LMAO

Affion Crocket has been one of the funniest guys in Hip-Hop for a little while now. From his work on Wildn' Out with Nick Cannon, and his classic Jay-Z impersonations, Affion is building quite the reputation.

See in order to do Hip-Hop humorously, you have to be a fan first. There's no doubt that Crocket is not only a student of Hip-Hop but that it truly is a part of who he is. His jokes and spoofs are as accurate as they are silly. Who can forget him rocking the dreads for his Lil' Wayne video.

This Drake video is just the latest of some classic humor.

Through all the thugs and G'z its great to see that Hip-Hop can still smile and laugh.

Shades of gray...

When you think of Hip-Hop, you think of black... maybe even a little Latino but definitely black.

You think New York, Bronx, Blacks, Puerto Ricans. But in 2009 that definition is blurred at the very least...

I typed "Hip-Hop" into YouTube and not even halfway down the page, i see this video. Asians have taken to Hip-Hop like no other. They have an incredible respect and appreciation for the music and culture. Trust me its no where near Malibu's Most Wanted. They know the music, artists, history and can dance their a**es off!!!

Americas Best Dance Crew is dominated by Asians.

Although I can't speak for all of Hip-Hop but if you weren't properly welcomed, consider this your home now.

Welcome.

What's beef?

Game dissed Jay-Z again the other day in France. Again this leads me to a few thoughts...

First of all, why does Game only diss Jay-Z on international tours? A few years back he told Hov to suck his "member" in Amsterdam.

Second, why won't he just make a diss record already and get it over with? I'm tired of this new kind of dissing, complete with youtube videos and interviews about how "x rapper don't really want it or isnt built for it". Say what you want about 50 but at least you gonna get a song.

Third (from my boy D), is calling Hov old a diss when he's still better and more popular than you are? I'm sorry, did Game perform at the BET awards last week?

Fourth, i think he's scared of Jay because when he beefed with 50, he made like 3 mixtapes worth of diss records.

I guess the Game changed.

Is there even a 37th Chamber? Who cares the 1st 36 rock!!

People tend to forget the impact that the Wu had when they came out back in 1993. (Note: I even underestimated them. I originally wrote 1995. Didn't even know they held it down for that damn long).

There's so many reasons why they are legends...


1) They were a group where everyone can rap. (Well U-God tried but they were smart enough to only give him like 4 bars at a time.

2) Their style caught on like the plague. Everyone after them started with all the crazy nicknames.

3) C.R.E.A.M - changed our language - nuff said

4) Managed to get seperate solo deals for each artist so that they can put extra food on the plate. A genius of an idea at the time. As significant as ringtone deals are today.

Love em!!!!!

Pimp This!

Xzibit has had a unique career in Hip-Hop. He's such a popular figure yet you can't really categorize him easily.

Make no mistake about it. He is a rapper first. But rap isn't what has been paying the bills. But by most definitions, he's been a successful rapper.(6 albums with one going platinum) But when you think about Xzibit, you don't even think about the lyrics. You think about the chevy novas or his passing roles in movies like Training Day or Grid Iron Gang.

But he is definitely a rapper. When he first came out, he made his mark by being an LA dude with a NY lyrical flavor. But as soon as he started popping up on MTV, it was hard to take that menacing look and the crip walking in videos seriously. But he definitely made the best of a situation and his unique image and it has turned itself into some nice sized checks.

X to the Z has been one of the most successful people in Hip-Hop history but no one even really remembers how or why. Its probably because he's done it in so many different ways.

But he's definitely still a rapper.

I think.

You my dude, but you kinda wrong on this one...

Its no secret... Joe Budden is one of my favorite rappers but...

He kinda stepped out of line and got put in his place. He had some reservations with the top emcees listed in Vibe magazine. He took aim at Melle Mel pretty much saying that he didn't deserve to be that high on the list because he hadn't done any music in quite a while.

However, all-time counts all of history not just who had an album in 2008. And if you want to count all-time hip-hop achievements, Joe Budden has done next to nothing. (Sorry but true) One major label release in a 6 year career isn't really saying much.

Melle really got at him and truthfully there's nothing anyone can say about what he's done for the game.

Joe should have just fell back. Damn.

Happy Holiday... Here's some fly s**t

Back when MTV was still a progressive medium to view music, they always had these special interviews and moments.

This one is especially dope because you got a chance to see two incredible freestyle rappers go back and forth.

To me, there's nothing better than this... Hip-Hop in its purest form.

R.I.P. Proof

It was all good... just a week ago.

Benzino could have been one of the most powerful men in Hip-Hop today. Instead...

He's a punchline. A cautionary tale. An Eminem victim.

Benzino was the co-founder of the Source magazine. Its been a while for some folks but that's like saying you co-wrote the Bible for Hip-Hop. Any information that was worth knowing was in that magazine. The 5 Mic scale was worth more than a platinum record at one point.

But then he got really greedy. He turned his magazine into his very own commercial and tried to push his own rap career through its pages. He used his influence to handle his petty rap beefs and it caught up to him.

Interscope is a beast! XXL just saw it first. Back in 2003 if you were on the wrong side of Em, Dre and 50... unless your name was Nelly or Jay-Z you had no shot of surviving. So between beefing with them and other questionable decsions (and by questionable I mean "black plague-iceberg to Titanic-like"), he managed to drive the whole magazine into the dirt. This led to his removal and subsequent exit from the game altogether.

I find it funny that the song is titled "back on my grizzy" because its two years old and this is the first time that i've ever heard of it. So it seems that "grizzy" didn't last too long. When youtube doesn't have anything on you in the last two years, you know its a wrap.

Sidenote: its kind of sad because you can tell that he really, really wants to be a rapper but its just never going to happen because he'll never get the respect... and he kinda looks like Jim Jones' 2nd cousin in this video.

Sometimes, you should just stay in your lane and keep it that way.

I'll show you how to do that son...

By now I'm sure you all know that the Roots are the new house band for Jimmy Fallon's late night show.

The best band in the land is a prime example of how to make it in this game without platinum sales. They mastered the concept of developing a core audience and making sure that they serve them day in and day out. They tour more than any other Hip-Hop act and they sell out all over the country.

They are the best at what they do and their ridiculous talent and critical acclaim set them up for one of the most financially secure positions of any rap group out. NBC's checks don't bounce. Word.

Pay homage.

X Gonna Give it to ya....

One of the saddest stories in Hip-Hop and an example of how quickly thing can go bad?

The signs came early. X would miss shows or get arrested, yet the people closest to him never stepped in.

Could it be because the money was too good? I dunno. But you would think that someone who loved Earl would have kept him from continuing down his destructive past.

One of the worst things about hearing a guy do an interview from jail is hearing how they plan to never end up back in trouble... only to see them back in bracelets again.

X is one of those dudes that you are just hoping for at this point. You remember how great it was for him ten years ago. He was on top of the charts and was a force in Hip-Hop. He single-handedly ended the "shiny suit" era.

The irony is, one of the greatest things about X's art was his vulnerability and how his emotions came through his lyrics. But it was that same trait that turned into a terrible addiction and landed him in jail.

Whether good or bad, stage or chains... DMX is a captivating figure and we will always pay attention when he speaks.

Ladies Love...

I just want to bring to you guys something fresh. I call this the Spotlight. Each week, I'll pick an artist and find a video about that clearly needs to get discussed. It will be a nice change of pace. Enjoy.



Ok I have a few thoughts about this. Should you be allowed to call yourself the greatest of all time?

I've paid attention to Hip-Hop for as long as I can remember and I can only recall a handful of artists that have been given the title of the greatest of all time and LL has never been on the list. But not only did he call himself that, he coined the phrase G.O.A.T. Shouldn't others give you that title?

Also, this video was a subliminal going at Jay-Z. LL amongst others at Def Jam were not happy with the Carter administration. And when Hov called himself the GOAT on 50's remix, LL was prompted to give this speech. Which leads me to my next point...

I know folks get on video alot more nowadays, but i'm sick of the fake threats. Since that video, LL never said squat about anyone. This reminds me of when Cam said it was gonna be a hot summer then disappeared for 2 years. STOP IT! If you gonna go at someone, do it. Dont get us all hyped then back off.

You may not like 50 but he never, ever disappoints!