New segment here called "Bonus". It's real easy. I'll post all the bonus tracks, remixes, and unreleased joints from major albums that aren't part of the original track listing. The debut of this one'll be all about Drake's Thank Me Later album which may or may not be one of the top two LPs of the entire year so far. Guess you'll have to wait for January 1st for confirmation. Ha. Like you're really worried about what I think ...
Bonus Tracklisting
15. 9 A.M. in Dallas
16. Un-Thinkable (Remix feat. Alicia Keys)
17. You Know You Know
18. Fancy (Remix feat. Mary J. Blige & Swizz Beatz)
... and do the John Wall.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
More Thank Me Later
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Loneliest Number [Update]
This is two perfect examples of how to kill a given sample. "One is the loneliest number ..." and you know the rest.
Charlie Hilton - One (feat. Khalil)
B.o.B - One (feat. Big Kuntry & Mac Boney)
Charles Hamilton - Beginner's Luck
They couldn't be any different from pacing and additional instrumentation to beats and vibe. It's a great thing to hear and take in samples flipped so ill while the tune is so very well known to everyone in the world. Lyrics, too. Khalil goes in about what it took to be that One that created everything and all the feelings towards Dude. While B.o.B and the rest on his people talk about singularity and looking out for yourself in an industry that doesn't really care about you. All while life itself doesn't seem to either. I approve of both. This would been a great 2dopeboyz battle, but oh well.
UPDATE: added Charles Hamilton's new joint to this year-old post. Nice little 7 degrees thing going between Charles putting Charlie in the spotlight with a blog post like two years ago and the to-be discussed B.o.B/Hamilton companionship. Yeah ... so there ya go.
Three Dog Night - One (is the Loneliest Number)
... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Kweli vs. Kanye
"My relationship with Kweli I think was one of the best ones to ever happen to my career as a rapper. Because, you know, of course later he allowed me to go on tour with him. Man, I love him for that."That's enough for me to compile a "Favors" segment on them. From Quality to the aforementioned College Dropout to as recent as Ear Drum, this one-time underground duo traded bars. They have extensively more stuff together, but it's all Kweli over Kan beats on albums and unreleased compilations alike, like on "Young Man", "I Try", "What I Seen (Lonely People)", "Get By", "Good to You", and "Momma, Can You Hear Me". But I decided to just link up when they were both vocally on the same joint. You just gotta deal with it. Or utilize Google.
2002
Talib Kweli - Guerilla Monsoon Rap (feat. Black Thought, Pharoahe Monch, & Kanye West)
Talib Kweli - Get By (Remix feat. Mos Def, Jay-Z, Kanye West, & Busta Rhymes)
2004
Kanye West - Get 'Em High (feat. Talib Kweli & Common)
Consequence - Wack N****s (feat. Kanye West, Common, & Talib Kweli)
2005
Kanye West - We Can Make It Better (feat. Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, Common, & Rhymefest)
2007
Talib Kweli - In the Mood (feat. Kanye West & Roy Ayers)
... and do the John Wall.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Linkin Parkilton
Charles Hamilton - reIntervention
Tracklisting:
1. Track 01
2. Track 02
3. Track 03
4. Track 04
5. Track 05
6. Track 06
... and do the John Wall.
Classic: Crooked Booty
I can't believe I haven't posted this song yet. Ever since I obtained a copy of the Dungeon Family compilation album Even in Darkness, one of my all-time favorite joints has been "Crooked Booty". Even though the majority of the songs unfortunately aren't actually that great when compared to the incomparable Goodie and Outkast (and even Witchdoctor) albums before this tape, I've still got a soft spot for it. On this joint, Cee-Lo goes in on the hardest eight bars you've ever heard darn near a cappella while ending each rhyme on an explosive singing note. Then Andre starts in sing-rapping the chorus as the music triumphantly comes into the picture. Between Sleepy Brown's signature crooning while trying to describe what the crooked booty actually is and Khujo's aggressive dance rapping, this entire song's just classic. I don't wanna think too much about Dre's bridge three minutes into the joint, but it's hilarious, nonetheless. Just remember that when the doctor tells you that you're coming down with a bad case of the crooked booty ...
... and do the John Wall.
Clock with No Hands
The Roots - Clock with No Hands (feat. Mercedes Martinez of The Jazzyfatnastees)
Kendrick Lamar - P&P 1.5 (feat. Ab-Soul)
... and do the John Wall.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
2010-2011 Utah Jazz
2010-2011 Utah Jazz
Point Guard: Deron Williams/Ronnie Price/Earl Watson
Shooting Guard: C.J. Miles/Raja Bell/Sundiata Gaines
Small Forward: Andrei Kirilenko/Gordon Hayward/Jeremy Evans
Power Forward: Al Jefferson/Paul Millsap
Center: Mehmet Okur/Francisco Elson
There's a very solid argument to be made that Al Jefferson will eclipse Carlos Boozer's impact on the floor with ease. I tend to vouch for that side of the argument. Jefferson is a monster. The point guards he's had over his career have been Delonte West, Sebastian Telfair, Marko Jaric, and Jonny Flynn. Taking in all that information ... I think AJ's in for a career year. He's mobile enough to be moderately effective in the pick-and-roll, but his main boost will simply come from Williams creating for him. With Jefferson's length, he'll be an easy target no matter where Williams is on the floor and he'll find him on target every time. This eliminates any excessive decision-making from Al's side (which is a good thing). Now he can just go in there to rebound and score. Okur's going to be giving him plenty of room to work as he'll be three miles down the road from the paint. Boozer already had a Malone-ish type build and game, but Jerry Sloan should be just as effective in finding Jefferson's best chance to put up All-Star numbers as an amazing second fiddle to his elite point guard.
Unless he's traded, it looks like Kirilenko will be back to full-time starting duties and have a more prominent role on the squad. He's never going back to most-underrated-player-in-the-game status, but he still possesses the capabilities to be one of the most feared defenders out. Assuming Raja Bell's fully recovered from his wrist injury, Bell will look to also help bring the Jazz's former elite defensive reputation back to the minds of competitors. C.J. Miles and Earl Watson are also capable of stifling any opposing wing on a given night, so I definitely see this incarnation of the Jazz being revitalized in their perimeter D.
Hopefully Mehmet Okur will be able to stay healthy for a little while after he gets back around Christmas, but Paul Millsap is absolutely (and desperately) ready to step into a full-time role regardless of Okur's status. The main value of Okur is that he forced a defensive shift that few teams can naturally adapt to with a big man on the 3-point line, but the Jazz will never be short on low post production between Millsap and Jefferson. They put the team together in a way where they really don't have that much of a falloff even though they lost three starters from free agency deflection. I do have them dropping five games off last season's win total and one seed back in the West, but that's mainly just from health concerns and the potential meteoric improvement of the Rockets and Thunder. They'll definitely be a threat come playoff time if Jefferson can fit in as great as I assume he will. Unfortunately for Utah, I got them running into the Oklahoma City juggernaut in the first round. And that means the Jazz will lose. Because the Thunder are gonna be better. Got it? Back to the drawing board if Jerry Sloan can still hold up his dry erase marker.
Prediction
Regular Season: 48-34
Playoffs: Eliminated in First Round
... and do the John Wall.
Game vs. Nas
2006
Game - Why You Hate the Game (feat. Nas & Marsha Ambrosius)
Game - One Blood (East Coast Remix feat. Jim Jones, Fabolous, Clipse, Juelz Santana, Nas, Jadakiss, Styles P, Fat Joe, N.O.R.E., & Ja Rule)
Nas - Hustlers (feat. Game & Marsha Ambrosius)
2008
Game - Letter to the King (feat. Nas)
Nas - Make the World Go Round (feat. Game & Chris Brown)
2009
Busta Rhymes - Don't Touch Me (Remix feat. Nas, Lil' Wayne, Big Daddy Kane, Spliff Star, Game, & Reek Da Villain)
2010
Game - Street Riders (feat. Akon & Nas)
... and do the John Wall.
Jigga vs. Talib Kweli
"If skills sold, truth be told, I'd probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweli."And any Black Star aficionado should immediately remember the lesser known response in "Ghetto Show" where Kweli says:
"If lyrics sold then truth be told, I'd probably be, just as rich and famous as Jay-Z."This all happened after Kanye helped to bridge the gap between these two Brooklyn emcees on the remix to Kweli's own Ye-produced single. And now you got enough music for a new "Favors" segment on this blog right here.
2002
Talib Kweli - Get By (Remix feat. Mos Def, Jay-Z, Kanye West, & Busta Rhymes)
2003
Jay-Z - Moment of Clarity
2004
Talib Kweli - Ghetto Show (feat. Common & Anthony Hamilton)
... and do the John Wall.
Jigga vs. Big Boi
2002
Jay-Z - Poppin' Tags (feat. Big Boi, Killer Mike, Twista, & Sleepy Brown)
2003
Big Boi - Flip Flop Rock (feat. Killer Mike & Jay-Z)
Bonus Mrs. Jay-Z: Beyonce - Hip Hop Star (feat. Big Boi & Sleepy Brown)
... and do the John Wall.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Friends & Strangers
MF Doom - Deep Fried Frenz
Charles Hamilton - Brighter Days
Wale - The Friends N Strangers (feat. Tre)
... and do the John Wall.
2010-2011 Orlando Magic
2010-2011 Orlando Magic
Point Guard: Jameer Nelson/Chris Duhon/Jason Williams
Shooting Guard: Vince Carter/J.J. Redick
Small Forward: Mickael Pietrus/Quentin Richardson/Stanley Robinson
Power Forward: Rashard Lewis/Ryan Anderson/Brandon Bass/Malik Allen
Center: Dwight Howard/Marcin Gortat/Daniel Orton
Though he had his post-retirement moments, Chris Duhon is a big upgrade over Jason Williams as the back-up point. He regressed last season as a sometimes-starter for the Knicks, but his bounce-back is inevitable under a Stan Van Gundy-led system. And while Quentin Richardson has always been a natural 3-point threat and a solid defensive plug-in, I think they'll miss Matt Barnes' general craziness that he brought in certain situations. A Mickael Pietrus/Q-Rich combo isn't exactly a feared defensive tandem on the perimeter. That's one of the reasons that I see them having a slight drop-off this season. They'll still be a premier team bound to get top-4 home court seeding in the East, but all of their competitors made tangible improvements while Orlando went lateral.
Where they could make up that ground on their competitors is simple: Dwight. He shot a career high 61.2% from the floor last season, but he needs to get his scoring back over 20 points every game. As sick as it is to say, it would also be nice for him to up his 13.2 boards he pulled last season. He has the size and unheard-of physique to do it. As a matter of fact, he's already done it with 14.2 rebounds in '08. Basically, he just has to figure out a way to overcome Vince's presence and over-dribbling tendency to make himself a consistent force. I don't care how good the rest of his teammates chuck three-pointers, they're not gonna be anywhere close to a championship squad until Dwight puts at least 25 points on the scoreboard every night. 2004 aside, there needs to be a number one option on any great team, and Dwight needs to be that. You can't have Carter as 1A, Howard as 1B, Rashard Lewis as 1C, and Jameer Nelson as 2. It might go great for the majority of the year, but not when it really means anything.
There's not much of anything else to say about the Magic that isn't redundant of last year's squad. The guy with a surprising new contract, J.J. Redick, will be looking to prove he's valuable enough to possibly shake up the starting line-up at some point this year. He, Pietrus, Richardson, and Lewis will all be firmly planted at the 3-point line awaiting their 17 alloted chucks per game. Ryan Anderson will see if he can still naturally be such a valuable contributor that it's impossible to keep him on the bench. Marcin Gortat will probably force a trade at some point this season because there's honestly no room for him with how Van Gundy wants his team to play 48 minutes a night. Literally, his only usage would come if Dwight went down with a serious injury. And considering the fact that he's played in 489 of a possible 492 career games, that's not gonna happen. All-in-all, I think they wind up getting bitten again by the Celtics. I don't trust Howard or his back-ups enough to be able to overcome Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O'Neal, and Jermaine O'Neal being thrown at him. You gotta hit the free throws from those 24 fouls being dedicated to taking you out of the game, and that's something Howard hasn't proven he can do yet. Shaq got away with it in his prime because he was already putting in over 27 points and had Kobe to clean up the rest. And that's my motto for the Orlando Magic in 2011: Vince Carter is not Kobe Bryant.
Prediction
Regular Season: 56-26
Playoffs: Eliminated in Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
... and do the John Wall.
2010-2011 New York Knicks
The goal for the Knicks this season is to attempt to not be a joke. That's all. Who cares about the playoffs? Just get off the late night monologues.
2010-2011 New York Knicks
Point Guard: Raymond Felton/Toney Douglas
Shooting Guard: Kelenna Azubuike/Roger Mason
Small Forward: Danilo Gallinari/Wilson Chandler/Bill Walker
Power Forward: Anthony Randolph/Ronny Turiaf
Center: Amare Stoudemire/Timofey Mozgov/Eddy Curry
Obviously the big addition is Amare Stoudemire, but the Knicks literally got rid of everybody on the team besides Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Bill Walker, and Eddy Curry's dead body. That's a crazy overturn, but warranted due to the Knicks' glorious state of sucktitude for the last 150 years. I absolutely love Raymond Felton as this team's fake Steve Nash waaay more than Chris Duhon or Sergio Rodriguez. Released from Larry Brown's general plodding-ness, Felton can potentially kill it as a tempo-pushing, pick-and-roll lead guard from day one even if he happens to be turnover prone. He sure isn't half the shooter of Nash, but he's got the speed, athleticism, and general unselfishness to still make it work.
Because of Richard Jefferson's underachieving self, Roger Mason fell off drastically last season for the San Antonio Spurs, but I still really like him lining up on the three point line next to Azubuike and Gallinari. Every single one of those guys can shoot absolute lights out; they've had 3-point shooting seasons of 42.1%, 44.8%, and 44.4%, respectively. Pretty sweet stuff. With D'Antoni's reputation of instilling a crappy revolutionary run-and-gun offense, all these shooters should be able to chuck plenty of opportunities. Just ask Quentin Richardson's previous NBA contract. (This is a failed joke; he signed his 6-year, $43.5 million contract in 2004 to play with D'Antoni and the Suns. But the premise was well-intentioned, so I'll leave it there with a self-enforced wrist-slapping reprimand.)
The complete unknowns here are how Anthony Randolph is going to respond to a prominent role. Will the increased minutes prove him as the next Lamar Odom-like anti-prototype power forward or will it expose him as an inefficient free-ranging lanky guy with no distinct position? If Randolph can flourish, then pairing him with Amare is an elite offensive frontline only cemented by Ronny Turiaf's relentless junkyard work and Timofey Mozgov's whatever-Timofey-Mozgov-brings. History would like to force me into believing that this team will absolutely blow on the defensive side of the ball ... and I guess I gotta just go with it. They definitely have the potential to be a gritty squad to compliment their guaranteed offensive proficiency, but when your coach mandates that you never box out or get into an elementary school summer camp defensive stance, I'll just give up on that hope. So I say all that to say this ... I will be completely baffled if the Knicks are unable to make it to the playoffs with this squad. Sure, they'll guaranteed to fizzle out in the first round since every other Eastern team actually guards people and pointless crap like that, but they have way too much talent to not break their 6-year playoff drought.
Prediction
Regular Season: 43-39
Playoffs: Eliminated in First Round
... and do the John Wall.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Private Affair
Funny that the only picture of Trae and Lupe I could find had the last "Favors" features ...
Trae - Bad Don't Seem So Wrong (feat. Lupe Fiasco)
CunninLynguists - Nothing to Give
... and do the John Wall.
2010-2011 Chicago Bulls
So the Bulls missed out on LeBron ... boo hoo. They'll prolly have a better team with this ridiculously balanced squad than they would have with LBJ and scraps. Shoot, they got four different high-quality ball players from the salary they would have hypothetically used on James. And you already have Derrick Rose, so I wouldn't technically want somebody to stunt his development by taking the ball out of his hands for 80% of every possession. So regardless of how much Bulls fans wanted an MJ 2.0, they'll just have to get over it and enjoy this incarnation of a contender. The miserable days of Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler are long gone ...
2010-2011 Chicago Bulls
Point Guard: Derrick Rose/C.J. Watson
Shooting Guard: Ronnie Brewer/Keith Bogans
Small Forward: Luol Deng/Kyle Korver/James Johnson
Power Forward: Carlos Boozer/Taj Gibson
Center: Joakim Noah/Kurt Thomas/Omer Asik
This team's gonna be a lockdown defensive squad with Tom Thibodeau at the helm with a full complement of defensive workhorses like C.J. Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Keith Bogans, and Joakim Noah. Plus they have some outside shooting which was completely nonexistent last season. Headlined by all-world shooter Kyle Korver, Bogans and Watson can also spot up and knock in their share of threes to go with Rose's improved range. Being mentioned in both of those categories, I really like Watson to have a moderate breakout campaign off the bench to spark the offense as a back-up to Rose (as well as paired with him in a mini-Ben Gordon-like role). That's a backcourt with a lot of explosiveness as both are sick athletes with ability to finish at the rim.
The facet of this team that's completely nuts is the fact that they added three members of last year's Utah Jazz team independently through free agency. Why didn't they just coax Jerry Sloan into coming back as the Bulls head coach again? Boozer was obviously the near-max talent who was the fallback option from acquiring James or Chris Bosh, but Korver and Brewer are equally pivotal. They should all have an essentially seamless transition to figuring out their roles on their new team because ... they'll have the same roles. Booze is the dump down post force who can step out with a ceiling-scraping midrange jumper, Brewer fills the lanes and gets the defensive assignment on the opposing team's best perimeter guy, and Korver runs off screens and spots up at every opportunity. Even better is that they have a similarly elite, big-bodied point guard in Derrick Rose to smooth the switch from Deron Williams. What do they have to get used to besides being on the winning side of the Bulls-Jazz highlight tapes now?
I also love the Kurt Thomas signing. He's been roaming at half speed for the last six years of his career and still been a presence, so what's there to lose? Joakim Noah can hold his ground on the majority of bigs in the league, but he's got Kurt behind him now who's even more of a tree trunk and able to be relied on to make the right decisions on the court in whatever playing time he's provided. So for this Bulls squad in general, you know what you're getting from the new guys. The big question mark is how and where the returning players improve and make their presence felt. Can Luol Deng go through another year of trade rumors every other night and try to stay healthy? Can Noah keep up his newly formed impact game or will he revert to an essentially unproductive scrapper? Can Rose shake off his shaky World Championship outing and continue his meteoric rise to All-Star (or potentially All-NBA) levels? The answers to those questions are gonna be what either relegates the Bulls to 4th-team status in the East or what's gonna make the Miami-Boston-Orlando triumvirate sweat come playoff time. I personally think the Bulls are gonna be absolutely great and one of the most fun teams in the league to watch, but it's still a season or two too early to throw them right in the mix with the other guaranteed NBA elite. They'll bow out to the Heat when they get unfavorably matched up with them in the second round. It's up to Derrick Rose to prove me wrong.
Prediction
Regular Season: 56-26
Playoffs: Eliminated in Eastern Conference Semi-Finals
... and do the John Wall.
2010-2011 Oklahoma City Thunder
2010-2011 Oklahoma City Thunder
Point Guard: Russell Westbrook/Eric Maynor/Royal Ivey
Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha/James Harden/Daequan Cook
Small Forward: Kevin Durant/Morris Peterson
Power Forward: Jeff Green/Nick Collison/D.J. White
Center: Nenad Krstic/Serge Ibaka/Byron Mullens/Cole Aldrich
But we'll still start with Kevin anyways. Durant will be the unquestioned best player in the game in three years. His scoring will only go up and up because his jump shot accuracy, ridiculous range, blow-by ability, and finishing capabilities are getting better by the day. In the way that Kobe managed to score 35 a night on an alright Laker squad pre-Pau, Durant has the capability to put up 38.5 a night on a championship contender. Effortlessly. It's disgusting. Durant'll prolly put up 32 or 33 this upcoming season. His efficiency is unheard of for a perimeter volume shooter and that's why he's able to literally take any and every shot he wants and his teammates continue to know that it was probably the best option. My stupid comparison I like to make is that he's somewhere halfway in-between George Gervin and Larry Bird. But if you think enough about it, it's not stupid at all. Praise my genius.
One of the minor tweaks the Thunder made this season was bringing in two additional shooters in Daequan Cook and Morris Peterson. I don't know how much Peterson has in the tank besides being a high-character veteran, but I definitely believe in the longball proficiency of Cook for the future. There was a stretch in '09 with the Heat where Cook was entrusted with taking every essential 3-pointer in crunch time, which he quite often delivered on. He obviously needs to work out the kinks in his floor game and decision-making, but when you got KD or Westbrook drawing all the attention ... just spot up. It better be automatic at that point. Add that to James Harden's guaranteed improvement and Jeff Green's occasional jumper and you've got some nice options lined up.
The frontline is where the Thunder really lack since Nenad Krstic is only half the player he was when paired with Jason Kidd on the Nets. Serge Ibaka is a promising energy guy whose greatest skill is apparently blocking Pau Gasol, but he definitely needs another dimension to his game before he's a consistent difference maker. Nick Collison wishes he was Kevin Love, but he's just a stiff who boxes out well (but not as good as Love) and can hit a midrange set shot (but not as good as Love). I don't see Mullens or Aldrich seeing the floor or being productive any time soon, so the Thunder's best bet is going with an unconventional line-up and living with either Green or Durant always at the 4 ... which they're perfectly content to doing. I don't know how they plan on adding more talent since the front office is generally opposed to impact trades and they'll no longer have high draft picks, but I still get the feeling that Durant needs one more All-Star level sidekick before they're taken 100% seriously. But I obviously think highly enough of the current roster constitution since I have them jumping from the 8th to the 3rd seed in the West and eventually having their rematch with the Lakers in the Conference Finals. These guys are good. They aren't even in the top half of the league in terms of overall talent, but what they do have is a super-superstar (do I really need to say who?), a freakish sidekick (Westbrook), defenders (Sefolosha, Harden, Ibaka), shooters (Cook, Peterson, Harden), and rebounders (Green, Collison). Sounds like a ball club to me.
Prediction
Regular Season: 56-26
Playoffs: Eliminated in Western Conference Finals
... and do the John Wall.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
2010-2011 Houston Rockets
2010-2011 Houston Rockets
Point Guard: Aaron Brooks/Kyle Lowry
Shooting Guard: Kevin Martin/Courtney Lee
Small Forward: Shane Battier/Chase Budinger/Jared Jeffries
Power Forward: Luis Scola/Chuck Hayes/Patrick Patterson
Center: Yao Ming/Brad Miller
I'm in love with their backcourt. I can admit to thinking Aaron Brooks was a fluke two seasons ago when he almost singlehandedly pushed the Lakers to 7 games in the conference semis, but I'll admit that he's a legit starting NBA lead guard. He's blindingly quick and serious long range threat who made the jump enough to be the league's Most Improved Player. And with team, he's relieved of all pressure due to the fact that he's partnered with Kevin Martin who can score 25 a night while he's texting and drinking coffee in his car from the expressway on the way to the game. They also have the perfect glue guy at the small forward in Shane Battier who's probably the only player in the league who'd be completely content if he never took a shot the whole season. Add to that talent pool Kyle Lowry, an insanely powerful finisher as the back-up point who can produce points out of nothing, and Western Kentucky's own Courtney Lee (even though he's been rumored to be a trade pawn) and you've got yourself a complete set of perimeter guys with a crazy mix of speed, scoring ability, and defensive instincts.
Coming off a FIBA All-Tournament run and with the ink on his second U.S. contract still fresh, I expect this to be the year that Luis Scola cements his NBA status. Sure he's started all 164 games for Houston the last two years and was even an All-NBA Rookie in '08, but how he performs this year alongside Yao will mean more than all of that. Hopefully he'll be able to nudge himself into double-double territory. His confidence has to be sky high right now after killing Andy Varejao and the rest of the Brazilians for 37 points as Argentina's focal point without Manu Ginobili playing for the national squad this summer. With actual expectations on his shoulders this season, he has show and prove. The 16/9/2 stat line was nice last season, but that was on a team that didn't make the playoffs and had no other post threat. This is the real test.
But bringing it all back around, barring a crazy trade for Carmelo or another player of his level, this entire season depends on how much Yao Ming can stay on the floor. It's so easy to forget, but Yao is one of maybe five players in the game that opponents literally have to switch up their entire game plans for. He's not the most nimble or even the most intimidating guy on the floor, but he's a game changer who has the opportunity to score every single time down the floor, making his teammates all that more effective. So ... that leaves me with the conundrum of whether or not I make my prediction assuming Yao is back in full force or destined to fracture another limb and be permanently debilitated. I'm gonna go with the healthy assumption just for the fact that he can afford to take a bunch of minutes off on a nightly basis with the amazing bench mob of Brad Miller, Chuck Hayes, and Patrick Patterson there to spell him. And with that assumption, I have the Rockets skyrocketing from out of the playoffs to challenging the Lakers as the number 2 seed in the West. Their lack of quality playoff advancement bites them in the but though as they lose to the Oklahoma City Durants in the second round. And that's where I stand. Now we'll see if Yao is gonna be able to stand in that same spot without the aid of crutches and a boot.
Prediction
Regular Season: 58-24
Playoffs: Eliminated in Western Conference Semi-Finals
... and do the John Wall.
Sonic in HD
Charles Hamilton - StH2: HD ((The Scroll Of Beethoven And Machiavelli))
Tracklisting:
1. **Sonic*the*Hamilton** walks into
2. CosmicLibraryZone, where he
3. meets a gothic mathematician.
4. He grabs her and runs into The Isle of Sheet Music,
5. where she gets to witness him battle. CosmicLibraryZone {Act 1} Boss ((PsyChik))
6. PsyChik sends a PsyBeam to Sonic, throwing him from CosmicLibraryZone to Spring Yard Zone (Sonic1).
7. [While stuck in PsyChik's PsyBeam, Sonic bumps into Mega Man, causing a moment of tension...]
8. Sonic uses a spring and Ring Power to go from Spring Yard Zone to Oil Ocean Zone, where he fights CosmicLibraryZone Act 2 Boss ((B.P. Gassinit))
9. After defeating B.P. Gassinit, he has an altercation with MegaMan...
10. Sonic uses a spring and Ring Power to go from Spring Yard Zone to Oil Ocean Zone, where he fights CosmicLibraryZone {Act 2} Boss ((B.P. Gassinit))
11. SonicVsMega Man Rounds 1-3 (because Sonic believes Mega Man is Metal Sonic)
12. Near death, he joins forces with Capcom, ending his 17-year relationship with Sega
13. Sonic VS %%Death Egg%%
14. When Sonic closes his eyes to sleep for the night...
... and do the John Wall.
The Blue Lavalamp
Charles Hamilton - The Blue Lavalamp: M/A/T/E (Mirrors are the Enemy)
Tracklisting:
1. Broke Rich B***h
2. John Nintendo
3. Music 2
4. Phanthom Plural
5. Private Parts
6. STFH
7. Voicesagain
8. Yeah Right N***a
... and do the John Wall.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
2010-2011 Boston Celtics
2010-2011 Boston Celtics
Point Guard: Rajon Rondo/Delonte West/Avery Bradley
Shooting Guard: Ray Allen/Nate Robinson/Von Wafer
Small Forward: Paul Pierce/Marquis Daniels
Power Forward: Kevin Garnett/Jermaine O'Neal/Glen Davis
Center: Kendrick Perkins/Shaquille O'Neal
If healthy (if healthy (if healthy (if healthy (IF HEALTHY)))), the Celts have one of the all-time front courts in league history. Between the returning trio of KG, Perkins, and Big Baby plus the additions of the O'Neal brothers-from-other-mothers, there should never be a lay-up that isn't blocked or a rebound that isn't gobbled up. If one of those two things occurs on any of these guys' collective watches, they should be swapped out for their bench mates immediately. Jermaine and Kevin have spent the last decade pairing up against each other in the East vs. West starting line-up with Shaq buddying up with whichever one was in his ever-changing conference at the time. These guys are all capable of putting up monster production on any given night, impacting the game at a dominant level from the paint, and yet they still have the biggest safety net of any frontline in the league even if any of them don't show up. It might even be better that Perk is gonna miss a good chunk of the early going because that gives the O'Neals more minutes to feel out how they're going to fit in with the rest of this former championship collective.
Their guard rotation ain't that shabby either. Though they gave up on longtime Celtic Tony Allen and grandpa Michael Finley, they brought back former Boston draftee Delonte West, drafted potential lead guard stud Avery Bradley, and took a chance on streaky gunner Von Wafer. Delonte is probably the only one of the three who's gonna get quality clock this season, but he naturally gets to slide back in with Pierce, Rondo (his '07 back-up), and Allen (the guy he was traded for). I do think this is the year, though, where Paul Pierce has to relinquish top-dog status to Rondo. Rajon is the future (as well as the current) of this team and everyone needs to be on the same page recognizing that. The tempo, the offensive attack, and the initial line of defense will all be dictated by him. I know that there's a lot of people in the camp that loaded teams don't necessarily need to pinpoint one guy as the man, but I'm not one of those people. Pierce, Allen, Garnett, and Shaq all need to know that this is Rondo's team. That's all.
Bringing it back to the biggest of the big men, I think Shaq can have a solid impact on this team. And I mean way more than he did on the Cavs. When paired with Garnett at his best, you have the ultimate defensive combo of the monstrous anchor and the active help-side shot blocker. Plus they're two of the premier low post passers of their generation. There's no reason they can't emulate a Divac-Webber type intent in their passing game; it's one of the few basketball skills that age shouldn't deter at all. This should help Ray Ray coming off screen, Rondo off back cuts, and even Pierce in iso situations simply because of the threat of it. Shaq's much more suited for a deliberate slow down offense like Doc Rivers implements than he was in the let-LeBron-create-everything offense of Cleveland. On both sides of the floor I expect Shaq to have an impact. You don't have to have that much faith in the legs of the oldest guy in the game today, but I just know that he knows how to play the game. So he'll fit in. Trust me.
At the very worst, this Celtics team looks to be a whole lot more consistent. There were stretches last season where they legitimately looked terrible. They had some downright shameful home losses that set them up for their little-to-no expectations in the playoffs. That's pretty much the only way you can have a championship starting line-up and still have people who are innately surprised when they made it out of the second round. Health will be the annoying redundant keyword all season, but I have them increasing their win total by 7 games (still 9 less than their winning '08 season) and actually beating the Miami Heat to return to their third championship series in the last four years. But guess who they lose to? Deja vu ...
Prediction
Regular Season: 57-25
Playoffs: Eliminated in NBA Finals
... and do the John Wall.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Vizzy Vizzy Vizzy Vizzy
I root for XV. The guy makes really, really good music 85% of the time. Great stuff. And his newest effort even ups the ante as he only has one major miss in the catastrophic "Gettin' Busy". Everything else is great. Even though it never made it onto wax, I did love the fact that he gave my dude brandUn DeShay a winning verse on his "Bruce Lee" contest joint. I've been checking for XV's stuff ever since, even though he had a day-and-a-half squabble with Charles Hamilton. But then again, who hasn't? Vizzy has quite a line-up with him on this one with guest features from Talib Kweli, Mike Posner, Killer Mike, Colin Munroe, GLC, and more plus the production of Seven, Omen, and Woody. That's on some other kind of indie monstrous.
XV - Vizzy Zone
Tracklisting:
1. Theme To Vizzy Zone
2. The Flying V
3. Tunnel Vision
4. Gettin' Bizzy
5. We Zonin'
6. Reset Button (feat. Talib Kweli)
7. Nevermind
8. She Go, I Go (feat. Chiddy Bang)
9. Falling Awake
10. Mirror's Edge (feat. Mike Posner)
11. Vizzy Zone (feat. KiD CuDi)
12. Passport
13. Isn't It Awesome
14. May The Force Be With You (feat. Killer Mike & Mac Miller)
15. Familiar
16. Best Is Yet To Come (feat. Colin Munroe)
17. Ending Credits (Interlude)
18. Talk My S***
19. Mirror's Edge (Remix feat. Bun B, GLC, & Mike Posner)
... and do the John Wall.
Bull$#!@ing
Big Sean - Finally Famous, Vol. 3
Tracklisting:
1. Final Hour
2. Meant To Be
3. What U Doin? (Bull$#!@ing)
4. Money & Sex (feat. Bun B)
5. Five Bucks (5 On It feat. Chip Tha Ripper & Curren$y)
6. High Rise
7. Crazy
8. Home Town
9. Supa Dupa Lemonade
10. My Closet (feat. Sayitainttone)
11. Too Fake (feat. Chiddy)
12. Fuck My Opponent (feat. Tyga)
13. Made (feat. Drake)
14. Ambiguous (feat. Mike Posner)
15. Love Song (feat. Saui)
16. Memories
17. Glenwood (feat. Kanye West)
... and do the John Wall.
Not YAOWA
Joell Ortiz - Farewell Summer
Tracklisting:
1. Intro
2. Murder (prod. Statik Selektah)
3. Battle Cry (prod. The Audible Doctor)
4. Sing Like Bilal (Remix feat. Sheek Louch) (prod. DJ Premier)
5. So Wrong (feat. Talib Kweli, Brother Ali & Jean Grae) (prod. Frank Dukes)
6. Farewell Summer (prod. Don Cannon)
... and do the John Wall.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
2010-2011 Los Angeles Lakers
That's gonna be my opening paragraph in a post about nine months from now.
2010-2011 Los Angeles Lakers
Point Guard: Derek Fisher/Steve Blake
Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant/Shannon Brown/Sasha Vujacic
Small Forward: Ron Artest/Matt Barnes/Luke Walton
Power Forward: Pau Gasol/Lamar Odom/Derrick Caracter
Center: Andrew Bynum/Theo Ratliff
You think the Lakers got rougher last year when they signed Ron-Ron? Please. Matt Barnes and Steve Blake are twice as nasty as the Tru Warrior. I've always thought Barnes was simply a punk. That's all. But he did regularly seem to get under Kobe's skin in a way that made him take terribly forced shots to try to prove a point. I'll just be glad that he'll be implementing his crap tactics on other players this year, spelling Artest as his bench mob counterpart. And in the weirdest of all weirdness, Blake seemed to contain Kobe somehow even better. I, no joke, think he was the best one-on-one defender specifically on KB24 last year. I don't know what it is about the diminutive white guy besides the fact that he isn't intimidated by anyone. Ever.
The crazy thing about this Lakers squad is the roster consistency that they've been able to maintain over their last three years of NBA Finals visits. The one and only roster shift of last year was swapping Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest and the only shift this year is swapping Jordan Farmar for Steve Blake and finding out how to split the back-up wing minutes between Barnes and re-signed Shannon Brown. That's it; no other rotation player has changed at all. This extended familiarity with the triangle offense between Bryant, Fisher, Odom, Bynum, Pau, and Walton make this team more and more formidable and well-oiled on a yearly basis. Everyone is only getting more efficient (if you excuse Derek's age and Walton's paralyzing back problems). That's why I, and every major analyst personality, have no fears in the blending of Blake and Barnes with last year's champs. All of the major ball-dominators responsible for implementing the offense every possession are already in place and understand their roles perfectly. This cuts down the burden on the new guys to a minimum of knowing where to spot up and getting out on fast break opportunities. All the off-ball movements will come naturally with time.
What I'm getting at is this team is the exact same as they were last year ... with bench upgrades. If Theo Ratliff has literally anything left in his shot-blocking tank then even he's an upgrade. The rookies aren't going to be responsible for any production as of yet and every single position has a starter-worthy back-up in case of foul trouble, style match-ups, or even extended injuries. It's that simple. This year's team will be better than any of the Laker squads that went to the Finals in the last three seasons. So why shouldn't they win it all again? I don't even think the Heat are going to make the Finals this season, so I'm definitely prematurely re-handing the Championship trophy back to the guys already holding it.
There are a few potential worries, but they're already accounted for. Fisher's age? Blake is completely capable of backing him up for extended minutes or even taking over the starting slot if the torch needs to be passed. Artest's (Laker) sophomore slump? He honestly wasn't a major key to the offense for any extended period of last season at all, so he can only get more comfortable and effective in the offense in his second year. His high this season was only 22 points in a game, doubling his average. His defense and effort are incapable of falling off, so what's going to be the on-court problem? Kobe's decline? Kobe's not declining. Did you actually watch the playoffs? 29-6-6 in the postseason after he didn't even look to intently score for most of the first round series. He's the best player in the game. Bynum's injury-plagued history? The Lakers are used to not having him for half the season now. He plays like an absolute monster whenever he's on the floor without Pau, but he regresses when paired with the Spaniard and not given all the same touches. But who really needs someone else to be effective in the post when Gasol's on the floor? Everything Bynum provides is essentially a bonus to this insanely talented Laker squad. The only thing he needs to provide consistently is defensive effort.
I don't know what else there is to say. If Sasha regains his self-proclaimed "The Machine" shooting ability ... bonus. If Shannon Brown improves enough to keep his spot in the rotation and provides regular SportsCenter highlights and the occasional three-pointer ... bonus. If Luke Walton shakes his back injury and becomes the perfect director of the second unit ... bonus. If Derrick Caracter is in crazy shape and is frickin' good as a rookie that he leaps ahead of Ratliff in the rotation ... bonus. If Lamar Odom magically becomes consistent ... well that's never gonna happen, so forget it.
Prediction
Regular Season: 62-20
Playoffs: NBA Champions
... and do the John Wall.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
2009 Recruits in Retrospect
Let's start with Derrick Favors. Raw numbers: 12.4 points on 61% shooting, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 27.5 minutes. His best performance was a 21/11 double-double in a close loss against the world champion Duke Blue Devils near the end of the season. He was distinctively option 1B to Gani Lawal's 1A on Georgia Tech. They combined to form a sizable front court tandem, thus somewhat explaining their extremely similar, neutralized statistical output. He was picked third in the NBA Draft by the 76ers.
Next is John Wall. All he did was become the Rupp National Player of the Year, a 1st Team All-American, the SEC Player of the Year, and the Freshman of the Year (from 5 different associations. Oh ... and become the top pick in the NBA Draft by the Wizards. That's all. Raw numbers: 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals in 34.8 minutes. He dominated the UK offensive attack for nearly the entire game, night in and night out. While it's arguable that Demarcus Cousins may have been the number 1 offensive option for large portions of the game, Wall created the majority of the opportunities for Cousins either directly (assists) or indirectly (adjusted defensive schemes). His top outing was a 22/10/8 near triple-double against Mississippi State in a close SEC win. Let's not fool around ... Wall was the absolute best freshman coming into college basketball. Hands down.
Third is Demarcus Cousins. Raw numbers: 15.1 points on 56% shooting, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 23.5 minutes. Cousins' early award catalog is headlined with him being a Consensus Second-Team All-American, SEC Freshman of the Year, and the fifth pick in the NBA draft by the Kings. His breakout game was a 27/18 monster double-double in the early going against Sam Houston State in only 27 minutes, but his most ferocious and impacting contribution was the 18/18 he rung up on Samardo Samuels and blood rival Louisville in only 26 minutes.
As default judgement electives, I'll use the following comparisons. The Sporting News All-Freshman Team was appropriately headlined by Wall, Cousins, and Favors in addition to Derrick Williams of Arizona and Xavier Henry of Kansas. The freshman drafted into the league went in the order of Wall, Favors, Cousins, Henry, Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley, Daniel Orton, Hassan Whiteside, Lance Stephenson, and Tiny Gallon.
My post-freshman 2009 prospect rankings:
1. John Wall (17/4/7) for Kentucky
2. Demarcus Cousins (15/10/1) for Kentucky
3. Derrick Favors (12/8/1) for Georgia Tech
4. Xavier Henry (13/4/2) for Kansas
5. Eric Bledsoe (11/3/3) for Kentucky
6. Avery Bradley (12/3/2) for Texas
7. Kenny Boynton (14/3/3) for Florida
8. Hassan Whiteside (13/9/0) for Marshall
9. Lance Stephenson (12/5/3) for Cincinnati
10. Tiny Gallon (10/8/1) for Oklahoma State
Of course, hindsight is always (enter cliche here), but I'm going to be judgmental anyway. The winner in the rankings system? Rivals. They had Wall, Cousins, Favors as their 1/2/3 while also ranking Bledsoe the highest of any site at #23. The loser? ESPN. They went with Bradley, Favors, and Henry as their top three, relegating Demarcus and John to mop-up duty at 4 and 5. Plus ESPN left Bledsoe off of their rankings altogether. The big strikeout, unless he breaks out during the remainder of his college career, is John Henson, who was relegated to 5 points per game in his debut NCAA season. And while Henson was getting all the top-10 love, Hassan Whiteside is now signing his NBA contract papers even though he was a forgotten commodity ranked #87 by Rivals and unranked by both Scout and ESPN. That's probably why he was stuck at Marshall while every other one-and-done was getting TV time playing for a premier program. But, honestly, for all we know ... Renardo Sidney may be the best out of everybody. Ha.
This is only a one-year-later judgement, though. This last season of basketball isn't the end-all, be-all of their careers. Going back to the earlier comparison, John Henson may very well be a strong player in the pros seven years down the road while Hassan Whiteside is forced into D-League obscurity. Only time will tell the whole story. But the big lesson I'm trying to get at is this: ESPN's high school rankings blow. I don't care if he has a championship ring, Mason Plumlee and his dumbly clumsy 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds were not the #10 prospect last year. That's all. Oh, and don't freak out that Michael Gilchrist may have fallen allll the way down to number five in the Scout rankings. If our very own world-dominator John Wall can sport an undeserved #5 ranking on his chest, I'm sure Gilchrist can manage and still be a killer, too.
... and do the John Wall.
CH + H2 Part Deux
I'll update if a clean quality version appears ...
Charles Hamilton & DJ Halo - Starchaser Radio
Tracklisting:
1. GemStars
2. Unattractive Genius Club
3. The Battle of SonSon
4. Sweet Sixteen
5. Space Brothers
6. Starry Void
7. Titty-Tubbie
8. Addition Fire
9. World Conquest
10. Snake Eyes
... and do the John Wall.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Bun B vs. Drake
The two first got together on wax over So Far Gone's Boi-1da banger "Uptown". Of course, Bun happened to only be tagging along as the third wheel of the 87th Drake/Wayne collabo. After that, Daddy must've recognized that his children were playing nice together because Birdman reprised their collective combo in the song "Mo Milli" (produced by ... Boi-1da) for his Pricele$$ album. Bun B took the initiative from there and kept Drake on two additional (guess who ...) Boi-1da beats for his new Trill O.G. album. I guess that double take made up for Drake only letting Bun have a half-bar ad-lib on "Miss Me" instead of fully recreating the Drake/Bun/Wayne triumvirate. And to finish it all off in historic style, Drake's most recently made an appearance on Pimp C's posthumous album, The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones, on the Bun-approved UGK joint "What Up". I don't exactly know why the two hit it off as great as they did, but obviously the music is there to prove there's a legitimate respect between the two hip hop giants.
2009
Drake - Uptown (feat. Bun B & Lil' Wayne)
Birdman - Mo Milli (feat. Drake & Bun B)
Bun B - It's Been a Pleasure (feat. Drake)
2010
Bun B - Put It Down (feat. Drake)
UGK - What Up (feat. Drake)
Bonus: Drake - Miss Me (feat. Lil' Wayne)
... and do the John Wall.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
UnRemixed
So it's not a new song ... but it's a new song. I took all the guest verses from the Charlie Hilton remixed "Hold On" joint and queued them up with the original instrumental by me and my dude Steven. Then I sprinkled in a little spoken word piece on the intro by nationals-ranking UT poet Calvin Smith. And I really like how it came out. The Hilton version is still the original monster, but this is a crazy nice alternative for the fans of my debut album. Even though it's no longer on iTunes. *Sad face*
Chris Campbell - Hold On (UnRemixed feat. Calvin Smith, brandUn DeShay, LaVish, Mike Dreams, Chris Barz, & Steven Gilpin)
And you may also notice from the little album art attached with it ... I have a new project in the works. It's called KOBE! and there ya go. Don't expect it until next year, though. It's gonna be my sophomore album that I'll go 100% independent with and print up hard copies from the start. I'll prolly be bothering all my collaborating emcee friends from the "Hold On" joint to see if they'll come through with solo features on brand new tracks. Hopefully I didn't get on their nerves too much with this last song. Ha.
... and do the John Wall.
WiCHes
Charles Hamilton - WiCH: Where is Charles Hamilton?
Tracklisting:
1. Tracking for Charles Hamilton
2. Two-Week Notice Type Sh1t
3. Hold My Calls
4. Tetris on an iPod
5. The Outward Appearance
6. Bud Dwyer, Remastured
7. Mobile Poetry
8. A Song for Ms. Sturies
9. 3 PM
10. Larry King Live
11. The Big Log-Off (Esc)
... and do the John Wall.
The Big Odd Octubree Log-Off
brandUn DeShay - Odd Octubree (feat. Tyler, The Creator, Casey Veggies, & MF Doom)
Charles Hamilton - The Big Log-Off (Esc.)
... and do the John Wall.
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