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Nelly just became the sixth hip hop artist to get an RIAA Diamond record

Sixteen years after release, Nelly's debut Country Grammar has become the eighth hip hop album to pass 10 million in sales, making Nelly only the sixth rapper to be awarded with an RIAA Diamond record.

Country Grammar was originally released June 27th, 2000. The album spawned four singles, "Country Grammar (Holy Shit)," "E.I.,"Batter Up," and "Ride Wit Me," which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was featured in multiple movies and TV shows over the last 16 years.

Nelly accepted the RIAA Diamond record at the Musicians On Call event in Philadelphia last night. The St. Louis rapper's most recent album, M.O., was release in 2013 and he currently appears in the BET reality TV serie

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AKROBATIK: SPOTLIGHT ARTIST/ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Jared Bridgeman, known by his stage name Akrobatik, is an American rapper that has been active since the late 90’s. He has collaborated with many artists such as M-Dot, Termanology, and more. He is also part of the collective called The Perceptionists with Mr. Lif and new material coming soon. You can find him on the #RAP50 countdown with LX Beats on their track “Migrate” featuring M-Dot. Amazingly, he took the time to talk with RAPstation about his career and latest work.

 

RAPstation (Kianna Woods): Tell me about how you and LX Beats met?

Akrobatik: LX sent me a link to some beats several years back, and I was feeling them, but I got sick and ended up in the hospital and spent a long time recovering. Eventu

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Vic Mensa Decides on New Direction for Debut Album

Last month, Vic Mensa released the There's A Lot Going On EP, and it seems that the personal tone of that EP will also be reflected in his upcoming album. The 23 year old Chicago-based rapper was planning on calling his debut album Traffic, however, in a recent interview with AllHipHop, Vic Mensa mentioned that he discarded that album title and content and decided to take things in a much more personal direction.

“I made an album and then I didn’t feel like it was the right representation. So I started making a new album. That’s where the songs from There’s Alot Going On came out of. I would say it’s about 75% done.” Vic Mensa said of new album which he's making inst

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Hip hop dominates MTV VMA's with Beyonce, Kanye, & Drake nominations

MTV has announced the nominees for their upcoming Video Music Awards, and the show looks like it'll be dominated by hip hop artists, with Kanye and Drake competing for video of the year alongside Beyonce, who is nominated for a record 11 awards this year.

Beyonce's unique visual album Lemonade earned her 11 nominations this year, a personal record. Singer Adele trails Bey with 8 nominations, while Drake is up for a respectable four awards.

Kanye West's controversial "Famous" video, which depicts the Chicago rapper in bed with a number of other celebrities, including Taylor Swift, was nominated for video of the year. West will compete against Beyonce's "Formation," Drake's "Hotline Bling," Adele'

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MF Doom's Operational Doomsday Receiving Vinyl Reissue

Back in 1999, the rapper formerly known as Zev Love X of KMD proceeded to reinvent himself as an enigmatic, metal-faced supervillain named MF Doom, and this alter ego would go on to leave an indelible mark on the world of hip hop. It was that year that MF Doom released his debut album, the now-classic Operation Doomsday.

The album fused left-field production sensibilities - 80's soul and smooth jazz samples layered over drum breaks – with MF Doom's off-kilter, dexterous rapping, and the result was nothing less than astounding. Though the album had a definite recorded-in-the-basement vibe, that only added to its infectious charm, and it was clear that MF Doom's sheer creative chops were indisputable. Doom would go on to forge a successful career

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Kosha Dillz - What I Do All Day and Pickle

Rapper Kosha Dillz is worldwide. From Poland and the Netherlands to France and Israel, the Los Angeles-based artist shares his Jewish-infused brand of hip-hop everywhere he goes. His latest album, What I Do All Day and Pickle, offers a peek into his psyche. It covers his struggles with addiction, relationship drama, his Jewish religion, discrimination, and political unrest, shining a spotlight on who Kosha Dillz truly is. "With a name like Kosha Dillz, you can’t take yourself too seriously,” Kosha says. “It’s a blessing in disguise.” 

Served up with a healthy side dish of humor, the 11-track album boasts beats by Jesse “Belief” Shatkin (Sia and One Direction), 19-year-old newbie YUC Beats, Nate Greenberg, Ski Be

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