Of the rappers I really got to know throughout this summer (Curren$y, The Kid Daytona & Wiz Khalifa) it took me the longest to like Wiz. He was hailing from Pittsburgh and I wasn't really sure what all the hype was about at the time. I'm pretty upset that I didn't get down with the Taylor Gang earlier, because I'm a fan now. Khalifa takes a while to grow on a person that isn't used to his stee-lo. However, once one gets past not knowing who he is, the man makes for one of the more enjoyable listening experiences on wax. Wiz has a nice flow and combines that with witty punchlines and funny observations (most likely derived from 'divine' places). He also has a solid team behind him. One thing I wish is that like his stoner brother, Curren$y, Wiz shores up his content and his lyrics. At times the tape felt repetitive (understandable, considering the tape was 20 tracks). Other than that, Wiz just solidified himself as a major up-and-comer. Taylor Gang or DIE, bitches...
01 B.A.R. 02 Getting’ Up 03 Take Yo Bitch 04 The Thrill 05 One Way 06 Miles 07 If I Were A Lame 08 Meet New People 09 Weekend 10 Young Khalifa 11 Knock U Down 12 On Tha Pill 13 When U Find 14 Mafia Music (rmx) 15 Say U Will 16 Timeless 17 Won’t Land 18 Ode to Naked Pop Stars 19 All My Life Freestyle 20 Great to Be There (Outro)
Cream of the Crop: Gettin Up Young Khalifa (the sample irked me though) Knock U Down Mafia Music (Remix) Say U Will Won't Land Ode to Naked Pop Stars All My Life Freestyle
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
With the way the All-Star Weekend has left me feeling for the past three or four years, I'm standing by this statement wholeheartedly: If Shannon Brown is not in the Slam Dunk Contest, I will not be watching. I'm tired of these off-brand dunkers and heads who I've seen 1000 times already. The Dunk Contest has been worse than a high school popularity contest. The worst part is that he's been doing it since college. Shannon Brown needs to represent for the nerds who've wanted to vote the past few years. Check out some more of the man's embarrassing dunks...
I've never been one for Halloween. For one thing, my household wasn't really into it, and also, the prospect of dressing up as someone else for a night isn't really appealing to me. Regardless, I see the fun in the holiday. If not a great excuse for women to dress like jawns and guys to act foolishly, the parties are always pretty good. If there's one thing I will say, it's that some costumes can never be forgotten. If you end up looking like any of these people, you might want to consider leaving the trick-or-treating to the kids:
DOPE, but why spend 15 hours on something you'll wear once?
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...
Okay, you know what it is. Freestyle Friday time. The first freestyle is from Lupe LIVE. Again, reiteratively, LUPE IS BACK!! Okay, that's the last time I'm saying that (unless dude just keeps dropping loosies & freebies like babies). The second freestyle is from Sean Price. I really wasn't familiar with him. All I knew was that he was from Brooklyn and used to be in Heltah Skeltah. Apparently, he has a mixtape out recently. You (and I) should probably be checking it out ASAP...
Okay, NBA. Yesterday, we took care of the Eastern Conference, crowning the Magic as the best team on that side. Today we got the Western Conference, which is a lot less muddled at the top, and much moreso at the bottom. The top is pretty damn clear. It's a two team race. First off, we got everyone's favorite team now, the Los Angeles Lakers. Yeah, they got Kobe, yeah they got Gasol and picked up Artest. But the most integral piece of that squad (I've said it time and time again) is Lamar Odom. When he plays well, the Lakers are unstoppable. When he plays like a bitch (excuse my French), like in the 2008 Finals, they're very beatable. The Lakers also need their bench to produce to make it back to the Finals. The other team at the top is the San Antonio Spurs. Their team is pretty much in tact, except for two dope pickups: Richard Jefferson & DaJuan Blair. Jefferson provides scoring from the 3 (they haven't had it since Sean Elliot) and Blair is a role player with double-double tattooed on his forehead. Drop in a healthy Manu with Duncan and Parker and you have a team that can bang with the Lakers. The top 2 in the West is a lot closer than people think, but there's still a clear-cut better team:
1. Los Angeles Lakers - They'll be number one until another team knocks them off. Adding Artest definitely helps their case though...
2. San Antonio Spurs - Healthy Duncan, Parker & Ginobili plus Jefferson and Blair equals the most explosive, yet balanced Spurs team this decade...
After the Lakers and Spurs, there are four teams that are gonna battle it out (and probably wear each other down) for the 3rd through 6th spots in the West. Last year's 3-seed, the Denver Nuggets didn't go through some of the free agent additions like some of the other top-gunners in the West. Instead they opted to get better through another training camp together and adding rookie Ty Lawson to back up Chauncey Billups. The next team up is the Portland Trailblazers. I've loved the direction this team has been going in since 2006 when they drafted Brandon Roy, and they're looking like they might take that next step. Adding Andre Miller to start at the point was a good look, but at some point minutes have to become an issue with all of the depth this squad has. Also, Greg Oden still has yet to prove himself as anything more than a 7-foot insurance claim. Even so, this team is LOADED. Chemistry and youth are the only things standing in it's way. Next up we have the Dallas Mavericks, who made a huge free-agent splash by adding Shawn Marion. Bringing him in will give them some explosiveness, but it's their other additions (Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross, Kris Humphries) that will really round the team out. Also, the performance of Josh Howard is always a question mark. If he plays well, the Mavericks can bang with the top dogs in the West. Finally, there's the Utah Jazz. Deron Williams, my favorite point guard (two-way tie between him and Devin Harris), is a MONSTER and Carlos Boozer is fundamentally underwhelming (aka boring but effective). They have a nice one-two combo and a few role-players around them. However, that's it. Literally. When they don't play well (or play at all; both missed OD time last year), that squad is among the worst. Mehmet Okur should do well and Brewer should improve, but other than that, the Jazz are just a playoff team. With that here's the middle 4:
3. Denver Nuggets - Melo is that dude... Add Chauncey, Nene, JR and Birdman and you have my favorite starting 5 in the L...
4. Dallas Mavericks - J. Kidd, Dirk and company are back with the Matrix on their side. Josh Howard is the x-factor as usual..
5. Portland Trailblazers - Brandon Roy is going to be an MVP candidate this year. The bench, youth and chemistry need to come together around him though...
6. Utah Jazz - D. Will and Boozer will do their Batman & Robin. The rest of the DC universe is lacking though. It's gonna make for some jumpin Jehoshaphats for the Jazz...
Okay, the last two teams are toss-ups for me. The Rockets are injury-depleted. The Hornets have Chris Paul and NOBODY ELSE. Phoenix doesn't play defense and doesn't have any bodies but Nash and Amare. Minnesota, Memphis and Golden State are still not directed enough. The Kings are laughable in the playoffs. For me, that leaves two teams. The Clippers and Thunder. You might think both of those picks are foolish, but to me, both of those squads are on the rise, while some the teams I just mentioned are declining. There's a shift of power beginning again in the NBA, and the Clippers and Thunder are going to be right in the mix. The Clippers had one of the best rosters on paper last year and of course drafted Blake Griffin. Health is always the #1 concern though, as it always is with any team including Baron Davis. And the Thunder? Oh my God. I can't wait to see Kevin Durant and company get to take some shots at the upper-echelon teams. Should make for great basketball:
7. Los Angeles Clippers - If Baron stays healthy and goes back to Golden State Baron, this team will surprise a hell of a lot of teams...
8. Oklahoma City Thunder - Durant, Green and Westbrook are the best young Trio in the league. Add James Harden to that and it's the Big 4 for the next 10 years...
The fast-moving pandemic spread to 177 countries in four months, yet causes little more than a fever and a cough in the majority of cases. Flu activity is now widespread in 46 U.S., states in a second, fall wave, the CDC said on Oct. 23.
Visits to doctors for influenza-like illness are “increasing steeply and are now higher than what is seen at the peak of many regular flu seasons,” the agency in Atlanta said.
Using their so-called multiplier model, Reed and colleagues estimated that every reported case of pandemic H1N1 flu may represent 79 total cases, for a median estimate of 3 million symptomatic cases and 14,000 hospitalizations in the U.S.
I knew that this day was coming. In all honesty, I also knew I'd have a hearty laugh when it came. CDC, since you identified the H1N1 strain of influenza, you've had half of the free world rocking surgeon masks and bathing themselves in Purell. Not to say that cleanliness is a bad thing, but don't we have to look at the writing on the wall at some point? In 300 days, swine flu has killed 5,850 people. Compare that to the 50,182,850 deaths during that same period of time. That evens out to about 0.01%. Umm, something about that doesn't scream epidemic or pandemic, does it? I suppose your highly paid 'experts' forgot to inform the public about that, though.
This is the exact mode of thinking that led to the views of Arabs after September 11th. CDC, you've fed into the same sensationalism that causes unneeded panic. A somewhat alarming (obviously not the case for 9/11) event occurs and everyone just buys into whoever is providing the most info, no matter how skewed it is. Let's be honest guys. Most people are uninformed and easily-led. Why then, do you deem it necessary to incite fear and misinformation among them? Every time I think of how you guys are making waves for nothing, I picture the scene in Resident Evil: Apocalypse, where The Umbrella Corporation closes off Raccoon City to be nuked, with it's residents still there. Not to say that you guys are a military weapons company fronting as a medical corporation, but something about how you guys conveniently 'release' information and vaccines and health advice when nobody is looking is SHADY. Transparency is my number one caveat when dealing with 'the Man', and you guys have always looked like a brick wall since the emergence of AIDS. Swine flu might very well be passing over us, but I really hope you guys shore up your priorities. Lord knows swine flu will never compare in mortality to cardiovascular failure. Maybe you should treat it as such and stop trying to shock us into buying into your 'research'...
What did I tell you? Lupe Fiasco is BACK!!! I think this Kilamanjaro hike is just what the man needed? All he needs is that view from the apex of the mountain to put his rap career back into perspective, and have him return to be the dopest MC out. This Lupe is the Lupe that had people calling him the 'breath of fresh air' for hip-hop. Imagine if HE had spit in the cypher at the BET Awards. Oh, what dreams may come... Enjoy his freestyle over Timbaland's 'Say Something'...
I'm glad you're back NBA. It's been a LONG 6 months, especially with ESPN beasting on baseball and football like it always does. But that's neither here nor there. Last night, we were privy to what most people think is going to be the Finals in the East this year, the Cavs and Celtics. BULLSHIT. First of all, the Cavaliers still can't score without LeBron in, so that automatically takes them out of my top 2. The Celtics are gonna be good though. Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels gave them some depth, so the Celtics get the nod. Oh yeah, and point blank: Magic are the best team in the East. Adding Vince Carter wasn't the only move that makes me say that. Grabbing Brandon Bass, Jason 'I Need a Walker' Williams, Ryan Anderson, Matt Barnes, and keeping Marcin Gortat means these guys have depth for days behind Dwight, Jameer and Rashard. The Magic are the deepest team in the East. I dare you to name a deeper team. You can't. With that here's the top 3:
1. Orlando Magic - Add Vince and subtract Hedo & C. Lee from that, and we have the East Champs
2. Boston Celtics - Sheed will do them well, but their depth is always a concern...
3. Cleveland Cavaliers - Anthony Parker & Jamario Moon are nice additions, but not good enough complements to win the East...
Okay, so now that we have the top 3, the next 3 are always the hardest because there's such a fine line between being a top team and being mediocre in the East. Let's start with the Wizards. They added Mike Miller and Randy Foye, as well as have Agent Zero back in full force. They'll struggle defensively at times, but will be much improved in the East. As for the Hawks, my 2007 sleeper team that almost shocked the Celtics, they brought in Jamal Crawford and drafted Jeff Teague. HOWEVER, they still didn't add any help up front, so essentially they'll always be playing with two 3's (Williams & Smith) and a 4 (Horford) in the front court instead of having an actual post presence. It hurt them in that preseason game against the Magic and will continue to hurt them, even though they'll get a playoff spot. My 6th team in the East is probably my hardest one to guage, simply because there are a lot of x-factors in it. I'm gonna go with the Raptors though. Adding Hedo Turkgolu, Jarrett Jack and Amir Johnson and drafting Demar Derozan finally gives this squad some explosiveness. And having two 7-footers on your front line doesn't hurt either. Here are 3-6 in the East:
4. Toronto Raptors - Derozan is a monster and Hedo will add some playoff experience to a squad that always seemed flat last year...
5. Washington Wizards - Gilbert at 100% and some more depth will do the trick...
6. Atlanta Hawks - No front court depth will hurt this team more than adding Jamal Crawford can ever will...
Last two are always the most variable. They have so much to do with their records against the top teams and are more susceptible to getting in because of late season runs, instead of sustained good play. I'll just cut to the chase. I got Chicago and Detroit rounding out the top 8. The reason being, both have young point guards leading their teams. Not to say that Derrick Rose and Rodney Stuckey aren't good, but their youth on the court will show sometimes (even though D. Rose pushed the Celtics to their brink last year)...
7. Detroit Pistons - Adding Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva was a good move, but it's gonna be Stuckey's play that drives them.
8. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose is going to be the best point in the league by 2011. But in this season, he has to show he can shoot the ball before he gets that nod... Not having BG in his corner does some damage too...
There you have it: the top teams in the East. Make sure you keep it locked to Dear Whoever for the rest of my NBA season preview...
I'm not going to lie... The Hip-Hop Awards were dry, bordering on tasteless at times, and also pointless in the grand scheme of things. HOWEVER, just as with last year, the cyphers were an event to be reckoned with. There's no point in mincing words. Just know that one of these was a pure throwaway and another one was one of the best cyphers I can say I've heard in a minute. Enjoy people...
The Japanese have really gotten this whole drifting thing down. In fact, they have this whole automobile thing down. It just seems like every time we think we've found a limit to speed and the way speed can be used, the Japanese do something mind-blowing. Check out the best drift I've ever seen, though somehow I think I'll see something crazier...
Ummm, yeah.. Lupe is BACK. After what seemed like a bunch of loosies and unreleased tracks from Twilight and Food & Liquor, Lupe decides to release a new freestyle while he's climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. I've listened to it about 6 times now, and I don't think I'm anywhere close to getting all of the metaphors and wordplay in the song. You should have fun with this one. Hail Lupe. I hope to God that he doesn't retire after Lasers...
I'm not gonna lie. I loathe what BET stands for and what it does to the black community. However, I can't deny their knack for bringing together the most expansive group of black celebrities at any point. The regular old BET Awards had stars from damn near every branch of black media. I'm not going to say that everyone I want to be at these awards is there, but you have to admit, MTV doesn't have anyone not named Carter or Kanye on it's network, which sickens me. The 2009 Hip-Hop Awards are tonight at 8 PM. While I know that there will be a number of trademark (negro) moments, it's an experience to see all that talent in one place, no matter how ignorant it gets. If anything else, tonight will yield laughable moments for weeks and probably overload Twitter...
I find it funny that I'm writing this letter whilst in Philadelphia. By now, oh great City of Brotherly Love, you've probably watched SportsCenter, read a newspaper, heard the radio or seen online that the Yankees are going to be facing you in the World Series. You guys are hyped, because you think it's going to be Repeat City. I can't blame you. The Dodgers posed no threat to the Phillies during the NLCS, so it's easy to think you'll walk all over the Yankees. I will say, that the Yankees faced a much tougher challenge in the AL, given the pitching and tougher hitting. There's no reason to gloat over who's team is better (though we all know who reigns supreme). There's no reason to bash anyone else's team. Just know that if the Yankees win, Yankees fitteds will be in full effect, just as I expect the opposite if the Phillies win. This figures to be a great World Series, considering the storyline. The media is going to kill us with coverage of it and we're going to watch it just the same. All I can ask for is a good series and pray that none of you crazed Phillies fans out there feel the need to riot after the Yankees do win (there I said it; sue me). Here's a video that should put you in the World Series mood...
I really haven't seen a lot of upcoming sneakers that I'm really hyped for. Dunks, Jordans, Air Maxes and things of that nature have lost their appeal to me because of how many retroes there are and how lame some of the new releases have been. Not to say that I'll ever be over those sneakers, but switching up the stee-lo isn't a bad look. These Vans aren't either. They definitely have a more mature look to them. I'm digging the nubuck material and the simple yet classic design. Peep these close-ups of the Vans Mok Collection...
If you were like me in 2006, you heard 'Shoulder Lean' by Young Dro, and hopefully were doing the dance like me too. Regardless of how you felt about the dance, you have to admit that the man's lyrics are and were far beyond the standard of most Southern rap. Dro was clearly looking to close the case (casket for this mixtape's purposes) on his skills. Of course, this is a Don Cannon mixtape, so there has to be an eternity's worth of ad-libs and drops on his part. Even so, the tape doesn't fail to please. One thing that irked me though, was Dro's speech. Dude can really spit, but sometimes it's hard understanding him. Dro's trademark drawl combined with some serious chompers make for some intent listening if you want to catch all of the man's punchlines. Lastly, this mixtape was 29 tracks long. At some points listening to it did feel like a drag. Having so many tracks means there's got to be some filler, and Dro does include some throwaways in this one. Still, this was a dope mixtape. Dro seems headed in the right direction, and I guess earned an important victory with the Don Cannon cosign (he's getting to be a certified deal for prospective artists; what other DJ can say that?). Check out my picks, the tracklist, and some goodies to take home...
Cream of the Crop: Mo Money, Mo Problems Rock Diamonds We Like Purp Can't Kwit Day & Night Gettin Paid
