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?

20 for you...

Just Kwestions

1. Maybe it’s me, but don’t sagging skinny jeans look like a dude took a dump on himself?
2. Who is the more overlooked MC: Scarface or Black Thought?
3. Why is the Top 5 so important? Why not top 3 or top 10?
4. Who’s the illest member of Slaughterhouse?
5. How would hip-hop have responded if Obama lost the election?
6. Is Inspectah Deck’s verse on Triumph the greatest opening verse on a posse cut of all time?
7. Is Reasonable Doubt really that good or did Jay-Z manage to talk the world into believing it was his best work?
8. Was there ever really a golden era in hip-hop or does it just depend on your age?
9. Could Vanilla Ice have possibly picked a whiter stage name?
10. Is Lil’ Kim unhappy with her portrayal in Notorious because she has no idea how she’s viewed by the general public?
11. Did the two Nas and Jay-Z collabos live up to expectations?
12. Will there be any members of G-Unit that stick besides the original trio?
13. Whatever happened to artist development?
14. Is America’s Best Dance Crew the best hip-hop related show on TV? (shoutout to Kstorm)
15. When did it stop being cool for rappers to dance?
16. Do you have to be a sports fan to be a Jay-Z fan?
17. Tupac: prophet or victim of self-fulfilling prophecy?
18. Wale, Asher Roth, Mickey Factz, B.O.B., Corey Gunz, Charles Hamilton, Kid Cudi, etc. Which members of the New Class have the best chance of commercial success?
19. Why do so many rappers get their own record labels only to never release or poorly promote albums from artists they’ve signed?
20. Is Weezy running low on quality material?

Jadakiss - Letter To BIG (Video)

Today is good day...

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. "My Brother My Ace" – Smoothe the Hustler ft. Trigga the Gambler
These two real life brothers mastered the back and forth flow. The ending to this song is legendary


2. "B.A.N." – David Banner
He kills the Boondocks sample. Hilarious.


3. "40 and a Blunt" – Dax Efx
They slowed down their flow for this album and it's a hidden gem in Hip-Hop's annals



4. "Something You Forgot" – Lil' Wayne
One of my favorites from the millions of mixtape records


5. "Today Was a Good Day" – Ice Cube
Just Because


Come back every week for a new mixtape!

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Press Release:
DoctorExclusive.com Presents Compete with the Competitors Vol. 2 Hosted by Doe DoLLa and DJ gWiz!

New York, January 27, 2009: Doe DoLLa is back and hotter than ever at www.Doctorexclusive.com! He is clearly the new Quincy Jones of our generation and truly force to be reckoned with in the music industry. Due to the overwhelming demand of Vol 1 with 25k downloads; Doe DoLLa and DJ gWiz is bringing you the hottest unsigned artist once again on one album with Compete with Competitors Vol.2. This much anticipated compilation includes new music from Sandman, Mel Buckley, Gerreddi, Sage Michael and EXCLUSIVE music from Max B with production by Ron Browz, Teflon The Producer, Dame Grease and Pharell Williams. www.Doctorexclusive.com has been known to capture the attention of the music industry and has proven to break new artist on both urban and cross over radio. Unsigned artist now have a home where they can be highlighted worldwide. Doctorexclusives.com is the premier destination to promote the best unsigned talent from all genres. See Doe DoLLa himself along with New York’s finest DJ gWiz www.gwizmusik.com in behind the scenes footage of the making of vol. 2 HERE. To promote your music log on to www.Doctorexclusive.com.

*For interview opportunities with Doe DoLLa please contact Tamara Louis at DoeDollapr@gmail.com

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Who Is...

Kidz In The Hall

Group members Jabari Evans (Naledge) and Michael Aguilar (Double-O) met in 2000 during a talent show at the University of Pennsylvania. They began recording songs, making demos, and performing at local shows. That eventually led to Double-0 and Naledge forming Kidz in the Hall. Double-0 eventually made a connection with Just Blaze. Blaze aligned himself with the duo and oversaw School Was My Hustle. Kidz in the Hall signed a group deal with Rawkus Records, and released their debut album School Was My Hustle in 2006.

In November 2007, Kidz in the Hall were officially signed to Duck Down Records, an independent label started by founding members of the Boot Camp Clik. The duo's most recent album, The In Crowd, was released in May 2008, on lead single "Drivin' Down the Block," which samples Masta Ace's song "Born to Roll" for the hook and contains an interpolation of Outkast's "Elevators (Me & You)" on the bridge. Many other tracks on the album use samples and interpolations of early 1990s hip hop, including their song "Snob Hop" featuring Camp Lo which uses the hook from Black Sheep's song "Flava of the Month" for the chorus. Their song "Blackout" was featured on the soundtrack of Madden '09. Naledge is also planning to come out with a solo album in the near future. He says exclusively to hiphopdx.com, "My solo album is still in the process of being put together. I’ve been busy with shows, but I have some tracks in the works," says Naledge. "I got beats from 9th Wonder, Black Milk, Double-O, Pete Rock and [two or three from] Just Blaze. Just Blaze has been my ‘yes man,’ okaying tracks for the album." (via wiki)

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