My president is...

Barack and Roll
written by 4bars

First off, this shit troubles/angers/disappoints me:



And this is a lil coonish but puts a smile on my face:


This election has been the topic of discussion for months and everybody has weighed in including Hip-Hop artists from Young Jeezy to Nas. It is ironic, however, that while Nas clearly has had the more insightful lyrical career, it was Young Jeezy whose simplistic yet poignant song “My President” was no doubt the theme song of Tuesday night. Juxtaposing the nation’s first black president (the first non-white leader of a majority white country in history apparently) with the color of his rims will forever go down as one of the shake your head moments that you just gotta live with. It’s akin to a basketball player taking a HORRIFIC shot, yet it goes in.

While I’m as excited as everybody else, I expected Obama to win. A lot of people were overwhelmed with the incredible reality that a black man was voted into the highest office in the land, I was more relieved. I think you could even see it in Barack during his speech. He was calm yet strong, recognizing that the hard work has only just begun. Now I’ve talked politics for the past few lines but my question is this: what now? I’m interested to hear the songs that artists will put out but what about all the hard work that lies ahead? What is the new “goal”? What is the new “topic”? I know this is more of a social question, but as we see each day, Hip-Hop plays a pivotal role in our society. What effect will all this have on the music and in turn the culture?

More change...

The Great White Hope
written by Doesn't Matt R'

Everybody have a good day today? Good. Me too. Last night—I won’t even try to put it into words. Plenty of things are going to be written about the events of 11/4/08. I don’t need to add my two cents in. So back to hip-hop.

This holiday season looks like it will be a historical month for hip-hop releases. I pray to Jam Master Jay that Dr. Dre drops alread-ay (I didn’t plan how that sentence was going but by the time I got to the end of it, I couldn’t help myself). And Eminem is coming around again. Okay, so I lied. I’m going to tie this in to the presidential election. Our first black President. I’m down. I don’t care that Obama is black. He would have had my vote anyway. But it’s clear enough that it is this man’s time and it’s about time that we got over all this racism and sexism and let the right person lead, at the right time, regardless of physical appearance.

But as a white diehard fan of hip-hop, will I ever get my Obama moment? If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, well then you just haven’t been paying attention. A white rapper will some day be the hottest M.C. in the game. And I don’t mean like underground, backpack, illest flow but no deal. I mean Jigga man, music mogul, King of the game.

Now I know what you are saying. It’s obvious. Marshall Mathers. This is my election inspiration speaking, Gordo. The kid could obviously not forget about Eminem. Notice one paragraph earlier, Julius. The boy wonder calls himself a diehard fan. And a white one at that. What kind of a white fan would forget about the great white hope? I’ll tell you who. The kind of Johnson Rod, Johnny, who rocks Roc-A-Wear to the next Limp Bizkit reunion tour. But that’s not your faithful narrator, Newman. Slim Shady, my friends, is Colin Powell. Ya dig?

Here’s my P.O.V. on the sitch (point of view on the situation, Howard). Colin Powell was the most respected African American in politics after Gulf War I (from here on in GW I). That is until George Bush Jr. (GB 2, keep it moving, Kim) brought him into that whole yellow cake uranium ordeal back around Iraq 2, Electric Bugaloo. But for a short amount of time, Colin Pow was considering a run at the highest office in the land. He might not have won, but who knows. And what happens instead? CP3 goes AWOL. Gives the game back. Disappears to his mansion in Detroit, puts on a few lbs., and only comes out to give the occasional verse for Trick Trick. Oh, wait, Walter, that’s that other fellow that I’m confusing him with. Catch the connection?

Now Em is dropping again. Well his last effort left something to be desired. I mean it was hot, for a Weird Al Yankovic LP. So who will it be? A new day for America, is a new afternoon for the world, and a new evening for all of us to go out to the club and bounce to MC Alex P. Keaton, the hottest rapper in the game—white boy.

OBAMA EDITION...PTM ROCKS WITH BARACK

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. Nas - Black President


2. Young Jeezy ft. Nas - My President Is Black


3. We Are The Ones (Produced by Will I Am)


4. Malik Yusef KanyeWest and Adam Levine - Promised Land


5. Jay-Z - Lick A Shot For Obama (DJ GREEN LANTERN Mixtape)


6. Mavado - We Need Barack

Nas - Election Night

Nas - Election Night (Recorded Nov. 4 2008)

link from nahright

Working with the boys...

To Snitch or Not to Snitch
written by Just K

So a homeboy of mine recently got his car jacked. Not that it should matter, but he’s a college-educated family man pushing 30. When the cops pull up to his place of residence, he’s standing outside and waves the cops over to where the car used to be. Sure enough, he ends up handcuffed and kissing the pavement with a pistol at the back of his dome. This makes me that much more reluctant to give popo a ring next time something happens. Then I see this video:




Wow! Clearly Tip, a former no snitching advocate, made this video as part of his community service sentence. The Tips phone number just adds insult to injury. So, Mysonne went in on Tip in this video:




Shoutout to Mysonne for spending eight minutes talking about another rapper’s 30 second commercial. Double shoutout for dropping more “niggas” in his video than a klan member at a rap concert. Honestly, I’m not mad at T.I. Technically it looks like the ad is meant for the average citizen and not criminals pointing out other criminals. Technicalities aside, in my opinion, dude is mature enough to understand that he’d be losing millions and, more importantly, time with his children by not doing a stupid commercial. Was the commercial lame? Yeah. Is it totally hypocritical when you look at some of his past work? Hells yeah. But I can appreciate a man that puts his family in front of “the code.” Maybe if we had more people willing to make such sacrifices we wouldn’t have so many fatherless kids getting ready to father soon-to-be fatherless kids.

Now, as far as the code goes, I’ve always been conflicted. So, as an upstanding citizen I’m supposed to call something in if I’m aware of a crime that has been committed, right? First of all, where’s the guarantee that I don’t get viewed as the criminal? Secondly, people tend to forget that police have their own “code.” (If you haven’t seen Serpico, you’re missing Al Pacino at his finest.) When other cops participate in unsavory acts, they’ve got a badge code that works the same way the street code works – don’t talk. In fact, the code goes higher up with the boys in blue. Hell, sometimes it’s the police chief or even the judge that let’s a shady cop off the hook. Hypocrisy, I tell you. Regardless of the crime, it’s just hard to be responsible for watching one of your own go to jail. We even rooted for O.J. like we didn’t see him try to peace out in the white bronco (ride ‘em cowboy). But the point is, it’s hard to listen to the cops tell us to call in when they don’t do the same.

But there’s always a flip side. God forbid something happens to a friend or family member, I don’t know how I’d handle it if half a community saw what happened and nobody said anything. So, shouldn’t that same thought process apply if I see a crime? Shouldn’t I think about whose friend or family member something just happened to and put a call in?

So, yeah, I don’t know what to do. But if I decide to drop a tip, the good news is I know what number to call.

PTM VOTES!!!!

Fresh Eyes...

On Second Thought…
Written by Jushh

The term “fresh eyes” refers to the idea of seeing the same thing with a clearer perspective that allows you to notice something different. Whether you got a good night’s sleep, changed your scenery or adjusted your attitude, seeing something with “fresh eyes” can change your entire opinion on a particular subject.

I hated “Love Lockdown” when I first heard it. Every time it came on, I’d suck my teeth and express my continued disdain for Kanye’s latest effort. People would mention how they liked the song and I’d look at them like they were crazy for even suggesting that this was somehow acceptable. But one day, I was listening to gWiz’s radio show and I heard this dope bass line and Jin was killing it. I knew it wasn’t his song per se but I was just rocking to it. I was all in my zone until I asked myself, “wait, is that Kanye?.” That’s right, Jin finished rapping and Kanye took over and I didn’t notice it but I was still enjoying it. I had heard “Love Lockdown” with fresh eyes. So now what do I think? I kinda like the song save for the sped up hook (still can’t get into that) and I dig Ye’s emotions on the record. Maybe it was my distaste for the use of the voice box (still don’t know its real name) or my not wanting to hear another rapper sing but the first times listening to the song, I didn’t like it. But with fresh eyes, I was able to appreciate it and my views changed.

It got me thinking. What else changed because of “fresh eyes”?

A Million Changes

Before: What the F is “A Millie”?

Fresh Eye Moment: Back in 2007, I had probably gone through 2,345 different Lil’ Wayne songs. It seemed like every day Wiz was sending us a new song that he was on. And I’d throw it on my playlist and it would blend in with all the other songs that I had. Then this year, the Carter 3 leaked and somehow I ended up with it on my computer (lol). I was so excited because of all the hype. I put it in the headphones and just rocked out. When track 3 hit, my eyes popped out of my head. Hearing Wayne just go crazy on it had me on the phone with all of my boys… only to hear them tell me, “son, that song came out last year, you late.” Yes, yes it did. And I even had it on my computer (the version with Cory Gunz, who killed it by the way). I probably heard it or at least sampled it during one of my music ciphers, but its greatness went right over my head. Hearing it as a part of that album instead of one of a thousand songs on my “C” drive freshened up my eyes just enough to appreciate the ridiculousness that Wayne song is.

After: Still get chills when that song comes on.

Joe Budden’s debut album

Before: This album was a near classic; a must have in anyone’s collection

Fresh Eye Moment: So by now, everyone knows how I feel about Joe Budden. He’s definitely one of my favorite rappers and I look out for his new music like Pookie for his next fix. When I read about him, I loved his back story and heard him on a few songs and just loved his lyrical prowess. So when his album dropped, I ran to the store and became an instant evangelist. When people wouldn’t drink the Kool-Aid, I quickly reminded them that they were buggin’. But then some time passed and I was going through the collection and noticed that I hadn’t heard the album in a while and threw it on the mp3 player. I started to notice that this “amazing” album had some suspect songs and some that I completely skipped. Time, gave me fresh eyes.

After: Umm, not so much. I’m glad he brought it back with Mood Muzik 2.

Nas – “Ether”

Before: Song was aiight, but not enough to compete with “Takeover”

Fresh Eye Moment: When I first heard Hov tell Nas that he fell from top 10 to not mentioned at all, I said to myself, “there’s no way Nas is coming back from that, period.” So when I first heard “Ether” my first reaction was to say that it wasn’t enough. But one day I had a conversation with one of my boys and I was making the argument that Jay was still winning and he kept hitting me with lines that Nas said. As he was reciting the rhymes, it was like I never heard them before. I guess when I was listening to the song, I wasn’t really paying attention because of the opinion that I had about the “Takeover” verse. I remember when I got back, I put the song on with fresh eyes and lost my f**king mind.

After: “Ether” is one of the 3 best diss records of all time and it helped Nas win the battle.


Are anyone else get a Ben Stein moment?