Dear Kanye West

Kanye's lucky he makes good music (no pun intended) Name another artist that could insult America's sweetheart on national television, then sell his label to her label...

via Yahoo!

14-time Grammy-winner (and 30-time Grammy nominee) Kanye West's independent record label G.O.O.D. Music, has been signed to an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with the Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG). The announcement was made today by Kanye West, Barry Weiss, Chairman & CEO of Universal Motown Republic Group (UMRG) and Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) and Steve Bartels, President & COO, Island Def Jam Music Group.

The artist vs. the labels. The artists vs. the labels. The artists vs. the labels. That's all we've heard since the New Music Cartel banded together to instigate the 'blog era' in hip-hop. The entity of internet users, companies and artists all in a constant tug of war with the 'Big 4' labels. The internet has allowed for artists to circumvent the distribution tactics of the 'Big 4' by giving artists the means to do it themselves. I suppose that's a cardinal sin with record labels. Who gets over on the consumer is actually the consumer's choice: whether they'll pay 99 cents on iTunes or head to YHTN or 2Dbz or the dearth of other blogs and websites dedicated to sharing music.



#deathto

For hours we could discuss labels clamping down on artists for doing just that. Sicking the RIAA on consumers and artists, removing profile pages and songs, shutting down websites, and adding more restriction to the way the artists operate; all at the expense of means to control how we get our music. Another can be made Lupe out of you and your music can take a cozy seat on the shelf. Even so, artists (and their teams, cliques and sets) do enter in these agreements voluntarily. They want to get paid for their work while controlling it on their journey to the top. Sometimes, they allow their music to get out, sometimes they get extremely aggy and go on Twitter rants. Depends on the artist...

The 'here and now' age sees to it that a rise to stardom is an impatient and difficult one, no matter how talented the artist. Forget Universal and Def Jam. Diddy has enough people in Bad Boy's graveyard to prove that a label can do with you what they want. Yet rather than scale Everest on foot, MCs can take the slightly off-balance, green-eyed helicopter known as the label. The ever-borderline drunk pilots run such a good game in the brochures or on magazine covers, so MCs usually don't have a problem handing over their intellectual property. Can you blame guys like Saigon for staying onboard for that long, even when a label has complete control over your artistic freedom?

Kanye, you know this. You're in a position of power compared to the labels, given all your impressive tenure. They have to bow out to you. Banking on success over failure in music is the labels' business, and you've done it well. Twitter retweets itself stupid when you tweet. From performing at the Democratic National Convention to doing a BET Cypher, straddling the line of rapping to the masses and the internet-savvy comes naturally. Who else has performed at Facebook and Twitter? With GOOD Music's appearance under Def Jam, the blogosphere/internet and labels have reason to coexist. Your imprint has already entranced the labels by spawning the career of grammy-winning John Legend. Those GOOD Friday tracks endeared you to the internet, while KiD CuDi, Big Sean, and Cyhi Da Prynce, endeared your name to it.

Bringing GOOD Music to the masses on Def Jam makes that link official. Yes we've seen internet-borne artists from other imprints link with labels. Drake and Nicki are prime examples of that, yet Cash Money Records had already existed on a label at that point. To boot, internet and blog savvy seem to be driving GOOD Music's first official albums under Def Jam. A good deal of Finally Famous has hit the web, and the same will be true for Fear of God II, Royal Flush II, Watch the Throne and To Be Continuum.

Still the question begs, why Kanye? Does hip-hop actually need the labels, or can artists do without them? Curren$y is doing pretty well for himself without major backing and jokes about it in songs. SlaughterHouse makes decent bank on their records, too. So do we really need that link? Isn't this what hip-hop has preached about for years? (insert lyrics here) The results, while promising, are mixed to say the least. Drake was in the limelight, getting around (YMCMB's label)'s iron fist to some degree with his deal, but even he can incur the wrath of the labels. On the other hand, Wale and J. Cole are having trouble catching on via labels, despite internet fanfare. Ross has a hand in it, but on a lesser scale with Meek and Pill. They have a different following altogether, and Maybach Music is signing so many acts, it's hard to tell who even has a chance to drop.

To me, the merits of your transaction boil down to another age-old battle in hip-hop: the album vs. the mixtape. In the Golden Era and beyond, having an album out meant you made it. Having an album was the equivalent of a hot stock ready to explode. Even if you only had one, an album gave the artist recognition and fame, however short-lived. These days, putting out an internet mixtape is like putting out your hand to shake; everyone does it. Yet, mixtapes today are generating more buzz and acclaim than albums. Lately the mixtape is like the incredible foreplay, while the album is the anti-climactic climax. Given Big Sean's first-up status, he'll be the inaugural internet-borne artist (sorry Drake, you were on Degrassi) to debut on a major label. His mixtapes upload like hotcakes, but will your blessing and quintessential power move sell albums? I'm guessing yes, simply because we're coming to a big impasse in the industry. You've forged a new bridge, it's only right you be able to cross it...

On Hip-Hop & Consumerism

Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet. NWA's Straight Outta Compton. 2 Live Crew's As Nasty As They Wanna Be. Ice-T's Rhyme Pays. What do these albums have in common? Besides being four of the more iconic works in hip-hop because of their critical impact, they were all heavily chided by the mainstream media at the time, citing their profane language, overt sexual and violent references, and general disdain for anything pure and wholesome. One could argue that the impetus for these themes is of the 'product of their environment' school of thought. Regardless, these albums came out in the late 1980's, a period in which hip-hop was beginning to take hold not only on the charts, but in the mind's eye of American society.

One need look no further than the inception of the Parental Advisory sticker to see their impact. Tipper Gore's defense of family values (whatever that means) led to the now-ubiquitous brand placed on a hefty chunk of hip-hop music deemed too raunchy for most ears. Yet and still, hip-hop music continues to thrive. The four albums I listed above, while also critical successes, were respective chart-toppers. One couldn't go anywhere without hearing the praises of Ice-T or Ice Cube or Dr. Dre emblazoned in a negative light. Yet today, if one walks into a Wal-Mart, flips on Law and Order, or watches 'Are We There Yet', the same once-nefarious hoodlums are now peddling wares to the same (give or take) America that once cowered at the mere recitation of their lyrics.

Why is that? Has the world softened its view on hip-hop in the face of consumerism, or have these gangsters softened their images for the sake of staying relevant/making a profit? It used to be that if a rapper was placed in the same sentence as a consumer brand, that brand's stock would drop faster than a DJ Khaled record. Look at Tommy Hilfiger, which was once a staple of Americana and the boat shoe crowd. Many dubbed Snoop Dogg's donning of a Hilfiger Rugby on a 1994 Saturday Night Live episode as a cheapening of the brand, yet by 1995 Hilfiger was the Menswear Designer of the Year. Hip-hop was gaining the power to make things 'cool'. Look at products such as Clarks' Wallabees, Timberland Boots, Nike Air Force Ones, adidas Shelltoes, all of which were popularized by rappers. While the mainstream media may have taken longer to catch on, their buzz was a by-product of rappers simply wearing them or using them in songs.

These wouldn't have gone down 10-15 years ago:







Fast forward to this decade, and instead of hip-hop making products pop, products of hip-hop are popping. It's not clothing anymore, either. Gone are the days when MCs aspired to be fashion designers. Rappers are making forays into everything from liquor with Ludacris' Conjure to headphones with Beats by Dre; equestrian stables and Nike commercials with Rick Ross to corporate raiding with Diddy. Hip-hop, while still a form of music, is a business; an all-encompassing media giant capable of moving markets and making trends. Swizz Beatz for Reebok and Kanye West for Nike and Louis Vuitton have designed their own sneakers. Eminem is essentially the face of Chrysler, lending his wildly popular 'Lose Yourself' to the Detroit automaker. Jay-Z and Nelly are a part owner of basketball teams. Where in the 80s and 90s these happenings would be something out of the Twilight Zone, hip-hop's mainstream success has allowed for monetary power in the hands of its purveyors.

What does this mean for hip-hop, though? While it is great for exposure and letting Middle America know that rappers are indeed human and capable of selling more than their music, is it cheapening the cult of hip-hop? My answer is no. Hip-hop has always been steeped in consumerism, and even moreso in the American Dream. To quote the immortal Big L "to be seen clean in the mean Beem (BMW) is every teen's dream". Almost every rapper has made a song about overcoming rampant poverty and lack of funds to be able to afford a lavish and expensive lifestyle. Yes, they want to tell their story and reach the masses with their unique perspectives, but money is always a motivation. Maybe they sell themselves short to get to that ends more quickly, but the goal is not and was never to be a starving artist forever (as much as Charles Hamilton's crackpipe says differently).

Consumerism, while vilified because everyone hates Christmas shopping and greed, is as American as hip-hop is. And hip-hop, while once the nightmare of America, has proven its staying and selling power. Who knows what kind of commercials, endorsements and product lines we could be seeing in the next decade of hip-hop. Silicon Valley? Clean energy? Hell, the same Uncle Luke that was arrested for lewdness on numerous occasions is now running for public office in Miami-Dade County. It's amazing how hip-hop can expand across numerous avenues of media and run the gamut as far as those avenues may go. Does that mean that America is now hip-hop friendly? Not by any stretch of the imagination. One need look no further than Bill O'Reilly's outstanding vendetta with Common to see that. However, as long as there are kids bumping Drake in Beats by Dre headphones while wearing Air Yeezys drinking Vitamin Water, hip-hop is and will continue to be a focal point in consumerism. *buys more shit*

On Hip-Hop, Conservative America, and the 'Man's' Worst Fears

Remember that kid on the playground who could never win an argument? You know... The one who, when backed into a corner about the original amount of Pokemon (there were 151), would counter back with something to the effect of:

- 'but you have cooties!'
- 'I am rubber and you are glue.. Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you!'
- 'I'm telling Ms. (insert teacher) that you guys are cheating!'
- 'your momma!'

*rolls eyes* I can already feel the childhood urge to exclude him bubbling up. No one likes to be wrong. That said, the kid who can never be wrong no matter how idiotic his argument seems never dies. He grows up and either becomes an award-winning debater, a sufferer of dissociative identity disorder, or, best-case scenario, a (usually) conservative political pundit.

If there's one thing about conservative political pundits, it's that even when faced with situations that completely mirror those they vilify, they are always holier-than-thou. We could be talking anything from.. oh, I don't know... imperialism (#shoutout to Iraq and Afghanistan), personal liberties (word to the Patriot Act), or hell, even a rapper performing at the White House.



Enter Common. Now Common, in most educated circles, is about as safe a rapper as it gets. Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr's career originated in the chewstick era with his classic 'I Used to Love HER', an ode to a much more respectful and 'down to earth' time in hip-hop, devoid of the corporate influence that dominated the airwaves in 1994. He continued on in that same strain, collaborating with the likes of No-ID, Kanye West, Mos Def, The Last Poets and other hip-hop personalities who could be seen as 'conscious'. In hip-hop circles, if Eminem was is one side of the spectrum, the Common would be the other, speaking on issues affecting black people, political oppression and more or less being a voice of reason.

Conservative America doesn't see it that way however. The term 'rapper' doesn't have levels. It doesn't have shades. It doesn't have different strains. To the average conservative, the term 'rapper' is synonymous with rump-shaking, gunplay, drug-dealing, fatherless homes, and that bass-thumping monkey music that their daughters and sons play at all hours of night. Even if the song is talking about picking daisies and watching Barney with one's little sister, let there be a hard bass-line and a Kay Slay intro. I guarantee you, Bill O'Reilly and his conservative crew will find something to abhor about it. And this is regardless of whether they themselves are listening to what anyone else would consider 'offensive'. Yet, that is the tenet of conservative America: a self-serving bias towards anything that contradicts their strict view of how the world ought to be.

According to the average conservative, Bob Dylan runs the gamut in terms of protest music, Ronald Reagan's economic policies are the Ten Commandments, and a black man has little, if any place in the White House. That last idea continues to be swept under the rug as covert racism. Looking at everything from the Birther movement, to the Deather movement, to the continual dispute of Obama's educational background, it's clear that these controversies are arising not because there is a valid basis for them, but because the man is black. Point blank. Now that most of those arguments have fallen by the wayside, attacking anything coming from Obama that has a 'blackness' to it is the way to go.

When we speak about 'the Man', we speak of the kind of overt hypocrisy seen in the above O'Reilly interview, the posturing of falsehoods for the sake of personal gain, and the fear of anything remotely 'black' in politics. Anything resembling non-Patriotic extremism is seen as a threat to 'the Man's' peaceful existence as a dominant force. Hence why Common's appearance at the White House was such a bone of contention for conservatives. They would rather raise hell on a non-issue than see a rapper, a purveyor of that music they don't understand, perform poetry at the White House. It is the worst fear of conservative America to not be 'in' on something, and rather than try to reason or understand something, they fear and deride it. Rather than see the uplifting or beneficial aspects of something different, they hate it for its divergence from their beliefs. They compartmentalize the powerful rhetoric and wordplay that makes hip-hop great and turn it against us, as if Common joined NWA yesterday and made a song called 'Kill Cops, Stab Whitey and F*ck Reagan'.

It's sickening. As valiant as John Stewart's efforts were, it's clear they have no intention of losing an argument. It's clear Bill O'Reilly is content to fling mud in his dirthole instead of see the merits of open and fair discussion. He would rather pull out the ubiquitous 'Your momma' card and walk away knowing he didn't kow-tow than actually get something done. I'm not sure whether I'm more proud of this moment, or angered. What I do know, however, is that this discourse sheds light on the idiocy and pitiful fear that conservative America has. Chuck D and Public Enemy originated the term 'fear of a black planet'. Even though a black planet isn't what we seek in this day and age, until the kid on the playground will admit he's wrong, that fear will still exist.

Dear Lil' B (re: 'I'm Gay')

Upon reading my last post, I think I raised too many questions and didn't answer enough for myself. I suppose the post was more a rant and forum for discussion, as opposed to some declaration of my stance on homosexuality. Either way, the post got me to thinking: what if a rapper was, indeed, gay? What if an MC decided to shake up the whole world by coming out of the closet? What if everyone's favorite Based God decided to ummm... I don't know... name his album 'I'm Gay'? It turns out I don't have to dream or wonder about such a hypothetical situation anymore, seeing as you, Lil' B the Based God have announced that your new album will be called 'I'm Gay'.



Now, Lil' B, I've had an interesting relationship with your basedness. While saying 'swag' and 'based' and doing your 'Cooking' dance in complete jest, I've come to realize that your movement is less about the music, the 'swag' and the utter nonsense, as it is about the fervent feeling of fanaticism that your Based movement brings. Throngs of skinny jean-clad onlookers chant your lyrics, and encourage you to engage in coitus with their significant others not because they actually consider you a god, but because you give them a deity-like entity to feel attached to. In the same way that Hendrix and the Beatles had fanatics, so do you. I respect that. I respect your undying devotion to self-promotion and making music. While I may debate your own musical aptitude (some of your music sounds like you were smoking the best base while recording), I can never question your love of music, with allusions to Theophilus London among other acclaimed musical personalities. Now that your fame has reached a fever pitch among the underground, what better way to put your name on the front of everyone's watch list than to proclaim your 'gayness' on wax?

Most people reacted to the title with a resounding 'huh?', which then switched to

A) ridicule at the notion that the Based God, whose sole purpose on the planet is to f*ck your b*tch, would effectively proclaim his love of his own sex

OR

B) praise because of how 'bold' a statement calling your album that is, and how you're changing the game, one homosexual at a time...

My take, Lil' B? You're as straight as an arrow. I'm almost 99% sure about that, sans the Tupac nose ring. That said, you calling your album that is exactly what you said: an indictment on the power that words have over us. You claimed that definitions don't mean anything, ironically. Words can make the tallest mountain look like a molehill, and in your case, they will make what would probably have been a frisbee of an album into platinum. Nothing more, nothing less. You being 'gay' is as much a promotional tool as it is a statement of how obsessed hip-hop is with sexuality. That we all are talking about it as a function of sexuality proves that point. And when your gay album does come to pass, I have little doubt in my mind that it will be the same Based God that we've gotten used to, complete with indecipherable lyrics, monotonous profanity and reasons as to why hoes are staid upon your d*ck. And I have even less doubt that you will be gayer (happy gay) than the apparel we don while singing "Fa-la-la-la-LAAA-La-la-la-la" after your gay album drops. You will have successfully pulled a marketing scheme out of your rear end, while simultaneously arousing the attention of GLAAD and chuckling because Kobe Bryant won't be able to mutter gay slurs. Kudos, Lil' B. #SWAG

On Hip-Hop, Homophobia and Basketball

Eminem says it, wins a Grammy... Kobe says it, gets fined $100K... Mister Cee (allegedly) does it, and catches shade from all sides... You be the judge...

You... Yes, you. All of you. Ask yourself this: Are you a homophobe? My guess is most of you will say something like this:

NOOOO! I've got gay friends!!

or

That's not me. I let everybody live!

or

It's 2011. Homophobia? #weoffthat

Open up that filing cabinet of a brain of yours, and take a peek through it. I'll wait. Try to remember the last slur you used. Any slur. Racist, sexist, age-ist, whatever prefix you can add, pull that instance up. Good. Now think about how you would feel if the world got a taste of that slur coming straight from your mouth. *waits some more* See the problem here?

Upon news of the great DJ Mister Cee being involved in a supposedly homosexual tryst with a drag queen (forgive me if my terminology is incorrect), most of the world took the liberty of coming up with the wittiest, 'ha-ha he's a homo!' comment you could think of and tweeting it, while others took to defending the Hot 97 jockey. At the same time, when Kobe Bryant was caught on national television mouthing off at a referee and calling him a 'f*cking faggot', most rushed to his defense, citing a bad call, while others bashed the Lakers superstar for his suspected homophobia. Why is that? I'll tell you why. It's the constant straddling of a line that no one is willing to cross. It's a line that's marked by criticism from all angles except from those whose opinions should matter. It's a line that everyone is content to talk about after an incident, but unwavering when everything seems all peachy.

These two incidents are merely indicative of a very closed-off rhetoric in the black community. As a generally homophobic society, there is little room for a grey area. Either you're for or against the 'gay' debate (for lack of better words). One can't be accepting of alternative sexual lifestyles while straight, without being called out for it. Yet when someone uses what's accepted as a 'homophobic slur' they automatically get crucified for it. It's a sick double standard. Rather than open up the lines of communication where people can express their misconceptions, we lambast those who take the negative and positive sides of the spectrum. We make it impossible for someone to have an opinion, much less act naturally.

Think back to the John Amaechi saga in 2007, where Amaechi became the first NBA player (former or active) to come clean with his status as a homosexual. From that day forth, every NBA player sounded off. Some like Tim Hardaway, made mincemeat of Amaechi, claiming he 'hates gay people'. Others like LeBron James, shied away from criticism on sexuality, and commented merely on the trustworthiness of a closeted gay player. Why can't people just be 'okay' with it? Why, instead of a soundboard of who's who all taking sides, can't someone just say 'Oh' when confronted with an openly gay person? Why is the revelation of homosexuality treated as an indictment on the person being told's opinion, rather than the particular person or issue at hand?

Maybe I'm just content to sit on the sidelines while others fling mud. Maybe the plight of Mister Cee, his homosexual accomplice, and Kobe Bryant's potty mouth have no link aside from being cases of sexual opinion on a grand stage. Maybe we're all homophobes phobic of being homophobes. At the end of the day, it's up to us to not be so black and white in dealing with one's sexual preference. We can't decry the tendencies of one of the most heralded DJ's on the planet, while espousing foul play when an NBA superstar gets called out for his use of a gay slur. Whereas Mister Cee can disavow all knowledge and doing linked to his case and be cleared by putting together a great Throwback at Noon last week, Kobe has to pay a fine and get the gauntlet from GLAAD. Are we sending a consistent message here? Does it depend on one's economic status or celebrity how one's stance on sexual preference is taken? Or does the realm of professional sports (with an unknown amount of closeted participants) hold more weight in denouncing homosexuality than that of music (rife with homosexual references)?

Weigh in here, people. I'm anxious to see if anybody cares enough to point out their stance on both situations and whether homophobia is an issue that should be addressed in multiple mediums. Dear Whoever's been on hiatus for a few weeks, and I think this is a great place to pick back up. In other words, COMMENT!!!

Dear Lil' Kim

Rap beef is pretty much played out... There, I said it. At this point in hip-hop, most rap beefs aren't based on anything other than hot air, hearsay and rappers' vanity. Back in the day, there seemed to be some substance behind the conflicts in hip-hop, whether it was turf wars, gang-related, or actual name calling. Nowadays, if you say the wrong word on wax or make reference to someone's past (coughcoughMCHammercoughcough), a diss track is coming your way. Such is the case with your latest offering Kimberly. Now, Kim, not to diminish your place in hip-hop, because you do have a half-decent legacy, but you know good and well that your 'beef' with Nicki Minaj is little more than a desperate attempt at regaining the spotlight.

Kim, when is the last time you put out a track? I can't name one, much less remember the last time I heard your name called out loud in reference to anything related to a song. You've gotten more press on MTO in the past year than on any hip-hop blog or hip-hop show. For God's sake, you were on Dancing With the Stars, the rest haven for has-beens looking for a way back into the limelight. By that virtue, your entry into this beef is completely ill-placed. It's as if you saw Nicki Minaj's celebrity growing each day, and decided that you were the only plastic surgery-enhanced, weird hair-colored, overt sexual lyric-spitting MC that should be considered. You know what that is? That's the definition of a hater. I despise that word, but you've got to call a spade a spade sometimes.

First of all, Nicki Minaj said little, if anything directly correlating to you on 'Roman's Revenge'. That you took it as such means you're a little salty over something completely imagined. Why are you mad? Second of all, how are you going to call out Nicki for 'biting' when your whole stee-lo was bitten. Biggie wrote your entire catalog up until 'La Bella Mafia', and even after that, every popular song you had was biting some other song. If it wasn't 'The Jump Off' using The Lost Boyz' entire chorus, it was 'Lighters Up' taking Junior Gong's flow from 'Welcome to Jamrock'. Kim, you're the last person who should be talking about originality. Sure, you started the whole explicit lyrics from a female MC trend, but as you've gotten older and more and more grotesque (anyone who thinks Kim looks good has vision problems), that ploy has gotten older and older. Not to mention, I damn sure would rather watch Nicki Minaj rap than you. All those voices and different flows? C'mon son... Nicki is entertaining, and you know it. The woman might be as vapid as a tube of hot air on wax, but she sounds cool doing it.

Let's face it, Kim. Your era is DONE. You and Foxy Brown had your time in the limelight then essentially fell into obscurity for Lord knows why. That both of you are coming at Nicki now is sad. You two are old dogs trying to learn new tricks and failing terribly, while Nicki says the truth: When you pop up on a Billboard track, then she should respond. Until then, you should just go pump more silicon into yourself and see if you can re-work more of Biggie's raps to sound like you. That'll get you more shine than trying to push your way back into the scene with a diss track. 50 originated that, and look where he's at. It damn sure won't work for you, especially with a weak diss track like that...

Dear Hip-Hop Collectives

via Billboard.com

Another "Jay" has been added to the Roc Nation roster. It was announced yesterday (Nov. 12) that New Orleans rapper Jay Electronica signed with Jay-Z's personal imprint, joining acts J. Cole and Willow Smith at the recently formed label. And to celebrate, Jay-Z threw a lavish party at New York club The Box that neither Jay E, nor anyone else in attendance, would soon forget.

The event -- which kicked off at about 10:15pm and drew head-turning guests like Beyonce and Omarion -- was a three-ring circus that included sexy burlesque dancers, an aerial gymnast, a Russian hula-hoop master and a girl whose "talent" was having men shoot arrows at balloons that were strategically positioned over her privates. But despite all the eye candy, the Jays still managed to steal the show.

Jay-Z, decked out in a sharp black suit, took the stage and told his guests about his "goal to reintroduce magic back into hip-hop, the love, the wizardry." With that, Jay introduced "Mr. Jay Electronica, the official Roc Nation signee" to the thunderous applause of the audience.

I'm going to go out on a limb in saying this, but it's always been true: Hip-hop is a team sport. From it's inception, rappers have been getting down with crews as a way to not only gain an opportunity in hip-hop, but for a chance to stay relevant and rake in that cash. Crews like the The Sugar Hill Gang, The Furious Five, Juice Crew, Run DMC and N.W.A. and others began the trend of group dominance, but it wasn't until the mid-90s, when hip-hop started becoming corporate, that rappers began finding strength in numbers.

Groups like Death Row, Bad Boy, the Wu-Tang Clan, and Leaders of the New School, based around record labels, showed that a good team could dominate the airwaves better than any one person. Posse cuts were rampant, with tracks like 'Bring Da Ruckus' and'Scenario' giving listeners a maelstrom of flows, lyrics and ideas from different rappers to sink their ears into. The Bad Boy Family, with its huge stable of artists like Biggie, The LOX, Faith Evans, Ma$e, Criag Mack, 112 and others made it so that if you weren't down with a specific team, you weren't getting any play. Towards the end of the 90's teams like Ruff Ryders solidified that tenet, going platinum on behalf of Yonkers. Even the early 2000s saw teams thrive, with the Diplomats, Cash Money and G-Unit dominating the re-emerging mixtape circuit.

Enter 2010, and we are having another resurgence of groups. The middle of this past decade was lukewarm in terms of hip-hop's reach, and for good reason. Headliners were the name of the game, as solo artists looked to regain some of the posture that being in groups had taken away. Ironically, a handful of those solo artists are nowhere to be found, while groups are coming back. Take a look at the most popular songs of the past year or so. $50 says that they came from a Roc-a-fella, Cash Money/Young Money, GOOD Music, 1017 Brick Squad or Slaughterhouse Artist.

Lil' Wayne started it. By signing Nicki Minaj, Drake and a host of other up-and-comers, it made the market a little bit harder to break into. The Young Money label has thrived ever since. Even if their group releases have been sub-par, the solo releases under that imprint have come out to tremendous publicity and accolade. The same can be said about Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint. Before the summer was over, most people couldn't name an artist on that team besides Ye, Common and Big Sean. A few months later, with the signings of Pusha T and Cyhi the Prynce, Ye has put together a formidable starting 5. Even Ye's big homie Jay-Z has taken part in hip-hop's arms race, signing J. Cole, Wale and now Jay Electronica. Today, success in hip-hop is just as much about who you're rapping with as it is what you're rapping about. By being part of a team, you give yourself more access to resources such as producers, studios, features and better promotion. Just ask artists who are unaffiliated how many units they honestly see themselves pushing and it will become clear.

This team-building in hip-hop doesn't come without it's caveats. First of all, it's evident that among these teams, there is always a star player. For Young Money it's Wayne, for GOOD Music it's Kanye and for Roc Nation it is Jay-Z. These designations open the group up to a power struggle, especially when the student can be, or is, better than the teacher. When it comes to label dynamics, no matter how talented one is, the bigger name always gets the press. J. Cole, Wale and Jay Electronica, while they will get a good deal of the spotlight, will always be under Jay-Z. Drake and Nicki Minaj will always be Lil' Wayne's younger siblings (ironic, considering his status and Baby's 'son'). Pusha T will now be considered Kanye's protege, even if he's been in the game longer. What happens if the subordinates are unhappy with that position, a la Juelz Santana circa 2006? Will it be a situation where their musical career is siphoned off to the highest bidder, or will they just have to find their own way out from Big Brother's watch?

The hip-hop arms race is clearly a result of labels being hesitant to take chances on one person. Artists are quick to latch on to a 'movement' in the hopes that it will take them to another level of success. The problem is, how to balance one's individual aspiration with the success of the team. Every team in hip-hop history has broken up because of egos and money, and nothing more. How do artists know whether they are in it for the right reasons? Better yet, if they aren't, how can they work together? Busta Rhymes, Ice Cube, Young Buck and Beanie Sigel are all examples of artists who were excommunicated because their wishes outreached that of the group. Will the groups of today be destined for that same fate?

My final concern with you, oh great hip-hop collective is whether this era of collaboration will last. As much as I have my questions, there is no question as to whether hip-hop music has thrived because of it. One look at the success of Kanye's GOOD Fridays is enough proof. Ye brought together artist upon artist upon artist to make some of the biggest records of the past year. Will that be the formula for success in the near future? Whatever the case, it seems like the hip-hop collective is back and will be for a while. As commemoration for the hip-hop collectives of the past, check out some of my favorite posse cuts in hip-hop history (not in chronological order):

Hip-Hop's Basketball Team

Basketball and hip-hop culture are damn near brothers cousins... Well, they're just related, very closely. Since the late 1980's hip-hop lore has laced the hardwood through players, teams, the gear that those entities wore and the music going along with them all. Movies like White Men Can't Jump, Above the Rim, Hoop Dreams, He Got Game (and sadly Like Mike) feature hip-hop music and culture centered around hoops. Rappers and ball-players have notable friendships and romantic relationships (RIP Trina and Kenyon Martin). Ballers like Shaq, Allen Iverson and sadly Kobe Bryant ventured into hip-hop, attempting to capitalize on their fame in the opposite arena. But what about rappers who try their hand at basketball? Dear Whoever now examines those (literally) crossover artists, putting together a team of the best rappers ternt ballers, and who would make the cut on hip-hop's basketball team. Who did I miss? Would your squad be able to go up against mine?

Honorable Mentions:
Mike Jones
Slim Thug
Nelly
Lil' Flip

Cam'Ron & Ma$e


We all know Cam and Ma$e from their days rapping together as a part of the Harlem collective 'Children of the Corn'. Little do most people know that Killa Cam and Murda Ma$e didn't meet through rap, but because they were childhood buddies that played basketball together in high school. In this clip, you see Cam putting on a show for a high school championship game, with Ma$e making a cameo. If I had to start a team, Cam would have to be the point guard and main playmaker with the way he gets into the lane and finishes...


The Game and Snoop Dogg


California, and most notably, Los Angeles are a hot bed for rap and basketball talent. Brandon Jennings and Jrue Holiday aren't the only ones making knees buckle, though. Uncle Snoop and his nephew the Game both draw crowds whenever the step onto the hardwood (pause). The Cali duo do some damage against one another in this charity tournament. Snoop wows the crowd with some well placed handles, while the Game takes athleticism into his game, doing some high-flying layups and put backs. Sure, Snoop is older than basketball and Game brings little else to the table, but every squad needs role-players...

Jadakiss


Al-Quaeda Jada is already hoops-famous in my book for his forays into basketball stardom with Allen Iverson in the early 2000s (two of my favorite basketball commercials here and here). But who knew the Yonkers representative could ball like this? And at an actual tournament to boot? Jada makes some quick fans here, balling out of control with Nate Robinson on his team. How does A-HCHAAAAAAHHH!! *Jadakiss voice* sound as a team battle cry?

Joell Ortiz


Joell Ortiz is a heavyweight on the mic. That's no secret. Being a heavyweight on the court doesn't always make for good basketball though. Joell disproves that notion in this video, putting the shakes on a few unlucky cats who thought it would be hilarious to see the Brooklyn MC take on the roundball. Joell shows he knows how to pull off the pick-and-roll seamlessly, driving to the net and LeBron-ing some hooper straight into a chorus of OOOOOOOHHHHHH's. Any man that can control his weight in motion like that can definitely be on Dear Whoever's squad.

Chris Brown


Okay, so Chris Breezy isn't a rapper. He's as likely to get killed in a verse than he is in domestic abuse court (is it too early to make jokes about that?). That doesn't mean that the R&B swooner can't hold his own up against some of And 1's best. And that he does, crossing up one of the streetballers for a nice layup... Only to get the ball stripped when he tries to pull off a next level move. That's okay for Chris, though. He gets the nod on Dear Whoever's team simply for making Bow Wow rethink his then-aspirations to play basketball professionally. The below video is an ironic microcosm of how play can mirror work perfectly. RIP to Bow Wow... and his layup.

Hip-Hop Highway?

I know I'm not the only one out there who's fantasized about having an extravagant rap video, where you do some outlandish act like... blocking a highway with a truck and performing a concert. Yesterday, someone made that daydream come true. In Los Angeles, underground hip-hop group Imperial Stars did just that, stopping L.A.'s Highway 101 in the middle of rush hour, ironically on a pretty good day of traffic. The group hired a driver to stop the truck in the middle of the 4-lane highway, and then drive away in another car. The result was over an hour of heavy delays and a memorable hip-hop moment. Check out some video of what happens when hip-hop videos try to be too real...

Dear Kanye (re: the VMA's)

I didn't watch most of the VMA's. The Washington - Dallas game had my attention because it was as captivating as an opening game as I've ever seen (word to DC). That said, I tuned in to MTV's yearly ode to the music video late, only to catch one thing: your performance Ye. I Youtube'd Taylor Swift's performance, and it was lame at best. She tried to make an underhanded acceptance of your antics last year (which I thoroughly lambasted you for), which came off sounding preachy and quick to capitalize on a year's worth of free publicity. You rose above her by not even directing any attention to her, or allowing MTV to pan to her anorexic-looking behind. But that's neither here nor there. Taylor's performance sucked because it was bad. Your performance, on the other hand, was masterful.

Rather than come back with a Taylor Swift apology song or try to make amends for what some would perceive as an off year for you, you decided to thumb your nose at all the douchebags, *ssholes and what have you. Now, that may sound ridiculous on the surface, but when taking a look at the performance as a whole, one can't help but think you're one of the best musicians out right now. First of all, you came out there dressed in a bright red suit. At first I was clowning it, thinking about Eddie Murphy in Delirious, but then looking at the stage from the aerial view, your aim (pun intended) was obvious. Ye, you were the target, the red dot that everyone had been aiming at over the past year because of your antics. Visually, that made the 'Runaway' performance a symbolic spectacle. Ironically, the song is about you poking fun at yourself for 'finding what (you) don't like the most' in everything and broadcasting it. That message hearkens back to your town hall-esque meetings at Rolling Stone, Twitter and Facebook where you're trying to make music from a position of happiness rather than sadness. I suppose one of those positions is one where you can poke fun at yourself and the people who've been chucking darts at you over the past year. You made yourself the target for yourself and for everyone else.

The second reason the performance was dope was that you brought out Pusha T. Plus, it seems as if the younger Thornton brother has something to prove, much like you do. Of all the heads you have lined up on GOOD Music, Pusha is my favorite. He's got the charisma, attitude and BARS for a nice crossover, though most of white America let out a collective 'Who's that?' when he stepped on stage. It was one of the only highlights to what I heard (better yet, read, thanks to Twitter) was a pretty lame MTV Video Music Awards.

SIDENOTE: The VMA's are officially dead, by the way. There really was no reason for half of the show aside from the performances. Chelsea Handler (who is comedic gold on her show) fumbled through three hours of celebrity jokes and a Rick Ross ride, and still couldn't get a genuine laugh from the dead-silent crowd. MTV completely lost its appeal when she jumped into a hot-tub with the Dirty Jersey crew, and died when she came out 'pregnant'. RIP to MTV.

Your performance was trill for one more reason: it means hip-hop is the IT now. Along with Drake, Eminem and Nicki Minaj, your feature on MTV, a (canonized) world stage, was a testament to the idea that rap music is here to stay. Ye, you solidified yourself as a heavy-hitter again with the this performance and kept it oh-so-funky with Taylor Swift by not even mentioning that squeaky-clean pop martyr. While she tried to milk last year's folly again, you were looking a year ahead to a gang of awards. Regardless of America's sweetheart, Ye, you were masterful last night, putting an emphatic exclamation mark on one hell of a statement to the music industry over the past few months. Your next album is sounding damn near classical, and we have no clue what's even going to be on it. That's enough holding your pocket, though Ye. Let's hear a few more GOOD Friday's before we crown you again, though somehow we might not even need it after that performance...

Marvel Universe x Hip-Hop Album Covers

Snatched from Nappy Afro

It's always refreshing to see two different mediums mashed together in a coherent fashion. In this case, we've got the superheroes of yesterday in their comic form with some classic hip-hop albums from yesteryear. The result is one of the most creative graphic design works I've seen in damn near forever. I won't kill you with words, because the images speak for themselves. Just try to guess what superheroes and what albums these are. 1000 e-points to anyone who can guess all of them. Check the rest out after the jump, and comment below if you can figure any of them out!!

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Dear Cynical Rap Fans

Bun tore this guy a new one and made this message clear: Respect the MC, especially if you can't do it.

One of my friends dropped a serious gem on me a few weeks back: being a blogger (especially dealing with music or sports) is essentially being a professional hater. Now all you bloggers and hip-hop fans out there, let that statement sink in and marinate for a few seconds. As a blogger or a rap fan, you specialize in hating. You might very well love and adore a few acts, genres and movement among the greater movement of hip-hop, yet a great deal of your time is spent actively, vehemently and vocally disliking other entities, if not for page views and ratings, then for e-props and an ego boost. That said, I can't even distance myself from that bug. This blog, in many a post, has been a forum for airing out my grievances with issues in rap, rather than bigging up those that I side with. The whole hip-hop universe is riddled with hate, from angry Twitter rants from artists and fans alike (guilty), to random beefs, to the blogs themselves being partial. It's as if we've forgotten the fact that hip-hop was supposed to be fun at one point. Gone is the jovial, gregarious nature of the inner-city art form, as hip-hop becomes cold, impersonal and pugnacious behind computer screens. You'd think that at a showcase of the purest form of hip-hop congregation, the freestyle battle, heads would be able to chime in on the victors without the jeering and hate coming from the crowd. That clearly wasn't the case.

Bun B is the trillest. Point blank. If you have any questions as to why all of his albums include the word 'trill', it is because Bun is simply trill. That's why you can't be mad at Bun issuing a challenge to one of you, a cynical, hating, hip-hop concert dweller, probably fresh off his millionth listen to Atmosphere's 'Overcast' and donning his traditional backpack. As a cynical hip-hop fan, this fool jeered and taunted the contestants from the crowd for the whole show, only to be called out on stage by The Trill One and fumble over a really, really shitty freestyle. That freestyle, and the deafening boos from the crowd not only gave him a first class ticket to the exit, they showed the dangers of being a hater.

Cynical hip-hop fans, how many of you can rap? ...I mean really rap. How many of you can piece together a verse over a beat, or write an ill chorus, or go off the top of the dome in a battle? How many of you can rock a crowd and have thousands singing along to your songs? *crickets* My guess is few, if any of you; myself included. Too often do you find that the ones criticizing the art form the most are the least exceptional at that artform. They say those who can't do, critic, and those who can't critic simply sit on the sidelines giving sideways comments. We can all name at least one head whose life goal and prerogative is to rake muck at every possible instance. Unfortunately, not all of them have or will have the blessing of being publicly embarrassed by a hip-hop legend to humble them. That said, it's not really our job to put you in your place, oh scornful hip-hop fan. Where did all of this hate come from anyway? Whether you're a failed rapper, producer, or manager who started a blog, or you've had a hip-hop snob license for over a decade, keep the hate to a minimum, especially if you can't rap to save a second of your life. Lord knows I might have needed this letter more than you, to remind me not only that not everything has to be battle, but also to work on my freestyling, in the event that I ever do get called out. To you, oh cynical hip-hop fan, I hope the same wisdom be imparted. Maybe you'll get to see the show instead of getting booed out of the venue...

Dear Kanye West

It takes a lot for someone to 'change the game'. By that, I mean someone operating in a way that goes against the grain of the time, and makes everyone else reconsider and reevaluate how they're going about their business. When someone changes the game, the status quo takes a hit. Not necessarily a hit that will rearrange everything, but just enough for the rest of the world to take notice. Over the past 4 years, blogs have begun a steady coup of the hip-hop game. Whether through internet labels preparing digital-only releases or the online mixtape phenomena, blogs now have a considerable amount of control over who's 'next' or who's time it is to shine. Chances are, if you've got a huge blog following, then you have pull in the hip-hop industry. That said, it's gotten to the point of over-saturation, where there are so many rappers on the scene, that no one knows who to listen to anymore! Go on any hip-hop blog today, and you'll find a different cast of characters than you did the previous day. That's not a bad thing; it's simply the state of the industry. It's hard for people to stand out. That is why your recent tour of... everywhere, is so mind-blowing, Kanye.

Over the past week, you've visited the offices of Twitter, Facebook, Rolling Stone, at each, speaking on not only the state of the music industry, but your own state. The way you presented yourself was damn near classic, Ye. You were professional, coming dressed in a simple black suit, black tie and donning the 'cool guy' sunglasses so we knew you weren't a corporate drone like the people in the audience. All of the speeches you gave were impeccable. I've yet to hear an artist admit that the places where most get their musical inspiration from are dark, morbid, depressed ones. That you want to bring your music out of joy and hope is a breath of fresh air for the industry. In fact, it's a rarity that you spope on it at all. Artists are notorious for keeping their personal lives chambered after they blow up (their first works may be raw and emotional), so to have you being open about the feelings that went into 'Good Ass Job' (apparently that might not be the album title anymore) is incredible.



A huge point in these visits was when you mentioned being a truth-teller in your music. I find that so groundbreaking. Everyone says that their album is the truth, but few artists actually purvey truth in their music, whether personal or public. 'Truth,' as most artists use it is a way to say you've lived something, not necessarily that you've learned from it or grown as a person (or artist) from it. Kanye, we can see such growth from you in these videos. Whereas last year, you had your mouth glued to a Henny bottle and your hands to Amber Rose's butt, now you seem to be as clear as day. Back to the music, though. The verses you spit at these places were too dope. 'Chain Heavy' had the makings of a track that would ruin the jewelry industry, 'Mama's Boyfriend' tells the story that every child with a single mother will vibe with, and the third one (no title, I suppose) has introspection written all over it. If those three songs are any indication of your album, this should be one of the greatest musical works in a WHILE. I guess when you write from a position of contentment, everything you put out there flows so much better. There's no need to gloss it over with auto-tune or unnecessary features. Labels and whoever else can't put the brakes on your work because you're doing it from such a good place that it automatically sounds good. People can feel the difference in your the beat, your words, your delivery and everything in between.

Kanye, if these sightings signal anything, they show that personal semantics, intimate theatrics, and simply going to the people are the way things should be done. The days when a person could showcase their talents from behind a keyboard are slowly dwindling (ironic that I'm writing this on a blog; sue me). It's not enough to shoot bloggers and tastemakers (I really hate that term, but that's a different blog post) press releases, leaks, random freestyle videos, and mixtapes. As a musician, you have to show why your work is the best, especially in hip-hop, where everyone claims they're the best. You're taking the game away from the computers (though you visited two social networking sites) and back to the (hypothetical) streets. It's very grass roots-esque, and different from anything we're seeing today. Your efforts seem duly poised to change the game Ye. Whether the album is a Good Ass Job (you see what I did there?) or something beyond that, we'll see in September...

Outasight - Dizzy

Outasight - Dizzy

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Outasight is one of the most talented cats in the industry right now. He melds hip-hop, rock and soul in a way that I've yet to hear from ANYONE in music right now. He's dropping a new mixtape called 'Never Say Never' on July 2nd. Of course you know the man has to do an upbeat party track to start the summer out, and 'Dizzy' is just that song. Outasight makes mincemeat of the instrumental, both singing and rapping. Honestly, if you just love music, not necessarily hip-hop, rock or soul, you will love this track and you will love Outasight. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open, because more great music is dropping this summer...

'The Mixtape Was Better' T-Shirt

Sometimes, I wish these new 'blog' rappers wouldn't even put out albums. The title of 'album', to them, is indicative of a work that has to be mixed and mashed and cut into perfect squares and packaged for God knows what reason. It's as if once an artist says they're putting out an album, they become unnatural in their process. The music isn't as raw, soulful, insightful or.. good. That's right, I'm saying it. These days, artists in hip-hop and R&B put out better mixtapes than albums. Trey Songz, Wale, KiD CuDi, Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y.. the list goes on forever! If Drake and J. Cole flop (Drake's album is looking extra regular from the leaks), then I might just give up hope for hip-hop (hyperbole). But I suppose it's good that such a vibe is rearing its head. More people bump with mixtapes than albums these days anyway. It's just the record labels and radio stations still on the other side. I guess this was much more of a rant than a post about a t-shirt. Even so, the t-shirt brings up something we've all thought about music today. Props to the fellows at Academy Printwear for getting the word out in wearable form...

At $14 a pop, this might be a better buy than a lot of albums...

Drake - Find Your Love (Music Video)

WOW! I never thought I'd see the day when music videos had plots in them again. Over the past 10 years, hip-hop and R&B videos have been nothing but people standing around with cars (often rented), or women (often hoes) or jewelry (often fake). Maybe it was the recession, but I suppose people aren't really trying to do high-budget videos with plots and messages behind them. No wonder I haven't heard Hype Williams or Little X getting their names out there lately. I wish there was some more creativity in the videos. Now with collectives like Creative Control, and Drake putting videos like this, we can see better days in music videos. There's a lot of talking in the visual for the next single off 'Thank Me Later' (dropping June 15!!), but the Rasta drops some gems, and we ultimately get to see the acting side of Wheelchair Jimmy again. #shouout to everyone who knew Jimmy Brooks before they knew Drake. Check out the video...

Lupe Fiasco - I'm Beamin' (Music Video)

#allblackeverything now, Lupe??

People always seem to have one major point of hatred about Lupe Fiasco: that he's too convoluted, archaic, confusing or 'smart' in his rhymes. Waka Flocka would call that 'dictionary rap'. Lupe, however, never is unwilling to try something different. The video for the first single off Lasers takes the advice of every critic that Lupe's had, and dumbs down the video completely. There are kids with cardboard cutouts acting out Lu's bars and bright, multi-colored lights flashing around him as he raps. Hell, it's like a show on Nick Jr. Whatever the case, it still turns out brilliantly. Lasers is coming closer. I wish he would hit us with a release date though. Enjoy the video....

Dear Solar

Tell me Solar doesn't look like a schemin-ass nigga...

Now that we've had the chance to pay our respects to Guru, it's time to tackle the case of your involvement in Guru's pre-mortem dealings. Solar, it's been hard to find closure with Guru's death with all of the mystery and lack of communication surrounding it.

First of all, why was the entire world, with your exception, kept in secret about Guru's medical situation? I feel like you damn sure weren't overall the closest person to Guru, even at his time of death. If his son was so 'beloved,' why wasn't he the sole caretaker of Guru? Why was all of the press coming from YOU?!?! Second of all, in the letter to his fans, Guru must have mentioned your name about 10 times (actually 7). Solar, you're telling me that as a rapper and poet, and as a pioneer in hip-hop, the only person Guru cared to mention more than once was you??? I'm sorry, but that doesn't add up. What about all of the family, friends, DJ's, rappers, promoters and writers that Guru knew? What about addressing his work as a rapper? What about some sort of statement about hip-hop as an art form and the direction it's taking? Somehow I think that Guru would have had more to say about more things than just his relationship with you. Third of all, what was up with all of the hate on DJ Premier in the last letter? You mean to tell me that at the time of his death, rather than a peaceful statement, or a burying of the proverbial hatchet, Guru's last testament to Primo was a hate-filled diatribe about how he doesn't want Primo involved in his estate? Seriously, if I'm on my death bed, the last thing I'm thinking about is trivial beefs during my living years. I'm trying to make peace with the world around me and leave this life with some credits on my heaven ticket (as blasphemous as that sounds). Solar, that brings me to my conclusion.

Now, it's not a good thing to surround a dead man with this much controversy, but there is no way in heaven or hell that Guru wrote that letter (clearly subjective). It sounded nothing like what a man with his verbal prowess would have cooked up. Also, the amount of times your name was called was egregious. It sounds like you're his PR person and are trying to buy up as many rights to his namesake as possible, so you can cash out when the air clears. Either that, or you were just trying to get your name out there more. Most hip-hop fans wouldn't even mention you in the same breath as Guru or Primo, no matter how much Guru wanted you to replace him. There's no way a man, in his last breath, is going out with that much hate or that much attention to business. The diction used in the letter reminded me of a hateful being, or a general misanthrope. The way you Guru wrote that letter made him sound a lot like this guy:

#shoutout to Devin for the inspiration for this post...

Dear Cam'ron & Jim Jones

via MissInfo:

“Minya, it’s Jimmy….I’m sitting in the passenger seat of this car right now. I want you to talk to the driver real quick.”

“Ok, Jimmy.”

[brief pause] “What up, Min. It’s Cam…”

Jim Jones: “It’s 2010, and this is something I gotta get off my chest…You’ve known us from back when we didn’t have what we have now, so you remember, that above all, me and Cam, we still brothers. And we’re building on getting back on track but first, I apologize for being a rude brother, for saying things publicly without first trying to handle them privately. I apologize for not leading by example because what I didn’t realize at the time, I was venting but it wasn’t all about me. There were other people whose dreams were also part of this movement. So by not leading by example, they were left stranded too. The way I handled our business issues was with emotion, and it got totally f–ked up. That’s what selfishness does….”

Cam’ron: “There’s nothing really Diplomats-related to show you yet. We all have our own obligations right now, our own projects. I have this Boss of All Bosses Pt. 2.5 mixtape with Vado and DJ Drama dropping soon. But yes, me and Jim have been speaking, we’re working out the mechanics of this, and looking at our options right now. If it makes sense, it can happen.”

Back in 2004, I was in high school, still somewhat young in my understanding of hip-hop and rap. That said, along that time, the movement that was moving was Dip Set. You, Cam and Jim, served as the soundtrack to basketball games, tomfoolery in hallways and homework. When the rumors came in around 2007 that you two weren't speaking, it was like seeing the Power Rangers get into an argument: slightly devastating. That said, the news relayed by Miss Info was a highlight to my day. I blasted 'I'm Ready' and 'Come Home With Me' in my room as I remembered the tall tees, jerseys, fitteds and ridiculous jewelry that you guys donned during your run at the top. Of course, the look will be different now. Even so, it's refreshing to see some unity come back. That doesn't mean the news comes without its issues.

First of all, why did it take the two of you so long to reconcile? Maybe it's the fact that both of you were too wrapped up in your own individual success to realize that your strength came as a group. I suppose both of you started feeling the dent in your sales, regardless of hot singles (would it be cliche to yell 'BALLIN' right now?) or illegal dealings outside of rap. Second of all, where's Juelz?? A Dip Set reunion wouldn't be complete without Santana on deck, and you both know it. As a matter of fact, I'd definitely say that Juelz is doing a lot better than both of you at the moment. He has a hit single out and a lot of buzz for 'Born to Lose, Built to Win' (or whatever it's called), while you two have two sub-par underselling albums under your studded belts. You guys would have to truly bury the hatchet and apologize to Juelz for doing him dirty, ALONG with offer up a few hundred stacks to get him to come on with the movement. Third of all, this is only the 3rd or 4th time that you guys have alluded to a reunion and have come up with either nothing or a new beef to squabble over. While it's great to see you guys are cool riding around town together, until I have substantial proof that Diplomatic Immunity 3 is on the way, I will continue to be the skeptic. Besides, I'm looking forward to Boss of All Bosses 2.5 and Slime Flu much more than I am anything Jim Jones-laced these days. At least we can reminisce...

B.o.B. - Fame x Past My Shades x Airplanes (Pt. 1 & 2)

B.o.B. - Fame


B.o.B. - Past My Shades (ft. Lupe Fiasco)


B.o.B. - Airplanes (Pt. 1) (ft. Hayley Williams)


B.o.B. - Airplanes (Pt. 2) (ft. Eminem & Hayley Williams)

I've never been quick to eat my words, but in all honesty, I can't hold back anymore. Bobby Ray is about to blow. Point. Blank. Period. Two top 10 iTunes downloads don't lie. Neither does the crossover potential of a track like Airplanes (Pt. 2). And neither do insane collabs with Lupe Fiasco and Eminem. The thing that impresses me about B.o.B. right now is that he's mastered his flow and is rapping like himself. We can't even compare him to 3 Stacks right now because he's already distinguished himself and found a lane. No, I'm not heralding the rebirth of hip-hop, but it's a bright sign to see an artist garner so much press right now, and have so much anticipation with him. Better yet, it's a bright sign to see more than one artist like that, with Drake and J. Cole gaining steam too. I don't like quoting myself, but this tweet couldn't be truer these days: