If you're in the Los Angeles area this weekend (Saturday, November 7th to be exact)... come stop by Cinespace in Hollywood to celebrate the debut release from my homie Bounce Roc... "ROOKIE VETERAN"! Some of the beats on the album were done by yours truly... not to mention all the graphic design done by Rewind Effect!
Also check out the promo video for "Rookie Veteran". The two tracks Bounce spits here are both my beats.
And the return of the Purple Tape smashed BP3. A few months ago, I honestly didn't think I'd be saying that. But OB4CL2 made me feel like it's 1996 again. Do yourself a favor and support true hip hop by buying it on September 8th.
But for those American consumers who were unexplainably denied the bonus tracks... here they are in a convenient zip file. "Walk Wit Me" and "The Badlands"...
http://www.zshare.net/download/6518057595addb74/
(I still think "State of Grace" should've made the cut. But who's complaining.)
Okay, all the extended 2 minute snippets are out there. Check them out here.
[UPDATED!!!]
"Catalina", "Surgical Gloves", and "10 Bricks" are all over the web by now. Here's a new snippet... "Ason Jones" produced by J. Dilla. This album is only a week from being released. Where is the damn leak already??
Yeah, hip hop is still in critical condition. Some say damn near terminal. And of course others say, to borrow a phrase that became worn out all too quickly... hip hop is already dead. Being the elitist hip hop snob I am, I will be the first to take advantage of any opportunity to bemoan the pathetic state hip hop has tragically devolved into. But I have to admit, every so often, there's a breeze that blows through the industry, seemingly coming from nowhere, that is refreshing to even a bitter ol' curmudgeon like myself. So with that, I present to you on this Super Sabado, the Five Tracks I Can't Stop Bumpin'...
Jay-Z ft. Rihanna & Kanye, "Run This Town". Most will listen to this track and complain that Jay still can't rhyme no mo'. And that even Kanye (who once rhymed "Michael Jackson" with "Michael Jackson") is murdering him on his own sh*t. I've been complaining about the same thing since "Kingdom Come" (actually, since the first "Blueprint" if you want to know the truth). That Jay is gone. I've accepted that. Now I'll just be happy if he can make a solid hip hop album. With No ID and Kanye handling the bulk of the production, all signs seem to indicate "Blueprint 3" will deliver.
Eminem, "The Warniing". Okay, Em going after pop stars is now (or maybe has always been) officially corny. But if it brings out this side of Eminem, I'm all for it. How come he couldn't have went in like this on "Relapse"??? This is Em without the gimmicks or stupid accent... it's just an MC focusing all his lyrical rage on one unlucky victim... and hasn't that what hip hop, in its purest form, been all about? Incorporating the vocal samples of Mariah from his voicemail was just the poisonous frosting on top. It almost makes me disappointed that Nick Cannon took the higher road in choosing not to respond negatively but rather with Bible verses. I was looking forward to the next chapter Em promises in this cut. Well, regardless, it goes without saying, I am looking forward to "Relapse 2".
Raekwon ft. Ghostface, Inspectah Deck, & Method Man, "House of Flying Daggers". Ah man, after one song, I'm all the sudden ready to declare the Wu is back. I had given up on Wu after the underwhelming "8 Diagrams". I thought there was no way "Cuban Linx 2" could live up to the hype. But after hearing this lead off single, I am back on board the Wu bandwagon. Deck's flow, without explanation, is razor sharp again... Ghost & Rae are back like they never left... and when Meth said, "Let's push this music past the point of no return, 'til they crash and burn, down the ashes then placed inside Ol' Dirty Bastard's urn..." I lost it. September 8th, we get OBFCL2, the 11th Blueprint 3... that's gonna be a good month.
Rakim, "Holy Are You". The God is back. This is the first time since the news was announced that I feel okay about Rakim's deal on Aftermath not working out. I don't care if you think Ra spits the exact same way he did 15 years ago. I could listen to it for the rest of my life. To me, there is a reason he has been held the standard for so many years. His flow, lyricism, voice, and presence on the mic, for my money, is the make up of the quintissential MC. Add that to a borderline-blasphemous sample on a sinister beat... and I'm hooked. I can only hope this is actually the single. Meaning the album is soon to follow.
Lupe Fiasco, "Shining Down". My three favorite MC's that have emerged in the last five years would undoubtedly be Saigon, Jay Electronica, and Lupe Fiasco. Since the former two do not seem to be dropping their overdue debuts any time soon, I guess I should be grateful that Lupe has had a prolific career as he has in such a short period of time. I loved his first album for being such a great representation of pure, unadulterated hip hop... and I was feeling the direction he was evolving in on his second (which I cannot say for a lot of other rappers... see: Mos Def). "Shining Down" is a great genre-bending, but still truly hip hop, song and it seems the evolution will continue. I wish Lupe could have been the next Jay, dropping an album consistently every year and giving hip hop heads a holiday to look forward to on a yearly basis... but I will patiently wait for his third. And pray he is not serious about retiring.
Here is a battle in which, upon first glance, it seems the average hip hop fan might side with Jay-Z. He's the legend, right? The Game is no rookie... but is relatively a young'n by comparison. Jay is the calm, cool, collected veteran who chooses his battles carefully and can brush off the naysayers who he considers beneath him (aside from that whole Deshawn Stevenson debacle). Essentially, isn't that what Jay said in his recently revealed "Blueprint 3" intro... "I ain't talkin' 'bout Game..."
The Game, on the other hand, has the reputation as the hot-head with the itchy trigger finger who has just been waiting to get into beef with Jay-Z. Honestly, didn't everyone already think he was going at him on "Westside Story" talking about not wearing button ups or driving Maybachs? Even with his attempt to diffuse it by claiming he was talking about Ja Rule (as heard on the title track to his debut album), who really believed him? And even in subsequent interviews, The Game still tried to play it as cool as possible.
It almost seemed like Jay was waiting to spring the trap. Like he did with Nas in the infamous Summer Jam freestyle which was the prequel to "Takeover".
But would this battle be as one-sided as Jay would make it out to be?
The Game has proven himself as battle-tested. Even though we got sick of hearing the umpteenth, 500 bar G-Unit diss, the first couple disses were solid. I don't think The Game was single-handedly responsible for G-Unit's fall from grace like he wants you to believe... but you have to admit that most thought that a guy who holds as much weight in the industry as 50 could crush Game like a cockroach. And, as such, that was not the case. As a matter of fact, Game, even without the aid of Dre and the Aftermath machine, has carved out a pretty solid career for himself.
And if you haven't heard the possible preview yet, check out the diss track that leaked awhile back by Game where he goes at 50, Jay-Z, and *gasp* Suge Knight one verse at a time. The thing about diss tracks is the most lyrical ones are not necessarily the most effective (compare the tracks in the Joe Buddens/Saigon saga). Sometimes simplicity sells. And when I first heard this track, it definitely got solid rotation in my ITunes. Definitely more than Jay-Z's recent diss tracks including his response to Jim Jones.
These days, diss tracks are a dime a dozen and let's face it, we're all sick of it. Back in the day, a diss track had everyone listening... now they'd hardly make the average rap listener flinch. But I will say, this one has piqued my interest. I'm ready to hear more. And from the sound of it, seems like Game is too.
UPDATE: Seems like Game has already responded with a freestyle on tour.
DJ Steve Porter? I never heard of him either... until today.
Doesn't this video prove how stupid autotune is? That any untalented idiot could use it?
Not that I'm calling the "Sham Wow" guy untaleneted.
And another one for sports fans that was equally entertaining.
6.09.2009
There have already been a thousand posts written complaining about the absence about Saigon's long overdue debut, "The Greatest Story Never Told". There are thousands more would-be journalists and critics who have made much ado about the ironic title of said debut as they not-so-cleverly comment on the nature of self-fulfilling prophecy. They say he deserves it for daring to compare his album to "Illmatic" before it even sees the light of day.
I'm guilty too. And in my two decades of being a hip hop fan, I can't recall any album I have anticipated for going on 5 years. I just want the damn thing. And as is my nature to wax nostalgic about things that haven't even happened yet, I find myself piecing together whatever fragments of this album I have at my disposal and compulsively listening to them ad nauseum. Call me neurotic. Call me obsessive. Call me pathological. Call me any combination of these adjectives and whatever else you can come up with. But if you can relate in any way, or are merely curious as to what can lead to such a condition, I present to you my half-assed rendition of "The Greatest Story Never Told"...
I'm told Just Blaze has removed JBTV from Youtube. But at the time, he had put together a video and dropped teaser samples of TGSNT throughout. From what I can tell , these snippets are of "The Invitation", "Friends", the title track, a track I can't identify, and "The War".
2) "Come On Baby" Remix.
I personally like Saigon's verses on the original version better. But I can see why this made the tracklist. I mean come on, it's Jay-Z.
3) "The War".
Or at least I think that's what it is. Judging by the hook at the end. I think this is one of the tracks Just Blaze post on his blog but I can't remember.
4) "Preacher".
I had heard an early version of this song had dropped on a mixtape. But I had a hell of a time tracking it down. I finally did about a year and a half ago. Supposedly they have updated this song for the final version. And who the hell is DJ Neptune?
5) "Believe It".
The song I bitched about before. The perfect single for Saigon that Atlantic did not get behind. The song that should've been Saigon's "Live Your Life" or "All of the Above". Oh well. At least we got to hear it.
6) "Chilly Boom".
This song no longer seems to be listed on the final track list. It was originally. And it's a good song. So I included it here.
7) "Just Blaze Meets Saigon".
Another song that doesn't seem to be on the final track list. Unless it has been renamed. This song dropped on the TGSNT prequel, "Moral of the Story". It's Saigon on a hot Just Blaze track so it had be included here.
8) "Pain in my Life".
Saigon's ill-fated first single. I guess that's what he gets for trying to go against the grain and be positive. It is not my favorite Sai joint... but still a solid, positive song and still listed as a bonus track.
So there you have it. How much longer do I have to wait? No word from Sai or Just in awhile. I guess I'll go back to just bumping this for awhile. Dammit.
Here is a battle in which, upon first glance, it seems the average hip hop fan might side with Jay-Z. He's the legend, right? The Game is no rookie... but is relatively a young'n by comparison. Jay is the calm, cool, collected veteran who chooses his battles carefully and can brush off the naysayers who he considers beneath him (aside from that whole Deshawn Stevenson debacle). Essentially, isn't that what Jay said in his recently revealed "Blueprint 3" intro... "I ain't talkin' 'bout Game..."
There have already been a thousand posts written complaining about the absence about Saigon's long overdue debut, "The Greatest Story Never Told". There are thousands more would-be journalists and critics who have made much ado about the ironic title of said debut as they not-so-cleverly comment on the nature of self-fulfilling prophecy. They say he deserves it for daring to compare his album to "Illmatic" before it even sees the light of day.