So much happened this year it was hard to fit it all into one blog so I did this little extension.
Best Music Video
Int'l Players Anthem - UGK Feat Outkast
Funniest Radio Interview
Saigon's drunken outburst on Shade 45
Best Feature Film
American Gangster
The most talked about film of the year without a doubt was Ridley Scott's American Gangster. Denzell plays real life drug kingpin Frank Lucas who was the infamous Bumpy Johnson's right hand man who ships Heroin in from Vietnam with help from the US Military. With all the hype surrounding the film, Jay-Z's album of the same name and every one and their mother having an opinion on how true the story actually was (from Nicky Barnes to Bumpy Johnson's wife to Frank Lucas's son) American Gangster took the box office by storm and there are even talks of a sequel in the making. Denzell's performance was of course the highlight of the film with interesting cameos from the likes of RZA, T.I. and Common.
Best Series
Boondocks Season 2
Aaron Mcgruder's series just seems to go from strength to strength brilliant new characters like Thuggnificent, the return of old favourites like Stinkmeiner and some great cameo appearances from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface & Lil Wayne make this must watch tv.
Best Clothing Label
LRG
In my opinion LRG are the hottest new clothing label out there and this year they have literally been blowing the competition out of the water. The range of hoodies and jackets are the most impressive I've seen out there only adicolor can really compete right now.
Now back to the worst so we can rap things up once and for all
The Worst Slogan/Phrase of the year
Dj Khaled
We the best man Listen!!!
This guy really pisses me off I think he is my most despised dj other then Clinton Sparks and Whoo Kid these dudes just come off as arogant cunts whatever happened to the humble dj?
The Least Respected Rapper
Lil Bow Wow
This guy really cracks me up. He just has no idea how terrible he is and he really feels like he deserves some props. For what!! You don't even write your lyrics you mooron and when you got with Ciara we thought you lucky bastard then you went and fucked that up aswell. I'd take a real mc like Phife Dogg's advise and go and get some toilet paper cause your lyrics are butt
The "You know your career is over when the only time people mention your name is beacuse you leaked a sex tape" award goes to....
Ray J
The bitch is fine as hell though I can't front
Don't call it a comeback (you were never really here)
Ja Rule
This guy has about as much chance of making a comeback as I have with sleeping with Kim Kardashian tonight. If this was boxing he'd be Mitch Green and 50 Cent would be Tyson and we all know what happened there. Mitch Green thought he could beat Mike he really did then got punched in his eye out in Harlem infront of everyone and looked like a bitch. It's time to hang the gloves up for real and give LL Cool J and call too and let him know lol!!
Till next year snitches
Friday, 28 December 2007
Thursday, 27 December 2007
The Best & Worst of 07' pt 1
2007 has been an interesting year in hip hop to say the least. Kanye and 50 Cent went head to head for the no 1 billboard spot on September 11th, Jay-Z released American Gangster after being inspired by Denzell's performance as drug kingpin Frank Lucas and the world was introduced to Souljah Boy & Hurricane Chris. So on that note let's start by getting the bad out the way first
The Worst Song of the Year
Without a question of a doubt the worst song of the year has to go to Souljah Boy's Crank Dat. Calling his raps nursery rhymes would be giving them too much credit. The day he collabs with T Pain will signify the end of the world as we know it.
The Worst Album of the year
Gucci Mane - Back to the Traphouse
Ok so I haven't actually listened to this album to know how bad it is however I trust the guys over at HipHopDX to give a good opinion and this album got a 1 which I don't think I have ever seen them give so it must have been pretty fuckin awful
Here's what they said about Gucci's lyrical skills
Sadly, the problems do not end outside of the booth for this rapper. Gucci Mane sleepwalks his way through the album, lacking a tremendous amount of lyrical inspiration and overall energy. Throughout the LP, Gucci raps with little passion about very few things. Of course, this formula would not be complete without the trifecta: sex, drugs and money. This usually sells and usually, this is not a reason to disrespect an album or an artist. Here, however, the man raps about all of this without any originality or skill. Often, the raps are simply too simple.
“My chain be shining. My grill be sparkling.
It’s Gucci, darling. Hey, what’s up, shortie?
When keepin it real goes wrong
Saigon Vs Mobb Deep
This was bad for Saigon he wanted to come out the hero but instead got the piss taken out of him for running out the club after socking Prodigy in the grill. Guess he should've sprayed up the whole club and spent the rest of his days on death row then dudes would've repsected his gangsta.
The Worst "you have really put your foot in it now" moment of 07'
Fiascogate
While performing alongside Pharell at the VH1 Honors Lupe messed up the words to one of the mostt famous Tribe called Quest anthems of all time then acted like he didn't give a shit because he says he didn't grow up on Tribe he listened to gangsta rappers like 8ball, MJG & UGK. This resulted in huge message board debates and began the dicussion on hip hop elitism.
In my opinion Lupe's argument was weak. No you don't have to know about every single rapper that ever made a song to be a part of hip hop but this is Tribe we are talking about here not some underground local group no one has heard of. These guys were touring the world and doing big things in hip hop throughout the early ninties and are probably considered by people (that know their shit) as one of the most influential groups in hip hop period.
Ok now that's out the way let's get to the wonderful things that happened this year. It's a celebration bitches!!
Top 5 Albums
5. Getback - Little Brother
This was a solid follow up to their last album The Minstrel Show as Phonte & Big Pooh prove they can hold their own without 9th Wonder's production. Dope beats dope rhymes but maybe just a little too much singing kept this one from being further up the list
4. Ear Drum - Talib Kweli
I remember being so impressed with this when I got the advance version online. Kweli is one of the most relevant,interesting & highly skilled artists in his field and for me this album is better then Common's Finding Forever(which I found really boring) but didn't get the credit it deserved. With production handled by Pete Rock, Madlib, Will.I.am and Hi-Tek Kweli has the perfect backdrop for his social commentary and intricate wordplay which hasn't sounded this good since his days in Reflection Eternal.
3. Spell my name right - Statik Selektah
This album had me straight amped from the jump. Statik was on his J.O.B on this project and quite frankly we may never see an all star line up of hip hop's elite like this on the same disc ever again. Who do you know who could've got Styles P,Q-Tip, Kool G Rap, Joell Ortiz, Cormega, Royce da 5-9, AZ, KRS One, Large Professor & A.G. on the same album. That is some real clout right there.
2. The Offering - Killah Priest
What can I say this album just came out of nowhere and had heavy rotation for a minute in my cd player. The production is the only let down to this project as the lyrics are really intense and detailed. Tracks to check out are "Ghetto Jesuz", "Melodic pt 2" feat Hell Razah, "Essential" and "PJ'S" among others.
1. The Big Doe Rehab - Ghostface Killah
While 8 Diagrams ultimately dissapointed die hards and true hip hop heads alike Ghostface remains the most consistent Wu member by droppin another classic album which in my mind is better then the best tracks from "Fishscale" and "More Fish" combined. While his last effort had too many Thoedore Unit collabs for my liking this shit is just perfect. He teams up with Philly's Beanie Sigel for the opening cut to great results as Beans venomously spits
it's the broadstreet bully and the killer with no face, my mac bullets burn like tequilla with no chase
Raekwon is all over this disc and his verses sound more potent and focused then on "Diagrams" and Method Man also never sounded better on "Yolanda's House" one of the highlights of the album. Ghost takes classic breaks like on "Super GFK" & "Killa Lipstick" and does them correctly and whether he is rocking the track by himself or collaboration Ghostface gives you pure entertainment and continues to be one of the most original, inspiring, refreshing & creative lyricists the genre has ever seen.
Let's celebrate cause we hype for just being here!
The Most Improved Lyricist
Joe Budden
Joey took Ransom to the cleaners lyrically there is no disputing that, showing a hunger we perhaps haven't seen on wax since Eminem was "the illest rapper to hold a cordless". Buddens has got bars for days and other then maybe Royce da 5-9 there aren't many dudes out there that can fuck with this guy(check his freestyle in the post below this one if you don't believe me)
The Worst Song of the Year
Without a question of a doubt the worst song of the year has to go to Souljah Boy's Crank Dat. Calling his raps nursery rhymes would be giving them too much credit. The day he collabs with T Pain will signify the end of the world as we know it.
The Worst Album of the year
Gucci Mane - Back to the Traphouse
Ok so I haven't actually listened to this album to know how bad it is however I trust the guys over at HipHopDX to give a good opinion and this album got a 1 which I don't think I have ever seen them give so it must have been pretty fuckin awful
Here's what they said about Gucci's lyrical skills
Sadly, the problems do not end outside of the booth for this rapper. Gucci Mane sleepwalks his way through the album, lacking a tremendous amount of lyrical inspiration and overall energy. Throughout the LP, Gucci raps with little passion about very few things. Of course, this formula would not be complete without the trifecta: sex, drugs and money. This usually sells and usually, this is not a reason to disrespect an album or an artist. Here, however, the man raps about all of this without any originality or skill. Often, the raps are simply too simple.
“My chain be shining. My grill be sparkling.
It’s Gucci, darling. Hey, what’s up, shortie?
When keepin it real goes wrong
Saigon Vs Mobb Deep
This was bad for Saigon he wanted to come out the hero but instead got the piss taken out of him for running out the club after socking Prodigy in the grill. Guess he should've sprayed up the whole club and spent the rest of his days on death row then dudes would've repsected his gangsta.
The Worst "you have really put your foot in it now" moment of 07'
Fiascogate
While performing alongside Pharell at the VH1 Honors Lupe messed up the words to one of the mostt famous Tribe called Quest anthems of all time then acted like he didn't give a shit because he says he didn't grow up on Tribe he listened to gangsta rappers like 8ball, MJG & UGK. This resulted in huge message board debates and began the dicussion on hip hop elitism.
In my opinion Lupe's argument was weak. No you don't have to know about every single rapper that ever made a song to be a part of hip hop but this is Tribe we are talking about here not some underground local group no one has heard of. These guys were touring the world and doing big things in hip hop throughout the early ninties and are probably considered by people (that know their shit) as one of the most influential groups in hip hop period.
Ok now that's out the way let's get to the wonderful things that happened this year. It's a celebration bitches!!
Top 5 Albums
5. Getback - Little Brother
This was a solid follow up to their last album The Minstrel Show as Phonte & Big Pooh prove they can hold their own without 9th Wonder's production. Dope beats dope rhymes but maybe just a little too much singing kept this one from being further up the list
4. Ear Drum - Talib Kweli
I remember being so impressed with this when I got the advance version online. Kweli is one of the most relevant,interesting & highly skilled artists in his field and for me this album is better then Common's Finding Forever(which I found really boring) but didn't get the credit it deserved. With production handled by Pete Rock, Madlib, Will.I.am and Hi-Tek Kweli has the perfect backdrop for his social commentary and intricate wordplay which hasn't sounded this good since his days in Reflection Eternal.
3. Spell my name right - Statik Selektah
This album had me straight amped from the jump. Statik was on his J.O.B on this project and quite frankly we may never see an all star line up of hip hop's elite like this on the same disc ever again. Who do you know who could've got Styles P,Q-Tip, Kool G Rap, Joell Ortiz, Cormega, Royce da 5-9, AZ, KRS One, Large Professor & A.G. on the same album. That is some real clout right there.
2. The Offering - Killah Priest
What can I say this album just came out of nowhere and had heavy rotation for a minute in my cd player. The production is the only let down to this project as the lyrics are really intense and detailed. Tracks to check out are "Ghetto Jesuz", "Melodic pt 2" feat Hell Razah, "Essential" and "PJ'S" among others.
1. The Big Doe Rehab - Ghostface Killah
While 8 Diagrams ultimately dissapointed die hards and true hip hop heads alike Ghostface remains the most consistent Wu member by droppin another classic album which in my mind is better then the best tracks from "Fishscale" and "More Fish" combined. While his last effort had too many Thoedore Unit collabs for my liking this shit is just perfect. He teams up with Philly's Beanie Sigel for the opening cut to great results as Beans venomously spits
it's the broadstreet bully and the killer with no face, my mac bullets burn like tequilla with no chase
Raekwon is all over this disc and his verses sound more potent and focused then on "Diagrams" and Method Man also never sounded better on "Yolanda's House" one of the highlights of the album. Ghost takes classic breaks like on "Super GFK" & "Killa Lipstick" and does them correctly and whether he is rocking the track by himself or collaboration Ghostface gives you pure entertainment and continues to be one of the most original, inspiring, refreshing & creative lyricists the genre has ever seen.
Let's celebrate cause we hype for just being here!
The Most Improved Lyricist
Joe Budden
Joey took Ransom to the cleaners lyrically there is no disputing that, showing a hunger we perhaps haven't seen on wax since Eminem was "the illest rapper to hold a cordless". Buddens has got bars for days and other then maybe Royce da 5-9 there aren't many dudes out there that can fuck with this guy(check his freestyle in the post below this one if you don't believe me)
Sunday, 23 December 2007
Joe Budden Freestyle on Shade 45 with Green Lantern
I dunno what got Joey so pissed off but damn dude doesn't play when he starts rappin he absolutely rips Onyx's Last Dayz beat to pieces
Thursday, 20 December 2007
R.A. The Rugged Man vs Rude Jude on Shade 45
This shit is hilarious R.A. The Rugged Man gets heated when talking about what's real hip hop and what's pop music on Rude Jude's All Out radio show on Shade 45
Listen here
Listen here
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Jim Jones & Cassidy's Entourages Clash, Prevent Perfect Grandopening
Members of Dipset's Jim Jone's entourage and Full Surface's Cassidy's entourage prevented the grand opening of the HipHopSodaShop yesterday, December 18th in Tampa, Florida from going off without a hitch.
According to reports, a brief altercation broke out early in the night as Jim Jones and Juelz Santana exited a VIP area of the club--crossing paths with Cassidy and members of his entourage who were entering the area.
When three members of Jone's crew tried to return to the VIP area, they were stopped by one of Cassidy's security guards igniting a verbal altercation.
According to All Hip Hop, the men returned 10 minutes later along with the Harlem rapper (Jones) who had his own exchange of words with the security guard.
The guard was then struck in the head with a full bottle of champagne, knocking him out cold and causing a cut on his face.
Def Jam recording artist Sterling Simms, who was featured on Jay Z's Dig A Hole , is also rumored to have been injured in the melee.
We fly high(Ballin) freestyle - Cassidy
I like the part where Cassidy says this
They not killers nah they not Killa, they not Juelz, they not Jimmy there's not many/ niggas that i like in the game what they writin is lame/ they just recycling and bitng the slang
the game is on it's arse
Monday, 10 December 2007
GZA Show @ Koko 9th Dec
Let me just start by saying I am a Wu head to the fullest and GZA's classic Liquid Swordz is one of my favourite Wu solo albums so I was certainly intrigued by the fact that he would be performing the whole album live.
But the night did have it's fair share of problems to say the least. To start with the warm up dj was one of the worst I've seen at a hip hop show for A LONG TIME and I've seen some pretty shakey dudes up there but this guy really took the piss. He barely looked like he been mixing more then about a year maybe and his set was all over the place. Needless to say that he didn't really create the ideal mood for GZA to come on to (infact towards the end of his set he was being booed hard and the shouts of WU TANG were signaling that the crowd had enough of this amateur and wanted the G.O.D to take the stage).
Then without warning a tall wiry figure with a Wu cap on took over the decks and placed GZA's 12" Cold World and propped it up infront of the turntables to signal it was about to go down.
GZA took the stage and from there it was on!! He ran straight through the whole liquid swordz catalogue barely taking a breathe between songs. The sound was pretty crappy though and on certain songs you couldn't really identify them it was so bad Gza stopped rapping through Killa Hills 10304 and Investigative Reports due to this problem.
After Killah Priest performed B.I.B.L.E, the last track from the album, GZA stated that shit wasn't over here and that he would continue performing until they closed the venue and would also take requests on what songs the crowd wanted. While this was more then welcome this was also where it got abit crazy. Gza was charged and began to talk about the state of hip hop right now and the crowd responded by shouting things like "Fuck 50 Cent" & "Soujah Boy sucks dick" (real mature well done for that) and this went on for about 10-15 mins (check the youtube footage below).
I ain't gonna lie this bit pissed me off we all knew why we were there to see a real live hip hop show if you're a fan of the GZA then it goes without sayin that you're not gonna be interested in Soujah boys movement and felt it was abit unnecessary to dedicate a whole part of the show to throwing cheap insults.
To be honest it was a real loose crowd alot of drunk pricks who didn't really understand the significance of the whole event and just wanted to go out and get twisted which prompted me to leave abit earlier then planned with my people who looked equally as peeved as I was.
GZA is still viewed in my eyes as one of the best to ever to do it and even though the show wasn't ideal I'm certainly not gonna let it alter my view about how great an artist the Genius is. And who knows maybe if I was considerable more drunk then I was this review may have come out different.
here are some clips of the show I found on youtube this morning
Dissing Soujah Boy
Duel of the Iron Mic
GZA rapping in the crowd (Bring da Ruckus)
Saturday, 8 December 2007
Bun B Madd Hatta Interview
Live on Houston's 97.9 Bun B speaks on Pimp C's tragic death.
HipHopDX posted up this interview
Bun B - Madd Hatta Interview | Hip Hop Singles > HipHopDX.com
Friday, 7 December 2007
Rapper Pimp C found dead in hotel
US rapper Pimp C, who was a member of the chart-topping Texan duo UGK, has been found dead in a Los Angeles hotel room, aged 33.
The star - real name Chad Butler - has worked with Jay Z and Dizzee Rascal.
The rapper's manager Rick Martin said: "He was my best friend and I will always love him."
A spokesman for the LA County Sheriff's Department said detectives were investigating the death of a "male black adult".
Ed Winter, from the LA County coroner's office said it was not yet clear how the rapper died.
"At this time there's no signs of foul play," he said.
"It appears to be possibly natural, but pending autopsy and toxicology we can't say the cause," he added.
Butler's career was put on hold for a while when he was jailed for three years in 2002 on gun charges.
However, he did eventually release an album while he was behind bars.
This year UGK made a comeback with the critically acclaimed album, Underground Kingz, which included the hit Int'l Player's Anthem (I Choose You), which featured OutKast.
U can download that song here:Int'l Player's Anthem
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Big Doe Rehab Satisfies Fiends While 8 Diagrams Disappoints
I have to say although I haven't heard the Wu album in it's entirety (mainly due to the fact I was so flabbergasted over how bad it was I switched it off halfway through) from what I heard I wasn't impressed.
Ghostfaces album however is everything I thought it would be and more. Bangin production from the outset (Ghost really does pick the best beats) hardcore lyrics and intricate story tellin make this a must for any die hard hip hop junkie.
Ghost has got that crack!!
Im gonna listen to Wu's album again tomorrow and hope to god I can salvage something good from it cause right now Im finding it very hard coming to terms with the possible end of a dynasty.
50 Cent Interview on Shade 45
50 Cent takes shots at his usual opponents Jay, Nas, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe...ect
While this is nothing new I must say though it is very funny
Listen to 50 shit talkin
Saturday, 1 December 2007
The Feds Vs T.I.P
This is my blanket thought on everything., there has to be a point in your life when you have to stop, you’re a multi millionaire for frig sake, why have you got some one around you who is not thorough, allegedly he got set up by his body guard, really who is around you who are you hiring, do you not do background checks, and if it was the case of you (T.I.) buying guns Huh! It’s like stop it, you’re out of the hood now - Estelle
These comments were made recently by the UK artist during an interview with Baby Blue on hip hop station pyro radio.com. Upon reading her statements regarding rapper T.I.'s (Clifford Harris) arrest initially it made me quite angry but then I thought to myself she is only saying what I've been hearing from people recently that the general perception is T.I. is an idiot for getting someone to purchase guns for him, knowing that he is a convicted felon and he deserves everything he gets. However as soon as i heard about T.I.'s arrest my initial reaction was that something was not quite right. Then just today I read an article written by someone called Isis Wisdom on the website www.daveyd.com, which is a place I often go to find out about what's really going on in hip hop and the industry and he exposed some very interesting facts that I think people should know about this situation as it plays a key part in the story as a whole.
Now as you may know Atlanta rapper T.I. was arrested by police the afternoon of Saturday 13th of October just before he was set to perform at the BET awards where he was also nominated for best cd of the year for his recent album T.I. Vs T.I.P. In Isis' article it states that
Approximately two weeks after T.I. was arrested the AJC newspaper reported that BAD BOY Souths President Block from Block Entertainment highly recommended the body guard to T.I. and Grand Hustle months before his arrest. The body guard has been working for T.I. since July. Reported sources say that the bodyguard suggested to T.I. that he should purchase the guns to protect his family. T.I. a felon knew that he himself could not purchase those guns. The law states that if you are a convicted felon you can not carry any firearms or weapons for that matter. And not only that, anybody that you have around you also can not carry guns or weapons. So why would the bodyguard suggest to tip that he needs guns to protect his family?
Now this is where it gets interesting according to the article two months prior to T.I. being arrested the same body guard approached rapper Young Joc about purchasing guns to protect his family. Back in the spring Joc had a home invasion in which his wife had to hide in a closet presumably to escape her attackers but this never made headline news and I wonder why? They are quick to do a story about 50 Cent having “beef” with fellow rapper Cam'ron or attempting to link gun violence with rap music and in this story which shows a rapper being the victim no one reports on it. Yung Joc was also quoted as saying "why would I purchase guns I make happy music". This bodyguard seems awfully concerned about people's safety doesn't he.
In the article it goes on to say that he was forwarded a state's info about which rappers they were looking at and had a top ten watch list on who they believe is involved in gang activity. This information was sent to the state by the feds. The list goes as follows
1.Shawty Lo from the group D4L (remember Lafy Taffy anyone?)
2.Baby from Cash Money Records
3.Lil Wayne
4.Young Jeezy and the whole CTE camp including a rapper called Hella Floe
5.David Banner
6.50 Cent (surprise suprise!)
7.T.I.
8.Dj Drama (guilty by association)
9.Alpha Mega
and apparently the rest of the names where blocked out for some reason. The artists on the list are all from the South with exception of course to 50 Cent. Just coincidence im sure.
The constitution states it's unconstitutional to have a excessive bond for a non violent crime which purchasing firearms is. That is a federal law but T.I. had to pay 3 million dollars to get out of jail, they are making him pay for a officer to be in his home, a monitor on his ankle and paying for every criminal back ground check for anybody that comes to his home. Seems somewhat irregular of procedure to say the least.
I think there is more to this story then we know about and I will continue to report on it as more information comes to light but for now Im going to the end this transmission because I know they're watching me.
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