“Before I Self Destruct” is the aptly titled album from music’s resident bad guy, Curtis Jackson. Aptly titled because as far as his previous three LP’s this one does not measure up to the standard of work that he has put out in the past and may be signaling an end to his reign on top of the hip hop world. This is not a terrible piece of work, 50 hearkens back to his darker days and chose to go the ski mask way. Staying close to the roots that made him the icon he is, the album focus is more on gunplay than wordplay. References to his days as Boo-Boo pumping packs can be found from the onset of the album making fans wonder does he have anything left to talk about anymore. If this was album number two then it would make sense hearing about how the AK has cats under pressure but when someone has reached the status that he has, the masses need more. The double edged sword of the situation is that 50’s persona is based on that type of talk so to change now can possibly jeopardize who he is.

The album does not have the household name producers that are normally expected of a star of his magnitude. He first track is the Premier done ‘ The Invitation’ this is one of the standout tracks on the album but is followed up by the clichéd ‘Them Days Went by’ an ode to his days on the streets. Dr. Dre is behind ‘Death to my Enemies’ but that track does not really land with the punch that I am sure he thought it would. But he lands a shot with a line letting it be known this is not Carter; since he didn’t say a first name it is up to the listeners imagination which Carter he is getting at. But don’t worry he does not mince any words or names on the track that probably best sums up his career ‘So Disrespectful’ in which former group mates and current head of hip hop are not safe from the usual venom that accompanies a 50 Cent dis.

Its not always about barking at enemies as he addresses the fairer sex on a couple of tracks, however the magic that he had with previous songs like ’21 Questions’ and ‘P.I.M.P’ is not there. The single ‘Baby By Me’ featuring R&B crooner Ne-yo promises the lady the world but not an entirely great song. Even R. Kelly does not provide vocals that make the track jump but ‘Do You Think About Me’ is not bad.

Overall this like I said is not the worse thing that I have heard. The bangers exist such as the Team Demo produced “Crime Wave’ and ‘Stretch’ but the misses are there as Mobb Deep’s Havoc did not do this album any justice with the nonsensical ‘Gangsta Delight’ “Get it Hot’ and even Eminem’s appearance was so so at best. When talking about albums of 2009 this does not rank up there but it does not sink all the way to the bottom either.

RBMVibes rating: 3/5 coupons

Her ability to write songs is not the only reason that she has been signed by Polow Da Don. Fans can hear her on tracks with Gucci Mane and Jeremih. They have called her style wild and exciting and very different backed with an exceptionally raspy but beautiful voice. Right now the buzz worthy “Drop it Low” with Chris Brown has been gaining a lot of momentum on the radio.

Coming from smalltown Muskogee, Oklahoma she was influenced by her mother who sang in church to begin singing. After a brief dream of owning her own restaurant, Dean went the unconventional route to find herself studio time. She literally thumbed through every studio in the Yellow Pages calling them until one gave her the shot that she needed. After a move to Omaha, Nebraska she eventually settled in Atlanta to get her singing dreams kick started. It almost didn’t happen though weighing in at (a very healthy in my opinion) 130 pounds. Shallow industry people told her that she needed to lose up to 20 pounds in order to make it. This caused her to almost brake down completely. She has even been quoted as saying that she would cry every night from the words that were told to her.

As they say luck is opportunity and preparation and she had both when a chance meeting with Chris “ Tricky” Stewart landed her a writing gig with him and Jazzy Pha. She is currently in L.A. putting together as yet untitled album with the help of Polow.

Check out her new tracks on the page as well as some of the hits she’s penned for others. Is she ready?

The Roc Nation showed who runs not only this town but the game itself with a stellar rendition of “Run this Town Tonite”. Rihanna looked wild good with those legs that seemed to go on forever…and the ovation that she received as she walked down the stairs reminded people that her star power is still in tact. Kanye followed with a quick two song set. He started with a very strong performance of “Stronger” (pardon the pun), but his rendition of “Good Life” was crazy. Who needed T-Pain as Big Homie provided excellent back-up vocals? What’s better is Jay was able to stand back and watch as Lil Bro did his thing. If any of you ever had little brother or sister you understand seeing them shine. That right there was an extremely special moment. Seeing the multitude throwing up the diamond reminded me of the ocean swaying back and forth in a rhythmic wave brought goosebumps to even my cynical arms.

But it wasn’t just the members of the R-O-C that lit up the night. John Mayer impressed those that still didn’t believe. His medley of hits that Jay-Z didn’t perform exhibited a personal talent and passion. Make no mistake, Mayer was feeling the music. Then craziness exploded when The Diva : Beyonce arrived from outer space to bring her boss to the stage. In case anyone thought that she wasnt still the official number one, they were left looking rather stupid. Pharrell, who also provided Jay with a great stable of tracks as one-half of The Neptunes, helped to electrify the crowd with the classic, “I Just Want to Love You (Give it To Me).” The blend of old and new school tracks was perfect, and there to top it all off was the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige. She went in with a performance straight off the “Reasonable Doubt” album. As soon as she came out for “Can’t Knock the Hustle” MJB started to feel it all the way up to her knee high boots.

Jay-Z also shined on his own. He had a hard body performance of “You Don’t Know” and the crowd was so into it you would of thought they were performing. As hard as he went, nothing was more Brooklyn (no disrespect to anyone not fron there) then when he played ” Hard Knock Life.” All he did wad remind people of the brilliance of taking Annie and turning it into a track that everyone could relate to from the hardest thug…to someone who who lost a loved one on 9/11. Lest you forget that the concert was for those lost in the the tragic events of that day, there were reminders. As Jay-Z played his poignant track ‘Forever Young” against a backdrop of the faces of those lost on this day as it scrolled om the towers, he brought tears to even the most hardened soul.

A show is not a show in NY unless there is an appearance by Diddy. The last set of energy that he brought to the crowd before the show was over the top. All in all it was probably oe of the greaest shows ever performed. The energy amidst the somber atmosphere proved that in a nutshell.

Everyone who saw it will have their favorite moment at concert, whether it be a song or even when he got on the cat with the milkman outfit. Now he is known as the God MC but he showed his omnipotence when he remembered people from previous shows he performed. Now you tell me that isnt God-like?

Watch the concert below and give us your opinion….did you think it was worth an encore?

The new album has been met with mixed reviews since it was leaked on August 31st. Most of the reviews have been positive but all agree that the quality necessary to push it over the top seems to be lacking. With this album Jay-Z went back to his comfort mode as far as producers. The brunt of the work was done by his babe bro, Kanye West and his producing mentor,No I.D. Timbaland lends assistance to a few tracks incuding “Reminder” “Off That” and “Venus vs. Mars”. Swizz Beatz and the Neptunes also chip in on a couple of tracks. Anybody expecting the fury of past albums like The Blueprint or The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse will be disappointed. The problem is not that the music isnt good. It just seems that Hov may of gotten a little complacent with the fact that he can only battle with himself at this point. The track garnering the most buzz has been the Alicia Keys vocaled “Empire State of Mind” an homage to the state that birthed him. Lead singles off the album “DOA” and “Run this City” have been getting lots of play on the radio.

Even though it is Jay-Z, the album has a couple of misses. “Off That” featuring Drake doesn’t really bang the way you would expect maybe due to the fact that it was missing a Drake verse and even with the Swizz Beatz track “On to the Next One” it seems like the beat drowns out Jay-Z’s rhymes. But on the same token when he succeeds he succeeds. “A Star is Born” is a banging collaboration with protege J. Cole and Kid Cudi definitely holds his own on “Already Home” The best and possibly deepest song on the album is “Forever Young” a track where he states his intentions to live life to the fullest and always be remebered for who he is. On this song Jay-Z is backed with extremely powerful vocals from British singer, Mr. Hudson.

All in all The Blueprint 3 is far from the classic Reasonable Doubt is or In My Lifetime: Volume 1. Still, Jay-Z still holds down his legacy as one of the greatest artist of our generation. It’s good modern sound.

RBMVibes Rating: 3.5-4 Coupons out of 5

Released Videos

“Death of Autotune”

“Run This Town”

Jams from Blueprint and The Blueprint 2

Enter J. Cole: heir to the kingdom, signed by hip hop royalty Jay-Z to Roc Nation (and featured on The Blueprint 3. This newcomer hopes to find the success that many of his contemporaries have failed to achieve. More importantly, he wants to carry hip-hop on his back. With the current climate of the music biz, Cole hopes to break the redundancy of catchy hooks, flashy dances and no content worth speaking about. Few new artists have been received with such fanfare or a brighter outlook.

Born Jermaine Cole, he was raised by a single mother in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His experiences growing up there helped shape and craft the basis of his songs. Cole was turned on to the art form at a young age. His influences include a who’s who of hip-hop greatest: Tupac, Nas, Outkast, and his new boss. From each of them he learned how to craft stories that the masses could envision in their minds. By the age of 15 he was armed with a black and white book filled with potential hits, but there was only one problem – he lacked the beats to actually create songs. After relentless pleading with his mother she finally purchased him a beat machine which he used continuously until he laid the groundwork for the music that he is known for today.

Knowing that if you want to make it in music New York is where you need to be, he attended St. Johns University. After graduating with high honors J. Cole turned all his attention to music. He has been tearing up the internet with such hot tracks like “Simba” in which he steadfastly makes his arrival in the game known. His “Dolla and a Dream Part 2″ shows his ability to reach the people and allows them to know that he has endured their pain. His debut mix tape The Come Up has received rave reviews, and is considered a melting pot of everything from wild nights in the college dorms to the times that he didn’t have it growing up.

J. Cole has shown that there is distance between him and those who would be considered his peers. He left the talk of swag and jewelry behind and rhymes on a higher level of consciousness. After all, the brother did graduate Magna Cum Laude. J. Cole wants to establish himself as the next greatest thing and breathe life back into a hip hop game that has been considered deceased for a number of years. His studio album is on the way and with it he hopes to bring the game back to a place where insightful and redeeming work is the mark of a true emcee. And with talent like his and Big Homie’s co-sign how could he not?

Download his latest mixtapes, watch videos and more on his website: here.