$15 on pump two please...

Don’t Get Gassed:

The Clipse “Classic” Album Wasn’t Good

Despite what’s going on today, Hip-Hop is about being original. Hip-Hop is aboutgoing left when everyone else is going right. So that’s what I’m going to do. When ever you see the “Don’t Get Gassed” logo, you know that I’m going bring you an opinion or some info from an angle that you might not have heard before.

For many months you heard all of the attention and buzz that surrounded the eagerly anticipated 2nd album from Virginia’s own The Clipse. Coming off the success of their last album, Lord Willin’ which featured two smash hits, The Clipse were riding high. Malice and Pusha T’s drug tales told through witty metaphors and punchlines meshed perfectly with the Neptunes earth-shattering production. So when word came in that this duo completed their second album, rap fans couldn’t wait.

However label beef kept pushing their project back further and further. That’s when the hype machine started. You know how it works. People start imagining what the album would sound like except their imaginations run wild. (Man, Pharell probably got a beat better than Grindin’ and you know their rhymes are going to be the best that we’ve ever heard.) Add in some solid mixtape performances and articles from magazines that further spread thoughts on the “potential” dopeness of this album and you’ve got a full blown case of rap frenzy. The album, Hell Hath No Fury was a classic album before anyone even heard it. XXL magazine even gave the album its highest rating.

Unfortunately, hype only takes you so far and then you’ve got to back it up and contrary to popular opinion, this album was weak. There’s a fine line between focusing on a topic and simply having nothing else to talk about. On a twelve track album, to have twelve consecutive tracks about the same exact topic, delivered the same exact way shows a lack of creativity and skill. It’s not as if the Clipse were breaking new ground either; rappers had been talking about selling drugs for the past 15 years. In fact, it wasn’t even different from the content on their first album or subsequent mixtapes. We also learned that without a great Pharell beat, these “wonderful” metaphors and punchlines don’t sound as great. Over weaker production this time around, Malice and Pusha’s 16’s missed the mark. There’s only so many ways you can describe drugs before you repeat yourself over and over and over. It’s not surprising that the only song worth mentioning was the lead single “Mr. Me Too” and that is because the infectious bass line was so dope, Young Joc would have sounded good over it. The featured artists’ performances were even worse and the hooks were boring and predictable.

So what happened since? It’s been a little over a year since Hell Hath No Fury came out and no one is talking about it. No interviews asking them about their album, nothing. It just disappeared from the face of the earth. The last time I checked, classic albums don’t do that. People believed this album was going to be so good that they tricked themselves into thinking this was a fact. However, true greatness stands the test of time and after a few months and several listens, the crowd woke up from its spell and saw its glaring flaws. This whole time we believed that the label was holding back this “classic” because of politics. But after hearing it, it’s quite possible that the label saw it for what it was - a repetitive, unoriginal project with only one good song.

Moral of the story: Before you call an album a classic, it’s a good idea to listen to it first.

The Emotions...

My Dude Joe Budden on Shade 45...

Hanna Montana and Dipset?

Comedy

07 Rap Up...

Like he always does every year...
Mad Skillz 2007 Rap Up

"A Mead notebook and a Bic that click when its pushed and a whack ass beat..."

What's more important when you are making that "hit" record, the bars or the beats? That's a tough question but being that I have been on the production side and on the lyrical side ill share my thoughts. When I turn on the radio i hear alot of songs people consider "hits". Majority of these songs will have a decent or good beat with some of the worst lyrics I ever heard, but it is a "hit".

I don't really consider those songs hit records in my books, they have no life span. Will you really be pulling out your CD with "wipe me down" or "a bay bay" on it 5 years from now and say "Yea thats my joint!!!". I doubt it, a song can make a quick run with a hot beat but without the lyrical content its a partially finished record. Now not all songs can even make "the run", there have been plenty of songs where the beat is crazy, and the lyrics are worst than your 5 year old niece. Refer to Noreaga "Melvin Flynt Da Hustler", the album was laced with hot neptune beats but Nore repeatedly spit some hot garbage track after track.

Bottom line, lyrics are a very important part of a song. Listen to some of the old groups like Earth, Wind, Fire...Supremes...Dudes like Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Teddy P i can go on and on but you get the point. You can play their records this present day and people bug out like their CD dropped last week. Plus we sample their music like crazy you gotta love it. This is just my opinion, lyrics are most important. You don't believe? Listen to Lupe Fiasco's Dumb It Down, a simple beat brought to life with some of the illest lyrics I ever heard. peace.

gWiz

Got my gold watch, and my gold chain...

“Gold Watch”
Lupe Fiasco Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool

One of the most anticipated albums of the year was Lupe Fiasco’s sophomore release The Cool in which he reprises the story of Michael Young History, created in Food and Liquor’s “The Cool” This is an album that gets better and better the more you listen to it and one of the most interesting songs on the album (and there are plenty to choose from) is “Gold Watch.”

Let’s peruse the essentials of cool…

One of the first things you will notice about this track is the way producers Chris and Drop weave the phrase “give them diamonds up” into the framework of the beat, before the beat even drops. It definitely is a bit jarring if for no other reason than the sample is cut off so abruptly within the beat followed by definitive silence, however, when the beat does hit and Lupe comes on with “Let’s peruse the essentials of cool/a brief study of the things so instrumental to you…” the phrase in the beat suddenly makes more sense. Diamonds, gold watches, the things so instrumental in the greater hip hop community, to the character Lupe represents in this song. Many of us will admit to being a little surprised, if even a little bit, when we see a rapper without platinum or gold or some other precious metal draped around their necks. Why are the rappers so obsessed with these things? Lupe continues his lyrical dissertation with a very telling line:

“My not go to college/but my street smart polished … do the knowledge/man you can’t be punk from projects/firm disbeliever in your punch clock promise…”

Lupe may be from the west side of Chicago, but this is imagery that is all too familiar for anyone who has ever spent an extended period of time in the projects of any city in the U.S. In countless of these places, you have a congregation of people that have the ability to survive on the streets because of their acute street knowledge, but who are unable to turn that same focus into something more conforming. These are the same folks, Lupe suggests, that have been left behind by the system for so long that they’ve become “firm disbelievers” in the “punch clock promise…” That 9 – 5 isn’t working for them. So, what’s important, if you are submerged in this environment, what becomes valuable to you? When it becomes such a struggle to climb out of that hole and you see the pushers and the rappers who came from the same block that you’re from living it up, wouldn’t you be a obsessed with materials to try and supplant some of that despair you’ve felt for so long? He’s not trying to be rude, he’s “just hating in your rules…”

Yeah, yeah, she love it over here…
I like the second verse for its unapologetic innocence mixed with a bit of braggadocio. In it he enthusiastically breaks down the things that he deems instrumental to him, even tossing in a reference to a game I’m sure plenty of us wasted quarters on: “I like street fighter 2/but I really hate Zangief/only Ken and Ryu/ I find it hard to beat Blanka…”It’s a couple of very simple lines, but their sincerity is refreshing; it’s a departure from the usual talk of fast cars and faster women (which, I can’t lie, is fun listening to sometimes). This song embodies what Lupe tries to be more than many songs of his I’ve heard he comes across as a man driven by ambition, good lyrics and gadgets and games. More than anything, he makes no apologies for this.

Lupe did a wonderful job, in my opinion of creating a picture of what a lot of up and coming rappers are aspiring to be and of how easy it is to fall victim to all of the things you should like as a rapper by reminding himself of the things that he still enjoys. They want that gold watch, that gold chain, those Goyard bags and foreign women. But the most coveted thing Lupe has is his “high self-esteem/and the low tolerance for them telling him how to lean…” So in the long run, are those gold watches and fancy cars important if you can’t believe in your own confidence and talent? Like Lu said, “the most important things/are the ones that are unseen…the wings don’t make you fly and the crown don’t make you king…” His ability to weave real-ness and common emotions into almost every single one of his songs and this one is no exception. If you haven’t copped this album yet, you’re doing yourself a major disservice and make sure this joint get some heavy ro.

--K.T.

P.S. My boy JusHH referenced a major track on Lupe’s catalogue that I think anyone who considers themselves a fan of his needs to listen to. Joint is called “Switch” and it’s hands down one of his best songs, commercial release or otherwise.

I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death!

Nyquil Mixtape of the Week – (noun) A group of five (5) songs that you are currently sleeping on. Either you've never heard them or forgot how much you really love them. Regardless, you need to brush the dust off your CD rack and play them or add them to your collection.

1. "Keep Your Hands High" – Tracey Lee ft. Notorious B.I.G., Many Facez
Incredible Biggie performance on this surprisingly decent Tracey Lee concept album.


2. "Betta Off Dead" – Onyx, All We Got Iz Us
Classic hardcore Onyx sound on their underrated second album


3. "Think About It" – Snoop Dogg, Blue Carpet Treatment
Snoop bringing his best since he was standing on that record store in LBC


4. "Ghost Writer" – Mad Skillz, Unknown
The best part of the song is trying to figure out who he's talking about


5. "Switch" – Lupe Fiasco, Unknown
Lupe's lyrical prowess makes you forget who's song this originally was (who?)


Come back every week for a new mixtape!

Dear Santa...

Yo Santa!

We decided to do some investigative journalism this Christmas and we’ve got some exclusive stuff for you guys. For the first time ever, we actually came across some Santa wish lists from some of your favorite rappers. Outside of asking for a new Platinum record and the occasional car and diamond chain, there are a few things that we didn’t expect people to ask for.

Lil’ Wayne

3. To do a song with Celine Dion (N***as will never see that coming!)

8. Extra skin. I’ve got some really great ideas for some tattoos but I don’t have any more space.

9. 6 more inches (I don’t really care where)

21. I want to drop the Carter 4 by February (Yep, I know what you thinkin’, I’m on some Spaceballs s**t! I’m the hottest rapper ever!)

Kanye West

1. 8 Grammy awards (minimum, I don’t care if I’m not in the category)

5. 3 Oscars (my videos are so good they should have been in the movie theaters. I’m saying did y’all see Stronger. That s**t cost me $2 Million and it was in Japan!)

6. The Nobel Peace Prize (F Al Gore, The Dropout kept people in school and I never killed no one on a song, how much more Peace do you need!)

NaS

7. I want people to understand that I don’t mean N***a in a disrespectful way – just as a general term for Black people.

11. For Jay-Z to fall to make another album and break his leg another record.

13. One Mic, One Pen, One Prayer, One Stapler, One copy of Transformers DVD…

Andre 3000

1. New wig and shoulder pads that I can wear to my family reunion

4. Plaid iPod shuffle to match my plaid belt and suspender combination

6. Some more Litera-ture on the subject of cryogenic freezer chambers

50 Cent

2. I want to sell more records than Kanye. (Even if it’s only in Queens, just put it out there that I sold more than he did.)

5. Game to please diss me on a record so I can make 3 mixtapes about his mother.

7. A tan, even though I’m already black.

Young Jeezy

1. A ghost writer for my rhymes new autobiography (Aye!)

4. Snow in Atlanta (The real snow. I never had a chance to make a snow angel)

17.5 Chappelle’s Show to come back.

Cam’ron

1. Hammers that go blam blam
2. Cameras that go click click for my chicks chick
3. Bananas for gorillas gorillin’
4. Sweaters sweating Pink Panthers
5. Ballers Ballin’ (BAWLLIINNN’) for Stallers stallin’
6. Playstations statin’ changing stations hatin’

T.I.

1. I want them to lose some of the evidence that they have on me.

2. I want them to lose some of the evidence that they have on me.

(There’s about 40 more of these)

JusHH

Happy Holidays from the whole Past The Margin crew.

Thanks to all the hustlers, and most important to you, the customer

Shout out to everybody that has been checking in with us this week. The love from everybody for the first week is appreciated. Keep checking back and spreading the word we got some real topics coming up that you don't want to miss. Check the links below for some music. peace. gWiz

Little Brother - Minstrel Show
Joe Budden - Mood Muzik 2
Brand Nubian - One For All
Dead Prez - Revolutionary But Gangsta

Introducing, Four Bars. Get Familar!

First off, watch both videos and give a listen before you read the rest of this…

Part I

Part II

Done watching? Yeah, I’m still laughing my ass off as well. Does Lil Bow Wow really expect people to believe that he’s “hard” even though we’ve watched him grow up in front of our eyes? He’s been a successful artist since he was prepubescent and has the hit list and bank account to prove it.

But somehow in the mean streets of Hollywood, on the set with Cedric the Entertainer or on tour with B2K and Marques Houston he learned to be tough and aggressive. WHO DOES THIS ‘Lil’ MF THINK HE’S FOOLING!?! And I hate to waste so many words on a character such as Lil Bow Wow (‘Shad’ is so gangsta) but he’s a microcosm of the problem.

Then there is Mr. Carter “harder than them other boys…” who apparently is a murderer on several accounts and will do it again if you let him…on wax. Really, who do these mfs think they’re fooling? Sadly, our youth; I’ve had two different conversations with teens and college students who truly believe that these rappers who claim to tote “birds” and ‘slang that ye’ aren’t f’n cartoon characters. I’m appalled and disappointed, cause honestly, Lil’ Wayne is a very talented rapper and Lil Bow Wow is also a young man with a lot of musical potential; Sadly, though, they’ve been infused with the “-er” gene as well or at least caught a case of it. I’m speechless, ya’ll got anything for me in terms of consolation, cause I can’t even listen to Lil Wayne records anymore without getting legit pissed off when he says some ‘murderous’ shit. I just wish Pimp C was still here to call these ‘Lil’ Characters out. R.I.P. Sweet Jones, BEEEEEEEITCH…

--Four Bars

Lyrical Exercise....Hope yall aint tired, right!

“Sweet” Jay-Z American Gangster

Let me start off by saying that this is going to be a forum for me to get out the things that I think about rap lyrics on the daily. Whether on the train, in my house or out on the street, breaking down these lyrics and deciphering the inner meaning is a skill that most casual hip hop listeners lack and often, it prevents them from truly appreciating the scope and value of the song. Hip hop is not all about violent imagery and illicit themes. Though the words often portray very graphic pictures, the story is often one of swagger, struggle, triumph and persistence. Jay-Z has always been excellent at embodying these themes in his music, but American Gangster seems to shine the brightest light on them with “Sweet” perhaps being the most introspective of the songs on the album (it’s a big statement because this album is not short of rich content).

“And still there’s pain…”

Throughout this entire song there is a perpetual feeling of guilt and responsibility, irresponsibility even. The character Jay chooses to follow in this song seems to have a lot of weight on his shoulders especially considering he has a young nephew who is following his every step and looking for guidance in his corrupted uncle’s movements. Where it gets difficult it seems is the challenge of separating his therapy and his influence: music and the harsh street life he grew up on while still “walking down a hall of mirrors in Versailles” and remaining “satisfied when he looks himself in the eyes.” Still, instead of accepting the challenge of trying to separate and conquer them both separately, he chooses not to and blends them to form something like an amalgam of street and sensibility. Take this out of the standard criminal-turned-rapper dichotomy and you could apply these words to anything. Picture the high powered defense attorney with a 95% acquittal rate. How many criminals has he helped free? How does he find the strength to look his children in the eyes, to look himself in the eyes an hold it up? Simple answer: you try your best to separate what you’ve learned from what you know to be right. And survive.

“…one day you’re up, next day you’re down…”
Probably my favorite verse in this song is the second one which starts by echoing the same theme found in the first. “I make no apologies…so a G a nigga gotta be…” What you find here is a man who is defiant, maybe to a fault, about the man he has become, thanks in large part to the life he’s lived. This defiance is somewhat betrayed, however, by that same reluctance to show his nephew the harsher side of the game, this hip hop game; this hustle game that formed Jay-Z. He makes an allusion here to the bible, similar to the allusion that he makes in Kingdom Come’s “Beach Chair:” “they say the child shall lead/so I’ll take him far as I can and then we shall see…” This line bears a striking resemblance to the aforementioned lyric in 2006’s “Beach Chair:” “if the prophecy’s correct the sins of the father/the child shall have to pay/so I barter my tomorrow’s against my yesterdays/and hope that she’ll be okay…” It’s not necessarily the words here that matter, but the meaning. It would look as if Jay-Z is at a stage in his career, in his life, where he is in conflict between what he knows to be right, for the sake of his family the way that he’d lived his life in the past. The main thing to understand is the level of maturity that Jay is rapping with at this point in his career. This is certainly not the same dude who put out the abominable “Sunshine.”

There’s no doubt that there is more to this song to be dredged, but if I keep going, this entry will end up being thesis length and for the first entry, I just wouldn’t think that to be right. So the next time you cue up a crazy track or your favorite rapper spits something that blows your mind, don’t just bob your head, open your ears, son.

--K.T.

Keep sleeping son!

Nyquil Mixtape of the Week – (noun) A group of five (5) songs that you are currently sleeping on. Either you've never heard them or forgot how much you really love them. Regardless, you need to brush the dust off your CD rack and play them or add them to your collection.

1. "Broken Language" – Smoothe The Hustler, Once Upon a Time in America
Creative flow and delivery at its absolute finest



2. "Bitch In You" – Common (Sense), Unknown
Before Erika, before Kanye, Common took on all challengers including some members over on the West Coast.



3. "I'll Take Her" – Ill Al Scratch ft. Brian McKnight, Creep Wit Me
Brings back those feelings of the 90's when Hip-Hop was just fun.




4. "Suicide Freestyle" – Ja Rule ft. Case, Venni Vetti Vecci
So good you forget this is the same dude that ended up doing "Always On Time"



5. "The Points" – Notorious B.I.G, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Coolio, Redman and others, Panther Soundtrack
It's rare you get this many superstar artists on one song




Come back every week for a new mixtape!



THE AMERICAN GODFATHER MIXTAPE!
Brought to you by DJ SKEE! Any Jay-Z fan is sure to love these mixes!

BIG SHOUT TO DJ SKEE!

Download Here

DJ Skee & Jay-Z - American Godfather

It's Tuesday, do you know what that means?

photo by Nena Nguyen

I hope you like what you have seen from Past The Margin so far. We will be updating this site daily. With that said let me introduce Fresh Tuesdays...
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
This Week
#1 Alicia Keys - As I Am
#2 Scarface - Made
#3 Drama - Gangsta Grillz: The Album
#4 Chris Brown - Exclusive
#5 Jay-Z - American Gangster

What am i copping this tuesday?
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool

1. Baba Says Cool for Thought - Lupe Fiasco
2. Free Chilly - Lupe Fiasco, ,
3. Go Go Gadget Flow - Lupe Fiasco
4. Coolest - Lupe Fiasco
5. Superstar - Lupe Fiasco, Matthew Santos
6. Paris, Tokyo - Lupe Fiasco
7. Hi-Definition - Lupe Fiasco, Pooh Bear, Snoop Dogg
8. Gold Watch - Lupe Fiasco
9. Hip-Hop Saved My Life - Lupe Fiasco, Nikki Jean
10. Intruder Alert - Lupe Fiasco,
11. Streets on Fire - Lupe Fiasco
12. Little Weapon - Lupe Fiasco, , Nikki Jean
13. Gotta Eat - Lupe Fiasco
14. Dumb It Down - Graham Burris, Lupe Fiasco,
15. Hello/Goodbye (Uncool) - Lupe Fiasco,
16. Die - Lupe Fiasco,
17. Put You on Game - Lupe Fiasco
18. Fighters - Lupe Fiasco, Matthew Santos
19. Go Baby - Lupe Fiasco,
20. [CD-Rom Track]

The Single - "Superstar"

Artist Profile
Little Brother

Little Brother is an American hip-hop group from North Carolina that consists of Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh. Producer 9th Wonder was a part of the group since its inception, but left before recording the album Getback. Their debut album The Listening (2003) was highly acclaimed, and was followed by The Chittlin Circuit 1.5 mixtape in 2005 and the group's second album, The Minstrel Show, also released in 2005 and received a "XL" from XXL magazine and 4.5 Mics from The Source. The group tours frequently with their official DJ, Flash. In an interview with MVRemix.com, Phonte explained the origins of his group's name: "Tribe, De La, P.E....were like our big brothers in the game so now we are the little brothers of that movement...carrying on the tradition of good music." Little Brothers latest album is titled Get Back...In stores now.
Check out Little Brother music here

Joey does it again BONUS MIXTAPE LINK AT THE BOTTOM TO DOWNLOAD

Joe Budden - Mood Muzik 3

I Believe

I Believe

For my first entry on Past The Margin, I feel that I should give y’all a snapshot of who I am. So here’s a list of a few things that I believe to be true. (Shouts to Scoop Jackson for the inspiration)

I Believe American Gangster is Jay-Z’s best album.
I Believe Money is both the best and worst thing to happen to Hip-Hop music.
I Believe that lyrics come FIRST.

I Believe that mainstream white America still doesn’t want to accept Hip-Hop because it still doesn’t want to accept black people.
I Believe if T.I. did what they said he did, he deserves to go to jail.
I Believe that the fans are more to blame for the downfall of Hip-Hop than the artists.
I Believe the money hungry executives are more to blame than both of them
I Believe the Rap Gods heard our cries when we lost Pun… So they gave us Joell Ortiz.
I Believe that the South isn’t the reason for the “death” of Hip-Hop, wack rappers are.
I Believe that Young Jeezy and NORE have managed to have successful careers despite not being able to write one quality rhyme worth remembering.
I Believe Joe Budden is the best rapper no one wants to pay attention to.
I Believe that Speakerboxx was overrated and wouldn’t have sold if it wasn’t for The Love Below.
I Believe mixtapes have helped artists get discovered but also hurt the quality of their albums.
I Believe that Will Smith is an important emcee and should get as much credit for helping Hip-Hop as anyone else.
I Believe that most female rappers don’t sell because they are female; they don’t sell because they aren’t that good.
I Believe Lauryn Hill is the most skilled female rapper of all time and could make a case to be on anyone’s top lyricists list (male or female).
I Believe that if you were dope in 1988, it doesn’t mean your new music is dope in 2007.
I Believe rappers should start taking responsibility for their lyrics.
I Believe Ja Rule at his best is a better rapper than 50 Cent at his best.
I Believe that Lil’ Wayne should be tested for performance enhancing drugs
I Believe that New York rappers have fallen off because they stopped being innovative.
I Believe that Nas won
I Believe album sales are down not because of downloading but because most music sucks and people do not want to risk their $15.
I Believe that if the label and/or artist is careless enough to let their album leak then you have the right to hear it for free.
I Believe that if you like that album then its your responsibility to go to the store and buy it.
I Believe that Hip-Hop can change the world (if only we can get out of our own way)

Written by JusHH

Coming soon...

LAUNCH DATE

MONDAY DECEMBER 17TH 2007

Get ready for something fresh, something new, something unique...

In the meanwhile enjoy some videos.

AZ - The Hardest (Feat. Styles P)

Rick Ross - Speedin' (Feat. R. Kelly)

Wyclef Jean - Fast Car (Feat. Paul Simon)

Beanie Sigel & Styles P - You Ain't Ready