"Oh yes I love her like Egyptian
Want a description? Her body's sickenin'
I can be her prescription, I can be her physician
Sexual healing, I can be her religion ..."
-Lil' Wayne from "PMW (P****, Money, Weed)" in 2007
"Oh yes I love her like Egyptian
Want a description? My royal highness
So many plusses when I bust that there can’t be no minus ..."
-Andre 3000 from OutKast's "Jazzy Belle" in 1996
Jim Jonsin pretty much just sped up the entire song and added a raped-fire drum track (sounds like me) over "Jazzy Belle" for the beat to Wayne's "PMW". And Weezy F. Baby took that and ran with it, starting each of his verses with "oh yes I love her like ..." and that's a good enough tribute to me. Wayne knows who broke the doors open for southern rappers to have a viable presence in hip hop at all, much less sell a milli and be all over the radio and video channels.
... and Free Enes.
Showing posts with label Lil' Wayne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lil' Wayne. Show all posts
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Weezy: Ode to 3000
Monday, October 18, 2010
Kanye vs. T-Pain
Though their early careers couldn't have been any more independent from one another, their unrelenting commercial stardom caused the crossing of paths. Now everyone can attach them effortlessly with the single degree of autotune usage. Simple enough. The first collaboration was gifted to us by Ye relieving Yung Joc of his "Buy U a Drank" rapping duties. Then when Graduation and Thr33 Ringz made their hyped releases, of course both men had to obligingly feature on each others' tapes. Understanding the resulting formula was a monster, DJ Khaled, GLC, and Rick Ross all managed to get the vocally adjusted duo on board for some tracks together before Pain went on his recent self-imposed exile. Who knows what the future holds for the two working together, but Kanye was adamant about making sure the world knew Teddy was a genius in his recording process, so the respect should always be there ... unless Pain's post-"D.O.A." Jigga shots muddied up the waters a little.
2007
T-Pain - Buy U a Drank (Remix feat. Kanye West, UGK, & Trey Songz)
Kanye West - Good Life (feat. T-Pain)
2008
T-Pain - Therapy (feat. Kanye West)
DJ Khaled - Go Hard (feat. T-Pain & Kanye West)
2009
GLC - Flight School (feat. T-Pain & Kanye West)
Rick Ross - Maybach Music 2 (feat. T-Pain, Kanye West, & Lil' Wayne)
... and do the John Wall.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Comeback #7: Take Your Corn on the Cob
Even though Devin the Dude is notoriously redundant, he's always got some super slick joint that creeps its way into the forefront conscious for hip hop heads. In 2007, that song was "What a Job". Off of his Waitin' to Inhale LP, this joint (no pun) was hailed as an instant classic by any and everyone in the know. While the initial breakthrough of this project was the Weezy and Bun B-featured "Lil' Girl Gone", it was quickly usurped by "What a Job" and two other legends who joined the Dude to lend their vocal prowess. It had the jagged off-key crooning sample laced in the easy riding beat, a smooth Devin chorus singing about (of course) the substances needed to get through the night of recording, one of the few recent inspired Snoop verses, and the already-assumed genius of a closing verse tinged with a couple falsetto bars by Dre. Plus it didn't hurt to bring together Los Angeles with Houston with Atlanta for creative hip hop's sake.
Devin the Dude - What a Job (feat. Snoop Dogg & Andre 3000)
We work nights, we some vampires
Aggins gather round the beat like a campfire
Sangin' folk songs, but not no Kumbaya my Lord
You download it for free, we get charged back for it
I know you're saying, they won't know, they won't miss it
Besides, I ain't a thief, they won't pay me a visit
So if I come to your job, take your corn on the cob
And take a couple kernels off it that would be alright with you
Hell no! Yeah, exactamundo
But we just keep recordin' and it ain't to get no condo
And Candy Bentley, fanny with no panties in Miami
And that cute lil' chick named Tammy that you took to the Grammys
See we do it for that boy that graduated
That look you in yo eyes real tough and say 'preciate it
And that he wouldn'ta made it if it wasn't for your CD number 9
And he's standing with his baby momma Kiki and she cryin' talkinbout
That they used to get high to me in high school
And they used to make love to me in college
Then they told me 'bout they first date, listenin' to my tunes
And how he, like to finger nail polish
I say hate to cut you off but I gotta go
I wish you could tell me mo', but I'm off to the studio, gotta write tonight
Hey, can you put us in your raps? I don't see why not
Devin, it's the Dude, you gon' probably hear him talking 'bout ...
I guess the key is that you're only able to not sound like a douchebag while complaining about illegal downloading if you sing about it and metaphorically compare it to corn kernels. Bingo. And who else could talk about some fans he encountered and how they wanted to randomly be dropped in his song ... thereby officially being randomly (yet seamlessly) dropped in his song! And then there's the implementation of different flows and shock bars that turn out to just be about ... nail polish. Crazy stuff. 3000 stays unblemished on his slow-rolling comeback tour.
... and Free Enes.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
G.O.O.D Music Cypher
Somehow the BET Awards outdid themselves on this year's incarnation of the Cypher series. No one else in the world, nor I, thought they could one-up the Mos Def/Black Thought/Eminem viciousness, but they did. I'm gonna start by going in on the world renowned G.O.O.D. Music cypher. BET definitely owes Kanye big for wanting to push his collective through their channel's otherwise crappy award show. And just to add a little flavor, I'll rank the performances of the emcees in each one.
Kanye West - Cypher 2010 #5 (feat. Pusha T, Big Sean, CyHi Da Prynce, & Common)
5. Common - Sorry, OG. The sucky thing is that I thought he performed an insanely great verse for seeming to be out of his element amongst these youngsters. The main thing he gets graded off for is the painful "the incomparable ... remarkable ... articles ..." dictionary reading in the early going. Ugh. But then he picks it up even with a recycled ESPYs bar. He personally struck a chord with the hardest with the "cold to myself" line. He ended it as strongly as possible "Requested from the the years I invested/Arrested, developed, addressed it, enveloped/the body of the black party from Farley to Bob Marley/Go home or go hard, at home is life hardly."
4. Pusha T - He did all he could, throwing around effortlessly smooth movie references (Book of Eli, Street Car Named Desire, Jerry McGuire) as well as slickly fluid song weavings of Bone Thugs, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and even his new label head. But the competition was just that sick. He kinda left it hanging though without that one stand-out punchline that cypher audiences so sickly crave. And it also doesn't help that he was the first to be introduced and everyone else after was able to eclipse him. Newbies first, I guess. "With good company, and better jewelers/to the good life, we G.O.O.D. Music ..."
3. Big Sean - Even though I wholeheartedly disagree with his LeBron-related championship ring prediction, Big Sean killed it as Pusha's follow-up. At that point, I was feeling like Sean was going to go down as the champ, hands down. That's how dope this cypher event was. He even through in a little change-of-pace on his goofy motorboating line, and that's especially notable because Sean is famous for never switching up his flow ever. Add that into his shock "wet dream" opening, his sick banana clips/guerrilla warfare line, admitting he watched last year's cyphers on his couch, and his Mercedes 700 CLK nastiness and you got yourself some pre-debut album hype "I'm Big L, Notorious, Big Pun/Shawn Carter, Sean Combs, and Connery all in one/Whoever told you sky is the limit is lookin' dumb/Cuz I'm 22 and I'm moonwalkin' on the sun."
2. CyHi Da Prynce - While he started off a little too simple with the bread/Quiznos line, he destroyed every bar from there out. Major ups for referencing himself as "MJ with the big nose", making a dually hilarious hanky/lanky rhymed, the "can't bleep it out" genitalia line, and the run-off of eight straight bars of rhymes starting with "flexible" and ending with "federal". Intrinsic rhymers, take notes. This was as big a coming-out party as you could get for a slick street spitter like CyHi. I'm sure 80% of the audience had never heard of him before. Mission accomplished. "Let me stop it, I forgot this was a big show/If bein' dope made ya broke, I am piss po'/I'm Big Poppa plus I'm 2Pacalypto/My mind is a weapon, what I need to pop a clip fo'?"
1. Kanye West - Could it be anyone else? Even though he cheated by spitting a freestyled intro and a sick closing verse (assumingly one from his new album). Just focusing on his closer ... it was perfect. There's not a guy who can put together such relatable and sick sounding bars like Kanye does so consistently. I don't know if it's because he has such gifted lyricists around him again such as Mos Def and Pusha replacing slackers like Jeezy and Wayne, but whatever it is happens to be working. He sets up the sickest childhood metaphor to his life remarking on him being an only child lost in the world, asking where the lonely kids go when the bell rings, and saying if he didn't have ends then he wouldn't have as many imaginary friends. His deeply thought reflection as well as vocal inflection play up the performance to an unimaginable degree. It's not the normal cypher braggadocio, but it definitely is Kanye West. And there's nothing out at the current moment better than that. "Fresh air, rollin' down the window/Too many Erkels on your team that's why your wins low (Winslow)/I sold my soul to the devil, that's a crappy deal/Least it came with a few toys like a happy meal."
... and Free Enes.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
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.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Wayne vs. Em
2009
Drake - Forever (feat. Kanye West, Lil' Wayne, & Eminem)
Lil' Wayne - Drop the World (feat. Eminem)
2010
Eminem - No Love (feat. Lil' Wayne)
The first one was LeBron's fault. Isn't everything? Forming Voltron with Drake and Kanye, the newly minted quartet created the smash hit "Forever" for LBJ's More Than a Game movie. Everybody got free range on their verse to make their stand as the emcee who would deserve bragging rights over the other, though all were pretty much guaranteed to dominate the airwaves concurrently as much as they pleased. Eminem was easily the biggest winner as he freed himself from his Encore and Relapse ruts for the first time by double-timing his flow and coming off as aggressive as ever. Beyond that, this track was pedestal for the next two Em/Wayne tracks to take place on their respective upcoming albums.
Even though everyone pretty much pretends that Wayne's Rebirth rock album was never even released at all, it did have its one saving grace in the form of "Drop the World". With its general epicness and glorified duality between the types of spitting going on between the world class rhymers, it was the one joint thrown into the album that wasn't a forced failure at a new age genre buster. And while this effort was the resounding street single that was playing as Wayne was being ushered into his resident jailhouse, he left the world one more smash collaboration that was kept secret for a little while longer. With Eminem finally back honed in on his true sound, the album Recovery quickly formed. Guess who the sole guest rapper allowed to borrow a verse from Em's stream of consciousness was. Weezy on the Just Blaze banger "No Love" (which hilariously samples Haddaway's "What is Love").
... and do the John Wall.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Til Erybody Know My Name
The third Christmas mixtape is from DC newcomer Chris Barz. And like fellow DMV representer Wale, Chris has the backing of the amazing Best Kept Secret production team. And neither Chris nor BKS disappoint.
The final track on this project is "When the Stars Come Out", which is a song that I hailed as an instant classic on my very first listen. And the subsequent spins haven't changed that one bit. I even got to catch up with his impressive EP entitled Do You Know Him?. All that was left after that was to wait for his proper release with some assistance from singer Jesse Boykins III (a frequent Mickey Factz collaborator) and Tabi Bonney (he of "Put It in the Pocket" fame).
Chris Barz -
Class[Sickz] Out the Dark
With a free-associating rhyming style and gravelly voice, Chris Barz will inevitably draw comparisons to Lil' Wayne upon first listen. That's neither to his betterment nor detriment, though. He easily distinguishes himself through his vast diversity in attacking the lush instrumentation of his BKS beats. Whether it's the ATCQ-influenced "House Party", the self-doubting and guidance-seeking poetic interlude of "Letter to God", the story-rapping about an inter-career relationship spanning between "Dreamers" and "Dreamers Part II", or the uplifting head-knodder of "Fall (Keep Movin')", Chris keeps you on your feet from track-to-track. He has the natural blend of lighter braggadocio lines mixed amongst the topical tracks that go deeper and can delve linguistically more complex into organic poetry-type rapping. You can't judge this project from any single song itself as it prospectively broadens with each new track. Here's hoping for his continued success with this and all future projects as he keeps spitting dopeness. And maybe even if he possibly jumps on the "Hold On (Remix)". Ha.
And on a final note, I cannot stress to you how greatly this album is produced. Chris made a perfect choice is going over mostly all Best Kept Secret joints. Between this project and helming Wale's The Mixtape About Nothing, I don't know how they haven't taken over more of the rap game. Certain producers can create an epicness about them, and BKS definitely does this.
Tracklist:
1. Hustle Music
2. Mr. Barz, Mr. Barz
3. Wherever We Go (feat. Jesse Boykins III)
4. What's the Definition of a Class[Sickz]?
5. School Ain't Workin' (No Money)
6. Dreamers (feat. Jesse Boykins III)
7. Dreamers Part II - Somethin' Stupid
8. Interlude - Letter to God
9. You Cool
10. House Party
11. OK Baby
12. Til Erybody Know
13. On the Radio (She Crazy feat. Tabi Bonney)
14. Fall (Keep Movin')
15. When the Stars Come Out
... but do take my word for it.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Comeback #5: You'd Think They Hated Tofu
And it wasn't to cease. While Lloyd and Weezy had a monopoly on 106 & Park for like a year with their original incarnation of the Spandau Ballet-sampling "You", Andre decided he could one up everyone's new favorite guest emcee. With (barely any) help from Nas, a remix quickly became an epidemic on the blogosphere. Who knew that he had it in him? He'd just finished getting the streets up out their seats with "Walk It Out" and now he was talking smooth to the ladies outside of Whole Foods.
Lloyd - You (Remix feat. Andre 3000 & Nas)
I said, "What time you get off?"
She said, "When you get me off"
I kinda laughed but it turned into a cough
Cuz I swallowed down the wrong pipe
Whatever that means, you know old people say it so it sounds right
So I'm standin there embarrassed. If we were both in Paris
I would have grabbed her by the waist and kissed her, but
We in the middle of Whole Foods, and those foods
Ain't supposed to beef, but you'd think they hated tofu
Check-in line got rowdy, my vision got cloudy
I started seein circles like some audi
Emblem, I'm hearing them say, come on man
Do this own your own time, get the hell on, man
I walked out. (Hm) I got bout
Half-way to my car when I heard shawty shout
"3000, forgot your credit card. Smart move
And by the way, my little sister loves your cartoon"
Well, here's my name and numb ...
If I ain't the one, lose it, if I am, use it
If a man chooses, and he can, lose it
And he don't, don't take it personal, he might be might be swamped
With makin mozzarella, no, makin worlds bettter
Cheese will come. Believe me, I'm, never focused on the cash
Ask Mel Gibson. Jesus Christ, I'm bout the pass ... ion
How could you not love it? Not only did he prove he was eternally street savvy, he proved he could crush any R&B joint like Luda and Fabo wish they could. But all we had to do now was wait on an almost weekly basis. There was another summer jam waiting in the wings that needed to be twerked from annoyingness to having the renewed dopest emcee in the game on it ...
... but do take my word for it.
Classic: Riot
I'm a Wyclef stan. While on The Score he pretty much just made me laugh with his crazy off-kilter and free barely-rhyming. But I loved it. While Pras was off ... um ... doing whatever he was doing every third verse and Lauryn was redefining the art of intrinsic rhyming, Clef played the role of the court jester who obviously had skills, yet seemed bored with any and all semblance of convention. And once the Fugees split, he's been on an absolute tear ever since in regularly providing his fans with new product.
Wyclef Jean - Riot (feat. Serj Tankian & Sizzla)
He's got six (and soon to be seven) solo albums to go with the two and a half Fugee records. And I proudly own a physical copy of every one of them. His latest offering from '07 was The Carnival, Vol. II and he capitalized on all his amazing music connections with this one. Don't hold me to it, but I'd say Clef's got a better collaborative posse than Wayne, Akon, or any other hip hop artist out there. Besides collaboing with those two titans I just mentioned, do these names mean anything to you: T.I., Shakira, Paul Simon, Mary J. Blige, Chamillionaire, Norah Jones, will.i.am, or Raekwon? That's just this one album ...
But this "Riot" song specifically, that's what kills me. I'm an undercover System of a Down junkie and I think Serj has one of the greatest voices in all of history. And when two musical geniuses come together like this who are 100% different stylistically and still produce a classic product, it makes me very, very happy. It should make you feel like that, too.
... but do take my word for it.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Comeback #4: If Ya Say Real Talk, I Prolly Won't Trust Ya
Then my world was rocked.
I remember first catching this on the once formidable Spine Magazine site. On paper it looked like one of the most random and uncalled-for collaborations ever. Hand-in-hand with that I thought it might even be a blend of an old verse or something. I know Unk is from Atlanta, but would both of the original ATLiens really jump on the most annoying dance track of the summer along with the newest crap NY trend rapper, Jim Jones? Turns out ... yes they would.
Unk - Walk it Out (Remix feat. OutKast & Jim Jones)
Walk it out like a usher
If you say real talk, I prolly won't trust ya
If you want to go to war, the gun's my pleasure
Even Jesus had twelve disciples on the level, trigger, whatever
Peyimmmmp, you don't want nah dayuh Three Thou
I'm like jury duty; you're new to this part of town
Your white tee, well to me, look like a nightgown
Make your momma proud, take that thing two sizes down
Then you'll, look like the man that you are, or what you could be
I can I give a damn bout your car, but then I would be
If it was considered a classic befo the drastic change
In production, when cars were metal instead of plastic
Value, is what I'm talkin bout, take two of these and walk it out
You'll be the reason they chalk it out, you can't be the king in the parkin lot
Forever. Not sayin I'm the best but til they find somethin better
I am here, no fear, write me a letter. Til then
I walk it out, I walk it out, I walk it out, I walk it out
I walk it out, I walk it out, I walk it out ...
Y'all could catch me in the middle of a dead sleep and I'd still know every half syllable of this verse. This song defined high school for me. It was already my favorite dance song for a full year up to that point, but it was cemented as such since this was the very first song that was played once I walked out onto my prom dance floor. And my legs still hurt from those couple minutes of losing it.
But even if you flipped this song off the very millisecond Dre's verse it over to avoid Jimmy's bullish verse, you still had to pay attention to how powerful this joint was. From the opening bar, Andre blew the doors off the feature game from then on out. Lil' Wayne was no longer the sole poster child for when people thought, "you know what ... I really wanna hear _____ go over that song." And while everyone knows the weight was held on the opening, Big Boi still dropped a solid closing verse to wrap up. I walk it out like that last shot of 'gnac at the club ... ain't nothing to mess with, either. So while this was a formality engraving into your skull that OutKast wasn't breaking up, it also served as a statement by the South's G.O.A.T. that he wasn't letting the A-Town become a complete hip hop punchline on his watch in the new millennium. And it wouldn't even remotely stop there.
... but do take my word for it.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Comeback #2: Don't Like What I Write? Shoot Me a Bird
Stop number two on the Andre 3000 tour came due to another leak a little while after "The Mighty O". This song was a modern day super group cut in the vain of "Swagga Like Us" or the newly crowned "Forever". While hip hop history doesn't seem to quite recognize it as such right now because Idlewild is wrongly ignored in general basically, it definitely delivers quality on an insane level. The emcees involved? Andre 3000 and Big Boi, of course, plus Lil' Wayne and Snoop Dogg. That's as close to owning the world that you're gonna get without an NY emcee in the mix.
OutKast - Hollywood Divorce (feat. Lil' Wayne & Snoop Dogg)
What completely blows my mind on this track is that Weezy's verse actually kills. I don't know if 3000 demands such a crazy amount of respect that it brought the best out of Wayne or what, but Weezy usually blows on his big name features. Weirdly, he's also the trivia-worthy link between the two collaborations I just mentioned and this song. Hmmm. Whatever.
After Wayne's dissertation and the following chorus, Dre steps up to bat starting off on a ABC blooper. No one's really a big fan of alphabet rhyming, but he quickly steps it up and lays down a heavily cautionary street tale laced with metaphoric humor that commands your attention. Cuz that's what Three Stacks does. And he doesn't give a flying ... bird.
A is for Adamsville
B is for Bowenhome
C if I give a f*** if you like me. You know I don't
If she ain't got a good head on her leave that ho alone
If she do got some good head on her let her sing a song
D is for what I serve, I don't be on no curb
She ain't no junkie neither, I ain't no dope dealer
But she keep comin back, 3-stacks must be some crack
Put that pipe in her lap, she ain't know how to act
Now that I've got your un-, divided attention I'm
Gonna say this and run, under condition one
Promise me you gon' stack, promise me you gon' ball
Promise me you'll invest three fourths of it all
For what? So your kids, kids, kids can have some cheese
Can't get with it? Get get get get get on your knees
Cuz wealth is the word
Rich is round the corner from the curb
Don't like what I write? Shoot me a bird
Big and Snoop valiantly wrap the second half of the song up with their different perspectives on how they live and deal with the spotlight of Doggy Dogg's hometown. To me, it's a classic. Features or not. Andre produced the song himself, crooned out the hook, and even spoken-worded the outro, so he's in full effect here. And he was bringing the whole rap game with him.
Hollywood divorce. All the fresh styles always start off as a good little hood thing; look at blues, rock, jazz, rap. Not even talkin about music, everything else too. By the time it reach Hollywood, it's over. But it's cool, we just keep it goin and make new ish.
... but do take my word for it.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Snippet #1: Put On?
This is just a super short styled entry I might make a series if I have enough random interesting questions. Nothing like how extensive the Drake post went, though.
Question: How many crazy big features and co-signs can you get without ever hitting mainstream whatsoever?
I mean, I'm sure he's over it by now, but if you ever find out then I think Phonte would like to know. Here's a random assortment of some of dude's musical collaborations on his and their albums:
Kanye West, Lil' Wayne, Drake, will.i.am, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, AZ, Blu, Royce da 5'9", DJ Shadow, Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, DJ Jazzy Jeff
The Alchemist, Buckshot, Consequence, Cormega, CunninLynguists, Elzhi, Hi-Tek, Jean Grae, Kardinall Offishall, Masta Ace, Murs, Rhymefest, Sean Price, Slum Village, Witchdoctor, 88 Keys
A-Trak, Akrobatik, Anthony David, Darien Brockington, DJ Khalil, eMC, Eric Roberson, Evidence, Fakts One, Flying Lotus, Oddissee, Joe Scudda, Kenn Starr, Median, Kev Brown, Supastition, Kidz in the Hall, Playaz Circle, Stat Quo, Jake One, Chaundon, Wordsworth, Skillz, Statik Selektah, Tanya Morgan, Yahzarah, United Soul, 4hero
... but do take my word for it.
Ruining a Good Thing
Question: Is it possible that simply by becoming the "in" thing, that someone could lose all credibility and likability?
That's what I've been struggling with the last few months as a certain former teen-drama star has become the new Lil' Wayne in hip hop. Drake. Right then you either fawned to near fainting, began awkwardly singing "Best I Ever Had", said "that boy's the future", or you all the sudden got a bad taste in your mouth. I happen to now fall in the very last category. When I intro'd dude for the first time on my blog, he was catching stride but not yet even close to a household name. Now he's ... a household name. Somehow his mixtapes completely transformed without ever being touched in my iTunes. Three efforts by an up-and-coming artist, only known to teenage girls as "Wheelchair Jimmy" on Degrassi, used to be overlooked and darn near underground classics. The guy could throw around a metaphor pretty hard and then later came on with a little bit of singing to balance this catchy, well-rounded approach to his music that could possibly hit a target demographic pretty effectively if given the right lane.
Apparently the right lane was a bunch of songs with Lil' Wayne. The tattooed gremlin freak who has been inauspiciously running commercial and internet rap music since a garbage feature on the Destiny's Child comeback single, "Soldier", had a new lil'er bro who he wanted the world to hear. A few featured autotuned moans and poop metaphors later and the entire world now had a face to the future of hip hop! A dying genre was now renewed and the balance of power was settled as insurance just in case Kanye stayed eight-oh-eighting while his heart kept breaking. He had a brand new revolutionary sound that would push rap into the next decade and provide the next generation of dudes a role model and girls a heart throb.
And just what did this new musical savior bring to the game that wasn't being brought before? On his breakthrough street single, "Brand New", he sang in autotune while questioning if any of his sexual advances and techniques were of different quality than his woman's past experiences. It's just what the world needed; a rapper using the T-Pain voice to sing about sex! Oh, but it didn't stop there! How did the prodigy follow up his magnificent foray into the spotlight? He dropped a guest verse on the Young Money posse cut, entitled "Every Girl", in which the chorus is "Cuz we like her, and we like her too ... I wish I could f*** every girl in the world, I wish I could f*** every girl in the world, I wish ..." and he asks the given girl he's met at this party to remind him of her name because he's exceeded his quota of alcoholic beverages, passing the threshold of sobriety, and can't separate her from the multitude of sexual playthings he's met at that given party/club/bar/orgy. I don't know about you, but I think the music industry has sorely been depraved of misogynistic binge-drinking anthems. And with such lyricism that hasn't been seen in ages, I can't wait until the Kidz Bop version has been unleashing to fully tap this song's teaching potential to a broader audience. But Drake wasn't content with simply tearing down these two previously unapproached walls in rap music; he had a third single as a clincher to cement himself in legendary, boundary-destroying hip hop lore forever.
"Best I Ever Had" is his current radio-dominating hit, a groundbreaking love story of a successful man who has an amazing relationship with a woman whom he cares for very much. Their relationship is so well founded that they skip all other antics and get straight to the Fred Flintstone (... bed-rocking). She's so proficient in the acts in which they partake that the man passionately indulges to her that she is "the f***in' best, you the f***in' best, you the f***in' best, you the f***in' best, you the best I ever had." But that's where the plot thickens to a level of unparalleled genius. The woman gets hounded by her best friends because, though the man cares for her deeply, he seems to be eerily unreliable in how much he's actually there to spend quality time with her. And on top of that, there are ... rumors going around. Is it possible? Could he in any sense of humanity actually be unfaithful? A successful entertainer who only shows up for physical favors and could possibly be doing the same with other self-respecting, strong women ... how could that be? And that's when it hits you! Spoiler: This story is not only about the individual woman in verse one! The man tells every woman that he has sexual encounters with that she is the best he has ever had! Do you get it? Oh, the irony. This Drake fellow is on some other level of musical ingenuity that simply cannot be touched or even fathomed by anyone in the game right now. It's quite remarkable. And that's not even speaking of the video he and Kanye dropped for it (which I'll let this parody video explain).
Now let me do my clean up on this smidgen of a column I got going right here. I have no problem with Drake's music. He defined his sound before the radio spins came into play, so I can't exactly call him a sellout as the music that's becoming popular was made prior to everything. Now while he's sonically inseparable from a Trey Songz/Weezy ripoff to me, that's beside the point. I respect his catchy song-constructing ability and the fact that he's taken full advantage of the connects that he's assembled in the industry. He has all the right in the world to become a huge artist and get more money than any other new rapper going. I mean, I still sweat his joint "Successful" with Songz, regardless of everything I just wrote. But what I don't respect is the average unintelligent music fan who puts Drake on a pedestal above anyone else in the game. Do not act as if he's the only emcee out there who can hold a tune. Cee-Lo, Phonte, Andre 3000, Mos Def, and plenty others should burn down your house if you do. Do not act as if dude's spit game is actually that nice. He goes for easy punchlines with an actual, respectable eye-opening line sprinkled in every third verse or so. And while he's going to be getting features on everybody's singles approximately for the next two and a half years, do not claim that he's doing something to change the game, no matter how Jay-Z, Mary J, or Jamie Foxx would tell you differently to coercively promote their personal ventures pending on dude's buzz. My God. I will personally shoot you in the face with a Nurf gun full of appropriately shaped glass shards if you do.
Alright ... I'm done. Go back to humming along with that stupid song on the radio with your idiot bandwagoning friends. You're the reason I can no longer enjoy that stupid So Far Gone mixtape that I used to actually play on repeat. Ugh.
... but do take my word for it. iTunes Drake "Best I Ever Had" link
Sunday, July 26, 2009
True Story, My Closet is Like Two Stories
Now for the official record, Rick Ross bores me to tears. I don't care that he's the most ridiculously stagnant coke rapper in the industry or that he's 500 pounds and dirty while trying to pass himself off as a desirable dude. I don't even care that his punchlines are more stale than Monica Lewinsky joke two presidents later. And even after that I don't care that he was a correctional officer before he was a fake drug pin. I don't like him simply because of that fugly chain he wears of himself. I mean, majority of his music does suck pretty bad since he frickin' has only one emotion as the pseudo-suave cocaine-selling lady-wrangler. That's true, too. Whichever aspect of his fake life it is that you dislike him for is irrelevant however when listening to one of the incarnations of "Maybach Music".
You know what? I think I'd want Ross to executive produce my album. He picks exactly half the production & exactly half the guest features. Then he gets kicked out the studio. I can't let him mess anything up after that.
Rick Ross -
Monday, June 22, 2009
New Bobby
I've been waiting for this mixtape.
Bobby Ray -
B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray
You should know that Bobby music is essential to me. But I just gotta say thank ya Jeebus for B.o.B's camp coming through with the "No DJ version" immediately. Artistic music needs to be released artistically. Gucci and Wayne and Khaled can keep their drops cuz there ain't nothing to miss. But on stuff I listen to, if it ain't DJ A-Mack then I ain't having it.
But anyways ... while most alter-ego records (see "T.I. vs. T.I.P." & "I Am ... Sasha Fierce") lack any real purpose or execution, Bobby has the talent and variety in his sound to deliver. You got that down south B.o.B soul food next to that rock-tinged singing Bobby Ray record. There's a difference. And both are entertaining. Cop it. Still listening through as many times as I can to catch my favorite joints. Only time you'll ever hear me big up an OJ Da Juiceman track ("I Am the Man"), though. You can write that down. For certain.
... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Lust for Life
Who knows if they're samples or Charlie re-did the Drake beat. I mean ... I could prolly just ask him ... but I haven't written an entry the whole summer, so that shows you how lazy I've been. Either way, they're both fire. I wrote up a piece on Drake awhile back and since then he's legitimately exploded on the scene. Just saw him the other night with Jamie Foxx on the new Conan Tonight Show (which I'm extremely impressed with so far). But you know what ... I ain't really feeling Drake anymore.
Drake - Lust for Life
Charlie Hilton - Smart to Talk to God (feat. brandUn DeShay)
I know it's blasphemous to say nowadays since he's still publicly brand new, but all the adoration surrounding him bores me. His music is definitely welcomed by me on the radio; I'm all for that. But people are talking foolish now that he's the best out like he's doing anything different than anyone else ... which he's not. He's got his own thing going, but he isn't pushing any boundaries (good or bad) that haven't already been pushed by Phonte, Lil' Wayne, or Trey Songz. He's nice, but ain't that nice.
But who cares. Both these tracks are nice.
... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Real Respect
I couldn't believe it when I first saw it. Mos Def is off on MF Doom like none other. This video is absolutely classic material. Mos spits the masked man's bars like something else. Please watch this. It might double up your respect for both emcees. And Lil' Wayne better watch out if Doom ever picks up on the challenge that's thrown out there.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Expectations
This pretty much goes hand-in-hand with the previous Kanye post, but I've been thinking recently about what people expect from the rappers they listen to. I think that's mainly where hip hop gets its bad rap. Hmmm ...
Why would I listen to Young Jeezy unless I was in the mood to hear nursery rhyme paraphrasing from a self-proclaimed non-rapper? Why would I listen to 50 Cent unless I want to hear him going at another hip hop figure with more talent than him, threatening to murder his siblings, household pets, and the family doctor's entire patient list? I mean, the easy counter to that point is the fact that thugged-out mother goose rap is forced down our throats as the majority representation on any urban or pop radio station. Even worse on your frequent offender TV music video channels.
But that's pretty much a moot point in that radio-intended music moves the most numbers, in turn receiving the most promotion, and furthering the watered down intentions of many musicians to cease creativity and fit in a radio-friendly brand. But for the most part, I've solved that issue in my life. It's two things mainly:
1) equipping your internet's "favorites" bar
2) having a transportable car setup for your iPod
I should write a self-help book. Goodness. I see all these rapper interviews all over the place and the most retarded question ever (and one that is always asked) is what they think about the state of hip hop. Everyone asks questions they already know. Do you really need Obama to tell you during the Stat of the Union that the economy is on par with a Lil' Wayne toilet metaphor? Radio sucks and the underground scene is whiny. What other insight do you think they have that everyone else hasn't already said? But even with all of that, there's still about a hundred dead nice emcees, vets and newcomers alike, who consistently make dope music. It's that simple.
Who are you listening to? What blogs are you hitting up? Do you leave comments in support of quality artists? Do you big up rappers on their MySpace pages? You ever try to contact an indie-type artist you actually enjoy? Too many people straight complain on end like their cries for revolt will change the music industry. But it won't. Any machine driven strictly by money will remain corrupted. But individual souls aren't corrupted.
I control the playlist on my headphones. I cop the albums I think are worth my money. I bothered brandUn DeShay and Praverb enough until they musically hooked up with me. That's what I can control.
If Lil' Boosie comes on, I expect a chalk board-pitched spelling marathon. If Lil' Wayne comes on, I expect a dope line or two sprinkled in with ish jokes and autotuned moaning while people sweat it regardless. But I'll tell you what I don't expect. I don't expect to bump Gucci Mane or Jim Jones or Birdman or a multitude of others and actually feel a passion for quality, fulfilling music through their sounds.
So lastly, I ask you ... what did you ever expect from anyone?
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