Huge props to Karen Civil for letting this one loose, even though I had to rip the audio myself so you guys could download it. Everyone (and by everyone, I mean the internets and Twitter) said that Drake killed his verse, and now we get a chance to hear it. The remix to Kanye's 'All of The Lights' is pifftastic, splendiforous, and a bunch of other made up words for awesome. The only weird part about this track is Sean's use of onomatopoeia. He has a unique flow that works sometimes, and other times seems out of place. No worries, though. Wayne and Drake do enough heavy lifting to counteract Sean's snafu. Check out the remix and have a happy Monday, people!!
EDIT: Apparently, 'Ye has a verse lined up for the remix as well. Be on the lookout for an 'official' version...
As inspired by @itsThiz.. Make sure you check out The Interludes for great hip-hop articles.
Now that Lil Tunechi is out of Rikers, it was imperative that the NOLA native got his image back on the scene. The interwebs received his single '6 Foot, 7 Foot' featuring Cory Gunz (at least Wayne didn't jerk Cory out of another platinum feature) warmly, and it was only natural that there needed to be a video to accompany the madness that is Weezy's return. Of all directors, I suppose it made the most sense to hire you, Hype Williams for the job of visually resurrecting Wayne's career. Yet, upon further review of your latest directorial offerings, I'm drawing a few head-scratchers.
The video for 'All of the Lights' had none of the budget and induced more Pokemon-esque seizures than it made fans. While Nicki Minaj's 'Massive Attack' was a frisbee from jump, your visuals did little more than confuse the viewer. Sure there was 'Empire State of Mind', but anyone can juxtapose shots of Alicia Keys and Jigga performing with epic shots of NYCers in all their working-class glory. The megahit 'Forever' with Drake, Ye, Wayne and Eminem was little more than a remake of every club scene, and there's been little to write home about other than those. To tell you the truth, Hype, little if anything has hit as hard as your earliest videos.
Hype, your M.O. in directing has always been larger-than-life productions, combined with colorful scenery, and different cinematic viewpoints. '6 Foot, 7 Foot' is a far cry from the visually stunning cuts for tracks like 'Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See', 'Woo-Hah' or 'Down Low'. Hell, you didn't even scratch the fish-eyed lensed, trippy heels of Ma$e's 'Feel So Good' or the almost-macabre grittiness in DMX's 'Get At Me Dog'.
The video for '6 Foot, 7 Foot' is tame at best, for what is an adversely hectic track. Your references to the movie 'Inception' were well-intentioned, but sloppily undergone. Rather than go over-the-top with some of the punchlines, in your usual fashion, you used simple sight gags. Half of the punchlines didn't even get those half-assed visualizations. In fact, the only part of the video I thoroughly enjoyed was Cory's verse (on wax, too), with the Young Gun doing his best Agent Smith impression. To tell you the truth, you're not losing it, but you're losing a lot of traction in my book. The whole 'crew in front of the white screen looking cool' motif has been played out in the recession era of hip-hop. You've outworn your welcome to use the slow-mo camera, and there's little more that you can do with black and white filters. To sum it up, all of the cinematic that made your videos the vanguard of hip-hop are becoming more stale than 'Gettin Jiggy With It' in 2011. It's not enough any more. I've said it numerous times and will continue to: creative hip-hop videos are becoming a lost art, with you being a prime example. I guess even for you, the hype is exceeding the actual products... #youseewhatididthere
Make no mistake about it. Lil' Tunechi was not going to waste any time after being released from Rikers earlier. Rather than do a comeback song, or a 'sorry' song, like some rappers we know, Wayne came right out with a song that's supposedly going to be on The Carter IV. The best part is that he dropped it off with Funk Flex almost immediately. I guess he was writing more than letters to fans. No it's not some great revelation track, where Wayne finds Allah or stops cursing. It's Wayne at his best: being Wayne. The track is produced by Bangladesh and features Cory Gunz in a less than stellar verse. So much for showing up Wayne on wax again *replays Cory Gunz' A Milli verse* Whatever the case, it's a nice welcome back for the self-proclaimed 'best rapper alive'...
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):
As a Drake fan prior to So Far Gone, I have one serious beef with Aubrey. He wavers too much between the introspective, wise-beyond-his-years music, and the Young Money, Weezy-fied music. Sometimes you get music that you can listen to by yourself when you're chilling late at night (like I tend to do). Other times you get the bass-knocking, ride out to the club, kind-of-dumbed-down music that gets annoying 3 weeks later. Not that one is better than the other; it's just that one tends to stick out and stay relevant for much longer than the other (take a wild guess which it is). Today we get a dose of both. On 'Unthinkable' (Remix), Drake drops off a verse about the trying love life of someone immersed in hip-hop stardom, and shows us his more vulnerable side, before Alicia Keys takes over. On 'Miss Me' (which is a weird radio rip), he throws in easy punchlines and airy verses about marrying Nicki Lewinski, before Wayne comes in and does some trademark bars. The latter is probably going to be on 'Thank Me Later', though the former will definitely get spins long after I've memorized every sound on the latter (due to radio overkill). Whatever the case, enjoy both tracks...
Okay Jae.. Why does this not surprise me? Wayne goes to jail, Drake & Nicki are gaining some steam, and you're feeling left out of the lineup? I guess you could be mad about that, but where was all of this animosity when you should have been blowing up?? I was rocking to "Who" and "No, No, No" in 2003, when you were solo. You had "Bring it Back" and never capitalized on it. Now you're with Young Money playing the bench and want to weigh in on who you think XXL should've picked? Ehhhh, you're wrong for that one, especially for calling them nobodies. Who are you? 500,000 copies of a free mixtape doesn't mean you're a hip-hop heavyweight, especially when you've got Bow Wow on the same label claiming 1 million downloads (false). I'll give you that Vado is nice, and probably should've gotten considered for this year's Freshman list (he didn't really even get on until 'Boss of all Bosses'). Even so, XXL had to cater to the blog crowd, and you should know that, surfing the blogs as much as you claim to. Jae, trust me, 10 years of inconsistent rapping isn't the green light for you to run your mouth...
Eventually, the Rolling Stone cover line “Lil Wayne Goes to Jail” will be correct, but not today. On Tuesday a court spokesman in Manhattan told The Associated Press that sentencing for the rapper Lil Wayne had been postponed because of a basement fire at a courthouse.
Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, was to be sentenced in State Supreme Court on charges stemming from a July 2007 incident in which a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun was found on his tour bus. (He pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in October.) The hip-hop star was originally scheduled to be sentenced in February, but received a postponement so he could undergo a dental procedure. A new sentencing date was not immediately given.
Greetings from Manhattan, New York City, where Lil' Wayne is living up to his namesake as the 'Fireman'. Today, Weezy F. Baby aka Dwayne Carter was supposed to be sentenced for felony gun possession. However, around 10:45 or so, the courthouse was set on fire. Now, I know this is somewhat fishy, but I'm gonna give Wayne the benefit of the doubt. That's not to say that he had nothing to do with the incident, but stranger things have happened (OJ Simpson should know). At this point, it goes without saying that maybe Wayne will never go to jail. First it was dental surgery, then it was the snowy weather in NYC, and now it's a fire. I shudder to think about what the next delay will be caused by. Then again, I definitely want to see how long this man can go without going to jail. After a while, wouldn't you want to just get it over with, though???
Young Money has long been the butt of hip-hop jokes because of their lack of star power behind Lil' Wayne, Drake and Nicki Lewinski. Yet, it's looking like they're going to have to rely on that star power when Weezy F. Baby goes to Club Fed Riker's Island next month. Hip-hop comedy blog, ItsTheReal delves into whether the 2nd, 3rd and so forth in command of Young Money can hold the fort down until their Daddy (you know someone in YM has to call him that, at this point) comes home. Check the video, because, trust, you've been thinking the same thing for a minute...
Okay Wayne, this was about to be the funniest, most cynical, most indirectly disparaging letter EVER, until last week when I watched your 'The Carter' documentary with AKZionz and Devin. The documentary gave me a much more clear perspective on your ways, your musical approach and your outlook on life. While I can't agree with the content of much of your lifestyle, the documentary put your unbelievable work ethic and general wisdom in plain view. I must say I'm impressed. That said, I still think it's hilarious that you're going to jail. In fact, I think it's hilarious that most of Young Money is saying things like 'this shit is wack' or 'how can they take his freedom.' It's not like you were caught with automatic guns and hefty amounts of mary jane... TWICE. Even in lieu of that I can't even be mad...
Video director David Rousseau said he and the Cash Money team might need to check the Guinness Book of World Records: He and his company Creativeseen may be the new record-holders for most music videos shot in 48 hours. Lil' Wayne was expected to begin serving his one-year sentence on a weapons-possession charge on Tuesday (February 9), and while that sentencing was postponed until March 2, the MC has spent recent weeks manically recording music and videos — and over the past weekend, he hit the latter with a vengeance.
Cash Money chiefs Ronald "Slim" Williams and his brother Brian (a.k.a. Baby, a.k.a. The Birdman) enlisted Rousseau to shoot nine videos for Lil' Wayne during Friday, Saturday and parts of Sunday. The director said he and his crew started setting up for the production around 9 a.m. Friday and the last camera stopped rolling at around 8 a.m. on Super Bowl Sunday.
Reading that was like seeing the school bully at the cathedral praying after school. Wayne, people can and always will hate you. They'll say your music is ignorant and degrading and silly and stupid. They'll say you're a terrible role model (he really isn't a role model in the first place) and that you going to jail is exactly what you deserve. But at the end of the day, those same people are most likely the ones buying your albums and writing about your music and watching your videos. Now that you filmed 9 in the span of a weekend, the haters (I hate using that word) will have their hands full, especially now that you're not going in until March 2nd. Few people truly grind, and even fewer respect it. I suppose when you're as engrossed in repetition as you are, you don't see that....
I've had the unofficial version of this mixtape for a while and really wanted to wait for the official version to drop to post it up. So here it is. After what seems like forever since we've seen Wayne on his mixtape tip, the man drops a gem. Yes, I said it. Mixtape Weezy is back. I guess it's not a day too late considering he's going to be at Riker's for a while now. Just like in the now-infamous Drought series, Wayne spits over some of today's popular beats, mostly with no choruses or bridges. If you don't like the word 'like' you might want to pass on this tape. That means one thing: PUNCHLINES. And when I say punchlines, I mean back to back to back to back. Sometimes they get a little juvenile and repetitive in terms of their contact (the 'shit' metaphors are out of control), but you still have to admit that Weezy is back on his game. No, 'No Ceilings' won't convert non-believers in to Lil' Wayne fans, but will definitely entertain the love-hate fan (like myself) and endear the die-hard fans to him even more. Check out the tape, tracklist, my picks and some loosies too...
1. Swag Surf 2. Ice Cream 3. D.O.A. 4. Skit (Feat Gudda Gudda) 5. Wasted 6. Watch My Shoes 7. Break Up (Feat Short Dawg & Gudda Gudda) 8. Banned From T.V. 9. Throw It In The Bag 10. That’s All I Have (Feat Tyga & Shanell) 11. Skit (Feat Shanell) 12. Wayne On Me 13. I’m Good (Feat Lucci Lou) 14. Poke Her Face (Feat Jae Millz) 15. Run This Town 16. I Got No Ceilings 17. Skit End 18. No Ceilings (Feat Birdman) 19. Oh Let’s Do It 20. Single 21. Sweet Dreams (Beyonce Feat Nicki Minaj & Lil Wayne)
Cream of the Crop: Ice Cream Wasted Watch My Shoes Banned From T.V. I'm Good Poke Her Face
Now, you knew this was coming Wayne. I'm not even trying to make fun of you, because jail really isn't a laughing matter. However, this is an excellent example of a rapper's art imitating life, only we're in the real world, not on wax. Wayne, it's been no secret that you're lyrics deal with the 'grittier' side of life. From slanging cocaine and running prostitutes, to shooting rivals and wearing gang colors (which you apparently didn't even earn), you've pretty much exemplified the violent lifestyle that more or less breeds platinum records. What you seem to have forgotten is the two other things that that kind of lifestyle breeds: jail and death. And you seem to have gotten the lesser of the two evils (if either can be called lesser).
Gun possession and illegal drug possession are the charges. Both of them seem silly in comparison to how you got them. According to police reports (yeah, they're not the most reliable, but that's all we have to go off), when they smelled and saw marijuana smoke seeping from your tour bus, they approached the bus. And when you saw them, you threw a Louis Vuitton bag, containing a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic gun, out of the bus. To me, you sound guiltier than Cheddar Burress (also arrested in NYC on gun charges) on a Saturday night at a club with no metal detector. Face it Wayne, your 'gangsta' (I feel like Tom Brokaw writing that word) lifestyle caught up to you. And while you might not serve the minimum 3 1/2 years (thank your $5000/hr lawyers), you'll definitely be in prison for a year. I wonder how 'real' your lyrics are going to be after some hard time...
A song that got somewhat overlooked on an earlier mixtape gets turned into the biggest collab of the summer. I wonder how many months Hot 97 is gonna play this song for before I want to cut off my ears. If "Best I Ever Had" is any indicator, we might never get this out of our head...
