Visuals from the Fiend & Cookin Soul “Iron Chef” mixtape . If your a Fiend fan enjoy! #JETLIFE (more…)

iHipHop will return to SXSW this year for yet another incredible official showcase. Being that it’s our third-year in a row bringing the best and brightest in all of hip-hop to Austin, Texas, we had no choice but to pull out all of the stops. We couldn’t have done it all by ourselves, so big shout outs to our co-presenters Babygrande and The Madbury Club. This year GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan will headline the event, while being backed by none other than Grammy Award winning band Grupo Fantasma (Brownout). The showcase will also include performances by east coast hardcore veterans M.O.P. as well as Curren$y’s entire Jet Life crew (Trademark Da Skydiver, Young Roddy, Smoke DZA, Sir Michael Rocks of The Cool Kids, Fiend, Cornerboy P & Street Wiz), Marz Lovejoy, Flatbush Zombies, T. Mills, Airplane Boys, Mod Sun and DJ Statik Selektah. Whether you’re a hip-hop head or a casual listener, this is place to be. The showcase will take place on Saturday March 17, 2012 at Haven, located at 409 Colorado, Austin. Doors at 8pm. For more information, visit SXSW.com

All I’ve got to say is “DAAAAAMMMNNN!” I’m not sure why no ‘mainstream’ rap ‘news’ outlets are covering this, but Connecticut rapper Chris Webby just sold 9,500 copies digitally of his debut EP, There Goes The Neighborhood. To say this is impressive for Webby would be a tremendous understatement, especially when considering that he dropped his EP with absolutely zero promotion on a Thursday, so this figure does not even reflect a full week of sales. Surprisingly with these numbers, this may actually be the first time that many people have even heard of Chris Webby as he has built his fan base largely through social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook rather than blog buzz and web coverage. Last week also marked the release of the Curren$y-backed Jet Life album Jet World Order, the first album showcasing the entire Jet Life crew. While not as jaw-dropping as Chirs Webby’s sales, the album had a successful opening week, scanning over 4,200 units. In other new release news, Rashad & Confidence seemed to miss the boat with their ode to boom-bap debut, The Element Of Suprise. The duo closed the week out with just over 100 units sold. Chris Webby “There Goes The Neighborhood – EP” – 9,556 (100% digital) Jet Life “Jet World Order – 4,246 (66% digital) Rashad & Confidence “Element Of Surprise” – 107 (61% digital)

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