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DMX's penchant for getting in trouble with the law continues, as the once-superstar rapper was once again arrested.

According to TMZ.com, the Yonkers rapper was arrested yesterday (March 9) in Arizona for violating the terms of his probation by using illegal drugs over the past nine months.

"He's been battling addiction for some time and he's in need of treatment," says X's lawyer, Gary Jenkins.

"We're hoping that maybe Dr. Drew might be able to help him," added Jenkins, referring to Dr. Drew Pinsky, a radio and television personality who specializes in addiciton medicine. In addition to hosting the syndicated radio talk show Loveline, Pinsky produces and stars in the Vh1 show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.

The Ruff Ryder has been arrested for countless charges in recent years, including having a warrant for having no vaild driver's license, as well as drug and animal cruelty charges.

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Author Paul Edwards' book How To Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC has reached book stores. Not just any other scholarly book on one of the pillars of Hip Hop, Edwards' book features a Foreward by none other than legendary emcee Kool G Rap.

This book breaks down the emcee artform into five sections: Content, Flow, Writing and Delivery with various sub-sections. In addition, Edwards' work features 104 interviews with emcees ranging from E-40 to Hell Rell, 2Mex to Royce Da 5'9".

Published in December of 2009, this is Edwards' first book.

Purchase How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC by Paul Edwards

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San Diego veteran emcee Mitchy Slick has had an active 2010. In addition to his group, Strong Arm Steady releasing an acclaimed album with Stones Throw Records, In Search Of Stoney Jackson, the SMC/Fontana artist opened the year releasing his own compilation album with Wrongkind, Yellow Tape. Speaking recently with HipHopDX, Mitch broke down his latest venture. "Wrongkind represents a whole bunch of niggas - people that ain't just rappers. We got homies that do a lot of things for Tha Wrongkind; we got homies that just slap people for Tha Wrongkind. It ain't just San Diego homies either. It's just some fly cats from my community that don't fit the usual type of get-money, have-bitches [mentality]." Slick said that the group has affiliates in Oklahoma, San Francisco and New York. "We're like the outcasts of the industry, 'cause all my niggas is real and 100." He added, "It's just a movement of real niggas that want to make some real shit happen in the Rap game." Within his Lincoln Park neighborhood, Slick said the group's extensive roster particularly resonates, "In San Diego, it just so happens that a lot of the [members] happen to be real figures of the community before they even grab the mic."

Although Mitchy Slick was present on every Yellow Tape record, he only appeared on two cuts ("Pressure" and "Two Pistols" from his group's sophomore album, produced entirely by Madlib. Asked why that was the case, Mitchy responded with candor. "Nothing pulled me from that project. Usually, with the Strong Arm Steady projects, I let Phil [Da Agony] and [Krondon] coordinate them. If they felt like [I] was only needed to be featured on [In Search Of Stoney Jackson], then I give them the freedom to do that. The two songs I'm on is great songs."

The San Diego rapper understands that his content differs from that of the group's other two members at times. "A lot of that may have to do with some of the content of the songs that I recorded for the Stoney Jackson album. It was already enough for the fan-base of [Madlib] to do records with a guy who was gonna be on gang-bangin' and shit, crack-rappin' on his beats. Some of the songs I did for the Stoney Jackson [album] was pimp records and shit. I just felt like that was something that hadn't really been heard on Madlib slaps. A lot of my fans ain't even really familiar with Madlib. They need to get their bars up though, for those that don't know a Madlib or a J Dilla or something like that. Open your horizons."

With their Blacksmith debut Arms & Hammers still in the works, Mitchy Slick expressed pleasure from the fan and critical response to the January album. "Some of the best response we've ever gotten from a Strong Arm Steady project have come from [In Search Of Stoney Jackson]."

Further asked if the rapper who has worked with Messy Marv and Cashis feels marginalized with his peers, he confessed, "I know that I get a much better response when it's a Mitchy Slick show than I get when it's a S.A.S. show, out of state. That's maybe because of how we promote it." Like Kool G Rap, Kurupt or Xzibit, Mitchy Slick prides himself on existing in two worlds. "I like being able to do both things, and I don't try to mix 'em. So if you hear Mitchy Slick on Strong Arm Steady shit, sometimes it's a little more conscious and a little more lyrical. Not lyrical, but a lot of times there's a lot of ignorance on a Mitchy Slick record. We refer to ignorance as that ghetto shit: $5,000 paintjob on a $2,000 car shit."

One of the stronger cuts on Yellow Tape is the commentary courtesy of "What Happened To The Turf." Mitchy Slick explained the vision for the album-record. "When I heard the track, all I could think about was the transitions in my neighborhood from the time from when we first began to now. From the '80s era this text-messaging, Internet era. I just asked questions about a lot of issues that's going on in my neighborhood." Mitch said that many of the young street disciples might not even realize that they're surrounded by forgotten street scholars from yesteryear. Offering insight, he says, "I try to bridge that gap between the old homies and the new homies."

As the predominant voice for San Diego in the last decade, Mitchy Slick was asked about his relationship to '90s San Diego pioneer Jayo Felony, who comes from a rival gang. "No comment," began Slick, who then added, "This Rap shit is so real, and this gang shit is so real...shit. That's some other shit. Me and Jayo Felony, that's street shit, not Rap shit. That's why I don't make songs and rap about niggas and say shit. That's buster shit to me."

With the streets recognizing the barriers between 16 bars and bandanas, Mitchy Slick explained why the two maintain separation. "Two niggas that's from two neighborhoods, that's supposed to be from those neighborhoods, ain't got no business rappin' about each other because that shit can go to shooting fast...I'm cool on talking about that shit."

Still, the emcee in Mitchy Slick recognized the significance both men offered their city. "We did a lot for the town. A lot of people look up to Jayo Felony for what he did." Going back to the mid-'90s, Slick admits, "I had never seen Jayo Felony and I could never identify with him, really, 'cause it's so segregated in our town. It kinda showed us that we could do it."

Although their streets might be separate, Mitchy Slick said he knows that he's yet to reach the level of success that Jayo Felony say through hits like "Whatcha Gonna Do." He revealed, "I don't look at the shit that I've accomplished on the level of what he's accomplished, because I know the real game. I'm not sayin' about what he has now or where he is now, but I'm sayin' to be on that level, that playing-field to a west coast gangsta nigga doing songs with Redman and being on Def Jam and all that shit, that ain't no regular shit. I respect that."

With 15 years on the Hip Hop map, both Mitchy Slick and Jayo Felony have been hugely instrumental to the city's recognition. "It showed San Diego we could do it. But we ain't show it on the level to where they can trust and depend on this Rap shit. Not yet. 'Cause we ain't really brought the bacon home."

With two group releases already this 2010, Mitch Slick is certainly trying to further the Southern California city's impact.



Purchase Yellow Tape by Mitchy Slick Presents Tha Wrongkind

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Atlanta rapper Waka Flocka Flame recently released his hit single "O Let's Do It" which managed to climb to No. 15 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart thus far. Since it hit airwaves, the track has been remixed by rappers such as Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Wale and others. Waka Flocka spoke to Billboard.com about his surprise that other artists would reach out to him.

"Rick Ross is the only guy I reached out to," said the 23 year-old rapper. "Then Diddy reached out to me and Gucci [Mane] was like, 'I'm getting on that. That's hard!' Now it seems everybody's jumping on it."

However, the young rapper, who was recently shot during a robbery, is not letting the success get to his head.

"One single doesn't declare a person valid for an album. If I had one or two more songs buzzing crazy then I'd say, 'I'm ready.' But even with 'O Let's Do It,' doing good…when you put it up against Trey Songz' 'Say Ahh' or a Jay-Z track, it will be at the bottom of the barrel."

Although he has no plans to release an album just yet, Waka Flocka will drop several mixtapes which will include collaborations with Gucci Mane and OJ Da Juiceman, as well as G-Unit members Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks.

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With many Hip Hop fans bemoaning the force-fed nature of music in all genres, San Francisco’s own Davinci believes he's is ready to stimulate the famished Rap world. Today, the Fillmore resident releases his debut album The Day the Turf Stood Still and has set different goals than the typical emcee. That may start in the fact that he's giving this retail-released album to HipHopDX readers for free.

“Our goal wasn’t really to break the single into the major market. We really are just trying to feed the music to the people who have an acquired taste for it now," Davinci told HipHopDX of the work and his plans. "I mean, I listen to the radio and nothing on my album is like that shit, that’s the TV 106 & Park type of music, and that ain't me. We’re not really expecting for the people of that realm to just jump on board and understand my music. My material is kind of like a full-course meal that is going to take a while to work through, but once you do eat it, you’re going to be full and not want anything else for the rest of the day." The emcee compares that to the "fast food culture" of Hip Hop in 2010. "I want to deliver something that’s going to stick to people’s ribs. It’s a lot of content and I don’t think people will grasp it right away because it’s not what they’re used to being fed, but for the others, we want to feed them and let them know who I am and what I’m trying to do."

Coming from the same streets as San Quinn and Messy Marv, Davinci says he grew up with Rap aspirations. "I always rapped. Rapping was something that I had just picked up easily back when I was real young like nine, 10, 11 years old. I would take my thoughts and put it on paper and just record it on the little karaoke machines with my brother, cousins, and people from the neighborhood in our spare time." After years of the hobby, Davinci says his charted growth led him to look at making recreation into vocation. "I knew I could make a career out of it, not only for me 'cause I loved it, but also because the messages that I was portraying in my music I felt were missing for Hip Hop. There’s a lot of artists out that actually have a message in their music, but it still can be more. I remember when I was a kid I needed game from the OGs because I needed to learn and a lot of people in my life were locked up or had passed away, so I felt like I wasn’t getting a lot of the street knowledge that I needed to get. I would try and learn through the music so that’s why I wanted to be able to teach a message through my music as well." By carrying a different message than the traditional Gangsta Rap from the Fillmore District, Davinci stands apart even before The Day The Turf Stood Still.

As an active emcee within the new class of Bay Area emcees, Davinci assures listeners that there is way more to San Fran than Hyphy, trolleys and Full House. “What you see on TV is only like one corner of San Francisco. When they shot the commercials, that’s only a part of the city. As far as the communities in San Francisco or the Bay Area period, it was a lot of minorities that stuck together. There’s a side of these communities that have never had an opportunity to show themselves to the world. I try and paint the picture in my music and videos the best way that I can. When you look on post cards you will get the impression that San Francisco is all rainbows and sunshine with sailboats under the Gold Gate Bridge, which is fine because that’s a good tourist attraction that brings money to the city, but there is a whole other side to the contrary. There’s a large amount of public housing, a horrible homeless problem, and slim job opportunities. What the media portrays in only half true and that’s what I’m trying to get everybody to see.”

With retail versions of his CD available, Davinci is offering new listeners a free download of his debut. With that gift, he tells listeners, "I’m not trying to just jump into the music industry and get into all of the politics and beefs or dumb shit. I just want to do me and have people respect me as an artist. My content is a little more specific. I really want every album that I do to cater to a specific theme. It’s a lot of good artist out here in the Bay." The young emcee continues, "What’s going to set me apart is my ability to be specific and the images that try to get across. I would hope that people understand what I’m trying to do. As far as Davinci, as an artist, I just want to make the type of music that people can listen too by themselves. My music isn’t necessarily something you would listen to when you’re on your way to the club, but maybe when you’re on your way home. I want a person’s 'alone time' because that’s when they will really be able to pay attention.”

Check "Guys Wanna" by Davinci.

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