Kendrick’s new album is expected to arrive March 23 via Aftermath/Interscope Records.  The title…”To Pimp a Butterfly” should be a good one…

According to TMZ… 53-year old singer Angie Stone “punched” her 30-year old daughter Diamond in self-defense: “Angie then told police she defended herself with a metal stand, but accidentally hit Diamond in the face… knocking out her front teeth.”

Angie allegedly tried to flee the scene when she “realized the mistake,” but Diamond came after her. The fight between the two were broken up by a family friend.

AJC.com reports no further details of the arrest are available.

Kudos to Waka Flocka for taking a stand…

After catching the news that the University of Oklahoma’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity had chanted disturbing racist slurs, Waka Flocka has canceled his upcoming performance at the school.

“I must say I’m disgusted and disappointed in the actions of the SAE fraternity at University of Oklahoma and I will be canceling my scheduled performance for them next month,” Flocka said in an Instagram photo. “Racism is something I will not tolerate.”

ABC news reports that the university has since severed “all and affiliations” with the fraternity.

@The Basement

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March 23rd 2015 is the official release date for Kendrick Lamar’s second album…

On Friday afternoon (Mar. 6), the rapper posted an iTunes link to Twitter that is a placeholder link for a new album, with a $14.99 pre-order button. As of now, the link leads to a “Digital Booklet – TBD” item, with no artwork and “[Untitled]” where the album title would be.

The comeback continues for Missy… Since the Super Bowl… she’s been busy… and now the news of her Essence Festival debut when the annual event returns to New Orleans on July 2-5.  The event this year was already set to be spectacular… But… now with Usher and Missy… you better go get that flight booked and hotel reservation held…

Essence is one of the better events the country has to offer… And with a roster that includes… Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Common, Kevin Hart and Erykah Badu…. I’m sure this year will not disappoint…  Hosting the festival weekend will be comedians Nephew Tommy from the Steve Harvey Morning Show and Luenell.

Additional information is available on Essence.com/festival.

According to Billboard… R&B singer Raheem DeVaughn arrives at No. 1 on Top R&B Albums with his latest set, Love Sex Passion. It’s his first effort to top the two-year-old chart, and second charting album on the list, following A Place Called Love Land, which entered at No. 7 in 2013.

Meanwhile, Love Sex Passion enters Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums at No. 5 (while also arriving at No. 31 on the Billboard 200).

Often… we hear of the DJ that raps… or the producer that can rock the mic… But how about a world renown illustrator… Recently I caught up with SKAM2? to discuss his upcoming Hip Hop album…

Many know you for your incredible artwork… What would you like fans to know about you as a hip hop artist?
SKAM2? – Hard to say off rip, but I do put a premium on showing my range and versatility.

I have to ask… what is your most popular or recognizable art work?
SKAM2? – More than likely, the screaming vicodin pill from Eminem’s “Slim Shady LP” disc. That album sold well over 12.5 million copies worldwide. Not to mention, I’ve seen a lot of tattoos and other people’s drawings of it online.

Who inspired you mostly in Hip Hop?
SKAM2? – No one person. I draw vibes and ideas from a lot of things. Movies, books, video games, you name it. My music library has a whole lot of everything in it. Seriously.

What can the world expect from the SKAM2? Album?
SKAM2? – Every project will serve a different purpose, so don’t expect anything. Roll the dice and hate me for that 45 minutes of your life that you will never get back.

What did it mean for you representing at J-Dilla weekend in Miami?
SKAM2? – It was definitely good vibes out there. People coming out to just to have a good time and enjoy some music. Ain’t too many things better than getting to rock out with your homies.

How did the title for the album come about?
SKAM2? – Flying Monkey Murder Cirkus came from some lines in a freestyle I had called Super Random. I think I said something like “Them flying monkeys gon’ murk me” and I was trying to design cover art for it and it came to me while going through reference for the cover art.

Why “Definition” for the first single?
SKAM2? – I got a lot of strong reactions on it. I like all the records that I choose to release, so there isn’t much of a struggle for me when it comes to going where the vibe takes me. If that’s what they want, f*ck it, that’s what they get!

Who did you work with from a production standpoint on the album?
SKAM2? – Myself, Produced By Infamous (Lil Wayne, Drake), Kevin Rudolf (Selena Gomez, Timbaland), The Guild, MiamiBeatWave

This is more of a two part question… What is your opinion of the current state of hip hop? and where would you like to see it go from here?
SKAM2? – Current state… meh. I hear good. I hear bad. But in general, on this side of the pond, a lot of things outside of the actual “music” are pretty screwy. I’m so bombarded with what I’m doing that I really have no thoughts on where it should go. But I would like to see more acknowledgement & accolades given to those who show actual aptitude and innovation towards the craft.. but I feel like that about every form of art.

Much respect to SKAM2?

Check out the video for the lead single “Definition” off the upcoming ” Flying Monkey Murder Cirkus”

According to the Billboard interview… Cube says… “The actors that we chose… They were just perfect matches for the group,” he says. “And this was a big concern of mine, I was just concerned that we would have a lot of Hollywood actors that you’ve seen trying to mold themselves into something.” In fact, playing Cube (born O’Shea Jackson) is son O’Shea Jackson Jr.

Cube continues… “You can go see Marvel superheroes and those kind of movies,” he says dismissively. “Or you can see the real superheroes, which is N.W.A. The N.W.A. story is just controversial no matter how you slice it… there’s always danger lurking in the midst of all this creativity and talent.”