Where have I been?

Answer. I've been getting on with my life. I do go to college and I do other things besides surf the other blogs and analyze music all day. It's finals week right now and with that, work, and all of my other ventures it's been hard to review anything. Also, nothing out right now has interested me in the least. You can expect me to put out something in the new year. You guys can also send me emails and leave me comments on issues as well. I'm still on break. See you next year and stop bothering me!!!

Jay-Z: Blueprint 3

This my friends in another one for every music lovers collection. Notice I said music lover. But Neil, this is a hip-hop blog. What would you include other genres? Is the album that good? Should I recommend it to my goth friends and video game geeks? Should I play it for my god awful Britney Spears followers? In a word....HELL YEA!!



I just put the commercial in because it kicks ass. Also, if you have absolutely no idea who Jay-Z is, now you know. Now to the album. The is the 11th studio album of his historic career. In hip hop time, he's old as hell. Normally after five or six albums, you never hear from that artist again. For someone to last this long and to have a track record that he has, that's just crazy. Each album he's put out from studio has been in the top 3 since his debut, Reasonable Doubt (hot album, cop it). We thought (and he thought) that his 2003 release, The Black Album, would be his last. However, to every one's surprise (except me of course), he came out with another...and another...and The Blueprint 3. Trust me when I say this, we are all grateful that he came out of retirement. Did he ever go in? I'm not sure anymore.

The album has such a wind collection of sounds. It's almost to the point where it does not sound like a typical rap album. This is definitely a good thing. It makes you want to listen to the beat. In turn, you hear the lyrics. It's a perfect plan that is executed without error. I do have my favorites of course. "Real As it Gets" features Young Jeezy and just fits both of them equally. You can't say that about most songs. "On to the Next One" was produced by Swizz Beatz (Swizzy!) and has the chance to be a true club banger. "So Ambitious" feature Pharrell a.k.a. Skateboard P. It's the most relaxing song on the LP. When I listen to it, I just mellow out and don't feel like doing anything. All of the songs are hits in my mind. All I do is listen to that album from beginning to end both in my car and on my iPod.

So would I recommend this LP? Yes, I would. This is what hip hop should be like in my mind. Variety, lyrical content, catchy hooks. This album is the whole package. It's only fitting that hip-hop's gold standard shows the young guns how to do it.

One more thing...

Sacred Principles - Chris Kaplan

I asked my boy Chris Kaplan to do an interpretation of the album. Just like the first one he did, this one kicks ass. Best part about this one, it looks good this way and upside-down!! If you wanna see more check out his site: ArtofChrisKaplan.com. You can also read his article on RealitySandwich.com.

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Raekwon the Chef - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II

There are very few norms in hip hop. But one is that the nation of Wu-Tang will live never die. This time around, Raekwon a.k.a. Lou Diamonds takes his turn and puts out Cuban Linx 2. The sequel to the album that was put out way back in 1995. Let's get down to it.

If you are a Wu-Tang fan. You will feel right at home with this album. Why? It's because basically every member is on this CD. Its seems as if no matter how much these dudes fight, they will always come back together for the sake of the friendship that they all have. Money doesn't hurt either. The only ones missing are U-God, Cappadonna, Masta Killa and O.D.B. This is a Raekwon album though, so it most definitely has his flavor. If you ever listened to Chef, you know he's all about hood life, with real emphasis on the drug game. At first, I wasn't feeling it, but then you appreciate what this man has done with this LP. The only way to listen to this is to know what you are getting yourself into beforehand. If you know that, this album will become an instant classic. Would I put this on my iPod? Hell yea i would!!

In terms of favorite tracks, I really can't choose. Every track in my mind is unique enough and well produced that I have to say I love every track equally. I seriously listen to this from start to finish every single time I decide to play it in my car. For those who want specifics on tracks, I'll tell you that he dedicated a track to ODB, and he goes through the entire fish scale process from start to finish, leaving almost nothing out of his descriptions.

The real reason I reviewed this is because of the label this was released under. Ever heard of Ice Water Records? I didn't think so. What I'm getting at is that you do not have to be part of the big three labels to put out something worth listening to. Don't get me wrong. If you happen to get a release through the big three, by all means take full advantage. What I'm saying is that if you want to start your own venture and have everything go through you, by all means take that initiative and go for it. Remember, Enter the Wu was made in a basement in Shaolin. It doesn't matter how much money you have. What matters is the music. If you have that, then people will listen.

Overall, this album is an instant classic and should belong in any hip-hop fan's library. So, what are you waiting for? Go cop it!!

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Note: Blueprint 3 review coming soon.

My Thoughts on Kanye's Actions

Look, I didn't watch the VMAs, nor will I ever watch that show again until MTV decides to play more videos. But, like everybody else, I know exactly what the moment of the night was. If you've been living under a rock for a while, I'll refresh you.

About two weeks ago or so, MTV did it's annual award show celebrating all things music with the MTV Video Music awards at Radio City Music Hall. It was a normal, bland, rather uninspiring show hosted by the same no name comedian that they had last year. I can't tell you his name, but I don't really care to begin with so let's move on. Somewhere in the middle, Taylor Swift is giving her acceptance speech for winning best Female video. Then, out of nowhere, Mr. West gets on stage, grabs the mic out of Swift's hand, and then tells her and basically the entire world that she shouldn't have won!!! Needless to say that Swift, Beyonce, and the rest of the world were like, WTF JUST HAPPENED!! When I heard the news I looked it up and there it was. What people did not tell me was that when Beyonce won Video of the Year, she brought up Taylor to finish the speech that Mr. West so rudely interrupted.

First off, this act did two things. First and most obvious, it secured Kanye West as the winner of D-Bag of the Year. I know this guy is outspoken and always has to say what's on his mind at any given moment, but you do not do anything like that. Most people blame it on the alcohol, but I blame it on something on his human nature. In my eyes, Kanye did that because he needed to. Here's something that I've noticed about him. Every time he does and album and goes through the normal motions videos and touring, he goes on a short break. This is the same for most artists. During that time, most people are not talking about you, and Kanye cannot stand that. He has to be in the spotlight at all times even if he isn't doing anything relevant. With all the fame and fortune and attention he was getting, he started to define himself as a person based on that attention. I know that his industry being seen is half the job, but to West, it's more than a job. It has become his life and possibly his only reason for continuing to do what he does. He did apologize for his actions, but how much does that do? It's like someone spitting on your face and then says sorry right after. The person may be sorry but in the end your the one with spit on your cheek. A deed like that cannot be forgotten with just an apology and that's it. I don't think it can ever be resolved, at least not anytime soon.

Second, Kanye's actions made Beyonce look like a complete angel. It's almost as if she had a halo around her head at the end of the night. I think she felt sorry for what happened to Taylor. Also, she figured that she's won enough awards and given the same speech numerous times. Why not give the young gun a chance to shine? It might be her first and last. BTW, Beyonce looked good as hell!!!

In the end, MTV was grateful for what West did. It got people to watch the reruns just to see what happened. Since they're probably gonna run it over, and over, and over for the next three months everyone on earth is gonna end up seeing it. Kanye, you lost fans. Taylor, you gained millions. Beyonce, you were just damn sexy!!

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Note: I had a video for this but it was deleted and there aren't any good ones left on the net. Sorry!!

The Sophomore Curse

Many an artist have come bursting onto the music scene and taken the world by storm. They each have catchy singles and quickly gain a following big enough to warrant an album by that artist. The album does better than expected and prompts the artist to be the opening act on a marquee national and possibly a world tour. The tour is a huge success and this new artists went from nothing to something in a a little less than a year. All he/she is think is, "I'm on top of the world!!" The feeling of being somebody is so great that you would do anything to keep. So, you end up creating and promoting a brand new album. This is supposed to be the one that puts you over the top. This is what's gonna keep your name being said by the masses for generations to come!! Too bad the exact opposite happens. Your album drops and so do you. Your sales are worse than Gigli and you have nothing to show for yourself except what you just put out. In most industries, you are only as good as your last installment. Too bad your last installment will actually be your last.

There are plenty of explanations as to why the second album almost never reaches the success of the first, but I'm only going to touch on what I can remember at this point and time. Keep in mind that I am completely exhausted when writing this so it might not make much sense. I'll try to keep it as coherent as possible.

The first is the most obvious in my mind. You have to remember that the average person has a very short attention span. This means that getting people to pay attention to your debut is an achievement in itself. The second album is supposed to re-kindle a spark that just went out after they got bored and it didn't even come close to lighting. Bottom line, the public got sick of you. That's why you album didn't sell

The second is also pretty clear. The debut single for the album absolutely sucked! It's pretty obvious that if you do not have a good start, your finish is gonna be just as bad or worse. If you put out a crappy single, people will assume that the rest of your tracks are terrible. The rest of the LP is probably really good, but you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. My advice, get a few more ears to figure out a first track. Don't just trust your best friend or baby-momma's cousin. More than likely they'll just tell you what you want to hear instead of the truth.

Third is a complete lack of promotion for yourself. I know you have people to do that kind of stuff for you, but sometimes those people suck at what they do. The one thing that every person can do is talk about themselves and what they do. How do you think I get people to read this blog? I promote myself the best I can by using other sites, but it's mostly by word of mouth. (BTW, thank you to everyone who visits. It's all appreciated). You have to remember that you are the artist and you have control over what happens to you. If you want things to be successful, take charge and make it happen for yourself.

That's all I can think of right now. If you have any other reasons that I missed, drop an email my way. I promise I'll respond.

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Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother

Quite possibly one of the best albums I have ever had the pleasure of purchasing and listening to, Mecca and the Soul Brother is one for the archives. This is the true definition of what rap music was and could possibly be again.

Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth didn't really make that crazy burst onto the scene moves that most artists did. They've been around for quite a while as producers. They decided to come together as a group and create they're own music. Pete Rock laced the track and C.L. wrote the rhymes.

Now this album was the first to include ad libs in the middle of the song. You know what those are. MC says a line and then you hear a voice in the background. If you listen to anything Jim Jones, you know what I'm talking about. And now you know where he got the idea. Diddy is now famous for doing this move but you can thank C.L. Smooth for laying down the foundation. Another thing about this album is that it's one of the first "lay back and relax" albums I've ever listened to. It's not something that you are going to get up and instantly start dancing around by any means. This is more of a sit back with a good drink and vibe album. Another note is that the mentioning of black power and appreciation of the African culture is also mentioned. You have to remember the time period in which the more popular groups at the time were groups the developed around black empowerment. Groups like Public Enemy, X-Clan, and NWA among many others. So do not be surprised when all of this is said or implied from beginning to end.

This album is an overall masterpiece from an incredible yet underrated duo in the rap game. Well, I'm done with my part, but there's one more thing i gotta show you...

This is an interpretation of the album put into visual art by my friend Chris Kaplan. Remember that cross blog promotion I was talking about before, well this is it. I do the writing, Chris does his drawing thing. If you want to see more, check out his site at www.artofchriskaplan.com.

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Drake - Best I Ever Had

Now that you have seen this video and formulated your own personal opinion, I'm going to give you mine.

I you have been living under a rock for the past...I'd say six months, you have never heard of former Degrassi star turn stereotypical rap artist known as Drizzy Drake. This kid from the streets of Toronto, Canada (seriously), has made a huge name for himself on the mix-tape circuit. His single is a monstrous crossover hit that you can never avoid. If you listen to the song, you get the main idea of the entire song. With that self-sustained image in hand, you would expect the video to get somewhat close to what the song is. Either that or make a performance video. But, thanks to the director, that was not the case. In fact, it wasn't even close. He's a decent artist and he's definitely going to be signed by some major label. But as a debut music video to a mainstream audience, he really messed this up.

This starts exactly how most videos start. The directed hired every top-heavy model and porn star he could find, put on some less than functional basketball uniforms and says said run. Did I just say basketball? Yes I did. This video portrays Drake as a basketball coach for a very good looking team. The girls do look good, as they are supposed to according to the formula. The video goes on as normal, the girls stretch and bounce around while Drake spits his verse. Nothing out of the ordinary. I noticed something. The mascot for Drake's team looks like a...actually I'm not sure what it is. I think it's a mythical creature or something. My friends says it's a vulture, but I'm gonna stick to what i think. Somewhere in the middle there's a cut-scene with some really REALLY bad acting. It's supposed to get back to the overall view of the song but it fails as expected. After this crap fest, they end up facing another team that looks like they actually know how to play ball, and that's based on looks alone. This other team is ugly as all hell. They even added the nappy-headed ho for good measure. Then they go into another cut scene full of half-ass attempts at sexual innuendos. The team loses because they only know how to stretch and that's it. That's the end of the video.

This is a complete pile of suck to say the least. I've seen a lot of crappy videos over the years and this in my opinion is in the top 15. That's all I have to say about this pile of crap. Email me your opinions. I want to see what you think.

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Micahel Jackson Vids

Before people start asking me what videos I was talking about in my MJ post, here are the videos that I was taking about. Enjoy!!

Mr. Jackson

OK. Quite a bit has been said by quite a few people about the death of one of the greatest performers in all of music. Whether you liked the music or not, you knew exactly who Michael Jackson was. You would find him well before you would start looking for Waldo. I've been silent on this because of many reasons. The main reason is that I wasn't sure what you people wanted me to say. I mean, how do I talk about someone who has done so much. This guy has been in the music business since single digits. He's got more awards for one album that most artists will ever have in an entire lifetime. an album that came out in 1982 is still in the top three in all time record sales (I'm talking about Thriller for all of you stupid people).

Here's what I remember from my childhood. There were exactly two artists that ruled the world at the time. MC Hammer (Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em!) and Michael Jackson. At the time he was already known as the King of Pop and he made sure you knew it. Now at about this time, he already made that transformation to that Caucasian alien looking thing that we have grown to know and love (it actually scared me a lot). He was so famous that he interrupted regularly scheduled programming during prime time on all major channels to premier his "Remember the Time" and "Black or White" videos. Who does that? You know you rule the world when you can just stop important political conferences just so you can premier a 5 minute video. I don't care what anybody says. That my friends is G status to the fullest extent. Those are some of the good things. Unfortunately there were some bad segments to this story.

When I mean bad I mean a couple of things. The most notable of course is the child molestation cases. There was on that happened in 1993 that he was cleared of. I remember this one because of the statement that he made on all channels. Once again, he is more important than all other news since he was shown on all major channels and most cable networks. There was another time 2006 or something like that where he was accused again. He was cleared again. However, ever since that first accusation he was been pigeon-holed as that guy who loves kids a little too much. Comedians and Neo Conservatives (I'm looking at you Fox News) alike have taken advantage of his plight and very few have created comedy gold. Those are the bad points. Now for my rant...sort of.

I've waited until all the festivities and most of the mourning was over partly because I wanted to observe how the world was going to take this. Most people took it the way I did. As soon as I heard I didn't believe it. I thought it was some elaborate prank created by some hacker that went into Jackson's blog and put this post up saying that the man was dead. Then I saw all of the news networks saying the same thing. I remembered all the good things that he did. The music, the performances, and the humanitarian work that he did all around the world. The bad things did come to mind but when somebody dies, the focus is never on the bad. At least that's what I thought. Some people treated it as if the most evil man on the planet finally passed away. Thus giving peace and harmony a chance to flourish. These people abandoned all the major things that he did for the world and made sure that every single thing that was ever so slightly overlooked was brought to the forefront. And every major and positive aspect of his life was left on the cutting room floor. You bastards!! How could you do that to anybody and think that you can get away with it? Wait...actually you will. People will forget what you said, as well as who you are. Say what you will, but it will not matter in the long run. All your actually doing is wasting your time diving into archives on a music start instead of talking about world affairs. Thanks for keeping the country informed.

In conclusion, we lost a legend and a culture icon. He will sorely be missed and his music will live on forever most likely. Say what you want about the man, but remember that he'll live on so much longer than you ever will. Rant all you want with your Neo Conservative left wing point of view. Remember that you'll be dead before anybody really cares. The only reason I brought it up is because I needed something to write.

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Note: I could be starting a new joint-venture and gaining a little more exposure in the near future. Keep a lookout and I'll let you know what's up.

The 90s

I was talking with my cousin and a bunch of friends about my blog and they all noticed something. I talk about the 90s a lot. That same day, I got an email from a reader who wants to know why the 90s were so good. With that said, here it goes.

In every era of music their influences come from the artists that came before them. In hip-hop there is a shorter lists of influences than that of rock or r&b. However there are quite a few that the lyricists and DJs of today can look back on. Also, you probably would not have most of the artists of today without my dudes from the 90s. You think Nas is hot now? You never heard Illmatic which was created in the 90s. You like what D12 does? You want to be a part of the D12 world? They wouldn't even be a thought if the Wu-Tang Clan didn't create the Nation of Wu-Tang. You think that Eminem does hip hop the right way? Good because so do I. But, if Vanilla Ice didn't come in and do it all wrong, we would say Eminem is trying too hard to be black (BTW. The 90s is very very sorry for all things Vanilla Ice).

The 90s also had a lot more diversity in terms of music. And this does include within genres. With hip hop you had the party jams, the hardcore, and the lyrically savvy. Only in this decade could you find almost any party play list involving, MC Hammer, Souls of Mischief, 3rd Bass, The Fugees, Arrested Development, A Tribe Called Quest, TLC, Changing Faces, 112, Jagged Edge, Next, Boyz II Men, SWV, and Michael Jackson. Also, the 90s brought back some great songs for bboys to use today. Some of the artists that I mentioned have created some of the most popular dance anthems ever created. Saying that in a world where most songs were made in the 70s? That's one hell of an accomplishment.

I could go into more detail about this but I'll leave that for you all to do. Here's your homework. Use the Internet to look up other things besides porn. Check out iTunes and see what you have been missing. Type in any artist on YouTube and i guarantee you will love what you hear. Check out a decade of fun, controversy, and evolution. The 90s are where it's at people!!

Note: If you do not know who any of the artist or groups I mentioned in this post are, you're either young are extremely stupid. I'm betting on the latter.

Rick Ross - Deeper Than Rap

Before I start this, I would like to say that this was a request from someone. The name doesn't matter. Under any circumstances, I would not bother listening to anything Rick Ross related. But, since his album was #1 in the country for a little while, nameless person wanted my opinion. With that said, here goes nothin'.

This is the third studio album from the so-called "boss." Supposedly he is supposed to talk about more than just his "mafia" lifestyle, how much money he has and spends, and the girls he tries to get with by using his drug money. Let me just say that he accomplishes none of that. It's just another generic rap album that follows the same old formula that I can't stand. Here's how I analyzed each track

1. Mafia Music - The track that caused all the crap with 50 cent. Crappy track talking about his mafia lifestyle.
2. Maybach Music 2 ft. T-Pain, Kanye West & Lil' Wayne - The cameos are the only thing that make this track tolerable and the only one I actually listened to more than two times. It's the generic "I got more money than you" track.
3. Magnificent ft. John Legend - Refer to the last sentence in Track 2. Also, he takes about the girl he wants to f***.
4. Yacht Club ft. Magazeen - Refer to the last sentence in Track 2.
5. Usual Suspect ft. Nas - Refer to Track 1.
6. All I Really Want ft. The Dream - Talking about the girl he wants to impress with his drug money and eventually f***. It's Track 2 with and ATL R&B feel.
   
7. Rich Off Cocaine - Track 1 with and R&B spin. He's showing how proud he is of his drug money. This is the track that pisses me off the most. If I were somebody who is trying to show a positive image in the public I would never be proud of the profits I made while setting a culture back and killing off a majority of innocent people.
8. Lay Back ft. Robin Thicke - Refer to the last sentence in Track 2.
9. Murda Mami ft. Foxy Brown - Here he says that women can just as stupid as he is. It's Track 1 with a diva spin.
10. Gunplay ft. Gunplay - Refer to Track 1.
11. Bossy Lady ft. Ne-Yo - Refer to Tracks 2 & 9.
12. Face ft. Trina - Refer to Tracks 1 & 9.
13. Valley of Death - He addresses the corrections officer situation. After that, refer to Track 1.
14. In Cold Blood - Refer to Track 1.

The only thing that saves this album from being a complete disaster are the beats and cameos. I'm guessing the beats are so good because he had absolutely nothing to do with them. The cameos make the tracks worth listening to. Who really wants to hear what Ross has to say anyway? My advice on this one, skip it and then call Def Jam and tell them to drop this guy. In my eyes he's a complete waste of time and money. I would find someone who is different and positive in some way. Go back to corrections Officer Ricky!!

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5 elements...the DJ

DJ Babu of Dialated People Tearin' it Up!!

Told You I Was Right!!!

Remember when I talked about why beef is only used as a marketing ploy only sell a few more records? Well, it works!! I was listening to the Hot 97 yesterday and Rick Ross decided to call in. I'm not sure on whether this is true, but his crappy rendition of an album was number 1 in the country. Upon checking several websites, this travesty turned out to be completely true In my eyes this makes absolutely no sense. However, this does prove my point. All beef is used for now is to sell a record. To further prove my point, I have this bit of information. After the whole beef situation was settled with album sales with 50, Ross turns his focus towards Eminem. For what reason, I have no f***** idea!! The real coincidence is that Eminem has his Relapse album coming out in a little while and that could be used to bring in sales for Shady. I'm not sure whether he's trying to pay back the favor for what 50 did for him or something. I'm not exactly sure, but i don't exactly care. I'm just plain sick and tired of all this crap. The difference between this potential beef and what already took place is that Eminem doesn't need to start a fake conflict to sell anything and he never did. It shows what incredible lyrics and word play can do. Too bad Rick Ross among many many others failed to realize that. Don't get in fake conflicts...just get better.

Asher Roth - Asleep in the Bread Aisle

The supposedly brand new great white hope of hip hop has arrived in the form of Asher Paul Roth. I've heard of this guy before, but I made the conscious decision not listen to his mix tapes and watch youtube videos in order to give this the fairest review possible. After all, I am the average hip hop head and this is supposed to be based solely on the mainstream music that the average music fan would ever get to purchase. With that said, here goes nothing.

Before you ever play the first song, you would probably compare this guy to Eminem. If you do that, you would automatically hate this album. In my eyes, you cannot compare one artist to another. I judge each MC based on what he or she can do on that particular album and all other artists that he or she can be compared to do not exist for the sake of the review. If you treat this as an album by another artist, i guarantee that you will enjoy every track. If you listen to the single "I Love College," then you will assume that this is the worst song on the album, and you would be absolutely. That's how I prefer it. If the the single is still a hit and it sucks compared the rest of the LP, this is a pretty good job done. I listened through the whole thing a couple of times and pointed out some tracks that stood out.

"Lark on My Go-Kart" is the first track and a great intro to the album. It's basically a two minute freestyle that shows off this kid's skills. His word play is ridiculous and somehow he connects each verse and then goes on a complete tangent and still makes it sound hot. Even established artists can't pull off what this guy did. Going from Little Miss Muffet to Mario Kart is crazy to say the least. Another track that stood out was "As I Em." It wasn't surprising that he addressed the obvious, but in the song he stood out as a separate artist from Slim Shady. The rest of the LP talks about random things like having a bad day and blunt cruzin' (if you don't know what that is, you need to find your local dealer right away).

Against all the haters saying that this guy is just a cheap copy of Eminem, you do as much resarch as Fox News. Do yourself a huge faveor and listen to some incredible skill, new material, and an overall great album from Asher Paul Roth. Right now, he'll probably be called one of the best white MCs in the game. WIth time and a little luck, he could be considered on the best MCs of all time. No race involved.

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Note: Bryan, I got your email and yes I will review the new Jadakiss album. Just give some time on it. Also, I'm not gonna compare this album to his others. If you don't like that, screw you.

Up and Coming...

I talk about hip hop and what I like and do not like about it. But, I never discussed the most important aspect of the culture. That would be the five elements. If you're a true fan, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If not, just wait and see in future posts.

Comments and Contacts

Over time I've notice that nobody wants to leave comments on my blog page. The option is there for a reason and I made sure that anybody can leave a comment. You do no have to be a member of blogspot to have a voice. So, leave a comment for me and I'll respond. Furthermore. I know that people have more interests than music. I will talk about anything that I have some knowledge on. If you do not want to leave a comment on my blog, send me an email (nwaldron86@hotmail.com), or if you have an xbox live account leave a message in my inbox (OneShade 2 Dark). Three options for the masses. Use them!!!

Celebrity Status = Community Service and Jail...maybe

I've been working on this entry for a while. It is not because I could not think of something to say. It was because of my little hater. Most people know this guy as procrastination. I apologize to all that read this and I vow to try and put more posts up. If you feel that I'm slacking again, let me know. Now that I have that off my chest, let's get down to business.

I'm the average citizen in the United States. Most people are known in a community or clique and carry a reputation in that community or clique. If you do something right, it may reach a little outside that comfort zone but not too far. If you do something wrong, the same result will most likely occur. Now, let's take things a step further and bring in a case study. I will choose...T.I. and the gun charge.

If you've been living under a rock or if you refused to watch MTV, BET, VH1, or FUSE, you will not know who this guy is or why I would bring him up. T.I. is a well established multi-platinum recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia. And yes, he's a rapper. T.I. was arrested on weapons charges. This was not any old handgun under the passenger seat thing. He may have had enough weaponry to supply a small guerrilla army. He got caught and in a very surprising move, he didn't claim that the stuff wasn't his or that he had no idea where it came from. He didn't run away from it. He stood up with his head held high and took what was coming to him. He was supposed to get up to 30 years in prison. But, he ended up getting only 366 days with chance for parole. How?

There are two factors that come into play. The first leads into the second. The first is his celebrity and pop culture status. In the mainstream music world, T.I. is a total success. He's put out more than 3 albums and all of them have sold extremely well. He's the typical rags to riches rap artist and because of this, he is looked up to by kids all of the world. With this status, he can use that to get himself out of situations. In most cases, celebrity status will get you a full pardon and somehow we can pretend like none of these eventes ever happened. But, the severity of this particular case study, some more has to be done. This leads into the second factor in this equation. The one thing that seems to save alot of celebrities from doing a full sentence. I'm talking about community service.

In the case of T.I., he made a plea with the judge assigned to his case to do some sort of act in order to get his sentence shortened. He had to perform around 1000 hours of community in a span of 10 months. This sounds like a doable job for the avaerage citizen. But, this guy is a celebrity with a tight schedule and does more in a day than most people can do in a week. Not to mention that everything he is doing is in the public eye. Now, he could have just done the hours and called it a day. But, once again, he used his status, situation, and life lesson to do something extraordinary. He got in touch with MTV and created a reality show that helped kids that were going down the same path that he took to jail. This is going above and beyond the call of duty. The judge saw that and lowered the sentence from 30 years to 366 days. I don't care what anybody says, that is crazy generous for any judge. Now, to my overall point.

If T.I. did not have his status, he would most likely be doing 45 years without parole in tha maximum security prison. He still has to go to jail, but it could be so much worse. Like you, I do not have the kind of notoriety or finances to hire the best lawyers or use my status to put a lesser hinderence on my family and my business. I hope T.I. enjoys his stardom because it may have been the only way he could possibly stay relevant in this society. Not bad for a minority citizen growing up in the ghetto to make a name for himself legally.

Tell me what you think. Have any opinions or anything I missed? Leave a comment or send a message.

Hip-Hop Beef...No Longer Useful

Beef in this genre used to be what made the name of legendary MCs along with creating some of the most memorable music of our lifetime. At least, that's what it used to be. Now, it's just used to create better sales for worse music. Case in point, 50 Cent vs. Rick Ross.

The story behind this "beef" is completely irrelevant. All the average listener needs to know is that one made a song, the other responded with a song. Then they started just sending straight insults via radio shows and youtube. As of this post, the last thing that happened was that 50 decided to pay Ross' baby mama a visit. This boys and girls is what rap artists have to resort to in order to make their $13.99.

I really do not know if Ross has tried this tactic but this is just another day in the office for 50. Once again, he has an album coming out in a little while (greatest hits most likely), and needs to get some sort of promotion in order to make a sale. It was used with Get Rich or Die Tryin' when he basically ended Ja Rule's career. It was also used with The Massacre (Jadakiss, Fat Joe, and Nas). I'm sure if he used it for Curtis, probably because I didn't care and the album sucked in my opinion. Oh wait, he started some crap with Kanye because they were releasing on the same day (btw...Kanye won). By that time, we all knew it was a fixed beef to sell some records. Anyway, this tactic seems to be the only way he can sell anything. If you think about it, this is pretty sad that he thinks that way because he's a decent rapper who can sell with lyrics. My advice to 50, you don't need to do this anymore. Your fan base is so solid right now that all you need to do is say you're dropping an album and I guarantee that you'll go gold in 2 weeks.

I grew up in the 90s where beef brought about some incredible rivalries and theater. Most importantly, it brought about some incredible. The beef that everybody knows about is the world famous east coast/west coast rivalry. Unfortunately, some people took it way too seriously and two all-time greats were lost. During that time, some of the best music of all time. Another beef was between LL Cool J and Canibus. Most people don't know about this one. This confrontation brought about on of the best diss tracks of all time. Canibus' "2nd Round Knockout" is regarded as one of those diss tracks and could actually be a single...and it was. LL won in the end, but in my mind, winners and losers meant nothing. Incredible music was made based on actual hatred.

To all future MCs. If you're trying to make a name for yourself, do it with your lyrics. If you think that starting something is the only way sell a record, you're a retard. Besides, it's a complete waste of your time and resources. You'll be like that team that plays the Harlem Globetrotters. You know you're gonna lose, but you're able to make it interesting. Plus, it's funny to see you get ur a** kicked.

UNTIL NEXT ENTRY...

My Two Cents

A lot of people are really upset over Kev's rant. According to what I've been getting via email, the majority believe that he is completely wrong. Also, they want me to make a rebuttal of sorts. People assume that I am in disagreement with with Kev. First off, I'm not sure how that conclusion could be drawn from six posts. Second, Kevin has a point.

His statement is part of the reason why I haven't been reviewing albums. They would all be exactly the same. Another MC from "the hood" comes in out of nowhere (aka Atlanta), creates a catchy single that appeals to kids ages 10-15, puts out an album to crappy reviews, and still goes gold in a month. If this formula sounds familiar, then you know all about that waste of talent Soulja Boy. The only difference is that these new talentless talents aren't using youtube to make their skid mark on the world. In that aspect, we are in total agreement. The formula has been used so many times. It's grown so old and repetitive that it has effected sales and the overall appeal of the genre of music I love.

In terms of lyrics, I once again agree. Of course, there are some variations to the formula. Every now and then, meaning every 10 albums, you might see an artist talk about a girl in a positive manner. You might even hear a song that doesn't have to do with sex, money, upbringing, or cars. Unfortunately, that is few and far between. And the blame does have to be passed around between the artist with no creativity, the record label for signing the talentless f***, and of course the consuming public. Yes, I blame us, the same people that know what is wrong with this business and do nothing but feed in to all the wrong that some of us (including Kev) are trying to make right.

So, instead of a flat out disagreement to the rant, I'm going to come up with some sort of solution. Basically, it's what I think the industry can do in order to get the government off our backs, make the music fun again, and possibly gain fans besides hood rats and suburban white kids. Now this solution is very simple to execute. First, the record labels have to fire their current talent scouts and look for new ones. The current scouts only look for what is already out there and that is exactly what need to change. Get some people (like myself and Kev), that are willing to pass on what is already there. Second, the labels and the consumer have to be willing to accept change. Arista did so by signing Lupe Fiasco. How is he different? He talks about children fighting wars and giant robots. Who's else does that? Answer, other artists that you won't give a chance. This solution is really simple, but I have a feeling nothing will change anytime soon. We are so fixed in our ways and the labels are content with the money that they are making. In my opinion, when things, that's when the real money will come in. Third, we need to get both extreme factions to shut up!! The anti-rap people have to realize that they are trying to take away a first amendment right and the rap activists have to stop making material for the other side. Both sides are so clouded in their beliefs that they do not realize that each has good ideas. I could go into extreme detail, but that would take quite some time. Time I do not want to spend.

I'm not saying we need a complete overhaul. I'm saying we need a fresh start. We are going to have the hardcore MC that is going to "stay true" to the essence of hip hop. We'll just use those guys as comparisons to what should be done. We need to find that new thing that could revitalize our genre and make it fun again. Kev has some legit gripes. I just hope we could find some solutions.

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Somethig Has to Be Done...Kev's Rant

Yea, I think I’m pretty much tired of hip-hop. Nowadays originality is just same thing but in a different way. I remember way back when you didn’t do something original and copied someone else’s shit, you disappeared never to be seen again. Now that shit will get you a multi-million dollar contract. OK OK you’re from the hood; you shoot niggas; you fuck bitches; you drive fast cars with hot rims; WE FUCKIN GET IT! Do something else. I know that’s not all hip-hop got. Look at Lupe Fiasco, Eminem, and at times Pharell (very few times). Every album they release has about 5 songs that made me stop and go “WTF?”(in a good way) because I never heard anything like it. Besides those examples, I’m pretty sure there are some real MCs out there, but I don’t like swimming through the sea of bullshit to find them.

Apparently, if you’re gonna make a music video, you better follow the guidelines. 1) There should be at least 5 dudes behind you bobbing their heads at any given time. 2) Whenever head bobbing idiots are not around, they’re replaced by half-naked women with booties no smaller than a Toyota Prius. 3) Add liquor where applicable. 4) Only certain cars are acceptable: Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bentley. Add car(s) where appropriate. 5) Wear no less than $55,000 worth of jewelry. 6) Air Forces are a must. 7) When all else fails or unavailable, throw a party, preferable in a club (add liquor).

Yes this is about 98% of rap videos today. I bet everybody started out with cool and original ideas, but then it just boils down to this. Actually, I take that back. In order to have original ideas, you have to be creative, and judging from most of the lyrics that’s pretty much non-existent. Most of the time, the video has nothing to do with the artist. Yea, a video can have nothing to do with the song and still be entertaining (like Redman and early Busta Rhymes), but don’t shit out of character. Example: DMX’s video Party Up. Why the fuck is DMX breaking up a bank heist? He should be robbing the bitch. All that tough talk in the song and he’s saving the day. WTF? And to prevent the police from shooting, what does he do? He calls in bitches. Remember, every good video has to have bitches. And then sed bitches proceed to grind up and on cops and no one gives a shit. Greeeeeeat. God I hate that video. Matter of fact, I hate videos in general; they mostly just go through the same motions.

And the lyrics. OH THE LYRICS! Lyrics have taken a real nosedive, haven’t they? It’s amazing that anyone spit any old GED lyrics and be number 1 on the charts. For those who don’t know (which is everyone because I just made it), GED lyrics are lyrics so simple any sorry mother fucka can write them (no offense to anyone getting their GED). Seriously, why the hell is Soulja Boy still ALIVE, let alone making records? I guess when you have a hot beat it supersedes (nice word) any pitiful lyrics you spit. And while I’m still pissed, STOP IT WITH THE FUCKIN AUTOTUNER! That shit was fun at first, but now bastards are using it to make themselves seem like they have talent (*cough cough* T-Pain *cough*). Yea there been some hot songs from it, but that doesn’t mean you’re good; it just means you have a hot producer. The only person who should get away with this is Kanye, and that’s only because he IS a producer. I’m not saying you can’t use it; I’m saying you can’t use it on everything you do because it makes you a fuckin liar hiding the fact that you have no talent.

I can rant on about the artist, but in the end I don’t really blame them. If someone offered me million to put out shit, then I’m headed to the next available toilet (….ew). I blame the record labels who keep putting this shit out. I blame the radio stations who loop the same 5 songs all fuckin day. I blame producers who make hot beats so good you don’t care about the lyrics (I blame them, yet I don’t want them to stop). I blame TV networks who willing put shitty videos on. I blame George W. Bush for completely unrelated issues. But most of all I blame you. That’s right…YOU, the people who buy this shit. You could have demanding better. You didn’t have to buy this crap. You could have supported the real MCs who come up with original content on the regular, but nooooo. I gonna listen to the mother fucka spittin the same shit we heard for 25 years in the same fuckin way as the last guy and made no improvements on what the last guy did. Because it’s safe or familiar, you’re not willing to listen to people trying something different with hip-hop, and that’s sad. God damn you people, especially you high school a-holes who are so easy to please.

…..maybe I over exaggerated……..naw, probably not.

Recent Post...

I did my most recent post on my boy Kev's page. Check it out at http://theaveragemansxbox.blogspot.com.

I'll post another music entry once I get something I'm interested in reporting on. Also, Kev might do a cameo on my page so look out for that.

What I've Noticed and The State of Hip-Hop

With there being a complete lack of music for me to review, I decided to address the state of hip-hop nation. I did discuss some of my feelings in my 2nd post. Read that at your leisure and govern yourselves accordingly. I also want to state a few things that I've noticed over time.

For all those people who have been banned from listening to any music, there is one individual that has taken over rap music altogether. He is the flavor of the year. He is the self-proclaimed best rapper alive. He is Lil' Wayne. By using the formula first introduced by Fabolous, he as turned the industry into his personal toy. By getting himself featured on as many songs as inhumanly possible(check out the mix tapes and tell me how he pulls this off), he promoted his own album to the point that it was certified platinum in its first week. He has been featured on songs from T-Pain to Kevin Rudolf to....(insert music artist here). From the momentum that this guy has, it looks like he will be the go to rap artist for quite some time. Now I know you're thinking that this is a bad thing for hip-hop. It looks like we are putting our hopes, dreams, and futures on this kid. And you would be absolutely right. We are doing just that. But, somehow (and this really surprises me) we seem to be turning for the better. Because everyone under the sun wants him to make a hit song, he has branched out of his rap comfort and tackled other genres by storm and succeeded.

There is another trend going on right now. In my mind I'm wondering what took everyone so long. Hit producers are stepping from behind the scenes and throwing their hats in artists as legit artists. This is not an original idea. The only people that you, the mainstream audience could probably think of that have succeeded in this task are Kanye West and Pharrell. But with the recent success of The Dream and Ron Browz, this could become something that could end up being a normal occurrence. Now, the people want more than just a rapper or just a producer. You have to do it all in order to be known as a force in this game. Browz and The Dream have a long way to go if they are ever going to make the impact that Kanye and Pharrell have. My guess, they have no chance in hell. Get back in the studio and do what yo do best, help others make it big.

Contrary to unpopular belief, hip-hop has made a little bit of a comeback since the Imus incident. Sales are slowly getting going back up and people are learning to forgive and forget. However, this genre will never be the same. That's a good thing. It shows that artists and promoters are starting to learn what kind of impact they have on society. They also learned that hip-hop is the perfect scapegoat. Anything that causes an uproar in the world will somehow be blamed on hip-hop. So, artists are a little more careful(and that is very little) on what they say. Music videos on the other hand, that's a completely different animal. Since I haven't watched on in quite some time, I can't comment on them.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Leave a comment or something and give me your opinion. I could always use the feedback.

Kanye West...808's and Heartbreaks

In my opinion, one of the hardest things for an artist to accomplish is doing better than a previous milestone. Unless expectations are set rather low...it's almost impossible to be greater than you once were in the eye of public. Kanye West has achieved this milestone and done so much more since his artist debut in 2004. He's stuck to his lyrics and his mastery of production to create a sound in rap all his own. But, what happens when he takes a new direction? What happens when he takes on entirely new genre? Surprisingly, quite well.

This album is his 4th mainstream release. On this with him are Young Jeezy, Kid Cudi, Mr. Hudson, and every body's favorite add-on, Lil' Wayne. Kanye sings...yes sings the entire album. Does his voice sound good...NO, but we all knew that going in. However, it does not take away from the body of work he has created. In fact, it almost adds to it. He tries to mask the tone deaf sounds by using synthesizer (a.k.a. the T-Pain machine) to make his voice sound a little better, but it does not work at all. This is by far his most heartfelt and emotional album to date. Most likely it is because before starting production, Mr. West lost his mother and his long time girlfriend over the span of one month. With that much emotional torment, it was easy for him to turn his pain into good music.

After listening to it in its entirety the first time, I noticed something really significant. Each beat produced can be made hot with his voice. He created an entire album that suited his style. Some records would depend on who is brought on to make it good. Not in this case. He made this album so that he can make it hot. The people he added to his songs seem to make the song better by pure luck instead of by skill (TAKE THAT WEEZY!!). My favorite track would have to be Paranoid. I'm personally a fan of fast beats so this one automatically caught my attention. The beat is phenomenal, and the pattern he used in the vocals only adds to what is already good.

Despite being skeptical about the new direction, this album is a definite by for dedicated Kanye fans. For the average fan, give it a listen and decide from there. Most people would definitely pass only because of the genre change. But don't worry, this will most likely be the first and last R&B album from Mr. West. Something like that cannot be done again nor should it be. The next installment would only bring sales as bad as Soulja Boy's 2nd installment (I HATE THAT GUY).

Leave comments. I wanna know what your opinion is on this.

UNTIL NEXT ENTRY...

When I Fell in Love...with a litte rant added

It's not a recent thing, but it's still fresh in the minds of many people. Rap music has come under fire for its lewd lyrics portrayal of negative elements. It has gotten so bad, Al Sharpton decided to take a stand (as if you didn't see that one coming). Thank you Don Imus for making a statement that had absolutely NOTHING to do with music. I still don't get that. How did a very inappropriate and offensive comment about a female basketball team turn into an almost boycott on one of the most influential and profitable forms of music on the planet? I'll probably never understand it, but who would?

I remember when I fell in love with rap. F.Y.I., hip-hop is the culture. Rap is the genre of music for all who don't know. Anyway, I remember where and when it happened. It was the summer of 1992 in Newark, NJ. I was at my cousin's house and we weren't doing much. We turned on the t.v. and went straight to the B.O.X. For those who don't know, it was an old school music video channel before TRL and all those other crap shows. I don't remember much from that day, but i do remember one particular video. I know it as T.R.O.Y.(They Reminisce Over You) by the greats known as Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth. As soon as I heard the opening, I fell in love. It was the first song I ever memorized after nursery rhymes. Those were good times.


Everybody has a time when they fell in love with music. Mine was in the summer of 1992. What's yours. I would love to know. Well, that's all for now.

Just a Little Info...

Before we get things rolling, let me just tell you what I plan on doing with my blog. It's going to be reviews on albums mostly pertaining to rap. There will be some other genres in here as well. I'm not gonna get into specifics, just my opinion. Agree, disagree, I don't give a f*** what yo do. Also, it does not have to be recent music. I'll review whatever I want. There will be other little issues that I'll talk about if I feel they need addressing. With that said, let's get this thing started.