The Story of Jayson Rodriguez

Ball so hard. #hottestmonthever (Peep the 4:30 mark to hear me being introduced, my lone highlight in this clip. My two Js weren’t filmed. That shit weird.) [DP.com]

What the drillie with that? I tried to speak the dunn language. Me vs. P.

.@AlLindstrom invited some of the rap cognoscenti to kick that rap ish. Pt. 1.

It’s that time of the year again. Allindstrom.com assembled a list of the most influential tastemakers in the game today, threw them in a room in the Digiwaxx Offices in NYC, and asked them to review the biggest moments of 2011. This years Allindstrom.com pannel includes (from Left to Right) Joe La Puma (Complex Magazine), Brian “B. Dot” Miller (Rap Radar), Neil Ceasar (Digiwaxx), Jayson Rodriguez (XXL Magazine), Jeff Sledge (A&R/Allindstrom.com Guest Blogger), and Combat Jack (PNC Radio).

In the first of 4 videos, we take a look at Rookie Of The Year. We defined Rookie Of The Year as the artist who had their breakout year this year. Names like ASAP Rocky, Mac Miller, J. Cole, and Tyler, The Creator were thrown around. In the end it came down to the debate of numbers vs impact on the culture. Press play and check out which artist walked away with the award. [AL]

Happy Halloween Everyone: The XXL staff decided to re-enact Lil Wayne’s “Intro,” “Interlude,” “Outro” from Tha Carter IV.  We picked names out of a hat, played our part and delivered…. Well, you be the judge. Check above or here: xxlmag.com

I’m not a star. [HHC]

I always had a strong attachment to Baby Girl; we were the same age, I was a fan of her music and with my aim to get into the entertainment biz, I just knew I’d be covering her for years to come. Unfortunately, she tragically passed and it hurt most like losing a family member. I was in Baltimore with an ex-girlfriend when the news was announced. We were stunned. My only two pieces I wrote on her, on her legacy after the eight anniversary of her passing [Aaliyah: Remembering Her Legacy] and a Q&A with Missy one year later [Missy Elliott Remembers Aaliyah]. 

Images courtesy of upnorthtrips:

BACK IN THE DAY | 8/25/2001 | RIP AALIYAH