Old school new school need to learn though...
So I'm driving home today listening to Jay-Z's American Gangster lamenting over the state of hip hop yet again. This love hate thing of mine spiraling around in my mind yet again. I used to love her. Broke up with her. Called her back and split again. Feels like ghetto love with a project chick from MacDougal Terrace (shouts out to Tee Tot for my fam from Bull City and Demon Deacs who hit the yard before '93). I'm still conflicted. I feel like I felt after Jordan retired from the NBA the second time and you knew it was really over. I was kinda feeling like okay, I watched ball before Jordan and I'm gonna be watchin' ball after Jordan leaves. But in the back of my mind and I pretty sure everyone else's...we all really wanted someone to be next. We wanted T-Mac, Vince Carter, Penny Hardaway, Ray Allen...somebody anybody with some game to step and and be the man. Someone to step in and say "you held it down long enough...let me take those reins...". Someone to step up and make us say wow. I'm still feeling the same way about hip hop and trying not to be a bitter old man while holding on. Between prehistoric jibes reminiscent of our parents generation and complaints about how good our music used to be I find myself trying to check myself like a dysfunctional Hollywood celebri-tant.
I do think its judgmental to say that I don't like Lil Wayne cuz he doesn't sound like Biggie or rap about the struggle. "...But if I don't like him, I don't like him...that don't mean that I'm hating..." We just need room for some variety. Its like going into Baskin Robbins and finding out that all the stores now only carry chocolate and vanilla. I just need balance. There is room for Mike Jones, Slim Thugg, Rick Ross, and Lil Webbie. I'm reminded that my college room mate once told me that all hip hop doesn't have to be politically conscious, uplift the culture, or leave you wanting to hit the rewind button on your tape deck to hear Kane say "...put a quarter in your a$$ cuz you played yourself..."(showing my age there I guess). Some rap can just be fun. I guess I'm starting to slip into that generation where we're removed from the young target audience and our time is passing. It sucks cuz I don't think that the bubble gum rap or playstation beats that are dominating the charts and the airwaves don't have their place, I just want some balance in the force. Every time I hear Soulja boy and Lil' Boosie I'd at least like to get a Black Thought track or hear Dead Prez. Its all just the same thing. The young guns need to get money and they can have the videos where they shining and the Bentley cockpit is adorned in the butter soft Gucci leathers and the video honeys shakin' their triple Ds and clear heel stilleto pumps. That's fine that's where the money has gone and the game is played these days. "...the game ain't the same, its changing..." But somebody for goodness sake has to have have next...right?
We're watching Eminem pull his Marky Mark as I predicted back in 2000. He took rap. Hit it and passed her to the crew. If I'm on pace 5 years from now Marshall Mathers won't even want to hear about that jungle music that he so thoroughly dominated while he had a mic in his hands.
I can't keep watching T-Mac fizzle out in the first round of the playoffs and Vince pull up lame in the fourth quarter...sooner or later I need the hip hop Labron to "...come out of high school and go straight to the league..."...we need a chosen one...we need one of these apprentice Memphis Bleeks to step out of Shaq's shadow and finally get his league MVP after following Jay-Z to three championship banners and watching him break ranks with management and break camp for Miami. We need a rapper with basic but consistent fundamentals to be true to the game in the low post. A cat who lacks flash but can rock with a supporting cast of international break beats, flows, and charm desperate house wives, tango through Buenos Aires and win three championship rings for the Old School and for San Antonio. We need a bright, brash, young gawd to drop 30 pt and 10 dime games like he doesn't know any better and expect excellence and 5 star underground, unsigned hype from out of nowhere without financial acclaim and become an underground platinum iLLmatic legend. And it wouldn't hurt of is some old timers got back together one last time to Triumph for Boston just for the good old days and remind you that you still need to Protect Ya Neck
So I guess I'm not bitter I'm just really looking for a reason to stay plugged in. If most of you are like me, you probably can't remember the last rap album you copped and had to call up your man or your girl, your main chick, or your mistress and be like "...you gotta hear this..." You probably still listen to Jay-Z cuz even though the tomhawk dunk on a 7 foot New York Center is probably out of the question these days...the jumper is still wet and he can still do you every time down court, give you numbers every night and hit you over the head with a sportscenter Roc Boys every now and then...
You probably spin a lot of old CDs that you probably cant even buy in the stores anymore like Shook Ones part 2, Liquid Swords, and the Scenario Remix in between new Roots crew, Jill Scott, Kanye West, Common, Jay Z...and if you're feeling froggie...XM or satellite radio
You probably don't have Soulja Boy's album and can't wait for 50 Cent to JUST STOP rappin' all together and just Penny Hardaway his played out @$$ way into retirement. You pray and hope The Game isn't Sam Bowie and he'll get a chance to step out of the shadow of a semi-retired Jay-Z and show is Dream Shake on a an album made by a legendary producer before the legend goes to Phoenix to retire. You probably wish there were more feel good, club songs like Fat Joe and J.Holiday and you're scratching your head about T.I. knuckleheaded, parole violating, thuggnificiant, gangstalicious @$$ as the heir apparent to Jay-Z
Hip Hop...I hate to love you...and I love to hate what you're becoming...but I'll take you with all your imperfections and your blemishes...I'll take your misogyny, your pluralism, your hypocrisy, your irresponsibility, your drug abuse, your gun play, Jeezy moving more blow on three albums than Freeway Ricky Ross, Frank Lucas, Nicky Barnes, and Rich Porter moved in a lifetime and your "reality music", but I'll also take your good times, your summer anthems, your club bangers, your role playing and your love and inspiration and dreams...I got five on hip hop
So with all do respect to DaShawn Stevens...I hope that the young kids can keep Supermanin' and keeping hip hop on life support until the chosen one steps up and takes the game to the next level past the next call chilling from '93 until...
But if you find yourself like me feenin' and you've got MTV2...they've brought back Yo MTV Raps back...as I'm writing this...I'm listening to Fab Five Freedie freestyle in the back of a white Volkswagen convertible driving around mid-town as they slide into a the Pete Rock and CL Smooth "They Reminisce Over You"...ha...the good old days right...
One Luv to Boomer...Boogie man...Holla
I do think its judgmental to say that I don't like Lil Wayne cuz he doesn't sound like Biggie or rap about the struggle. "...But if I don't like him, I don't like him...that don't mean that I'm hating..." We just need room for some variety. Its like going into Baskin Robbins and finding out that all the stores now only carry chocolate and vanilla. I just need balance. There is room for Mike Jones, Slim Thugg, Rick Ross, and Lil Webbie. I'm reminded that my college room mate once told me that all hip hop doesn't have to be politically conscious, uplift the culture, or leave you wanting to hit the rewind button on your tape deck to hear Kane say "...put a quarter in your a$$ cuz you played yourself..."(showing my age there I guess). Some rap can just be fun. I guess I'm starting to slip into that generation where we're removed from the young target audience and our time is passing. It sucks cuz I don't think that the bubble gum rap or playstation beats that are dominating the charts and the airwaves don't have their place, I just want some balance in the force. Every time I hear Soulja boy and Lil' Boosie I'd at least like to get a Black Thought track or hear Dead Prez. Its all just the same thing. The young guns need to get money and they can have the videos where they shining and the Bentley cockpit is adorned in the butter soft Gucci leathers and the video honeys shakin' their triple Ds and clear heel stilleto pumps. That's fine that's where the money has gone and the game is played these days. "...the game ain't the same, its changing..." But somebody for goodness sake has to have have next...right?
We're watching Eminem pull his Marky Mark as I predicted back in 2000. He took rap. Hit it and passed her to the crew. If I'm on pace 5 years from now Marshall Mathers won't even want to hear about that jungle music that he so thoroughly dominated while he had a mic in his hands.
I can't keep watching T-Mac fizzle out in the first round of the playoffs and Vince pull up lame in the fourth quarter...sooner or later I need the hip hop Labron to "...come out of high school and go straight to the league..."...we need a chosen one...we need one of these apprentice Memphis Bleeks to step out of Shaq's shadow and finally get his league MVP after following Jay-Z to three championship banners and watching him break ranks with management and break camp for Miami. We need a rapper with basic but consistent fundamentals to be true to the game in the low post. A cat who lacks flash but can rock with a supporting cast of international break beats, flows, and charm desperate house wives, tango through Buenos Aires and win three championship rings for the Old School and for San Antonio. We need a bright, brash, young gawd to drop 30 pt and 10 dime games like he doesn't know any better and expect excellence and 5 star underground, unsigned hype from out of nowhere without financial acclaim and become an underground platinum iLLmatic legend. And it wouldn't hurt of is some old timers got back together one last time to Triumph for Boston just for the good old days and remind you that you still need to Protect Ya Neck
So I guess I'm not bitter I'm just really looking for a reason to stay plugged in. If most of you are like me, you probably can't remember the last rap album you copped and had to call up your man or your girl, your main chick, or your mistress and be like "...you gotta hear this..." You probably still listen to Jay-Z cuz even though the tomhawk dunk on a 7 foot New York Center is probably out of the question these days...the jumper is still wet and he can still do you every time down court, give you numbers every night and hit you over the head with a sportscenter Roc Boys every now and then...
You probably spin a lot of old CDs that you probably cant even buy in the stores anymore like Shook Ones part 2, Liquid Swords, and the Scenario Remix in between new Roots crew, Jill Scott, Kanye West, Common, Jay Z...and if you're feeling froggie...XM or satellite radio
You probably don't have Soulja Boy's album and can't wait for 50 Cent to JUST STOP rappin' all together and just Penny Hardaway his played out @$$ way into retirement. You pray and hope The Game isn't Sam Bowie and he'll get a chance to step out of the shadow of a semi-retired Jay-Z and show is Dream Shake on a an album made by a legendary producer before the legend goes to Phoenix to retire. You probably wish there were more feel good, club songs like Fat Joe and J.Holiday and you're scratching your head about T.I. knuckleheaded, parole violating, thuggnificiant, gangstalicious @$$ as the heir apparent to Jay-Z
Hip Hop...I hate to love you...and I love to hate what you're becoming...but I'll take you with all your imperfections and your blemishes...I'll take your misogyny, your pluralism, your hypocrisy, your irresponsibility, your drug abuse, your gun play, Jeezy moving more blow on three albums than Freeway Ricky Ross, Frank Lucas, Nicky Barnes, and Rich Porter moved in a lifetime and your "reality music", but I'll also take your good times, your summer anthems, your club bangers, your role playing and your love and inspiration and dreams...I got five on hip hop
So with all do respect to DaShawn Stevens...I hope that the young kids can keep Supermanin' and keeping hip hop on life support until the chosen one steps up and takes the game to the next level past the next call chilling from '93 until...
But if you find yourself like me feenin' and you've got MTV2...they've brought back Yo MTV Raps back...as I'm writing this...I'm listening to Fab Five Freedie freestyle in the back of a white Volkswagen convertible driving around mid-town as they slide into a the Pete Rock and CL Smooth "They Reminisce Over You"...ha...the good old days right...
One Luv to Boomer...Boogie man...Holla
posted by Kwasi at 7:52 PM
6 Comments:
Comments always welcome
maybe it was all a dream and u need to pinch yo delf. why isn't hip hop like fine art. the true beauty in the past work is its not easily duplicated. its time to cop those artists u never really took to the head like kool g rap for me cause u were so fascinated by kane back then. treat it like a girl u haven't had in awhile. brand new. but okay it at a limit so no one gets hurt.
Funny we are talking about this today. There have been a bunch of blogs and other email threads that I have been a part of that talked about the same thing. It must be the approaching summer.
You can still find good/classic Hip Hop, today. You just have to dig for them. You have to stay connected to cats that have similar taste to you. Many of my boys keep me pretty connected. Scarface dropped M.A.D.E earlier this year and it is straight classic material. Talking about real sh*t and the beats are bangin’… and they even got a joint that will take you back to Magic City, the Gold Club, <plug-in favorite scrip club here> - Dollar. Snoop just dropped Ego Trippin’…. I think it’s a pretty tight album. The beats are bangin’ if nothing else. Have any of you checked Consequence? Guilty Simpson? What about Jay Dilla’s Rough Draft? What about the Mike Boogie, Jay Dee, Busta Rhyme mixtape, Dilligance? This is a rare joint b/c Busta is back on the raw sh*t that got him cred in the first place. There is crazy music out there that is just as good as the classic or better!
The good sh*t is not going to be broadcasted commercially b/c it doesn’t stick to the “make money” formula that recording companies want. You’ve gotta take some chances. With the internet and all the free music, samples, and snippets floating around…. There is no reason that you can’t find what you like. Yeah, it was great in the old days when you could hear banger after banger after banger on the radio, on tv, through your windows…. through your walls….. But that was then… this is now… getting those bangers when you do find them just make them that much more special.
-B-I-G...G-I-E / Get????
Hip Hop alive at this tour here
New joints:
Roots
Pete Rock f. Redman
This is great info to know.
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