This video is hot. The Song is called “Brother” and it is the debut single from a crew called Smashproof.
Smashproof consists of Young Sid, Deach & Tyree. Sid is the hottest new street cat in the game in NZ. His debut album The Truth was widely recognized as the best Hip Hop album to come out of NZ in recent times and he has the streets on lock.

Tyree debut a couple of years back and made serious inroads into Australia, including supporting Jay Z on his Oz tour and winning Best male of the year at the 2007 Urban Music Awards.

The single features Gin Wigmore, who is from NZ but is now signed to Uni Motown and is the subject of a lot of hype in NZ, Oz and the U.S.

Expect this vid to clean up at award shows throughout 09′.

Who are your favorite New Yorkers?
Jay-Z: My number-one favorite—I don’t know how much time he spent here, but when he was in Tribeca, the way he lived his life: JFK Jr. How he would take the subway and walk around the neighborhood. Spike Lee’s another one, because he’s a fixture courtside. When you think about the city, you think of them. I like Billy Crystal, too.

What’s had the most cultural impact on New York in the past 13 years?
Jay-Z: Hip-hop. The emergence. It came right up out of the Bronx in ’79 and that affected so many different things: the economy, culture, even the crime rate—guys had jobs now.

But in the past 13, you think it’s been a force in NYC?
Jay-Z: I mean, once you start something and other places adapt, everyone’s got to get their chance. Like, the West Coast was dominant in hip-hop for a while, then it came back to New York. Now, the South is dominant in hip-hop. It’ll come back to New York as well. What I love about it is it makes guys from New York hungry. Now they’re making music with the intention of, and I’m putting up quotes now, “taking hip-hop back for New York.”

What’s your favorite place to go in New York? Not a place to be seen but a secret place.
Jay-Z: Now, I can’t do that, it won’t be a secret no more. I can give you the ones everyone knows about. Okay, okay, I’ll do it, but it’ll be the one thing I share with you guys and all of New York: Right in Cipriani’s on a Saturday, sitting outside with a nice Bellini and good conversation, there’s a shades store right around the corner that I love, walking up the block, getting me a couple pair of shades. They have all the classic shades: Ray-Bans and the Persols that I have on presently. And I’m not gonna tell you the name—they’ll walk there, they’ll see it.

What about favorite moments?
Jay-Z: Damn.

What comes to mind?
Jay-Z: That’s a difficult one. I always relate it back to music—I don’t have a life outside of that. Playing the Garden, headlining that for the first time, was—Oh! I have my greatest moment! I don’t even know how I forgot this! When I was a teenager, early teenage years—maybe later, I went to see Diana Ross in Central Park, in the rain, the infamous “in the rain.” And it started raining and everyone started running. And I’m running and slid down the entire hill. Oh, it was the greatest day.

Diana was pretty hot. Were you old enough to—
Jay-Z: Yeah, I had hormones. I thought she was fantastic. Her hair was blowing. The rain was hitting her face, and her outfit was, well—It was working for me. And she really braved it out, still trying to go in a torrential rainstorm. I don’t know who said “run,” but everyone started running. I don’t even know—me and my friend. I don’t know what two guys were doing at a Diana Ross concert, but [Laughs] anyway, I think we was already in the city, okay? We slid, got up and kept running to the train.

What about the future of NYC? What do you hope for it?
Jay-Z: I hope it keeps its sense of pride. I’m a fan of moving into the future, but I’m also a fan of things that are sacred—like I said, I bought me some vintage shades. So a mix of both, as long as we maintain our sense of pride, we won’t do anything crazy.

If you could have a drink with some of our other 39 contenders—Patti LuPone, Philip Seymour Hoffman…
Jay-Z: Oh, wow.

Peter Gelb of the Met Opera…
Jay-Z: There you go.

Tim Gunn or Jonathan Lethem, an author from your own Brooklyn—who do you pick?
Jay-Z: I’m a fan of what Philip Seymour Hoffman does. He’s fantastic—one of the top actors out there right now. He’s got that thing: That thing that can’t be taught or you can’t learn. I hate when people say “je ne sais quoi,” but he has that thing where he just disappears into the role. You feel his pain. You feel like it hurts him.

Are you introspective like that?
Jay-Z: I am introspective, and, well, there’s that 10 percent that just can’t be taught, but a lot of how I think about myself comes from how I grew up and how I can articulate my experiences without making it too much like, “Everything is great!” or “I’m Superguy!” A vulnerability in the music and a toughness of “I will not lose”—that combination resonates with people.

You’re the only rapper on this list. We were considering Nas but have this 13-year rule: People on this list had to have had an impact in the last 13 years. And Illmatic was 1994. Should we have included him?
Jay-Z: Ah, wow! [Laughs] That’s a tough question. [Pauses] Yeah, only because of the impact of that album, when it’s considered one of the best albums ever created, you have to document that.

How about Kanye? Has he earned it yet?
Jay-Z: He’s from Chicago, but he’s close. I don’t know if he’s had that one album that’s moved the entire culture, but he’s hit it three times in a row. He’ll be on every list one day.

Are you guys really teaming up for Blueprint 3?
Jay-Z: Yeah, actually. We’re partners right now. Starsky and Hutch right now.

And B? What was your first meeting with your wife like?
Jay-Z: I can’t answer that question. [Laughs] Come on now.

Seriously? You guys wrote a song about being in love.
Jay-Z: I’m actually pretty open, especially in the music. And in conversation, when I get to know people. But there’s one side of my life I tend to keep quiet. You have to have some time of sanity. You can’t live with everything out there. You have to have sanctuary.

Hov = G.O.A.T.

Controversial = They chose Spiderman over Nas.

‘How did you get into rapping?
I used to watch a show in the early 90′s when I was around 11 or 12 called “Dance Energy.” It was on BBC2 and presented by Normski. They had some excellent live in studio guests and it was a fantastic introduction to hip-hop music. Also I used to have a thing for Betty Boo, member her?

Who are your influences?
I am influenced by all the great emcees and lyricists. I don’t know if I can list them all in one go. People who beat their wives, tortured geniuses like myself and bobby brown.

What influences you when writing?
I don’t write, I’m like Biggie, Jay-Z & Stephen Hawking a bit like that. Genius but it’s not written down

Do you think that being Irish affects how you write? As in do you write from a different perspective because you’re Irish, or do you think it matters?
I am a very proud irish man so of course it influences everything, my slang, my behaviour, so of course it comes through.

What’s your opinion of the Irish hip hop scene?
I dont really hold any opinion on it. thats not a dis, but to me a scene comprises of some sort of activity and unity and on the surface it would appear there is not much of either.

How does the Irish hip hop scene compare to other scenes you have encountered?
In France, Netherlands, Japan, Australia, Germany, all of these places, they support their own. In Ireland we don’t really like to congratulate our own when we do well. I think that goes across the board though not just in our scene but its a very Irish mentality. A lot of people always look to what was done in the past, what came first and while you have to respect that and I do, I don’t feel I get enough credit for taking it as far a field as I have. I’m not going to start listing achievements but give me some credit for what I’ve done. In hip-hop people hate you when you are doing better than them. In Ireland people hate to see people doing well so its a bad combination. I work alone. I’m a lone wolf I’m the motherfucking Chazz Michael Michaels of this shit.

Whats the Irish audience like?
If you work on your live show then the audience will respond to you. It doesn’t matter where they are from. I always get good responses from audiences no matter where I go, so I can’t complain about them. So many shit live hip-hop acts in the world today. Irish rap acts like to rap to the ground and forget that they are in front of an audience and curse out the soundman.

What is the perception of Irish rappers from people you have encountered in the media and in general?
They don’t really understand it until they hear it. Probably because most Irish Rap is not good enough. There are a handful of a few very capable acts but after that its actually a joke. Like you know when you watch Fair City and its so bad its good, but this is not even funny.

How receptive is the Irish media to hip hop acts?
Irish media, they like the friendly acts and safe acts and gimmicks, they love gimmicks. Its funny i’ll give you two examples. I couldn’t get playlisted on Spin FM or FM 104 with a song I could get on BBC. The guy from 104 was actually cursing out the kids ringing in looking for me and said, I quote “we will never play an artist like that.” The same day I had an e-mail from Lenny S who was A&R at Def Jam. I can get airplay in London and New York but two Dublin stations won’t play me. There was a time I was about to do a lucrative pay per view tv show in the USA. It was a fairly big deal. The Late Late show passed on me because they said I wasn’t suited to their audience. The other night they had “The Satanic Sluts” on it…fuck sake. As much as I like “Hot Press” they only called when i did a song with Bleek. Reviewers always have a little jibe and all that about it not being the norm.

Then when you do get air time they are all, “do us an aul rap there now.” Like I don’t do anything except freestyle? bitch go ask fuckin Snow Patrol or The Script to sing you an aul impromptu song. While we are on it RTE, how come that little lad has three presenting jobs in the middle of the credit crunch? Ya know him? Little fella off the cafe, he is spinning the wheel and all now, fuck sake.

How have the mixtapes gone down in Ireland and overseas?
Really well, the mixtapes have just been preperation for the album. That was it, preparation for the album. They have all sold out. I am doing one more mixtape with my DJ, Mo-K and after that the album will be out, and the album is sounding big, I promise.

Do you feel you will have to leave Ireland in to order to make a career from rapping?
It will all depend on what is on the table when we pitch the album. I have already had an offer from a major digital label but we will have to see who comes up with what when its all done.

What’s your opinion of hip hop in 2008?
I still love hip-hop as much as I always did. There is plenty of good music out there. Tell you what I don’t like, Kanye’s new beard, I’m not feeling that, or Wayne Rooney stealing my red beard. Beards are hip-hop these days. Shout out to Peter Beardsley.

How important has Myspace and the internet been in your career?
Its been everything, without Myspace I wouldn’t have a career so to speak. I am reaching so many people all over the world, day in day out.

Where do you see it going in the future?
Its constantly changing I guess some digital changes to combat piracy would help rejuvenate the flagging sales of music would be nice or just helping to catch predators is good.’

Check out the full interview with Scruffy Daddy. Wexford stand up!

If you take this show seriously, let the rapper win!
He’s up against a Manc and a the Scouse Woman from Shameless, who could be a problem. She’s maaad funny.

If you’re a DJ it is your duty to start blazing the 3 tracks that people know:

Don’t front, this was the sh*t!

I hated this. LV had the bring in of the century.

This is a good song,…okay i’ll admit it. I like this.

The best video he ever appeared in! One of he best Pac songs ever.

A vote for Coolio is a vote for Hip-Hop. We now have the power and the technology.

Ask Barrrrak!!!!!!

Although the bootleg versions may be on the streets before then. It’s not about bootleg kicks at all. I know someone who got caught out by ebay. They copped a fake pair of Bapes, they looked terrible lol!

I finally managed to get a pair of these!!! The Air 3 Transformer pack for those that don’t know. Yep, my girl came correct for Xmas. Even though the new Transformer pack is set to drop later this year, they’re not as good asthese and I didn’t get time to track these down when they dropped last year.