In the biggest news of the century, the baddest bitch is coming back! That’s right TRINA (seen above offering to play blow job betty to an audience member during a concert) is dropping her new album, The Glamorest Life (is it a cover of the Cool C classic?!) on May 18th. The LP will feature a remake of LL’s “Big Ol’ Butt”, as “Big Ol’ Dick”, guest spots from Trick Daddy and G-Unit and production from Just Blaze, Jazzy Pha & Kanye West.

And speaking of kanye, my full review is up. In short, it’s not as bad as i expected, but it’s not as good as you thought (that is, if you post on okayplayer.com)

Aceyalone’s long out of print classic All Balls Don’t Bounce is finally getting the reissue treatment on Feb. 24, in a remastered deluxe edition featuring a bonus disc with four videos (who knew there was a “knownots” video?!?) and 14 remixes and outtakes from the ABDB sessions. I usually don’t support hip hop site, due to various reasons, but the allure of having the dub circut classic “Tweekends” on 7″ is just too much…

Also seeing the reissue treatment (of sorts) are two greatest hits albums of underground heroes have recently been released, compiling the elektra years of both Del the Funkee Homosapian and KMD. Despite the similarities in these joints (right down to the high school notebook artwork, shared release dates and former labels), they’re unrelated. The KMD comp is put out by Doom himself and the Del is part of Rhino’s campaign to release greatest hits albums of classic hip hop artists with only two LPs (see also the Pete Rock & CL collection from last year). In fact the parallels in the two artists careers are outstanding – they each were on Elektra, got dropped from Elektra, got an album shelved (Black Bastards and Future Developments), found love in the fledgling indie scene (KMD’s Zev Love X as MF Doom) and then released those LPs years after the fact. And then they both had greatest hits albums drop this past tuesday. Weird, huh? Bruce McCulloch once said that “greatest hits are for housewifes and little girls,” but both of these offer a lot to even the diehard fan – the KMD comes complete with the previously vinyl only tracks “Popcorn” and “Nitty Gritty (Remix) f/ Busta Rhymes”, as well as the long awaited full version of “Plumskinz” (which was cut in to two seperate tracks on the official release of Black Bastards). And the Del is even more essential. The tracklist reads as more of a Del Rarities compilation than a greatest hits. compiles almost all vinyl only tracks, classic remixes and B-Sides (the debut Hieroglyphics track, “Burnt”, the Q-Tip appearance on “Undisputed Ones”, the Whoopi Goldberg movie soundtrack cut “Made In America”, the Dinosaur Jr. collaberation and more). And, unfortunetly, both are Unofficially Official, sort of. Hiero producer Domino recently urged fans against buying it, as Elektra is apparantly cutting Del out of the profits. And we all know the semi legality of all things KMD post elektra….

Another Cocaine Blunts favorite, Devin The Dude is back in the studio, working on the follow up to Just Tryin’ To Live (which is by far one of the most slept on hip hop albums in recent years). Alchemist & J-Zone are said to be behind the boards and The DOC’s baby mama to be, Erykah Badu, guests on a track. Plus his old Odd Squad partner, Blind Rob is supposedly in the studio as well. Now we just need a reissue of Faddanuff Fa Everybody

The creators of the greatest hip hop magazine and book ever, ego trip, are bringing their humor to VH1, with TV Race Riot, it should be incredible. Fire up them tivos.

My lost hip hop album that’s not a hip hop album of the moment – John Forte’s “I,John”. I copped it from the two dollar bin today. It’s basically the album that Wyclef (and apparantly Tre from the Pharcyde) wishes he could make. John’s locked up right now, I’m not sure about the cases details, but uh… Carly Simon says he should be free, so i guess i have no choice but to agree, and buy a tank top.

In closing, it’s been five years to the day since Big L was tragically murdered in the prime of his life on Feburary 15, 1999. He was destined to be one of the greats (about to sign a contract with roc-a-fella and no doubt blow up when he deserved) and was hugely influential in the personas and styles of mainstream rappers as diverse as Jay & Eminem. Here’s one of his classic verses from a freestyle session at Stretch & Bobbito.

I got slugs for snitches, no love for bitches
Putting thugs in ditches when my trigger finger itches
I got a rep that make police jet
known to get a pre-sweat
I never beg for pussy like Keith Sweat
Is Big L slow? Hell no
bitches get fucked on roof when I ain’t got no hotel dough
I’m know for yoking jacks and beating over smoking gats
Leaving token blacks with broken backs and open caps
So with that bullshit step to the rear son
the last thing you want with Big L is a fair one
Cause in a street brawl I fright men like lighting
you seen what happened in my last fight then aight then
I beat kids with led pipes I leave trails of dead mics
where I’m from niggas get ran like red light
Old folks get mugged and raided crimes are drug related
And we live by the street rules that thugs created
Clowns get smoked about a thousand volts
for selling pounds of coke
front in this town and get a tech stuck down your throat
I’m telling you shit is about to get drastic soon
I’m quick to blast a goon and break a motherfucker like a plastic spoon

LONGEST UPDATE EVER!!

first off, check the new issue of Wax Poetics for a very revealing Pete Rock interview by Monk One, where Pete finally confirms the rumor that Tribe did bite “we got the jazz” from him, and mentioning that Puff did the same with “Juicy” (although curiously no mention of how large professor ghost produced “TROY”…. hmm…). The rest of the magazine is dope as usual, with features on roy ayers, old school connecticut hip hop and more. And on the Pete Rock tip, check this soundclick site for two new Pete & CL tracks (second and third joints down) and see how neither of them ever fell off. These basically could be “Main Ingredient” outtakes. If they could just stay tight for long enough to record another album. Also featured on the same sight is a new Soul Survivor 2 joint with rza.

I finally peeped the much hyped Jay-Z/Dangermouse/Beatles Grey Album, which is pretty hit or miss but when it hit’s it fucking kills (like the “what more can i say”/”guitar gently weeps” jump off, which i think narrowly beats Ghost’s “Beatles” in the “while my guitar gently weeps” competition). Is it worth $46? Check for a full review shortly…

Grammys tomorrow night – Beyonce / Prince collabo?! EWF / Outkast / George Clinton 11 Minute funk tribute?! Get your boosters boostin, your computers putin and your tivo’s tivoing, it’s gon be crazy. And maybe, just maybe Outkast can be the second hip hop artist ever to get album of the year for an album that’s only half hip hop. But hopefully they don’t catch the post-grammy syndrome that l-boogs did.

Also shouts to the homie at catchdubs.com for giving cocaineblunts.com some shine. It’s cats like him, o-dub & the hiphopmusic.com crew that put this site to shame with their tenacity for hip hop and related blogging.