Harlem. As the interview continues, Dave breaks down where his love for story telling came from and how Styles P and Biggie are his favorite rappers. Part 1 ends with Dave talking about moving to Baltimore to go to college and play basketball but how he got caught up in the streets and had to go to jail for a while. We are just getting started! Nick and Dave talked for almost an hour.

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Damian Marley On How His Mom Met Bob Marley, How He Got “Jr. Gong” Nickname [Video]

In this clip, Damian Marley discusses how his parents met and the untimely death of his iconic father, Bob Marley. Damian recalls early moments of his childhood with his older siblings and reflects on how those relationships were fostered. He also reveals the origin of his nickname Jr. Gong, and how dancehall music deeply influenced his style of music today. While unpacking the backstory to his second album, Halfway Tree, Marley goes in depth about how oppression and social inequity dominates his music. He talks about how his life, though privileged, lay at the crux of the “Halfway Tree” which divided Damian’s town in Jamaica along class lines.

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Dave East Breaks Down “Perfect” Official Lyrics & Meaning [Video]

Harlem rapper Dave East got his big break when he was discovered by Nas in 2014 and signed to the legendary MC’s Mass Appeal label. Last week, East dropped his Paranoia: A True Story EP, and one of its most popular songs is the lead single “Perfect” featuring Chris Brown. The track has already racked up over one million Spotify streams since its release on July 28. As East explains to Genius, “Perfect” is a tribute to all of the different women in his life.

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Open Space w/ Dave East [Video]

For the latest episode of Open Space, Harlem’s own Dave East stopped by MASS APPEAL HQ to talk about his Def Jam debut Paranoia: A True Story, which drops today. “My lifestyle just changed dramatically over the last year,” says East, a new father whose financial situation has improved dramatically since he began his mixtape grind seven years ago. “I’m from the streets and I’m used to being at the bottom and seeing people gettin’ it. So now I’m on that other side and it kinda got me watching my back and really keeping an eye on my surroundings and the people I bring around me. I try to keep that circle tight.” His concerns are not just the usual celebrity complaints. “It’s a spooky feeling,” East reveals. “I’ve had two of my closest people to me get murdered in the last four years. It just be shit in my mind. But it be so much more positive shit going on that overshadows it, but that thought is still there, so I named it Paranoia.” East feels his new project shows his artistic growth. “Anything you do long enough you gon’ start to really become a master,” he says. “I feel like all of the mixtapes up until now was finding me. I didn’t know who I was musically until my last two projects. I was still kind figuring out, ‘Am I gonna be this super-New York rapper? Or am I gonna do everything? Am I gonna try to experiment

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