Let me tell you something....

Suggestions
written by 4 Bars

So I think I come up with some pretty good ideas from time to time, not necessarily original ones, but they’re usually improvements that can go a long way. I figured I’d give a few of my favorite artists suggestions that I think would help out a bit.

Scarface- As much as I love your music, I think your life is too good, at this point, to give us that shit that sends chills through listeners. No more albums, it’s just not worth it, you and Brett Favre. Could you make another good album? Probably, but it wouldn’t be what we’re used to. Don’t leave us totally, though, please keep helping out inferior MC’s and your homies by gracing their albums with verses, just to keep us with that Fix.

3 Stacks- Stop teasin us, dammit, come back and rap, shit…

Big Boi- I appreciate you still spittin, get your boy’s mind right man, we NEED that new Kast album, PRONTO!!

Wayne- I appreciate that you are proving to us that you are indeed a martian but make sure you don’t go to a galaxy where the rest of us can’t follow. Keep killin those guest spots too.

Ye- Keep bringing the heat as a rapper. I enjoyed 808s, personally, but you’re too good a rapper to keep that ish up. Also, make sure you don’t get on Wayne’s flight to the intergalactic, we want ya’ll to keep pushing the envelope, just make sure you don’t leave us earthlings too far behind, you actually do need an audience.

Hov- See Scarface’s advice, although you might have one more great album in you.

T.I.- in the illustrious words of Tron, “night night, keep ya butthole tight!!”

Em- Try not to kill TOO many people on this album. I mean, we definitely wanna see you murk a few people out of sheer rage but too many and you’re actually a terrorist. Scattered violent acts, ok, massacre, not ok, just a thought.

Mos Def- As much as we love you as a rapper (not so much a singer), I understand you got bills, so keep getting your movie makin on. BUT, be sure you don’t do TOO many more movies with Mike Epps and Donald Faison, that is if you wanna keep your status as a respected actor.

Talib Kweli- Find some way to get signed to GOOD Music, honestly, just look at your boy Common. Just like everybody else, you got bills, and since you can’t act, I don’t wanna see you starve, so gon ahead and pull a Gary Payton and join a GOOD team and get that ring, we won’t judge you, I promise.

Suit and tie rap that's cleaner than a bar of soap

Who’s Phony, Who’s Fake?
written by 4 Bars

I was talking to my boy the other night and he’s a musical cynic. What I mean is that he avoids any artist that is popular because he believes that they are ultimately created, molded, and driven by the corporate machine that is “The Man”. Some call them “suits” or the record execs but I feel what he’s saying.

Much of the music that we hear today, in any genre, is pre-determined by heads of record labels to fit a mold or a form but I feel like hip-hop may suffer from it the most. There is a box that the “suits” seem to put hip-hop in. Either you’re a thug, a “baller”, a former dope boy, or the newest “box” seems to be the hipster. Now, I’m not necessarily gonna put the hipsters in with the rest of em just yet, mostly because I feel like guys like Kid Cudi and Charles Hamilton are just doin them, but I fear that it is the next “thing” for the hip-hop execs to overdo and play out.

We all know that Officer Ricky used to be a C.O. and Ice-T used to be a break dancer but how many of our favorite artists are as “real” as they say?

Artists like Kanye, Outkast, and Jay have long since established themselves as originals. But artists like The Game, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, and T.I. I feel like have lingering unanswered questions about them. How “gangsta” are any of these guys and how much of it simply bravado shown through their music? How many of them were drug “kingpins” and how many of them simply sold a little weed for a few months? I’m not judging these dudes or their past, I just wonder how much of what we see is them and how much has been “edited”. Art imitating life or vice versa?

The other guys

I’m F’n With The White Boy
written by 4bars

In case you haven’t figured out the topic of this post, I’ll state it clearly: I’m f’n with Asher Roth AND Eminem. Truth is, both are very good rappers and they both have a solid grasp of what they’re trying to do. Obviously they’re in two COMPLETELY different places right now but the fact that they are both talented white rappers that sounds EXACTLY alike, coincidence? Maybe.

Fact is, the new Roth album is hot. I purchased it after downloading and I’m really pleased with his lyrical ability. The one concern I have is his maturity. I hope that he can evolve as a rapper once the novelty of being a young, brash, college kid wears off. His “father” however has a far different road.

Eminem is arguably the greatest rapper of all time, period. He’s evolved from a loud mouthed lunatic to an angry father and divorcee but his quality of music has never fallen off. He has been on hiatus for almost 5 years now, though, and while his first two singles have been good lyrically, I think the jury is still out on whether or not he’ll be the same Em that had the game going crazy. I will say this though, he’s always led off his albums with a cornball single with a crazy video so I’m not REALLY that worried, but he’s also taken a ton of time off, so we’ll see.

I really wanna find out from ya’ll whatchu think about these three questions:

1) Asher Roth and Eminem sounding EXACTLY alike, coincidence or something more?

2) Will Asher Roth develop as an artist or will he get stuck where he is?

3) Em’s album: as strong as his previous offerings or time off hurt permanently?

Can't get enough of the Boss...

Irony
written by 4 Bars

Irony:

- incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result
- the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning

Key words in the above definitions, to me, are “incongruity” and “opposite”. I know you’re thinking “Bars, I’m not stupid, I know what the f irony is…” but for my own sanity, I needed to clarify before I go in on Officer Rickey one last time.

Today I was talking with my barber about how good “Mafia Music” and “Maybach Music 2” are. He hadn’t heard either song but we had just watched Rickey’s new video featuring John Legend and all the Mafioso bs sent me over the edge.

Ross’ new album is entitled, ironically, “Deeper than Music”. This concerns me for obvious reasons, namely the fact that the persona of the “rapper” Rick Ross is actually no deeper than William Roberts, the rapper. William Roberts is not a drug dealer; in fact he was a corrections officer. Ricky Donnell Ross actually sold drugs, never rapped about it, and was actually setup and sentenced to life in prison. I find it ironic that not only has William Roberts created a character that is based on an ACTUAL person but he has proceeded to claim this character’s life as his own and continues to reflect this in his music.

Rappers embellish, ALL the time, but blatantly telling an untruth is completely different.

I think Rick Ross is actually a pretty good rapper. He will never be mentioned in the same breath as the greats but he certainly has the talent to have a successful career. I disagree with everything he stands for as an artist, however, and don’t appreciate his blatant dishonesty. I’m gonna give the album a good listen, but should we take him seriously if he continues to lie? That is actually the opposite of being “Trilla” or a Boss of any sort, ironically.

Im the ish...

Who’s Hot?
written by 4bars

There are a lot of up and coming acts in hip-hop nowadays, which I’m really excited about. I personally can’t wait to cop albums from Kid Cudi, Wale, and Drake and if I get one more hot single I MIGHT go ahead and give the white boy in the bread aisle some of my hard earned money too, but I digress. I wanna talk about who’s the shit right now and I want some votes.

I figure with Mr. Harris going to the slammer he’s technically not in the conversation but he def gets honorable mention cause he’s done a whole lot pre-jailbird and he’s definitely gonna come out with some ish upon release. But here are my top candidates for the “hottest”:

Hov- Bottom line, he’s still a huge deal not only in hip-hop but music in general. His business sense and rhymes are still top notch and whatever he touches turns to gold, he’s still the G.O.A.T.

Wayne- Arguably the hottest rapper in the game right now, his talent is undeniable and his venture into the rock world will certainly prove to be, if nothing else, interesting.

Ye- The most innovative and creative artist in the game right now. Whether he’s rapping, singing, chanting, or producing, cannot deny that he’s as original and quality as it gets.

Em- The anticipation builds as his new album is set to be completed and I think absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder. He might not be the hottest but he sure is getting warm.

50- His “defeat” of Officer RICKEEYYYYY has yet to be solidified but his antics have always been if nothing else memorable, but his music has been suspect lately as fans simply demand more. Time will tell if he will or won’t ‘Self Destruct’.

My vote is for Ye, honestly, he’s just a bad mofo. The DJ Class track says it all but add on the fact that he’s putting out Cudi and I’m sold but I wanna hear from ya’ll.

The use of words...

Who you callin' a bitch?
written by 4bars

I’m listening to the new Slim Thug album, which isn’t bad but personally I’ve always been turned off by his lack of lyrical depth (the usual Houston trio of thug, drugs, and drank) but I digress. What really caught my ear was one of his songs, creatively entitled “My Bitch”. Now I’m not Oprah getting on all rappers for the use of the words “bitch” or “hoe” in reference to women (or “nigga” for that matter) but something about such a blatant use of the word towards a woman he’s not only doing a song about but also actually cares about and appreciates just doesn’t feel right.

I wanna start by quoting the great Phonte when he said “like ya’ll wasn’t callin' women hoes before Rapper’s Delight”, cause I’m not on some Al Sharpton shit, I’m just taken back sometimes by such brash titles for women in hip-hop. I also watched a video today by the one and only Plies (that’s a whole other “niggerdom” post) about a reality show he’s coming out with about what he calls a “Goonette” which, to him, is an honorable term. Oh did I forget to mention that the show is about a single mother of two who is a MIDGET STRIPPER!!! I think I’ve figured out why the female rap game is dead and might never recover: we honestly don’t think shit of our women; more importantly, though, they don’t think shit of themselves.

I’m not gonna sit here and say that the word “bitch” or “hoe” alone can do anything because as we know they’re just words but I think the comfort that has come in the words and the embrace that they’ve found in our culture is part of the cause for the devaluing and objectification of women in hip-hop.

We’ve talked about video “hoes” and queen “bitches” etc etc, but I wanna know what ya’ll think of the actual use of these words. I’m not gonna lie, I use the words and I jokingly sing “Bitches Ain’t Shit” from time to time, but I’m joking. I don’t ACTUALLY think or refer to women as bitches or hoes, not even when I’m talking about how crazy they are. Am I way off base or have we embraced the bad and turned it “good” as our culture so often does (“nigger” = not ok, “nigga” = ok)?

Blue Magic....

Your Favorite Trappers Favorite Trapper
written by 4 Bars

I say: T.I., Young Jeezy, The Clipse, Rick Ross, you say? Southern? Popular? How bout “Dope Boy”? They are either “you’re favorite rappers’ favorite rapper” or “your favorite trappers’ favorite trapper”. And in the spirit of Just K’s first annual awards show I wanna know who’s the best trap rapper?

I’m not necessarily asking who the best rapper is, but who was the best at talking about them “birds” them “thangs” or “slangin that weight”? I definitely think credit has to go to T.I. for the publicizing of the term and idea of a “Dope Boy”, mainly because he put out a song called, well, “Dope Boyz”. But Young Jeezy definitely took it to the next level with his Snowman antics. As much as I totally disagree with everything Rick Ross raps/says/does/is about, I’d have to say that actually donning the name of one of the most notable ACTUAL drug dealers on the west coast and maintaining this as his image puts him in the running. The Clipse have forever been the “kings of the coke flow” and continue to come straight out the kitchen wit it.

Before I announce my winner for “Trap Rapper of the Game” Honorable mention must go to the Yayo man himself Killa Cam “Yayo” was one of my favorite joints and Cam continues to bless songs like “Make Da Trap Say Ay” with “dope” verses. Speaking of which, honorable mention also goes to Gucci Mane who went from the Trap House to the Big House and is now back in the rap game. He will certainly add significant “weight”.

And the winner is:….Young Jeezy!!! YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH, the fact is T.I. opened up the door but Jeezy broke that mofo down. There has never been a trap rapper who built as successful of a career as Jeezy, especially since OFFICER RICKKEEYYYYY will be irrelevant pretty soon.

In all seriousness though, this is the only way I can write about these rappers without stepping up on my soapbox. Truth be told, I hate rappers rapping about selling drugs. I REALLY hate the ones who don’t do it anymore but have their fans believing that they’re holding they’ve got their city on lock because all the fiends know they got “that work”. Sorry to put a damper on your Friday and/or this fairly comical/sarcastic post, but in the words of Mr. Andre Benjamin, “this shit here must STOP!”

The new R. Kelly?

The American Dreeaammm
written by Four Bars

Recently I was reading one of the worst interviews I’ve ever seen in a magazine and they were interviewing T-Pain and he made reference to him becoming a famous “sanger” by accident. He said that he was a rapper first and wanted to be known for that so he kept his singing to himself until it leaked and the rest is history. There is often a debate on what is or isn’t “hip-hop”. This usually stems from a rapper stepping out of his lane and doing music that should probably be categorized in a genre other than “hip hop” and the debate ensues. I doubt anyone would deny that R. Kelly is one of the greatest R&B singers of our time yet I also doubt that anyone would consider him “not hip hop”. To me, T-Pain and The Dream fall into the same category.

My list last week referenced The Dream’s first and second albums (both worth purchasing, I did) and there were a couple of people who weren’t up on this dude like they should be probably because The Dream falls into the R&B category of “not quite hip hop” and he can’t f with these R&B cats (ahem, JusHH, cough cough). So I figured I’d shed a little light on it.

To me, The Dream is an interesting mix of the outlandish writing ability of R. Kelly and the sometimes gimmicky but always fun and entertaining style of T-Pain yet he still has his own lane he successfully navigates. He can’t really be categorized as a “singer”, per say, because while he does sing, his own voice is often a light falsetto (“OOH OOH BAYBEH…”) and his lyrics are often a collection of notes spoken one syllable or phrase at a time (“ella” or “ooh ooh ooh ooohh”). The kicker is that he also will break into a rap at any moment a la Kels and T-Pain just to show you that he’s got that in him too. Simply put, The Dream is as hip-hop as any of the other “rapper turnt sangers” and he’s managed to pen, produce, and perform countless great songs along with two really good albums. If you get a chance, download the ITunes bonus track “Hater” from somewhere, it’s a perfect example of The Dream using all his tools to make a really catchy, honest, and quality song in which he opens the song with “if I was your maaannnn I, would hit that shit like A-Rod…” hilarious. The Dream is as hip-hop as they come and continues to breathe some fresh air into the hip-hop scene. There are even rumors that he and Kanye will be teaming up for an album a la T-Wayne. After hearing his second single, “Walking on the Moon” featuring Ye, I’m very interested to see what they come up with, at the very least, there will be no Vocoder involved, I hope.

Don't Start no s**t, Won't be no...

YEEEYAAAYYUUHH!!
written by 4 Bars

Hip hop can evoke a lot of different emotions: Pain, joy, anger, even arousal; But there’s a feeling I get when I hear certain songs that I’m sure ya’ll can relate to. It cannot be described in words, only a facial expression. I call it the “boo boo face” but some would refer to it as the “screw face”. But there are songs that AS SOON as you hear the opening piano, drums, synth, or chord, that face comes alive. My list is below and I included audio for the southern flavored ones. Feel free to add your own.

Youngbloodz - Damn



Lil Scrappy feat Lil Wayne- Stand Up


Nore - Blood Money Pt. 3


Jay-Z - U Don't Know


Three 6 Mafia - Who Run It?


DMX - Ruff Ryders Anthem


TI - What U Know

Where's Miss Cleo when you need her?

Where Do We Go From Here?
written by Four Bars

I thought about my favorite rappers right now (Hov, Ye, Killer Mike, Face, Kast, UGK, LB, among others) and how I often answer the question of “yo, do you like ___” with “I haven’t really heard him, I kind of just listen to a handful of people I know will make good music and pick up the other stuff if I hear it and like it.” This seems unfair and close-minded, I know, but I honestly don’t have time to listen to EVERY new “hot” rapper that comes along. Lately, however, there have been some cats that are catching and keeping my attention and it just makes me think: “Where is hip-hop headed?”

Honestly, in 10 years, 3-6 of my favorite rappers probably won’t rap anymore cause they’ll be in their 40s and while that hasn’t stopped some hip-hop legends from rapping today, seeing Hov and Face rap at 48, might be like watching Roy Jones Jr. well after he should’ve hung them up: painful and sad.

Excluding the current superstars in their prime (Ye, Wayne, T.I., Luda, etc.) there are two who really stand out to me as young and up and coming. I downloaded two mixtapes by Drake and Kid Cudi and was honestly blown away by both, especially considering I hadn’t heard one of their songs on the radio previous to hearing their mixtapes. I’m impressed by their originality and charisma and I see great things for them both. My only fear is that there won’t be enough torch bearers to come along with them. I hope I’m wrong and acts like The Cool Kids can tow their line as well but I come back to my original question: where is hip-hop headed? I honestly don’t know, but with the current group of talent and the young bucks coming into the game, I’m optimistic.

Am I Wrong?

My Dilemma
4bars

So shout out to Just K for opening up the Curtis – OFFICER RICKKYYYY beef to PTM. Recently I was thinking about it and while most beefs are ridiculous (TIP and any rapper you can think of, etc) I find myself torn in this one.

I’ve had several different conversations with high school aged minority males in which they have expressed that they believe the likes of Lil Wayne and Rick Ross when they claim to be the kingpins of unnamed drug syndicates. This frightens me.

My dilemma is this: Normally I would be COMPLETELY anti-Curtis for his ignorant ass rant and promotional driven beef with another rapper but in this case, the cat he’s going after, I dislike even more than he. So is it ok for ignorance to exist and succeed if it is eliminating an even higher form of itself and ultimately doing good?

50 has the ability to end a rapper’s career and RAWSS seems to be next in line. I would love to never see Rick Ross’ face or hear his voice as a rapper again not because I dislike him as a person but because I disagree with everything he stands for as an artist. But am I a hypocrite for condoning the dirty deeds of Mr. Jackson simply because they bring about a favorable result?

Harmony...

Bone Bone Bone Boooone
written by 4bars

I’m riding through Jersey the other day and “Moments in Love” comes on the radio. I probably should’ve been thinking about, well, moments in love, but my mind IMMEDIATELY jumped to one of the most heralded rap music groups of our time: Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

From “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” to the commercial smash “Tha Crossroads”, BTNH revolutionized the game. BTNH was the hottest thing in rap for a while delivering soundtrack classics “Everyday Thang” (The Show) and the ridiculous “Days of our Lives” (Set it Off). Even the Mo Thugs album was pretty good. BTNH is arguably one of the greatest rap groups ever. While clearly I wouldn’t put them with the pioneers of the game I certainly think their name should be mentioned with the Wu-Tangs.

Their flow was infectious and influenced a lot of the singing/rapping/harmonizing we hear from today’s hip-hop artists. While their lyrics weren’t always decipherable, their flow and song composition was undeniably incredible.

One of the highlights of my hip-hop experience was a trip to Los Angeles when I was 14. I was exposed to not one, but two of the most historic songs BTNH ever recorded: Notorious Thugs and Thug Love. I remember riding with my cousin and he popped in Life After Death. Of course the first track he went to was “Going Back to Cali”, but right after, he went back to track 1 and that opening “its Bone and Biggie Biggie…” along with the piano still gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. Needless to say we zoned out for the majority of that car ride. Later on in my trip, I remember listening to the radio and hearing a DJ talk about the song that Bone recorded with Pac and they actually played it, gunshots and all on the radio. My mind was blown, completely, and that was probably the most gangster or “thug” I had ever felt at that point in my life.

I could go on and on about BTNH but their track record speaks for itself. They remind me of Terrell Davis or Hakeem Olajuwon. Both had great careers but for about 2 years they were the best and Bone can lay stake to that same claim. The protégés of Eazy-E stuck through unstable group members (“UH HUUHHHH, aint nuttin like money in a zip lock bag…”) to remain a one of a kind group who pushed the rapid fire flow like no crew before them had. Combined with the melodious harmonies they perfected and pioneered, they remain one of my all time favorite rap groups.

Let me hold that beat...

Photo by Ron Thompson

When Sampling Goes Wrong
written by 4Bars

I’m listening to the radio today (as I am a lot during the week, sadly) and I hear the piano riff and drums from the T.L.C. classic “Baby, Baby, Baby”. Naturally I’m hyped to hear an oldie but goodie, but all of a sudden something strange happens: F’n BOW WOW starts rapping about some chick, WTF!?! Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a great song has been sampled and not only is it done poorly but does the original a complete disservice. Below are a few more that come to mind, I’ve included R&B songs that butcher hip hop classics as well and a couple of other travesties, feel free to add:

1. Jay-Z and Beyonce- “03 Bonnie and Clyde”: I love Hov and B, but this was just wrong, on so many levels, it honestly disgraced two hip hop legends: Pac and Ice Cube, honorable mention to Yo-Yo.
VS.

2. P Diddy ft R Kelly “Satisfy You”- I know some of ya’ll liked this joint, but it ruined another classic, shout out to the Luniz.
VS.

3. J-Lo “I’m Real”- How you gon sample a damn song for your song “I’m Real”, the very definition of a hypocrite, R.I.P. Rick James.
VS.

4. Chingy- “One Call Away”: I don’t think Chingy has ever done anything right in hip hop, certainly not his blasphemous use of a good SWV song.
VS.

5. Ashanti- “Baby”- now you KNOW I was heated about this one, I almost liked the song on the strength of it being a Face sample and she actually used him in the song a little, but at the end of the day, this was just wrong.
VS.


Honorable Mention: Beyonce - “I’ma Diva”, whoever produced this joint literally just took the “A Milli” beat and added a different voice sample. I was SO disappointed when I realized it, shiftlessness at it’s finest.

Not Enough...

4 Bars
Hip Hop Ain’t Cool No More

Lil Wayne is putting out a rock album. Recently I watched a live performance of his single, “Prom Queen” and while it has yet to grow on me, it did get me thinking: Why is the hottest rapper around doing a rock album? He’s still riding the wave of his best hip hop release ever and has won almost every hip hop award possible. He’s widely recognized as the “best rapper alive” (not saying that I necessarily agree) and is no doubt highly regarded in almost every hip hop circle. So I’ll ask again: why is Mr Weezy F Baby (please say the Baby) making a rock album?

Artistic expression? I can somewhat buy that because Wayne is one of the few rappers not afraid to try whatever he thinks will sound good. But I don’t think that’s the answer. Along with Wayne, Kanye recently put out his most critically acclaimed album “808s and Heartbreak” which many (read: JusHH) don’t consider a hip hop album because he went away from the hip hop norm. Andre 3000 (top 5 MC) is phenomenal but his eccentricity has prevented him from getting his proper due. 3 Stacks’ “The Love Below” was highly regarded as a great album but most insisted that there was nothing hip hop about it. Andre has taken breaks from hip hop to pursue other interests but he has also said on a couple of occasions that he just isn’t interested in rap anymore.

My question is this: Why isn’t hip hop cool anymore? It seems as if artists no longer feel fulfilled or challenged with the current state of hip hop. It’s as if hip hop is beneath them. Granted, Wayne, Kanye, and Andre 3000 are among the most flamboyant figures we have in hip hop, but they still represent the best of what hip hop has to offer yet they all seemingly want more than what hip hop has to offer. Is it just three musically inclined cats branching out and trying to attain full expression or has the state of the game left them to feel like they are far above anything that hip hop currently has to offer?

Need some answers...

A Few Questions
written by 4bars

So there were some hip hop questions on my mind, none individually warrant a full post but I think collectively they produce some good discussion:

1. Is Wayne capable of making another classic album or will his next one be below the bar that he has set for himself after Tha Carter 3?

2. Will 50’s new album continue to exhibit the decreasing level of sales that oddly enough is his biggest point of bravado? (Each of his albums has sold less than the previous, including his G-Unit group albums).

3. Joe Budden seems very calm and cool in his lane right now, where does his dough come from?

4. Jeezy’s “My President” a “coonish” moment that kind of makes you cringe but you jam anyway, why does Hov’s version have a TOTALLY different feel?

5. How do you feel about “Universal Mind Control”? I love the album personally, Common continues to amaze me a la the Kanye West formula, doesn’t hurt that Pharrell was an Exec, haha.

Tell me...

Where’s The Love?
written by 4bars

On January 1, 2009 two unarmed young black men were shot by police officers; one did not live to see the rest of 2009, the other will likely live the rest of his life with a bullet lodged in his liver. These incidents happened in Oakland and Houston respectively and upon hearing about them and the subsequent commentary on hip hop stations, more than anything else, I was hurt.

I couldn’t shake the question: “why don’t they like us?” It seems as if young black males are generally threatening to the point where lethal force is the only solution. I know you’re wondering “Bars, the f does this have to do with hip hop?” my answer: everything.

The young man in Oakland likely listened to hip hop music, as did the one in Houston and they both probably dressed in “hip hop attire” which sadly brands one a “thug” in the eyes of many. But as my Brandeis brethren eloquently stated “every black dude wearing a hoody is not a thug”. Don’t get me wrong, hip hop is filled with tons of shit talking, violence, bravado, ignorance, and coonery that can put unfamiliar people in a cautious position. But all of us aren’t “armed and dangerous” and I feel some police are operating under the auspice that we are. How else do you explain a total of 4 shots being fired at 2 unarmed young men; one handcuffed on the ground and face down, the other in front of his home with his pajama clad parents explaining that “no officer, this is our son, our house, and this car is not stolen.

I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired, but I don’t know what can be done. Hip hop seems to influence everything else, when will the next Public Enemy emerge? I feel like the people are ready and def tired of the bullsh*t but is our community? There was an outrage when Sean Bell was tragically murdered, but is Al Sharpton and Co. our only voice?

I’m not trying to hold hip hop accountable for everything that goes wrong in our communities, but I’m not gonna lie, I need something more than it’s giving me right now. Rappers who actually speak up (David Banner, Ice Cube, Talib, etc) are often marginalized yet T-Pain and Akon are embraced with talks of Patron. I know I’m on my same old shit, but somebody tell me I’m wrong; am I expecting too much?

Pop Champagne, For The Barack Campain?

Presidential
written by 4bars

So I know I touched on this a while ago, but having a black President has effected Hip Hop in a really interesting way.

I’m listening to a DC area radio station the other night and they had a countdown of the top 10 songs by request in the area and I was shocked/intrigued/a little embarrassed by the #1 song: The infectious Ron Browz hit “Pop Champagne….THE BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA REMIX!!” My jaw literally dropped in one of those “Did Soulja Boy just say that?” type of moments. I’m not hatin' because everybody deserves a right to express themselves musically and for Ron Browz, that’s his outlet. But I can’t help feeling a little embarrassed as a black person that a remix of “Pop Champagne” is synonymous with the President of the United States, the first black one at that. But I ask myself: “why am I embarrassed?”

I feel like there is an almost immediately negative connotation with Hip Hop in mainstream America, or maybe “stereotypical” would be the best term for it. Have I let this infect me? Am I a critical NAACP member sneering down my nose at this generation because of their sagging pants and braids? I feel like a person should always analyze and question everything about themselves and their life, just to avoid complete stagnation; and my opinion of Hip Hop is no different.

So I ask this: should my/our view of Hip Hop change so that it is more agreeable with a Presidential expectation? Or is Hip Hop fine just the way it is, we gotta take it for all it is and all that it might be? It’s like your drunk uncle, you love him, but let him show up at your balla ass wedding, cue cringing. Holla at me, cause I want confirmation that I’m not a boogie ass Hip Hop head.

2009...

New Year’s Resolutions
written by 4bars

In the spirit of the New Year and all the resolutions being made, I figured I’d suggest 5 resolutions some of my favorite MC’s should make this year and follow through with for 2009. You might notice a theme but feel free to add some of your own.

50 Cent- Go back to the hungry, creative, rapper that you started as, give up the cheap beef for money scheme and give the people, hell even the thugs, what they wanna hear.

Outkast- I know it’ll be tough, but just give us another Kast album soon, PLEASE!!

Eminem- Find that dude that had black people everywhere nervous that we’d have to name a white dude the best rapper alive and deliver another classic album.

Plies, Rick Ross, Birdman, and those who are similar- stop making music, period.

Killer Mike- Put pride aside and make amends with the Dungeon Fam and make the raw and spirited music you were born to make.

Christmas rap...

Aight, so I'm watching tv the other night and I see consecutive "Christmas" videos by none other than Jim Jones and the Skullgang and Juelz Santana with some average looking chick singing the hook as Juelz spits rapid fire.

Now, I"m not hatin on either of the Dipsetters but I am a little perturbed that the quality of Hip Hop Christmas songs has been reduced to singing in fake snow about buyin a whole bunch of stuff as you sit on a really expensive

car with a little eye candy in the shot as well. So I thought I'd give props to 3 Hip Hop Holiday joints that really capture the essence of both the holiday and the music.

Run DMC's Christmas in Hollis is the first one that comes to mind.

The beat, the original idea, it's priceless, gotta give props to the pioneers

Death Row's Santa Clause is Comin to the Ghetto.

The title itself is great and the video and lyrics with Nate Dogg soulfully belting "SANTA CLAAUUSEE OOOOOHH OOOH OOOHHHH..." cannot be duplicated, truly a classic.

Quad City DJ's Whatchu Want for Christmas

This one packs serious southern flavor and from the first time I heard this when I was about 12-13ish, I was hooked, my man opens the songs with

"AY PLAYA WHATCHU GONNA GET FOE, FOE CHRISTMAS, WHATCHU GONNA GET THAT BOOOYY....", needless to say, once it had gotten to the 12 days of christmas hood style "FIIIIIVE MMOONTHS FREE REEENNNTTT!!" There

wasn't much left to be said.

These are 3 of my faves, which ones did I miss? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to errbody.

4bars

Emeritus...

Scarface
written by 4Bars

To this date I have purchased 3 Scarface albums: Last of a Dying Breed, The Fix, and recently Emeritus. LODB was the soundtrack for a plane ride in which I unknowingly mean mugged countless passengers and stewardesses, The Fix was simply a phenomenal album, and Emeritus is yet another great offering from Uncle Face.

The album opens as most Rap-A-Lot projects do, with J Prince’s trademark “AWWWW YEAH…” and the most laid back diatribe about some real gangsta ish you will ever hear. This time he’s speaking about his recent lawsuit and the apparent conspiracy against all black entrepreneurs in hip hop by the Federal and local governments. While some may find it far fetched, a lot of us know better.

The first track is “High Powered” which I’ve been jamming for a while but it was good to hear again. Face continues J Prince’s theme with his own lyrical diatribe expounding on unnamed “bitch ass niggas”. The Lil Wayne and Bun B assisted “Forgot About Me” speaks for itself with all three on their game enhancing a well made track. The next 3 tracks are characteristic Scarface tracks, hard hitting beats with him spilling out his introspective thoughts about his life, the one he used to lead, and the lives that he’s been in touch with.

There is a feature song with Slim Thug where they address the sad sight that is the gold digger; and in the theme of the Scarface classic “F#@k Faces” there is “High Note” where Face eloquently speaks on his sexual endeavors. When I first read the track listings, I saw two tracks with Wacko of UTP and I’m not gonna lie, I was worried. Luckily, he only sang the hook on the two songs and Face did his thing.

The one problem I’ve always had with Scarface albums is the ending. On Last of a Dying Breed, I felt like the last song with WC was a terrible way to end a great album. The Fix ended with a brief instrumental Outro and Emeritus ends the same way, albeit a slightly longer Outro, it’s still just an instrumental. Maybe there is significance to this but it has always escaped me.

I love Scarface as an artist and will continue to support him. Emeritus is a great album and totally worth the purchase. I do wish he would alter the endings, however, so that I wouldn’t eject the CD with the “wha?” look on my face. I’m not sure how long Face will continue to make albums but if Emeritus is any indication of what he is still capable of, I can’t wait til the next one.