Interview: 7 Things You Need To Know About One Of Our Favorite West Coast Power Players, DJ Carisma

Marisa Mendez Leave a Comment

DJ Carisma

If you’re a fan of YG, DJ Mustard, Ty Dolla $ign, Sage The Gemini, TeeFlii and Tyga, to name just a small handful of west coast stars, you’re going to want to thank DJ Carisma. The California native has had a hand in helping break these artists and many more coming from the left side of the country, and she’s done it all while balancing motherhood and marriage, two online radio shows, a prime-time slot on Power 106, managing her own studio and traveling on the road as the official tour DJ of Honey Cocaine and TeeFlii. I can’t even talk on the phone and answer an email at the same time, so to say I admire Carisma is an understatement…and I’m not alone in my sentiments. As I sat on Ty Dolla $ign‘s bus a couple of weeks back at the Under the Influence tour stop in PA, I watched as Ty and his entire team jumped up and yelled when they received an email that Carisma had been featured on XXL‘s site. When Chris Brown got out of jail and was thrown a private gathering to welcome him back, Carisma was one of the invited guests. When Nipsey Hussle was asked who he admired in radio, guess who he named? Yep, Carisma!

As she made her rounds to discuss her new single “Anyway” featuring Sage The Gemini, Tory Lanez, Eric Bellinger and Mishon, I had to jump on the phone with the Young California co-founder so that I could share a few gems with our LIT readers. Below, find out exactly how she got her start in the game (so that you can take a few pointers!), who her top 5 artists coming out of the west are and more.
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Sage The Gemini vs. Zendaya vs. August Alsina vs. Rich Homie Quan: Who Would You Choose As 2014’s “Social Star”?

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LIT_2014 BMI Social Star

For those not in-the-know, BMI is a music rights organization that represents songwriters in all genres – basically the music industry’s version of the acting industry’s SAG or AFTRA. In layman’s terms, they get you money for the sh*t you write. Every year they honor the elite songwriters with various award ceremonies (depending on the genre), and this year’s Hip-Hop/R&B Awards will take place on Friday, August 22, at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

For the third year in a row, the BMI Hip-Hop/R&B Awards will honor a popular new artist with their fan-voted “Social Star” award. The accolade is presented to the BMI songwriter who “best demonstrates the power of social to showcase his songwriting talents,” and after being nominated by BMI based on what they’ve already achieved, win based on their fan’s votes. In 2012, that person was Mac Miller, and in 2013, my homie Machine Gun Kelly.

For 2014, the Social Star Award nominees are rapper Sage The Gemini, singer/actress Zendaya, singer August Alsina and rapper Rich Homie Quan. Below, read why BMI chose each particular artist, then cast your vote for who you think is the real “social star” of the year!
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(Photos) Why A$AP Rocky’s New i-D Magazine Interview Proves That He & I Will Never Work Out

Marisa Mendez Leave a Comment

A$AP Rocky covers i-D Magazine

A$AP Rocky has been extremely quiet since releasing his debut album Long.Live.A$AP. in January of 2013, then hitting the road with Rihanna that spring. Since then, the most we’ve heard of the Harlem rapper has been mainly about his outings with girlfriend Chanel Iman, but as he gears up for a sophomore project, we’re finally getting a little more from my baby daddy!

Unfortunately for me, Rock‘s new cover story for i-D Magazine shows me that we’re quite opposite, so the relationship for us probably wouldn’t work out. There’s also that whole already-having-a-girlfriend thing, but that’s neither here nor there. Check out a few excerpts from the interview below.
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That NJ Ish: What To Expect From Jay Z’s Mom’s New Restaurant In Newark

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LIT_Diamondz N Da Ruff

Earlier this week, we learned that Jay Z‘s mother, Gloria Carter, opened a new restaurant in Newark, New Jersey, after photos of Bey and Jay attending the grand opening surfaced on the web. The story didn’t elaborate very much on Gloria‘s new eatery, but we now have more details!

Mama Carter co-owns Diamondz N Da Ruff (*cringes*) with partners Peggie Miller of Newark and Debra Holmes of Jersey City. The restaurant is open 6 days a week (from Tuesday to Sunday) and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it features a small stage for live music and open mic and karaoke nights. The menu is mainly American-based with food like paninis, crab cake sandwiches, salads and sliders.

Will her famous son and daughter-in-law be hitting that stage? “They’re definitely coming to support their mom,” Gloria told the Star Ledger. As for the eatery’s name:

“A diamond comes from coal. Once coal is pressured, it becomes beautiful. We all know struggle. We’re coming from struggle to make this a beautiful thing.”

If you’d like to eat at the [horribly named] restaurant, you can stop by Diamondz N Da Ruff at 71 Clay Street, Newark, NJ.
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(Photos) Throwback Thursday: How Dip Set & Saving My Lunch Money Brought Me To A Career In Music

Marisa Mendez Leave a Comment

LIT_Marisa Mendez x Dip Set TBT 1

When people say things like, “Dip Set changed my life” or, “I was the biggest Dip Set fan ever,” (yes, people say those things…LOL) I don’t even bother to engage in a debate with them because winning would be too effortless. Dip Set REALLY changed my life. Because of my love (or slight obsession, either one) for them in high school, I chose the career path I embarked on, I met people who put me in the right place to advance in said career and I learned early on how to move around in the music business. Suffice to say, what Dip Set did for me trumps you hands down. Unless you’re like, Freekey Zekey. He probably has a better story than me. Anyway, here’s the 411:
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Is Lil Kim Tarnishing Her Legacy Because Of Her Disdain For Nicki Minaj?

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LIT_lil-kim-nicki-minaj

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…unless you’re Lil Kim, in which case intimation is the cause for a never-ending feud. For the second time in the course of a week, the veteran MC (and new mother!) has released a diss track (read: struggle song) aimed at her arch nemesis, Nicki Minaj.

“It’s looking like I’m headed back behind bars again/cause b*tches wanna start with Kim and I ain’t with the arguing,” Kim raps on “Identity Thief,” adding, “Anything you try to do, I done did it/ The Queen’s back, b*tches come get it.”

Kim, you are the Queen, yes…but you are certainly not back. In fact, you’re regressing immensely, and it makes us pretty sad because your legacy is one for the books. Where’s the Kim that spit venom on an escalator? Where’s the Kim that rapped about her “Crush On You” while rocking every color wig under the sun? Hell, we’ll even take the Kim that put her “Lighters Up” when she got out of jail in 2005. Between the endless plastic surgery and her apparent obsession with Nicki (who has been the only female raptress since Kim‘s heyday that actually gave her competition for the crown,) it’s looking like the Queen Bee has a very, very deep-rooted insecurity issue.
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#WCW: Time To Bring Girl Power Into Hip-Hop!

Ashley 1 Comment

LIT_Rap3

Nicki Minaj, Igga Azalea and hopefully soon Remy Ma are making their way up the charts, and although they are often pitted against each other, it’s a blessing and very rare in hip-hop to have more than one relevant “femcee.” After Remy was released from Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in New York earlier this week, she went straight to the studio to work on what was originally purported (by the media) to be a diss track to Nicki and Iggy, a remix to DJ Khaled‘s “They Don’t Love You No More.” She later went on to clarify that it certainly was no diss, and that she’d actually like to work with both of the ladies on a future release. Great, one flame put out…but a new one sparked up the very next day.

Ashley Spinnelly
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