I have a dream... well, I constantly have daydreams of what my perfect rap label would be like (if you were expecting some inspirational MLK shit there, sorry if I disappointed). There are literally so many rappers with so many different types of skills that it's insane to think about what they could all do together (or with different collaborators, you remember my "who are your dream collaborations" article awhile back? this is almost of the same vein). Too many times have I thought about how limited some of my favorite rappers are because of their label, or because of whose in their circle, or even because of who they frequently collaborate with. You never know what could have happened with some artists if their career paths may have went differently, or if they do in the near future (butterfly effects aside). This post is for those like me that think (probably waaay too much) about how things could be if they were different. All I want to know is this: who's on your rap label?
Now before we start the game I have to lay down some guidelines: first up is the point system. I tried to make it as simple as possible in terms of what rankings each rapper got, the best rappers get a 5 point ranking while the worst get a 1, and so on. A 5 point ranked rapper is what you would want to lead your label: in terms of selling records and being the fan favorite, this is your go to artist. A 1 point artist isn't necessarily just a label filler, they could be whatever you want them to be, it is YOUR label after all, although to make it challenging I have given each label a 12 point limit per label, though there is no limit to how many rappers/artists are on your label.
Next up are the label tags (or in NFL terms, the "franchise" tags). These tags basically define what each rapper is and how the public sees them (or at least how I see them, you may see them differently, all I ask is that you follow the guidelines). Some rappers/artists will get tags that others won't because it is all based on how unique that rapper/artist is musically, but these tags include; Chart Topper (CT), Lyrical Miracle (LM), Fan Favorite (FF), New Artist (NA), Party Music (PM), Thought Provoking (TP), Story Teller (ST) and Original Gangsta (OG). The only guidelines I have for the tags is that every label have at least 1 Chart Topper (CT), 1 New Artist (NA), and one Original Gangsta (OG). Every other artist is up to you, there is no limit to how many of each.
The last rule is that there are to be no label heads involved on your label, obviously because you would be taking their place. So this means Eminem, Jay Z, Nas, Diddy, Lil Wayne, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, T.I., Rick Ross and Birdman will not make the list. The rest of the rappers, however, are all fair game. I only define label heads as the MAJOR labels (Shady Records, Young Money, Cash Money, GOOD Music, Roc Nation, Mass Appeal, Grand Hustle, Bad Boy, Maybach Music Group), so labels like Drake's OVO and B.o.B's No Genre would not make this list. Whatever you believe the guidelines should be, they have been set and to play the game you must follow them (it's supposed to be a fun challenge as well, I hope to readers follow the guidelines and play the game fairly). Anyways, below is a list of most every rapper that qualifies to make the list, along with their tags and point totals next to them.
5 Points 4 Points
Kendrick Lamar (ST)(CT)(LM)(TP) Logic (ST)(FF)(TP)(LM)(NA)
J. Cole (ST)(CT)(LM)(TP) Lupe Fiasco (TP)(LM)(FF)
Mac Miller (FF)(TP)(PM)(LM) Big Sean (PM)(LM)
Tyler The Creator (LM)(PM)(FF) Meek Mill (PM)(LM)
Drake (ST)(PM)(FF)(CT) Young Jeezy (OG)(ST)(CT)(PM)
Nicki Minaj (LM)(FF)(CT) Fabolous (OG)(FF)(PM)(TP)
Big K.R.I.T (FF)(PM)(TP) A$AP Rocky (FF)(PM)
Slaughterhouse (LM)(FF) Schoolboy Q (PM)(FF)
Ab-Soul (FF)(TP)(LM)
Common (OG)(ST)(TP)
50 Cent (OG)(PM)(FF)(CT)
Pusha T (LM)(PM)(TP)
3 Points 2 Points
Andre 3000 (OG)(ST)(LM)(FF)(TP) Joe Budden (ST)(FF)(LM)(TP)
Big Boi (OG)(PM)(FF) Crooked I (LM)(TP)(FF)
Bun B (OG)(PM)(LM) Royce Da 5'9 (LM)(TP)(FF)
Dizzy Wright (NA)(PM) Joell Ortiz (LM)(TP)(FF)
Yelawolf (ST)(LM)(TP)(PM) Nipsey Hussle (PM)
Tech N9ne (LM)(FF) 2 Chainz (PM)(FF)
Ludacris (OG)(PM)(FF) Rittz (ST)(TP)(LM)(PM)(FF)
Earl Sweatshirt (LM)(PM)(FF) Cyhi The Prynce (TP)(LM)(NA)
Wiz Khalifa (PM) Mick Jenkins (NA)(PM)(TP)
B.o.B (LM)(PM)(TP) MGK (PM)(LM)
Juicy J (OG)(PM)(FF) Ty Dolla $ign (PM)
Game (OG)(ST)(PM)(TP) Young Thug (PM)
Curren$y (PM)(FF)(TP) Rich Homie Quan (PM)
Nelly (OG)(PM)(FF) DMX (OG)(PM)(FF)
Wale (PM)(TP) Trinidad James (PM)(NA)
A$AP Ferg (PM) Lil John (OG)(PM)(FF)
Asher Roth (LM)(PM)(TP) Kirko Bangz (HS)(PM)
Jay Rock (NA)(ST)(PM)(TP) Usher (HS)(FF)(PM)
French Montana (PM) Omarion (HS)(PM)
Kid Cudi (TP)(FF)(PM) Tyga (PM)
Joey Bada$$ (ST)(NA)(TP)(LM)(PM) Snow Tha Product (NA)(LM)(PM)(TP)Childish Gambino (PM)(TP)(FF) Rihanna (HS)(CT)(PM)
Jay Electronica (NA)(ST)(LM)(TP) King Chip (PM)(TP)
Chance The Rapper (PM)(TP)(NA) Skyler Grey (HS)
Freddie Gibbs (FF)(PM) Jeremih (HS)
Action Bronson (PM)(TP)(LM) T-Pain (HS)
Twista (OG)(FF)(LM) Trey Songz (CT)(HS)
Talib Kweli (OG)(ST)(TP)(LM)(FF) Chris Brown (HS)(CT)
Mos Def (OG)(ST)(TP)(LM)(FF) Riff Raff (PM)(HS)
YG (PM) Mick Jenkins (PM)(TP)
Future (HS)(PM) Lil Flip (PM)
Project Pat (OG)(FF)(PM) Chingy (PM)
Anthony Hamilton (HS) Akon (HS)
Kevin Gates (PM)(TP)(NA)(IDGT)(SMH) Kurupt (OG)(LM)(PM)
Iggy Azalea (CT)(HS)(PM)(FF) Bow Wow (PM)(FF)
Jhene Aiko (HS)(ST)(TP)(PM) Paul Wall (PM)(FF)
Lil Kim (OG)(LM)(PM) Chevy Woods (LM)(PM)
Busta Rhymes (OG)(LM)(PM) Obie Trice (OG)(LM)(TP)
Jadakiss (OG)(LM)(TP) Tuki Carter (PM)(NA)
Trae The Truth (PM)(LM)
Now with the absolutely humongoid, gigantic, mammoth, Andre The Giant-esque list I just gave you (with the exception of a few, let me know if I left any names off or if there are any others that you would include in your label), you should definitely have fun putting together your label. Now I want to see what the people come up with! Honestly I can't even tell you who I'd put on my label with the point limit at the moment, it may even take me a couple days before I can come up with my list. But just remember the guidelines/rules, and just have fun with it, it's all about the discussion! We can talk over who you put on your label and why on Twitter (@SuperNovaRover) or Google+ when you make your decisions, you important label heads you. Now go and do big things with your artists.
Showing posts with label Iggy Azalea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iggy Azalea. Show all posts
Monday, January 12, 2015
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
The Year In Rap: 2014
Another year goes by, another roller coaster ride of rappity rap is put in the books, and more New Years resolutions are going to be made that probably won't pan out to be followed as planned (I however am planning to listen to little to no amount of music from Rae Sremmurd, so far I've kept my promise and it's not even the new year, isn't that amazing?). From elevator fights over who knows what to the incredible rise of one of the hottest new rappers out, to rap reaching new levels of fan interaction and battle rap pummeling it's way into the mainstream, 2014 was absolutely filled with excitement. Where do we even begin?
In terms of albums being released, J. Cole has seemingly owned the year, and just within the last month of it all. Cole had only announced his 2014 Forrest Hills Drive this November and it has without a doubt been the most interesting story in rap, quite possibly in all of music this year. With little to no promotion for the actual album itself, Cole still made headlines over the incredibly humble moves he made involving his fans this year, hosting events like album listening sessions at his own house, random stops at events and performing for fans, and there was even one instance where Cole showed up to a fan's house to give out signed copies of the album, take pictures and even hang out with the fan for a little bit. To top it all off Cole's newest release has just recently been certified gold by the RIAA, and it's certainly well deserved. Other successful album releases included Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Royce Da 5'9, and Kevin Gates even charted with a specially released mix tape.
(Cole performed his song "Be Free" on Letterman to promote not the new album, but the recent Ferguson violence and Erick Sermon's death by chokehold. His sweatshirt reads "Fuck Money Spread Love" in logos. Is Cole the new Tupac?)
Another huge story that took over headlines the time it had happened was the famed Beyoncé, Jay Z and Solange Knowles elevator incident. This led to jokes, memes, interview questions, and even (alleged) song lyrics talking about the matter. The story is that supposedly Solange got very angry at Jay Z (why, nobody knows, she might have been drunk) and the surveillance video shows Solange continuously punching and kicking Jay Z while he just stood there and took it (like a man should of course). Was Solange trying to stand up for her sister? Could Jay really have cheated on Beyoncé? Was Solange in need of money and did Jay just tell her to go start her own label? All of these could have been plausible questions that still nobody has any answers for. Check out the surveillance video below.
Iggy Azalea had an absolutely huge year as well, and it's hard to deny that she got massive attention even if you don't like her music, but the attention was hot one second then cold the next. Her constant beef and involvement with other rappers/celebrities on social media probably wasn't the attention she was looking for, but the saying "any press is good press" comes to mind when you think of Iggy (maybe not if you're really a fan). I'm not exactly a super fan of Iggy myself, but you have to respect what she is doing and how much of a following she's built in such a short period of time. I do know that she can rap given the chance, even though The New Classic isn't the best evidence of that claim. Her huge year was more evidence of how the Grammy's overlook other truly great music though, and in terms of rap Macklemore definitely wasn't the most deserving candidate for best rap album (he even admitted it and put out an apology to Kendrick).
Macklemore's apology to Kendrick seemed to get mixed opinions and views from people, some people said Macklemore shouldn't have apologized seeing as it takes away the competitive aspect of rap, while some others gained a newfound respect for Macklemore and saw it as him "seeing the unfairness to hip hop from the Grammys." This unfairness has been a thing for quite some time now, and it became even more of a thing when Kendrick's album, Good Kid Maad City, which some people highly consider the best hip hop album of the past 20 years or so (although the word "classic" has been thrown around many more times than it should), got snubbed at the Grammy's and lost to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' The Heist. To many people The Heist wasn't even as good as any of the other nominees, which included Drake's Nothing Was The Same, Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail, and Kanye West's Yeezus.
The mix tape circuit has been almost as exciting as the album circuit this year, if not more so. There are many that stand out among the best, a few that got a bunch of attention were ones like Mick Jenkins' The Waters, Kevin Gates' By Any Means, Lil B's 05 Fuck Em, and many more, but the one that garnered my attention the most had to be Mac Miller's Faces. Being a Mac hater (admittedly) since his mix tape days of course I saw this mix tape and didn't bat an eye at it at first, but I had a friend introduce me to Faces and I have to say I was immediately impressed by not just the skill, but the musical range of Mac as well. What he can do with a song is truly amazing, his production skills are almost as good as his rapping abilities, and he know how to truly entertain someone with his abstract writing ability and topics, and Faces is the absolute pinnacle of Mac's abilities. Faces doesn't seem like a mix tape at all, it seems more like an album to me, I mean why else would it not have any DJ tags? The rumors of his being on drugs during the entire process is certainly plausible (I mean come on, have you LISTENED to it?), and his mental state is something you'd certainly worry about if what he raps about is true, it almost seems as if Mac has entered this sort of "Slim Shady" phase where he feels like he has to do drugs to draw the influence and become great. The music is great and the fans are happy, but when it comes to Mac being healthy, you have to wonder.
(*I do not own any of these videos, songs, or the rights to them*)
So with the elevator fights, the crazy amount of good music, the snubbing of rap at awards shows (as usual) and so much beef you could cut it with a knife, you have to wonder what 2015 will bring. Rumors are there will be new albums from Kendrick, Drake, Kanye, Mac Miller and too many more to name, the anticipation is always there but you never know how the year will turn out until it's actually happening (or if you're like me and you really don't think about it at all until just now). Rap is constantly on the move in terms of advancement of the culture and how people see it and how seriously they take it, and I feel like there will always be that certain audience who can't take it seriously just because of the egos involved, but if you're not confident and can't take pride in what you do, then how can you say you love it? The competition will only get better (especially as Kendrick continues to slowly slither his way back into the music scene), the music will only be top notch, and the rhymes will be so much farther ahead of us than we even know. So to end the last post of the year, allow me to leave you with some advice: take time to enjoy your music, the times in your life, the people in your life, and the ride of what's to come. As Weezy said: life is like a fuckin roller coaster then it drops! Be ready for your next hill.
In terms of albums being released, J. Cole has seemingly owned the year, and just within the last month of it all. Cole had only announced his 2014 Forrest Hills Drive this November and it has without a doubt been the most interesting story in rap, quite possibly in all of music this year. With little to no promotion for the actual album itself, Cole still made headlines over the incredibly humble moves he made involving his fans this year, hosting events like album listening sessions at his own house, random stops at events and performing for fans, and there was even one instance where Cole showed up to a fan's house to give out signed copies of the album, take pictures and even hang out with the fan for a little bit. To top it all off Cole's newest release has just recently been certified gold by the RIAA, and it's certainly well deserved. Other successful album releases included Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Royce Da 5'9, and Kevin Gates even charted with a specially released mix tape.
Another huge story that took over headlines the time it had happened was the famed Beyoncé, Jay Z and Solange Knowles elevator incident. This led to jokes, memes, interview questions, and even (alleged) song lyrics talking about the matter. The story is that supposedly Solange got very angry at Jay Z (why, nobody knows, she might have been drunk) and the surveillance video shows Solange continuously punching and kicking Jay Z while he just stood there and took it (like a man should of course). Was Solange trying to stand up for her sister? Could Jay really have cheated on Beyoncé? Was Solange in need of money and did Jay just tell her to go start her own label? All of these could have been plausible questions that still nobody has any answers for. Check out the surveillance video below.
Iggy Azalea had an absolutely huge year as well, and it's hard to deny that she got massive attention even if you don't like her music, but the attention was hot one second then cold the next. Her constant beef and involvement with other rappers/celebrities on social media probably wasn't the attention she was looking for, but the saying "any press is good press" comes to mind when you think of Iggy (maybe not if you're really a fan). I'm not exactly a super fan of Iggy myself, but you have to respect what she is doing and how much of a following she's built in such a short period of time. I do know that she can rap given the chance, even though The New Classic isn't the best evidence of that claim. Her huge year was more evidence of how the Grammy's overlook other truly great music though, and in terms of rap Macklemore definitely wasn't the most deserving candidate for best rap album (he even admitted it and put out an apology to Kendrick).
Macklemore's apology to Kendrick seemed to get mixed opinions and views from people, some people said Macklemore shouldn't have apologized seeing as it takes away the competitive aspect of rap, while some others gained a newfound respect for Macklemore and saw it as him "seeing the unfairness to hip hop from the Grammys." This unfairness has been a thing for quite some time now, and it became even more of a thing when Kendrick's album, Good Kid Maad City, which some people highly consider the best hip hop album of the past 20 years or so (although the word "classic" has been thrown around many more times than it should), got snubbed at the Grammy's and lost to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' The Heist. To many people The Heist wasn't even as good as any of the other nominees, which included Drake's Nothing Was The Same, Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail, and Kanye West's Yeezus.
The mix tape circuit has been almost as exciting as the album circuit this year, if not more so. There are many that stand out among the best, a few that got a bunch of attention were ones like Mick Jenkins' The Waters, Kevin Gates' By Any Means, Lil B's 05 Fuck Em, and many more, but the one that garnered my attention the most had to be Mac Miller's Faces. Being a Mac hater (admittedly) since his mix tape days of course I saw this mix tape and didn't bat an eye at it at first, but I had a friend introduce me to Faces and I have to say I was immediately impressed by not just the skill, but the musical range of Mac as well. What he can do with a song is truly amazing, his production skills are almost as good as his rapping abilities, and he know how to truly entertain someone with his abstract writing ability and topics, and Faces is the absolute pinnacle of Mac's abilities. Faces doesn't seem like a mix tape at all, it seems more like an album to me, I mean why else would it not have any DJ tags? The rumors of his being on drugs during the entire process is certainly plausible (I mean come on, have you LISTENED to it?), and his mental state is something you'd certainly worry about if what he raps about is true, it almost seems as if Mac has entered this sort of "Slim Shady" phase where he feels like he has to do drugs to draw the influence and become great. The music is great and the fans are happy, but when it comes to Mac being healthy, you have to wonder.
So with the elevator fights, the crazy amount of good music, the snubbing of rap at awards shows (as usual) and so much beef you could cut it with a knife, you have to wonder what 2015 will bring. Rumors are there will be new albums from Kendrick, Drake, Kanye, Mac Miller and too many more to name, the anticipation is always there but you never know how the year will turn out until it's actually happening (or if you're like me and you really don't think about it at all until just now). Rap is constantly on the move in terms of advancement of the culture and how people see it and how seriously they take it, and I feel like there will always be that certain audience who can't take it seriously just because of the egos involved, but if you're not confident and can't take pride in what you do, then how can you say you love it? The competition will only get better (especially as Kendrick continues to slowly slither his way back into the music scene), the music will only be top notch, and the rhymes will be so much farther ahead of us than we even know. So to end the last post of the year, allow me to leave you with some advice: take time to enjoy your music, the times in your life, the people in your life, and the ride of what's to come. As Weezy said: life is like a fuckin roller coaster then it drops! Be ready for your next hill.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Azealia Banks And The Frustration Of The Industry
It's almost too easy nowadays to differentiate the artists with a message from the ones who say things just to promote themselves. Actually, it might not be so much. Scratch that, yes it is. Getting your feelings involved in any situation adds a biased factor to what you end up saying, whether your point is good or bad. Constructive criticism, straight hate and bashing, or even simple props given to someone are all justified at some point no matter how easy it is to see their reasoning. Living life in the industry can only be spoken convincingly by someone living the life themselves (obviously), but until you know about the life yourself, can you really give an opinion anyone truly cares about? I felt an overload of thoughts surrounding this topic, and it starts with Azealia Banks' interview with Ebro in the Morning.
If you haven't seen it, Azealia Banks gave quite the entertaining interview to Ebro in the Morning on Hot 97. If you know Ebro and his interview style, he very easily has a way to warm up his guests then transition into the problems and the gossip people want to know about, and Azealia Banks had a lot to say about her past (and present) problems with Iggy Azalea. Banks goes on to say that she sees it as more of a problem that Iggy is getting more attention than her because of her race and how the industry works and sees blacks as "slaves" more than the fact that her and Iggy have had simple beef because of what Banks' fans see as Iggy stealing her name. Both sides of this have incredibly fascinating points that cannot be ignored.
The point of mentioning the biased views of people is this: people should be able to see both sides of the story fairly and make a judgment based on the facts (I have no intention of turning this into a court case so you don't have to prepare for jury duty, though you may see it as you place). Banks goes on to mention in her interview that she is tired of blogs and magazines like Complex, Bossip, XXL and The Source that entertain these discussions and ideas just to "get your fuckin clicks" and make headlines and money. Reasonable point right? Living the industry lifestyle has shown that you will have to deal with constant publicity, press, pictures and videos you don't want shot of you, and even LEAKED footage and pictures that you don't even plan to be seen (no this isn't about the fappening, perverts). Banks also went on to say that these sites are "creating the bad picture."
Now comes the second side of the story: Banks' known history for beef and problems/disputes being made public. Azealia Banks almost has a catalog of problems and beef with other artists/rappers, Iggy Azalea only being the latest on that list. She goes on to talk about some of these issues in the interview with Ebro, including one with T.I. and his wife Tiny (which I had no idea even was a thing, who knew this "beef" even existed? And to start it with T.I., the king of maturity in rap and focusing on himself and his family, what exactly did Banks plan to accomplish with starting something with T.I.?). Who sounds like the attention seeker during this part of the interview? Relevancy can be obtained in any way you wish (especially as an artist), whether that be the good way or the bad way, then again why would the saying "any publicity is good publicity" exist?
But my points don't stop there. Ebro goes on to mention to Banks that he believes putting the energy into social media (tweeting about her problems) wasn't the right decision in his eyes. "Putting the energy into your music" as Ebro put it, has proven time and time again for artists (Drake, Eminem, anyone who you believe vents about life in their music) to be a successful method, and even if the success doesn't show up in sales, how could it not help your own personal views and mindset? "Putting it all on wax" is almost therapeutic, and has been known to help not only the artists going through the struggles, but even their fan bases to feel better throughout the process (although beefing with T.I. might not have been something you've done lately). So this leads to my next question: why not preach what you say in your music in real life? If you're rapping or singing about it, why don't you talk about it? This isn't always the case for every artist nowadays, so I'll be more specific: WHY HASN'T AZEALIA BANKS VENTED ABOUT THIS BULL IN HER MUSIC?!
This topic of conversation has been, is, and always will be a slippery slope. You don't know about making music unless you do it, and you definitely don't know about making music in the industry unless you do it (the difference in numbers between the 2 is astounding, believe it or not, going from mix tape rapper to platinum seller is a lot harder than some make it look, though I can't speak from experience). The key seems to be finding balance. (In my opinion) Azealia Banks is too often found in the spotlight for her beef and social media rants than she is for her music, so I only see this latest rant as her craving more attention than really trying to make a point. These interviews certainly make for some entertainment if you don't get your daily fix, but the fact that this is making news might be an example of a bigger problem. Shortly after this interview made waves online Banks got into some Twitter arguments (surprise) with rapper Action Bronson, be sure to check out those tweets if you can find them, and definitely be sure to check out Banks' interview discussing all of these things with Hot 97 below (Banks' views on Iggy and her rant begin at the 8:20 mark).
(*I do not own this video, or the rights to it*)
If you haven't seen it, Azealia Banks gave quite the entertaining interview to Ebro in the Morning on Hot 97. If you know Ebro and his interview style, he very easily has a way to warm up his guests then transition into the problems and the gossip people want to know about, and Azealia Banks had a lot to say about her past (and present) problems with Iggy Azalea. Banks goes on to say that she sees it as more of a problem that Iggy is getting more attention than her because of her race and how the industry works and sees blacks as "slaves" more than the fact that her and Iggy have had simple beef because of what Banks' fans see as Iggy stealing her name. Both sides of this have incredibly fascinating points that cannot be ignored.
The point of mentioning the biased views of people is this: people should be able to see both sides of the story fairly and make a judgment based on the facts (I have no intention of turning this into a court case so you don't have to prepare for jury duty, though you may see it as you place). Banks goes on to mention in her interview that she is tired of blogs and magazines like Complex, Bossip, XXL and The Source that entertain these discussions and ideas just to "get your fuckin clicks" and make headlines and money. Reasonable point right? Living the industry lifestyle has shown that you will have to deal with constant publicity, press, pictures and videos you don't want shot of you, and even LEAKED footage and pictures that you don't even plan to be seen (no this isn't about the fappening, perverts). Banks also went on to say that these sites are "creating the bad picture."
Now comes the second side of the story: Banks' known history for beef and problems/disputes being made public. Azealia Banks almost has a catalog of problems and beef with other artists/rappers, Iggy Azalea only being the latest on that list. She goes on to talk about some of these issues in the interview with Ebro, including one with T.I. and his wife Tiny (which I had no idea even was a thing, who knew this "beef" even existed? And to start it with T.I., the king of maturity in rap and focusing on himself and his family, what exactly did Banks plan to accomplish with starting something with T.I.?). Who sounds like the attention seeker during this part of the interview? Relevancy can be obtained in any way you wish (especially as an artist), whether that be the good way or the bad way, then again why would the saying "any publicity is good publicity" exist?
But my points don't stop there. Ebro goes on to mention to Banks that he believes putting the energy into social media (tweeting about her problems) wasn't the right decision in his eyes. "Putting the energy into your music" as Ebro put it, has proven time and time again for artists (Drake, Eminem, anyone who you believe vents about life in their music) to be a successful method, and even if the success doesn't show up in sales, how could it not help your own personal views and mindset? "Putting it all on wax" is almost therapeutic, and has been known to help not only the artists going through the struggles, but even their fan bases to feel better throughout the process (although beefing with T.I. might not have been something you've done lately). So this leads to my next question: why not preach what you say in your music in real life? If you're rapping or singing about it, why don't you talk about it? This isn't always the case for every artist nowadays, so I'll be more specific: WHY HASN'T AZEALIA BANKS VENTED ABOUT THIS BULL IN HER MUSIC?!
This topic of conversation has been, is, and always will be a slippery slope. You don't know about making music unless you do it, and you definitely don't know about making music in the industry unless you do it (the difference in numbers between the 2 is astounding, believe it or not, going from mix tape rapper to platinum seller is a lot harder than some make it look, though I can't speak from experience). The key seems to be finding balance. (In my opinion) Azealia Banks is too often found in the spotlight for her beef and social media rants than she is for her music, so I only see this latest rant as her craving more attention than really trying to make a point. These interviews certainly make for some entertainment if you don't get your daily fix, but the fact that this is making news might be an example of a bigger problem. Shortly after this interview made waves online Banks got into some Twitter arguments (surprise) with rapper Action Bronson, be sure to check out those tweets if you can find them, and definitely be sure to check out Banks' interview discussing all of these things with Hot 97 below (Banks' views on Iggy and her rant begin at the 8:20 mark).
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Why Snow Tha Product Is the Best Femcee
It seems like whenever a girl is on the come up in rap, they're never taken seriously at first, if ever. Few chicks in rap today get the attention they deserve (at least because of their music). For whatever reason that may be, this particular femcee (yeah, that's a twist on the phrase "female emcee", do you like it? I read it somewhere and I'm using it from now on) could be the one to change that. Her name is Snow Tha Product, and if you don't know who she is, you're about to. I had been introduced to her briefly (one feature verse) before, but the Latina femcee definitely earned my attention.
So obviously if you tuned into the BET Awards, and you're like me, the only reason you really watched was because of the cyphers. Of course it's depressing knowing no cypher will measure up to the 2011 edition featuring the monstrous Shady 2.0 cypher, I watch every year just to see if anyone worthy of watching is participating. This year was certainly another disappointment, but there's always that 1 or couple of verses that you hear and you're left wondering: just how in the hell have I not heard of this artist before? Well, now knowing Logic is as underrated as it gets, the other verse that caught my attention was Snow's. This chick got on spitting ridiculous, keeping up with the best of the best, even had a point where she got off some Spanish bars! After I saw this I knew she was the real deal and like a drug, I needed to have more.
And I certainly wasn't disappointed in what I'd found. A datpiff.com search came up with 3 mix tapes, and like the thorough researcher I think I am, I checked out all 3. Her first effort, Run Up Or Shut Up, was the typical first mix tape you'd hear from an artist on the come up. Iffy production, an over saturation of party tracks, and talks of haters and "shwag" (another new word, but one I like to think I've created, it's pretty much the parody of "swag" and the realization of how dumb the word "swag" really is). Her second mix tape, Good Nights & Bad Mornings, was exactly the potential I believed Snow could reach put into musical form. She comes with a more aggressive style, better production, a better quality in music including more topics and subject matter, and her competitive and confident attitude takes full swing. It's safe to say Snow found her voice on this project. Her third mix tape, Good Nights & Bad Mornings 2: The Hangover, is certainly a continuation of the great music she made on the first edition of the series, the only difference being the addition of some big name features including Ty Dolla $ign, Dizzy Wright, Trae The Truth, Cyhi The Prynce and Riff Raff.
So looking into her music, I was certainly impressed (and I'll be downloading some key tracks from those mix tapes, I'll admit). I cant say I had expectations going in, but if I did Snow has far exceeded them. She definitely made an impression on me with her mix tapes, but an impression being made on me in terms of lyricism, flow, and proving that you're a good rapper is a completely different story. You can make good music without being the "kill you on your own track" type of rapper. To me, this sort of thing shows true ability and the aspect of competitiveness that takes a rapper farther than their abilities alone, and if there was one track I needed to hear to have Snow prove her abilities to me, this would be it.
Ummm... alright. Ms. Tha Product, is it? You have my full attention. Normally any one rapper (man or woman) being featured on a Crook song doesn't get my attention because, well, I know what Crooked I can do. He's Crooked I. What else need be said? No other verse I've ever heard on the same song as Crooked I having a verse has come even close lyrically, but if I had to pick one, this one certainly takes the cake.
So who is Snow Tha Product? If you asked me, I'd simply reply "the best female rapper you haven't heard of yet." The rest of the game has it's Nicki Minaj's, you have your Iggy Azalea's (and people will claim Iggy isn't hip-hop, though it's hard to argue at this point), you even have the proven greats like Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Lil Kim, etc., but Snow is unlike anything you or I have heard before. To say it isn't hard for a female to come up in the music industry (especially rap) would be a straight up lie, but obviously for the ones that have made it, you give props to them because whether you like their music or not, they've earned that come up. Snow isn't quite there yet, the main reason being she has no studio album out yet, but I believe Snow is the next Nicki Minaj. No, scratch that. I believe Snow has potential to represent every woman in America with strength, dignity, and an unrivaled ability to spit with the best of them all, period. If you haven't seen it yet, check out Snow's cypher verse, spitting alongside Vic Mensa, Treach (Naughty By Nature), King Los and David Banner in the 2014 BET Awards below.
(*I do not own any of these videos, or the rights to them*)
So obviously if you tuned into the BET Awards, and you're like me, the only reason you really watched was because of the cyphers. Of course it's depressing knowing no cypher will measure up to the 2011 edition featuring the monstrous Shady 2.0 cypher, I watch every year just to see if anyone worthy of watching is participating. This year was certainly another disappointment, but there's always that 1 or couple of verses that you hear and you're left wondering: just how in the hell have I not heard of this artist before? Well, now knowing Logic is as underrated as it gets, the other verse that caught my attention was Snow's. This chick got on spitting ridiculous, keeping up with the best of the best, even had a point where she got off some Spanish bars! After I saw this I knew she was the real deal and like a drug, I needed to have more.
And I certainly wasn't disappointed in what I'd found. A datpiff.com search came up with 3 mix tapes, and like the thorough researcher I think I am, I checked out all 3. Her first effort, Run Up Or Shut Up, was the typical first mix tape you'd hear from an artist on the come up. Iffy production, an over saturation of party tracks, and talks of haters and "shwag" (another new word, but one I like to think I've created, it's pretty much the parody of "swag" and the realization of how dumb the word "swag" really is). Her second mix tape, Good Nights & Bad Mornings, was exactly the potential I believed Snow could reach put into musical form. She comes with a more aggressive style, better production, a better quality in music including more topics and subject matter, and her competitive and confident attitude takes full swing. It's safe to say Snow found her voice on this project. Her third mix tape, Good Nights & Bad Mornings 2: The Hangover, is certainly a continuation of the great music she made on the first edition of the series, the only difference being the addition of some big name features including Ty Dolla $ign, Dizzy Wright, Trae The Truth, Cyhi The Prynce and Riff Raff.
So looking into her music, I was certainly impressed (and I'll be downloading some key tracks from those mix tapes, I'll admit). I cant say I had expectations going in, but if I did Snow has far exceeded them. She definitely made an impression on me with her mix tapes, but an impression being made on me in terms of lyricism, flow, and proving that you're a good rapper is a completely different story. You can make good music without being the "kill you on your own track" type of rapper. To me, this sort of thing shows true ability and the aspect of competitiveness that takes a rapper farther than their abilities alone, and if there was one track I needed to hear to have Snow prove her abilities to me, this would be it.
Ummm... alright. Ms. Tha Product, is it? You have my full attention. Normally any one rapper (man or woman) being featured on a Crook song doesn't get my attention because, well, I know what Crooked I can do. He's Crooked I. What else need be said? No other verse I've ever heard on the same song as Crooked I having a verse has come even close lyrically, but if I had to pick one, this one certainly takes the cake.
So who is Snow Tha Product? If you asked me, I'd simply reply "the best female rapper you haven't heard of yet." The rest of the game has it's Nicki Minaj's, you have your Iggy Azalea's (and people will claim Iggy isn't hip-hop, though it's hard to argue at this point), you even have the proven greats like Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Lil Kim, etc., but Snow is unlike anything you or I have heard before. To say it isn't hard for a female to come up in the music industry (especially rap) would be a straight up lie, but obviously for the ones that have made it, you give props to them because whether you like their music or not, they've earned that come up. Snow isn't quite there yet, the main reason being she has no studio album out yet, but I believe Snow is the next Nicki Minaj. No, scratch that. I believe Snow has potential to represent every woman in America with strength, dignity, and an unrivaled ability to spit with the best of them all, period. If you haven't seen it yet, check out Snow's cypher verse, spitting alongside Vic Mensa, Treach (Naughty By Nature), King Los and David Banner in the 2014 BET Awards below.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Rah Digga says Iggy Azalea Isn't Hip Hop: Is She Right?
Iggy Azalea has built a reputation as one of the biggest names in pop today (at this moment right now, actually). Her music is practically everywhere, you'll hear it on radios, in the club, the bar, wherever you go you're bound to hear Iggy. You're also bound to hear any and every bit of news that surrounds Iggy (is there really an Iggy sex tape somewhere? Whoever has it, just do us all a favor and put it out, bless your heart). In this great thing we call hip hop, one thing that differentiates it from other musical genres is the freedom to express your opinion and have it seen not as hate, not as competition (sometimes), but as exactly that: a mere opinion. Although when it comes to publicity, especially for someone whose opinion might matter, it may mean more than just a "mere opinion".
Rah Digga came out to an interview with This Is 50 radio to talk about Iggy and how she feels about her and her association with hip hop, and had this to say: "Iggy Azalea, I can't get into her, because it's just not real to me. There is a white girl from Australia that spits in an Australian accent, and her name is Chelsea Jane. That I can get into. Teach me Australian hip hop culture. Don't come to America and try to convince me that you're Gangsta Boo. Personally, I don't consider her hip hop. I listen to her album. Everything that I hear on there is everything but that. And I feel like hip hop is hip hop."
So is Rah Digga hating on Iggy? At first glance you might say yes, but she does have a point. By definition (yeah, we're getting into the unwritten hip hop rule book on this one) Iggy isn't necessarily hip hop, but as far as new Iggy fans go (new meaning The New Classic Iggy fans, and not before that, although some "fans" probably didn't even buy the album) Iggy would probably be the closest thing to an influential woman figure in hip hop (unless you think Nicki Minaj is a real influence, but that's debatable).
Iggy isn't necessarily defined as inside-and-out hip hop. She has a history of being able to rap, and keeping up with the big boys even, but the deciding factor (to me, at least) is this The New Classic album. I didn't listen to the album so I can't say I gave Iggy an honest opinion on this post, but with singles like "Fancy" ft. Charli XCX, "Work", and "Change Your Life" ft. T.I., to some she could have a voice for rapping, but you really wouldn't know unless you heard her actually rap. Luckily, that's what I'm here for.
This would be considered my "counter point" to you Ms. Rah Digga (all respect due of course, I loved you on Talib Kweli's "Art Imitates Life" song)! Saying Iggy isn't hip hop is a stretch to me, but defining hip hop as a whole is a completely different argument. In that case, Iggy isn't hip hop at all, but the girl can definitely rap given the chance. Rah Digga might not have heard the best of Iggy to give her an honest opinion, so you can't knock her for that. But I would like to hear what the people think! Does Iggy have true rapping ability? Let me know in the comment section, on twitter (@SuperNovaRover), or on my Google+ page!
Rah Digga came out to an interview with This Is 50 radio to talk about Iggy and how she feels about her and her association with hip hop, and had this to say: "Iggy Azalea, I can't get into her, because it's just not real to me. There is a white girl from Australia that spits in an Australian accent, and her name is Chelsea Jane. That I can get into. Teach me Australian hip hop culture. Don't come to America and try to convince me that you're Gangsta Boo. Personally, I don't consider her hip hop. I listen to her album. Everything that I hear on there is everything but that. And I feel like hip hop is hip hop."
So is Rah Digga hating on Iggy? At first glance you might say yes, but she does have a point. By definition (yeah, we're getting into the unwritten hip hop rule book on this one) Iggy isn't necessarily hip hop, but as far as new Iggy fans go (new meaning The New Classic Iggy fans, and not before that, although some "fans" probably didn't even buy the album) Iggy would probably be the closest thing to an influential woman figure in hip hop (unless you think Nicki Minaj is a real influence, but that's debatable).
Iggy isn't necessarily defined as inside-and-out hip hop. She has a history of being able to rap, and keeping up with the big boys even, but the deciding factor (to me, at least) is this The New Classic album. I didn't listen to the album so I can't say I gave Iggy an honest opinion on this post, but with singles like "Fancy" ft. Charli XCX, "Work", and "Change Your Life" ft. T.I., to some she could have a voice for rapping, but you really wouldn't know unless you heard her actually rap. Luckily, that's what I'm here for.
This would be considered my "counter point" to you Ms. Rah Digga (all respect due of course, I loved you on Talib Kweli's "Art Imitates Life" song)! Saying Iggy isn't hip hop is a stretch to me, but defining hip hop as a whole is a completely different argument. In that case, Iggy isn't hip hop at all, but the girl can definitely rap given the chance. Rah Digga might not have heard the best of Iggy to give her an honest opinion, so you can't knock her for that. But I would like to hear what the people think! Does Iggy have true rapping ability? Let me know in the comment section, on twitter (@SuperNovaRover), or on my Google+ page!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Hustle Gang's GDOD 2 Review
Grand Hustle has been slipping a bit on its rap cred, or its "street credentials" if you will. Well maybe not so much it's street cred, but more for it's pull in the rap game and their rights to say that they're still a juggernaut label, or a force to be reckoned with. T.I. isn't quite the hip-hop heavyweight he once was when it comes to selling records, or even being a top 5 emcee in the popular opinion. So that leaves the rest of the label: Iggy Azalea, B.o.B, Trae Tha Truth, Travi$ Scott, Young Dro, etc., to help carry the load in sales, and "street cred". Their first G.D.O.D mix tape saw a bit of success, but could they keep it rolling with G.D.O.D 2?
Now before this review gets going I HAVE to ask: why is it Grand Hustle is the only label that's had the time or desire to release any type of compilation project? With all the talent of other rosters that people would pay serious (or probably more, granted many people don't pay at all these days) money to hear like Shady Records (even though they're in the midst with Shady XV), G.O.O.D Music, Roc Nation, Young Money (though I believe they recently did it too?), why is it that Grand Hustle is the only label that has had the balls to do so? Could it possibly be for fear of incredibly high expectations? Surely not a far off notion. Anyways, back to this review thing.
Any project worth hearing has to have an intro that keeps you wanting more, and Grand Hustle did not too shabby with this one... "Welcome To My City" is that king-me type of banger that you love to bump in your 6-4 (word to Big K.R.I.T) riding around your... well... your "city". A sweet beat that includes some banging 808s and horns that are fit for a king's arrival, this song is a great way to start off any project. Not to mention the hella-catchy hook.
The general differentiation between albums and mix tapes you might normally say is substance vs. free bangers, and that's exactly what this tape is all about. Songs like "Brand New Choppa", "UM HMM", "What You Gon' Do Bout It", "Ain't Both (MLK)", and "I Do The Most" solidify a nice round up of bass-filled tracks that can become best friends with your car speakers. I don't listen to much of Young Thug myself, but hearing him on the hook of "I Need War" with T.I. does it some justice, and adds a bit of energy to the track. "By Any Means" with Watch The Duck (haven't heard of him until this tape, interesting name to say the least), T.I., Spodee, and Shad Da God adds a different vibe to the tape, but the crazy, gibberish-spewed hook is hard to understand and takes away from the song a bit, although its quite hilarious to hear if you like hearing fast talking "rappers" who mix groaning with a nice hit of crack. Check out this track if you want a laugh.
One thing that bothered me about this tape was the lack of B.o.B verses. Ol Bobby Ray has to be number 2 in line behind Tip in terms of who pulls the most weight, and to me he's the best rapper on Grand Hustle lyrically. Not only that, but 1 SONG with Iggy on it?! What's the deal there? You would think you'd try to get the biggest star in pop today on your mix tape more, ESPECIALLY if she's on your label! Not sure what the deal is there, but Iggy's sold out a bit to me anyways. They like to call it longevity, or versatility, but she's gone pop and strayed away from her rap roots a bit it seems.
Altogether a decent tape, but definitely one for strictly party use or car bumping. Lacking a bit in versatility, you don't hear a lot of RNB songs (minus "Champaign Room"), or straight "hip hop" songs where these guys like to show their ability, so it's a bit one dimensional. Highlights are the decent production, and appearances from practically EVERY relevant Grand Hustle rapper still around (Young Dro especially, it's nice to hear he's still got some skill on tracks like "Who We Is [OG]", and Trae Tha Truth is underrated as well, he's always reminded me of Bun B). So if you're looking to numb your body and your speakers a bit as well, give GDOD 2 a listen yourself, and make sure your speakers are heavy!
Now before this review gets going I HAVE to ask: why is it Grand Hustle is the only label that's had the time or desire to release any type of compilation project? With all the talent of other rosters that people would pay serious (or probably more, granted many people don't pay at all these days) money to hear like Shady Records (even though they're in the midst with Shady XV), G.O.O.D Music, Roc Nation, Young Money (though I believe they recently did it too?), why is it that Grand Hustle is the only label that has had the balls to do so? Could it possibly be for fear of incredibly high expectations? Surely not a far off notion. Anyways, back to this review thing.
Any project worth hearing has to have an intro that keeps you wanting more, and Grand Hustle did not too shabby with this one... "Welcome To My City" is that king-me type of banger that you love to bump in your 6-4 (word to Big K.R.I.T) riding around your... well... your "city". A sweet beat that includes some banging 808s and horns that are fit for a king's arrival, this song is a great way to start off any project. Not to mention the hella-catchy hook.
The general differentiation between albums and mix tapes you might normally say is substance vs. free bangers, and that's exactly what this tape is all about. Songs like "Brand New Choppa", "UM HMM", "What You Gon' Do Bout It", "Ain't Both (MLK)", and "I Do The Most" solidify a nice round up of bass-filled tracks that can become best friends with your car speakers. I don't listen to much of Young Thug myself, but hearing him on the hook of "I Need War" with T.I. does it some justice, and adds a bit of energy to the track. "By Any Means" with Watch The Duck (haven't heard of him until this tape, interesting name to say the least), T.I., Spodee, and Shad Da God adds a different vibe to the tape, but the crazy, gibberish-spewed hook is hard to understand and takes away from the song a bit, although its quite hilarious to hear if you like hearing fast talking "rappers" who mix groaning with a nice hit of crack. Check out this track if you want a laugh.
One thing that bothered me about this tape was the lack of B.o.B verses. Ol Bobby Ray has to be number 2 in line behind Tip in terms of who pulls the most weight, and to me he's the best rapper on Grand Hustle lyrically. Not only that, but 1 SONG with Iggy on it?! What's the deal there? You would think you'd try to get the biggest star in pop today on your mix tape more, ESPECIALLY if she's on your label! Not sure what the deal is there, but Iggy's sold out a bit to me anyways. They like to call it longevity, or versatility, but she's gone pop and strayed away from her rap roots a bit it seems.
Altogether a decent tape, but definitely one for strictly party use or car bumping. Lacking a bit in versatility, you don't hear a lot of RNB songs (minus "Champaign Room"), or straight "hip hop" songs where these guys like to show their ability, so it's a bit one dimensional. Highlights are the decent production, and appearances from practically EVERY relevant Grand Hustle rapper still around (Young Dro especially, it's nice to hear he's still got some skill on tracks like "Who We Is [OG]", and Trae Tha Truth is underrated as well, he's always reminded me of Bun B). So if you're looking to numb your body and your speakers a bit as well, give GDOD 2 a listen yourself, and make sure your speakers are heavy!
Sunday, September 7, 2014
BET Hip Hop Awards 2014: Award Nominations and My Predictions (Or Wishes, Whatever)
It's getting to be that time of year again, the time when your favorite rappers get snubbed for an award, and when they give way too much recognition to an artist that doesn't deserve it, and of course the time of year in which seemingly every year an award category is made up in which nobody cares about. Of course I'm talking about none other than the BET Hip Hop Awards. With Uncle Snoop hosting this year there's bound to be some entertainment, but sadly enough you almost expect disappointment in there somewhere. Not because of Snoop of course, but because it's an award show (nowhere near as bad as the Grammy's for rap, but still) and someone is bound to be angry over something. At this point it's just not knowing what it could be. But I'm not focused on that right now because recently the award categories have been set, and I NEED to give my opinion on (what I believe to be) the most important categories, who should win each, and why. (Note: again, these are my personal views and opinions on who should win, no matter how biased or stupid the reasoning might be.)
Who Blew Up Award:
Iggy Azalea
Migos
Rich Homie Quan
Schoolboy Q
YG
Young Thug
Iggy. What's next? Oh am I supposed to elaborate? Is there any elaborating needed for this particular category? Not really. Not only did Iggy's lead single "Fancy" get certified double platinum by the RIAA, but she BROKE BILLBOARD RECORDS as the first artist since The Beatles (yes, those Beatles) to have their first two Billboard entries hit number 1 and number 2 simultaneously. Did anyone else on that list even have a number 1? Doesn't matter, moving on!
Hustler Of The Year Award:
Dr. Dre
Drake
Jay Z
Rick Ross
T.I.
What exactly are the details on this award? How does one become the "Hustler of The Year"? I suppose only a hustler would know. This award strikes me as odd, but noticing the common denominator in this list would be that most of them have become successful entrepreneurs. Not saying that I can detail piece by piece what Rick Ross and T.I. have done so importantly entrepreneur-wise this year, but in my opinion this one comes down to Dre and Jay. And Dre wins of course, I mean come on, 3 billy for selling a headphone line? Does it get more "Hustler" than that?
Best Collab, Duo, or Group:
Eminem ft. Rihanna - The Monster
Future ft. Pharrell, Pusha T and Casino - Move That Dope
Jay Z ft. Justin Timberlake - Holy Grail
Schoolboy Q ft. BJ The Chicago Kid - Studio
YG ft. Young Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan - My Hitta
This one might be a bit closer than some other categories. Being the Stan that I hate to admit I am, I'd like to see Em take this one home, and Rihanna is huge everywhere, but I certainly could see either Jay Z or Schoolboy Q win this one as well. That Studio jam had me bumping it since the video came out, and I didn't even listen to much of Oxymoron. Same goes for the Jay and Justin song; didn't listen to much of the album, but the song bumps. Props to the producers on both of those cuts, but if I’m picking a winner in this category, I’ll go with Schoolboy Q and the Chicago Kid.
Best Live Performer:
Drake
Jay Z
Kanye West
Kendrick Lamar
T.I.
T.I. being on this list confuses me... I mean I can't knock the guy, nor can I compliment him, but the other four performers on the list I have seen (or could see) people vouching for. Drake has been the people's pick for some odd years now, Jay Z is Jay Z, and Kendrick Lamar is Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye creates an aura around his performances that can't be matched by anyone. Now the arguments that Jay and Kendrick are themselves might not be the best points, but there are MANY people who would do unspeakable things to see Kendrick (including myself) as well as a legend like Jay Z (who knows how much longer he has left?). But my pick has to go to Kanye on this one, simply because the mere pictures I've seen of his performances (creepy metal masks, bringing a faux "Jesus" on stage, many people say its like Kanye is looking in a mirror, hilarious right?) are unlike anything you could see anywhere else.
Lyricist Of The Year:
Drake
Eminem
J. Cole
Jay Z
Kendrick Lamar
Nicki Minaj
This category is one of my favorites I'll admit. While I do like a good club banger I can party or bob my head to, the other half of it to me is lyrical capabilities. I enjoy sitting back and listening to some of the crazy metaphors Eminem can put together, as well as Kendrick's lyrical capabilities and Cole's great punch lines. I really couldn't tell you why Drake is on this list, he makes great music that people party to and vibe to even by themselves, but there's no way he matches up lyrically with Em, Kendrick, Cole, or even Nicki for that matter. My pick here is obviously Em, but if he doesn't get it (for some VERY odd reason) I see Kendrick taking this one home again.
Producer Of The Year:
DJ Mustard
Drumma Boy
Hit-Boy
Mike WiLL Made It
Pharrell
Timbaland
Interesting list here. Every one of these producers had at least one (probably more) smash hit that you couldn't go a day without hearing on the radio. My personal favorite was Hit-Boy's masterful production on Drake's "Trophies" banger that came out at the very end of 2013. It seems that Pharrell and Timbaland are always in the running for best producer of the year, but as much as I hate to do it I have to go with Mustard winning this one. Too many hits. Jeezy's "R.I.P", B.o.B's "Headband", Ty Dolla Sign's "Paranoid", YG and Drake's "Who Do You Love?", and that's not even scratching the surface.
Album Of The Year:
Drake - Nothing Was The Same
Eminem - Marshall Mathers LP 2
Rick Ross - Mastermind
Future - Honest
Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron
Yo Gotti - I Am
In terms of sales, this list isn't the most impressive. Only two of these albums have gone at least platinum, (Nothing Was The Same doing so for Drake and Shady's Marshall Mathers LP 2 has gone double platinum) but all of these albums are critically acclaimed obviously (or else they probably wouldn't be in this conversation). Although in the past 10 years or so, album sales haven't really been the greatest for any hip hop artist other than Eminem, Drake, Kendrick or Nicki. In fact, they are the only hip hop artists to receive a platinum plaque for their efforts in quite a few years (I thought I read at least 10 somewhere, I don't remember at the moment). But regardless of sales, I don't see anybody but Eminem or Drake taking this one home. The years both of them had were incomparable to anyone else.
I'll stop with the predictions right about there, although there are many more awards and nominations to get to, the ones I listed just seemed the most important (to me, at least). Check out the rest of the awards that will be given and their nominees below.
Best Hip Hop Video:
Drake - Worst Behavior
Future ft. Pharrell Pusha T & Casino - Move That Dope
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX - Fancy
J. Cole ft. TLC - Crooked Smile
Nicki Minaj - Pills N Potions
Wiz Khalifa - We Dem Boyz
Made You Look Award (Best Hip Hop Style):
A$AP Rocky
Jay Z
Kanye West
Nicki Minaj
Young Thug
Best Hip Hop Online Site:
AllHipHop.com
Complex.com
HotNewHipHop.com
NecoleBitchie.com
RapRadar.com
WorldStarHipHop.com
Best Club Banger:
Future ft. Pharrell Pusha T & Casino -Move That Dope (Prod. by Mike WiLL Made It)
K Camp ft. Lil Boosie, YG & Too Short - Cut Her Off (Remix) (Prod. by Will-A-Fool)
Migos - Fight Night (Prod. by Stack Boy Twaun)
Wiz Khalifa - We Dem Boyz (Prod. by Detail)
YG ft. Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan - My Hitta (Prod. by DJ Mustard)
Young Thug - Stoner (Prod. by Dun Deal)
Video Director of The Year:
Benny Boom
Chris Robinson
Director X
Dre Films
Hype Williams
DJ Of The Year:
DJ Drama
DJ Envy
DJ Khaled
DJ Mustard
DJ Scream
Best Mixtape:
Action Bronson - Blue Chips 2
Fabolous - Soul Tape 3
Migos - No Label 2
Rich Homie Quan - I Promise I Will Never Stop Going In
Wiz Khalifa - 28 Grams
Best Featured Verse:
B.o.B - Paranoid (Ty Dolla $ign ft. B.o.B)
B.o.B - Up Down (Do This All Day) (T-Pain ft. B.o.B)
Drake - Who Do You Love (YG ft. Drake)
Kendrick Lamar - Control (Big Sean ft. Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica)
Pharrell - Move That Dope (Future ft. Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino)
Track Of The Year:
Cut Her Off (Remix) - K Camp ft. YG, Lil Boosie & Too Short
Move That Dope - Future ft. Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino
My Hitta - YG ft. Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan
Studio - Schoolboy Q ft. BJ The Chicago Kid
Worst Behavior - Drake
Impact Track:
Common ft. Vince Staples - Kingdom
Lecrae - Nothin
Lupe Fiasco - Mission
The Roots ft. Patty Cash - Never
Talib Kweli ft. Abby Dobson - State Of Grace
People's Champ Award:
Drake - Worst Behavior
Future - Move That Dope ft. Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino
Iggy Azalea - Fancy ft. Charli XCX
Wiz Khalifa - We Dem Boyz
YG - My Hitta (Remix) ft. Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill & Rich Homie Quan
I also remember reading that Murda Mook and Snoop D-O double G plan to bring battle rap to the show. What else could this possibly mean besides them taking the contestants from Total Slaughter and putting them in the cyphers? No confirmed details yet on who will be included, stay posted on those details, assuming they will be released as the date nears closer. The BET Hip Hop Awards are coming October 14th! Whose ready?
Who Blew Up Award:
Migos
Rich Homie Quan
Schoolboy Q
YG
Young Thug
Iggy. What's next? Oh am I supposed to elaborate? Is there any elaborating needed for this particular category? Not really. Not only did Iggy's lead single "Fancy" get certified double platinum by the RIAA, but she BROKE BILLBOARD RECORDS as the first artist since The Beatles (yes, those Beatles) to have their first two Billboard entries hit number 1 and number 2 simultaneously. Did anyone else on that list even have a number 1? Doesn't matter, moving on!
Hustler Of The Year Award:
Drake
Jay Z
Rick Ross
T.I.
What exactly are the details on this award? How does one become the "Hustler of The Year"? I suppose only a hustler would know. This award strikes me as odd, but noticing the common denominator in this list would be that most of them have become successful entrepreneurs. Not saying that I can detail piece by piece what Rick Ross and T.I. have done so importantly entrepreneur-wise this year, but in my opinion this one comes down to Dre and Jay. And Dre wins of course, I mean come on, 3 billy for selling a headphone line? Does it get more "Hustler" than that?
Best Collab, Duo, or Group:
Future ft. Pharrell, Pusha T and Casino - Move That Dope
Jay Z ft. Justin Timberlake - Holy Grail
Schoolboy Q ft. BJ The Chicago Kid - Studio
YG ft. Young Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan - My Hitta
This one might be a bit closer than some other categories. Being the Stan that I hate to admit I am, I'd like to see Em take this one home, and Rihanna is huge everywhere, but I certainly could see either Jay Z or Schoolboy Q win this one as well. That Studio jam had me bumping it since the video came out, and I didn't even listen to much of Oxymoron. Same goes for the Jay and Justin song; didn't listen to much of the album, but the song bumps. Props to the producers on both of those cuts, but if I’m picking a winner in this category, I’ll go with Schoolboy Q and the Chicago Kid.
Best Live Performer:
Jay Z
Kanye West
Kendrick Lamar
T.I.
T.I. being on this list confuses me... I mean I can't knock the guy, nor can I compliment him, but the other four performers on the list I have seen (or could see) people vouching for. Drake has been the people's pick for some odd years now, Jay Z is Jay Z, and Kendrick Lamar is Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye creates an aura around his performances that can't be matched by anyone. Now the arguments that Jay and Kendrick are themselves might not be the best points, but there are MANY people who would do unspeakable things to see Kendrick (including myself) as well as a legend like Jay Z (who knows how much longer he has left?). But my pick has to go to Kanye on this one, simply because the mere pictures I've seen of his performances (creepy metal masks, bringing a faux "Jesus" on stage, many people say its like Kanye is looking in a mirror, hilarious right?) are unlike anything you could see anywhere else.
Lyricist Of The Year:
J. Cole
Jay Z
Kendrick Lamar
Nicki Minaj
This category is one of my favorites I'll admit. While I do like a good club banger I can party or bob my head to, the other half of it to me is lyrical capabilities. I enjoy sitting back and listening to some of the crazy metaphors Eminem can put together, as well as Kendrick's lyrical capabilities and Cole's great punch lines. I really couldn't tell you why Drake is on this list, he makes great music that people party to and vibe to even by themselves, but there's no way he matches up lyrically with Em, Kendrick, Cole, or even Nicki for that matter. My pick here is obviously Em, but if he doesn't get it (for some VERY odd reason) I see Kendrick taking this one home again.
Producer Of The Year:
Drumma Boy
Hit-Boy
Mike WiLL Made It
Pharrell
Timbaland
Interesting list here. Every one of these producers had at least one (probably more) smash hit that you couldn't go a day without hearing on the radio. My personal favorite was Hit-Boy's masterful production on Drake's "Trophies" banger that came out at the very end of 2013. It seems that Pharrell and Timbaland are always in the running for best producer of the year, but as much as I hate to do it I have to go with Mustard winning this one. Too many hits. Jeezy's "R.I.P", B.o.B's "Headband", Ty Dolla Sign's "Paranoid", YG and Drake's "Who Do You Love?", and that's not even scratching the surface.
Album Of The Year:
Eminem - Marshall Mathers LP 2
Rick Ross - Mastermind
Future - Honest
Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron
Yo Gotti - I Am
In terms of sales, this list isn't the most impressive. Only two of these albums have gone at least platinum, (Nothing Was The Same doing so for Drake and Shady's Marshall Mathers LP 2 has gone double platinum) but all of these albums are critically acclaimed obviously (or else they probably wouldn't be in this conversation). Although in the past 10 years or so, album sales haven't really been the greatest for any hip hop artist other than Eminem, Drake, Kendrick or Nicki. In fact, they are the only hip hop artists to receive a platinum plaque for their efforts in quite a few years (I thought I read at least 10 somewhere, I don't remember at the moment). But regardless of sales, I don't see anybody but Eminem or Drake taking this one home. The years both of them had were incomparable to anyone else.
I'll stop with the predictions right about there, although there are many more awards and nominations to get to, the ones I listed just seemed the most important (to me, at least). Check out the rest of the awards that will be given and their nominees below.
Best Hip Hop Video:
Future ft. Pharrell Pusha T & Casino - Move That Dope
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX - Fancy
J. Cole ft. TLC - Crooked Smile
Nicki Minaj - Pills N Potions
Wiz Khalifa - We Dem Boyz
Made You Look Award (Best Hip Hop Style):
Jay Z
Kanye West
Nicki Minaj
Young Thug
Best Hip Hop Online Site:
Complex.com
HotNewHipHop.com
NecoleBitchie.com
RapRadar.com
WorldStarHipHop.com
Best Club Banger:
K Camp ft. Lil Boosie, YG & Too Short - Cut Her Off (Remix) (Prod. by Will-A-Fool)
Migos - Fight Night (Prod. by Stack Boy Twaun)
Wiz Khalifa - We Dem Boyz (Prod. by Detail)
YG ft. Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan - My Hitta (Prod. by DJ Mustard)
Young Thug - Stoner (Prod. by Dun Deal)
Video Director of The Year:
Chris Robinson
Director X
Dre Films
Hype Williams
DJ Of The Year:
DJ Envy
DJ Khaled
DJ Mustard
DJ Scream
Best Mixtape:
Fabolous - Soul Tape 3
Migos - No Label 2
Rich Homie Quan - I Promise I Will Never Stop Going In
Wiz Khalifa - 28 Grams
Best Featured Verse:
B.o.B - Up Down (Do This All Day) (T-Pain ft. B.o.B)
Drake - Who Do You Love (YG ft. Drake)
Kendrick Lamar - Control (Big Sean ft. Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica)
Pharrell - Move That Dope (Future ft. Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino)
Track Of The Year:
Move That Dope - Future ft. Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino
My Hitta - YG ft. Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan
Studio - Schoolboy Q ft. BJ The Chicago Kid
Worst Behavior - Drake
Impact Track:
Lecrae - Nothin
Lupe Fiasco - Mission
The Roots ft. Patty Cash - Never
Talib Kweli ft. Abby Dobson - State Of Grace
People's Champ Award:
Future - Move That Dope ft. Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino
Iggy Azalea - Fancy ft. Charli XCX
Wiz Khalifa - We Dem Boyz
YG - My Hitta (Remix) ft. Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill & Rich Homie Quan
I also remember reading that Murda Mook and Snoop D-O double G plan to bring battle rap to the show. What else could this possibly mean besides them taking the contestants from Total Slaughter and putting them in the cyphers? No confirmed details yet on who will be included, stay posted on those details, assuming they will be released as the date nears closer. The BET Hip Hop Awards are coming October 14th! Whose ready?
Monday, August 25, 2014
Shady XV: An Exciting Year For Shady Fans
Normally I'm more of a Twitter addict than I'd like to admit, but last night I was glued to it for one reason and one reason only. You'd probably think because of the VMAs right? Wrong. Well, half right. But it wasn't because of Beyoncé's acceptance of the Video Vanguard Award, it wasn't because of Nicki Minaj or Iggy Azalea (at least not last night), and it wasn't even because of Usher's performance (shocker). I was glued to Twitter of course because of Eminem's Shady XV! What is Shady XV you ask? Well now I can tell you (since last night Mr. ILikeToRelease20SecondPromoVideosButGiveNoRealDetails didn't feel like... you know, giving any details).
At first I was excited about seeing an Eminem tweet that read "Blink and you'll miss it... #VMAs #SHADYXV." But of course we should know by now that when it comes to Mr. ILikeToRelease20SecondPromoVideosButGiveNoRealDetails, that was all people were going to get. Oddly enough the real promo didn't come during the Video Music Awards, but on Twitter. Shortly after this tweet, Eminem then continued to tweet a 20 second promo video that ended with the words "SHADYXV" on the screen. Check out the promo video below.
Pretty sweet right? Now if you think too much about these sorts of things (like me) and start to make your own theories about what this could mean, your first assumption would be that it's another sequel to a classic album. Slim Shady LP 2 possibly? Man would that be insane! It only makes sense right? Following up the successful 2013 effort Marshall Mathers LP 2 with a sequel to a record that started it all? While all of this sounds cool, to me Shady fans got something equally as cool, released in a statement exclusively from shadyrecords.com. Shady XV is a compilation album release of Shady Record's 15th anniversary of its original start in 1999. It will include the greatest hits of all Shady Records members, including the newly released "Guts Over Fear" record from Eminem and Sia that will be used as the lead single for "The Equalizer," the new movie featuring Denzel Washington.
But there is more than just a compilation album coming folks. Yes that is correct, not only will we be getting a new album of the greatest hits from these fellow Shady Records members that will include new material, we will also be getting new albums from Eminem, Slaughterhouse, Yelawolf, Bad Meets Evil, and even a new D12 record is on the way. Are you excited yet?
So admittedly I'm pretty damn excited about what is going to be happening in the rap world in what I can only assume to be the next year. I mean it wouldn't be proper to release this 15 year anniversary album the year after the anniversary, obviously, the compilation album is set for a November 24th release date. But in the year to come?! A HUGE year for Shady Records alone, let alone all of hip hop. I've personally been waiting for a new Slaughterhouse album since after the last one came out (knowing they can do better production-wise, and they will, with Just Blaze at the helm obviously). Only time will tell what happens up until that point. It's funny, it's almost like the calm before the storm all over again. Enjoy Eminem's new single "Guts Over Fear" below.
At first I was excited about seeing an Eminem tweet that read "Blink and you'll miss it... #VMAs #SHADYXV." But of course we should know by now that when it comes to Mr. ILikeToRelease20SecondPromoVideosButGiveNoRealDetails, that was all people were going to get. Oddly enough the real promo didn't come during the Video Music Awards, but on Twitter. Shortly after this tweet, Eminem then continued to tweet a 20 second promo video that ended with the words "SHADYXV" on the screen. Check out the promo video below.
Pretty sweet right? Now if you think too much about these sorts of things (like me) and start to make your own theories about what this could mean, your first assumption would be that it's another sequel to a classic album. Slim Shady LP 2 possibly? Man would that be insane! It only makes sense right? Following up the successful 2013 effort Marshall Mathers LP 2 with a sequel to a record that started it all? While all of this sounds cool, to me Shady fans got something equally as cool, released in a statement exclusively from shadyrecords.com. Shady XV is a compilation album release of Shady Record's 15th anniversary of its original start in 1999. It will include the greatest hits of all Shady Records members, including the newly released "Guts Over Fear" record from Eminem and Sia that will be used as the lead single for "The Equalizer," the new movie featuring Denzel Washington.
But there is more than just a compilation album coming folks. Yes that is correct, not only will we be getting a new album of the greatest hits from these fellow Shady Records members that will include new material, we will also be getting new albums from Eminem, Slaughterhouse, Yelawolf, Bad Meets Evil, and even a new D12 record is on the way. Are you excited yet?
So admittedly I'm pretty damn excited about what is going to be happening in the rap world in what I can only assume to be the next year. I mean it wouldn't be proper to release this 15 year anniversary album the year after the anniversary, obviously, the compilation album is set for a November 24th release date. But in the year to come?! A HUGE year for Shady Records alone, let alone all of hip hop. I've personally been waiting for a new Slaughterhouse album since after the last one came out (knowing they can do better production-wise, and they will, with Just Blaze at the helm obviously). Only time will tell what happens up until that point. It's funny, it's almost like the calm before the storm all over again. Enjoy Eminem's new single "Guts Over Fear" below.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
What's Beef? Not What It Used To Be; Hip Hop's Attitude
Why is hip-hop so awesome? I'm asking because I want to know what the eyes of the people who listen to the music see. But it doesn't just come down to the music. Hip hop really is a culture as a whole. People who live it come in all different types of shapes and sizes. Not even a specific city or state can define how you will see people act, or define what they listen to. In hip hop it is argued that your area does define who you're listening to to a point. Sometimes, in the minds of the people psychologically, where you're from is what you listen to. Anyone who showed respect to these other areas are cool with them because they paid homage. But to those who didn't.....well something needed to happen. This is how it was. But how is it now? Has hip hop lost some of its attitude because the people aren't real enough anymore? Let's examine this point, because I believe the people (myself included) have it screwed up to where someone's life being put in danger makes headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Now what is beef really? No not the meat smart asses, the rap kind. How does it start out and where does it stem from? If you asked 20 different rappers, you'd probably get 20 different answers. Ultimately when it comes down to it, beef is problems that other rappers have with each other. But beef has evolved since the days of before. If you really think about beef on a grand scale, you probably think Tupac vs. Biggie. Not one other hip hop beef has shook the media, along with the east and west coasts both as much as this beef did. The publicity was unheard of, something that rap hadn't gotten much of up to that point, but for the wrong reasons. Both of these men died because of rumors circulating about each one of them. Merely rumors and pride is all that this beef came down to, in layman's terms. Today beef is much different of course, not as much bloodshed (unless you're 40 Glocc), but ultimately it is better because lives aren't put at risk. At least, we'd like to think so.
Now there's a lot of different types of beef in hip hop today, if we started from about the year 2000 and came all the way up to 2014, you would definitely notice the differences with beef in the past. Social media sites like twitter make things a little more clear, but also complicates things at the same time. When you talk about something as little as the Iggy Azalea and Nicki Minaj "beef," (and that may be putting it heavily even describing it as that) social media sites and blogs and web sites of all kinds blew this out of proportion about 5 times more than what it actually was. The headlines were hilarious: "Nicki Minaj throws shade at Iggy Azalea with her acceptance speech?" People and their imaginations are wild. But the blogs and the web sites have it correct in this sense: PEOPLE LOVE BEEF.
As bad as this may sound, any publicity is good publicity, especially to a rapper or singer. Standing up for yourself sometimes is all you can do. But it's the opinions of the people that get the stories incorrect. I grew up in an era of Eminem and 50 Cent dominating the webs and album sales (yeah, so I'm young, what of it?), so even in my opinion, it's just like Drake says; nothing was the same. Even with 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule, Shady Records vs. Murda Inc. in the early to mid 2000s it was different. Without social media how do we all last? (The sad part is some people wouldn't have an answer for you, but I don't know if I have a right to talk, trying to make a living on the internet and all.)
An interesting aspect of beef itself is that only hip hop really deals with it, no matter how big or how small the problem may be (word to Meek Mill and Wale, grow up you two before we get Rozay on you). I believe a lot of this stems from rappers not being afraid to voice their opinions about others. Some may call it being thirsty for attention, which you wouldn't be wrong some of the time, but rappers certainly like to "keep it 100" with people when it comes to talking about being cool or having a problem with someone else. But the fact of the matter is, no one really knows what happens in beef between 2 people except for those 2 people!
I believe there are certain types of beef, 2 in particular. The first beef is having a problem with somebody outside of the music itself. If a rapper gets disrespected, most of the time, they will let not only that person, but sometimes will even let the entire country know about this problem (which can lead back to social media). That is the first type, and not too many people care about these issues too much. They usually resolve themselves, and are forgotten in a couple months (less if something bigger happens). But the second type of beef is musically. Verse-wise, when you get disrespected in a song, it isn't uncommon for this rapper to go back at the person throwing shots with some shots of their own. In rap, clearly how your rap is perceived is something that people buy, something that you can sell to willing customers. If your abilities get disrespected, you go back at this person questioning their abilities as well, sort of like a more main stream form of battle rapping. In my opinion this is what I love to see, this is what makes hip hop entertaining, and this is what adds to the competitive nature of hip hop. It has sort of been this way since Kendrick dropped "Control." Now I know, I know, "Control" doesn't deserve any more attention than its already gotten, but there is a point to it. Let me ask you some questions; since "Control" dropped, have you not been more entertained with rappers at each others throats going bar for bar and showing some of the best rap capabilities we've seen in a decade or more? Hasn't rap finally gotten back to a competitive state where each rapper is rapping their tail off to prove they're the best? I'll let you mull these questions over yourselves (get back to me on Twitter @SuperNovaRover, or Google+ Geoffrey Guy with your opinion).
So how would you define beef? I can truly say it's nowhere near where it used to be on the entertainment side of things. But as a whole, this could be better for the publicity it gets. Rappers have to be cocky and confident to keep up appearances and make themselves look like they're the best, but the violence is lowering. The day when people focus more on the competitive aspect of rapping and not the killing part of it is the day they can say "we made it." Isn't it more entertaining to hear rappers go bar for bar instead of them going bullet for bullet? If people understood the fun in hearing a fire verse as opposed to hearing a hollow point, then they would understand. If you get disrespected, do what you do best to prove it wrong: rap about it. Take it to the booth.
Now what is beef really? No not the meat smart asses, the rap kind. How does it start out and where does it stem from? If you asked 20 different rappers, you'd probably get 20 different answers. Ultimately when it comes down to it, beef is problems that other rappers have with each other. But beef has evolved since the days of before. If you really think about beef on a grand scale, you probably think Tupac vs. Biggie. Not one other hip hop beef has shook the media, along with the east and west coasts both as much as this beef did. The publicity was unheard of, something that rap hadn't gotten much of up to that point, but for the wrong reasons. Both of these men died because of rumors circulating about each one of them. Merely rumors and pride is all that this beef came down to, in layman's terms. Today beef is much different of course, not as much bloodshed (unless you're 40 Glocc), but ultimately it is better because lives aren't put at risk. At least, we'd like to think so.
Now there's a lot of different types of beef in hip hop today, if we started from about the year 2000 and came all the way up to 2014, you would definitely notice the differences with beef in the past. Social media sites like twitter make things a little more clear, but also complicates things at the same time. When you talk about something as little as the Iggy Azalea and Nicki Minaj "beef," (and that may be putting it heavily even describing it as that) social media sites and blogs and web sites of all kinds blew this out of proportion about 5 times more than what it actually was. The headlines were hilarious: "Nicki Minaj throws shade at Iggy Azalea with her acceptance speech?" People and their imaginations are wild. But the blogs and the web sites have it correct in this sense: PEOPLE LOVE BEEF.
As bad as this may sound, any publicity is good publicity, especially to a rapper or singer. Standing up for yourself sometimes is all you can do. But it's the opinions of the people that get the stories incorrect. I grew up in an era of Eminem and 50 Cent dominating the webs and album sales (yeah, so I'm young, what of it?), so even in my opinion, it's just like Drake says; nothing was the same. Even with 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule, Shady Records vs. Murda Inc. in the early to mid 2000s it was different. Without social media how do we all last? (The sad part is some people wouldn't have an answer for you, but I don't know if I have a right to talk, trying to make a living on the internet and all.)
An interesting aspect of beef itself is that only hip hop really deals with it, no matter how big or how small the problem may be (word to Meek Mill and Wale, grow up you two before we get Rozay on you). I believe a lot of this stems from rappers not being afraid to voice their opinions about others. Some may call it being thirsty for attention, which you wouldn't be wrong some of the time, but rappers certainly like to "keep it 100" with people when it comes to talking about being cool or having a problem with someone else. But the fact of the matter is, no one really knows what happens in beef between 2 people except for those 2 people!
I believe there are certain types of beef, 2 in particular. The first beef is having a problem with somebody outside of the music itself. If a rapper gets disrespected, most of the time, they will let not only that person, but sometimes will even let the entire country know about this problem (which can lead back to social media). That is the first type, and not too many people care about these issues too much. They usually resolve themselves, and are forgotten in a couple months (less if something bigger happens). But the second type of beef is musically. Verse-wise, when you get disrespected in a song, it isn't uncommon for this rapper to go back at the person throwing shots with some shots of their own. In rap, clearly how your rap is perceived is something that people buy, something that you can sell to willing customers. If your abilities get disrespected, you go back at this person questioning their abilities as well, sort of like a more main stream form of battle rapping. In my opinion this is what I love to see, this is what makes hip hop entertaining, and this is what adds to the competitive nature of hip hop. It has sort of been this way since Kendrick dropped "Control." Now I know, I know, "Control" doesn't deserve any more attention than its already gotten, but there is a point to it. Let me ask you some questions; since "Control" dropped, have you not been more entertained with rappers at each others throats going bar for bar and showing some of the best rap capabilities we've seen in a decade or more? Hasn't rap finally gotten back to a competitive state where each rapper is rapping their tail off to prove they're the best? I'll let you mull these questions over yourselves (get back to me on Twitter @SuperNovaRover, or Google+ Geoffrey Guy with your opinion).
So how would you define beef? I can truly say it's nowhere near where it used to be on the entertainment side of things. But as a whole, this could be better for the publicity it gets. Rappers have to be cocky and confident to keep up appearances and make themselves look like they're the best, but the violence is lowering. The day when people focus more on the competitive aspect of rapping and not the killing part of it is the day they can say "we made it." Isn't it more entertaining to hear rappers go bar for bar instead of them going bullet for bullet? If people understood the fun in hearing a fire verse as opposed to hearing a hollow point, then they would understand. If you get disrespected, do what you do best to prove it wrong: rap about it. Take it to the booth.
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