Prepare for Glory!!!!

Lyricist Lounge: SPARTANS!
written by JusHH

The oldest and longest running battle in Hip-Hop history has been between lyricists and non-lyricists. This war has stretched over three decades and has defined the careers of many emcees. The names have changed over time, but the fight is still the same. If you had to assign good vs. evil roles, historically it was the lyricists (who are all about the artform) who were good and the non-lyricists (who typically were about the money) were considered the villains. But over the last ten years the landscape of Hip-Hop has changed and the line between good and evil is beginning to blur. No longer are the lyricists winning. In fact, they aren’t even getting sympathy for losing. Their marginalization can only be compared to the extinction of dinosaurs.


So as a proud supporter of the “good-guys”, if this war is like “300”, I stand before you to tell the story of some of the brave warriors who tried to go against the evil Empire. The Empire is massive – driven by bling and soundscan. The only thing more massive than their arsenal is the amount of soldiers behind them. They won the Great Rawkus war and took down several other labels that attempted to create an army of lyricists. Perhaps their greatest victory was the creation of ringtones where they found that they could make millions of dollars without saying nothing. As daunting as this enemy is, the fear did not stop several emcees from trying to fight for us. They may have failed to defeat the Empire but their stories are inspirational.

From Los Angeles, CA a rapper named Crooked I attempted to do damage as being the first pure lyricist on Death Row records. Using the Row’s media power, he was going to use his punchlines to rally the entire coast. But their fortress was attacked when legal and financial troubles hit Death Row and Crooked I’s debut album never hit stores. So off on his own, he used guerilla tactics. Putting out “Hip-Hop Weekly”, a news report of the week’s events spit over tough beats. He can be found today destroying mixtapes and guest verses all over the country trying to get his strength back to his Pre-Row days.

Around the same time a similar emcee was also trying to dust off and get off the ground after suffering a defeat in early 2001. As a member of the S.S. Shady, Royce the 5’9 seemed ready to lead the new generation of superior lyricists. With an ability to switch flows at any given time and an incredible wit, Royce is one of the few rappers to ever beat Eminem on a song. But when he was accused of mutiny, the members of the S.S. Shady threw him overboard. Royce never really recovered. Hopping from ship to ship doing Street DVD’s and mixtapes, he finally released an album but couldn’t market it to the people to overthrow the Empire. Although Royce is on better terms with the captain the S.S. Shady, it too seems to be docked indefinitely.

When the Evil Empire used poison to attack the heart of Big Pun, lyricists took a massive loss. The first Latin to go platinum would have mobilized an entire nation of new emcees to follow the lead. We had to wait almost 7 years, but the next warrior was found in Brooklyn. Joell Ortiz was determined to carry the torch that Pun lit and provide light to all of the villages in New York City that the Empire burned to the ground. His legendary performance in battles and his “Who the F**k is Joell Ortiz?” mixtape was the biggest threat to the Empire in years. His skills took him to the country of Aftermath where they agreed to provide him with enough weapons to wage another war. Unfortunately there was a spy in Aftermath’s government and it forced Joell out of the country. His debut album which was released through Koch Records remains his lone small victory.

The leader of this rebellion hails from New Jersey and has seen the highs and the lows when it comes to battling the Empire. In 2003, he seemed to have defeated the Empire and establish his own sovereign entity. But when the Generals over at Def Jam couldn’t capitalize on the momentum led by “Pump it Up”, Joe Budden found himself in rap prison. To have one of the greatest warriors locked up was a devastating blow to the struggle. But from jail he managed to release “Mood Muzik 2” which jeopardized the Empire’s hold on the East Coast. After countless protests, Joe was released from Def Jam and is forming his own army…

In fact there’s rumors he’s contacted Joell, Royce and Crooked I for a secret program called the Slaughterhouse Project that has the potential to weaken the Empire’s defenses permanently. This along with the efforts of Lupe, Kanye and Common of the Chi-Town Connection will allow Mickey Factz, Asher Roth, The Cool Kids and the rest of the rookies time to prepare so that they can join the battle.

So this epic war continues into 2009. Many lives have been lost but it is important never to forget the brave soliders who refuse to join the Empire and give the ultimate sacrifice in the name of a dope a** 16 bars.

lol