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hip hop • rap • t.i. • the dirty south
Why Think Let Me Do That...Jesus Approved Commentary
Rap = WWF
Check out my new site Stuntinonprose.com (shameless plug but sometimes it be's like that)
I know y'all are probably thinking "okay, duh" just based upon the title but I wanted to expound upon the comparison. Usually cats are referring to the gimmicky pettiness of constant beefing in the rap game when they make this comparison, but I wanted to take it in a different direction.
Most males when they were younger loved wrestling. When I was into it--I'd say early to mid-90s--WWF was wrecking shop on WCW whose only stars were the geriatric Ric Flair, the lame ass Steiner brothers & the Crow look-alike, Sting (well, Sting was kind of cool except his signature move was the same as Brett Hart's. Biter). None of them could hold the balls of Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage or the Ultimate Warrior. So, needless to say I was a fan of WWF. Every Monday when RAW came on around 9 or 10pm, I was watching USA--a channel that had nothing else going for it besides the WWF which was later snatched up by FX making USA obsolete. Each week I would tune in to see what happened next in the unfolding storylines or what slub would emerge from being a background crony in a crew to a champion (the Rock) or what happened on Wrestlemania (which Ma Dukes was not upping the Pay Per View dough to for). For awhile I, like most kids my age, went really hard for wrestling. It had to be for about 4-5 years or maybe longer.
Then I got older...I begin to watch it less and less, possibly because of that E True Hollywood story special exposing the truth about how fake wrestling was, possibly because I got into sports, chasing skirts and getting fresh among other things. The point is, I grew out of it. After getting older, I knew who was going to win. I knew what characters they were going to develop into "good guys" or "bad guys" and who would end up the champion. And worst of all, I knew it was FAKE. So that kind of took the allure away.
Look at the rap game and say it's not identical. You know who's going to win (sell a shitload of albums). There's good guys, bad guys (Common/50 Cent). Weed carriers turn into generals (Jim Jones/Fat Joe). And 90% is faker than that rotund butt Kim Kardashian mysteriously got a couple of months ago. The older and older I get, the less rap appeals to me. Hip Hop still resides at the core of my musical taste but rap music makes it difficult for me to continue listening to Hip Hop. Just like with wrestling, I'm just kind of growing out of rap music. When you know everything these dudes are sayin' is fugazi, regurgitated from some OG's life or written by someone else then it kind of makes listening to rap (not Hip Hop) pointless.
Damn, Not Common
Disclaimer: Yea, I know what kind of response I'm going to get for this post--especially from loyalists of the artist. I really don't care. I only call it how I see it and what I proffer through my blog is the truth to me; hence my prior alias, "The Only Opinion that Matters."
With that said, as many of you know (or at least those of us who know how to use bit torrents and the such for the purpose of, shall we say, advance album review), the Common Finding Forever leaked between Thursday night and Friday morning. I actually found out about the leak reading a blog here. I was geeked to say the least as I've been an avid Com fan since his days of only dealing with NoI.D and since before he got sued by that rock band to drop the Sense. The expectation from myself, and many others, was that with Finding Forever, Common was going to surpass his prior effort, Be and cement his status as one of the greatest to ever do it. I think we were all ready to see Com get his props, financially and critically, especially after he was teabagged at the grammys. Many were set to deem his 7th lp a classic based on the singles "The People" and "The Game." Well...it's certainly not that...I hate to be the one to drop the bomb on those who haven't heard it yet, but fuck it; it's actually kind of wack.
What prevented Be from being a classic, to me, was that the songs dealt with broad topics like love and faith but in a very loose way that didn't really address anything in particular. They were just as I put it before "romanticized musings with no true point." And Com has dealt with those topics before but in the past he's done it in a more focused manner. I respect the fact that Com delves into issues that most emcees don't touch, but that doesn't mean he gets a pass to mediocrity and truth be told, that's what Finding Forever is. Laden with lame pop culture references (Lance Bass/Vince Vaughan etc.) and beats that attempt to emulate Dilla's unique sound but fail, miserably (sorry Kanye you're not Dilla bruh). The weaknesses of Be are amplified on Finding Forever. The lyricism on the lp is Com at his weakest weak as he's ever been and if you compare it to his progressive peers' releases i.e. Pharoahe and Talib...it really doesn't compare, creatively or lyrically, to either of those artist's latest releases. I understand what he's doing--getting his mainstream paper, do your thing bruh--with Lily Allen features, dumbed down lyrics and alot more syrupy ballads to woo the women but it hurts that much when it's someone you like. Consider Finding Forever Common riding off (to Hollywood) in a Bentley waving bye-bye to his core fanbase for the greener pastures of that thick MTV guap. I'm sure I'll have to debate some Com fans here but trust me, it doesn't give me any pleasure ripping one of my favorite emcees--especially someone from the same place as you. In memorial of the Com I used to know I'll list a few tracks for nostalgia purposes.
"Tekzilla"
"Like They Used to Say"
"Soul by the Pound"
"Communism"
"Real Nigga Quotes"
"Every Stolen Moments"
P.S. Spare me the retorts about how this is a "grown man" album or how I should let the music just be what it is because accepting mediocrity is why shit's fucked up in the first place. Also, one flop doesn't eliminate the man's legacy. He's still a legend and probably one of the best to ever do it but this album sucks. It is what it is.
Naw Bruh That's Not Really A Classic
Yesterday, I was reading Meka's Blog and I couldn't agree with the guy more. It's basically about the besmirching of the word classic. Only in Hip Hop do cats throw the word classic around every 5-10 days with albums that are usually worth less then a "blowski" (word to Bol) from a chick with long teeth and gingivitis (sorry female readers of the blog). Here's how Dictionary.com defines a classic "an author or a literary work of the first rank, esp. one of demonstrably enduring quality." Suffice it to say that you can sub out "literary work" and add "album" for this context.
I'm going to go ahead and throw in my own two cents. A classic album is one that 9 out of 10 cats would consider to be damn near flawless--that means like one track that's booty and possibly a few annoying skits, but in all likelihood an album that's perfect. And yea, that one cat who doesn't agree with the other 9 is probably a down syn-baby--sorry to say. One person can't categorize an album a classic and it's just so. The streets have to proclaim it so and it remains so after years and years of bumpage. Also, for good measures the album has to change the way cats make music afterwards and not for a couple of months but for years to come. So, with that said it's time to quiet that talk about how you think so and so's album is a classic. If it ain't 3FeetSupremeReadyIllmatiReasonableChroniCriminal CubanEnterdaPaidinItTakesaMill and a select few others that shit ain't a classic. I hate to be the one who tells you younger guys but there hasn't been a classic in about 10-12 years...Yea, that long.
So here's the list of a few recent albums that are NOT classic.
College Dropout or Late Registration-I like Kanye West. I respect what he does but if you can hear a cat taking breaths in between bars then he's not ready to make a classic yet.
Hip Hop is Dead I haven't listened to this album in months and when I do I skip through alot of the tracks. When it came out, it was deemed a classic. Now, that the excitement has died down...Not so much. Most of yall yokels can agree this one is not a classic; another good album but not a classic. Couldn't hold the weed of Illmatic. Say I'm lyin'.
Lil Wayne-The Carter 1 or 2 I don't think this needs any explanation but okay, I'll go through it. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Wayne fan but neither of these albums are classic just based upon the fact the album, persona and motif are a collage of pop culture icons and unhealthy male on male obsessions plus the whole fabled ghostwriting thing.
Food and Liquor I like Lupe's debut and it's certainly dope; possibly a near classic and defintely one of the more creative releases in recent Hip Hop history but not a classic. I get the concept of the album, but I don't think he uses much of that throughout the album. It's difficult deeming whether "I Gotcha" is either or where does "the Instrumental" fit in??? The individual tracks are dope but it just doesn't seem to come together as a whole for me. He should've released the leak but nevertheless, not a classic.
Be This is a hard one for me. I think most Com fans--including myself--just want to give dude his props a la Scorsese but I can't honestly agree that this album is better than Resurrection (a classic) or One Day It All Makes Sense (a near classic). I think alot of times when we hear our favorite emcees get laced with some decent beats we're like "yea, this is it." But, when you look at the subject content of Be, it's not as focused as the albums mentioned above.
Fishscale This is another difficult one for me. This was my favorite album of 06, but would you say it's Supreme Clientele??? Not, if you're smart. This may be as close as you can get to a classic in this era especially in the mainstream. After a couple of years this may be considered a classic but for now, I'm gonna have to say nope.
There's a dumpload of others that I can think of but I think this should do for now as I know most of yall do not like scrolling down and reading this far down into a blog.
Remy Martin *smh*: You Dun Fucked Up Now
Woody Harrelson really hit it on the head in White Men Can't Jump when he said something along the lines of black people would rather look cool and lose, then look dorky and win. Note: This doesn't refer to all black people but every now and again we get glaring examples.
Case and point, dumbass Remy Martin. I'm sure most of yall have heard about her fiasco over the weekend. If not, you can catch it on just about every Hip Hop-related website but here's the gist of it. Remy Martin was in New York's trendy meat-packing--can't they come up with another name for this area--district partying and bullshittin. She was with some friends (weed stashers) and probably some groupies and goons. So, for some unknown reason, Remy goes to do something else and leaves the designer bag under the supervision of her friend. What she was doing hasn't been stated yet but it can assumed it was probably some dumb shit she wasn't supposed to be doing in the first place (blowin' a guy, snortin' rocks or tuckin' her penis). So, when she returns to said friend and bag someone had lifted 2 stacks ($2,000) out of the bag. Now to me, 2 stacks is a helluva lot of money--possibly enough to hit someone with a blunt object while they're not looking but kill nah. But to her, it doesn't seem like hardly enough to make a big deal over ya know with all the bricks she's flipped. I mean it's not the first time a rapper's been robbed i.e. Young Buck, Prodigy, T.I., Jeezy, Bow Wow (yup, just about everybody). But this bitch goes all O'Dog and caps her friend in the stomach. Then, she stupidly tries to getaway in a loaded blue Escalade--like nigga's won't see her--and here's the kicker the dummy crashes. Later, she turns herself in.
So, in order to keep her street credibility she blammed the chick right on the spot and now has to figure out how she's gonna beat what looks like an unbeatable case. She's not facing misdemeanors, these are major Fs (attempted murder). She definitely don't have the Hilton dough so when the judge drops the gavel on this one, expect to see Remy in 2040. If anything was to be learned from recent rap going-ons it would be that you have pimp's tricks beat up the perp and keep it moving but because of Remy's newly found gully juice, she now has to figure out how she's gonna replace the 2 stacks and the 250 stacks she just blew on bail and how to manage to not become apart of the jailhouse commerce.
Just another example of when keeping it real goes wrong.
Callin a Spade a Spade...
I haven't been posting as much as I used to because rap and Hip Hop news has been kind of blah and I've been working on another project (shameless plug, I know but nigga's gotta eat right)
I'm at work on Nah Right doing what I does--moonlightin' like fuck and gettin paid on the company dollar and hear Cassidy's I Get Money (Freestyle) and I must say he styled on Fiddy with a pretty mediocre Cassidy verse, but that's only to be expected as, if 50 produced anything other than a turd nowadays it would be astounding. Towards the end there's an interesting jab taken at the rapper du jour, you know Mr. 468K out the gate/dude with two dudes living in him. I'm not the type to pat myself on the back but I was all over it (about 2 weeks ago) with this post so give me a round of applause. Thank you, thank you. Apparently, Cassidy was reading my blog or has eyes and ears that function along with minimal comprehension skills. Judging from T.I.'s recent hijinx (sucker punching the likes of Chaka and some other concert goer) I'm sure he'll have something to say and Cassidy will respond, yall know how it goes. And maybe in the end, someone will catch an eye jammy much to all our delight.
But the sad thing here is that T.I.'s blatant bite sold more in its first week--and if not first week then the addition of his second week--than Cassidy has sold EVER. Is there any justice in rap??? It's not like any of these concept/dual personality albums are brand new but damn, Cass' album dropped like 2-3 years ago. Are we that short-sighted or are there just that many pale-face losers who wish to be hardbody (or sub-in lames, whatever you choose)??? It's like when someone makes a diving catch in Madden for a TD on the last play. You know it's bullshit but what can you do?
I thought biting was the ultimate sin in rap...Why is that shit happening every week now?
You Know Who Fucked Up Rap Music? Hint: It's not the South
Thank God I was born in the early 80s. I was privileged enough to come into age during a time when Hip Hop peaked (and when rap music, generally, didn't blow balls)
For awhile, I've been avoiding writing long diatribes about how rap (not Hip Hop) is about as enjoyable as dual root canals but...what can I say, the shit really sucks right now. So, as I was on my way home from my 9-5 ball and chain, I was trying to think what sent rap into the shitter. I came up with a number of things, but I think it all can be embodied in one man's career: P Diddy.
Puff gets props on one front, discovering and putting out Biggy, if you can even say that. But in general, isn't his relationship to Big similar to that of Dash/Hov in that a talentless, flashy pseudo businessman from Harlem extorts the talent of a BK emcee??? What did they actually do???
First Puff destroyed the concept of what it is to be considered a good album. When Bad Boy became a force to reckon with circa 96-98 a good album was considered to be at least 80-85% dope tracks. That meant a good album had to be 8/10 good tracks or whatever the ratio is depending on how many tracks was on the album. A classic had to be 95-100% heat to be considered a classic. Albums that were 12 tracks long with only 6 good tracks were considered weed plates in the mid-late 90s. Now(2007), a good album only has to be 65% good. That means out of 10 tracks, only 6 have to be good for a mainstream rap album to considered good. Reference 2006 for numerous examples. Now, I wondered how it got this way...Here's a number of reasons: Mase (debut and follow-up), The Lox (debut), Black Rob (however many albums he has), G-Dep, Loon etc,etc. Really, all of these guys are at least average rappers but under the leadership of "can't stop won't stop" publishing/masters owning Puff they all produced shitty albums. But, at the time they all had chart-topping radio friendly hits which probably sold mad albums but the quality of their whole effort(s) was butt. So if you're wondering where the 1/2 hit + filler tracks = wack ass album format came from...you can thank your boy Combs. I think it's the continued production of albums like the above--coupled with outrageous album sales he got from those--that made cats believe, who needs 15 thoughful, dope tracks when I can pump out 3 "club bangers" and make an assload of money.
The original I blatantly suck but want to make ya dance dude . I think it should suffice to say "don't push me close I'm close to the eddddddge." This is not the first time Diddy rapped his god-awful rhymes over a track but probably the first track that was accepted as "cool." If I can recall right--which tends to be difficult b/c of all the years of drug/booze consumption--cats felt like, "yea, Puff's doo doo but I can dance to this." I'm not going through this guy's whole catalogue but "Been Around the World," & "Bad Boy for Life" etc, etc. Never should this man have been allowed to touch a microphone unless he was prepping it pre-concert for Big or for adlibs--no words though, just utterances. Puff did a couple of things that fucked up rap. He created the 98% swagger, 2% rhymes model and that bullshit "I'm not trying to be lyrical I'm trying to make cats dance" spiel.
All in all, Diddy's should be exiled from Rap forever and besides, Big, his only contribution to rap was the Fred/E-Ness debacle on Making the Band. I mean no offense to Puff or nothin.
Other wack trends from Puff: jerking rappers, the rappers that can't rhyme, the singer who can't sing, the acceptance of the dancing male in mainstream, materialism, white tigers in the hood, extortion.
If You Assholes Are Going to Party like a Rockstar Do It Right
Hip Hop is decrepit, decaying and on its last leg and shit's looking a little shaky to say the least. There's no doubt in my mind that if Pharoahe could brick--sales-wise--with as close as one's been to a classic in years with Desire then it might be time to hang it up on this Hip Hop shit. Alot critics, bloggers and dissatisfied consumers in general have been flirting with divorcing this Bitch we call Hip Hop for a minute and some have called it quits, ashamed at what rap has become--a watermelon, toot and whistle, shuck and jive show word to mantan. It's only a matter of time before our favorite artists do the same and kick this Bitch to the curb. I mean, let's face it we can wax poetic about how REAL emcees should do this for the passion but passion doesn't feed a family of 4. Hip Hop, although it may be one's heart, is still a job; a job that puts food on the table. So as we see, right in front of our very eyes, the well running dry (sales are in the shitter, cats are being signed for deals only for their singles, artists scrambling to indies b/c the majors got them stuck) future acts will either convert to Rap (the pop friendly bastard child genre of Hip Hop) or move on to greener ($$$) pastures.
History serves us well with examples. When Uncle Crakka (TIs--word to Meka--Gen Pop America, the mainstream) gets ahold of it, it (the music) goes through a cycle--discovery, unabounded consumption, disposal (word to the blues and jazz). Hip Hop is now in that last phase being that Corp. America has boned it dry and will continue shaking it by the kankles until all the ringtone $$$ dry up.
I think (Afro)Punk is going to soon become what underground (what some would call backpack) Hip Hop was to blacks. I think fashion-wise we're already there. Now, we're starting to realize how retarded it is for a cat to wear a shirt that looks like a night gown and pants me, fred and ray ray from down the block can fit in. That whole style of dress is becoming corny and cats are trading in their XXXXXXXLs for regular fit tee and jeans and slim fit jeans (popular in punk). I can list a couple of other trends that remind me of punk: biker chains, mohawks, bandanas (the fairly obvious ones). Attitude-wise, we've never really gave a fuck; similar to punk but here's some other traits of punk: anti-establishment, nihilism. Some Hip Hop acts are already have these traits and if we're not ready to fuck some shit up after this Bush administration then we're just assholes. It's only a matter of time before emcees evolve in to punk rock band fronts and Hip Hop becomes a faded memory--slight exaggeration but yall get the point. Personally, I think this is where cats are gonnga take and if you interested in seeing the future check out Afro-Punk.com. Here's a couple of the artist I peeped there. First and foremost, let me apologize to those who witnessed the fiasco yesterday...I am glad to say all has been resolved in a mature and peaceful manner; not that it was ever going to boil over into a no-holds barred street skirmish in the first place b/c it just wasn't that serious. Nevertheless, all beef has been squashed to those who were concerned. And to Meka, Ketchums and all the other bloggers who do their thing on Hip Hop DX, despite our disagreements, subliminal jabs I may throw or the slick comments I may make, I respect each and every person who has the courage to put their innermost thoughts in the public's eye to critique as they will. With that said, I was originally going to do a post on how Afro-Punk is going to overtake Hip Hop as first, the music of the people and subsequently, becoming Corporate America's darling but I came upon something else that I want to share with yall. I was reading Billie X.'s blog over at XXL and came across Jay Electronica. I've listened to his opus (and I mean opus because it's not simply a track) on Just Blaze's blog and it made me forget everything else I was doing. It reminded me why I love this Hip Hop shit and the potential of it. So without to further say or do. Click here and let me know what yall think. Disclaimer: First let me say this to all who are concerned about this escalating: to my knowledge we're all grown ass men with 9-5s so it's basically impossible for us to meet up and scrap unless we use sick/vacation days (and I need my joints), grown men can't beef over the net, this is all comedy central to me and personally, I don't know any of the cats on this site so I don't take what they say personally. It's just banter. With that said, sit back, laugh and enjoy the verbal spanking I unleash on this "hump" Common And heeeere we go...Hip Hop is what we're here to cover so while my dear friend, Dr. Zaius (reference last blog's picture), elaborates on what's not Hip Hop let me respond with one thing that is the opposite of Hip Hop. Biting. As writer's--even though bloggers hardly have any value on the journalistic food chain--I'd like to think we have some code of ethics i.e. not to bite each other's shit. I mean it's just kind of for lack of better words, gay. But my dear friend, Dr. Zaius didn't quite get that memo. The first blog I wrote on this site was about how overrated T.I. was. Next, this clod writes T.I.'s the next Hammer...Coincidence, maybe but probably not. So, I glanced it over, almost snickered, took it as nothing and kept it moving. Then Ketchum's blog about the South later that day, duke writes a carbon copy. Sidenote: And if you're this superior writer/blogger, why do you have to address the same topics we (the handicap) do??? Then, he wrote a blog about the South still losing or some shit. Check XXLmag.com Billie X. Sunday wrote a blog that's almost identical in topic and content. Then the "who gives a shit about" Saigon blog he wrote that mimics the Bol post that was pulled off XXLmag.com because of its inappropiate timing. I can't make this shit up people. It's all on the net. Fam, I hear what you saying about the topics and no one owns them (freedom of speech), but as a writer/intellect, isn't it your job to be creative (put another spin on it, elaborate more or further the assertion)??? Instead, we get long ass rant/diatribes with no clear direction--sort of like the rapper you're always dissin', Lil Wayne--with an addendum of low brow phrases like "assclown," "half-tard," "turd burglar," and "shite bag" Yea, you're cool. We get it...You've seen Clerks (reference the vocab of Jay of Jay and Silent Bob fame) a couple of times. You're the cool guy who makes snide remarks...lol Then there's Zaius' daddy, Bol. It's like the MOST BLATANT BITE I've ever seen. For those of you who don't know, Bol (Byron Crawford) is a columnist for XXL and has a blog of his own (byroncrawford.com). He's an intelligent but often brash writer, check him out. I do and Zaius does too (reference comments left frequently under Bol's blogs by Zaius). But, all you have to do is read one blog of his and you'll see where Dr. Zaius gets the "question every emcee's sexuality" spiel from the "over the top persona/look at me syndrome" i.e. blah blah about Arabs, TIs and cracka ass crakkas and the "nonstop spewing of negativity" act. Damn even Cube had a "Good Day" don't we have anything positive to say besides tearing about a handful of the same cats down. I mean is it possible for Bol and Zaius to have the same vocab (no kidding), incredibly similar blog topics and same personality; being that one's from the Lou and one's from the West Coast, I doubt it but I think y'all get the point. Ok, so you like receiving comments and got the formula down pact WHOOPTY DAMN DOO FOR YOU (bash the South or fif, wayne or dipset) but did this guy really reduce it to "hey, I'm more popular than you and you need my shine." That's just lightweight if not blatantly lame and mad corny for someone who claimed to be a bigger person in their own blog and "not sensitive" in my comments section, a little contradictory if you ask me. So while calling WEK's blog a bitchfit, he responds with a longer hissy fit as a rebuttal. I don't get it. More contradictions. My popularity on this site means nothing to me. I write to open up the "cipher" (actual good thought by Zaius, see I give props) with readers of this site. I write my opinions, cats agree/disagree, we discuss shit and I keep it moving but according to Zaius to claim true value, we gotta rack up comments...(lol) You're a funny dude. You probably get 10X as many hits as me, but at the end of the day that's about as important as reading a blog about a cat having trouble scoring with the ladies. But i'll wrap it up here when it comes to popularity on the site and receiving comments you got it bro (I've wrote here for a month), I can't dispute that. But when it comes to this writing shit bruh, I'll run circles around you, easy. Note: the guy uses footnotes in his blogs and is lightweight anal-retentive (in the literal sense) as he references homos in almost every blog and this is with who you want to place your faith. In closing, if you're not familiar with where I'm from Dr. Zaius, reference this link from yours truly's blog. Have a nice day Dr. Zaius, do you really want to go down this route? I'm at work right now so I'll deliver my verbal spanking a little bit later... Enter T.I. who says: “You have to go back to Aquemini, All Eyez on Me, Reasonable Doubt, Ready to Die. You have to go back to all those classics to compare this album to." About a day or two after that T.I. album leaked, I reviewed it on my blog. Initially, my thoughts were it was a real good album. In fact, I said it was a damn good album. Here's why I thought that though: he actually carried the dual persona motif throughout the duration of the album and he took a risk by putting out a concept album when he could have just put out a traditional LP and still sold a billion ringtones/albums. And as far as production (top notch producers), storyline (self explanatory) and arrangement (cohesion) it was a nice overall effort. Now, the lyrics weren't spectacular--not a big surprise, T.I. was never Rakim or no shit like that--but as far as the whole presentation and how dramatic and larger than life it was, it was a kinda fly album. It was kind of like how you know Diddy sucks balls at rapping but you cop the album because you know there's going to be some ill beats and some crazy features. Yea, it was that type of effort. Now that the dust has settled the shit don't seem too ill anymore. T.I. fans may want to exit left...now. The shit is a blatant bite off of at least 3 or 4 albums. Circa 2004, I recall Cassidy recording an (shitbag) album named Split Personality where he recorded halfway decent gutter tracks and the other (God-awful) half of that crappy album was cotton candy ballads with R&B artists that catered to chicks. Albeit the album hurt my ears, you can kind of see the similarities between the two efforts. Not convinced, what about Nelly's weed plate album that came out around the same time Sweat/Suit. I'm not gonna front like I've ever listened to more than about 4-5 tracks on either of these discs but the concept behind the album is half of the tracks are for the club and the other half are for chicks...T.I.'s mix = half for the streets/half for the birds...Then there's Eminem who had the whole Slim Shady alter ego thing. With that said, you can't really give T.I. too much props for the whole split identity concept b/c it's been done a million times before and those are just the joints I can't remember. And the whole alter ego motif is the foundation of the album so if you can't give him props for that what else is there??? Right. Now that I've got that out of the way, I can talk about a REAL concept album: Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves. If you're semi new to this hip hop shit read about him. Here's Wiki's description of A Prince: "The concept follows the story of an aspiring young MC named Tariq (played by rapper Breezly Brewin), who needs to collect money to record a demo tape before a meeting with Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA. A desperate Tariq quits his low-paying job, and turns to his friend True (played by rapper Big Sha), who plugs him into the world of drug dealing. The story sees the two making their way through the drug world, a police ambush, jail, and finally, a deadly showdown. The album features cameos by Kool Keith, Big Daddy Kane, Chubb Rock, Biz Markie, De La Soul, Everlast, Sadat X, Xzibit, Kid Creole, Special Ed, Chris Rock, RZA and Buckshot. If you haven't heard it, go buy/download or steal it." Here's my description A Prince Among Thieves = CRACK. My words won't do it justice. Do yourself a favor and cop it (buy/download/steal) by any means necessary. It's the BEST HIP HOP CONCEPT ALBUM BAR NONE. What's good e-thugs, message board terrorists, low comprehension/small attention spanned G-UWayne Set loyalists, fellow bloggers, Hip Hop purists and all you other candy asses that peruse HipHopDX.com? It's been about a week since I posted my last blog and I must say in that week nothing worth writing a long passage about has transpired. Besides that a nigga's been trying to get ready to move, writing mad reviews at the other site I write for and copulating with your respective moms'. In the meantime I came up with 5 stray shots for yall to discuss. Check me out. 1. Stones Throw = Rawkus Circa late 90s 2. Eminem = the biggest fall off in Hip Hop (been thinking this one for a minute) Or sub in Nelly and remove Hip Hop and insert rap i.e. Nelly = the biggest fall off in rap history 3. Robin Thicke on BET = Reverse Affirmative Action Note: Okay, now that this guy has gotten on live TV and sucked balls (reference BET performance if you can call it that) can we stop calling him the Blue Eyed Soul? 4. Midwest (Mainly Chicago + Detroit) = What New York was in the early, mid and late 90s to Hip Hop 5. Did anyone see Lil Wayne's daughter's boots??? Never call yourself the birdman again for allowing your daughter to ether herself in front of millions. Shame on you Wayne Let the debates begin... Say Lil Wayne is nice to some and you might catch a verbal beatdown and an Uncle Murda. Say Lil Wayne is wack to some dudes and you might catch a verbal beatdown and a Camron (word to Tru Life). It all depends on the person you're talking to. Either you love him or you hate him. So, one day after coming home from my sorry ass 9-5, I began to wonder who else had a movement like this and it came to me on some real Keyser Soze type shit. To SOME of these dudes Lil Wayne is like their new Pac Disclaimer: Now, personally, I don't believe that Wayne is a carbon copy of Pac but there's some strong similarities. Bottom line: keep an open mind and peep game e-thug message board terrorists and close minded haters. And this is a long ass post. Just giving yall short attention span fucks a pre-game warning. "Following a persona not a person" Back in Pac's day, it was the shit to be the most hardbody n***a. That's basically what sold records i.e. Ice-T, Ice Cube, N.W.A. etc. So, when Pac dropped the whole Black Panther/political/socially conscious persona and got on that "thug life" bullshit his popularity rose. So, millions of fans got behind him because they either identified with thug life or fantasized about being some hardbody ass criminal. Some fans, not all, got behind dude because they thought Pac was the "realest n***a " EVAR not because he was a poet, not because he was the illest lyricist but because he was what they envisioned as a real ass n***a. With Wayne, we're in a different time. This generation's motto is "get money" so, who better to get behind then the creator of "Bling Bling" and a dude who has M.O.B. tatted on his stomach. Wayne's fast rise from weed stashery to Cash Money C.E.O. embodies what youngens aspire to do; get money and get it as quick as possible as well as flaunting it as recklessly as possible. You might ask a cat why they support Wayne and they might say something along the lines of "he's getting money right now." It ain't like n***as know him personally or some shit, but you'd think they'd say he's nice and some cats do. Another thing, guess who also flaunted their money like a buffoon...Pac. And guess who's also thinks their John Gotti/hardbody of the millenium, Lil Wayne. Regardless, people support both because in their mind they both symbolize what each's respective generation perceived as "cool." "Controversy sells" "Living the character I rap about" "Suge v. Baby" "Suspect Behavior (just a joke)" "Napoleon Complex With Jay" Both artists had their confrontations with Hov. Pac b/c he was vying for the top. Wayne for the same reason. I hope in neither artist's mind they actually believe they're better than Hov but to be the best you have to beat the best. "Tatted Up" "Dear Mama, Dear Cita" Pac shouts out his ma dukes, so does Wayne. There's a handful of other reasons, but by this point I'm sure you're tired of reading (and I'm tired of typing) so I'll just end this shit here. What do y'all think??? "Fuck a fair one, I'll get mines the fast way" I bet when Big spit that line on Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear (remix)" he never would've thought that shit would end up describing the direction of urban music (rap, hip hop and r&b) a decade and some odd years later. Shit, the n***a was probably thinkin' bout getting $$$ among other things. But, that simple line above perfectly describes why urban music is in such a shitty state. Rappers Producers R&B Singers Fans
Every So Often Someone Reminds You Why You Love This Hip Hop Shit...
What...The N****'s Whole Style Is Chump
Sensitive Thugs They All Need Hugs/Watch What You Say to Me--word to T.I.
T.I. Vs. T.I.P.: (Afterthoughts)/Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves = a Real Hip Hop Concept Album
5 Stray Shots to the Dome
Weezy = The Kiddies 2K7 Pac
Pac's had his fair share of moments of acting like a damn idiot when the camera's/voice recorder/whatever media outlet was available was recording. On most recollections, cats remembered Pac as a sensitive, quiet dude who was passionate. When we saw Pac on MTV News, YO MTV Raps!!! or in the Source or wherever now all of a sudden this n***a is a shotta or some shit. Recently, Wayne's been on the same shit. Wayne showed respect to Jigga initially. The dude's album is named the Carter (half New Jack reference/half Jay-z reference you be the judge). He used to say the best rapper alive since the best rapper retired. Not now...Now, he's the best rapper alive. So prior to this point, he's been at least a somewhat respectful dude. Now, this guy get in mags and shows his ass calling out Skateboard P, the Clipse, Jigga whoever. Whenever he gets the chance he says some reckless out the ass type shit.
Pac wasn't no thug. He was a poor ass dude that may have moved some dimes and nicks but that's where it stops. Let's keep it 100. The dude was into drama; not beef, acting and poetry. He was passionate but he wasn't no gangster. Later in his career he lived by if thou rap it, thou must live it. So, dude begins slapping up directors (J. Singleton), catching cases, snuffing out Crips w/Suge whose dog was named Damu (so you don't have to wonder what kind of cat Suge was). Unfortunately, yall know the rest of the story; tragic etherization in Vegas. Peep game though with Wayne. Wayne's m.o. used to be stuntin, a little bit of drug/gun talk here and there but nothing too serious. Wayne's first LP if I'm not mistaken didn't have curse words on it. Sound like a thug to you? Right...I didn't think so. Fast forward to Da Drought 3, this cat's Blooded out. How do you become a gangster at his age, I don't know but I suppose he feels like he actually needs to be Nino Brown since he raps about it. Gillie Da Kid put it the best, Dwayne is a good kid...
Both of these cats act as father figures for talented artists who needed guidance. Suge bailed Pac out of jail when he was broke. He had no one else to rely on. Pac was always conflicted dude but Suge guided him down a path, one that got him swiss cheesed but nevertheless a path. Baby bankrolled Wayne's stunting when he was broke. Juve, B.G. and all them cats, none of them own their masters/publishing and basically admitted that Baby sonned them and gave them $$$ when they needed it. Their salary was pleading with Baby for dough, real talk. When they got smart they left. So, when the Hot Boys leave the family (a la Dre/Snoop leaving Death Row), it's okay Baby'll take care of it. Baby whispers (ever so sweetly) in Wayne's ear (probably how Suge put the burden on Pac's back to carry the Row), you're going to be the one to save this sinking ship, which is what Wayne credits for his miraculous turnaround and allows Wayne's to be the CEO of Cash Money whatever the fuck that means. But yall get the point. Both Pac and Wayne has Suge and Baby, respectively as father figures. Both cats alienated the whole world and became reliant on their respective father figures.
Who the fuck wore their bandana like Pac back in the day??? That shit was sweet like tangerines. Then, the nose ring. Again, saccharin. Wayne, well, we all know the story with Wayne. He kissed Baby. (super pause the fruitiness). Snuggy jeans, smedium V-Necks...
Self explanatory
Fuck A Fair One, I'll Get Mines The Fast Way
-the Notorious B.I.G.(R.I.P.)-
Most mainstream rappers gave up trying to be nice like 10 years ago. Why spend the effort crafting an extended metaphor (if they even know what that is) when they can put together punchlines and similes like "square watch look like Spongebob on the wrist (Fabolous). WTF. So cats traded in metaphors for similes and now it's like fuck similes, I'll ABC a 16, throw T-Akon Kelly on the track and it'll blow as long as the hook sounds catchy and it converts to a polyphonic ring tone. 90% percent of the rap game, feels like fuck the fans as long as I get mines, I'm good money.
Who needs to learn music theory or how to play instruments when you can make a mill off of looping and sampling up your mom's records. Naw, fuck that I'll snatch the Casio from mom's basement and hit 3 keys, a drum mix key and a loop button. Or let's take it to the lowest common denominator, we can snap, whistle and clap and that'll be our beat. Some shit is creative, some shit is just plain stupid. Most of what we see now is just plain stupid, but hey as long as it gets the dust, it's all good.
As a singer, you're job is to sing. Well, today...not so much. If you got the look (breast bags and an ass) and can be trained to perform (which equates to being able to dance in a cage and spread eagle onstage/videos) you're good money. Fellow blogger brought up Rihanna, then there's Beyonce, Ashanti etc, etc. Turn off the studio magic and the above are trash. If you don't believe me, go hear Jill Scott live...And lets not get into the subject content which consists of swallowing pipes, riding pipes or giving up the ass as quick as possible. Fuck it, it sells.
Yea, we fucked up big time. We let all the lame shit slide. We let cats ride around in tanks in videos. We let them do donuts. We let them wear fur coats with white tigers. We allowed our favorite rappers to dumb it down. So if rap is dying, we're to blame too. Mos said it best, rap is going where the people go. Everyone wants to say it's the kids this, the kids that but whose schooling the kids. Think about it. So if cats are pissed with where shit is at, then n***as need to start checkin themselves, their communities, their world. Nobody wants to be accountable, all we want to do is get money. No, not work for it, just get it and get it as soon as possible.
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