This week I decided to put up a tribute mix to Nas & AZ collabos. Get em while it’s hot! Cause it is…
1. Nas & AZ (DJ Clue)- Serious 2. Nas feat. AZ- Life’s Bitch 3. The Firm- Firm Biz 4. The Firm feat. Canibus- Desparados 5. AZ feat. Nas- How ya Livin’ 6. AZ feat. Nas- The Essence 7. The Firm- Affirmative Action 8. The Firm- Affirmative Action (remix) 9. Nas feat. AZ- The Flyest 10. AZ feat. Nas- Mo Money, Mo Murder, More Homicide 11. The Firm- Phone Tap 12. Nas feat. AZ & Biz Markie(Demo)- Understanding 13. The Firm- La Familia 14. The Firm- Executive Decision
Ah, Snoop…I don’t know what the hell to make of you at this point. Has he run out of sh*t to rap about? Is this a gimmick to gain attention? Is this just a reason to continue to smoke weed (I thought he quit)? Or was he truly inspired by the Rastafarian Religion? I have no idea.
Part of me was skeptical because Snoop has proved in the past that in order to continue as a viable rap artist, he had to expand his horizons. He couldn’t just be the “Gin & Juice” Snoop, he had to also be the “Beautiful” Snoop. Then he became the “Sexual Seduction” Snoop. Sh*t, he even did a record with Willie Nelson of all people. I’m not mad though.
He is here. He’s not on a “What Ever Happened to…?” show. He has survived a lot. He really shouldn’t be as visible as he is today. There are rappers who debuted last year that don’t have as much buzz. I mean, his career is one hell of a roller-coaster ride when you think about it. Somehow I feel like this could be his last ride.
I’m saying, what kind of insensitive dude would adopt a religion as another means to sell records (Ma$e?). If Snoop Lion was to return as Snoop Dogg, he would be forever scrutinized. Not only would the Rastafarian community sh*t on him (They already have in some circles), but his fans wouldn’t respect him. Do they respect him now? Are Snoop Dogg fans now Snoop Lion fans?
Has his fan base evolved with him? The messages contradict one another. The music/lyrics are about peace and spirituality now. Not “B*tchez ain’t Sh*t”. Honestly, more people should be happy for him. More fans should applaud his music. Is this not the kind of music people say is lacking in today’s hip-hop? Is it hip-hop?
Honestly, I still don’t know what to feel about the whole situation. I am not a die hard Snoop fan, but I have a couple of albums. This Snoop Lion isn’t my cup of tea. Why? I just don’t think he is any good at Reggae. Whatever makes the man happy though… Salute Bruhda.
THE EVOLUTION THAT IS SNOOP DOGGY DOGG -> SNOOP LION:
Top 5 hip-hop records I heard this week (in no particular order).
- Homeboy Sandman “Dag, Philly Too”
- Logic “Nasty”
- Reks “Trap Rap”
- Ab-Soul feat. Mac Miller “The End is Near”
- Marco Polo feat. Talib Kweli & Dj Premier “G.U.R.U.”
Top 5 hip-hop records I heard this week (in no particular order).
- Rome Clientel “RVD”
- Joell Ortiz “Roll Deep”
- De La Soul feat. The Spirit of the Wu “Get Away”
- Common “Congratulations”
- J. Cole “Maine on Fire”
Top 5 hip-hop records I heard this week (in no particular order).
- Jay-Z “Open Letter”
- Styles P. feat. Jadakiss “Red Eye”
- Cory Gunz “IDK My Limits”
- Big K.R.I.T. “Life is a Gamble”
- Pusha T. “Numbers on the Boards”
This week I decided to put up a all hip-hop mix dedicated to hard to find and unreleased music from the mid to late 90s. There are a lot of rare joints here! Get em while it’s hot! Cause it is…
1. KFC(Mase,Cam’ron,Bloodshed,Mcgruff,Big L)- American Dream
2. Smiff-N-Wessun- Wrekonize Remix
3. Raekwon feat. Ghostface Killah- Rainy Dayz Remix
4. Jay-Z feat. Melissa Morgan- Can’t Knock the Hustle Remix
5. Redman- Funkorama
6. Blahzay Blahzay feat. La The Darkman, Smoothe Da Hustler, Trigger Tha Gambler- Danger Pt. II
7. Mobb Deep- Back At You
8. Busta Rhymes feat. O.D.B.- Woo Ha Remix
9. Cam’ron feat. DMX- Pull It
10. Nore feat. Tragedy & Nas- Calm Down
11. Nore- Married 2 Marijuana
12. Jaz-O feat. Sauce Money, Jay-Z- Foundation
13. Ghostface Killah- Cobra Clutch
14. Mic Geronimo feat. DMX, Ja-Rule, The LOX, Tragedy- Usual Suspects
15. Large Professor feat. Nas- One Plus One
Man, what the hell did J. Cole do to Jay-Z? You would never know that he was signed to his label (Roc Nation). Not only is he absent from J. Cole everything (i.e. Songs, Pics), now Hov does a remix with his man Kendrick Lamar? The cover of the single is a pic of Kobe and Jordan together. What?! If I was J. cole, no disrespect to Kendrick, but I’d need answers.
Jay-Z has barely endorsed J. Cole publicly. Ok, so Jay Cole was on Blueprint 3. That song was completely forgettable. I understand allowing your artist to make a name for themselves, but this feels like more. Jay did a entire album with Kanye. Kanye didn’t need it. Hov seems more than willing to share some lime light.
I understand that Jay-Z likes to gravitate to the “hot” side of the room but damn. Your little man is drowning under the pressure of his peers Drake & Kendrick. It doesn’t help his cause if you draw more attention their way. I’m not totally against the way Jay-Z has handled J. Cole. I felt he got in Memphis Bleek’s way on Roc-a-Fella.
Once again, this is a case where you have a dude who is just as talented as his peers but he needs that one hit. He obviously is unable to craft it himself. Those radio records wouldn’t chart if he was on some bullsh*t label like Mack Town Records.
Who knows? Maybe J. Cole’s sophomore album will tell a different tale. He better hurry up. Drake’s 3rd album is right around the corner.
Oh how soon we forget the laws of the land until we are reminded of the iron fist that is REALITY. I have my opinions on the “latest trend” but that’s not what this post is about. It’s about how an underground producer’s song becomes a national craze and ushers in more than a million downloads….AND THE SAMPLES WERE NOT CLEARED. Oh boy.
Now, this is no fault of Baauer (the producer)…we’ll maybe a little bit. How would he have known that this song would become so big (It’s not really the song, but the videos…but they go hand in hand)? He used various samples from songs and people around the net hoping to get a couple of hits. This is not a uncommon practice in this day and age of producers. The internet is the biggest dig site for samples. You better believe that if you sample (on any level) and you want to sell that track….without clearing samples? Those moments of creative euphoria will eventually bite you in the a$$.
Not every song is a potential dance craze/video foolery hit, but the point is…YOU NEVER KNOW. I mean, that is why you create and then post to the net. Correct? It’s the hope that many people will get to hear it. Anyway, Reggaetón artist Hector “El Father” Delgado and Philadelphia MC Jayson Musson have been sampled in the creation of Harlem Shake and they want their cut. It is only right. Unfortunately for Baauer, this is a bittersweet lesson in fame and misfortune.
Here is a more detailed explanation of this story: The Verge
Is it safe to say that this dude’s run is up? His main artist has been hotter than him for a while now. He hasn’t been the same since prison. That Emmitt Till line is unforgivable. Now this “beef” with the NBA. Who knows what the story is.
And…more importantly…Who the f@ck cares. Do music. That is your bread and butter. We can see that he has been void of attention lately, but this is not the kind you want. I wasn’t always the biggest fan of Lil Wayne but I did like a couple of records. The last album was meh, and all of this bad press is not a good look.
That Chris Bosh stuff is left field but “hoe-well”
