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Ice-T—rapper, heavy metal vocalist, actor, reality TV star, and now, film director. The original gangster has helmed a documentary shown at the Sundance Festival and they’re now getting ready for the film’s big national debut. “Something out of Nothing: The Art of Rap” is a sprawling documentary where Ice-T talks to not literally (it just seems that way) every rapper alive about rap, from Bambaata, Rakim, and KRS-ONE, to Yasiin Bey, Kanye West and Eminem, and its trailer just hit the street (technically, the Internet, but whatever). And it does look to be special: all the other elements got their documentary treatments before (Skratch, Wild Style, and Planet B-Boy come to mind), but none of those were ever hosted by someone of the stature of Ice-T. If you were wondering what difference that makes, notice how chatty the usually reclusive Dr. Dre is in the trailer. The film is out June 15, chock-full of interviews and freestyles, and if you really need a review of it now, check out the Hollywood Reporter’s review from Sundance.

Peace everyone. I’m going to do this like my radio show, Soulhop Radio, and say, less talk and more music. I hope everyone is enjoying the sun season of summer, no matter where you are.

1. “Tight Ship”, Stephen Marley

His new album Revelation Part One: The Root of Life is the best reggae album out this summer for uplifting Roots Reggae. “Tight Ship” gets my vote as one of the top 5 songs on the album.

Quotable: There’s no room for mistakes / we running a tight ship for sure
Get the broom sweep the place clear I space

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As if intentionally leaking “Otis” wasn’t enough, Jay and Yeezy [update: now henceforth known as "The Throne"] got their cinéma vérité on and were filmed in the studio and their surroundings in a private estate in Australia while recording their new album collaboration. In the promo, Jay shares his thoughts on Kanye’s progression, Kanye shares some gifts with Jay, some new verses are revealed, Russell Crowe lights up when his name is dropped in Kanye’s lines, and everyone wonders what it would had been to be in the studio while Michael Jackson made “Thriller”. This label-produced short (Def Jam and Jay-Z together again, I just realized) is interesting and although not really all that substantial, it does whet the whistle a bit more.

Kanye West headlined the Mawazine festival in Morocco last Saturday. Above are two songs from the set, and here is our man D. Prosper’s (@dpros on Twitter) account of the show, who was there live at the festival:

The night was amazing at OLM Souissi on May 21st. Well over 100,000 people gathered in the city of Rabat for the 10th annual Mawazine Rhythms of the World Festival presented by Morocco’s king, Sa Majeste Le Roi Mohammed VI, and Maroc Cultures. Dressed all in white, Kanye West took the stage late but still raised the intensity of the evening. You can tell by the young Moroccan crowd that his performance was right on time by the high energy and cheering of the diverse crowd. Kanye West’s 2 hour set was sheer genius, from new songs like “Power” to old favorites like “Through the Wire.” Surprisingly, the crowd knew all the words, and despite peoples differences of religion or politics of the world, hip-hop unites us all and remains a global phenom. Kanye West continues to push the envelope and live music experience with his illustrious stage effects, set design and beautiful ballerinas that grace the stage throughout his set—hip-hop artists should take notes. The Mawazine festival was a great moment of history for Morocco, hip-hop, and world music in general. We are all one through the love of Good Music.

Kanye West featuring Pete Rock, Jay-Z, Charlie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield, KiD CuDI – The Joy by Hypetrak

Music video by Kanye West performing Runaway (Full-length). © 2010 Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC