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*

Dear J. Cole (re: Friday Night Lights)

DOWNLOAD: J. Cole - Friday Night Lights



I've said it numerous times, and I'll say it again: Basketball and hip-hop are closer akin than most would like to believe. Both are team sports (check this post, if you're unsure as to what that means), both require intense practice and tutelage, and both are very unforgiving. Most players only get one chance, and most of those players either thrive or don't get a second chance.

J. Cole, this is your third mixtape. By industry standards, and for how famous you are at this juncture, that is about 2 mixtapes more than most make in their lives. The first one was 'The Come Up', or the work leading up to the game. The second one was 'The Warm Up' or the practice right before the game, and the subsequent introduction to fans of a wider variety. Now that it's your third mixtape, those 'Friday Night Lights', or more aptly put, the limelight is on you and is waiting for your performance. Keeping in line with the athletic motif, it's obvious to see why you will be an All-Star in hip-hop for years to come. This mixtape is as complete of a game as one will find today, with an array of different facets of your game for admirers and opposing players to marvel at. From thought provoking tracks, to love songs, to songs for the ladies, to pure beat-knockers, to those 'damn I can relate' songs, there's something for everyone in this work.

One of the things that impressed me so much with FNL is that you were able to seamlessly integrate the features you did into the mixtape. Your first two mixtapes only had 2 features on them altogether. This third one had not only your imprint-mate Omen and your Roc Nation kin Wale (on 'You Got It'), but Drake on the bedtime ballad 'In the Morning'. I point to this namely because you held your own on a track that could have been a massacre for you. Cole, I won't lie. Your style of rap doesn't lend itself to being soft, even though feelings are a great part of your lyrics. That said, Drake is the king of emotions in hip-hop today. That you could go bar for bar with him on a song about the fairer sex and your erotic escapades with them is nothing short of practice gone perfect.

Another part of FNL that made the work so memorable was how honest it was. The best works of music are an accurate portrait of the artist's internal and external reality at that point in time. That means the artist's understanding of what's going on around him and how he and those around him are affected by those goings on. Albums like Illmatic, Ready to Die, and Lifestyles ov da Poor and Dangerous (to name a few) are instant snapshots of what their respective makers were going through at that time. Hip-hop is a barometer for the masses, which is why most great works aren't recognized until well after they happen. Your work on FNL is no different, although you deal a lot more in the ruminations of a college graduate/rapper, rather than a drug dealer/rapper. Tracks such as 'Home for the Holidays' talk about the trivialities of coming home from a semester at school to the ills of the ghetto, while 'Too Deep For the Intro' delves into the troublesome standard that black women adhere to.

Cole, your penchant for telling stories is well seasoned and well-worn in this mixtape, as well. Where other rappers simply describe situations, you inscribe your understanding into the listener's mind without flinching. While you have interesting discourse as to the conundrums that plague the black community, you never hesitate to say 'niggas', just as a reminder that while you are from that environment, you are not of that environment. That's especially evident on songs like '2Face' and 'See World'. It's eerie to see such a dichotomy in hip-hop, especially considering the juncture that a great like Jay-Z is at, commenting on the state of black America, all while embracing that he is a part of that reality. Not to liken you to Jay-Z (we don't need to add fire to that Jay/Nas - Cole/Drake argument), but you seem comfortable dealing with a range of topics and being able to expound on them without it getting corny.

Finally, the best part of FNL is how well-delivered your verses are. Delivery is something that few rappers can master, and you're well on your way to that. The 'Back to the Topic Freestyle' was a perfect example of that, with how easily those multi-syllabic lines seemed to roll off your tongue. In terms of breath control, enunciation and syncopation, there was little lacking on that song or on the mixtape. It's a testament to the perfectionist in you, and those skeptical fans who thought you could come harder... I remember on 'The Warm Up' when you re-did your freestyle to 'Dead Presidents' for that same reason. 'Friday Night Lights' is the equivalent of dunking on that fan with 2 seconds left and the game on the line. You practiced your craft, and are now in a position to display your talents on a wider scale. There's nothing more organic than that, in basketball, hip-hop or life, for that matter. That we're seeing your maturation on wax is a beautiful thing, and something very warm and fuzzy as we prepare to enter your 'Cole World'...

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):

Dear MC Hammer

You know how you know you're getting old? When you see performers, artists and actors from your earlier days making fools of themselves today, and wonder 'where did it all go wrong?' Today is such a day for you MC Hammer. Now, I don't particularly understand what your gripe with Jigga is. What he said in that line from Kanye's 'So Appalled' was completely true, and you know it.

“Hammer went broke, so you know I’m more focused/I lost 30 mil’, so I spent another 30/’Cause unlike Hammer, 30 million can’t hurt me,

No, it's not nice to kick a man when he's down, nor is it in good taste to discuss another man's money. But come on, Hammer. You know that at least one point in the past 15 years you've said to yourself: 'Where did all that motherf*ckin' money go?' And thanks to modern accounting and banking, you now know exactly where you went wrong in your monetary decisions. It's great that you've put that era behind you and begun to seek new things in your life.

That said, Hammer, making diss videos towards Jay isn't going to cure your hungry pockets. It's all well and good that you're making an attempt to resurrect your career, but you've showed up late to an entire revolution of technology and social media. Times have changed, Hammer. Diss tracks are like assholes now. Everyone puts them out as feeble attempts to gain notoriety, in the 50 Cent mold. And sadly, Hammer, you're no different. Diss track aside, the fact that you put out a music video to go with it is beyond laughable. Seriously, man. Who dances for a diss track? Didn't we leave that alone in the 80s (well before you were popping onto the scene)? Also, what did the little boardroom meeting have to do with anything? You know the last time you had a corporate meeting that meant anything, it was your contract release meeting. Add to that, the song sucks. I know it. You know it. The American people know it.

Hammer, this isn't the way to get your celebrity back. You do know that Jay-Z won't even regale this with a response? If anything he'll toss another (singular) bar at you and probably have the internets going nuts with laughter. No, Hammer, it's not that your musical contributions have been forgotten. It's just that you're choosing to take on a titan of hip-hop, when you've clearly been downgraded to a mere mortal. Why not take the Rev Run route and get a reality TV show or something? I'm sure it'll have more shelf life and profit coming out of it than this sorry video...

Kanye West - The Joy (ft. Pete Rock, Jay-Z, Charlie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield & KiD CuDi)

Kanye West - The Joy (ft. Pete Rock, Jay-Z, Charlie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield & KiD CuDi)

Okay, so it's another GOOD Saturday Friday track from Kanye, this time with a sultry Curtis Mayfield sample. Ye and (I'm assuming) Pete Rock sped the first verse up for the chorus, then put it over a slowed down, minimal beat. Kanye raps about the ills of his sex life, ironically after pictures of his nether regions leaked onto the interwebs. Jay puts together a better than average verse, while CuDi and Charlie sing. I liked that Pete Rock got to close out the song with that funky riff in the background. Also, I'll be honest. The past two GOOD Fridays have been a bit boring to me. I guess a roster like this on a track can't help but pique one's interest. Doesn't hurt that the track is good...

Kanye West - So Appalled (ft. RZA, Jay-Z, Pusha T, Swizz Beatz & Cyhi The Prince)

Kanye West - So Appalled (ft. Rza, Jay-Z, Pusha T, Swizz Beatz & Cyhi The Prince)

Another Friday, and another Kanye track for the fans. This week, Ye brings Jay, Swizz, Pusha T, the RZA and newcomer Cyhi the Prynce for a whack at a darker type of beat. The song 'So Appalled' made its first appearance on a Big Mike mixtape, then was unleashed on Hot 97 by DJ Camilo. Kanye makes a few jabs at MTV, as well as some slick punchlines and braggodocious verse with some introspective thoughts too. The premise of the song is the things in life that just make one 'appalled' or just completely offend each of the MC's featured. If I had to pick one verse, it would definitely be Pusha, though. The younger Thornton needs to be on your radar if you weren't already a fan of the Clipse MC's work already. He has a way with words that belies his persona as your average coke-pusher. If there was any GOOD Friday track I've dug, it's this one. Check it out and keep a lookout for 'Watch For the Throne'...

Kanye West - Monster (ft. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj)

Kanye West - Monster (ft. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj)

I couldn't let the day pass before I posted this. As brief as this post might be, just know that words can't describe the heat rocks coming from this track, slated to be on the album Kanye tweeted about earlier today. He and Jay are apparently working on a five-track album entitled, 'Watch The Throne'. They brought Nicki Minaj along, and she DESTROYED her verse flow-wise, while Bon Iver sang an eerie chant at both the beginning and end. Rawse was a nice person to start rapping after that, but it was best that he got out of the way and let the heavyweights do the heavy lifting. And the beat, of course done by Yeezy, is impossible to not knock to. In fact, If this doesn't make you bop, please check your pulse. Keep on the lookout for more news for 'Watch the Throne', and enjoy the track!!!

Ye tweeted:

Kanye West - Power (Remix) (ft. Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz)

Kanye West - Power (Remix) (ft. Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz)

What does it take to really remix a song? Lately, it's just been a bunch of artists going off on the same beat. I guess that's why Kanye decided to rip a Swizz Beatz-produced interpolation of Snap's pop classic, The Power, along with bringing Jay along for a whack at the original version. The result is one heck of a remix. Ye reverts back to his slick-talking ways for a long verse, which hits you perfectly with the beat. I couldn't stop nodding my head. I'm sure you won't either. There's still no release date for 'The Album Formerly Known as Good Ass Job', but with gems like this, we can't be too upset with the man. Shouts to Miss Info for this one...

Dr. Dre - Under Pressure (ft. Jay-Z)

Dr. Dre - Under Pressure (ft. Jay-Z)

I was beginning to think that Dr. Dre was secretly dead and that he had just pulled a Tupac, making a lifetime's worth of music to have an amazing posthumous catalog. It's either that or he's been taking care of his family and chilling. We all know the good doctor has more on his plate than just music. I guess that's why he recruited Jay-Z to help him out with his first song in over a decade. A decade is an eternity in the music industry with more artists that have come and gone than minutes in the day. Dre doesn't seem to have skipped a beat on the beat (if that was him on the boards, mind you), though his rhymes sound a bit more than rusty. Let's just hope we don't have to wait another 10 years for the 2nd single from Detox...

P.S.: The track is tagged up by the NewMusicCartel.. It still knocks, but the random voices do irk me...

Dear Swag

I can't deny, this ish is hilarious!! Too bad swagger had to die...

It's funny how terminology and slang can one day be remotely cool, and then the next day, that same slang is played out. I remember the last time I heard someone say 'phat'. I don't think I would to see the day when you, 'swagger', and all your variants (swagg, swagged, swagnificence, swaggerific, etc.) became obsolete. It's funny that you're even slang, considering a good amount of slang aren't even words. I guess that made you all the harder to get rid of. Since around 2006, swag, you've been the word everyone, their mom, pop, aunt, uncle, best friend, cousin and sister used for at least a week. People were changing their Facebook and Myspace names, making up new words (see above) and finding every possible way to include you in their conversations, no matter how out of place you were. Then came these guys:



And these guys, who turned from an already butchered word into a nonsensical idiom...



Finally, these guys turned you out into the whore of a word you are today, though I guess the Grammy's were a dope coming out party...



Let's just say this, swagger... Most, if not all slang, is done in by the same thing that makes slang in the first place: word of mouth. At least in the subcultures that create slang, it catches on like wildfire and soon entire cities (states, regions, etc.) are saying it. You were no different, swag. New York was your birthplace, and as Dip Set videos and songs circulated the mixtape game, everyone wanted a piece of you. Now, you're reduced to being a ploy for Toyota to cater to suburban mothers, minority crowds and people who are late on fads. Auto-tune suffered the same fate, and I have yet to hear anyone use it in a song since (where is T-Pain??). I don't think you'll last as long either, though you'll definitely live on in forgotten Twitter names... RIP SWAG

J. Cole - Who Dat

I already like where J. Cole's mainstream debut is heading... This artwork is FIRE


J. Cole - Who Dat

Ummmmmm.... If you didn't know by now, J. Cole is on Jay-Z's Roc Nation imprint, and is set to release his debut album 'Cole World' later this year. Everyone's sitting behind their computers comparing him to Drake, but if you've listened to both, there really is no comparison. Whereas Drake has gotten watered down and Weezy-fied, J. Cole has gotten a lot better and has been spitting fire over the last few leaks. I'm going to spare you the talk about those, though. Please, please, please give 'Who Dat' a listen, and tell me that J. Cole isn't the #1 draft pick in hip-hop right now. The beat is crazy, and Cole doles out pure heat rocks. Seriously, download this NOW...

Dear Auto-Tune

You were the hottest rehashed new trend in music, and in 2005, T-Pain made every dead funk artist roll over in his grave with your use. Auto-tune, most people have no clue how you work, or where you came from, or even what '808's & Heartbreaks' was, but by the end of the Super Bowl, you were dead. By the time the Budweiser Corporation cashes in from the above commercial, no hip-hop artist will step within 10 feet of you. Okay, maybe T-Pain will fiddle with you some more, but he more or less made himself the spokesperson for hip-hop autotune (sad that we can call it a genre now). Regardless, autotune isn't the first hip-hop fad that went mainstream and then went south. You'll probably end up like phat, kickin, bling-bling, maxin, BALLIN!!, and every other piece of hip-hop lore that got popular: in a VH1 special 5 years later.

To be honest, Jay-Z loaded the gun, but Bud Light shot it through your digitally-enhanced sound. 'Death of Autotune' didn't kill you, though it sure signaled the end was near. As soon as Corporate America saw that a star as big as Jay-Z saying your name in a song, it was on like Donkey Kong. Even if he used you in a song and kept it in hip-hop rotation, they would have jumped on you. Autotune, that commercial might have been the end, yet you gave us some of the most memorable songs of the decade (kinda???). Instead of signaling your death with silence (sorry, Jay), I think it's best to remember the tracks that made auto-tune a trend in the first place...

PS: Ron Browz's career should be in the obituary, too...

Dear Jay-Z

Kudos Jay, kudos. I've been one of your most staunch critics over the past year, saying that you were going through the motions of rap to some degree. However, after watching this video, I realize that your eye for detail is so much greater than most could imagine. Arguably, this was the best song on The Blueprint 3. Not only did it quench the thirst of people like myself who were doubting your hunger, it also showed your lyricism was never lost to the wind. Not to mention, the video is visually enthralling. From the black and white theme, to the slow motion drops, to the wires dancing, to the avante-garde caricatures, this video was an experience. It fits the song, and doesn't follow the traditional scope of rap visuals. I may have spoken badly about your approach to hip-hop in the last decade, but I suppose ringing in the new year with a bang more than suffices. Again, kudos, Mr. Carter...

PS: Who exactly is the dude behind you and Swizz though?? Not that it's important, but I hate random cameos in music videos without explanation...

Dear Jay-Z (and the rest of rap)

Okay, by now, people heads probably think I hate you, just by sheer volume of material I have covering you and decisions I found questionable. Even so, I actually can stand the Blueprint 3. It grew on me, as does most material that's CONSTANTLY in rotation. But I see the lyricism and musical value of your work over the past year.

That said, I was semi-looking forward to watching the video for 'Empire State of Mind'. I didn't watch the previews or behind-the-scenes videos, so the official joint would be completely new. What I waited so long for turned out to be boring, unimaginative and extra-regular. I'll say it now, for the world to hear: RAP VIDEOS SUCK NOW. Where is the innovation, ingenuity and creativity? Where are the plots? Where are the random explosions and near-movie quality stunts? Where are the new ways to blow our money lavishly? Where is anything? All I saw in your video, Jay, and see in any video today is dudes standing around in different places (clubs, colored sets, parking lots), doing some stupid dance in a club, or hood shots (ie: crack houses, projects etc.).

What's worse, is that this was a New York video. NYC hip-hop fans know what I'm talking about; the videos that show random shots of streets and people in the city. Your video is no different. It has the varied montages of life on the NYC 'streets' complete with a Times Square shot for Alicia Keys and numerous other landmarks. Sure, it's a tried and true formula. But at some point, where do artists start to get tired of shooting the same videos? Jay, I know for a fact that you wanted the video drop to coincide with your performance at the World Series. I just wish the video was half as inspiring as the performance (the Yankees BEASTED that game). I suppose this 'new' rap video is a sign of the times, with the recession and all. But, I thought you were the best rapper alive? Certainly the top dog, and the rap king of New York, would be able to dole out some presidents for a music video about New York? If that weren't the case, I'd have no reason to write this letter to Jay, or to the rest of the rap game. In fact, maybe you guys should get a recap some of the crap you've been tossing on MTV and BET lately...

Breast I Ever Had?


5 Star Video with a $5 budget..


Whoever directed this is a jerk..


I don't even wanna go in on this one...

Dear Beanie Sigel

Mad videos.. But it had to be done...

Okay Beans, let me say first off that I respect you as a rapper. You're highly underrated in an era where vapidness is the fastest road to platinum plaques. I always knew that your albums didn't get nearly the amount of promotion that they needed, but as usual, the bullshit side of the industry was swept under the rug in your case. That said, when I hard your Jay-Z diss song, my first resolves was 'So?' Beans, you're about 4 years too late in your newfound chutzpah. You say that Jay wasn't dealing you right and wouldn't promote your album. Since when is it his prerogative to promote your album? As much as the man did head the label and your crew, at what point do you as a rapper say 'Hey! Maybe I should grind out MYSELF!' Look at it this way. No one gave Jay-Z his career. In 1994, Dame Dash and he were selling Roc-A-Fella records from the trunk of Dame's car, not waiting for another dude to put them on. In fact, any grossly rich person on this planet (with the exception of Bill Gates & Warren Buffet; c/o Devin) has to have some degree (some with a HELL of a lot more than others) of griminess to them. In today's age of deception and fineprint, YOU have to be responsible for your own fate. Instead of being tight after the fact, now that you know your career is on the rocks, you should have been promoting the hell out of your damn self. State Property had some serious talent in it. And yes, it is a shame that Jay promoted himself more than he promoted you. At the end of the day, you have to realize this: If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. That's not just a saying; it's the truth. It's just sad you had to wait 10 years to figure that out...

Dear Timbaland

Okay, the verses are fire. The chorus does the job too. And you do a pretty good job with the beat too. But Timbo, why do you insist on including your name in the title as an artist if you don't actually say anything on the track? I'm all one for self-empowerment, but you've been doing this since Magoo was still relevant. How can you have an album that you're on less than 50% of? You don't see Just Blaze or DJ Premier shouting themselves out like that. You putting your name as an artist is like Charles Hamilton putting J-Dilla on his album: NOT COOL. I'm all for hot beats, but when does lyricism ever come into play over a Timbaland beat? I've never heard one of your songs that didn't put me to sleep after the 12th loop of the beat. Not to say that your influence in hip-hop is non-existent (Besides beats, what does this man do?), but the whole one-trick pony act doesn't work very well. And when it does, repetition is usually involved. Ask Swizz Beatz. Being a dope producer doesn't guarantee you sales, no matter what other artists you feature on your tracks. I hope Shock Value 2 doesn't do just the opposite and put me to sleep like the first one did. What would be the real shock is if it actually doesn't...

Dear New Jersey Nets

via The New York Times:

A Russian tycoon with a longstanding passion for basketball agreed to a $200 million deal on Wednesday that would make him the principal owner of the New Jersey Nets and a key investor in the team’s proposed new home in Brooklyn.

Mikhail D. Prokhorov, who is 44 years old, stands as tall as a basketball forward and is widely considered the richest man in Russia, would become the first overseas owner of a National Basketball Association team. While other Russian billionaires have become prominent in English soccer, Mr. Prokhorov now becomes the first of that group to cross the Atlantic with the aim of becoming part of the American sports scene.

Mr. Prokhorov’s deal also stands out because there is little foreign ownership of any kind in major American sports. Last May, Chinese investors reached a deal to purchase 15 percent of the N.B.A.’s Cleveland Cavaliers. And the majority owners of Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners are Hiroshi Yamauchi, a former executive of Nintendo, the Japanese video-game company, and Nintendo USA, the company’s American subsidiary.

Move over Jay-Z. Brooklyn is getting a taste of that Soviet swagg, now. The question is, is this good for the NBA? Let's take a look at some precedents. In The English Premier League (soccer, for you uncultured ingrates), another Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich drew the same ire after purchasing the controlling stake in the Chelsea Football Club for $233 million. The catch? Within two years after the takeover they had won the Premier League, League Cup and FA Cup twice. They went from perennial runner-up to being THAT team in England. Of course they drew a lot of flack for basically turning into an 'evil' empire-esque club, but theystill got those championships.

That said, Nets, this could be a big move for you guys. In recent years your company, not just the team has been going through some financial hardship. Plus, it's not like you guys have been making deep playoff runs in the past few years. You've got my favorite point guard (Devin Harris) on a team full of scrubs, with the exception of Brook 'Shaq' Lopez. Any dead presidents coming into the franchise would automatically put some rocket fuel into a team that's been languishing. In terms of the whole 'foreigner owning an American team' issue, what really is the issue? We as Americans are completely fine with economic imperialism, so why can't more than one country play at that game? Prokhorov isn't some blind billionaire just looking for a new toy. Dude actually plays basketball and has invested a lot of money into basketball in Russia. Honestly, this is a win-win move for you guys and the NBA. We're always talking about how we wat basketball to be a global game. Well, here's our first taste of that. I wonder what Prokhorov thinks of the Blueprint 3...

Dear Jay-Z (last letter to Jay for a minute)

Now, before you get your panties all in a bunch, please note that I have been an avid Jay-Z listener from the time I could understand what hip-hop was. Don't take this letter as my disdain for his music or legacy. Just read it for what it is: a discourse on the commercialization and watering-down of a hip-hop icon. Here goes:


Same Jay, different day...

(turns off T-Pain) So you don't like auto-tune Jay? Turn off the radio. You're off that now? Who cares? Jay, for the past five years, I've sat back and listened quietly. I've seen all the videos, heard the albums, and sadly, looked at all of the coverage of every time you blow your nose in public. I must say, I'm SICK OF IT. Last night, I had one of the most honest discussions about your music over the past few years, and I've come to one conclusion: Your music has become vapid. It's ironic that I say that, because for 99% of hip-hop artists, The Blueprint 3 would have been a classic under their belt. But we're not talking about Soulja Boy or whoever else; we're talking about you. Since your 2003 offering 'The Black Album', which was supposed to mark the end of your career, you've released three more albums. All of them have sold well in stores and garnered critical acclaim to your already illustrious rap career. There's only one problem: NONE of them are saying anything new. If I may, here is a run-down of the topics you've been discussing over the past 5 years in your lyrics (of course I can't account for every topic, but these are the most prevalent themes in your raps):

- Being from Brooklyn, Brooklyn ideology, Brooklyn streets, etc.
- Having sold drugs in Brooklyn, being a dope-boy, etc.
- Your success as a rapper
- Your success as a businessman
- Your relationship with Beyonce
- Your disdain for things (auto-tune, jerseys, etc.)
- Your image, aura, swagg, or whatever you want to call it

Now, forgive me if I'm mistaken, but how in the world did you drop three albums under those same pretenses? If ANY other rapper talked about that for three albums, not only would their sales drop, their fanbase would dwindle faster than the Madoff's trust fund. What I'm trying to say, Jay, is that you have been completely watered-down over the past 6 years. You raised a good point about this, saying that "if you want to hear Jay from Reasonable Doubt, then listen to Reasonable Doubt" (I can't find the quote; sue me). By that same token, if we want to hear about being from Brooklyn and selling drugs, why not listen to Maino? If we want to hear about being a businessman and having relationships with sexy women, why not listen to Diddy (this is for comparison, not my actual music preferences)? My point is, that your lyrics are starting to follow such a pattern, that it makes listening to you a chore at this point.

People say you're creative, but in terms of what? Adding awkward accentuation and ad-libs to your songs? Having different beats? I can find both of those elsewhere, and presented in a fresher way than you. Creativity doesn't mean finding new ways to present rehashed ideas, nor does it mean adding peripheral things to an already tried and true formula. Creativity in hip-hop is the act of bringing something new to the table; something unseen to that point and unheralded before. People say that your legacy as a rapper is what makes you special. If that's the case, then why don't more heads claim Nas as the GOAT? Illmatic is the only album to receive 5 mics from The Source (when it was legitimate), which is something you can't say for Reasonable Doubt, the album it's most compared to. Also, in terms of legacy, there are tons of other rappers who have been in the game as long as you have; Snoop, AZ, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, The Roots, Cam'Ron, The Clipse (I DARE you to debate that one), Common, Fat Joe and the Wu-Tang Clan have all been there since the same time as you. And let's not even mention Biggie, Big L or Big Pun, because hypotheticals will only make the argument more muddled. But regardless, legacy shouldn't have anything to do with your status. Legacy comes after that. You don't give a professor tenure because he's been at a college for so long. Why give you the throne because of that?

So if it isn't your content, your creativity or your legacy, then what is it that makes rap fans salivate whenever they hear your name? I'll tell you what it is: your name, that's all. The Jay-Z we know today is selling out concerts and selling millions of albums because of his name. Since the Black Album all of your albums have used your name and the clout you earned prior to 2003 in a sometimes-misguided effort to stay relevant. If most hip-hop fans were as vigilant as I am, they would notice that not much has changed about your lyrics or content or flow over the past three albums. It's been the outside changing not the inside. It's like a new version of Madden. Regardless of the gameplay or features, you'll buy the game anyway because of the roster updates and new packaging, no matter how little has changed. Right now, Jay, to me, you're Madden 2004 in 2009 packaging. Instead of wearing button-ups, you're on to Wayfarer shades and exclusive sneakers. Instead of rocking odious chains and wife-beaters, it's expensive jeans. Instead of rapping about drug-dealing, you're rapping about rapping about drug-dealing. Everything you're offering right now, I've seen, liked and am being forced to like again, because hordes of fans can't see past the latest trend (DOA and Run this Town). But to me, and hopefully those who can understand this letter, there's nothing more than an updated copy of Reasonable Doubt and a new haircut...

Dear Jay-Z (and Brett Favre)

Those aren't personality glasses anymore at your age, Jay...

By now, if you haven't been living without the internet for the weekend (like I have), you've seen that The Blueprint 3 by the elder statesman of hip-hop Jay-Z, has been leaked. I have soooooo many issues with this man right now that I'm literally bursting at the fingers to get them all out before I forget or they become muddled in my illustrious rhetoric. Regardless, here goes...

Jay-Z - Hate f. Kanye West
Jay-Z - A Star Is Born f. J. Cole
Jay-Z - Venus vs. Mars (prod. by Timbaland)
Jay-Z - Reminder (prod. Timbaland)
Jay-Z - Off That f. Drake (prod. by Timbaland)

Jay, what is good with all of the leaks? Within a week-long period, over half of the album has been leaked, which more or less makes buying it pointless. Then, what's worse is that every song that's leaked has been worse than the previous one. Whether it's lackluster lyrics, over-done ad-libs (AUGGHHHH!!!), features that didn't live up to their billing or beats that weren't suited for you, Jay, you've really just made a mess out of this upcoming record. With a week and change until BP3 "drops", I'm becoming less and less disgusted, and more and more indifferent to what you do. It's a sad day when the most celebrated rapper in the past decade has become an afterthought. No matter what the Twitter Trending Topics say, you can't hide that most people are unimpressed with what they've heard from the album. It's to the point that I don't even want to sully my computer's hard drive space with your elderly ramblings.

Seriously, Jay, I'm tired of hearing about why everyone else doesn't stack up to you. It seems like you're digging deep for relevancy and finding it in promotion and names than your own lyrics. You're faking the funk Jay. I made this analogy on Twitter earlier today, and I stick by it: "J. Hov = Brett Favre". Think about it, Jay. A seasoned veteran of the game, who's already had an amazing career, stepping into a new role on a new team (CEO of ROC Nation), with controversial returns and retirements. I know you love rap, much in the same way Favre loves football. You both feel child-like happiness when you step onto the field (into the booth), which is a beautiful thing. It's just a problem when you seem over the hump. Both hip-hop and the NFL are surging into a new era. New rappers (and quarterbacks) are emerging from the gullies of youth and the underground. They deserve a chance, not to say that it should be given to them. But to both Jay and Brett, the sign of a great, to me, isn't the ability to stay on top, but is the ability to leave a legacy that others can follow to get to the top. Now, I know nobody wrote a handbook for either of you, but both of you are in a position to close your careers and active legacies well. Don't sully either by failing to know when it's best to hang your cleats (microphone) up. Lord knows nobody likes seeing you like this Brett...

Freestyle Friday (8/28) - Part 2

I don't care that I already posted two freestyles. This needed to go up. I'm tired of all of these Jay-Z stans denying what I've been saying for a while: Jay-Z needs to RETIRE. Blueprint 3 will probably sell out. We probably won't hear the end of any of the tracks on it either. That doesn't mean what he's doing is good. Nor does it mean that he should continue. This freestyle with DMX is an ode to the OLD Jay-Z, more concerned with function than fashion, and more focused on being an innovator than a critic. Check the Jay-Z that I actually liked...