Remember these lost emcees?

All the hype around the net is for Nas' new remix for "Where are they now?" and rightfully so. The remix features Father MC, Monie Love, Positive K, Das EFX, Redhead Kingpin, Lords of the Underground, The Original Spinderella, Rob Base, EST from 3XDope, Dres of Black Sheep and Mike D from The Jungle Brothers. Personally I believe this is a monumental single and reiterates Jay Z's comments about the game needing certain events in order to maintain its significance. This is definitely one of those events. But what shocked me is that these guys sound like they never left and I don't mean that in a bad way. Nas really out did himself with this one.

From nahright Nas Where are they now? remix

My new (old) camera...

My life as an amateur photograph began this weekend; with serious emphasis on the word "amateur". Evidently there is a serious degree of expertise involved in taking good pics. Who would've known? I spent all weekend taking shitty pics and when I finally had a good shot the damn developer cut out the entire top half of the pic!! Stay tuned to watch my development from lazy, ill-informed amateur to well informed, shitty amateur.

First The Fat Boys break up....

And now you can add Little Brother to the long list of hip hop groups that have parted ways. According to hiphopgame, 9th Wonder has left the group and LB is looking to be released from their deal at Atlantic. Groups generally cite "creative differences" as the reason for their demise, but its been often believed that those "creative differences" involve the almighty dollar. Can LB no longer afford 9th's services? As crazy as it may sound, it could be true. 9th has been getting real paper by putting out tracks with Jay Z, Destinys Child, Mary J and a slew of others. So why would he spend the bulk of his time producing for LB when their album won't even ship gold? Personally I believe Phonte and Pooh will do just fine without 9th but I definitely hope they reunite.

Heelys are prohibited...

We all have our favorite childhood toy. For me, its a close race between Matchbox cars, GI Joes and Legos. Well, lately looks like the newest craze for kids are these awkward looking sneakers with wheels in the heels appropriately named "Heelys". I'm sure by now everyone has seen some blonde haired white kid cruising around the mall in these bulkly, box shaped shoes. I'm beginning to think that it has been mandated that every child between the ages of 7 and 12 own a pair of these shoes. Seeing these kids brings back painful memories of when I first got a skateboard and spent most of my afternoons peeling my face from the concrete. Here's a video of some Macaulay Culkin look-a-like wheeling around a Detriot airport. Whoever thought of this Heely thing has just made enough money to retire.

Lifted Research Group...

Here's the latest photoshoot for the Spring/Summer '07 collection of L-R-G. Of all the major "urban" lines, L-R-G is by far the best out.

Light skin v. Dark skin...

On February 4th the epic civil war that has plagued the black community for hundreds of years will be televised throughout the world for all to see. For the first time in the history of the National Football League, not one but two, black head coaches will be on the sidelines calling the shots. Congratulations to Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy for leading their teams to the BIG game. All respect to the coaches, but I couldn't help but think of the parallels between this gridiron battle and the battle that has been brewing in the black community. Light skin Tony and his Indianapolis Colts, a team known for its glossy, high powered offense but horrendous run defense, bares a striking resemblance to the light skin black people of America. For years, as hypocritcal as it may sound, the sentiment among the black community has been the lighter the skin the better. All the "fine" girls are the light skinned, long haired chicks. Just watch any video currently playing on BET. Even the light skinned brothers had their 15 mins. when the Al B. Sure's and Christopher Williams' ruled the late 80s and early 90s. But it has been widely known throughout the black community that those light skin niggas have been known for skipping out on the dirty work. So just as the light skinned men and women have been praised for their "attractiveness", the Colts have been riding that "glamorous football" ticket all the way to the Super Bowl. The Chicago Bears on the other hand, with Black ass Lovie Smith as their head coach, are known for smash mouth style football. Dark skinned people everywhere are rejoicing over the fact that a team representing a similar struggle as theirs is finally getting a chance to "represent". The dark skinned black people of America have been ridiculed for years and have been the butt of countless "yo momma so black..." jokes while their light skin counterparts have basked in the all the glory. But don't fret. With the help of the flawless Sanna Lathan and the ladies favorite Morris Chestnut, dark skin brothers and sisters are in the midst of a takeover.. I guess we will find out who is really the champ when the the Indianapolis "House niggas" Colts and the Chicago "Field Niggas" Bears face off in sunny Miami two Sundays from now.

H.N.I.C 2

I was extremely disappointed when I heard that Hav and P had sold their souls to the devil and signed with G-Unit. And if that wasn't bad enough, these two niggas got G-Unit tatted on their hands. From a money standpoint I had a semi-understanding of why they signed with G-Unit but from a respect standpoint that move looked completely ass backwards. Mobb Deep are vets in the game with a classic under their belts so why would they want to be over at G-Unit with 50 calling the shots. I'll admit I haven't even heard their lastest cd but from what I hear it sucked anyway. But it looks like P has been rejuvenated and he is now set to release his sophomore solo album on Koch records. P will team up with Alchemist again for "Return of The Mac". Hopefully they will be able to relive the chemistry they had for "Keep it Thoro" from his debut. Here's his video for "New York Shit"...

Save yourself the headache...

Even though I did finish college with a degree in poli sci, I don’t claim to be this know-it-all political analyst type. I do know a few things about politics and from what I have learned I would suggest Barack Obama end his pipe dream of becoming our next president. Actually you don’t need to know anything about politics to make a observation like that. I believe it was Chris Rock that said a black man would never even reach as high as the vice prez because some nigga would just kill the president and make himself a legend in the black community. Niggas would be lining up to kill the president. It’s not that I don’t think Obama is capable of bringing the country out of the shit hole Bush has put us in; I just know that the real "white" America and the corporate big wigs that really run this country are not gonna let that happen. What really adds insult to injury is, I'm not sure that we would even see an increase in black voters even if we did have a black candidate. Black people just seem to be allergic to voting. The Dem's can try to ride this "progressive" train all they want but with a woman and a black man on a direct course to the Democratic nomination, they maybe looking at the GOP stepping inside the Pennsylvania Ave Mansion once again. (No hard feelings Barry!)

Rebuilding the empire...

By now we've all heard the story of how initially Reasonable Doubt was to be Jay Z's sole endeavor into the hip hop game. And if you claim to know anything about hip hop, then you know that Jay didn't end his career with that unrivaled classic. The following year he released In My Lifetime Vol. 1 and the luster of his debut quickly wore off. If you travel to '98, you'll hear a young vicious Memphis Bleek rapping the opening bars to Hov's third set In My Lifetime Vol. 2. It was Bleek who was supposed to be groomed to take over the Rocafella throne after Jay stepped down. Unfortunately for Bleek, the odd coupling of orphan Annie and Jay birthed "Hard Knock Life" and Hov brought the hood to the suburbs. Five years and five platinum albums later, Jay left the game and headed to the corporate offices over at Def Jam. Without getting into all the details, Dame, Biggs and Jay split. So once Jay "retired", the label that once housed street credible artists Bleek, Sigel, State Property, Cam'ron and M.O.P fell apart. Now the dilapidated roster consists of only one "successful" artist, Kanye West. Kanye never fit into the Rocafella stable of artists but he has been the most successful other than Hov himself. Now it appears that Hov may have found the savior for Rocafella, in newcomer Tru Life. Tru is most notable for his appearance on a street DVD in which he talks candidly about robbing Mobb Deep. He's been generating a buzz for a while now on the mixtape circuit and now it looks like '07 may be his coming out party (no homo). Amidst all the Diplomat v. Jay drama, Tru stepped out on the front line earlier last week with his new mixtape Tru York. The cover to the mixtape features Jim Jones and Cam dressed like Borat and LaWanda from In Living Color. Tru takes shots at the tight jean Dipset Crew and even has Hov talking greasy on the intro as well. Personally, from a hip hop standpoint I'm impressed with what I have heard so far. But knowing Rocafella's history of sitting on projects for way too long, who knows if Tru will ever release anything. Head over real talk to check out the interview with Tru Life.

WTF!!!??

The anatomy of a classic album is a topic debatable from several different angles. Often it's the "no-skip" factor that prevails as the final determinant on whether or not an album can be considered classic. On rare occasions a cd may be granted one blemish to be filed under the "filler" category. But being labeled as filler doesn't necessarily banish the song from existence. Sometimes they are at least bearable depending on the mood of the listener. It should be noted that there is a fine line between "filler" and trash. Ironically enough Jay Z is no stranger to either. With regards to his total body of work, we all know that Hov's career has been unrivaled. But along the way, on his journey to the oval office, Hov has definitely dropped his fair share of shit sandwiches. With that said, apparently Hov is looking to start the year off with one of those wet diapers as his next single. Throughout his career it has been his knack for single selection that has driven much of his commerical success. So, Hov choosing "Hollywood" as the next single baffles me. Instead of taking the "L" for the Kingdom Come debacle, Hov has decided to release what may be one of the worst songs he has ever recorded to radio's nationwide. In response to this obviously asinine decision by Jay, I've compiled a list of the worst songs he's ever recorded. And these songs aren't just "filler", they're trash!

Jay Z's garbage:

"Hollywood" Kingdom Come
"Anything" Kingdom Come
"Justify My Thug" The Black Album
"Fuck All Nite" Blueprint 2
"2 Many Hoes" Blueprint 2
"Ballad For The Fallen Solider" Blueprint 2
"Pop 4 Roc" In My Lifetime Vol. 3
"I Know What Girls Like" In My Lifetime Vol. 1

I'll probably be, lyrically, Talib Kweil...

There are only a few artists capable of maintaining underground credibility while also gaining mainstream appeal. It's an elusive trait that many artists spend their entire careers trying to capture--often unsuccessfully. Lately it appears as though Talib Kweli may be on the verge of breaking into that elusive and elite group that has evaded 95% of the rappers out and practically ensures longevity in this game called hip hop. And longevity is what separates the true talent from the novelty.

Kweli has already managed to release two critically acclaimed records; both of which were tag team efforts. The first alongside friend and fellow Brooklynite Mos Def and the second, a joint effort with collaborator DJ Hi Tek. His two solo efforts have had its moments but somehow both discs have been plagued with inconsistency. If records sold based on lyrical skill alone, Kweli would probably be in the oval office over at Def Jam. But the reality is, lyrics are merely one factor in a bevy of items that contribute to the sale and the consistency of an album. Unfortunately for Kweli, his beat selection has been somewhat skeptical and has tarnished the luster of his solo efforts, most notably his latest, The Beautiful Struggle. Since the release of The Beautiful Struggle, Kweli has started his own Blacksmith label, signed underground darling and uber talent Jean Grae, and released back to back mixtapes to generate a buzz for his latest solo effort Eardrum. But it takes more than a label and a couple of mixtapes to shed the "underground rapper" moniker and move towards becoming a household name. Not that Kweli is fixated on becoming the next 50 Cent. Judging by the title of his solo debut, I'm sure Kweli's more focused on releasing quality music that transcends any notoriety based given out by the hands of commercialism. Without any platinum albums and virtually no radio play, Kweli still managed to score a spot on an ESPN commercial promoting college basketball and moving himself one step closer to that aforementioned elite group. In addition to his work with ESPN, Kweli has also worked with the Black August Hip Hop Project, though he insists he's not a "conscious" rapper. Despite Kweli's denouncing of his "consciousness", you'd be hard pressed to find any lyrics of his that promote drug dealing, objectifying women or violence of any form. So if he's not a "gangsta" rapper and he's not a "conscious" rapper; what is he? Talib Kweli is a rapper. A true artist devoted to mastering his craft and cultivating the Hip Hop culture.

White rappers?!! What is the world coming to...

What should be my punishment for not watching the biggest college football game of the year? Subjecting myself to another episode of that train wreck called "I Love New York" seems suitable. Ironically, as much as I want to really like this show, judging by last nights episode I'll probably spend that hour grading papers while I wait for the real highlight of my Monday night "The White Rapper Show". I'm guessing VH1's trying to redeem themselves after that wet diaper "Ice-T's Rap School" failed miserably. I think they struck gold with this new "White Rapper Show". When I heard it was being done by the folks over at Ego Trip I knew that it was going to be done right. MC Serch, O.G. of the White Rap game, seems like he'll be a good host. And judging by last night's elimination, he's really taking this thing serious even if the rest of the world isn't. Seriously, do we really need another white rapper? Bad enough I gotta deal with this wannabe tough "white boys" in their Shady hoodies and Southpole jeans. Why should the rest of the (hip hop)world be subjected to another novelty "white rapper"? Even if this show doesn't produce the next "white rapper", it can still be credited for solving a problem that has plagued "white America" for the past 400 years. Somehow "White Rapper" has managed to solve the nasty racism problem in the form of the dreaded "N Word" chain. For those that missed the episode, Persia, the female "white rapper" from some "hood" in New York, got into a heated battle with "King of the Burbs" John Brown and began tossing around the "N-word" ever so casually. When Serch returned to the house he blessed Persia with the chain. Persia is by no means a lightweight and I wouldn't be shocked if she could carry 2 kegs on her back. Somehow that "N word" chain was really weighing her down. Needless to say, by the end of the episode she was regretful, embarrassed and in tears. Apparently carrying the weight of the "N-word" around on her shoulders all day, was just too damn demanding. Micheal Richards you're up next. Next week G-Child goes off on a rant about how she hates 50 Cent and Dipset. Hey! Me too!

I wipe my ass with...

Where do I start? Have we become just so consumed with the super exclusive and limited edition that a over priced brand like A Bathing Ape could market toilet paper?!! For all you "ballers" out there that want to wipe your ass with limited edition t.p. here it is! The rest of us "small timers" will have to settle for Charmin.




Cam'ron's coming to a hood near you. Only he won't be in that shiny Lamborghini he always raps about. Instead, Cam'ron's been seen cruising around Harlem in a 10 speed. And lucky for us someone was there to record it. What happen to the good ol days when rappers were more concerned with throwing wads of money at the camera and pouring champagne on scantily clad women?

Finally...

Im back after what felt like forever. In the two weeks since my last post, President Ford died, Saddam's execution has been replayed repeatedly on youtube, Busta was arrested and the world welcomed in the year 2007. But of all the things that have happened in the past weeks, Pharoahe Monch's new video "When the Gun Draws" is easily the most the interesting to me. No disrespect to the "Godfather", but it's been damn near a decade since Monch dropped the critically acclaimed "Internal Affairs". "Truth" and "Queens" still gets burn in my ipod from time to time. If "Push" and "When the Gun Draws" are any indication of what Desire will be then 2007 should be a good year for Monch. "When the Gun Draws" follows the "life" of a stray bullet in a fashion similar to Nas' "I Gave you Power". In a time where most rappers can't go eight bars without mentioning their glock, heckler & koch, etc, it's really refreshing to hear someone speak responsibly about the importance of gun control and the sad reality of the lack there of.