"...I don't write sh*t cause I ain't got time"

Writer’s Block
written by JusHH

“I write my own rhymes, sort of, I think em. That means I forgot better s**t than you ever thought of..”

I just want to put it out there – I don’t write my posts. I know y’all probably assumed that I do but I don’t write. I grab my Chips Ahoy Chewy cookies and a glass of milk and I hit Wiz on the horn and start talking. I recite my post line for line and he just types away and Monday morning… its up on PTM. Bam, how ya like me now? I’m the dopest blogger ever.

Sound familiar? Ever since Jay-Z went on record declaring that he put down the pen and pad, every rapper and their mothers also stopped writing rhymes. I swear every interview that I read, someone else is talking about how they don’t write. The latest two that I’ve heard is T.I. and Lil’ Wayne. It’s gotten to the point where its somehow weak if you actually put the ink to the paper… WTF?????

Before going any further, let’s break this down a little bit. The only skill that’s actually impressive for a rapper who doesn’t write is memorization. That’s it. That’s the show. That’s all. Congratulations, you remember better than I do. Not writing doesn’t give you superior access to metaphors or concepts, it just means that after we’ve both “thought” about our raps, you don’t forget them as quickly as I do. Also freestyling and not writing your rhymes are not the same thing. Freestyling is when you rhyme off the top of your head, no rehearsals, its all happening live – that’s a skill. If you go into the booth and take time repeating and re-doing your verses, its soooo not the same thing. Not writing your rhymes, doesn’t make them good, being a good rapper makes your rhymes good.

Another thing, if your rhymes are nonsensical or not very good, then admitting that you don’t write them down is like a driver who crashed into the pole bragging about how he drives with out his hands. If your rhymes need some work or some cohesion, then the problem IS that you don’t write and you should probably go grab some loose leaf paper and get to work.

I won’t get into who I believe and who I don’t because I simply can’t prove it. (Another reason why I feel so many rappers all of a sudden made this claim) I didn’t even believe Hov for the first 5 years. I didn’t come around until I saw Fade To Black and everyone from Timbaland, to Rick Rubin were talking about how all of his raps are in his head and how you saw him mouthing “Lucifer” in front of our eyes. But at least Jay has given us reasons why he stopped writing. He admitted to writing his first album and he let us know that he probably forgot about 4 albums worth of material. These other guys, we just get a two second sound bite.

Now I’m not claiming that this feat isn’t impressive, its just not as groundbreaking as people want to make it out to be. What was once an interesting resume item for an already incredible emcee, became a stupid trend that is now shared by the mediocre.

So before Bow Wow and Yung Berg officially goes on record about how they only “think” their punchlines, let me just send this general message out to all of you…

Pen or no pen, it doesn’t really matter. Hip-Hop needs better rhymes whether or you can remember them or not.

Young Buck....Literally

We gotcha phones tapped…
written by 4bars

I hope by now ya’ll have heard the tapes that 50 Cent released of a conversation he had with Young Buck where Buck is crying, confessing, and begging to be let back into the G-Unit fold. If you haven’t, please take a listen to it above, its funny, embarrassing, and sad all at the same time. Buck sounds like a lost child calling home after realizing that the streets just weren’t where it was at. Now while the sheer comedic value of this whole “beef” is present, after listening to the diss track that Young Buck made after these tapes were leaked, the claim that apparently it’s a ‘bitch move’ to tape conversations comes into question.

I recently watched a 14 minute “confessional” by 50 Cent (my brother suggested it) where he discussed his situation with his baby mama and Young Buck among other things. He also mentioned that Trina has taped conversations of her own between her and Buck that are contradicting to his public claims and show a track record of Buck saying one thing but doing another. Initially, I kind of agreed with Buck that it was a bitch move to tape a heartfelt conversation between two supposed friends but when 50 revealed his motivations for releasing the conversations in the first place I realized that he had a great point. The fact is, if Buck was truthful about his dealings with G-Unit, etc and wasn’t so caught up in trying to maintain a certain bravado/lifestyle his words would line up across the board. But as it stands, he’s on stage claiming 50 stole money from him and “F#@K G-Unit” etc, but he’s really callin, cryin, and sobbing because he’s admittedly “confused”. I’m torn, cause while I do feel like it was a liiiiitttle sneaky for Fif to tape a clearly emotional “friend” of his, at the same time, this “friend” was also playing both sides of the fence trying to save face and got his card pulled, so it’s hard for me to sympathize.

This is another reason why we gotta stop with all the frontin in hip hop. According to 50, Buck was so caught up in impressing and showing all his people in Tennessee that he was rich and famous and living an extravagant lifestyle that he was living WAAYYY beyond his means and was suffering from all areas of this. He allegedly had $22k in exotic rentals per month while owing taxes to not only the IRS but to 50 himself who had paid his taxes the previous year. The question is always asked about why black people “stunt” so hard and the line that always resounds is Juvenile’s “actin like a nigga that aint nevah haaaad shit…” But this cant always be an excuse, it can’t be, not when you owe the f’n government and a business associate/friend who helped you earn $8 million. Young Buck learned the hard way that one must (I never thought I’d use this phrase sincerely) “keep it real”. As for 50 he also learned a valuable lesson about his former associate: emotional thugs, they all need hugs, haha. Bars

Recap...

2008 BET Awards: A Recap
written by 4bars

First off, I know K Billy AKA Public Hater #1 is gonna comment on how bad the BET Awards were and usually I’d cosign because of the general feelings I have towards BET and their questionable programming. But the other night I watched an awards show that I was actually proud of…for most of it, haha. You get enough black people with money in one place and SOMEBODY is gonna act an ass (thank you Cuba and Al Green) but even with that, I could laugh comfortably because of the collective success that was present. With that said, the recap commences:

First off, the glaring theme that dominated the night was the RIDICULOUS amount of BEAUTIFUL, TALENTED, SUCCESSFUL, SEXY ASS BLACK WOMEN that were in attendance, performing, and just making every male viewer drool. Deserving honorees are as follows: Ms. A-Pleeeease, Sexy Spice, Ciara, the chick poppin it during the Chris Breezy performance, BAD ASS Nia Long, and EN VOGUE IS STILL BAD!!, hell, even Debra Lee could’ve gotten it on this night. As you could tell, I was seriously overwhelmed by the amount of beauty that was constantly on stage, big ups to black women, DAMN, ya’ll holding it down.

The Jokes/Scripted Stuff: D.L. Hughley is a funny man, especially when he says the same stuff as I do about the Lakers losing cause they had too many Euros. I thought the banter between Gabrielle Union and Derek Luke was clever, the montage of speakers that included David Banner and Soulja Boy were entertaining and also spoke a positive message, and Kevin Hart giving Kobe’s award to “Mel B’s got damn ass…” since Kobe wasn’t there to accept it made my f’n night cause, again, she was BAD! Its an awards show, so naturally the jokes aren’t gonna be of stand up quality, but I was entertained and besides Cuba Gooding Jr. acting like he does in the Hanes commercials, I was happy with what I saw.

The Performances: I couldn’t believe what I saw: Usher and Kanye among the worst performers (!!!), it was downright shocking although Usher’s was relative whereas Ye’s was just bad. Usher started the show off sans Jeezy and did his usual good job dancing and entertaining but after watching Chris Brown (after years of hating I must give that mf props, lookin like a young 4Bars out there) ripped it with a nice medley and Ne-Yo did his thing to a song that I CANT STAND, I was like “damn, Usher was good, but these two young mf’s outdid him…”. Now, in the case of Ye, I don’t know wtf happened. “Put On” is one of my favorite songs out right now, mainly because of Kanye even though he’s channeling T-Pain but he rips it regardless, but the gift turned into a curse on this night. Something happened with the tech guys or sound or something because Ye sounded TERRIBLE and was even off key and beat. After seeing dude in concert I was sure he was one of the greatest performers of our day but I guess even Jordan had bad games. Ms Keys’ (or “A-Please” as my barber calls her) performance was awesome. I enjoyed Al Green, Maxwell let us know he was still alive, T-Pain has SO MANY HIT SONGS that he’s apart of and did them all very well. Another note about T-Pain was the fact that he actually sounded good with no voicecoder thing while singin the hook to Lollipop. Lastly, I must reiterate, Lil Wayne is the hottest mf in hip hop right now (no homo) I gotta give the mf his props, f’n A Millie will get any crowd on the globe going once that bassline drops, great way to end the show.

I’ve written entirely too much but I will say this, I enjoyed the BET Awards a lot and even though I was bombarded with niggerdom (read: Baldwin Hills Season 2 ads at EVERY COMMERCIAL BREAK!) I was very proud of what was shown and I hope that the show will continue to improve in quality and class; aaannndd that the rest of the programming will follow suit.

Yes yes yall, and you don't stop...

“I wasn't salty she was wit the Boyz N the Hood” K. Billy

Last week, I touched on battle rap in some of its more recent incarnations, drawing on some of those examples and trying to reconcile what makes a great battle song. Jus gave us some quality examples on Wednesday, but he didn’t name every great battle song there was. Back in the early 90’s Ice Cube and a young Chi-town rapper named Common Sense got into one of the strangest and most unpredictable tiffs ever put on wax. However, the conflict resulted in one of Comm’s hardest songs ever.

I don’t really remember the impact that some of the early battles had on hip-hop. Most of the effect for me was residual. However, once I did get the opportunity to appreciate some of what was going on, I dug in the crates quite often so I remember picking up Common’s “The Bitch in You” a little while after it had already come out and their battle was long since quieted.

Besides being a battle song, it was just a good track. Well produced, lyrically strong; with the right amount of fervor, it becomes something more than just a nice song: “A bitch ni**a with an attitude named Cube,” is the first line. From there, he goes on to somehow simultaneously show Cube and the Westside Connection his ass while also trying to show respect at the same time: ”Now what the fuck I look like/dissin’ a whole coast/you ain’t made shit dope since AmeriKKKas Most…” Harsh words from the usually passive Comm, no?

The interesting thing about this song that works to differentiate it from a lot of the battle songs that have come out in the past or since, is that you can almost tell that Common is genuinely hurt by some of Cube’s remarks in “Westside Slaughterhouse,” an aptly titled track featuring lines like: “All you suckas want to dis the pacific/But you buster ni**as never get specific/Used to love her mad cause we fucked her/pussy whipped bitch with no common sense.” Comm’s words were probably taken out of context, especially considering it was really only one line in “Used to Love H.E.R.” that makes any reference whatsoever to the boys from the left coast, but it ended up creating one of the best written battle raps ever done. It may not be the best one, but it’s damn near close.

Talib Kweli - Eat To Live...

How you want that cooked?

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.

Beef, Well Done.

1. "Hail Mary (Remake)" – 50 Cent, Eminem & Busta Rhymes
Busta "sonned" Ja Rule. Correction. He "grandsonned" Ja Rule


2. "Talk to 'Em" – Joe Budden
Next to Ether, I never heard someone go at Hov this hard. Ouch.


3. "No Vaseline" – Ice Cube
Cube dissed all of NWA. What else needs to be said?


4. "2nd Round KO" – Canibus
99% of your fans wear high heels


5. "South Bronx" – BDP
Just Because.

The Diesel...

Balling/Rapping

Ahh man where do I start, I remember a couple weeks again a friend of PTM asked me to talk about NBA players rapping and I said I would get to it. That thought totally slipped my mind until I saw this...

Aight after I finished laughing with JusHH all I could say is Shaq is a fool. Did Shaq really just call out Kobe with lines like "Kobe ratted, so now I'm getting a divorce" and "Kobe how my ass taste" The one thing that i found that was real funny though, Shaq freestyled better than some dudes that we call "rappers". Wait let me change that he freestyled better than ALOT OF DUDES WE CALL RAPPERS. Now no I didn't go cop that "Shaq Fu" album or "Shaq Diesel" I wouldn't go that far (I actually just looked it up and you can buy it for $0.01 on amazon.com, funny), but this was pretty comical.

We have had our share of NBA players coming into the rap game and falling hard. I was kinda tight that Chris Webber even did it to himself, but then I glad when I found out he was producing and actually landed a decent track on Nasir's "Hip Hop Is Dead" album. Allen Iverson aka Jewelz? Kobe? nah man, HaHa I mean music isn't for everybody, just because you can afford the studio in the crib doesn't mean you can really make yourself or claim to be a rapper. I know there are alot more players that rap in fact Tony Parker is coming out with an album. No hate but I think some people should just leave it alone, do it for fun in your house and never let it go past that.

oh yea and Shaq Fu did go platinum haha I'm out (Kobe how my @SS taste!)

gWiz

Negro Please...

Ice, Ice, Baby
written by JusHH

So I’m on Allhiphop and I see Ice-T vs. Soulja Boy and of course my curiousity trumps my better judgment and I have to read what this is about. So first I watch what Ice-T said about Soulja on a mixtape.



After seeing it, my first reaction was, “oh my god, is that what I sound like?” “Am I like Ice-T?” If you’ve ever read any of my posts and comments you know that I’m not the biggest fan of many of today’s hottest artists or lack of lyricism but I was legitimately scared that I might be coming across like Ice-T. I re-read my letter to Soulja Boy (Soulja Boy Sincerely Yours) and some of my other contributions and was relieved to find that Ice and I aren’t drinking the same Tea (stupid pun, yes, but funny to me). In fact, I don’t disagree with Ice at all on this one and I’m riding with Mr. Superman himself. Minus some of the language I was impressed with his response.



Soulja Boy made some great points including how last year this time he was broke and was only making the music that he knew how to make. Forgive a High School kid for wanting to make a fun party record. And I think that’s where I have the biggest problem with Ice-T. Ice is 38 years old telling a 17 year old kid to “eat a d**k.” How ridiculous do you have to be to start a war of words with a kid who you yourself said, “could be his own son?” Plus, Ice is wrong, Soulja Boy isn’t killing Hip-Hop. Its not his fault soooo many people love that f**king dance and its not his fault that record executives won’t give talented emcees who don’t have gimmicks a deal. Then Soulja Boy made another excellent point; if Ice-T is truly an OG and thinks he’s “killing” Hip-Hop, then shouldn’t Ice do something more productive and help him be a better artist rather than tell him to “eat a d**k?” And he’s absolutely right. We all can’t just bitch and complain without offering some kind of solution and support because at the end of the day, everyone from Soulja Boy to Jeezy to Shawty Lo are just trying to make it. These dudes aren’t in the studio saying, “how can I make a record to disrespect Hip-Hop?” They are trying to stay out of the hood and life the live we are all trying to live.

Feeling the heat, Ice-T decided to release an “apology”.



Lovely. 25 seconds of apology for telling him to “eat a d**k” and 4 minutes and 6 seconds of equally disparaging remarks and ludicrous statements. There’s going to be repercussions for Soulja Boy for coming at you? Really Ice? He sounded so childish (again) and immature (again). And I love it when a person, while doing a YouTube spot, talks about how they “don’t even know why they bother to respond” as if they are too important for it. I’m sorry Ice-T but if you are going to take the time to edit a YouTube response, then you don’t qualify for the “I’m to big for this” category. And just when you thought it couldn’t get more ridiculous, at the end you see Ice’s 16 year old son tell Soulja Boy to “eat a d**k”. Good job, dad. Way to set the example.

So after all of the accomplishments that Ice-T has made during his long career, he decided to start a beef with a minor. I don’t know what’s worse, Ice-T starting this or him actually losing the intellectual battle? Props to Soulja Boy for standing hall and defending himself. Oh and Ice, I know you feel that Soulja Boy isn’t on your level but let me use this one statistic to show that you might be past your prime and may not have the same pull that you had in 1991. Your two videos were viewed (at the time this was written) by 141,878 people. Soulja Boy’s respone? 744,049.

Yeah, let’s try not to look like a bitter old man next time you want to defend Hip-Hop. You set good folks like JusHH back at least 6 months.

5,000 X 200...

A Millie…
written by 4bars

Carter III did a mil in its first week, anybody surprised? Kanye beat 50 in their first week with Ye doing almost a mil himself; 50 put up numbers, but not enough to win, again, anybody surprised? As much as we talk about hip hop being dead, this has been a year of really good music. And yeah, I know I was the one who read its figurative obituary, but at the time, its how I felt. But after several huge hip hop moments for me (Glow in the Dark, Roots album, Wayne album, just to name a few) I was thinking the other day how hip hop today compared to the attractive female situation on my college campus.

People used to always talk about how many ugly girls went to our school and I would concede that yes, there were quite a few unattractive females on our campus, but I liken it to a rummage sale where there is plenty of really good items, you just have to sift through a bunch of ugly ass stuff to find em; I’m not sure, yet, if viewing hip hop like this is good or bad.

I figure that with all the money that was poured into hip hop in the past 20 years that it was bound to get watered down, and recently, it has (to many) hit absolute rock bottom with “ring tone rappers” dominating the game and the music industry seemingly in deep trouble. I’m not saying that big time labels aren’t still on the ropes, because music is simply not consumed through record sales the way it once was and this is forcing companies to adapt and/or innovate or fold. But I do think that there is A LOT of really good music out there, and honestly, I only mess with a hand full who have produced consistent quality (Outkast, Wayne, Lupe, Ye, Face, LB, etc) so I’m probably not up on the huge amount of up and coming artists who are really good. But a recent Cool Kids show and video of a Kidz in the Hall album release party triggered the thought that hip hop is very much alive and well. You’ve got your veterans (even the aging ones) who are getting close to their last leg but still have undeniable talent but you have a whole crop of young artists who are choosing to do their own thing and the youth are really responding. I just hope that they continue to cherish what they have in hip hop and treat it better than some before them have, but rest easy because I have a feeling that hip hop, in the illustrious words of Diddy, Puffy, P Daddy “aint goin nowhere…”. Bars

Diss Records...

Battle Rap Written by K. Billy

Hip-hop artists have a way of being multi-faceted. You get the conscious, pensive songs and your braggadocios, flamboyant ones. One relationship that has always proved intriguing to me is the constant game of shifting between collaboration and criticism that artists seem to play regularly. The culprits are much lazier with theirs nowadays than they had been in the past. Barring a few exceptions, there may not have been very many battle songs put out in the last 15. What we get now are diss tracks, but really, what’s the difference? Is LL’s verbal diatribe against Hammer and Kool Moe Dee on “To Da Break of Dawn” any different from the musical game of “the dozens” that Luda and T.I. play on “Stomp” any different?

I’m not really one to say, although I think the diss records we get now border on immaturity. Shawty Lo’s “Dunn, Dunn” comes to mind in that regard. All I can think is “whatever.” Perhaps that’s not a fair example, though. Because, although that song is supposed to be a diss track towards T.I., it’s not like you would know it. Not like, say, the wildly straightforward barbs thrown on the aforementioned “Stomp.” Still, even though it’s easy to spot the target of their respective anger, the rest of their verses are mired in the standard themes of today’s rap music. That being said, it doesn’t make it a good battle record. But we end up at the same point anyway. What is a good battle record if you can’t tell about whom the artist is talking? More than that, what’s the real difference between a diss track and a battle record, if there is one to begin with?

I wanted to take this post and offer you, the readers the opportunity to ask yourself that question and next week, I want to give up my own theories. Until then, take in these tracks and see where you draw the line.

Young Buck, TI, The Game, & Ludacris - Stomp


Tupac - Hit Em Up


L.L.Cool J - Mama said knock you out


50 Cent I Smell Pu**y

Mix it up...

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. "Mean and Vicious" – Naledge & Lupe Fiasco
Chi-Town stand up… go cop that In Crowd album… and The Cool


2. "Live from New York" – Raekwon
Dope song. Wack album – I mean Buster Douglas division type album


3. "On My Block" – Scarface
Face took home his second 5 Mic album with The Fix and this song led the way.


4. "The Anthem" – Sway & Tech ft. Eminem, KRS-One, Xzibit, Kool G Rap
I remember watching this video thinking it was so dope. This is when Eminem was just coming into his own too.


5. "Same S**t Different Day" – Young Gunz
You'll recognize the "Bangledesh" at the beginning cuz he also did the A Milli beat… dude knows how to bring it on the boards.


Come back every week for a new mixtape!

I shine, You shine...

So one of my good peoples put me on to this artist. Not bad at all, I'll let S.Evans tell her story...

"Reluctant to have Monday be like Wednesday, which according to my friends is the new Friday, I was going to skip it when my homegirl invited me to see her in a show last night at the Times Square Art Center. But because it was her first real gig as a DJ (shout out to all the female DJ's out there looking cute behind the tables) I decided it was in her best interest for me to go and support. After "B2K" (which consisted of a mohawked knock-off Marques Houston, Omarion and that light skinned, big lipped kid from the group) was done East New York took the stage in the form of Toni Steelz. Dressed in a cut up 718 Hood Tuff rocker tee, black spandex and Chuck Taylors, 'cause she said f the heels, she hyped the crowd. Not that I was doubtful about her skills (Brooklyn stand up), but she gave me much more than I was expecting. She had a nice flow to her. Spitting tracks like "Throw Ya Hands Up" and ending with what I believe is titled "Sure shot" Toni Steelz definitely had my attention. She even had the guys in the crowd screaming when she prompted all the "hood chicks" to make noise. With DJ Lady Chase on the turntables they showed up everyone else in the show last night. Even her hype man who looked like The-Dream's twin brother (radio killer, killer!) spit a verse, for which I had not one bad comment. More than a hood chick I decided she was hood chic. She definitely has the potential to survive in this industry with the right team. In a day when many believe the quality of hip hop music to be disintegrating it's refreshing to listen to ladies like Jean Grae, Amanda Diva and now Toni Steelz rip the mic. "

Check out Toni Steelz on myspace at myspace.com/tsteezie and www.showcaseyourmusic.com/ToniSteelz

Hip-Hop = Life..

Sprite: Obey Your Culture
written by JusHH

So I was reading XXL a few months ago and saw a Reebok sneaker ad that was selling Kool-Aide flavored-colored sneakers. Allow me to explain for those who thought that last statement was as ridiculous as it looked. Rather than having purple colored sneakers, you were getting Kool-Aide Grape kicks. Yes we know people in the hood love their sneakers and yes, we also love Kool-Aide but the two DON’T GO TOGETHER AT ALL. Over the past 30 years, Hip-Hop has become a billion dollar industry and corporations all over salivate at the chance to get a piece of that pie. That’s fine with me but I have a problem when these companies blatantly exploit the culture rather than create a marketing promotion that actually encompasses why Hip-Hop is so great. So with every commercial or advertisement we end up rating it on the “insulting” scale, and ask ourselves, “how much did that rapping Parrot selling insurance piss me off?” So for those advertising execs that read PTM, allow me to provide you with some free advice.

Copy Sprite.

I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life. I was watching TV and I saw CL Smooth start rapping about Sprite, “… keepin’ it tight, CL Smooth, sippin’ on Spr-id-ite”. It was real, it was organic. You can tell that it his words and not some suit’s cue cards. And then Pete Rock came in and started freestyling. It was so fun to follow and then when he messed up at the end it was great because true Hip-Hop fans know how often that happens when a guy is really freestyling. It was clear that they were selling soda to us but it was a part of their studio session, a part of their lifestyle. CL wasn’t rapping about lemons and lime and carbohydrates. I loved that commercial. It felt right. It felt legit – I could really get behind it and I watched every commercial in its entirety no matter how many times I saw it. Whether it was Grand Puba or KRS and Shan, I watched. A few years later, Sprite did it again with its Voltron themed commercial. They took the childhood cartoon and gave each of the 5 Lions rappers from each geographic region. They also did a great commercial with Missy Elliot. Sprite proves that you can make a successful ad campaign AND give Hip-Hop its proper respect. To some, they might not mind being insulted or exploited but not me… you can catch me drinking my Sprite… and wearing my Nikes.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth



KRS-ONE & MC Shan



Nas & AZ



Voltron

Genesis...

The Birth of 4 Bars
written by 4bars

AIGHT, so Jus told ya’ll about his failed attempt at being a rapper and I understand everybody needs a dream, but you can’t just dream, you gotta have the talent, drive and opportunity to be a star, and dammit, 4 Bars has it all (see, I’m already referring to myself in 3rd person, tell me I ain't a star).

It all started when I was like 10, ALLLLL the honeys were screaming something about “good hair” and I felt like f’n Usher. These chicks would wait on me to get on the bus and proceed to hound me JUST to get a feel of my lovely locks of love (too much?). So while I hadn’t done anything that had any semblance of musical ability or linguistic mastery, my swag was there. The ladies loved me and you know that “niggas do what bitches do” so it was only a matter of time before the fellas recognized and followed suit, minus the crazed attempts at touching my hair though, that’d just be creepy.

Fast forward to high school where I faced the “can you flow?” question. Growing up in Houston EVERYBODY and they mama was “flowing” at the drop of a hat (flowing = freestyling). Whether riding in a car, chillin at somebody’s house, or just standing around, at any given time a “Southern Cypher” could pop off. Not only did I always answer “no” when I was asked if I could flow, but I became a master at thinking of, but never actually delivering, the DOPEST shit you have (n)ever heard. There was just always some dude in the group who was jealous of my skills and felt the need to overshadow me by jumping in JUST as I was about to spit my “hot fiyah” (sigh) haters.

While I let haters defer my stardom throughout high school, I just knew that once I got to college, I was gonna bring that southern flavor to the east coast, but somehow hateration followed me east. Upon entering my homeboy’s dorm room (WHATTUP LOS!!) some untrustworthy “grimey ass New Yorkers” were waiting to rain on my Texas parade. Without cause or warning, they ruthlessly bombarded me with hostile comments about my damn braces (I was also taking the cosmetic steps necessary to raise my stardom). Not that I remember this event real well or still hold contempt over it or anything (SHALWAH, REASEY, AND ADRI!) but the constant chanting of “chugga chugga chugga” and “choo choo traaaiinnn” served to hone 4 Bars the battle rapper. So, thank you Mecca of Hip Hop for introducing me to The Dark Side of The Force, thank you.

While it seemed that I’d hit rock bottom, a fateful change of scenery (Massell to North) + an introduction to a musically inclined roommate / 2 years = 4 Bars’ birth. The rapper/producer/DJ/NBA Live punching bag that we all know as gWiz was “my deeeejay” throughout. Cassidy’s “I’ma Hustla” (Hustla Dance and all) served as my inspiration for the smash freestyle (I wrote it) “I’ma Southerner” (peep the track). The look on Wiz’s face after I spit those unforgettable 4 bars was priceless, but his words said it all: “Nigga, that’s it?” Yeah man, that was it, a star was born. I got my Percy Miracle/Nate Dogg on and proceeded to dabble in some R&B hooks and performances and such, but I had to get back to the girl I fell in love with and it was T.I. (or T.I.P. not really sure which one was rappin) that revolutionized my flow (peep the other track).

Needless to say, my star is on the rise, not only can I sing, rap, dance, and battle if a sucka MC wants to test, but now I’m adding WRITING to the repertoire thanks to Past the Margin: a quintuple threat, by myself I am so impressed. Stay tuned people, the best is yet to come…

IMMA SOUTHERNER

Birth 4bars

H.E.R......

It’s Bigger Than…
written by K.T. aka K.Billy

I’m sitting in my room right now, watching VH1 soul. It’s 11:29pm and instead of thinking about what to write for Thursday’s post, I’m just writing. Justin Timberlake’s “My Love” happens to be the next set of sexually suggestive and exhaustingly choreographed images that fill the screen. So, I’m watching this video, less watching and more listening, and it suddenly hits me how “hip-hop” this R&B video sounds. That’s not really anything new though, hip-hop has been as much a part of R&B as the A minor has. Still, I can’t help asking myself – and this is actually a question I present myself often – what is hip-hop?

I mean, maybe 20 years ago, that question would have been easier to answer. But even now, as I listen to T.I. and Justin Timberlake do a song together (seeing it written down kind of makes me chuckle a bit), I am honestly having trouble with that answer. Seriously, there is probably not one answer to that query, and there probably never will be, but what do you say to someone who comes from a complete pop culture vacuum and asks you to explain it? Does it mean anything that you would have to explain it to someone coming from a pop culture vacuum? Is it a feeling or is it a true distinction of beat and lyric? One could argue that much of the music that R. Kelly put out in the early 90’s was some form of hip-hop: “Back and Forth” (R. Kelly produced it), “She’s Got That Vibe.”

I may be grabbing at straws a bit, maybe it’s just late, but I don’t think there is a clear definition of hip-hop anymore. For better or worse, it’s reached that rarefied air where it’s a lifestyle in and of itself. People have written about this before yes, but I suppose it’s not until you reach that understanding for yourself that you truly realize its implications. Hip-hop is whatever you choose it to be I suppose. That may not be the answer everyone gives, but it’s the one I am sticking to. It’s much too malleable a thing to lend itself to one definition or the other. Like rock and roll, it’s become too popular to define, too popular to support itself, so it exploded into a million different sub-genres, not unlike a paint-filled water balloon.
I love hip-hop, I’m just not always 100% sure what it is I am in love with.
Would love to hear your thoughts, though…

You already know...

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. "Boom Bye Yeah" – Sean Price, Monkey Bars
Dope song on an underrated album.


2. "25 to Life" – Xzibit, Juvenille, Ja Rule and others, Life Soundrack
One of those songs you forget exists until you pop in the CD because you wanted to hear another song on it.


3. "Suicide" – Redman, Red Gone Wild
Red made our honorable mention list last year and this song is why!


4. "Bubba Talk" – Bubba Sparxxx
Dude can really spit. Album wasn't bad either.


5. "Burn" – Mobb Deep
Fire. Pun. Intended


Come back every week for a new mixtape!

Carter III Review...

“Swallow My Words, Taste My Thoughts….”

By: S.Evans

“……and if it’s too nasty, spit it back at me.”

Before pressing play on the first track I had to mentally prepare myself for what was about to unfold. I was about to embark on one of the most anticipated albums of the past three years. I knew before I began I had to put "I’m A Hot Boy" and "wobbledy, wobbledy"(was he really saying that!) out of my mind. I had to separate it from any other "Carter" and approach The Carter 3 for exactly what it was...a brand new album, a brand new project, a brand new Weezy (or so I was hoping). I relinquished all my previous feelings and attempted to approach this with born again Lil Wayne virginity. Walk with me as I journey through the Carter 3 and tell you what I think. Perhaps you'll agree; perhaps you'll think I'm insane. One thing's for certain, people WILL be talking about this album.

From the beginning Weezy is selling his image. But while “3 Peat” is full of shoot your family up/I don’t giva f*** lines, I found myself rewinding the track over and over again just to repeat lines such as, Don’t ever fix your lips unless you ‘bout to suck my d***…I control hip hop and ima keep it on my channel…Money so old, it’s growing white hair. And maybe it’s just the slow in me but it took me a while to realize what the hell 3 Peat meant. And while Lil Wayne should probably never sing, I can excuse his singing on tracks like “Nothin On Me,” because I don’t know if it’s being in the presence of Weezy and Fab but even Juelz Santana impressed me on this one.

The album had a great balance, with silly unexpected tracks like “Mrs. Officer,” and “Comfortable” which even MY mom would like. Wayne made such an obvious attempt to resonate with the ladies with these tracks that you could just sit back and let ride. It was refreshing to see him use a throwback like Babyface (when’s the last time we heard him on a track?), a veteran in knowing how to send a message to women. I was disappointed, however, in Weezy’s use of a classic track and great production to talk for almost ten minutes about someone he claims to not care about in “Misunderstood,” which from the beginning took my mind back to Common’s “Finding Forever.” Note to Lil Wayne: when you use the majority of a track to talk about someone it’s usually a sign that you DO care. But while I was worried that “Phone Home” might become a dreaded ringtone rap, the Martian delivered with a very eclectic track that I found myself bobbing hard to before it was over.

Weezy does a good job of weaving metaphors with very simple lines as he praises himself for saving Hip Hop’s life by giving it back its swag. And even if you disagree with his stance you can’t deny that his swagger is undeniable. For a guy who went cute kid turned goblin (he really looks like a monster), he proves that if you can deliver on your lyrics and style you can make and keep a name for yourself in this hip hop game. But the proof that Lil Wayne has solidified himself as worthy of holding down the spot as the second hottest emcee (because lets face it Viacom’s word is the most important--heavy on the sarc) came to me in the form of gay enthusiasm. When the DJ dropped “A Milli” at a bar Saturday night every gay man hit the floor, and was not only feeling the beat but knew all the words. But who can resist reciting "muthaf***a I'm I'll" to someone on a dance floor when you're either trying to be confrontational or flirtatious?

My only advice to Weezy would be to cease with the J. Lo computerized singing, and not to allow Robin Thicke’s singing, reminiscent of Color Me Badd, to take away from the message of a track like “Tie My Hands.” While I was hoping for more than the usual get/got money talk, overall I was pleased with the album. An amalgam of hot beats, witty punchlines and catchy melodies The Carter III definitely delivered on the anticipation and hype built around it. Though I’ve never praised Lil Wayne’s rapping style I had to concede that even the less complex lines (and I would even go as far as to describe them as nonsensical) were saved by the way in which they were delivered. Since I’m selfish with my mics, and very rarely consider any album a 5, I’ll refrain from taking it there. However, the production was excellent and Weezy came with it. The Carter III is a must cop album, even when it goes above 9.99 Four Bars.



Track Listings
1. 3 PEAT
2. MR. CARTER - FEAT. JAYZ
3. A MILLI
4. GOT MONEY - FEAT. TPAIN
5. COMFORTABLE - FEAT. BABYFACE
6. PHONE HOME
7. DR. CARTER
8. TIE MY HANDS - FEAT. ROBIN THICKE
9. SHOOT ME DOWN FEAT. - D.SMIH
10. PLAYN WITH FIRE FEAT. - BETTY WRIGHT
11. LOLLIPOP FEAT. - STATIC MAJOR
12. LA FEAT. - BRISCO, BUSTA RHYMES
13. GOOD GIRL GONE BAD
14. YOU AINT GOT NUTHIN ON ME - FABOLOUS, JUELZ SANTANA
15. LET THE BEAT BUILD
16. WHIP IT
17. MISUNDERSTOOD

Nas - Be A Nigger Too (video)

Diddy calls Carter III a classic...

Do it all...

Ryan Leslie Making "Gibberish"

This dude does it all, gotta love the creative process.

My story...

Almost Famous
written by JusHH

I am not a successful rapper. It’s not from a lack of trying however. I thought rap was so cool. Hollis Ave, where Run-DMC hailed, was within shouting distance, LL Cool J’s grandma lived down the block and A Tribe Called Quest shot their videos around the corner from my house. Needless to say Hip-Hop was hard to avoid and I wanted to be like these MC’s.

My career began in the 5th grade. Sonic J was my name and rapping was my game. The first verse I ever wrote was a pop heavy request to get the party people on the dance floor. (Hammer and Kid-N-Play were on hot, what can I say?) I changed my name to Smooth J after that song didn’t receive the kind of response that I had planned. My rhymes left the club and ventured into the self-promoting and braggadocios. I was the “Real deal like Holyfield”. I converted a composition marble notebook into my 1st official rhyme book. I looked for all kinds of words that rhymed with “def” and named all of the things that I was “flyer” than. At the time, I apart of a rap group – B.I.C. which stood for “Brothers in Control”. You could catch us ripping it down in front of 6 or 7 people in the playground behind P.S. 176.

B.I.C. dissolved when school ended. You can never predict the effect of going to a different Junior High School will have on your rap group. Not to be denied, I took my act solo. I knocked the “th” off my name, added a “v” and became Smoov J. I kept writing in my rhyme book, piecing lines here and there drawing inspiration from things around me. I mean, who could hang with a dude who “had more raps than Savion had taps?” I brought that book with me wherever I went because I couldn’t run the risk of coming up with a cool line and forgetting it before I got home. Unfortunately it wasn’t looking good for Smoov J. There was no demand for my services and with no ciphers to rip up, I was reduced to mouthing the lyrics to myself while walking to the bus stop.

Years went by and I still wasn’t a superstar. I wasn’t getting anywhere rappin’ and I was pretty good with words so my rhyme book turned into a book of poetry (think Maya not Saul). I wrote about love, politics and my “blackness”. I actually got a few people to read my stuff and they kinda liked it. I wasn’t exactly Langston Hughes but my prose did make me favorable amongst the ladies. (Cue up McLovin’s, “bow, chica, bow, bow.”) But the rapper in me wouldn’t die, little by little my poetry started to take on a bit more rhythm. (now think Saul)

It was eight years since B.I.C. but as a senior in High School, I found a group of guys who loved to rap and we started up ciphers. My rhyme book was back in full effect. I was back on my lyrical exercise. We actually recorded a song together in my boy’s attic. Aww, snap! Smoov J was finally on the scene! Sadly, it was my first and last song we ever recorded as I once again graduated. Damn.

In college I tried re-invented myself again. I dropped the “J” this time and was only known as Smoov. I also had a new rhyme book by now (the old one got worn and pages kept falling out) and was still on the grind. My rhymes got more sophisticated (think Rawkus circa ’99). I was on top of my game. “Whoever or whatever/ Defeat me never/ my pen ignites the paper with the stroke of every letter.” Having practiced in front of mirrors for the last decade, my live performances were tight, I just needed a shot. I competed in a “Slam” poetry contest… lost. And I performed a few verses over the course of my time in school. I never got that big break. That A&R just wasn’t there that night at the coffee house on Brandeis University’s campus. I’m sure if an industry dude was there, I would have got my deal. With no superstar career in sight, I decided to give up the dream and “Smoov” got relinquished to an IM screen name.

Truth of the matter is I wasn’t that good. It always bothered me that I couldn’t freestyle worth a damn. My flow was monotonous, my “witty” punchlines sounded forced and predictable and I couldn’t keep a consistent thought for more than 16 bars. I never actually completed a whole song; just dozens and dozens of disjointed verses just looking for cohesion. To this day though, I still love to rap just as much as Sonic J did back in 1992. From time to time, I’d be in the shower and be like, “yoooo, that would sound so hot” or half seriously ask gWiz if I could be on one of his remixes. My red 80 sheet college ruled rhyme book still sits around collecting dust. Perhaps one day, I’ll open it up and turn to the next blank page and restart my budding rap career. Hell it’s a new day and I heard from somebody that I could “sell a mill, saying nothing on the track.”

So watch out. The S-M-Double O-V might return to wreck shop. But don’t call it a comeback… I’ve been here for years

June 10th...

Let The Anticipation Build, BIIIIITCH!!
written by 4bars

If you haven’t heard Tha Carter III yet, you should, its a very good album, in my opinion, and I’ve yet to listen to the full body of work as extensively as I’d like to before I give it my concrete judgment, so stay tuned, but go cop it on the 10th. But this isn’t about my opinion on the album as much as its about the anticipation that I didn’t realize existed for it.

Clearly, there are millions of hip hop heads around the globe who have been waiting for this album for 2-3 years now and finally, on June 10th we’ll get what we’ve been waitin so patiently (or not so patiently, Wiz) for. What I didn’t realize, however, is that main stream America is waitin on this joint pretty crazy too. I mean, yeah, Wayne got the “hottest rapper in the game” title last year before Yeezy took it over, so the MTVers, theoretically “know” who Wayne is, but I interact with these same MTVers on a daily basis and the ones that don’t play basketball really have no grasp of Lil’ Wayne or what he’s done (I mention basketball players as the exception cause all they f’n listen to is Wayne). Much the way Superstar can come on and people don’t know its Lupe, I’ve watched a crowd of people bump and grind to Lollipop while singing “BOTTLES IN THE CLUUUBBB…” and those same people will look at me as if I’m speaking German when I ask if they’ve heard the new Wayne.

I’m in a suburban Best Buy yesterday in Annapolis, MD, a mostly white, yet fairly diverse, rapidly growing, small city, buying the Little Brother “Getback” LP (finally, haha, I don’t have much disposable income) and I noticed about 10 of those tabs that they have the rappers names on with no discs in front and as I looked closer I noticed a sign alerting me that at 10am on Tuesday morning, Tha Carter III would be available. Wayne hasn’t put out an album in 3 years and this mf has grown to GTA anticipation status, haha, incredible. I also noticed that Dedication 2, a mixtape, was available for purchase. There were also less well known rappers’ mixtapes for sale too, but seeing Dedication 2 in Best Buy definitely caught me off guard, in a good way.

The week of June 10th, I will buy Tha Carter III, mostly cause it’ll be 9.99 that week, but also because it’s a very good album, I just hope I don’t have to f’n elbow or shove somebody out the way for steppin on my shoes, “I aint afraid to do 5 years in Rikers just to prove a point…” hahaha, enjoy the weekend ya’ll. (“and the beat goes BOOM…”)

"Give it up for my shorty..."

“I Reminisce about My Ghetto Princess Everyday…”
written by K. Billy

Love…it’s trials and it’s tribulations have been at the center of my life as of late. You may know what it feels like, but unless you’re in it, IN it, the true significance escapes you; the affect that a person, singular, can have on your psyche. Expressing this in normal conversation is difficult enough; The Lost Boys had their own way.

21 words said it all: “A ghetto love is the law that we live by/day by day I wonder why my shorty had to die…” It’s clear from those first bars, there was a quality about this song that brought it closer to you. Like Meth and Mary’s tribute to Marvin and Tammi on “You’re All I Need,” “Renee” makes an impact on the heart. Mr. Cheeks, an underrated writer, expertly weaves a visual tapestry with his words, making real for us the love he felt for his “ghetto princess.” You could almost be walking behind him, watching his fateful meeting with Renee taking place as he leaves John Jay College. The conversation begins and they connect over their differences in smoking techniques. Classic.

This song was made in the murky era of mid-1990’s hip-hop when the genre was making it’s transition ever more slowly into the more materialistic and superficial commercial product we see today. But, the boys from South Jamaica, Queens retain the lyricism of their predecessors and craft a joint that is at the same time real and surreal. I can only hope very few of you readers have experienced the loss of love, let alone the lost life of a love. Whether Mr. Cheeks is talking about himself or building a story from scratch, all I can think about is: “Ayo, I never been in love/but every time I’m burstin' in and out of state it’s shorty that I’m thinkin’ of…”
You’d be a little hard pressed to find a song recently that displays this kind of simple declaration of a man’s love for a woman. Similes and metaphors are nice, but sometimes, you just want someone to say it, no confusion, and no room for misinterpretation. Even if they forego the “Lupe Fiasco” approach, the content rarely gets more intimate than describing the different positions and places they’ve blessed. Again, cool, but not all the time. The album this song was featured on happened to be a good one, with “Jeeps, Lex Coupe, Bimaz and Benz” and “Music Makes Me High” being the other highlights on it, so “Renee” only helped to bolster its reputation. Still, it remains one song I can play if I need to remind myself how it feels to love a woman…

**A.M., this was for you. Thank you.

A look back...

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. "Scenario" – A Tribe Called Quest ft. Leaders of the New School
Best posse record ever.


2. "South Bronx" – BDP
Even though I'm from Queens, I can't deny how dope this song is.


3. "Planet Rock" – Afrika Bambatta & Soulsonic Force
Best. Break. Beat. Ever.


4. "King of Rock" – Run-DMC
No one goes platinum if these dudes with the Adidas didn't rock.


5. "Straight Outta Compton" – N.W.A
These dudes from LA changed the game forever.


Come back every week for a new mixtape!

MIA...

"My name is Posta Posta"
written by gWiz

Tell me you don't remember the original Freestyle Friday on 106 & Park with AJ and Free. The battles got real ugly, it is a whole different story now. There was some dudes that actually got deals from this show, did they last? HaHa well you know, but I remember being hype to see Posta Boy get at somebody. Posta was the dude from Harlem with the crazy swag and the semi Ma$e drag in his voice. He was the first one from Freestyle Friday to be put in the Hall of Fame. He dropped that "Jurassic Harlem" on a DJ Clue tape and then he disappeared. I thought he had some kind of potential and I was kind of tight I never really heard anything from him until this.

I read that dude had testicular cancer and I mean you can figure out the rest. That would set you back, I heard about a year ago he signed with Neyo's label Compound Records. Posta Boy where you at kid?
Posta Boy - Jurassic Harlem

opportunity...

Im looking for a writer or maybe writers to review albums that are coming out for PTM. if you are interested send me an email and I will give you more information on what exactly I am looking for. peace. wiz.

Recap...

SUMMER JAM '08
written by doesn't Matt R

"Dear summer, I know you gon' miss me, for we been together like Nike Airs and crisp tees." Say what you want about Memorial Day as the kickoff for everybody's favorite three months--I get it. Pools open, cookouts, and a three-day weekend. What's not to love? But for me, the true sign that Summer is finally ready to blast off, is a concert sponsored by Hot 97 (where Hip-Hop lives), at Giant's Stadium (where Hip-Hop goes for summer vacation). In the last eight years, I've been to Summer Jam seven times. The one I missed was Nas' faux-lynching of Jigga, in which he didn't even make it onto the stage to perform. Every other year I've been there to see some amazing things. I saw Hov put Prodigy up on the screen in his dance outfit. I witnessed Fat Joe take over the stage with one beat when Lean Back dropped. I saw the crowd go wild when DMX snuck out with a towel on his head during a Ruff Ryder set. I saw the crowd almost explode when Kanye brought out Jay-Z during the debut of the Diamonds are Forever Remix. I've seen NWA reunite, Eminem in his prime (before he became Hip-Hop's Weird Al), Game throw his G-Unit chain into the crowd, Fifty call out R Kelly as a child molester, etc. The list goes on. And so with an eagerness to see hip-hop history yet again, as well as finally getting my summer into full gear, I returned to the home of the New York football Giants for Summer Jam 2008. Here's a recap.

We stopped off at the Vince Lombardi rest stop for Burger King and inadvertently missed Ray J and Yung Berg. I was looking forward to hearing Sexy Can I and Sexy Lady. I guess I'll just have to settle for hearing them on the sexy radio.

We got there just in time to see Dream come on. I like Dream. No homo. He did a quick three song set of Shorty is the Sh*t, Falsetto, and Luv Ur Girl. I wished I was there with a girl and not my brother. Luv Ur Girl got cut off half way through and Dream just walked off stage without waiting for any applause. Bobby Konders and Jabba came on and spun some Reggae and Samba records. I would have rather heard the rest of Dream and at least been able to give him a round of applause.

Thankfully, the show proceeded on schedule. An artist would perform followed by a small DJ set and another HOT 97 personality would introduce the next act.

Surprisingly it was Alicia Keys. I thought they would have saved her for later in the show. She came out to Ghetto Story and went into Teenage Love Affair. Maino came out and did Hi Hater. Alicia then went into Like You'll Never See Me Again and Where Do We Go from Here. Out of nowhere she brought out Raekwon. He did a verse of something, I think it was Heart to Heart because he started off by chanting "Do that sh*t, do that sh*t" but he could have just been getting ready to flow. Method Man came running out and the crowd went nuts. The two of them performed CREAM. The beat for Ice Cream dropped and Ghostface Killah came out and did his verse. Alicia Keys asked for a favor and Meth performed Method Man, jumping off the stage and running around in normal Meth style. The three Wu-Tang-ers bounced and Alicia went into No One. She also got cut short. And she looked FLY.

D-Block came out next. First it was only Sheek and Style and a third, linebacker looking dude. It could have been Jay-Hood if I knew what he looked like, or maybe just a hype man. He didn't spit his own verses, so I'm guessing the latter. They were introduced to the Mighty D-Block beat. The intros to All About the Benjamins and Wild Out played but no verses followed. They went into Kiss Your A$$ Goodbye and Styles did a verse of I Get High and Gangster Gangster. Red Cafe came out and they went into the Paper Touchin' Remix. Fat Joe, Jadakiss, and Fabolous all followed for their verses. Jadakiss and Styles did We Gone Make It. They threatened to take it back to the old school. Nature came out for Banned From TV and NORE rushed the stage for his verse too. The party was in full swing so Swizz Beatz came out and did Blow Ya Mind, Where the Cash At, and Money in the Bank. Sheek finished up with Good Love. Kid Capri was DJ-ing and dropped the beat for Rock the Bells. LL Cool J came out and did that and Head Sprung. He also told everyone not to sleep on him this year. He also had very manicured eyebrows. But he's a legend, so I'm not saying nothing.

T-Pain came out to 2 Step and put on a dancing show with his two boys. He can move for a big dude. He went into his verse of Kiss Kiss. Shawty Lo came out and did They Know. DJ Khalid came out and they went into I'm So Hood. Rick Ross came strutting out on stage like the boss
he is, with no shirt on and a gold chain of his own head. Khalid introduced Ace and he did Bankroll. Rick Ross hung around and they did Boss. The crowd went crazy. Akon came out and did the remix hook of We Taking Over with Rick Ross and Fat Joe showing up. Akon and T-Pain finished up with Bartender. As he was walking off stage, T-Pain told the crowd, "In the words of George Bush, f*@# y'all n****s, I'm out." That got a big laugh.

One of the acts I was most excited to see came next. Weezy F. Baby. He came out to A Milli. Told the audience there was three things he had to get off his chest. "One. I believe in God, do you? Two. I ain't sh*t without you. Three. I ain't sh*t without you." Shawty Lo came out again and Weezy did the his verse from They Know Remix. Playaz Circle came out for Duffle Bag Boy. Wayne did Cash Money Millionaire, Fireman, and Leather So Soft. Then it got weird. Weezy sat down with his guitar and started strumming for a while. He stopped and said if he wasn't your favorite rapper, he was going to do something your favorite rapper couldn't do. Then he launched into what I thought was a freestyle because I didn't recognize it as any song I've heard before, about the joys of...how do I put this, the original free lunch? "When I lick my top lip, I still taste you." Clear enough? I actually think it was an unreleased track called Pu$$y Monster. He did it over a pretty whack beat box from his boy. It also involved him taking his jewelry off and humping the ground. The girls liked it. I would have rather heard something new off the Carter 3. When that ended he finally went into Lollipop, the original and then Kanye came out for his verse on the remix. Kanye was dressed like he was ready for the beach and he was holding a suitcase. Weezy ended with the chorus of Whitney Houston's And I Will Always Love You. Gym Class Heroes never showed up as advertised. The whole set was strange and disappointing for me.

After Weezy, there was an announcement that there will be a special surprise performance after Public Enemy, so stick around. Angie Martinez was supposed to introduce the next act but she never showed up. We didn't know who was next until the stage rotated and a person dressed as a robot walked across to a spaced out version of the Diamonds Are Forever beat. I was surprised that Kanye was going on now, because he was billed as the headliner.

Kanye set was a lot like the one he did for the Glow-in-the Dark tour. He had a full band, with an orchestra. While he ditched the story-line aspect, everything was very dramatic and most of the beats were slightly altered. After Diamonds Are Forever, 'Ye went into Champion, Get Em High (in a strange, soundboard-altered deep voice), and Jesus Walks. He stopped to give a patented Kanye speech about being thankful but also that he was the number one artist in the world and that he was going to do his show the way he wanted even if people looked at him like he was crazy for doing Jesus Walks. I didn't see anybody who matched that description. I don't think it's as controversial anymore as he likes to believe. Homecoming came on next. Kanye brought out Consequence and they did The Good The Bad and The Ugly. Can't Tell Me Nothing came on and then Jeezy came out for Put On. He was wearing a F*@# Bush shirt. The beat for Flashing Lights dropped and Kanye did a little freestyle to it, about being at Summer Jam and then went into the song. A girl onstage reenacted the scene from the video by stripping off her jacket into lingerie, grabbing a shovel and walking off stage. Kanye did Stronger and then revealed that he was going back into the studio to work on some new music. He spit a new verse that was fire. I wish I could have caught some more of the punch lines but it had a lot to do with the numbers 1 and 11 in the beginning of it. T-Pain came back out and they did Good Life. Fireworks went off. It could have been due to just seeing him a few weeks ago, but I was expecting less theatrics and more hip-hop from the headliner. But I got nothing but love for Yeezy.

During the DJ set, they played Apache and had everyone did the dance from the Fresh Prince. I got my Raphael de la Ghetto on, yessir. Also during the intro they shouted out that it was time to make a change against things like 9/11, Katrina, and the Sean Bell case. It was clear Public Enemy was next.

A nine-year-old girl came out and asked how everyone felt about the Sean Bell verdict. The crowd booed. Not her, the verdict. She said you didn't really expect a guilty verdict, did you? She called out the cops behind it and the Diallo case. She said we gotta fight the power ourselves and Obama's not gonna change a thing. It was interesting to hear from such a young girl. Everyone was chanting Fight the Power. Flav came out and the crowd went bananas. They went right into the classics: Bring the Noise, Shut 'Em Down, 911's A Joke, Can't Truss It. Chuck D's still got it. He had the DJ cut a record old school style. Flav did a verse of Can't Do Nuttin For Ya Man. He gave a message of unity and warned against the Prison-Industrial Complex. Don't Believe the Hype came on. Chuck D said the truth will set us free and called out all radio stations that "with power comes responsibility." Fight the Power came on. Flav dedicated the show to those who passed away and people locked up. He was wearing boots he stole from Rikers Island. Chuck D reminded us that nobody owns hip-hop. R.I.P. Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo. They finished with Welcome to the Terrordome and a call for PEACE. Good to see some consciousness on the scene.

The special guest turned out to be Jim Jones. Since Rihanna was billed but never performed, it seemed like he was a last minute replacement. I'm not sure what track he came out to, but he brought out Juelz Santana to perform Dipset. Jim went into Baby Girl and Luv Me No More. He finished up with his verse from the Walk It Out Remix and We Fly High.

And that was Summer Jam '08. Not the best I've ever seen, but definitely worth the trip. Especially after I got that fresh new promo poster for the Carter 3 on my way out. Plus I got to kick summer off correct. As Jigga put it in Dear Summer, "Listen here baby, I just believe it's the right thing to do."

-doesn't Matt R

Kanye West performing

Akeys

Weezy

Wait over?

(Im)Patiently Waiting
written by JusHH

After a year with somewhere around 35,454 featured verses and mixtape songs, Lil’ Wayne is finally set to drop his highly anticipated album, Tha Carter 3 (June 10th). Having been pushed back twice already, fans of the N.O. rapper would probably give their left nu-, err, hand to get a taste of this album. Whether or not you’re a fan, all eyes will be on Weezy F. Baby. This got me thinking… what were the most anticipated albums in Hip-Hop history over the last 15 years? I managed to get it down to five. Enjoy.

5. Kanye West – Graduation, 2007; 50 Cent – Curtis, 2007

During a time when leaks and downloading have made release dates a mere suggestion, it has been hard for artists to generate any kind of anticipation. However when two of biggest stars in rap decided to release their albums on the same day (September 11th of all dates), it was on. Fans drew their lines in the sand as they chose sides. Arguments were had in magazines, blogs and barbershops across the country over who would sell the most records during the first week. For the first time in years, people were actually excited about going to the store and buying an album. This “battle” got them the cover of Rolling Stone and an entire episode of 106 & Park. And the numbers didn’t lie – Kanye West and 50 Cent albums were number 1 and 2 respectively on the billboard charts and their combined first week sales nearly reached two million.

4. Jay-Z – The Black Album, 2003

Say it ain’t so Hov? Not since Michael Jordan in ’93 did someone’s retirement hit us so hard. After nearly a decade of classic hits, the greatest rapper alive was calling it quits and providing us with his swan song, The Black Album. People were in complete disbelief at first because never before did a rapper retire, you either died or fell off. But not Jay, the trendsetters’ trendsetter decided that he wanted to leave on top and leave his fans wanting more. With a farewell tour and movie to match, this album instantly became a collector’s item. You had to have the final installment; an mp3 file just wouldn’t cut it. This album was so impactful that when Jay released the a cappella version, DJ’s around the world made their own remix album. DJ Danger Mouse actually officially release “The Grey Album” when he meshed Hov’s lyrics with the tunes off the Beatles “White Album”. Eventhough, Jay-Z’s retirement lasted only three years, we all remember the feeling when we thought that we’ve heard the last from our favorite rhyme spitter.

3. 50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Trying, 2003

For those with a bad memory, Lil’ Wanye didn’t invent the mixtape album, 50 did and in 2003 he owned Hip-Hop. His mixtapes took the streets by storm. 50 showed his great songwriting skills as many people felt that his version of other people’s hits were better than the original. His uber-gangster persona captured the masses and add that to a highly publicized beef with Ja Rule and 50’s buzz reached an all-time high. When Dr. Dre and Eminem signed him you felt it was the final piece of the puzzle and we were in for something special. The moment was so huge that XXL put the three of them on its cover and the sales of that issue catapulted them over The Source to become the #1 Hip-Hop magazine. His lead single “In The Club” became the #1 one song on the planet and anticipation for his debut album reached a frenzy. MTV did an entire special leading up to the release of Get Rich or Die Tryin’. You knew it was going to do well but no one expected the response that the album got. It spent eight weeks on top of the Billboard charts and sold over 12 million albums worldwide. 50 literally had the world saying, G-G-G-G-UNIT!!!!

2. The Notorious B.I.G. – Life After Death, 1997

For close to three years, Hip-Hop’s residence had a “9” in its zip code. The music was dominated by palm trees, six-fours and cut-off khakis. Then in 1994, The Notorious B.I.G. was Ready To Die and ready to remind the world that New York was still alive and kicking. He tore up the industry with his gritty, unabashed Brooklyn raps. People were ready to give him the crown and G.O.A.T discussions began getting thrown around.

When 2Pac was murdered at the height of the infamous “East Coast/ West Coast Beef”, it was B.I.G. who was left standing when the smoke cleared and all eyes were on him. His first single “Hypnotize” was a hit and everyone couldn’t wait to get their hands on the double disc. Then on March 9th, we all learned that we lost another one. On a promotional tour in California, Biggie was killed outside his album release party. Hip-Hop cried together that day because we all knew what kind of talent we all lost. Life After Death became more than just a collection of music, it became a monument of sorts. It was a final opportunity for us to hear Biggie in his own words. The album was released on Tuesday March 25, 1997 and we all flocked to the stores to get a piece of history. Life After Death sold over 10 million albums worldwide and is held as one of the greatest Hip-Hop albums of all time.

1. Snoop Doggy Dogg – Doggystyle, 1993

Before his eruption was sensual, before he dropped it like it was hot, even before he kicked down the buildings, Snoop was a tall skinny kid from Long Beach looking for a deal. Dr. Dre immediately falls in love with Snoop’s swagger and silky smooth delivery and immediately signs him to Death Row. We were introduced to Snoop on “Deep Cover” back in 1991 and we all realized what Dre saw in him. The following year, Dr. Dre loaded up on West Coast talent for his debut solo album and Hip-Hop classic, The Chronic. If Dre was a basketball coach, then Snoop was undoubtedly his Michael Jordan. With timeless performances on “Dre Day” and “Nuttin’ But a G Thang”, he was the biggest and brightest star in Hip-Hop. The announcement of Snoop’s solo album might as well been on the front page of the New York Times and with a title like Doggystyle, the buzz was reaching a fever pitch. When Doggystyle was finally released in November of 1993 it set all kinds of records. The 800,000+ first week sales made the album the fastest selling rap album at the time and the highest for any US artist’s debut. It was the first debut album in history to enter the Billboard charts at #1. For the time surrounding the release of this album, it was like nothing else existed. From coast-to-coast Hip-Hop held its breath in anticipation of this album and Snoop had us all toasting with our Styrofoam cups filled with that Gin & Juice.