Today Biggie would have turned 40 years old. Crazy to think how different the game would be if he were still here. But we’ve been blessed with some amazing music from this man, and CMINUS sent us over a bonus mix for our Mix Monday that is a Biggie tribute mix. It is an hour long and SO DOPE! We appreciate the love from him on allowing us to be the ones to release this mix!

DOWNLOAD HERE!

*Photo above is a photo of a photo. (follow that?) It is one of the most legendary photos of Notorious B.I.G taken by our friend Jonathan Mannion at the Palladium in 1995. CLICK HERE to see a video interview of Jonathan talking about the photo and the memorable night he snapped this rare photo.

This is a classic mix from July 2004 that showcases why CMINUS is, and always will be, the greatest to ever mix rock and hip-hop. This legitimately slays pretty much anything being put out even today.

“Ain’t NO ONE doing nothing that ain’t already been done, so pay respect to the ones that did it before you”

LISTEN/DOWNLOAD HERE

You have certainly heard producer Scoop DeVille’s music more than a few times over the past couple of years. He has produced some of the top “get stuck in your head” hits including “The Recipe” by Kendrick Lamar (feat. Dr. Dre), Snoop’s “I Wanna Rock” and 50 Cent’s “Wait Until Tonight”. Scoop is also a member of the rap group Get Busy Committee (along with Ryu and Apathy).

Scoop grew up watching some of the biggest names in rap create music (his dad is legendary West Coast rapper Kid Frost), soaking up their advice and lessons. His stories from when he was a little kid involve nonchalant mentions of legends like Ice Cube and Eazy E. Scoop has taken the years of lessons and the opportunities around him and made the most of them. Before he was even out of his teenage years, he had Billboard hits and is now one of the top up-and-coming producers in the game. But to hang out with Scoop, you’d never assume he has produced big hits… there is nothing showy or flashy about him. When not in the studio working, he is pretty quiet and humble… and almost always smiling. The only time you really see a whole other side to his personality is when he’s in the studio or on stage. He recently played us a bunch of new music he has in the works…. it’s incredible! His music production and creativity is diverse, he has upcoming projects with a number of artists that range way outside of hip-hop, but definitely have influences of the music Scoop grew up around.

Scoop recently returned from a trip to Jamaica where he spent a lot of time with the Marley camp. He describes the trip as “life changing” and said it was one of the most memorable things he has done to date. Scoop keeps himself focused by surrounding himself with positive and hard working people. He says “I know how blessed I am to be where I’m at right now. I know I have to keep working though, this is just the beginning.”

We’ve been listening to his Scoopaloops album a LOT lately. It’s Scoops remixes of a wide range of songs that showcases his diversity. You can download it HERE. He’s also been getting love for his recently released Goyte “Somebody That T Used To Know” remix and the M.I.A. “Bad Girls” remix.

Follow Scoop DeVille on:

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“But if you’re drinking what I’m drinking put your hands up in the sky
If you’re thinking what I’m thinking you’ll say what a crazy night
We ain’t gon leave till four maybe later.
Swag so punk it make, it make ya ugly face uh.
Run that back, it means start that over…
Man he a hater, she gun see me later.
He got good intentions, but not another favor.
We left doing 80 called up fly up on a friday, headed back the highway, I think that there’s my place.
So f*cked up man it’s just not my day.
I need another shot of that Bacardi.”
-Crazy Night, R. Kelly.

(thanks to ham on everything, the well, adam goes ham, jefferson, alexander spit, jay ughh, corzillah, 10iller, AJ, miss reds, sand one, our homeland security team and freshly paved downtown los angeles streets)

Last night our good friends over at Guerilla Union held a press conference/launch party to announce the line-up for the 2012 Rock The Bells festival. This year’s festival will take place in three cities (LA, SF and NY) and will now be a two day festival in each city.

This year’s line-up is a mix of legends like Nas, DJ Quik, Missy Elliot, Dipset,  Ice Cube, Salt-N-Pepa and up-and-coming acts like Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz and Dom Kennedy…

AND MUTHAFUCKIN BONE THUGS AND HARMONY!!

As is tradition, Supernatural freestyled the LONG list of performers. How this guy does that crazy freestyle thing is beyond me. He was fresh off a plane from Greece and came straight to the press conference and pretty much hosted the entire evening AND performed.

DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba. Yeah. He’s performing at Rock The Bells.

(cue Juicy J sound bite… anything where he suggests you get trippy, mane)

LA’s own and one of RSWD’s favorites, Dom Kennedy. Dom said he was excited to be up there with some of the legends on stage and that he had just found out he was confirmed for the festival 30 minutes before the press conference!

El DeBarge. He came out to introduce his son and give props to DJ Quik. Yes. We did have “ooooohhhhhh, and i liiiike it….” stuck in our heads for the rest of the night.

Chang Weisberg is a badass. Straight up. For the past decade he’s worked his way up to becoming one of the industries top festival promoters. I’ve seen this guy go from passing out flyers on street corners for his own small events to this moment pictured above where he is announcing the growth of Rock The Bells. Hard work pays off. He’s proof.

“I’m currently inactive” was Murs’ response to the question about the rumored break up of the Living Legends. Murs explained he and his wife are adopting a child this year so his focus is elsewhere right now. He did clarify, “I’m from gang culture, so when you’re in…. you’re never really out.”

“It’s nuthin like black pussy on my dick, word to the muthafuckin DJ Quik…” -AMG

Bone Thugs N Harmony will be reuniting for this years Rock The Bells. Yep. The sound I made when they announced that (and Missy Elliot) was the same sound my 12 year old niece made when she thought she saw Bieber in a 7-11. I’m not ashamed.

Rock The Bells will be taking place 8/19 & 8/20 in LA, 8/25 & 8/26 in SF and 9/1 & 9/2 in NY. Check out the Rock The Bells WEBSITE for specific locations and line-ups for each venue.

As Bone Thugs launched in to “First Of The Month”, we ran in to this guy:

Reggae Pops… another LA legend and a staple at any event worth checking out!

We’re off to find the perfect Adidas sweatsuit to rock for Missy Elliot’s set. (Missy, just so you know, YES we are available to be your back up dancers. That lil girl that used to dance in your videos is probably all grown up and over you by now… soooo…. we’re here for ya Missy)

We are looking forward to this one! We will of course have recaps from the shows we attend … along with plenty of good pics and interesting stories.

Alexander Spit has one of the most anticipated upcoming new albums and today he blessed us with a new track: BNE (Best Night Ever) featuring Chill Black Guys. Many of you have asked us where to find the song, which was featured in Spaghetto’s SXSW recap video. It’s finally here! Download it NOW!

Congrats Alex!

DOWNLOAD “BNE” BY ALEXANDER SPIT HERE!

Yep, one more for ya!!! (we figured since we’ve skipped a couple of Mix Monday’s we’d just make today straight up Music Monday and hit you with all the music we’ve been listening to in the Those Two Secret Hideout lately)

Last week, Spintelect put out 3 mixes in one week…. and we just can’t get enough of ‘em! We think you will love them too, and if you don’t…. well…. you suck and you need to get a new set of ears. There is something for everyone on these mixes. You seriously need all three in your itunes NOW!

LISTEN/DOWNLOAD “Middle Of The Week Mix” HERE!

LISTEN/DOWNLOAD “Thank You For Friday” HERE!

DOWNLOAD “Africans In Rock” HERE!

Our good friend Switch is the founder/creator/mastermind/etc of the blog Everything You Love To Hate. Many boys all over the world owe Switch a big thank you for the massive amounts of topless girls, hipster freckles and soft core porn that grace their laptops via Tumblr every day. In addition to having incredible taste in women, Switch also has incredible taste in music. “Prove it” you say? We will. Check out the links to some of the mixes he has posted on his site!

We couldn’t just pick one favorite, so here is the link to ALL of them! (download by clicking the pics)

Since checking out a screening of Ice T’s new hip-hop documentary “Something From Nothing”, we have been in a bit of an old school mood over here at the Those Two Secret Hideout. Today’s mix is a collection of fly jams from back in the day. Bust out your fuzzy Kangol, put on your Adidas track suit, grab some Now & Laters and kick back with this one at top volume. It features Slick Rick, Eric B & Rakim, EPMD and more.

LISTEN/DOWNLOAD HERE!

Yesterday I was away from the computer, enjoying my Mother’s Day somewhat technology free. TK told me she had something for us to post, but I didn’t get a chance to see it until today. It’s belated by a day, but still means so much! We hope you had a great day with your Mom, Granny, Auntie and/or any female that taught you some valuable life lessons! Below is what she wrote: (Thanks Teek)

Let’s take this opportunity to acknowledge the remarkable women who have raised us, fed us, taught us, led us, fought for us…  the women with hearts and hands that reach beyond their own offspring… who take on the role of a mother in every way, with no terms or conditions… who tap into those superpowers when the time calls, without blinking… who maintain grace under fire, knowing it’s not just about their own needs (but still manage to keep their nails freshly painted.)

I’d like to send a special shout out one mother in particular. She is a leader in every way, to her son, to her friends & family, to her twitter timeline, to the strangers turned best friends that she meets on a daily basis. We love you Jenn Klein.

x’s & o’s.

TeeK