Fresh off the heels of “Marvin’s Room” and “Dreams Money Can Buy,” the Toronto emcee has dropped yet another free download in anticipation of his forthcoming album, Take Care. “Trust Issues” is a spin-off of Drake’s feature in DJ Khaled’s “I’m on One” alongside Rick Ross and Lil Wayne.

Drake describes the record as, “my own little thing using some other thing I did. You know,” on his blog, October’s Very Own.

Take Care is scheduled for an Oct. 24 release—Drake’s birthday. in the meantime, you can catch the Degrassi star in Toronto headlining Ovofest on July 31 with special guests Rick Ross and The Weeknd.

Drake - Trust Issues


DJ Khaled - I’m On One Ft. Drake, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne


Drake - Marvin’s Room


Drake - Dreams Money Can Buy

What do you think of all the new material Drake has been releasing?

It’s Donwill’s birthday, so he’s giving you a present. For the past three years Donwill, one third of rap group Tanya Morgan, has released music on June 4, his born day, to show appreciation for his fans. This year is no different and Donwill is offering DPPLGNGR, a follow-up to his LP Don Cusack in High Fidelity, for free download.

the title comes from just becoming a whole different person over time, sorta like a doppelganger of  yourself. that feeling that you get when you look in the mirror and dont really know the person looking back at you even though they look just like you. our lives change us incrementally on a daily basis so after a few jarring experiences one day we all lose who we were to become who we are. thats life right? you change it or it changes you.

For more from Donwill on this project check out his blog McDayJob.

In the small hours of June 5, Kanye West released the official video for “Monster” featuring Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross on his official website. Previously, an unfinished version of the video had leaked in February featuring decapitated models and a sadomasochistic Nicki Minaj segment. New to the official version of the video–a disclaimer.

In what appears to be an attempt by West’s camp to deter a public relations scandal, the video opens with a disclaimer instead of it’s original Rick Ross cut. In February, the leaked version of the video prompted petitions to Universal Music Group and MTV asking senior management to cut support for the video due to images of “eroticized violence against women.” Despite garnering over 15,000 signatures on the online petition, few changes have been made to the video and instead, a disclaimer was added to the final production. After a minute into the video this much is clear, Kanye West certainly has a controversial interpretation of what it means to be a “monster,” one he’s well aware he will have to defend in the wake of the release.

The frontman of the California rap collective, Odd Future has a released the video for his next single, “She” off of his label debut, Goblin.  The video follows Tyler, the Creator as he tries to encroach on the relationship that vocalist, Frank Ocean has with a girl new to the neighborhood. After some unsuccessful stalking, Tyler is arrested and harassed by an angry, suspecting father but that doesn’t stop him from winning over the new girl in the end. What? Thought all Wolf Hayley made was “horrorcore?”

As promised, Roc Nation signee, J. Cole has released another record, “Return of Simba.” Cole promises his forthcoming album is well on it’s way and doesn’t anticipate any additional delays. The singles are all complete but J. Cole describes “Return of Simba” as a b-sides track for the fans. Read more for the stream and download.

The Mayback Music Group constituent just dropped the FreeStalley record, “Chevys and Spaceships.” The Ohio emcee was recently added to Rick Ross’ MMG’s roster in April, also home to artists Wale, Pill and Meek Mill. MMG’s Self Made compilation also debuted today. Read more for a stream and download of “Chevys and Spaceships.”

What do you think of “Chevys and Spaceships,” does Stalley have a winner?

Lately, Beyonce has been all anyone could talk about. Twitter was recently a flutter with statuses lauding her performance on the Oprah finale today in addition to the leak of her new single “Till the End of Time” and “Run the World (Girls)” video. Today, Beyonce headed to Chicago to perform at the sold-out United Center to give a surprised performance of “Run the World (Girls)” for fellow media and entertainment titan, Oprah Winfrey.

Photo: Complex

What do you think of Beyonce’s performance and menswear inspired attire?

Fresh off the heels of Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls)” video debut, the next single from her forthcoming album, 4, has leaked to the web. “Till the End of Time” is  a diversion from her first, girl power anthem and an impassioned call for everlasting love.

“Come take my hand, I wont let you go/ I’ll be your friend, I will love you so/I will be the one to kiss you at night, I will love you until the end of time”

The production is a fusion of styles and pulls from a Beyonce favorite, big band horns, in addition to African drum beats, synthesizers and  techno. Read more for a listen of “Till the End of Time.”

Photo: LA Times

What do you think, did Beyonce make another hit?

What do you think of Kreayshawn?

In the “Run the Wolrd (Girls)” video Beyonce pops and locks, has a pet lion, and blows things up–all whilst leading a brigade of dancers in the desert. This doesn’t come as a surprise for the Houston songress who has made a name for herself producing high energy, choreography packed productions. “Run the World (Girls)” is a single off of Beyonce’s forthcoming album, 4 (June 28) and the video was directed by Francis Lawrence. Lawrence says he’s sure the video will not disappoint. ”It’ll be big, it’ll probably be one of the bigger Beyoncé music videos ever done,” he said to MTV. Read more to see the lastest from Bey.

What do you think, did B make another hit?

Remember The Weeknd? He’s the Canadian crooner who had the blogosphere and music critics a flutter with the release of his debut project, House of Balloons. To our contentment, Mr. Tesfaye has released a video for his single, “What You Need.” Don’t expect The Weeknd to make an on-screen appearance though, actor Wesley Jonathan is the star of this project. Read more to peep the visuals.

In the wake of Osama Bin Laden’s death, the particulars of the American military operation have been all anyone could talk about. Sohaib Athar, the man who inadvertently live-tweeted Bin Laden’s death, has even become a web star and a trending topic on Twitter. Social media start-up Namesake, has compiled Athar’s tweets and information about the takedown released by American government officials to produce an infographic demonstrating the play by play. Read more for the full-size image. [Mashable]

Click here for the full-size graphic.

To bring their Drybag collection to the next level, collaborators Stone Island and outdoor gear company, Ortlieb enlisted Italian film makers Lele Saveri and Giulia Maria Venturini to produce “Stone Island Drybags: An Interpretation.” The video features a PVC, waterproof bag bouncing around Milan. Drybags retail for $258 – $360 and are available in their online store. Read more to see the Drybag’s film debut.

Stone Island_Drybags – An Interpretation. from Stone Island on Vimeo.

Chiddy, one half of rap duo Chiddy Bang, is on a mission. Today he’s attempting to break the Guiness World Record for “Longest Freestyle Rap.” The time to beat is Indianapolis rapper M-Eighty’s record of nine hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds. Rapping for several hours is no easy feat, so Chiddy has charged his fans with submitting freestyle topics via Twitter using the hashtag #RapWorldRecord. Read more for a live stream of Chiddy freestlying at MTV’s “O Music Awards.”

Last Thursday may have been, perhaps, DC’s most dazzling night of 2011. April 14, marked ReadysetDC’s third installment of its budding fashion showcase, Fashion:District at the chic Longview Gallery in Washington, D.C., a location that certainly added to the razzle-dazzle of the event with its avant-garde art pieces. The night brought out the best of D.C.’s stylish community and 25 Magazine was on the scene to mix, mingle, and document the affair. The sold-out event boasted pop-up shops from Toucan Boutique, ARTAYA, Ginger Root Design, and other great designers.

After an hour of networking, the fashion showcase began which featured clothing and accessories by Durkl, Clockwise Clothing, Hugh & Crye, Derringer Friday, Ginger Root Design, ARTAYA, and SAINTCHiC. The attendees were tipsy, the music was rocking, cameras were flashing, and proceeds from the ticket sales will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society—all components of a fine evening. ReadysetDC achieved its goal; Fashion:District illuminated Washington, D.C.’s ingenious boutiques, brands, and certainly its glamorous people. Read more for our behind-the-scenes video.

Jay Electronica’s relationship with his fans is very unorthodox and completely worth it.

My first direct message was from Jay Electronica in 2008, days after Christmas. I had just joined twitter and made the premature decision to follow every rapper on the network and Jay followed me back. Soon after, he sent a direct message—no words, just this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kGPhpvqtOc&feature=related

It was a YouTube link to a music video of “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins—I’ll leave delving into the implications of this message for my readers.

Later that year, I was unfollowed. But I wasn’t alone. It was “The Great Unfollowing of 2009.” Jay Electronica unfollowed nearly all of his fans, truncating his follower list to less than 200. A year later, high off the heels of announcing his signing to Roc Nation, he followed everyone back—sort of.

In the small hours of Nov. 15, Jay Electronica announced he would follow back anyone who hit him up. And they did. Jay Elect was the proud recipient of over 1500 mentions just an hour after the announcement. He has since followed about 1600 fans, a Dave Chappelle impersonator, Joe Budden, and me.

Jay Elect also opened his AIM and ichat (SN: Jay Electronica) to the masses and encouraged fans to submit their Blackberry chat pins—a common practice for the crescent city emcee.

But is it worth his time? Affording fans access to everything from your AIM screen name and twitter direct messages to your cell phone pin? In a word: yes.

Jay Electronica goes the distance, and his fans take notice. Amidst the flurry of “please follow me” tweets were tales of Jay encounters by super fans.

Katie P. (@KPappsmear), of Los Angeles recalls a few Blackberry messenger conversations last year. While holiday shopping, Jay Elect messaged her about being nervous as he was preparing for a performance.

DJ Critical Hype (@criticalhype) got a few direct messages as well. Despite being an emerging DJ, he kept the conversation fan to artist. Student, Reggie Noble (@kidnoble) did too. He remembers the conversation feeling less like a fan to artist transaction and more like a normal conversation. He was spoken to, “just as a person.”

The most remarkable fan story came from Kevin Cooper (@cooperkm89), perhaps the biggest Jay Electronica fan on twitter.

Cooper has a Jay Electronica shirt he likes to wear to shows. Inscribed on it the infamous line from “Exhibit C”— “Call me Jay Elec-Hannukah / Jay Elec-Yarmulke…”— but more on that later.

At Cooper’s fourth Jay show, the New Orleans rapper pulled him and a crowd of fans onto the stage while opening for Kid Cudi in October at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign).

“At one point during the show, Jay got back on stage and turned to me; And we proceeded to rap over his songs, face-to-face in center stage,” said Cooper chronicling his account.

“He was acknowledging that I knew all his sh*t, and that acknowledgment was much appreciated.“

But that wasn’t all. To security’s chagrin, Jay snuck Cooper backstage. No weed, no liquor, just talk. About music—fellow opener Chip the Rip and headliner Kid Cudi (whom Jay Elect had never met at the time). They even watched Cudi’s set together. Jay was intrigued by Cudi’s command of the crowd.

They soon after parted ways. Cooper could’ve joined Jay’s entourage for the night, but in fear of being a burden or exhibiting utter and complete stannery—he passed.

“I shook Jay’s hand, said great show once again. He asked, ‘Did you have a good time?’ To which I replied ‘Oh yeah!’ Or something else equally dull but spurred on by an awed star-struck state that had not yet dissipated,” said Cooper.

But wait, there’s more. Remember when Jay Electronica punched a concertgoer at a Disco Biscuits show in Chicago? Cooper does. And yes, he was wearing that shirt.

After what Cooper says were pleas by Jay to stop fans from throwing items at him, he punched a DB fan after being hit with a beer bottle. Everyone in the venue had turned against Jay Electronica.

Subsequently, Jay Elect spent the rest of his set rapping to a handful of his fans in the crowd. He even jumped passed the barricade for a proper introduction. And when it came time to perform “Exhibit C,” our boy Cooper was a star.

“He pointed directly at me and did the verse on my shirt,” said Cooper. “Basically reading the verse off of my shirt, so as to draw attention to it.”

“That was really cool of him to do.”

And on Nov. 15, Cooper got a follow.

Jay Electronica doesn’t have fans, but brand evangelists. He breeds them. It’s not enough to make music people enjoy. Artists who take the time to develop a relationship with listeners build a stronger fan base.

For a previously unsigned artist with a few sporadic releases, his following is remarkably strong. In the wake of Jay Electronica’s Roc Nation announcement, he gained about 3k followers and an additional 3k after tweeting about his following spree—he previously averaged a 450 daily follower gain and currently has a total of over 128k followers.

Prior to joining Roc Nation, Jay Electronica had garnered a magazine cover, a track ranked amongst iTunes’ top 10 selling hip-hop music downloads and “the most buzz worthy artist” title by numerous media outlets—success unprecedented by an artist with no formal projects released or a record deal.

There aren’t too many artists who really engage on Twitter but artists like Jay Electronica prove that tactics that bring music back to the fans yield results. At a time where the record industry is in a severe decline, new strategy is crucial to its turnaround—just ask Cooper.

“I still get excited thinking about it,” Cooper says. “I’ve seen Jay four times now, and I’ve learned that if you show your appreciation, he will acknowledge you and be grateful.”

“Yep. Jay Elect reigns supreme…over everything.”

—@SincerelyJane

This post was republished from social media and hip-hop blog, BornIn88.com, courtesy of the author.

Photo: culurebully.com

“They keep talking this is ‘new West,’ but dude we been here, you left.” – Pac Div

Okay, so maybe we took a brief departure from the left coast with the surge of music coming from below the Mason-Dixon but we’re back, we’re listening. With the advent of path-breaking West coast emcees, Dom Kennedy, Pac Div, Blu, and Kendrick Lamar among others, the world has been all ears. Enter, H.O.P.E. His last formal project was in 2009, a project titled, Follow the Leader, and two years later H.O.P.E. is back with a free album, Believe in H.O.P.E. Wright. Give it a listen, the kid’s all right.

H.O.P.E. – Believe in H.O.P.E. Wright | Download Here

Believe In H.O.P.E. Wright by julien-edwards

Update: The mixtape is not an official project from Glover, instead a compilation of CG’s best but as a departure from being hosted by a DJ, it was curated by these guys.

Fresh of the heels of his Freaks & Geeks EP, actor, Donald Glover, better known in music circles as Childish Gambino has yet another project floating in the blogosphere–an unofficial mixtape titled, I Do Not Talk. You may recognize Donald Glover as character, Troy, on NBC’s Community. When he’s not acting, writing (He used to be a writer for Emmy award-winning show, 30 Rock), or even hosting (Glover hosted MTV’s “Woody Awards” this month) he’s rapping and singing under his pseudonym, Childish Gambino.

Part comedy, groupie chronicles and revenge of the nerds soundtrack, CG finds his niche as the “smart middle class black kid” over indie influenced rap tracks, or rap influenced indie tracks–you decide. I Do Not Talk download and stream of his last album, Culdesac, after the jump.

Childish Gambino – I Do Not Talk | Download Here

Culdesac by Childish Gambino

David Julez J. Smith, the 6-year old son of Solange Knowles, has created “Julez for Japan,” a t-shirt line with a mission to raise funds for the victims affected by the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan earlier this month. Design conception and purchase information after the jump.

Solange elucidates the conception of Julez for Japan on her Tumblr:

“Julez for Japan” is a watercolor designed t-shirt line, inspired by the recent tragic earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. My 6 year old son, Daniel Julez. J. Smith, was highly affected by the devastating footage he witnessed of the catastrophe. After a series of questions and conversations, he decided he wanted to contribute in some way. Using a scan of his watercolor interpretation of the Japanese flag, (he did this ALL on his own:) generous shirt donations from American Apparel, and a sleek logo designed by Clark Butterfield, we created the “Julez for Japan” shirt.”

To become involved with Juelz’s efforts, go to Juelz for Japan at Big Cartel to purchase a t-shirt. All proceeds go to Peace Winds Japan.

Buy a shirt. Aid a nation.

Get with the movement.

Photo: Julez for Japan

25 Magazine explores the buzz surrounding Drake-endorsed, Toronto R&B artist, The Weeknd, and his debut mixtape House of Balloons. Review and stream after the jump.

Have you ever been lifted? Not by any foreign substance, but through music?

If not—or even if so—Toronto upstart artist, The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, just may be your personal batch of the good stuff. Stamped with approval by fellow countryman, Drake who tweeted song lyrics from their track “Wicked Games” and a link to their mixtape, a plug by Rolling Stone, and a Tesfaye vocal and Jeremy Rose production combination that hasn’t been paired so seamlessly in R&B since Aaliyah and Timbaland; The Weeknd just might be on to something. We bang with it.

House of Balloons, the singer’s debut mixtape, wields a title that is a foreshadowing of where his music will take you—to the ceiling.

The nine-track EP brings you on a euphonious adventure, recalling 90s R&B, while adding a taste of futuristic funk and a touch of indie infusions. The second track, “What You Need,” speaks to this, opening with a looped sample, “Baby, now hold me close” – a line from Aaliyah’s hit song “Rock the Boat.” Hot and mellow, “What You Need” is perhaps the sexiest song on the mixtape.

The Weeknd – House Of Balloons by The_Weeknd

It is sample heavy. House of Balloons experiments with an assortment of genres, exploring British punk rock group Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Happy House” on the title track “House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls” and doses of indie-rock duo Beach House on “Loft Music” and “The Party & The After Party”—two of our favorite songs on the mixtape. “The Party & The After Party” also makes a nod to The Dream with oohs, ahhs, and seductive crooning.

It is consistent. The tone of House of Balloons glides with little to no friction. All nine songs, collectively, tell a story of a weekend under the influence. The crowd is 21+. There are drugs, sex, money, love, lust, alcohol, parties, and fast cars—all on some spellbinding, fluid beats.

House of Balloons is dripping with drug sounds, which are whispered in each song’s rhythm and hinted at in the lyrics. “Even though you don’t roll, girl. You wanna be high for this,” Tesfaye croons in HOB’s opening track, candidly titled “High For This.” Need I say more?

House of Balloons is a soundtrack for the lives of many of our #dopeonastick constituents—and dope individuals in general—and it has been skillfully crafted, which everyone can appreciate.

So what’s all the hype about?

The Weeknd’s music is mood evoking. It makes you feel like you’re where he is and are on what he’s on. It’s sexy, grown, silky and distorted. Tesfaye’s vocals are melancholy and sickly sweet, almost hypnotic. Where many production newcomers fall short, Rose delivers. The Weeknd is fresh and delicious.

XO til’ we overdose? We shall.

-Brittany T. Epps

The Weeknd – House of Balloons | Download Here

Photo: chickensdontclap.net

Pacific Division, better known as, Pac Div, have released a video for “Anti-Freeze,” the first single off their recent mixtape, Mania. Their forthcoming album, Grown Kid Syndrome, has no release date but is expected to drop this year. Read more for a stream of Mania.

Pac Div – Mania! (Mixtape) by uristocrat

Over the weekend, Twitter was buzzing about the Wes Craven horror film, People Under the Stairs—it’s new to Netflix!—so we thought we’d put you on to the rap group of the same name, otherwise known as P.U.T.S.

With 10 years and seven albums worth of experience, People Under The Stairs, are widely considered tenured veterans in the underground hip-hop scene. The two California emcees, Thes One and Double K, first met in a music store in Los Angeles after hearing industry buzz about each other through the grapevine. They exchanged mixtapes and have been together ever since.

Of their many tributes to their L.A. stomping grounds, “L.A. Song” remains a crowd favorite and has spurred a few remixes:

People Under the Stairs – LA Song (Sensitive Mix) by Tympanogram

With a passion for producing old-school beats that have a hard-hitting twist, the duo has stayed true to their hardcore funky form throughout the years. Their debut album, The Next Step, released in 1999, showcases the group’s ability to produce jazz infused boom bap raps reminiscent of the Native Tongues Posse in their hey day.

Their latest album, Carried Away, was released in 2009 and features nods to old school production, abundant with funk and disco samples in tracks like, “Hit The Top.” This mix is hardly original but instead furthers the musical conversation started by De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. With their innovative combination style, the pair does a bang-up job of keeping their audience guessing at what novel rapping invention is going to come out of them next.

For more on P.U.T.S. check out their MySpace or this awesome site created by a super fan.

—Nicole Rogers

Photo: passionweiss.com

Pittsburgh native and Wiz Khalifa affiliate, Mac Miller, has released yet another free project, On & On & Beyond. It’s a six track EP that features staff favorite, “In The Air,” a track originally on Miller’s Best Day Ever.  Read more for a stream and download.

Mac Miller – On and On and Beyond Preview – SBG by SBG Movement 2

Mac Miller – On & On & Beyond | Download Here

Studio Life: Big K.R.I.T. Album Listening Party for “Return of 4Eva” from 3 Little Digs on Vimeo.

Fresh off performing at arts festival, SXSW, rap newcomer, Big K.R.I.T.—King Remembered in Time—just dropped his latest project, Return of 4eva, to a bevy of anticipating fans. Return of 4eva is a welcomed follow-up to his critically acclaimed album, K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, and was trending on Twitter in Atlanta, Houston, Washington, D.C. and even New York.  Read more for a stream and free download.

“I am proud to present “Return Of 4eva” to all my supporters, I took the past year to work on this project,” said K.R.I.T.

“I reached out to some of my favorite artists that I felt represented what this album was about. Ludacris, Bun B, David Banner, Chamillionaire, Big Sant, Joi and Raheem Devaughn all helped me to make my vision of this album complete.”

Big K.R.I.T. – ReturnOf4Eva by Q-CA

Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4eva | Download Here

This weekend, Drake hosted the Juno Awards, a prestigious event honoring the best in music his countrymen have to offer (Read: the Canadian GRAMMYs). The awards were held in Toronto and to open the ceremony Drake led with a skit about his new music business initiative, “Old Money.” Despite having six nominations, Drake did not walk away with any wins this weekend.

“We’re called Young Money because we appeal to a younger demographic and everyone in the label…has a lot of money,” says Drake.

“For this new one coming out this year which is called ‘Take Care’ I think I’ve devised a plan. I really think I’ve stumbled upon an untapped gold mine and instead of Young Money, today, it’s all about ‘Old Money.’”

It’s been some time since Aubrey Graham’s acting days in Canadian teen drama, “Degrassi,” but as far as his Juno skit goes, he’s got comedy down. Read more to see the skit and select winners for the Juno Awards.

Juno Awards Winners:

Juno Fan Choice Award Winner: Justin Bieber

Artist of the Year: Neil Young

Group of the Year: Arcade Fire

New Artist of the Year: Meaghan Smith

New Group of the Year: Said the Whale

Album of the Year & Alternative Album of the Year: Suburbs, Arcade Fire

International Album of the Year: Teenage Dream, Katy Perry

Pop Album of the Year: My World 2.0, Justin Bieber

Single of the Year: “Wavin’ Flag,”  Young Artists for Haiti

R&B/Soul Recoding of the Year: “Stars,” Quanteisha

Rap Recording of the Year: TSOL, Shad

Reggae Recording of the Year: “Likkle But Mi Tallawah,” Elaine Lil’Bit Sheppard

What do you think, did Drake nail the skit?

Wyclef Jean, Haitian musician and former member of American hip-hop group The Fugees, was shot in the hand Saturday night, just outside of Port-au Prince, Haiti. Jean had been campaigning for presidential candidate and close friend Michel Martelly when he stepped out of his car for a phone call. He was suddenly bombarded with gunshots. “I heard ‘blow, blow, blow’ and I looked down at my right hand,” Wyclef told The Sun online magazine. Jean was quoted saying he did not realize he had been grazed until he noticed blood on his shirt and shoes.

After suspicion of November 2010’s election results, violent protests erupted in Haiti. Everything from schools to airports were shut down, and protesters began to set fire to the party headquarters of President René Préval’s chosen successor. This time around, elections were heavily protected by armed Brazilian guards who were spread throughout the area. However, the assailants made their way around the guards and fired shots, one of which grazed Wyclef’s hand.

Jean says he doesn’t know whether or not the shots were aimed at him or who the shooters were, but others have some ideas. “It is clear that enemies of progressive change in Haiti are behind the shooting of Wyclef – those that don’t want to accept that a monumental change is inevitable for the betterment of the Haitian people,” said Jimmy Rosemond, who was travelling with Jean. “This incident will not deter those of us that see the election as crucial to the country’s future.”

Jean is now making a fast recovery after being admitted to a local hospital in Haiti. His agent reassured fans of his fast recovery via Twitter. His tweet read, “We have spoken to Wyclef, he is OK. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.”

-Amandla Baraka

Photo: thesermonsdomain

Solange Knowles teamed up with Twin Shadows and Chris Taylor to raise awareness about the lack of safe drinking water in Kenya. They recorded “Kenya,” and shot a video for the song which includes scenes from the recording booth and stirring, yet enchanting footage of life in Africa. To raise money for the cause, download the track to donate funds. All profits and donations will go directly to RAIN.

Video and download link after the jump.

According to Music For RAIN‘s site:

“The Replenish Africa Initiative, or RAIN, is the signature community initiative of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation. Backed by a six-year, $30 million dollar commitment from The Company, in partnership with other donors, RAIN’s goal is to provide over 2 million people in Africa with access to drinking water by 2015. RAIN will launch over 100 water access programs across Africa, including sanitation and hygiene education programs.”

Music For RAIN is certainly a campaign that 25Mag supports.

Check out the video below.

http://musicforrain.net

Photo: DigforFire

Dom Kennedy just released, The Original Dom Kennedy, a follow-up to his critically acclaimed mixtape, From The Westside With Love. Expect cuts reminiscent of Dom’s Best After Bobby early days as well as his newer FTWWL sound on this project. Have no fear, Dom Kennedy promises that From The Westside With Love II is on the horizon, The Original Dom Kennedy is simply a teaser to whet your musical appetites. Read more for the tracklist and download.

Dom Kennedy – The Original Dom Kennedy | Download Here

Flea markets offer consumers a bazaar of treasures.

America has its masses of shopping malls, boutiques, and department stores, but there’s not much that can rival the impressive medley of low-priced items found at flea markets. Shopping at flea markets is a funky and exciting way to achieve vintage chic for less, in all aspects of life.  If you’re on

a budget but have an obsession for rare gems, flea markets are certainly the place for you. Antique furniture, fine clothing, hand-carved jewelry, classic movies, old school music, and much more can be discovered at these outlets.

When planning a trip to a flea market, it is important to allocate a large chunk of time for basking in the experience. This time should be used to sift through everything the market has to offer: the exotic food vendors, fresh fruit, wide array of people, and fabulous clothes. It is essential to be open-minded, allowing the items to find you. A blind search may allow you to uncover a magnificent piece of merchandise that you didn’teven know you desired.

Another great element of the flea market is the bargaining aspect. Customers have the liberty to ask the sellers to fluctuate the prices of their items, making things much more cost efficient for the customer.

There are several acclaimed flea markets across the U.S. One may be in a city near you. Brimfield Antiques and Flea Market is a great flea market on the east coast located in Hampden County, Massachusetts. This particular flea market is so exclusive it is only available in the summer months. From April to late November, Brooklyn Flea offers items that will elevate your life. This New York flea market offers a variety of vintage clothing and jewelry, not to mention modern home decor and furniture. If you happen to become famished during your visit, there are numerous vendors on site selling a vast array of food. Other notable flea markets are Eastern Market in D.C., French Market in New Orleans, Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire in Alameda, CA and The Garage on West 25th St in New York City.

No matter what you’re looking for or what your style may be, there is a flea market that may have what you want for less; and less is always better.

-Heather R. Taylor

Photos: PPS, With Our Hands, The Found Blog, PSFK, Shelter Pop

Earlier in the week, 25 Magazine, AimerAmour.com, and Howard University’s chapter of Endustry Power Players cosponsored the Urban Media Panel, an event that brought the East Coast’s blogging elite to Howard’s campus. Representatives from Concrete Loop, The Jasmine Brand, ReadysetDC, The Smugger, Fab Empire, and DC to BC joined forces to hip students to the media industry. The turnout was splendid. Young people from Howard’s campus and beyond came out to hear words from the masterminds behind some of their favorite blogs. The panel lasted about two hours, and soon after it ended every man present flocked to his Twitter page to talk about the dope event. People were inspired. Connections were made. Resumes and business cards were exchanged.

The Urban Media Panel certainly set the tone for how the rest of 2011 will be for 25 Mag.

#EPIC #dopeonastick

Photo: Future Moguls Media Group