Duel of the ironic mic.

Even if we had not been privy to every last detail of "Lasergate" - from the organized rally to be held outside the Atlantic offices all the way to Lupe recently admitting that he hates the album - one could gather upon first listen of "Lasers" that this may have not been the version of this album Lupe had originally envisioned. At least those who have been even casual fans of Lupe since he first came on the scene.

Right from the first track, Lupe sounds exhausted: "Tired of all the wardrobe changing/Playing all these extra roles/Filled with all these different spirits/Living off these separate souls/Point of life is getting hollow/Can't wait for the exit hole..." Lupe resigns himself to the fate that is "Lasers". It's as if Biggie had started off "Ready to Die" with "Suicidal Thoughts". Set to Euro-pop emo production.

Then consider the irony of his second single "Words I Never Said". Where Lupe lyrically assaults America for its political, social, and cultural hypocrisy and concludes by declaring he will not be the one afraid to expose said hypocrisy. Yet the production is courtesy of producer-of-the-moment Alex Da Kid and his songstress-in-crime Skylar Grey. The track is actually not bad. But coming from Lupe, who had so loyally clung to his 1st-and-15th in-house production team for two albums, it feels slightly... conformist. (Yeah, I know he tapped the Neptunes for "Food & Liquor" but "I Gotcha" was never one of my favorites either.)

We could go right onto the next track where the chorus pleads, "Yeah I got flaws/I know I'm not perfect/But all the ups and downs will soon be worth it/When I get there..." A cry for help? Is it coincidental that the second verse is him metaphorically talking to his therapist about how to cope with fame... and the therapist prescribing more of it?

And so on and so forth.

Yes, this is most likely, yet again, just the paranoid ramblings of a hip hop elitist snob. But after toning down and filtering out all the hyperbole, it doesn't seem completely far fetched. Not to mention that every time I hear the hook to "State Run Radio", I have to restrain my own right hand from stabbing myself in the chest just so I can get to "All Black Everything", the near-lone saving grace of the album (at least as one song in its entirety).

And what Lupe has admitted to the press thus far only confirms these suspicions. I am sure it has not been lost at all on him, who proclaimed his favorite album was Nas' "It Was Written"... which at its time was also heavily criticized as Nas' own attempt for broader commercial appeal and success. Which, as it happens, turned out to be his best selling album of all time. And guess what? "LASERS" HAS ALREADY DONE LUPE'S BEST FIRST-WEEK NUMBERS YET.

I know, it's not that serious. It is just music after all. And, in all honesty, I am not one to criticize someone for their own personal taste in music. But if there is any grain of truth to anything I've just written, what I will take away from "Lasers" is that is, in fact, a plea. An impassioned one asking his fans to stick around for what will hopefully be the more traditionally-hip hop flavored "Food & Liquor 2".

Please?

Rap is an art, you don't own no loops...

... that is, unless you actually DO own the loops that a rapper is trying to sample from.

I guess Saigon and Just Blaze are just the latest in a long line of hip hop artists that have fallen victim to sample clearance issues. In a post from the SOHH forums, Just Blaze dropped in to explain why a couple of the snippets from "Greatest Story Never Told" sound different from the original leaks. Here is his post in full...

"I found out in the 11th hour that Atlantic had not paid for sample clearances. paperwork was done, but checks were not cut. Being that those deals were arranged 3 years prior, many of them would take a ton of follow up to finalize, which we did not have time for. We had 3 days and no budget to take care of this, so certain songs had to be changed. that being said, these are probably the best sample replays you will EVER hear, in terms of realism and feel. unfortunately "invitation" was the last one to get done and I was not able to fine tune it the way I would have liked to without the album being pushed back at least a month. Turning in an album even a day late when you have certain retail programs in place through an independent distributor can push your product back extremely because the indie has to basically get in line with what retailers offer them. Example, Joe Blow records has a program in place with FYE for placement for 4 of their products for the month of February @ 1 per week being at the front of the store, which JBR is paying for. Album 1 doesnt ship to manufacturing in time, and is ready the following week. However JBR is only allotted 1 "front of store" placement per week. They have to go with the album that was originally scheduled for release that week, and so on and so forth with the albums that were already slotted for their respective week. which means that album that was delivered only a day late now has to wait another month or possibly even more for a free slot to open up or another artist has to lose their release date when they had their material ready in time. It's not like a major who can have 10 products come out at the same time and have proper financial support across the board for all of them. This leeway is one of the few advantages of being on a major.

Anyway, i know that's a lot but I say all that to say, yes certain samples were changed but to be honest most arent even noticeable with the exception of "invitation". that being said I will eventually release the original one, but not until after the album been commercially available.

Oh yeah, what you guys know as the OG version of "preacher" was a demo that sai recorded when i first met him. might have been the first thing we ever did. the actual album version has been different since day one.

And "war" is not on the album. Not the song that's on youtube anyway. "

So I guess as it stands, we may hear the originals but not on the album itself. Slightly disappointing (especially in the case of "The Invitation" which was sounding like a certified early-2000's Just Blaze banger). But hey... that's the politics of the business. Charge it to the game and be happy the album will finally see the light of day.

You can listen to the original clips and the new snippets and compare for yourselves...

And as a bonus... Just even explains why the album cover got changed. Gotta love the internet.

Unfortunately all we ever had were small prints of the original cover shoot, which are in atlantics posession, not the full print quality materials. that's one area me and sai disagree on. he prefers the new cover, i much prefer the old. but it's his album end of the day. i think he's heard the opinions loud and clear tho. i was trying to get the OG cover to at least be the digital art. might still be a possibility.

I let me tape rock 'til my tape popped...

Just to be honest, Rolling Stone isn't good for much if you're a dedicated hip hop fan. It's interesting to read from time to time to get a more universal perspective on music. But when it comes to hip hop, it doesn't seem to get a lot right. I remember being shocked reading certain reviews for "The Blueprint" and Black Star when they dropped (I think they only got 3 out of 5 stars each if my memory serves me correctly).

Here is something they have shared which is worth your attention. They interviewed Nas on his love for hip hop... and more specifically, how cassette tapes played a large role in that regard. Cassettes are a bygone era which is so intertwined with hip hop's history precisely because hip hop, as a culture, thrived and matured during the time cassette tapes where the primary format for retail music. Whether you're talking about Raekwon's iconic Purple Tape or bonus songs (like 2Pac's Pain) which were only available at the time on the cassette versions of albums... you'd have to have lived through this time period to really know what people are referring to. Nas does exactly that in this interview... as he talks about stuffing paper inside tapes to record over them... or frantically trying to catch certain songs on the radio to record them... or hearing the tape speed up before it was about to pop... or the one that had me laughing, freezing batteries to try to extend their lifespan.

As we slowly transition into an almost exclusively digital-format age (R.I.P. Fat Beats) and a time you can instantaneously download nearly any album three weeks before its release, I find my attention span withering and my appreciation for music growing more shallow. And I think it's because back then, we had to work so much harder to attain the music we loved that we have become so jaded and take it so much more for granted now. No, I don't feel sorry for the record industry that has been robbing us for our hard-earned dollars for years... not to the mention the artists they have prostituted and abused. But I do miss that time when my love for hip hop was a lot purer. And wouldn't a label called "Rewind Effect" be remiss if we didn't share this with you as well?

My tea's gone cold, I'm wonderin' why...

Let me say right off the top: I am not a stan. If I were pressed, I'd probably say Nas is my overall favorite rapper of all time (although I think singling out one artist as your "all time favorite" is a little ridiculous). But that doesn't detract from my appreciation of Jay-Z's music. I'd even readily admit he has the superior catalog and career. And being from the West Coast, I grew up on 'Pac since he first went solo. However, I prefer listening to Biggie's albums from a straight hip hop standpoint. It's all a matter of mood or opinion, right? I've never understood religiously defending or idolizing one artist at the expense of another... especially since 99% of us do not have personal relationships with them. They do not pay our bills, have not mentored us in our upbringing, and do not know us from Adam. So why can't we just let the music be music?

So with that said, I am not a Saigon stan. I am a big fan however. And as I have mentioned multiple times on this blog, I was sorely disappointed by the possibility that his debut album would not see the light of day. Now that it is less than a month away from its release date, I am, without resorting to too much hyperbole, dying with anticipation.

Though I am not a stan (and with every mention, I realize I am starting to sound like exactly that), I will admit I can get carried away with my expectations for certain rappers and projects. I, at one time, believed Royce Da 5'9 could turn out to be the next Jay-Z. I thought he had the lyrical ability, the potential crossover appeal, and song making prowess to do so. Okay so I was wrong on that one. I also thought Lupe Fiasco and/or Jay Electronica could turn out to be the next Nas. Call me delusional but I think the jury is still out on those two counts.

So needless to say, my expectations for Saigon were (and still are) fairly high. I believe Saigon, on some levels, has the potential to be the next 2Pac. Now before you laugh, let me say I don't believe Saigon will actually achieve the cult-level status that 'Pac possesses. As great as 'Pac's music was, it is the way his legend has grown posthumously that makes him damn near a religion for a lot of people. I do think though that Saigon has some of those same qualities strictly from an artistic perspective that made 'Pac great as an ARTIST. And surpasses him in one or two respects. He rhymes with conviction about a large variety of subjects. His lyrics are largely about empowerment and moving beyond the negative portrayals and stereotypes about hip hop that make it the septic tank it is today. He believes in the power of music and what he can contribute to it. And on top of all that he can rhyme his @$$ off... from a technical standpoint, superior to 'Pac. And all of the above mentioned characteristics not only come through in his music but his interviews as well. He is one rapper I actually feel captivated listening to outside of his music. Yes, sometimes he can be self-contradicting... but it's always interesting. Especially compared to these mush-mouthed rappers that are mostly a mess of "knowhatumsayin"s and a lot of blab about what their label is or isn't doing for them. Saigon is often criticized for talking too much and not releasing enough music. But I am content being in the minority that likes to hear what he has to say. (Of course that's much easier to say now that his album is actually being released).

Saigon catches a lot of flack for the run-in with Prodigy, the whole "retirement" fiasco, dissing Joe Budden for being Amalgam then joining the label himself, and so on. I think that's exactly what qualifies all these types of detractors as the actual stans. When you care too much about things other than the music itself. The same reason people read all the US-Weekly-People-Magazine-National-Enquirer types of trashy rags. Why do you care Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had for breakfast or what helpless Asian kid they're adopting this week? Just give me a good movie that entertains me and who gives a f**k about the rest.

"The Greatest Story Never Told" has nearly already been told in full due to leaks by Just Blaze and Saigon themselves. So though most of the surprise is gone, unless the second half of the album is a total disaster, it looks like the debut will be very good. And hopefully a great launching pad for the rest of his career. Before I shun any more material until the actual release date... let's take a look at what this potential classic is shaping up to be so far...

Who stole the boom bap??!!

At the risk of sounding like a whiny, spoiled child on Christmas morning… this is not what I was promised.

Let me preface this particular rant with a short disclaimer. This is not a knock against Lex Luger's production. Yeah, some of his beats can get repetitive at times. I'm not all that familiar with the Waka Flocka catalog so outside of his more well-known Rick Ross creations ("B.M.F", "M.C Hammer"), I'm probably not the most qualified critic anyways. But I do like his beats. That whole trap style sound, when done right, would make Gandhi want to start mushing random strangers in the face. And you have to admire a young kid that makes beats on his computer and eventually hustles his way to collaborating with the two biggest names in hip hop on their lead single.

But I digress back to my original point… this is not what I was promised.

Far be it from me to hold a rapper to what they say in public about an upcoming project. "Subject to Change" is always the implied fine print. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky to see "Watch the Throne" coming into fruition at all. But… nah, f$@# that, didn't 'Ye promise us a boom bap album??! Didn't he mention the likes of Madlib and Q-Tip?! Did "The Joy" and "Chain Heavy" generate such little buzz that Jay and 'Ye felt the need to go scoop up the hot producer of the moment to build some momentum?

And once again, nothing against trap music. In essence, it IS the boom bap of the South (like G-Funk is to the West)… a sound that unmistakably defines an entire region. But in the same way Bun B sounded over Premo's production… sure, any good MC over a good beat will more often than not yield good results… yet wouldn't Nas have sounded even better??

Yeah, of course rappers are allowed to experiment with different sounds and step outside their comfort zones to artistically stretch themselves blah blah blah… but this smells a little too much like commercial desperation. I find it ironic that Jay, who took a for-most-intents-and-purposes nameless Kanye and claimed his signature sound for his own classic album, is now running off with that same producer to the go-to guy for hot beats.

And hey, I could be wrong. Maybe this is just the song to appease the industry heads or the sheep or whoever… and the other seven songs are chock full of grimy snares and dirty kicks and scratchy hi hats that sound like they rolled fresh off an SP-12.

But in this day and age, who's willing to take a chance like that?

P.S. In an attempt to expound on my frustration, Kanye pulled the same sleight-of-hand with "My Blah Blah Blah Fantasy". Another album which I thought was great… but initially envisioned as something entirely different. Namely said boom bap influenced album. This beat is supposedly the DJ Premier submission which ended up on the cutting room floor…

Premier indeed.

I will always associate DJ Premier with the blissful era when I truly became a dedicated hip hop head. Before that, hip hop was still just a mix of sounds and rhythms in a way I abstractly and subconciously appreciated. The only names I associated with those sounds were the ones emblazoned on the album cover (namely, the MC). Premo's name was the first one I actually started to recognize in the album's liner notes, the one who laid the foundations of all those songs I loved. The architect of my addiction. The PRODUCER. Yeah, yeah... I knew other producers like Dr. Dre and all them... but mostly because they had their name on the front covers too. Preem's name was only on the inside cover of those Gangstarr albums. And after I wrapped my feeble mind around the concept of the "producer", I started digging further into what the concept of a hip hop producer entailed... how they actually took older records and chopped them up to create that entirely new sound that I was now a fan of. In a way, Premo largely shaped my appreciation for music outside of the boundaries of hip hop itself.

So XXL has done all of us Premier fans a huge service in presenting us with the definitive Premier interview. This is a must read for any true hip hop head. Preem gives us the back stories on a few events from the past that he had only hinted at before. Like what really happened in the beef between Jeru the Damaja and Bad Boy. And how that affected his work with Big. And how Big even tried to get some beats from Dre for "Life After Death". And how he made up with Chuck D after the "Crack Commandments" drama. And his thoughts on how things ended with Guru. And why he hasn't worked with Jay lately. And if we'll ever get that collab album with him and Nas. And how you might have even heard his work in some Wal-Mart commercials. Do yourself a favor and read this.

DJ Premier: The XXL Icon Interview.

St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

We as hip hop fans have been promised many albums over the years. "Helter Skelter". "Oh My God". "The Nacirema Dream". A Nas/Primo collab. Yet with every announcement, we hold out hope that these dream projects might actually come to fruition. Very rarely do we wait years on end and actually get the album delivered to us.

It seems like next February, two of the albums on my personal wishlist may finally see the light of day. Saigon's "Greatest Story Never Told" has been promised to us multiple times. And it seems I've written about it multiple times also. We've seen photos of an album cover and even the final mastered copy sitting on Just Blaze's mastering board. So this newly redesigned album cover could very well be another tease. Perhaps I'm just making myself the idiot who keep running back to that little bastard who won't stop yelling "Wolf" at the top of his lungs. But I am choosing to believe it's real this time. Saigon never delivered that 8-song appetizer he promised a couple months ago. But he has dropped about half that amount of songs during that time to prove he's back on he's grind. Let's take a moment to imagine how great the album could be if it sounds anything like this on track number one...