Beanie Sigel leaked a dis record at Jay-Z late last night. This shit got me pretty interested actually because I always wondered what was the deal with Roc-A-Fella. Jay-Z had this so-called "Dynasty" with Roc-A-Fella, but none of these mutha fuckas ever really popped off like that. Something has always bothered me about Jay-Z. He's a very weird individual, almost eccentric in a way with his high-pitched voice and shy personality. If you look at Jay-Z's career, he's basically severed ties with everybody he's fucked with. From Jaz-O to Foxy Brown to Amil to Dame Dash to R. Kelly. Almost every collaboration has turned into a broken relationship or a very sour one. All the people he's beefed with complain about Jay'Z's lack of loyalty and his sick way of using people to get where he needs to be and then forgetting they even existed. To me, that says there's something up with Jay-Z if he consistently has issues with people he works with. At some point, you can't just chalk all this beef up to people "hating" on Jay-Z. This is more than just "hate," it's a pattern that may be a legitimate character flaw of the man they call "Hov." I'd love to hear more details of behind the scenes shit that happened with Roc-A-Fella over the years.
On the other hand, Jay-Z is bigger than ever right now - on top of the world. Now that Roc-A-Fella is basically dead, Beanie Sigel really needs something to put his name back in the hip-hop conversation. What better way to get back in the spotlight than to go at the man holding the title belt? Beanie's been in and out of jail and his record career hasn't been that amazing or lucrative for that matter. He's got a lot of dirt on Jay and could air that shit out for attention and potential record sales if timed properly. We'll see if Jay responds. He probably will.
Peep the track below and see what you think. It seems like Beanie fired a flare or warning shot, if you will. He's definitely holding back the good shit for a much needed retaliation to any response Jay-Z hits him with. I definitely want to hear more about this shit from both sides of the beef.
I'll be the first person to admit that I am the number one flip-flopper on Jay-Z. Sometimes I'm the biggest Jigga hater ever, other times I'll admit this dude put out 2, possibly even 3, classic albums and is amazing. The reality of it is that Jay-Z is amazing when he wants to be. He's made some ridiculous shit. On the other hand, his wack music is so fuckin' bad that it ruins his status in the hip-hop world for me. I just don't understand how he can be so good and so bad simultaneously. Oh wait, I do. It's called the record industry - "Making good people suck dick as often as they can."
Peep the video below of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performing "Empire State of Mind" at the Yankees game tonight in Yankee Stadium. I just hope people don't get all inspired by this song and think they can come to New York and make it big for themselves. Trust me, I just moved here a year and a half ago and this place is a fuckin' combat zone for the best and the brightest to go to war in every day. It's a fuckin' zoo out this bitch!!!
On Friday, October 23rd, Duck Down Records held a record signing at Fat Beats NY for the releases of Sean Price's new mixtape "Kimbo Price" and KRS-One & Buckshot's "Survival Skills" album. I heard about the signing through Twitter updates from both Fat Beats (@FatBeatsNY) and Duck Down CEO Dru Ha (@DruHa). I really can't say enough about how amazing Twitter is for marketing. I personally get about 90% of my hip-hop news, mixtapes, singles, and other various hip-hop related info directly from rappers and websites by following them on Twitter. (By the way, my Twitter user name is @HipHopAndBS in case y'all wanna follow me and my bullshit!!!)
I got excited about this particular signing because Buckshot, KRS-One, and Sean Price were all advertised to be present signing copies of their respective albums. As you could imagine, Money Miz wasn't about to miss this shit. So I went to Fat Beats NY dolo and got their on time, which I always do for hip-hop events and I always regret it because these mutha fuckas are notoriously late.
As soon as I arrived, DJ Eclipse (Non Phixion's DJ and owner of Fat Beats) was behind the register and he hooked me up with copies of "Survival Skills" and "Kimbo Price." He quickly let me know that KRS-One wouldn't be at the signing. That pissed me right the fuck off. It ain't too often that you get to meet the RZA and KRS-One in the same month, nah'mean?!?! So I waited for an hour for Buckshot to arrive and he was mad cool. There was about 60 people packed into this small record store on the lower West Side of Manhattan and Buckshot walked around and chilled with each and every one of us. He signed my CD and thanked me for supporting. I let him know that we appreciate the real and am glad that he, as co-owner of Duck Down Records, doesn't put out any BULLSHIT. Buckshot is well known for being the ultimate "back-pack emcee" and he let us know he's releasing a new back-pack called the "Buck Bag." Inside will be some "goodies" when you purchase the bag. He said that Jansport and LL Bean ain't got shit on his "Buck Bag." Haha. We'll see just how dope this bag is next year.
The main reason I was at the signing was to meet Sean Price, one of the most entertaining rappers out there. But, after three hours of waiting and Shukey Duckey tellin' the crowd he was on his way, they finally explained that Sean Price's car had been pulled over for smokin' piff and he got arrested. Whether I believe them or not, it really didn't matter. I waited for three hours for no reason and bought his mixtape that is probably his worst.
On a slightly better note, I was able to meet Hip-Hop & Bullshit's "EMCEE OF THE WEEK" from a couple weeks ago, Skyzoo. One Be Lo from Binary Star and Torae were also in attendance and I was able to chill with them for a minute.
At the end of the day, I was glad to meet the Buckshot Shorty (and they weren't kidding when they called him "shorty"). Peep the videos below of Black Moon's "Who Got Da Props" and Pharoahe Monch and Sean Price performing their verses to "The Matrix" off of Black Milk's album "Tronic."
With the release of Sean Price's new mixtape "Kimbo Price: The Prelude To Mic Tyson" and this past weekends CMJ Showcase Concerts in New York including the entire Boot Camp Clik, I find it appropriate to post The Fab 5's "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka" video for my Throwback Classic this week. The Fab 5 consisted of two smaller groups within The Boot Camp Clik, Heltah Skeltah and the Originoo Gun Clappaz. Heltah Skeltah, in my opinion is the best group to come out of Boot Camp and consists of Sean Price aka Ruck and Rockness Monsta aka Rock. Originoo Gunn Clappaz consists of Starang Wondah, Top Dog, and Louisville Sluggah. Unfortunately, they never came out with an album together as The Fab 5 despite making several tracks together featured on both Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C. albums.
I always hoped The Fab 5 would put together an album, but it's just too late at this point. My expectations just aren't that high anymore considering the awful Heltah Skeltah reunion album "D.I.R.T." that was released a couple years ago. I don't know what it is with Sean Price, but his beat selection has been falling off lately. "Kimbo Price" is almost not listenable due to it's extremely slow and boring production.
Aside from my recent criticisms of some of the music coming out of The Boot Camp Clik, they were and still are one of the illest hip-hop crews that ever formed and "Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka" is one of the nicest joints they ever put out. Peep the video below:
The following is a list of new hip-hop album releases for Tuesday, October 27, 2009:
Sean Price: "Kimbo Price: The Prelude To Mic Tyson" (Mixtape)
Sha Stimuli: "My Soul To Keep"
J Dilla: "Dillanthology 3: Dilla's Productions"
Kool Keith: "Bikinis N Thongs"
Swollen Members: "Armed To The Teeth"
Supastition: "Splitting Image"
Tech N9ne: "K.O.D."
Snowgoons: "The Trojan Horse"
Triple C's: "Custom Cars & Cycles"
Diamond District: "In The Ruff"
Z-Ro: "Cocaine"
This week seems to be a little underwhelming as far as hip-hop releases are concerned. The only one album I'm really looking forward to hearing is Sha Stimuli's "My Soul To Keep." Sha Stimuli is the younger brother of Masta Ace and is one of the illest underground emcees to come out of New York in recent years. He's put out 12 mixtapes in 12 months recently and his material is far superior lyrically than any of his competition. My brother believes he has the illest flow this decade. My supplier Khamal will be hitting me off this week with the album, I'll make sure I keep y'all posted on how it turns out.
One big let-down this week is Sean Price's "Kimbo Price" mixtape. This is mainly due to the fact that the beats he chose are pretty weak. Sean P's lyrics are always mad funny and clever; however, the beats on this mixtape are just too shitty for it to have any replay value appeal.
Aight, stay tuned for many more posts this week...
Cor-mega, raw-forever. When Cormega was four years old he witnessed his mother get murdered. I couldn't imagine experiencing something like that. In 1992, Mega Montana went to jail for three and a half years for armed robbery in the first and second degree. To this day, he claims this was a set up by the police because they wanted him off the streets. Cormega apparently beat an attempted murder and assault charge in the early '90s and the police had it out for him after that. He maintains his innocence after being convicted on armed robbery. According to reports I read and interviews I've seen with Cormega, he was a dealer in Queensbridge who never committed robbery. He states that robbery just wasn't his MO. The one thing that is true about Corey McKay is that he is no fool. He spent the majority of his time in prison in the Law Library trying to find loopholes in the prosecution's case against him. His studies paid off because he got out of his sentence early, only serving three and a half years.
To me, Cormega is one of hip-hop's all-time greats. Lyrically, he has been able to personify the drug life of the late '80s and early '90s in a way no other emcee has been able to. His descriptive lyrics, raw content, smooth flow, and calm swagger separate him from most other "hardcore" rappers who yell over beats bragging about shooting guns, fucking hoes, and selling drugs without discussing the negative affects these activities can have on people in the real world. Mega lived that life, experienced the ups and downs, and uses his personal experiences to paint vivid pictures of life growing up in Queensbridge.
The bar to which I hold Cormega is very high, due to the fact that he released two classic albums back-to-back at the beginning of this decade. I expect not only The Realness from him, but also greatness because that's what his fans should be accustomed to at this point. That being said, "Born and Raised" is a good album but not on the same level as "The Realness" or "The True Meaning." It's definitely not a classic.
Before listening, I had great expectations. Producers include: Easy Mo Bee, Havoc, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Ayatollah, L.E.S., Buckwild, DR Period, Nottz, and Khrysis. This is one hell of a production squad. The album is Cormega doing what Cormega does best: raw lyrics over raw beats. The album sounds like it was recorded in the late '90s which I was happy to hear. What makes this album good as opposed to great is that it's the same old shit that Cormega always does, just not as good as before. His flow on some tracks is rather lazy and he doesn't say anything we haven't heard him say before. It's a very predictable album in that regard.
Another let-down of this album is that the beats are not as hard as I'm used to hearing on Cormega albums. Don't get me wrong, 6 of the tracks are pretty ill. The problem is that there are 8 more tracks that are merely average songs at best. The last track "Mega Fresh X" which features Parish Smith, Grand Puba, KRS-One, and Big Daddy Kane, is vexing to me. Parish Smith and Grand Puba are terrible at rhyming and their delivery is worse than a six-year-old reading a Dr. Seuss book out-loud, scared as fuck, in a first-grade classroom. They absolutely make the song not listenable. In addition, Mega put his track "Dirty Game" produced by DJ Premier on this album. This make no sense to me seeing that it was released years ago. I'm getting sick of rappers putting songs on albums that are old as fuck. That shit is a waste.
"Born and Raised" is a good album that doesn't achieve the level of greatness that his prior releases did. It's unfortunately a slightly damaged replica of his previous records. Or, since Cormega is such a big basketball fan, I should say it's like a Kevin Garnett $80.00 swingman jersey as opposed to a $180.00 authentic one. I don't know if Cormega has outgrown his hard, gritty edge through natural maturity or if he was just a little lazy on this album, because this album lacks that "Dead Man Walking," "I reign imperious, niggaz ain't fuckin' with me son I'm dead serious" type of vibe. In 2009, Cormega may be too far removed from his days of sellin' hand-to-hand and beatin' attempted murder raps in court. His signature similes and metaphors are just not as potent and deadly as they used to be.
I recommend the album for you hardcore Mega fans out there because there's still some quality hip-hop to be heard. Just don't expect classic material.
I'm gettin' hyped for hip-hop lately. This is a brand new feeling for me 'cause this game has been wack since 2000. I've done more complaining about hip-hop this decade than Mr. Roper did about Jack Tripper!!! A lot of good shit has been happening in 2009: Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II," Royce Da 5'9's "Street Hop," Joe Budden's "Padded Room," Slaughterhouse forming a group together (despite their album being very underwhelming), Method Man & Redman's "Blackout 2," among other things I know I'm forgetting. There's a lot of good shit being worked on right now as well (i.e. the new Blak Roc project and Chino XL's "The RECANstruction).
What I'm really gettin' hyped for though is the new album from Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man. I didn't believe it was really going down, but now RZA's promoting it on MTV talking about how Meth invited him to the studio to work on some beats for them. Wu-Tang is moving in a good fuckin' direction lately. It's time to bring the trophy back to Staten Island and NY in general and I think these three mutha fuckas can do it.
Peep the video below for RZA's incite on the project and more:
I'ma take it back to 2002 this week with Cormega's single "Built For This" from his album "The True Meaning." Mega released his newest album "Born And Raised" today so I wanna represent for the self proclaimed "Rapper/Drug Dealer."
"The True Meaning" was Cormega's second official solo record (although technically his third, if you include the unofficial Testament album which was dropped years after it was supposed to be released). This album is a legitimate classic in my opinion. It won the "Independent Album of the Year" award at the 2003 Source Awards. Cormega also won the "Impact Artist of the Year" award at the Underground music awards for this album.
Peep the video below, to see first hand why Mega Montana is truly "Built For This."
A good dude I know named Brad put me onto this Blak Roc shit this week. I heard nothing about it until he asked my girlfriend if I heard about this. He probably thought I must have since I'm a fuckin' hip-hop encyclopedia, but I must admit that I fell off on this shit right here. And let me tell you mutha fuckas, this is gon' be SOME SHIT RIGHT HERRRE!
Blak Roc is a collaborative project that was organized by Dame Dash, of all people, and is entirely produced by an Ohio based blues-rock band named The Black Keys. The list of emcees on this album is off the bozack! They are collaborating with Raekwon the Chef, the RZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Mos Def, Q-Tip, Jim Jones, Billy Danz (of M.O.P.), Pharoahe Monch, Ludacris, Nicole Wray, and NOE. They recorded 11 songs in 11 days with 11 artists. What has me so excited about this album is how purely creative and artistic it's going to be. Based on the trailer and the RZA webisode they put out on their website www.blakroc.com, I am pretty confident that this shit will be iller than Arthur Ashe's dilznick in the '80s.
Peep the two videos below that show some of the recording process for the album. As you all know, I met the RZA last Thursday and he continues to amaze me. This mutha fucka is on a whole other dimension than the rest of us. The shit he created with these Black Key white boys is bananas. Check this shit out if you wanna get your nipples hard and your pussies wet!!!
CORMEGA:
"Born And Raised"Record Release Party
Thursday, October 29, 2009 @ 8:00 PM
S.O.B.s
204 Varick St.
New York, NY 10014
212-243-4940 http://sobs.com/node/95
SNOOP DOGG w/ Method Man, Redman, and Devin The Dude:
Wonderland High School Tour
Thursday, October 29, 2009 @ 8:00 PM
Nokia Theatre Times Square, NYC
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
212-930-1950 http://nokiatheatrenyc.com/eventdetail.php?id=24761
GHOSTFACE KILLAH w/ Fashawn:
Wizard of Poetry Tour Friday, November 13, 2009 @ 8:00 PM
Paradise Rock Club
967 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617-562-8800 http://www.livenation.com/edp/eventId/412667
Last night, Pharoahe Monch commemorated the 10 year anniversary of the release of his first solo album "Internal Affairs". The show was at Sputnik in Brooklyn, NY. Sputnik has a small basement where they hold shows. When I say small, I mean small. There's a warning sign on the wall stating that the maximum capacity of the room is 97 persons. When I say they packed in roughly 300 people into the basement, I am not exaggerating. It was hotter than Rosa Acosta sun-bathing on a nude beach in Santorini. Last night was freezing outside and everyone was wearing winter coats, but guess what??? NO COAT CHECK. So picture everyone wearing their coats, shoulder to shoulder in the hottest, most over-crowded room you could imagine. It was very uncomfortable to say the least. I gotta tell you though, once the show started, nobody cared how hot it was because PHAROAHE MONCH TORE SPUTNIK THE FUCK DOWN LAST NIGHT.
The show started off with DJ J. Period gettin' the crowd warmed up displaying his mixing skills live for the crowd. J. Period has won a ton of awards since 2003 (including several mixtape DJ of the year awards, "Free Up Your Mix" champion, Mixtape of the Year in 2006 and top ten Mixtapes of the year in 2005 and 2007). J. Period definitely did his job getting the crowd amped for Pharoahe Monch's arrival playing various Biggie, NaS and Jay-Z blends he put together. The crowd really started to bounce when he whipped out his Wu-Tang library and rocked "Protect Ya Neck", "M.E.T.H.O.D. M.A.N." and "Ooh Baby I Like It Raw". There was an electric buzz throughout the crowd, which consisted of your ordinary thugged-out Brooklyn dudes, several fine Erikah Badu type shorties, a couple of gay hipster white boys, and these two Asian guys that were dancing like Carlton Banks all fucking night. It was a wild group of people, but they were all hyped for the arrival of Pharoahe Monch.
Pharoahe finally arrived and his DJ was the legendary "Boogie Blind" from the world famous X-Ecutioners DJ Crew. Also in attendance was DJ Scratch (EPMD) and DJ Evil Dee (Boot Camp Clik) Marco Polo, Torae, and Poison Pen. Pharoahe Monch hit the stage with enough energy to blow every converter box in Brooklyn. You could just tell how proud he still is of his "Internal Affairs" album. His voice projected so clearly and loudly, it was like his mic was a bull horn. I can't hear shit right now and my Colombian amigo, Hans, woke up with blood on his pillow from his murdered ear drums.
Pharoahe blasted through classic tracks like "Behind Closed Doors", "Queens", "Rape", "No Mercy", "The Light" and "Right Here". Boogie Blind then asked Pharoahe to flip the script and blaze some Organized Konfusion shit. The crowd went nuts when Pharoahe performed "Stray Bullet" from Organized Konfusion's arguably classic album "Stress: The Extinction Agenda". His flow was impeccable on this gritty, underground, dark beat. He just waived his hand like an Orchestra Conductor while his rhymes bounced off the walls like the "Stray Bullets" he was rhyming about. I've been to over a hundred live hip-hop shows and am not usually impressed, but Pharoahe Monch had me in awe with every line he spit. His dart game is in it's prime despite being in the game for 20 years now.
Pharoahe's performance got even better when he brought his back-up singers, MeLa Machinko and Showtyme out to help him perform "Oh No!!!" and "The Life (featuring Styles P)". Showtyme actually stole the show from Pharoahe at this point, sweating drastically as the veins popped out of his forehead while he sang the chorus to "The Life".
And then, the moment everyone was waiting for finally arrived. Monch told the little white girls standing in the front row that they may want to re-think their positions in the crowd at this point. He warned them that they might get hurt. He then turned his back to the crowd and yelled "GET THE FUCK UP!!! SIMON SAYS, GET THE FUCK UP!!!!" Needless to say, the crowd lost their shit. Mutha fuckas were jumping so high they were breaking the ceiling fans above us. Bitches were rubbing their titties and fellas were pumpin' their fists like they had guns in their palms.
At the end f the night, I left the club with my boy feeling like I was hit by a fuckin' Mack Truck. We were sweating profusely and couldn't hear anything other than a constant ringing sound in our ears. None of that shit mattered though, because for the three hours we were chillin' at Sputniks, real hip-hop was alive and well. All the boroughs were reppin' to the fullest. "Uptown, WHAT! Brid-onx, WHAT! Long Isle, WHAT! Strong Isle, WHAT! BROOOOKKKLLLYYYYYNNNN!!! BO, BO, BO, BO, BO!!! Yo where the fuck is Queens? Where the fuck is Queens? RIGHT HERE!!! Where's Hip-Hop??? RIGHT HERE!!!! Where's Hip-Hop??? RIGHT HERE!!!!"
Yes Pharoahe, hip-hop was RIGHT THERE last night. Salute to you for 20 years strong. Queens, represent.
The following is a list of new hip-hop album releases for Tuesday, October 20, 2009:
Royce Da 5'9": "Street Hop"
Cormega: "Born And Raised"
Killah Priest: "Elizabeth: Introduction To The Psychic"
William Cooper: "Beware of The Pale Horse"
Camp Lo: "Another Heist"
Stat Quo: "Great Depression"
Fashawn: "Boy Meets World"
Smoke DZA: "Substance Abuse"
It should be noted, I've heard Royce, Cormega and Killah Priest and they're all on point. I'm glad these guys put out some quality shit. Be sure to peep my Royce review below and look out for my Cormega and Killah Priest reviews later this weekend.
The RZA released his new book today, "The Tao of Wu", and I had the fortune of being able to meet this hip-hop legend in person at his book signing in the Barnes & Noble in Union Square NYC. The experience was ill. RZA came out to a loud applause and read an excerpt from his new book. He then proceeded to give a highly intellectual speech about his life and his passion for finding inner truth and wisdom. It was truly an inspiring speech that surprised my Indian girlfriend who was very impressed of his knowledge of Hinduism and the God Krishna.
RZA seemed genuinely humbled by how many people attended his book reading and signing tonight and thanked everyone for coming out. He said that he loves his Wu-Tang fans, but that music is a form of entertainment and everyone needs music in their lives. He said that it means even more to him that people would come out to support something that he wrote. RZA was so moved by the fact that his written word and wisdom of self could be passed along to the masses. He expressed to the entire crowd how much it meant to him that we were interested in what he had to say and write. Bong!
When I met him, I told him something that I always wanted to say. The vocal sample on the track "Hell's Windstaff" from Wu-Tang Forever is one of the illest things I've ever heard in a song. He let only a snippet of the vocal sample out at the beginning of the track and then slowly incorporated more and more of it until the middle of his verse when he allowed the full sample to play out saying "SOMETIIIIIIMES". I don't know if it's just me, but the way he built up the release of that vocal sample on the beat was simply magical. I just had to let him know that I appreciate his attention to minor details and his ability to create the most original style of sampling ever. RZA respectfully thanked me for paying that close attention to his beats. BONG, BONG!!!
Check my book signing at the top. This dude laughed when he saw my name, "Money Miz", on the post-it note and he immediately knew how to sign my book: "Cash Rule".
I've always wanted to meet this guy. He truly lives the five pillars of hip-hop culture: MCing, DJing, Breaking, Graffiti, and Knowledge. Afrika Bambaata should be very proud of the RZA carrying the hip-hop torch for this long. My meeting tonight was off the nipple. Bong!
I also met 9th Prince, RZA's brother from Killarmy who told me Killarmy will be coming out with a new album in 2011 and he hit me off with his new single "On The Rise" featuring the RZA. THE BEAT IS FUCKIN' B.A.N.A.N.A.S. They killed this shit. It's probably the best 9th Prince song he's ever made. Bong, Bong!!
The reviews have been excellent so far for the book with Rolling Stone giving it a 4 out of 5. Looks like the "Wu Library" RZA was talking about in his verse on "Uzi" is actually coming to life!!! VH1 needs to do a Hip Hop Honors show that is strictly dedicated to the RZA.
To: Joseph Cartagena From: Money Miz Re: Sucking At Rap Date: 10/14/09
_________________________________________________________________________________
If you look at your career as a whole, there really isn't much you can be proud of. You have released nine solo studio albums since 1993 and only two of them were RIAA certified ("Don Cartagena" = Gold; "J.O.S.E." = Platinum). As we all know, you can credit your success on Don Cartagena to Big Pun because, let's face it, he wrote all your verses. Don't even try to deny this because your flow and rhyme scheme has changed dramatically on all albums since "Don Cartagena".
Soon after losing Big Pun, you immediately sold out and put out a total of six consecutive wannabe commercial albums. You enlisted the likes of R. Kelly, Ashanti, Ludacris, Birdman, Ginuwine, Nelly, Lil Jon, Jennifer Lopez, Ma$e, Lil Wayne, The Game, Rick Ross, Swizz Beatz (to name a few) and whoever else was "hot" during the years of your releases. Why would you even do this? Is it because you can't write? Or is it because you can't hold down an album all by yourself?
I think it's both. I also think that your "fans" have caught on to your lack of skill and stopped supporting your BULLSHIT (because it's certainly not hip-hop). Recently, you released "J.O.S.E. 2" and enlisted the likes of Akon, Ron Browz, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Swizz Beatz and some fuck named Rico Love. This album sold a pitiful 8,300 copies! If my group "Watch City" made hip-hop a full-time job, we would have sold more than this! COME ON SON!!! You clearly named this album incorrectly. I strongly believe it should have been titled "All or Nothing 2" because ALL of your music has amounted to NOTHING minus Big Pun's influence.
I'd love to know who the fuck envies you, because I'll put my house on the fact that nobody is jealous over your fat ass. Jealous Ones Still Envy... FUCK OUTTA HERE!!!
P.S. Thank God I have a blog now. I've been wanting to inform you of this for years mutha fucka! Oh yeah, and 50 Cent punked you various times. How can you look at yourself in the mirror when 50 Cent got punked by Kanye West's gay ass?!?!?!?! SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTT.
I just saw the Jay-Z Rhapsody commercial tonight while watching VH1's Hip Hop Honors 2009 show. I guess I'm way late with this, but I NEVER watch TV anymore so fuck y'all for hatin'!!! This commercial is amazing. If you haven't seen it yet, get familiar...
Seeing that Royce Da 5'9's "Street Hop" album just leaked yesterday, The THROWBACK CLASSIC video this week is "Boom". I don't even have to explain this track to my followers. If you don't know, get the fuck off my blog bitch!!!
I know, I know... "Not another Wu-Tang post!!!" is what you're all saying, but I have to keep heads in NY up to speed about book signings!!!
The RZA's new book "The Tao of Wu" comes out on Thursday, October 15th and the RZA will be at the Barnes & Noble book store in Union Square that night at 7:00 PM for a signing. Y'all know I already pre-ordered it on Amazon and I'll definitely be at the signing that night. If you're in the area, swing by 'cause it should be ill.
BONG!!!
If you want to pre-order it for $9.00 off the cover price, go to the Amazon.com link below:
Let me start off by saying that Royce Da 5'9" has been one of my favorite rappers since I heard him back on "Bad Meets Evil" and caught him live that year at the Lyricist Lounge in Club Avalon in Boston. This dude is one of the most precise dart spitters to grace a mic booth. His flow and delivery are so clean it's almost like he writes his bars on graph paper and makes sure every line takes up the same amount of boxes. When it comes to braggadocio/battle-rapping, there aren't too many emcees out there who can go toe-to-toe with him (although he needs to stop bragging about being P. Diddy's ghost writer 'cause Diddy's verses are all awful). His punch line game is among the best in hip-hop and he's consistently gotten better lyrically in my opinion.
All that being said, this album is a disappointment to me. Now, don't take that statement the wrong way - this album doesn't suck by any means (it's a good album). What's disappointing to me is that Royce announced this album back in 2006 and has been recording it for three years and he has leaked almost half the album out during the past few years. To me, this album is not really a new release. Of the new tracks that weren't leaked, Royce clearly and shamefully goes "commercial" on five of them. Another let down for me is that this album was initially going to be produced completely by DJ Premier and the final product only has three tracks from Premo (one of which is "Shake This" which is amazing, but was released like two years ago). All three of the Premo tracks are ill, as you would all expect.
"Street Hop" contains 19 tracks, 18 of which are songs, 13 of which I like a lot, but 7 of which I heard a while ago. The fact that a lot of the tracks are old kind of ruin this album for me. If this wasn't the case, I would be saying that this is an excellent album (minus the five extremely gay radio tracks that are on it). The lyrics are definitely on point throughout the entire album and Royce really shows his ability to make an album as opposed to just another Bar Exam Mixtape here. Tracks like "Gun Harmonizing", "Shake This", "Part of Me", "Murder" and "On The Run" prove that Royce is more than just a good battle rapper. I also strongly believe that the Slaughterhouse song "The Warriors" is by far the best Slaughterhouse song made so far. I wish their album sounded more like this song, unfortunately Royce leaked this track in July before Slaughterhouse's album dropped (so again, it's old to me).
The bottom line here is that I'm disappointed about not hearing as much new music as I wanted to on this album, but aside from this problem, "Street Hop" is probably Royce's best solo record and is quite impressive lyrically.
At the end of the day, I give this album 3.5out of 5because, had I not heard so many songs prior to its release, this album would have really impressed me. Unfortunately, most of the newer tracks are commercial as fuck and this really lowers the album's replay value for me.
Cormega will be having his record release party for his new album "Born & Raised" at S.O.B.'s in Manhattan on Thursday, October 29th, 2009. The funny thing is that I already attended the record release party at S.O.B.'s for this album back in April of this year, but the album got pushed back forever so he's doing it all over again. Whatever, I'll be there again 'cause Cormega is one of the best to do it.
His new album will be released on Tuesday, October 20th, and from what I've heard it's gonna be ill. The tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the doors. Doors open at 8:00 PM and the show starts at 9:00 PM. He has production from DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Havoc, Ayatollah, L.E.S., DR Period and Buckwild on the album.
Check the link below for more details and to buy tickets:
J. Cole is the first artist to be signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. This kid, simply, is nice. His flow, content, delivery, and charisma are all on point. I'm a big fan right now. My supplier Khamal put me on this kid before he even got signed by Jay-Z, and I was fired up because he writes his own shit and produces a lot of his own shit. He was born in Germany, but moved to Fayetteville, NC when he was 1. J. Cole graduated from St. John's University Magna Cum Laude and it shows in his lyrical ability. He definitely ain't an ignorant emcee.
You can follow J. Cole on Twitter: @JColeNC
The two mixtapes below are really albums if you ask me and they truly showcase his ability to rhyme. Hit up the links below each album cover to download these two ill mixtapes. I can't wait for more music from this guy.
If anyone was wondering whether or not Necro is still rhymin' and if he's still the same crazy fuck he always was, well no need to worry 'cause this dude is still insane. He just released a new music video for a sequel track to his infamous song "White Slavery". The beat is weak, but this video is fucked (to say the least). Apparently, Necro is dropping a new album in February 2010 and I'm sure it will be sick (not "sick" as in good, but "sick" as in fucked up).
Necro's newest shit to hit the streets can be found on Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II" album. He made the beat for the track "Gihad" (go figure - the track with one of the dirtiest Ghostface verses ever on it).
Necro has made some of the most disturbing hip-hop of all time, but just like anything else that is disturbing we just can't keep away from this shit. Be sure to check this new music video.
VH1 is honoring the entire label of Def Jam for their 2009 Hip-Hop Honors program, which airs this Tuesday, October 13, at 9:00 PM. The show will be hosted again by Tracy Morgan and will include performances by: DMX, Emeinem, EPMD, Method Man, Redman, Ludacris, Ashanti, Foxy Brown, Fabolous, Ghostface Killah, Ja Rule, Onyx, Public Enemy, Rick Ross, The Roots, Scarface, Wale, Warren G, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kid Rock, and Mary J. Blige.
In the '80s and '90s, Def Jam was a hip-hop power house, boasting a record catalog from various hip-hop legends. As much as I don't really like what Def Jam has become, This show ought to be ill because Def Jam has had the greatest roster of hip-hop artists ever in the '90s. I'm looking forward to seeing the show and reminiscing over all of the good hip-hop that use to some out back in the days.
NOTE: I don't expect this year's tribute to top the one they did for Big Daddy Kane. That old mutha fucka came out and did a 360 round house kick over his side dancer's head and then landed it into a split only to bounce right back up off the floor and continue rhyming live on stage. For those of you who had a chance to peep that shit a few years ago, you know what I mean when I say that it was the greatest thing I've ever seen!!!
The following is a list of new hip-hop album releases for Tuesday, October 13, 2009:
DJ Khaled & E-Class: "Live From 305"
Del & Tame-One: "Parallel Uni-Verses"
D.I.T.C.: "Rare & Unreleased Volume 2"
D.I.T.C.: "Rare Breaks Stack 2"
People Under The Stairs: "Carried Away"
Sene & Blu: "A Day Late & A Dollar Short"
Snoop Dogg: "Death Row: The Lost Sessions Volume 1"
R.A. The Rugged Man: "Legendary Classics Volume 1"
Too Short: "Mack of the Century: Greatest Hits"
This week, I'm not really interested in any of the releases at all. The only things I'd be interested in hearing is R.A. The Rugged Man (because he's nasty - but I don't know if this is a true album or not) and Snoop Dogg. Snoop's is a lost tapes release though and usually those types of albums should have stayed unreleased. We'll see. I'll keep y'all posted...
Killah Priest is releasing his eighth solo album on October 20, 2009 titled "Elizabeth: Introduction To The Psychic". I personally can't wait for this shit to drop. I hear it's his darkest album to date and I can't wait for an ill winter-time album. I've always been a big fan of Killah Priest since hearing him on the track "Diary of a Madman" from the Gravediggaz first album "6 Feet Deep". Killah Priest is hands down one of the top 3 lyricists of all time. I also strongly believe he has two legitimate classics under his belt (Heavy Mental and The Offering). This dude's lyrical capabilities are far beyond any normal emcee's.
After reading his interview on HipHopGame.com, I'm even more excited for what Priest has in store for us. He basically guaranteed an album from him and GZA together and also stated that he is going to make "Haevier Mental", which is obviously the sequel to his fist album "Heavy Mental". Killah Priest told HipHopGame.com that he will enlist 4th Disciple, True Master and the RZA to produce the album. He also stated that he got so inspired by Raekwon's "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II" that he felt he just had to make a sequel of his own. I hope Raekwon was able to inspire many more artists from the '90s to get back in the studio and create some new magic.
I'll keep y'all posted on Killah Priest's new album when it drops. For now, peep his interview on HipHopGame.com:
Raekwon's droppin' another video off of Cuban Linx 2, this time for his "Surgical Gloves" track. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album and one of the dopest beats I ever heard from Alchemist. Somebody anonymously sent a pair of surgical gloves to Alchemist in the mail last month and he tweeted about it. (Check him @AlanTheChemist on Twitter.)
Peep the trailer. I can't wait to see this video...
I just purchased the new "Hip Hop All Star" App/Game for the iPhone and I'm loving it. It's one of those music apps where you have to tap the screen at the right time in order to play a note; however, this game also allows you to "scratch" the screen with your finger tip in order to cut a record. The premice of the game is to "rise to stardom by scratching and beat matching the hottest hip-hop tracks on virtual turntables." They have tracks from Kid Cudi, DJ Green Lantern, Kool G. Rap, Busta Rhymes, Slim Thug, Mya and more. For anyone who enjoys hip-hop or has Dee Jayed before, you'll love this shit. Don't get me wrong, it's not the greatest music video game and probably isn't gonna be close to as ill as DJ Hero will be, but for an iPhone App it's mad fun.
You can select a DJ you'd like to play as, including DJ Green Lantern. Then you have to rock shows from house parties to major venues. They even have boss battles in the game. The nicest element for me is that I don't have to be playing along to rock 'n' roll music. They have some good hip-hop in the game including the Busta Rhymes and Ol' Dirty Bastard track "Where's My Money" that came out a few years ago. For those of you who haven't heard that track yet, you better get on that shit 'cause it's off the nipple.
IGN.com gave the game 8/10 and stated that, "I’m impressed by the appearance of not just real-world rappers, but also actual DJs. The game rings authentic, the tracks sound fantastic, the note-tapping is well executed and the boss battles are a lot of fun."
You can also battle iPhone to iPhone against your friends using WiFi or Blue Tooth, purchase new songs via online track packs, and talk shit to your friends via Facebook that's linked into the game.
I haven't played it enough to rate it myself, but it's worth coppin' if you have an iPhone and like hip-hop.
Former Bad Boy rapper Shyne was released from prison today.
And, guess what??? Nobody gives a fuck!!!
Hahahaha. That mutha fucka sucked back in the day. Why in the tittie fuck would I care about him gettin' out and makin' new shit? That dude rapped like he had a constant sinus infection and down syndrome.
Saigon dropped his new album "Warning Shots 2" (or mixtape album, or whatever the fuck these dudes wanna call these fuckin' bullshit CDs they put out nowadays) and I'm not gonna review it at all. Instead, I'm gonna let y'all watch this video for one of the singles off the album. This track basically says it all for me. This dude has fallen off harder than Humpty Dumpty god damn it!!!
I used to LOVE Saigon, word life!!! This guy was one of the illest new artists I seen in a while, but he is really putting out garbage lately. The only thing that can save Saigon for me is if he drops "The Greatest Story Never Told" and it's truly as classic as he says it is. If it's anything less than a classic, then this dude just simply wasn't worth the wait. I hope to God his real album is better than "Warning Shots 2".
Peep this fuckin' video. Autotune is killing the fuckin' world. Now Ghostface and Saigon are using this shit. FUCK OUTTA HERE DUDE!!!
AND WHO IS THIS PIMPLE FACED BITCH?!?!?! Hey Saigon, REALLY?????
(OK, I'm not gonna front though. This video is pretty fuckin' funny. I'll at least give him that.)
Check out this behind the scenes footage of the RZA filming scenes to the new movie he's working on with Eli Roth. The movie is called "The Man With The Iron Fist" and RZA and Eli Roth wrote it together. This is pretty crazy that RZA is doing his own stunts and shit. If you remember the video for his track "Tragedy", you'll remember that the RZA is pretty vicious with those sinister pointed rings he has.
In other news, Quentin Tarantino announced yesterday that he'll be making Kill Bill 3, but it won't be out until 2014. My brother reminded me that it has to take place years later so that Vivica Fox's daughter is old enough to avenge her mother's death by the hand of Uma Thurman.
The following are the new hip-hop album releases for Tuesday, October 6, 2009:
Fat Joe: "J.O.S.E. 2"
Saigon: "Warning Shots 2"
Joe Budden: "The Great Escape"
Apathy: "Wanna Snuggle?"
Jim Jones & Webstar: "The Rooftop"
Smoke DZA: "Substance Abuse"
BK-One & Benzilla: "Radio Do Canibal"
I'm not so sure that Joe Budden's "The Great Escape is actually coming out on Tuesday, although it is scheduled to. I haven't heard Joey (@mousebudden) talkin' about this shit on Twitter (and we all know how much of a Twitter fiend he is) so I doubt it's actually dropping. I'll bet a fuckin' strap of $20s that Fat Joe's new album will be he worst ever. I've heard nothing but garbage so far from it. Another album I think will be disappointing is Saigon's "Warning Shots 2". This dude has thoroughly fell off since he first came out and, I have to say, I am now not excited to hear his "Greatest Story Never Told" album. Saigon's lyrics are average at best lately and his flow has substantially changed for the worse. I feel like he could have been an amazing emcee but he fell off his game because he put all his best shit out on low quality mixtapes. It's actually very unfortunate because he had more potential than anybody when I first heard him hit the scene with "Yes". Now he is the most contradictory rapper who really hasn't impressed me in years. We'll see what happens when he drops yet another bootleg album this Tuesday.
Beanie Sigel leaked a dis record at Jay-Z late last night. This shit got me pretty interested actually because I always wondered what was the deal with Roc-A-Fella. Jay-Z had this so-called "Dynasty" with Roc-A-Fella, but none of these mutha fuckas ever really popped off like that. Something has always bothered me about Jay-Z. He's a very weird individual, almost eccentric in a way with his high-pitched voice and shy personality. If you look at Jay-Z's career, he's basically severed ties with everybody he's fucked with. From Jaz-O to Foxy Brown to Amil to Dame Dash to R. Kelly. Almost every collaboration has turned into a broken relationship or a very sour one. All the people he's beefed with complain about Jay'Z's lack of loyalty and his sick way of using people to get where he needs to be and then forgetting they even existed. To me, that says there's something up with Jay-Z if he consistently has issues with people he works with. At some point, you can't just chalk all this beef up to people "hating" on Jay-Z. This is more than just "hate," it's a pattern that may be a legitimate character flaw of the man they call "Hov." I'd love to hear more details of behind the scenes shit that happened with Roc-A-Fella over the years.
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