All your songs, it's a shame, they cheesy! Wonder why people don't go and spend their change on the weekly!

Like most days, today I was "retiring Duce Staley like the 2006 Philadelphia Eagles" (taking a shit). And whenever I have a "running back", a Duece McAllister, if you will, I like to listen to music to soothe the savage beast. The selection for today's playoff game happened to be Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill". As I was listening to "Superstar", that invention that my high school's namesake (Edison) took credit for went off in my head. Lauryn's words echoed within my cerebral cortex, "Now tell me your philosophy / on exactly what an artist should be. / Should they be someone with prosperity / and no concept of reality? / Now, who you know without any flaws, / that lives above the spiritual laws / and does anything they feel just because / there's always someone there who'll applaud?". For a song written in 1998 (targeted at Puff Daddy, or whatever his name was that day), it still rings so true today. I don't listen to the radio much these days, and since Rap City has been taken off the air, I've been using the Interwebs to listen to new music. And even though everyday I hear a new track, or five, I'm still not impressed.

I can remember back when I was in high school, my cucalidae (family name for Cuckoo birds, in the Digzionary defined as [koo-koo-lee-dey] -noun Friend, from slang word cuckoo, meaning crazy, synonym for "Loc") and I would hit Jamaica Ave. to cop the new drop almost every Tuesday. We'd rip the package open, pop the cassette or CD into our Walkmans, and vibe out. I can still envision us on the Q113 or the A train with our headphones on nodding hard as hell to whatever dropped that Tuesday. We would pick up the Source (before Benzino ruined it) or XXL and check the release dates, and we'd be in the store that day. If it was a special edition that we couldn't get on Jamaica Ave., we'd even ride all the way to Manhattan, just to get it out of Tower Records (RIP) or the Virgin Megastore (RIP). A release was like an event, the posters plastered on lamppost down Guy R. Brewer Blvd., the promotional vans driving down Jamaica Ave., monumental! Tearing open that sweet poly wrapping on that new cassette or CD felt like unwrapping that first present on Christmas. Now, it's like unwrapping all your presents and getting nothing but socks (thank you Grandma!).

I remember thinking how fly the Wally Champ was with the robes.

Anybody that grew up in the same generation of Hip-Hop as me, they can remember Tuesday, August 1, 1995. I will remember that day for the rest of my life. I just graduated junior high school, it was a wonderful New York summer, and I had to hit the record shop. This wondrous event, I believe, is the reason for the record dryness in New York City that August. The release of that record made it a hot summer (unlike the one that Cam'ron promised back in 2007, that clown). We can all remember the picture of Raekwon blowing smoke out of his mouth, with the Wally Champ behind him with fingers pointing out like pistols ready to kill other emcees. Close your eyes, can you remember running a key or your fingernail along a crevice in the cassette case to crack the shrink wrap. Then you popped open the case, and to your amazement, there was this purple tape sitting inside. You inserted it into your Walkman and zoned out, losing yourself inside the tales that Rae and Ghost told. I know that I, myself, was fixed in a state of awe, as soon as I heard Ghostface say "Yo, son, check the fly shit,son!". Forever I will remember the day that "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...", aka "the purple tape", dropped. Can anyone name an event like that in this Billboard chasing Hip-Hop world.



There has been albums that dropped to crazy anticipation, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", "The Black Album", "The Eminem Show", etc.. But even though these releases had great first week sales, they didn't have the same impact as the releases that my friends and I ran to the store for. Can you remember the last time you listened to an entire rap album, without skipping one song? Can you remember when you actually listened to a rap album? Probably not, you probably just download the hot songs to put on your iPod. Unlike the rest of the Hip-Hop community, I'm not going to blame the Interwebs for the decline in people buying albums. No, not at all, I blame the artist (if you can call them that), they seem to have no clue on how to make an actual album. Think back to the albums of the Golden Age, they had an intro, skits, songs with themes, an outro, and great song configuration. Albums today are just a bunch of songs thrown on a CD, no theme, no configuration, just a bunch of songs thrown together. Where's the intro, the skits, the theme, the configuration? Listening to an album today is like boonk ([boonk] -noun 1.Disagreeable marijuana 2.Marijuana laced with another substance), you hit it, smack your friend that gave it to you, an never touch it again. Albums from the good days were more like potent trauma ([trou-muh] -noun Potent marijuana that produces temporary psychological injury or pain.), you'd buy it, smoke it, forget where you left it, and cop it again (I brought almost every album from the Golden Age at least twice). But, more importantly, I blame the listeners for allowing this crap to happen. When the listeners aren't demanding more from the artist, they can expect the whole "moppet having sex effect" (one shot and done). We, as listeners, need to put these rappers into the pressure cooker and try to make them into emcees.

I've gotta cop me a robe!

Remember the world is Diggie. Even the "Doodlebug" told you this was a Diggie-ble Planet. I'm cool like that!

Dr. Kanye West or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the New Puff Daddy

The way I'm going to start this post is going to be with a flashback sequence. So, cue the foggy visual and the crappy harp music. I'm going to take you back for a minute. Can you hear the song playing, can you hear it. "Now with Sean on this hot track, melt like it's hot wax", "I was in one bedroom, dreaming of a million", "Put your money on the table and get your math on". You're feeling it now, right? The year is 1997, after successful, critically acclaimed albums by Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., and Wu-Tang Clan, things are about to change. One thing that "Illmatic", "Ready To Die", and "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)", is that they all had a grimy New York City street edge to them. These albums, as well as "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...", "The Coming", "Beats, Rhymes & Life" and albums from other regions, such as "ATLiens", "The Chronic", "Doggystyle", and "The Diary", led to the era between the late 80's and 1996 being coined as the Golden Age of Hip-Hop. Everything was right with the world, until, a young man from Harlem, New York, by the name of Sean John Combs, came to change our world. Combs saw the hard edge of rap music and, I guess, he decided to soften it. Combs introduced the Hip-Hop world to Cristal (actually, Wu-Tang introduced it), the shiny suits (actually, Dr. Dre), heavy sampling (Premo did it, only better), he reintroduced dancing (a la Hammer), and jump started the Jiggy movement. On July 1, 1997, "No Way Out" was released, and from there on a bottle would never go un-popped. Following the release of "No Way Out", we were introduced to Bling, Bentleys, brilliant-cuts, and bad music.



Fast forward to our present predicament. There has been a debate going on within Hip-Hop circles for the past few years. A somewhat new (not really new, at all) genre of rap music was introduced to the world, Hipster rap. Some would say that Hipster rap is a sub genre of Alternative rap (alternative to what exactly). A lot of people would trace Alternative rap back to Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and others. I agree, these acts are different from the mainstream Hip-Hop acts that are shown on BET or played on your local stations. Now, I wouldn't trace Hipster rap back to these acts, but rather to one act, Kanye West. You all know the lyrics, "What if somebody from the Chi, that was ill, got a deal / on the hottest rap label around? / But he was talking bout coke and birds, it was more like spoken word...". In this new era of Hip-Hop, where everyone was a drug dealer, turned rapper, turned baller (kind of a mix of Golden Age themes and Jiggy Era subject), Kanye was praised for being different. He was the child of a professor, his father was a photojournalist / ex-Black Panther. He attended college. He rapped about personal issues, Jesus Christ, fashion, politics, etc.. While the rest of the Hip-Hop nation was either leaning and rocking with it or flipping birds, West was finding ways to stay away from the norm. Contrary to popular belief (and T-Pain), Mr. West introduced the rap world to the "Auto-Tune" (a crappy computerize version of the Talk-Box made famous by Roger Troutman and Parliament/Funkadelic). His over the top wardrobe and stage shows have made him a style icon. And in 2004, with the release of "The College Dropout", Mr. West changed the game, in the same manner as Puff Daddy did back in 1997. After Kanye's success with being "different", other rappers came out and attempted to shine by being "different". From Kanye came Lupe Fiasco, who raps about robots and manga (and dresses like a drunk Kanye, I like to refer to him as "Kanye Lite"), Kid Sister, who raps about nails and beepers (and only has a deal because she's dating Kanye's DJ), The Cool Kids, who rap about nothing, like a "Seinfeld" episode (and wear the tightest jeans I've ever seen), Jay Electronica, Kid Cudi, Wale, Izza Kizza, and sometimes Kidz in the Hall (who I wouldn't put in the same category as the rest of these sucky people, they are actually good). I guess most people define Hipster rappers as people with a fascination with retro clothing and 80's culture (half these kids didn't even grow up in the 80's), and dress different from the status-quo (even though once everyone is wearing it, it makes it the norm), and most often, wear tight jeans (especially them damn Cool Kids). Some people have said that Hipster rap doesn't exist, but I believe it does, and it sucks. All these young kids, they're reminiscing bout an era that bred AIDS, crack and Ronald Reagan, name one thing good about the 80's (besides this fly Sergio Tacchini suit and dope pair of Troops'). I mean, seriously, if I wanted to listen to nonsensical 80's type music, I'd blow the dust off of "Youngest in Charge" and listen to Special Ed rap about his dog's solid gold bone. Why would I want a pale imitation of the music that I grew up on? Thanks to Kanye West, everyday I am surrounded by tight jeans and DayGlo sneakers. My delicate eyes are bombarded with pictures from Complex magazine in real life. Come on now, his influence is so embedded in Hip-Hop that they have sites dedicated to dressing like Kanye West (oh lord, why?). I don't know about anybody else, but I can't wait until the new thing comes and outshines Hipster rap. I'm starting to hate thinking that I'm in Juice whenever I'm riding the train, looking behind my back at the kid with the Bishop hair cut (get a Caesar, nigga).

Remember the world is Diggie. Even the "Ladybug" told you this was a Diggie-ble Planet. I'm cool like that!




Editors Note : Before any smart ass says it, let me clear it up. Andre 3000 is not responsible for Hipster rap! Even though he was rhyming about alternative subject matter and dressing as crazy as he could, people didn't call him groundbreaking, they called him weird. Not until Kanye West came and did the same thing that Andre had already been doing, did it become innovative and forward thinking. It is funny, however, that years after Andre lived as an outcast (get it), he is now getting the recognition that he deserves.

Sly Fox?

So, as most people know, Nas and MoveOn.org have issued a fatwā on the Fox News Channel. Nas and his cohorts claim that Fox is spreading racist propaganda, and they must be stopped. The group has gotten a petition signed and even protested in fron of the Fox News studios last week. Now, what did all this hullabaloo accomplish? Well, the answer is, not a Goddamn thing!



Okay, I agree with Nas and MoveOn.org in their assessment of the overtly racist propaganda that Fox News spews, but I disagree with their petition and their protest. Before you call me an Uncle Tom or a Sambo, hear me out. Now Nas is a rapper, a group that is constantly under fire for their speech, and MoveOn.org's slogan is "Democracy in Action" (typing on a computer is more like Democracy Inaction). One of the main tenents of democracy is the freedom of speech. While Nas defends his own right to freedom of speech, he wants to censor Fox News freedom of speech. Furthermore, anybody that watches Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, etc., knows that the majority of their programming is made up of punditry. Punditry is opinions, analysis, or commentary on news subjects, sort of like an editorial in a newspaper (I know that nobody reads these anymore). Unlike a newspaper, where most of it is made up of hard news (except Page 6 in the New York Post or the entire New York Times), these news channels only feature small breaks of hard news. Many "media watchdogs" have said that CNN and MSNBC have been bias, at times liberal and at times conservative. The Fox News Channel just happens to be staggeringly conservative. What are these protesters actually fighting against, Fox News or the people that watch it? I mean, I hate BET, but I won't protest it, I just refuse to watch the crap. In my opinion, Fox News can say whatever they want, if you don't like it, change the channel. The only people I want to see banned are Ann Coulter (annoying cunt), Al Sharpton (advantageous scavenger) and Jesse Jackson (nigger) (oh, yeah and Tiffany "New York" Pollard). I know I havent cursed much in this blog entry, so, man fuck Fox News!

Even when WINNING isn't probable, losing isn't optional!

Self-Destruction, Ya Headed For Self-Destruction!

Any purveyor of my blog knows that I sometimes refer to myself as a "Hip-Hop purist". For anybody that doesn't know what a Hip-Hop purist is, I'll give a short definition and some examples. A Hip-Hop purist is a listener or producer of rap music that feels that Hip-Hop has been tainted by corporations. They feel that the lyrics have become a less important part of rap music. Now I'll give you some examples to see if you are a Hip-Hop purist. If you ever referred to Raekwons "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..." as "the purple tape", you may be a Hip-Hop purist. If you sit in front of your computer and wait for the next Ghostface Killah joint, you may be a Hip-Hop purist. If you call rappers by their given names, in a condescending manner, you may be a Hip-Hop purist. If you refer to listeners that have a serious favorite rapper, that they constantly listen to or try to imitate, as a "Stan", you are, without a doubt, a Hip-Hop purist. If you refer to 1988 through 1995 as the "Golden Age" of rap music, and 1996 through 2000 as the "Jiggy Era" or the "Bling Era", you may be a Hip-Hop purist. If you still have debates with your friends on whether "Illmatic" was better than "Ready To Die"(no arguments, but "Illmatic" was better), you and your friends may be Hip-Hop purists. If you ever referred to the kids that rock 80's gear as "pseudo-backpackers", you may be a Hip-Hop purist. If you had the same feeling as Nas when he dropped "Hip Hop is Dead", you may be a Hip-Hop purist. If you've ever said that over 50% of the rap music played on radio or television is not the "real", you are definitely right, but you may also be a Hip-Hop purist.

Now that you know that you are a Hip-Hop purist, know that you are one of the reasons that Hip-Hop is tainted. I know that the Hip-Hop purists, such as myself, have blame corporations and record companies for the current state of Hip-Hop. Now, lets be a little realistic, corporations and record labels base their preferences on the listeners preferences. When more people want to hear Soulja Boy than Aesop Rock, the record executives are going to promote Soulja Boy more. I know that you're asking, "how is this my fault?", well you're not helping the "real" Hip-Hop get it's recognition. Instead of buying these emcee's albums(I applaud the support for Talib Kweli, Common and Kanye West), you'd rather post their songs on YouTube or your Hip-Hop purist blog. Why would somebody buy these emcee's albums when they can just download it off of one of those Internet share sites. I know that I'm a perpetrator of this crime just is much as anybody else, but I've at least came to realize that I am at fault. I visit the web for my "real" Hip-Hop before I ever go to Fat Beats, I'd download off LimeWire before I ever step inside A-1 Records. But unlike most Hip-Hop purists, I don't think I'm better than the Diplomat Stan or a Lil Wayne Stan, I just have a different preference. I never brush off a rapper because he makes music to sell records(it is the recording business). Maybe the Hip-Hop purists should get down off their gold laden thrown, they assume they inherited from Rakim, and point fingers at themselves. When that new Little Brother drops(I know you already got the leaked version), maybe you should hit up BestBuy and cop it. Instead of all the Hip-Hop purists writing blogs(I sound so contradictory right now) or making podcasts, lets get out there and make it known that we are disgusted. Lets start making things happen, instead of sitting around throwing a tantrum.

Peace, I mean WAR!

Queens niggas run you niggas, ask Russell Simmons!

With Hip-Hop Honors coming on VH1, this Monday and the BET Hip-Hop Awards coming on October 17th, I figured an entry celebrating my hometown of Queens, New York and its contribution to Hip-Hop music. All Hip-Hop heads know all about Cedar and Sedgewick, Grandmaster Caz, and the Cold Crush and that The Bronx was the birthplace of Hip-Hop. I just want to let all the misinformed know that Queens made Hip-Hop the great art form that it is(I mean was). Lets go back(back into time), everybody in the rap world was doing that "bomb-diddy-bomb" shit, then a dude named Russell Simmons, from Queens, co-founded Def Jam Records with Rick Rubin, and introduced the world to Run-DMC. Unlike everyone else during the early eighties, notably Kurtis Blow, Run-DMC strayed away from the "dah-ha-dee-ha-ha" rap that was the norm. After the introduction of a higher quality rap product, the listeners demanded more from their emcees. A year after the entry of Run-DMC into the rap arena, another young man from Queens, by the name of James Todd Smith, began a career as a rapper. Smith, better known as LL Cool J, was the first artist to release a record on the newly started Def Jam Records, a label that would be the premiere Hip-Hop label. Two years later, in 1986, another Queens bred rapper would start the mafioso rap sub-genre, that would become popular in the mid-90's. Kool G Rap, is considered by most Hip-Hop heads to be the founder of the mafioso, Scarface and Goodfellas inspired rap(and that dude that made Superhead into Superhead). Kool G Rap's multi syllabic delivery was adopted by Big Daddy Kane, Nas, Fabolous, Big Pun, and many others. In 1988, a group from Queens named A Tribe Called Quest introduced the world to the bohemian, Afrocentric sounds of the Native Tongues Posse(I know some smart ass is going to say that the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul came out a first, the JB's were too "House" for me and De La had died before "De La Soul is Dead"). Rap drove along at the same pace for the late eighties, until 1992, when Dr. Dre dropped "The Chronic". This was the introduction of Snoop Doggy Dogg, The G Funk Era, The Dogg Pound, and Death Row Records, the West coast took over Hip-Hop music. The East coast needed to bring it back to the foundation, even though many would say the return of the East coast was Notorious B.I.G.'s doing(and some would say it was "Enter The Wu-Tang(36 Chambers)"), I say it was the amazing verse on Main Source's "Live at the BBQ". A young man from the Queensbridge Housing projects in Queens, by the name of Nas spit

"Verbal assassin, my architect pleases. / When I was twelve, I went to hell for snuffing Jesus! / Nasty Nas is a rebel to America, / Police murderer, I'm causing hysteria. / My troops roll up with a strange force, / I was trapped in a cage and let out by the "Main Source". / Swimming in women like a lifeguard. / Put on a bulletproof nigga, I strike hard. / Kidnap the President's wife without a plan, / and hanging niggas like the Ku Klux Klan!..."

Even though Wu-Tang Clan's debut album was released a year before Nas', the fanfare for Nas, after the verse on Main Source's album and the song "Halftime" from the Zebrahead soundtrack, had grown drastically. Nas' debut was, and by many, still is, considered a masterpiece and the catalyst for the return of the East coast.

Since the 90's pretty much sucked for rap music(with it being the whole Jiggy Era), I'll take this time to name a few notable Queens rappers who changed the rap atmosphere. Let's start with Akinyele, famous for "Put It In Your Mouth" and "Love Me For Free"(classics). Then there is Mic Geronimo, who made "Masta I.C.", also Cormega, who's famous for hating Nas. Queens is the foundation for some of the greatest rap groups ever(and the greatest, there is no debating against Run-DMC), Mobb Deep, Capone-N-Noreaga, Lost Boyz, 3rd Bass, Onyx, Organized Konfusion(not really a great group, just Pharoahe Monch), and the great Salt-n-Pepa. Queens is also known for it's emcees willing to battle, from Roxanne Shante murdering UTFO, MC Shan battling KRS-One(and losing, but getting honored for catapulting KRS to stardom), Nas "ethering" Jay-Z, LL Cool J annihilating any contender(leading 50 Cent to coin the phrase "LL your career"), and lastly, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. 50 Cent entered the rap game with the hood anthem "How To Rob", then he got himself shot. 50 returned and did something not seen before in the New York rap scene, he flooded the underground with mixtapes. Mixtapes were a regular occurrence for artist in the south and DJ's around America, but for an artist in New York's corporate market, it was unprecedented. 50 Cent, along with his G-Unit family began to gain a following and this led to a billion dollar bank account for Mr. Jackson(and every nigga in the hood making mixtapes to get some shine). So, my whole point in this entry is that, with rap music being so shitty right now, we need a Queens emcee to save us. When rappers were using mediocre rhyme schemes, a Queens rap group saved the day. When women needed somebody to rap to them, a Queens rapper saved the day. When somebodies career had to be murdered, a Queens rapper saved the day. When rappers were partying and bullshitting, a queens rapper brought in some gangster shit. You get my point, we need a new Queens rapper(and nobody from Far Rockaway, remember Father MC, remember MC Serch, R.I.P. Stack Bundles).

Peace, I mean WAR!

My Fuck Tomorrow Motto!

Been watching the BET special, "Hip Hop vs. America"(shouldn't it be the other way around, since Hip Hop is on trial), and I actually enjoyed it. Now, I'm against the entire BET infrastructure most of the time(word to Adrianne Curry), because of it's hypocrisy. One minute, they'll have a special on "Rap City" with Jeff Johnson and in the next minute, buffoonery on "106 & Park". But back to the special, it was pretty decent, especially my favorite comment from the "KING", T.I., "We gonna be out of business, pretty much, if we put a bunch of school teachers in suit jackets and long skirts in our videos. And BET say, what is this, we can't play this. Then what we gonna do?". My second favorite professor(Cornel West is my favorite), Michael Eric Dyson did his thing; that man has a way with words, describing Melyssa Ford as "ebony ecstasy in furled in coffee flesh". Nelly, even though he isn't the most intelligent or well-spoken person, did make some excellent points about a woman's choice to show off her butt in a music video. He said that people make choices and sacrifice to meet success. I have a greater respect for Nelly, because he stood his ground against those that consider themselves intellectuals, such as Stanley Crouch. My man, Jeff Johnson aka Cousin Jeff made an excellent point on societies views on women, such as the Christian church and the Civil Rights Movement. The thing I disliked the most about the special was Toure(I hate that guys whole aura), he is totally unnecessary to Hip Hop culture. Another thing I found strange about this special was it's timing, it talked about the misogyny, violence and vileness of Hip Hop music, yet the top selling Hip Hop albums this year have been Common, Talib Kweli, and Kanye West. Throughout the whole thing, Nelly kept bringing up the word "choice", which I have always said is the answer to any socially charged question. Author, Nelson George said, "Crime is as American as apple pie", which I agree with, since America stole this land(and apple pie too). Crime is a major part of Hip Hop culture, since Hip Hop culture was started in the crime laden South Bronx. So to actually understand the pathology of Gangster Rap, you have to understand the pathology of America, which was supposedly discovered by a criminal, Christopher Columbus. The only part that I didn't like about the whole special, was the segment about White people's view of Hip Hop culture. I could give a fuck about how White people see me(no offense to my cuzo, Jay), I could give a fuck about how anybody sees me. I feel that I, just like Hip Hop, am who I am, deal with me or don't, view me how you will, but I will not change. But during that segment, Rev. Al Sharpton made an excellent statement about Hip Hop and famous black people emulating White America. I don't really want to write about the entire special, so just watch it and enjoy my boy T.I..

On a personal note, I used the words nigga, bitch, hoe, etc. Your actions determine your label, we all judge, no matter how much we protest that we don't, we all judge. It's human nature to be prejudice, we all use terms towards other persons. If a woman is very promiscuous, we call her a slut. If a man is very unintelligent, we call him stupid. I use these terms, but I don't discriminate with my judgements. If a woman or a man has a bitchy attitude, she or he is a bitch. If a man or woman is promiscuous, he or she is a hoe. I think that the world is overly sensitive, call me what you want, at the end of the day, I'm still superior to you!

Peace, I mean WAR!

Oh, and fuck Superhead aka Karrine Steffans!

Down Goes "F"razier, down goes "F"razier!

It' s been a couple of days since the much anticipated, 50 Cent / Kanye West battle. And my wish, that Kenny Chesney would defeat them both, was not granted. First, late on September 11th, Best Buy gave their sales, with Kanye in a large lead. Then late on September 12th, Billboard gave early numbers, also with Kanye leading drastically. This is a snippet of the press release from Billboard;

West's "Graduation" sold an estimated 437,000 copies during its first day of release Tuesday, ahead of 310,000 for 50 Cent's "Curtis" and 107,000 for country star Kenny Chesney's "Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates," according to a new "Building Chart" devised by tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan.

So, all the tough talk from 50 Cent(very entertaining) didn't help him outsell Kanye. Maybe people were tired of 50 Cent's tough talk, or did they want Kanye's mellow(kind of boring) brand(or did Def Jam do another Dynasty and buy it themselves). Myself, I purchased both albums and have listened to both deeply and compared the quality of the music. Being from Queens(one love to my dunns), I wanted to like 50 Cent more than Kanye West, and I do. Kanye West's Graduation is very laid-back, mellow, and slow. This is a gift and a curse, though the production and lyrics are solid, after a few tracks, you kind of get bored(like a Jay-Z concert). Also, though Kanye's "spit-game" has improved, most of his metaphors, similes, and double entendres are loose(meaning - too simple, overused, or vague). The collaborations are put together well, from T-Pain(who I can't stand), to Lil Wayne(who I can stand a little more than T-Pain), to Chris Martin, John Meyer, and Mos Def(who actually sung back-up). I can actually listen to the entire album without skipping any songs(if I don't fall asleep), except Big Brother(his ode to Jay-Z, in 50's words "He really adores him!"). Now, 50 Cent's Curtis is a different beast, with numerous producers, every song is different(some not so good). From when I first inserted the disc, I fell in love with the Queens ignorance. The first two songs, My Gun Go Off and Man Down(the retitled and censored Officer Down) are instant hood tracks. The next song, I'll Still Kill featuring Akon(who i despise just as much as T-Pain), is a good hood anthem. There's a couple songs that "get no play in my ride", and those are Amusement Park, Fire featuring Young Buck and Nicole Scherzinger, and All of Me featuring Mary J. Blige(even though I find it ironic she makes a reference to feeling like a crack fiend). Other than those I can listen to the rest of the album. The breakout hit, in my opinion, is the Tony Yayo assisted Touch The Sky, the last track on the album, which features one of Yayo's best verses. So, I know you're asking, "why do you like Curtis better than Graduation?", the answer is, I'm from Queens. Even though musically, Kanye made a better album, 50 is from Queens, and his hardest track elevates him beyond Kanye. When I'm rolling through Far Rockaway, South Jamaica, or even Brownsville, I like to bump something hard. Kanye's album is a great "chilling in the crib, cooking or cleaning, album", not a "nod your head in the whip album". But as a semi-backpacker and Hip-Hop purist, I respect Kanye for keeping the "backpacker making #1 on the charts" trend going, from Talib Kweli, to Common, to Kanye(get your incense, postal stickers and markers out, we're back!). You should go out and get the albums and decide for yourself. But I'm going to leave you with something from my boy "Speak & Spell"(who should have made MTV's Top Ten Emcees List, the wordplay is so slick).

Peace, I mean WAR!

And look out for a new 50 Cent album, whenever any Def Jam artist drops an album.

My Jam is Def, I can't hear you niggas!

I was checking my E-mail earlier today, and I had like twenty friend requests on MySpace.com. About eight of them were the fake broads, with the "to see my totally nude pics, click here" banner. The other twelve were aspiring rappers, you know "please listen to my music, nigga". The whole time I've been on MySpace.com, I've only listened to about five rappers that sent me their profile, and I've only liked a total of zero. I have nothing against anyone trying to be a rapper("do you", like Russell Simmons), I'm tired of anyone that can't rap trying to be a rapper. Everybody and their mother is a rapper now(Cam'ron and his mother; see "Confessions of Fire"), when will they realize that the rap game is full. It's like drug dealing, if you have all these people on this one corner, then nobodies moving any of their product. Alright, you have all these dudes that are just copies of other dudes, and when you have one 50 Cent, you don't need two. Anybody that knows rap, knows that everything comes from a few "fore-fathers", Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Biz Markie, and KRS-One(LL Cool J kind of counts too). Rakim is the inspiration for all the backpacker rappers, the Nas's, the "scientific" rappers. Big Daddy Kane is the mold for all the slick talkers, the smooth rappers, the Jay-Z's. Kool G Rap is the blueprint for all that mafioso, drug cartel, gangster rap, the N.O.R.E.'s. Biz Markie is the foundation of the joking, clown rappers, the Redman's and Methodman's. KRS-One is the father of the underground rappers, the "I die for this rap shit", lyrical rappers, the "Hip-Hop is breathing" rappers. And basically LL Cool J is the ladies man, which can be compared to a Nelly. All rappers stem from these rappers, no ideas original. For example, Lil Wayne(a confused dude, if you've been rapping since 13, when were you a drug kingpin?) is an amalgamation of Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, and most recently, KRS-One. He raps about the drugs and hustling, the smooth talk, the ladies, and according to him, most recently, he raps for the "love of Hip-Hop". Let's examine T.I., he's a mixture of Kane, LL and G Rap, and formerly, Rakim. T.I. raps about his hustling career, his way with the ladies, and he used to more lyrical("dumb down for my audience to double my dollars" : Jay-Z). Then there's 50 Cent, whose a mix of G Rap, Kane, and LL, or Kanye West, whose a mixture of Rakim, Kane, and KRS-One. Most of these new rappers don't understand the past, so they don't know that people my age and older have heard it all before, like Sunshine Anderson. So whenever these kids come up to me and start spitting a rhyme, I start thinking about the people he got his technique from. Whenever a kid comes up to me and starts saying "yo, yo, yo" or "I said, I said" or "uh, uh, uh", I automatically stop listening. It's only so many times you can hear the same rhyme, no matter how the words are arranged. There's too many rappers in the world today, pick a new trade. Please, don't come up to me on 42nd Street and try to sell me your homemade CD. Don't send me a friend request on MySpace and don't ask me to listen to your latest rhyme. Most likely, you sound like your favorite rapper, who sounds like his favorite rapper, who sounds like his favorite rapper, and so on, so why listen to you when I can listen to the person that made you. Hey, give up on the rap dream(I did), 106 & Park is a revolving door, ask the Chingy's, the Huey's, the Jibb's, etc.. Unless you have something that is out of this world amazing or sort of different, like Outkast or Kanye, you may only make it to the door, and be pushed right back out. Skip the rap thing and go straight to a liquor brand or a clothing label, they are more lucrative businesses. Why would anybody want to be in an industry that is losing more and more money on a weekly basis(thanks to downloading)? And if you do get a record contract, you'll probably sit on a label waiting for your turn. It may never come, ask Joe Budden, he'll tell you his Jam is Def, but I still can't hear him!

Peace, I mean WAR!

Funeral Music aka Hi Mr. Toilet, I'm the shit!

And today, when I reached home from work, I checked the hip-hop blogs for the latest news. Can you imagine the joy I felt when I learned that BET will be showing a meeting between 50 Cent and Jim Jones on Monday. For all the people reading this that are not avid followers of Hip-Hop music, 50 Cent has(had) beef with Cam'ron, who is(was) the head of the Diplomats, also know as Dip Set, a group which Jim Jones is a member of. Let me replay the story for you. 50 Cent was at New York's Hot 97, doing an interview, where he called Koch a graveyard. Cam'ron and Koch's owner Michael Koch called the radio station to dispute 50 Cent's graveyard comment. 50 Cent, nee Curtis Jackson, maintained his composure, while Cam'ron, nee Cameron Giles, began to unravel and start to yell Curtisss, over and over. 50 didn't respond to Cam's immature acts at that moment, but instead went to the studio and created a diss track and video entitled "Funeral Music". The next day, Cam responded with a song and video entitled "Cuurtis", then later "Cuurtis Part 2". Then 50 Cent responded with Young Buck's "Hold On". From there the beef sort of died down, with 50 Cent sending a few jabs towards Cam on some G Unit mixtapes, and Cam surprisingly quiet. Everybody seemed to forget about the whole beef, until Cam'ron resurfaced(after getting punched in the eye by Tru-Life), doing an interview on 60 Minutes defending the "Stop Snitching Movement" and with a new video warning 50 Cent of his coming demise. 50 Cent gave his response to Hot 97's Miss Info(I'll show Minya Oh my "oh face"!). After that, Cam practically fell off of the map. But 50 took time out of his busy schedule to comment on Cam's video, again, on G Unit's "We On Some Shit", saying "Other nigga sending tapes, talking bout he gonna be back in June. It's gonna be a hot summer, nigga it's almost August!"(and a nice jab at Fat Joe / shout out to Remy Ma). Oh, and did I forget the whole "Jim Jones kicking Cam out of Dip Set Rumor". Jim Jones and Cam'ron had a little falling out back in April / May. So, anyway, let me tell everyone why I'm so happy about the 50 Cent and Jim Jones meeting. This meeting is a sign that Cam'ron's career has came to an end(thank God!). The popular saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", but what happens when the friend of your enemy is your friend? That's the predicament that Cam'ron is currently in. I think that he would've been fine if he would've never fucked with Jay-Z. I know, you ask, what does Jay-Z have to do with this beef? Well, if you check 50 Cent's beef record and compare it to Jay-Z's, you find 50 just went after Jay's enemies. 50's first beef was with Ja Rule, who Jay had a falling out with. Curtis had beef with Nas, who had a famous rivalry with Shawn Carter too. These artist include Fat Joe, who beefed with Jay-Z through Big Pun, The Game, who said "fuck Jay-Z" on stage and had to be disciplined by 50, and Jadakiss, who had beef(fake beef) with Beanie Sigel. 50 Cent once said that he blamed Jay-Z for all his beef because Jay-Z let these "little niggas get out of their zone", and I agree. So just like 50 ended Ja Rule's career("Uh-Oh" played for two weeks and only cause Lil Wayne was on it), Fat Joe's career(not really, he never had one), and The Game's career(yeah, 50 wrote the first album), he has ended Cam'ron's career. Now, I mentioned Lil Wayne earlier, 50 Cent took a couple jabs at Weezy F. Baby(what does the F stand for anyway?) on a track entitled "Part-Time Lover", where he says "You make me wanna kiss you, like Baby do Wayne. And make you call me daddy, like Baby do Wayne.", which came after 50 called Lil Wayne a "rap whore" during an interview. As I think back, Lil Wayne tooks a jab at Jay-Z before, saying that Jay was old and needed to step aside for him. So, I'm hoping that Lil Wayne comes out his face sideways at Curtis, so 50 can destroy Dwayne Carter's 12 year career(12 years, and he's just now getting good at rapping? Remember "wobbly, wobbly"?) On a side note, since it's close to september 11th, the day 50 Cent and Kanye West face off(and Kenny Chesney outsells them both!), I just want everybody to say "fuck the big names" and support my cuz, Spider Loc.

Peace, I mean WAR!

Imagine All The People!

I just got done watching "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" on VH1, and something intriguing occurred to me. Where have all the talented musicians gone, let me rephrase that, where have the revolutionary musicians gone. I can't say talented musicians because we still have a few, from Alicia Keys(I love you, baby) to John Mayer, Kanye West, John Legend, Billie Joe Armstrong, etc.. These few artist may mirror the revolutionary artist of the past, but they are overshadowed by the basura that is played on radio and television. John Lennon made introspective and extrospective music that was relevant to the "Working Class Hero", he made people "Imagine", he asked the entire world to "Give Peace a Chance". Lennon voiced his opinion to the masses that felt just like him, which also angered the political system. Jimi Hendrix performed "Machine Gun" with his Band of Gypsys. Bob Marley wrote a song about "War", he told people to "Get Up, Stand Up", and then he made his "Redemption song". The Temptations ask "War, what is it good for?", Lennon and U2 both made "Sunday, Bloody Sunday". Its not just that these people all made anti-war songs, but they all put their hearts into their words. They didn't just make music, they made movements (and not the same way as Dip Set). Maybe most of the messages were stronger because of the devastating impact of the Vietnam War, or The Troubles in Northern Ireland, or the social injustices and civil rights battles worldwide. Maybe artist, as well as listeners, have become too anesthetized by this violent world, or maybe too complacent with making meaningless music. Music affected the world so deeply that a revolutionary statement on song warranted an FBI investigation. Questioning of the political machine in that time was seen as a threat because of how strong art was. But in these days, a statement like "George Bush doesn't care about Black people" only gets you YouTube hits and a skit on Saturday Night Live. Seriously, serious music is brushed off as "alternative", "underground", "conscious", "political", or "indie". The music became more important than the message, the back story became more important than the real story, the fruits from the labor became more important than the truth in the art, and this is when we lost our true musical movements. When the money is more important than the meaning, what part of the person does the music really move? Why are more people paying attention to 50 Cent's new dis song than to Live Earth (look who's talking)? How many people will actually participate in "World Peace One", this October? The movement inside the music is in shambles when MTV says "Rock The Vote" and then "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It", or when BET tries to put messages in between young black people participating in buffoonery (aka 106 & Park). At the time I am writing this, people are dying in Iraq, children are sitting in prison in Jena, LA, a genocide is happening in the Sudan, the United Nations is null and void, and the United States government is full of liars, but your favorite musician just made a song called "Love Like Honey". While I was writing that last sentence, I realized that the biggest difference between music then and now is the listeners. The listeners don't care about the objects in their blind spots, they only care about the things that directly affect them. So if your listeners ask for music that is not extrospective, as an artist, you're going to supply that demand.

So, I'll end this with some John Lennon lyrics from "Gimme Some Truth" :

I'm sick and tired of hearing things from
Uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded, hypocritics
all I want is the truth, just give me some truth

I've had enough of watching scenes from
schizophrenic, ego-centric, peranoic, primadonnas
all I want is the truth, just give me some truth

Peace, I mean WAR!

You Cant Tell Me Nothing!

So, this morning I'm checking out nahright.com, to stay in tune with the "Hip-Hop Culture", and there is an article about Francois Girbaud. Apparently, Monsieur Girbaud, owner of a popular clothing brand in some "hoods" (made famous by Cash Money Records), doesn't like the direction that his clothing company was moving in or its Hip-Hop following. This made me think back to the other Caucasian businessmen that didn't appreciate the African American business they were receiving. I thought of Tommy Hilfiger, the Swartz family at Timberland (even though they change their mind after the quarterly reports came in), Cristal, and others. See, normally, I would be angered by Monsieur Girbaud, but I am not. I am more angered by the "Hip-Hop" people that get offended by these businesses. What made these "ghetto youths" think that these brands were marketed to them? Has Cristal ever put an advertisement in the Source, XXL, or the Vibe? Does Tommy Hilfiger sell his wears in Jimmy Jazz or V.I.M.? How many of you Negroes have ever picked up the Robb Report? Understand, luxury brands are marketed to those living luxurious lives, not those trying to be hood rich! People like Jay-Z and Diddy, who vacation in Nice, Saint-Tropez, Monaco, and the rest of the Côte d'Azur (if you don't know where it is, you're not "ballin"), have been working hard to live their luxurious lives. You on the other hand, have been making payments on a Lexus IS or ES, vacationing on Virginia Beach, wearing Red Monkeys and Evisus. These Caucasian businessmen (unlike their Asian counterparts who raise the price in America, because they know niggas are stupid), are selling their products to other Caucasian businessmen. The "Hip-Hop community" is full of fantastic dreamers, living in outer space. I'm not putting down anybody that enjoys the finer things in life; I'm putting down those that have a false sense of reality. Just because you put on a pair of Yves Saint-Laurent sunglasses or a Christian Dior belt, you're not on the same level as a Kanye West or a 50 Cent. Until you move from South Jamaica, Queens or Brownsville, Brooklyn to a mansion in Lake Tahoe or Martha's Vineyard, you're not really "ballin". It's hilarious to me, because I live in New York, between Manhattan and Long Island (famed for the Hampton's), and I see these young dudes so-called "ballin", and they're really not. These are dudes that are associated with "Hip-Hop", a misogynistic, homophobic, racist and violent culture. And it's these same dudes that are outraged when a Caucasian businessman doesn't want to be aligned with this culture. Why would anybody trying to maintain a respectable name associate with such ignorant material? I have to admit, I'm guilty of the whole "ballin" thing, and the only difference is I know my limits. I know where I go, I know what I have and I know what I do. When I say "I'm chilling at the beach on the weekend", I'm not talking about Orchid Beach or Coney Island, when I say "I've packed for the weekend", best believe the bag is an authentic Louis Vuitton, and if I say "grab a bottle", I'm not talking about cognac or vodka. I may be trapped in the poisoned mind state that the rest of "Hip-Hop culture" is trapped in, but at least, I know what's real and what's not. What makes it even sadder, is that most of these "Hip-Hop" dudes are in their thirties, maybe thirty isn't the new twenty, and maybe thirty is a little more immature.

Peace, I mean WAR!

Return Of The Gangster, Gangster!

The Hip-Hop Historians are crying and so are the Hip-Hop Purists (and all us other "Hip-Hop" crybabies whining about Hip-Hop being dead). We've lost almost ever battle we've had to try to revive Hip-Hop, but the war isn't over yet. First, lets clear up a misconception that a lot of the fans of current Hip-Hop have. The revival movement in Hip-Hop is not about bringing New York Hip-Hop back, it's about bringing back the skills aspect of Hip-Hop. Back when rappers were all doing "da- bum, da- bum, da-bum, ha, ha", Kool Moe Dee, Run DMC and a few others forced rappers to actually think about what they were saying. Even though I disagree with the idea, some Hip-Hop heads put Melle Mel as one of the greatest of all time because "The Message" changed the landscape of Hip-Hop. They say without "The Message", we'd be left with meaningless songs about partying, which was the main theme in the late seventies and early eighties (and the main theme currently). Most Hip-Hop heads that I converse with don't have a New York returning" agenda, just a "Hip-Hop returning" agenda. I think most would agree with me that artist outside of New York have had a tremendous input on Hip-Hop history. N.W.A. gave the disenfranchised youth of L.A. a voice, Ice-T is a pioneer, King Tee, E-40, Too Short, even M.C. Hammer have all opened up the gates of California to the rest of the world, etching the West Coast into the Hip-Hop history books (which don't exist). Arguably one of the greatest rappers in history is Scarface, a rapper from Houston, TX. You can go on and on with a list of southern artist that have defined Hip-Hop. Three of my favorite groups of all time (all behind Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep, I am from New York) are from the south, Outkast, 8Ball & MJG, and The Underground Kings. I don't even have to go into what T.I., Goodie Mob, Three 6 Mafia (in their own way), Lil Jon, and others have done to put the Dirty South in the Hip-Hop history books. Us Hip-Hop crybabies, like Nas, want more from our Hip-Hop music. Not really a return to the former state of Hip-Hop, but greater substance than there has been in the past years. When any rapper can get away with saying "On some G shit, Us & Cadbury are a perfect fit, we both specialize in smashin the streets with that sweetness" (thanks Jimmy for enlightening us on the reason you all say "no homo"), we should all stop and ask ourselves what is wrong with us as Hip-Hop consumers. So when you hear one of us (Hip-Hop purists, backpackers, Hip-Hop heads, Hip-Hop crybabies, whatever you want to call us) talking about Hip-Hop being dead, I want you to look at Hip-Hop and tell me it isn't dead creatively. And a note to my fellow Hip-Hop purists, don't cry, we still have Ghostface Killah.

Peace, I mean WAR!

I got that ignorant shit you like!

I was reading the usually AP articles and I read one that said that the youth of America (generally considered anybody under 30 these days) gets it news from alternative outlets more than newspapers. The article made me think about where I get my news from. I watch a news show here and there, a little Anderson Cooper 360, a little Hannity and Colmes (even though I hate them both), some Scarborough Country, and maybe a little Nancy Grace (but I never enter the Situation Room {even though Wolf Blitzer's cool}, never check out the O'Reilly Factor, and fuck Ann Coulter). I used to read the New York Daily News and Post every morning, but they put more about Lindsay Lohan than actual news, and the New York Times is just so boring. I don't watch local news because all the prime time dramas come on at 10 o'clock and then The Daily Show and Colbert Report takes up the 11 o'clock slot Monday thru Thursday, and Bill Maher on Friday. I read most of my news on the internet at CNN.com, FoxNews.com, etc., between listenings of freestyles and new songs at NahRight.com (Hip-Hop news is still more important than global events). I think that I'd rather get my news straight from AP (Associated Press for the uninformed), instead of from somebody that sits next to President Bush at a $5000 a plate dinner, how can he not be biased. Most news outfits are ran by multi-millionaires that are joined by their subjects for golfing and instead of giving the viewers facts, they give us pre-scripted press releases. That's why most people would rather listen to comedians joke while stating the truth, than watch news anchors seriously state lies. It's alright that we, as the youth of America, have rebelled against the "mainstream media" (whatever that word "mainstream" means), but I think we are losing something by not entertaining every method of obtaining information. We miss out on why Bill O'Reilly is an idiot, we miss why Sean Hannity is a pretentious cock, or why Ann Coulter is such a bitch. And of course, we need to read newspapers (and books for that matter). In the words of Jay-Z on the intro to Tru Life's "Tru York", "If you niggas is done living in a fantasy world, allow me to introduce you to true life!". Basically, I'm saying, America was made by the people, for the people (not just white people anymore), and we run this, not them, so lets get control back from the idiots.

Peace, I mean WAR!

I try to pretend that I'm different, but in the end we're all the same!

Now onto some real shit, it's the return of the gangster (been vibing on Outkast again). I've been trying to get accustomed to my new "hood", it's slightly different from my old "hood". I moved to Rosedale, NY (which these niglets refer to as Mobzdale, it's a blood thing), and the niglets are different around these parts. Back in The Rock (6th borough to the death), the niglets did their niggerish deeds with more flair and finesse, out here they just follow the trends. I'm going to veer for a second and tell a story of one of my folk. One of my folks is, lets say obsessed (or has a man crush on) a famous rapper. He goes by the same name as the rapper, he emulates the rappers actions and tries to be just like this rapper. Now anybody that knows me, knows I'm a Jay-Z fan, I wish I had his money, his girlfriend, but I would never "swagger-jack" Jay-Z, like my boy has done to his favorite rapper. My family knows exactly who I'm talking about and it's kind of sad that he wants to be so much like this dude that looks like the rabbit from Donnie Darko. This actually further explains the niglets in my new "hood". They all dress like Jim Jones, with tight pants pulled down to their knees, wallet chains with no wallets, t-shirts over thermals, and the new thing, skull chains and belt buckles. Back in The Rock, at least the niglets had their own style (except for a few). I've listen to Tru Life, Nas, Jay-Z and others talking about the way New York dudes are biting other parts of the country, and for a few days I wanted to disagree, but I came to realize that it was a truthful statement. I'm proud to be myself and not a cheap rip-off of a rapper. I'm so tired of the fake Jim Jones', Lil Wayne's, T.I.'s, Kanye West's, Game's, etc. Be your own man, not a little somebody else. Also anyone that needs a good laugh, check this Cam'ron video out.

Peace, I mean WAR!

The Whole Gangs Here!

It's been a minute since I had something really heartfelt to write about. There hasn't been any really hot underground hits, or any new hot movies (I need to see Pan's Labyrinth though), or anything really exciting in the realm of politics (except that beautiful State of the Union). But I'm back anyway, to touch a few topics, nothing too specific. First, I want to talk about President Bush and his address to the Congress (the standing ovations weren't needed). Bush didn't really say anything about the actual "State" of the Union, he stated everything that he still had left to accomplish (contrary to that banner on the ship). Yet, these congressmen and women stood and applauded his unfinished job (and even asked for autographs at the end). Now to a more important topic, the "State of Hip-Hop" (or lack of). Its been a month since I realized "Hip-Hop Is Dead", and I'm still mourning. There hasn't been any revival or anything (on the up side, Saigon's new video is out). Rap has gotten so corny, I watch romantic comedies instead of Rap City. These beefs between artist was cool when it was between hot artist (and when 50 destroyed Ja), but now any dude with a crew has beef with someone else. You've got artist, okay not artist, rappers, like Jim Jones, The Game, Lil Wayne, Cam'ron (where has he been) and others shooting at other rappers like they have the skills to. Jim Jones and the Diplomats got beef with RocaFella and Def Jam, but mostly with Jay-Z and Nas. The Game has beef with Vida and other video broads (even though he too is a video broad). Lil Wayne has been running his mouth off about being the best, better than Hov. He also has beef with anybody that calls him gay for kissing Baby (I've finally found out what Weezy F. Baby really means). Cam'ron has beef with Jay, Nas, his own crew and himself. I think he's just mad that Juelz and Jim Jones are getting more love than him right now. And also, everybody around the Hip-Hop community has beef with Nas for claiming that "Hip-Hop Is Dead". I just have one statement for all the Nas haters, if you disagree with the statement, then you're probably the reason "Hip-Hop Is Dead". For the last topic, I must delve into my favorite form of entertainment, television. Television has been disappointing me on a regular basis in the past year. From BET actually believing that they're entertaining, to MTV not playing music, or the lack of good television in general. Lets start the week on Sunday, HBO has no programming currently (I hate Rome, bring back the Soprano's already), VH1 moved all the good shows to Monday, and the Simpson's and Family Guy are the only two out of FOX's six shows that are actually funny. Monday is totally empty besides Heroes, which is annoyingly drawn out, yet entertaining. Oh, I almost forgot, I Love New York also comes on, as well as The White Rapper Show (what I have begun watching is appalling). Tuesday, for me, is Law & Order SVU and Criminal Intent, even though they are all the same. Somebody walks, drives, jogs, sleeps, etc. by a dead body and says "somebody call the cops", then they commence to solving the case, going to court, messing up the case, resolving the case, then back to court. Wednesday is my day of rest, since nothing entertaining is on television on Wednesday (unless you find Beauty and the Geek entertaining). Thursday is probably the best day for television (has been for a while, Seinfeld, Friends, Will & Grace, ER). It starts with My Name is Earl, then the Office, then Scrubs, 30 Rock, and ER. There are also two good shows on Fox ('Til Death and the War at Home), or Ugly Betty (surprisingly entertaining) or Smallville. The next day is Friday and that means back to Law & Order (regular). Saturday is a day of rest as well, being as that the only thing on television is Cops (how many times can you watch the same people running from cops). During the whole week of television, I'm only angry when American Idol is on, how can three non-talented idiots judge talent. And the saving grace for most of the week (Monday thru Thursday) is the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, the funniest yet most honest "news" shows on television. Most of the time I watch either Anderson Cooper 360, Hardball with Chris Matthews or the DIY network (even though I don't 'do anything myself'). I hope as we get into this new year, the politicians that were elected can do something about the drunk driver in the car, I hope that rappers can actually become emcees, and I hope that program directors start getting fired (especially at BET). And, since I haven't did this in a while, I'm tired of seeing Diddy on television selling ProActiv. I didn't realize that you had sexy in need of preserving in the first place, and it's lewd to moisturize your situation in public. On an ending note, one question, will you be the downfall or the upliftment of society as we know it?

Peace, I mean WAR!

What do you believe in, Heaven or Hell!

I read the new Source magazine yesterday (sorry Big Bro, I relapsed), they had an article about the spread of the Bloods nationwide. I've realized that this is sad event. Let's think about this logically, niggas are killing each other over the color they wear nationwide. As I walk around New York City, I see these dirt-bomb niggas everywhere I go wearing dirty red and black hoodies (you can't afford more than one red hood). And most of these dudes are sad excuses for "gangstas". You can't do drive-bys without a car (get a job, get money, get a ride). Niglets walk up to me on the street and say "I got that haze", look niggas is looking to get indicted. There's no honor amongst thieves or rules of engagement anymore when it comes to criminals. When I was younger (the times of Decepticons, Lo-Lifes, Lost Boyz, and real NY gangs), there were rules and parameters. Niglets just throw a red flag in their back pocket and sell weed to by Timberlands. I have nothing against people living the illegal life, do what you have to in order to survive. But there's a lack of respect for the game, and I blame the rappers for that. When you have frauds portraying something they are not (Lil Wayne, Jim Jones, The Game, etc.), listeners are going to follow. Lil Wayne has been a rapper more than half of his life and not a gangster, like he claims. Jim Jones is not a gangster, and there are video's out there debunking the myth that he is a gangster. And The Game is one of the biggest frauds in the "rap world" today, he contradicts himself more than Nas. Listeners try to follow these fraudulent rappers, but the listeners don't look at the whole story. First of all, New York gangbangers, which OG gave you a pass to be in his gang (and there are no true O.G.'s in NY). Children, find a real person to idolize and build your life around, like Chris Gardner (word to Will Smith). In the words of Mobb Deep, "there's no such thing as a halfway crook". Stop trying to be somebody besides yourself, it's not "fly". If you don't have the paper to do it, don't cop bottles at the club and scream "ballin'". These entertainers are doing what they get paid to do, entertain. They are not gangbanging in their mansions, which you brought for them. They don't even go back to their hometowns, unless they need a quick boost to their "street rep". You dudes are killing yourselves and each other, while the rapper you follow is in the club with his security (they all have security, don't believe the hype).

On an ending note, shout out to my gang folks. b.G.C. (black Guerilla Cartel), Q.M.C. (Queens Murder Click), Q.U.S.C. (Q.U. Soldier Click), F.Y.F. Mafia (Fuck Ya Feelings), and W.I.N. (Witty Intelligent N.I.G.G.A.S.). And for your information, we don't bang, we make dollars (cause, if it don't make dollars, it don't make sense).

Peace, I mean WAR!

Rockumentary : The Rasheed Fields Story Soundtrack

(because the soundtrack is usually better than the movie anyway)

Introduction: Comin' From Where I'm From - Anthony Hamilton

Opening Credits: The Life of a... (Gangsta) - Capone

Your Theme Song: You're Only A Customer - Jay-Z

Average Day: Queens - Pharoahe Monch

Friends: Thugz R Us - Noreaga

Theme Song for Best Friend: What U Lookin' 4 - Redman

Hanging Out: Mary Jane - Rick James

Partying with Friends: Get Up - Lost Boyz

Losing a Friend: Sometimes - Noreaga

Angry: You Gots To Chill - EPMD

Betrayed: Back Stabbers - The O' Jays

Missing Someone: Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

Flashback: Paid In Full - Eric B and Rakim

Happy Dance: Safety Dance - Men Without Hats

Romance: Lately- Stevie Wonder

Meeting Someone You Like: Come And Talk To Me - Jodeci

First Date: The Light - Pharoahe Monch

Love Scene: This Woman's Work - Maxwell

Breaking Up: Teenage Love - Slick Rick

Getting Back Together: Before I Let Go - Maze ft. Frankie Beverly

At a Dance: I Wanna be Your Man - Zapp And Roger Troutman

Later...: Nobody- Keith Sweat

Your Funeral: Heaven - Nas

The World Without You: A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

Ending Credits: Full Of Smoke - Christion

Digital Bullet!

"Hip-Hop is Dead" will be coming out in a month, so I am in some what of a good mood. I've been in that good mood since Jay-Z announced he will make a return like Kal-El in "Kingdom Come". Then my mood just elevated completely to a new high like Raekwon on dust in ninety-four. I've heard that Ghostface Killah will be releasing "More Fish" in "Digz-ember". What else can I expect to come in this final quarter of 2006? Oh yeah, Eminem is dropping the "Re-Up" (I expect the whole album to be as good as the first single). I'm feeling a good wave coming, like the tsunami in "The Abyss". I'm not going to assume this is the comeback of New York everybody is waiting for. In the first two quarters of next year, "Cuban Linx 2" is suppose to be dropping, "Graduation 2007" will commence, "T.I. vs. TIP" will be a great fight, Saigon will finally drop, Common will be "Finding Forever", and hopefully the "Detox" will finally occur. It should be a very eventful first half of 2007. And to all my loyal fans (me, myself and I, at this moment), I'm going to be in the studio putting together my debut "Toyz For Gunz". My cousin is also working on his stuff (if you like that gangsta shit, go to "The Block Burnaz"). I'm also working on some stuff with some friends, its called "Orange Jumpsuits on Side of Highways" , its a little "alternative rap" (whatever that means). Start checking out that MySpace page in January for the music (we still working on it). Just support good music (and I don't mean Kanye), support whatever puts you in that good mood. And remember "Digz-ember" 2nd is right around the corner, I expect gifts!.

Peace, I mean WAR!

Back 2 The Essence!

Here we are again at a turning point in our culture (Hip-Hop, if it still exists somewhere besides in the mind of people born before 1983). We as a whole are at the fork in the road that we've been at before. Lets go through the history for a minute. In the late seventies in the Bronx, NY, a group of young urban people (social term for niggas and spics) in a park starting rapping over "scratched" records. Other young urban people began posting their art on trains and walls around the city. Others tried dancing to these new tunes that were being played in the parks. At that time the status quo said that this culture was just a fad, but they were proved wrong. The music became a great part of urban culture and thus with anything created it must evolve. The first traces of this music was for strictly partying, but then came a song called "The Message". With the introduction of "The Message" came the first fork in the road. The question was do we use this music to bring social awareness or do we continue partying. The culture as a whole decided to compromise and some took the road of righteousness and some continued to party, all was well. As the culture continued to grow, new participants entered the fray. With artist doing "the bomb ditty domb da dand da dang", someone needed to build up the lyricism, in enters Run-DMC. Other rappers began to "step their game up". With the evolution of more skilled emcees came Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J and others that flexed their rhyming muscles. As everyone watch these lyrical titans in Olympus (NYC), a new breed of rhyme Gods were finding a foot-hole in rap music out west. Rappers like Ice T, NWA, Too Short, and others brought a new gangsta rap form into the collective. So yet another fork we came upon, again the Hip-Hop society embraced both. At this point we have socially minded rap of all kinds from Public Enemy's revolutionary rap, to Boogie Down Productions' knowledge, as well as N.W.A.'s dark social views. Rap was wonderful and all was still good. For a while rap was gaining wider appeal and shows were formed for people to access the music videos of these rap stars, Yo MTV Rap, Rap City, Video Music Box. In the late eighties a new rap movement began in Queens, NY. With A Tribe Called Quest, the Jungle Brothers and De La Soul, the Native Tongues movement began. While during the social rap movement, many embraced their African roots and began wearing African medallions, during the Native Tongue movement, bohemian sensibilities (dressing like a homeless person) became the norm. During this time another form of rap was being discovered. Based on the Five Percenter teachings, came the Brand Nubians, Poor Righteous Teachers and others. Then like a shot in the dark in the early nineties, the producer from NWA came back with a new sound and a new voice, this voice was that of Snoop Doggy Dogg. And again we were at that fork in the road. This new West Coast rap wasn't the same as that of yesteryear, it had an infectious nature to it, it was saw that it could possibly destroy New York rap. But all that talk of New York falling off cease when a tape surfaced out of Queensbridge Houses. This wonderful tape was called "Illmatic" by Nasty ... I'm sorry, Nas. After that release New York seemed poise for a return to the past. Artist such as Buckshot, Wu-Tang Clan, Smif & Wessun and others prospered. During this time Craig Mack released "Flavor In Ya Ear(Remix)" featuring Notorious B.I.G.. B.I.G. took over NY rap in the coming years and became known as the "King of New York". All was right in the rap world. A well known rapper named Tupac starred in a movie called "Juice", his star was raising exponentially, and then a shooting occurred in Manhattan. A war of words ignited, the media divide rap music (we all know the story). Hip-Hop was at that fork once again, but out of respect for the fallen soldiers, we compromised again. Rappers like Jay-Z, Snoop, and Nas flourished, new rappers entered the game and there was the emergence of the south. Outkast, Goodie Mob and the Geto Boyz became popular groups in society. But all of a sudden as things were looking right, Notorious B.I.G.'s producer Puffy decided to "take hits from the eighties". He ignited the Jiggy Era in Hip-Hop, this era saw reinventions (Jigga Jay-Z, Nas Escobar) as well as new arrivals. Entered into the battle royal was Ma$e, the Lox (yeah they weren't D Block gangsta's then). The Jiggy Era was the opening that Cash Money Records was looking for, and with them "Bling, Bling" became a household term. Hip-Hop was not right at all, we were again at that fork. Some wanted to take the righteous road and most wanted the money that came with the Jiggyness, the majority won, and thus the downfall began. Since 1996 we have been bombarded by commercial Jiggy rap music and then rap music with substance has been deemed "Underground Rap" as if it is substandard. It has been ten years, and over these ten years we have seen the Midwest join the melee, Jiggyness reach the point of over-indulgence, and commercialism of a culture make the culture implode. So now the "true" Hip-Hop followers have become agitated by the destruction of their culture, and again we've reached that fork in the road. Now we've turned off the radio like Dead Prez said and watch "Old Skool" videos on YouTube.com. We sit at home waiting to hear that little glimmer of hope, wishing that someone would return rap to the state it was before Diddy destroyed it. We look at new rappers to fill the void, hoping a Kanye, a Lupe, a Saigon could bring Hip-Hop back. Or we wait for those legends of yore, a Nas, a Jay-Z, an Eminem, or a Ghostface to bring the love back. But I figured it all out, like Whitney once said, (not crack is whack) the children are the future. Lets smack the Dip Set CD's out of their hands and replace them with Big Daddy Kane. We must start from the ground up again and restore rap to the great urban event it was. In the words of Jay-Z, rap is at a standstill and we need an event album to restore the greatness. For my last word, to repeat Talib Kweli, "Listen".

Peace, I mean WAR!

True Definition of a Warrior!

It's a windy Wednesday in late October, I sit in front of television in Queens, New York, and it hits me all of a sudden. Hip-Hop is officially dead and I'm not even mourning, I'm actually happy to see Hip-Hop die. And for the first time since I realized there was "No Way Out" in 1997, I can't blame Diddy. No, I'm going to have to blame myself and the rest of rap music listeners. We let the terrorist win this battle without even fighting back, all we did was snap our fingers and lean back. For the past few months I've been sticking my head in the sand like an ostrich, I've been ignoring the current state. I fell back to the early nineties and late eighties, and let the terrorist run amok in the rap industry. Instead of asking the so-called "certified gangsters" what they were doing to my music, instead of questioning the integrity of dudes that tattoo butterflies for their family and cover it up later, instead of questioning why Diddy's album is better than Lloyd Banks', we all embraced the past, giving up on the future.

At work a while ago, this young "niglet" argue to me how Lil Wayne is better than Jay-Z, Rakim, Kane, Nas, etc. (how preposterous). A "Blood" in New Jersey tried to tell me that every member of the Diplomats was better than Nas and Jay-Z. Some kid tried to tell me rap is better now than it was in the early nineties (Cuban Linx is better than any album in the past five years). When I challenged their statements, they just let rhymes about thugging, selling drugs, gun busting, gangsterisms and other nonsense the rappers they listen to know nothing about. Not that I respect gangsterism (I listen to G-Unit though), I respect it coming from somebody that put in that work. How does a dude that's been rapping since eleven, twelve have time to become a drug kingpin? How did Cam'ron go from playing basketball with Mase, to being a General in a Blood organization? And if every rapper in Atlanta was in the trap, who was buying the drugs? Whatever happened to just being who you are?
So I say we (all the pure Hip-Hop heads) let Hip-Hop rest in peace and use our creativity to invent something new. The culture is crying for us to reinvent it.

In the words of Talib Kweli -"Nowadays rap artists coming half-hearted /Commercial like pop, or underground like black markets / Where were you the day hip-hop died? / Is it too early to mourn? Is it too late to ride?"

Peace, I mean WAR!