Nas & Damian Marley - As We Enter (Music Video)

As Nas and Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley prepare to release their album 'Distant Relatives,' I can't help but think about other rap & reggae combinations that did the deed. Their video for 'As We Enter' shows the darker, grittier side of both artists, while jumping over a springy beat. The black on black wardrobe with the post-apocalyptic scenery pays a little too much homage to Jay-Z, but the track is so dope, you don't pay any attention to it. Back to my original point. Rap & Reggae, especially coming from a New York perspective, was heavy back in the 90's and early 2000's. As a matter of fact, both Rap and what we call Dancehall came from the olden art of dubplating. Maybe Jr. Gong and Nasir can bring that trend back. Check out the video for 'As We Enter' and some of my favorite Rap/Reggae clashes...

Dear Alchemist

I never thought I'd see the day when Twitter truly became hood. Now, I eat that thought and the naiveté behind it. Game's 400 bar freestyle to Jay Electronica's 'Exhibit C' didn't break any world records, nor did it suffice to break Jayceon out of his 2-year landslide rough patch. In fact, most people (including myself) didn't get halfway through it. I'd say 5 minutes in, I was ready to hit the spacebar. Regardless, this is about you, Alchemist. You found out today just how 'real' Twitter can get. Like most people, you used your account to voice an opinion, albeit a famous one, to the Twitterverse. Unfortunately, Game didn't take too kindly to that and had you jumped. Whether Game called that or not, it stands to say that Twitter might be gone to the wolves soon. If this is how grown men niggas act over a 20 minute freestyle, how are they going to act when something.. you know.. real happens?

Dear 50 Cent

See, I can respect that. I can respect candid and open commentary on a particular comment. 50, let's be real, your music has been lackluster as of late (since GRODT, actually). The Massacre was a massacre, and I don't even remember anything from Curtis but 'I Get Money'. And to be honest, the way The Game was rapping in 2004, even with your beats and production and help, he might have been able to get at you on wax. Even so, the business instinct you showed was truly remarkable. It comes off sounding like extortion, but I suppose in your terms, it's 'making the best out of a bad situation'.

The Game is a hothead. Anybody who's watched BET, listened to his music or been on a blog knows that. And Game also has had a lot of sideways shit happen to him in his life, that's ALL come up to bite him in the ass in the past few years. From being on that dating show, to being a stripper (can someone cite that for me?), to the random tattoos and his famous disses, Game has a lot of shaky behavior on his resume. While I still think you did him and Young Buck dirty, they've done a lot worse things for themselves than you have, especially when it comes to PR and promotion. Those two have more blog screw-ups than Charles Hamilton. You just managed to get to them before they could get to themselves. I guess in the long run, doing good business ultimately leads to the downfall of others around you. It's survival of the fittest, and anyone can respect that...