Sirius Hip Hop

  In August some of the TrendPimp staff took a 2007 Lincoln Navigator on the beautiful coastal tour from Vancouver, BC to downtown Los Angeles and back. And I have to say, it would not have been possible without Sirius hip hop! Over eight days, we covered 3150 miles, burnt up $800 in gas, for an end result of 66 solid hours behind the wheel listening to Sirius Radio’s three uncensored, commercial free, hip-hop stations. The ’07 Navigator came with Sirius Radio built into the dash, but on top of this, we also brought the top of the line portable Sirius player, the Stiletto 100. The Stiletto 100 not only looks good, it can store up to 100 hours of recorded live radio and can even be divided up to let you listen to specific tracks you’ve recorded as well as live shows. It also comes with a FM transmitter so any stereo can connect, perfect for hotel parties.

  The combination of the Navigator’s 14 speaker, 600 watt, THX II certified sound system, Sirius Radio’s three geosynchronous satellites orbiting this great continent, and non-stop banging hip-hop made the soundtrack to our tour, and our summer. Once you try Sirius and experience of the best hip hop, all your old school favorites, and the live shows from the world’s top DJs and MCs, with no ads, you’ll see that $12.95 a month is worth it. After our road trip, I can now say I recommend the lifetime subscription deal. It’s currently offered at $499.99, however, if you happen to be in the market for new ‘07 Bentley, your lifetime membership comes complimentary. Let me break down the three Sirius hip-hop stations, and why you need them.

  Hip Hop Nation: Sirius Channel 40

  Hip Hop Nation serves the freshest, hottest and crispiest tastiest tracks hip hop can chef up. They play modern classics from Tupac, Biggie, Dr. Dre, Outkast, to the top new tracks from Kanye, 50 Cent, Chamillionaire, Rich Boy, Lil’ Wayne, T.I. and more. Listen to Hip Hop Nation on a regular basis and you’ll always be up-to-date on what’s topping the charts, and packing the clubs across the States.

  Wondering who’s certifying these tracks as hip hop gold? Here are the highlights:

   I’ll start with one of the world’s most significant producers and DJs of all time, DJ Premier. Hip Hop would be missing huge chunk of history, and I would personally be missing a huge stack of CDs, and gigs of MP3s, if Premier never got behind a MPC. Nas, Biggie, Jay-Z, KRS-One, Big L, M.O.P., Mos Def, Dialated Peoples, Jeru the Damager and Rakim all owe killer beats to Premier. He hosts Live from HeadQCourterz, Fridays, Midnight to 2am. Try to catch this show for sure, or check out its weekly replay. Premier will bring you all the East Coast hits from the past as well as the cutting edge of the underground, always with his personal guarantee of quality.

  DJ Skee (Sat. 12am-2am) and DJ Warrior (Wed. 2am-4am) hold down the West Coast, with Warrior voted into the top ten influential DJs by Rolling Stone magazine.

  DJ Noodles, part of Eminem’s Shadyville DJs, hosts Fix your Face Radio (Tues. 12am-2am), and received recent acclaim for his ‘Soul Survivors’ release, that mashes up Akon and Biggie together.

  DJ Envy hosts a show out of the NYC, (Weekdays noon-6pm) and has produced tracks for DMX, Ja Rule, Foxy Brown, Fabolous, and Juvenile.

  DJ Smallz represents the Dirty South, from Houston to Miami, on his Southern Smoke Radio (Thurs.12am-2am). He has worked with UGK, Big Boi, Master P, Three 6 Mafia, Lil’ Jon, Ludacris and T.I. The South is taking over; if you’re down, check him out.

  Backspin: Sirius Channel 43

  This is your hookup for all things old school from the late 70s to the 90s. Backspin features some famous DJs and MCs from the 80s who are all well versed in the history of hip hop and they will have no problem bringing all the vintage hits, plus ones you may have never heard. Expect to hear tracks ranging from Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J to NWA, making it a veritable history course in Hip Hop.

  While there are always guest MCs and DJs from the past coming on for live shows to answer questions and give feedback, here are the regulars: Dana Dane handles the morning shift, famous for starting the Kongol Crew with Slick Rick. Lady B hosts the afternoons, who’s single, “To the beat y’all” in 1980, was the first hip hop single recorded by a female. She has been heavily involved in the Philadelphia hip hop scene and has Radio DJ’d for over twenty years. Kurtis Blow, who you should know for his legendary single, “The Breaks”, hosts Backspin from 6PM to midnight. Kurtis Blow was the first rapper ever signed by a major label, has opened for Bob Marley, and his former DJ became RUN from Run-DMC. Kool DJ Red Alert holds down the weekends at midnight, and anyone one familiar with the New York hip-hop scene, will know his name. Red Alert has helped launch acts like Tribe Called Quest and Queen Latifah in his shows on NYCs 98.7 KISS FM and Power 105.1 FM. Let Backspin and these timeless DJs and MC’s provide you with daily lessons on what the old school really is.

  Shade 45: Sirius Channel 45

  Sirius got together with Eminem and Shade 45 is the result, specializing in cutting edge, progressive hip hop, always uncensored. The Shade 45 crew brings you all the current chart toppers, plus breaking in the new, soon to be most played tracks, as well as everything from the Shady/G-Unit/Aftermath camps. With Eminem as the owner, Shade 45 definitely can pull in some of the nations finest, here’s the line-up:

  Soul Assassins Mash-Up Mondays (10pm-midnight) is hosted by Cypress Hill’s DJ and producer, DJ Muggs. He ingeniously blends the best of rock and hip hop for a two hour mash-up mix that’s not to be missed.

  Toca Tuesdays is hosted by famous DJ Tony Touch, repping the Rock Steady Crew (Tues. 8pm-midnight).

  Smashtime Radio with DJ Clinton Sparks (Thurs. 8pm-midnight) is always bumping, he was voted as one of the world’s top DJ’s by Rolling Stone magazine and USA Today. He currently tours with Diddy.

  Every morning I get hyped for DJ Cipha’s The Cipha Sounds Effect (8am-noon) with Angela Lee. Cipha is almost certainly the biggest DJ in New York right now, and has a show on Hot97, with Funk Master Flex and host’s MTVs Sucker Free. He has repped for the some of the best hip hop labels: Tommy Boy, Rawkus Records, Pharell’s Star Trak, Roc-a-Fella. He has credit for his help breaking out artists like Rihanna, 50 Cent, Sean Paul and T.I. Cipha was also given the honor of being the resident DJ for the ever-popular Chappelle Show. Apart from his already busy schedule, he sits as the Senior Vice President of Jay-Z’s new world record label, Roc-La-Familia.

  After, check out Lip Service (8am-10am) with Angela Lee and Leah Rose who give a ladies touch to the hip hop scene. Angela has worked for MTV and Wu Tang Management, while Leah is the music editor for XXL magazine.

  Saturday is G-Unit Radio, featuring 50 Cent’s DJ, Whoo Kid. From 10am to 8pm, you can catch the newest in gansta rap in addition to anything G-Unit/Shady. On any G-Unit Saturday, don’t be surprised to catch any special guest MCs, DJs or celebrities stopping by his Hollywood studio.

  The show I catch the most, mainly for the DJs, is the All Out Show, 4pm-8pm, every weekday with Lord Sear and Rude Jude. You may remember Rude Jude from his Jenny Jones fame where he was brought on the show by a girl he used to pick on in school. He was instantly loved by the crowd for his sarcasm and behavior, and soon became a regular guest. Load Sear is a Harlem DJ know for his jokes as much as his DJ skills and has hosted countless radio shows and is know to DJ at New York's top venues. His humor is well known, as he has appeared on various skits on albums for the Beastie Boys, Big Pun, X-Ecutioners, to name a few. He even was a character on GTA3: San Andreas.

  While currently doing the show separately, Jude in Cali and Sear in New York, they still hold it down and keep everyone entertained with their antics and opinions. They never run out of jokes, insults or advice, as they take callers all day over any topic, all uncensored. If you’ve been stuck listening to commercial controlled radio DJs talking about lame-ass topics, check the All Out Show for some real talk. You can call in or just listen, as people speak their mind, with no edits or cut-outs, over much more than just hip hop, all held down by Lord Sear and Rude Jude. Definitely make some time in the afternoon for these guys.

  So check out http://shop.sirius.com now and stop living in 2006 with your boring, out of date iTunes collection, catch what’s hot now, and impress your friends and the ladies with your new hip hop degree, with ultra-fresh play lists to prove it, thanks to Sirius Radio.