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July 31: Six black high school students in Jena, La., are facing serious jail time for their alleged role in the most recent of a series of incidents with racial overtones. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports. (Nightly News) read more »

What part of the game is this MTV Europe ad? That’s a nice double extra medium Chris Wallace shirt they Photoshopped onto Mr. Shakur, no? read more »

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Shawty on deck with this one. Remy Ma 's in that earpiece with a new joint called "BX Thang". It's produced by cool cat villians Undaground Soundz. Rep this one... read more »

Wyclef has broken his silence and recently aired Lauryn Hill out for being the "problem" keeping the Fugees from getting together. It's getting ugly!

Yo, this is Flo Dirt back with another installment of 10 Shots. What I realized throughout my short journey and lifespan of this series is that I’ve been able to give a different side of the artists you already know and sometimes expose you to artists you wouldn’t otherwise be aware of. I’m continuing that trend this time out with a cat out of the Chi named Mic Chekk. This is a 10 Shots exclusive, beginning a new chapter I call, “10 Unsigned Shots.” Enjoy and please check out Mic Chekk’s Myspace page after the read at www.myspace.com/micchekk!

-Peace & Dirt!

(As a side-note, the Chi-Town natives have been hitting me up crazy but where is the rest of hip hop at?? I mean, if you are reading this and you want some shine, let me know! I’ve been reppin’ Arizona and Chicago hard. Hit me on Myspace and let’s get down.)

FLO DIRT: 1. Who is Mic Chekk and why is he important to hip hop right now?

Mic Chekk: Chekk is important because the game needs someone with both talent and substance. Artists that have substance and content are not "cool" to listen to, while artists who are "cool" to listen to aren't really saying anything memorable. I'm blending lyricism, consciousness, and songwriting together; big choruses, punch-lines, concepts, and content all at once. I'm not just a punch-line or conscious rapper, I'm a complete artist that can pick beats that compliment my style.

FLO DIRT: 2. What’s good on the South East Side of the Chi?

Mic Chekk: I've actually lived all over the city, but the Westside of Chicago is what made me who I am today. I've been living on the South-East side for the last 3 years. I can tell u that it's no different than any other hood: gang life, drugs, prostitution, corrupt police and poverty is the norm. You've heard it all before; my ghetto is no different from anyone else's, except that we don't have Bloods and Crips. We have are own gang culture. As far as musically, each side of town has their own style of music, but at the end of the day, it’s all Chicago.

FLO DIRT: 3. Tell us about your project, “Masterpiece Theatre,” and Blok Club.

Mic Chekk: “Masterpiece Theatre” started out as me doing just another mixtape. It grew into much more than that. I linked up with my manager, Ari Black and we ended up putting together a street album.

FLO DIRT: Shout out to Ari Black for being mad diligent! Sorry for the lag time, B!

Mic Chekk: He had previous relationships with some new producers who ended up giving me very inspiring music. That, in conjunction with the producers I already had on deck, provided for the makings of a good project. I have production from Slot-A, Vanysh, Banghz, Crates, Truth, DLS, Panik (Molemen), J Bell, and Jaywan. The beats really drove me to make complete records and step up my songwriting. The end result is a project that will let the fans know hip hop is not dead. Blok Club Music Group is a family and music label. Originally, Blok Club was a crew consisting of myself and 3 other emcees I had tremendous respect for. Once I found out that the original name I wanted for my label was already taken, I just decided to use Blok Club. Blok Club Music Group consists of myself, DJ Jay Jilla, Banggighertz, Ty Struggle, Curse aka Vinnie Chase, Clew Rok and Gutta Calabrese. We are an independent label that is poised to take Chicago to the next level. We have a mixtape series entitled “Blok Bizness” that is making noise and various other projects on the way besides my own. I'm also a member of Wind Chillz which goes hand in hand with Blok Club. Wind Chillz consists of myself, Gutta Calabrese, Curse aka Vinnie Chase, Hall of Fame, Clew Rok, Prophecy and Dyamond Havana. Each artist has their own movement and brings something different to the table talent-wise. It’s not a dictatorship so each artist can pursue their own business ventures, etc.

FLO DIRT: 4. As you know, Slot-A had a little shine on the site already. What’s your relationship with him and what’s the hip hop scene like in Chicago?

Mic Chekk: I met Slot A through my management GCU (Grind City University). It started with him emailing beats to me and me choosing what I liked. I ended up using 3 of his beats for “Masterpiece Theatre.” Our relationship has grown a lot since that time and we're actually roommates at the moment, so we bounce ideas off each other all the time now. He schools me on some Detroit hip hop and I put him up on Chicago's scene, past and present. We may even do an EP project together in the future. Slot, what up! As far as the scene in Chicago, we've always been known as the city of hate or “Haterville.” It hurts me to say that we are still suffering from those same issues. The “crab in the barrel” syndrome is at an all-time high, which is hurting the city as a whole. If we linked up in the same way Atlanta or Miami has done, we can get the recognition we deserve. It's not just the artists who have issues, it's the DJ’s, promoters, venues, and radio stations as well. You get 1 hour of Chicago music on Sundays on one of our big stations. The only other outlet we have are college stations but the amount of listeners doesn't compare to that of the big stations. My man Pugs does a show every Wednesday on WHPK. A lot of local artists get play on his show so shout out to him. These days it seems like everyone has a label, every one has their own artists, everyone is a superstar when in reality, we're all still on ground level. The Chicago artist is looked at as a lesser individual until they make it big within the industry. Since everyone knows that, they are all trying to make it big and sharing the light is not part of the plan. It takes more to fix the problem then just speaking on it though. All of Chicago has to come together and change the thought process, then we can start to make progress towards bigger and better things. Hopefully this will happen in years to come.

FLO DIRT: Yo, that sounds familiar. I heard the same thing from some of my local Arizona dudes (Cinque from Man Up Squad and Atllas) as well as from J. Wells regarding West Coast artists. Without that unity, we all suffer due to the eventual lack of quality music and not leveraging each other’s talents.

5. Who’s the next to blow out of Chicago and who are some of the local legends out there besides the obvious, Common, Kanye, Lupe, etc.?

Mic Chekk: There are a lot of artists here making moves. Aside from my immediate family and crew there’s Que Billah, Prime, Pugslee, Cosmo, Big Wiz, Khallee, Mick Luter, Cap 1, Ras Rok, Ill Nature, Enzyme 9, Boardroom, and Res. As far as local legends, some who come to mind are Legendary Traxster, Drama Ward, Qualo, Juice, Vakill, Molemen, Mass Hysteria, All Natural, Da Smart, and Shawnna. Goon Squad and 108 Records have big followings as well. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone, but I'll get them next go-round.

FLO DIRT: 6. That “Walk With Me” track on your Myspace page is incredibly personal and emotional. Who produced that one and how do you look at that track? Is it therapeutic for you or hard to listen to?

Mic Chekk: The “Walk With Me” song is a tough topic to discuss. My cousin was found dead on Christmas Eve and I was having a hard time dealing with it. We were raised as brothers and hadn't talked in a few months due to what I now see was a minor issue. I was up at like 2 am on the day before his funeral and starting going through beats on this instrumental disc. I ran across what I later found out was a Joe Budden beat and immediately started writing. I wrote that song and by noon that same day, I was in the studio recording it. My initial plan was to put it in the casket with him to let him know how I was feeling. I let one family member hear it and the next thing I know, the cd was getting burned and everyone had it. When me and my manager linked back up, I sent it to him to check out and he started playing it on a radio show he was doing. Needless to say, the response was big. I was shocked that someone outside my family could like the song since it was so personal. Everyone who has heard it relates to it, and some people even shed some tears from what I'm told. That right there let me know that music can be therapeutic and get you through your darkest moments. It's still a hard song to listen to personally, but I leave it out there because maybe it can help someone else.

FLO DIRT: 7. You have a few aliases but where do you come from and who/what inspired your flow and style?

Mic Chekk: I would say I, including all my aliases, come from a 2-story building on Kildare and Cermak. K-town is a notorious part of the Westside of Chicago and this is where my love for hip hop was birthed. My cousin put me up on a lot of different music and I wanted to try and emulate what I heard. I was horrible! With time though, I began to notice that I definitely had talent. My inspirations early on came from Leaders of the New School, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Boot Camp Clik, and KRS-One. Later on, I took a liking to NWA, UGK, Scarface, and a lot of local Chicago music. My top influences would have to be Big Daddy Kane, Jay Z, Big L, Biggie, Nas, Big Pun, Scarface, Eminem, Pharoahe Monch, Andre 3000, Common, Ice Cube, and MOP. These are the artists that make me the MC I am today. My biggest non-musical inspiration would have to be my daughter though. Anaya Shale' makes me want to be the best artist I can be so I can give her a better life.

FLO DIRT: 8. What’s right with hip hop right now and what’s wrong with it? Meaning, if you were in a puppet-master role, where would you trim the fat and make changes?

Mic Chekk: Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything because everything happens for a reason. Every region has had their shine and right now that light is on the South. It's unfair to say all Southern hip hop sucks, because they have some tremendous lyricists down there. When that light shines on Chicago, I'm sure people will say Chicago is killing hip hop. History repeats itself, so soon a new regime will be in place and we'll have them to criticize. I would like us to stop categorizing things though. Hip hop is hip hop, whether it's West Coast, Down South or East Coast.

FLO DIRT: 9. What does “making it” mean to you? When will you be a success in your own eyes?

Mic Chekk: Making it to me means reaching a place where I'm comfortable; comfortable with my accomplishments, music, life, and all things Chekk. Making it will mean my daughter will have an opportunity to experience life in a way that I never did. She is the most important thing to me and who I do all this for. True success for me will be the day she becomes successful.

FLO DIRT: 10. What else do we need to know about Mic Chekk and any last words?

Mic Chekk: Endorse chekk! You should know that Chekk is not going to stop pursuing his dream. I'm in this for the long haul, win lose or draw. Whether I'm in the forefront or ghost-writing for other artists, you'll definitely be hearing from me. I want to take this time to shout out my Blok Club Music Group and Wind Chillz fam. My Gwun Records fam, Big Thump, Middleground fam, Ill Nature fam, ICU fam, Ahroar Records fam, Cold City fam, and Pure Loyalty fam. I also want to shout out Chicago as a whole. Together not separate is how we will take the industry over. My Sol Munki fam in Atlanta. They're big supporters of the Chekk movement. Check out my man Curse aka Vinnie Chase video on YouTube for “Sol Munki Rag.” You can catch me wearing their clothes when I perform and in various photos. Look for Prime’s album on Rawkus in September as well. Finally to my daughter, Daddy loves you and I'm grindin for both of us.

FLO DIRT: That’s what it’s all about, G. Chi-Town stand up and support this cat and the world needs to take notice. Thanks for your time, brotha! Keep doing your thing!!

Mic Chekk: Thanks for the opportunity!

For all questions and inquiries for Flo, hit him up at this link or visit his myspace page.

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Adam "Pacman" Jones to start wrestling and 9th Wonder goes for self with his solo album.

Adam "Pacman" Jones to start wrestling, Wu-Tang wants YOU and 9th Wonder goes for self with his solo album.

Has produced for Nas, Common, Busta, others

Performing in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York

I shit you not.

I love his music and everything, but getttin this man to blog is like getting Curtis to ease up on the baby oil. Pause. So imagine my surprise when, out of nowhere, Joey just upped and went in today.  read more »

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E! has become the second network to cancel the reality series The Simple Life, which stars Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. E! announced Monday that they will not pick up the series next season. The show originally aired on FOX and was picked up by E! last year after FOX pulled the plug on the series. E! blamed ‘overexposure’ for the shows cancellation… read more »

Ahhhhh uuuuuu!!!! Everybody and they momma got a video of them ‘crankin dat Soulja Boy’. So since I’m bored, I decided to post some of the best, the worst, and the funniest… Enjoy! read more »

We just threw up an interview with Crooked I over at the 9 to 5. He talks about getting props from Bun B and how he wants to ghostwrite for Snoop. read more »

Okay, what tha hell? This video is quite disturbing on so many levels… Ummm.. yeah check it out:

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Yeah, you've probably heard this track from R.Kelly's latest album called "Rock Star" but yo, I'm a huge Kid Rock fan and well..Luda as well...so I had to put you on to it. Listen for yourself and...rock on! read more »

…Lil’ Wayne. I must say that I have to agree. Lil’ Wayne is fiyah… Check out MTV News’ Hottest MCs Roundtable discussion below:

Not one, but two covers.  

via Bossip by way of Rizoh.  

Presedential contender Barack Obama is featured on a double cover for the September 2007 issue of VIBE magazine. (I mean really, could they have gotten any closer on that second cover?) {click image to enlarge}
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In a recent photoshoot, Trina looked a lil Rihanna-ish… So you tell me, who rocked the style best?

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