The "Beats & Rhymes" Tour (A Dream)

Sixteen years ago this year, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg brought along some friends to form arguably the most iconic hip hop tour of all time. The "Up In Smoke Tour" of 2000 went six times platinum in the U.S. (which I didn't even know tours could do), and not to mention seven times platinum in Australia and two times platinum in France. The tour also featured hip hop giants like Eminem, Ice Cube, Xzibit, and Nate Dogg, and was so widely successful that DVDs were made of the July 20th show of the tour, shot at The Centrum in Worchester, Massachusetts (which is filled with incredible bits of backstage footage along with the actual concert performances). History was made with this tour, and as amazing as it was, for a second there, there were talks of a "second coming" of the tour earlier this year. So my question is.... WHAT IN GOD'S NAME DO WE NAME IT?!

"This is one of the things that I've dreamed about doing. I want to call it 'Beats & Rhymes'. I want it to be me and Snoop. I want it to be Eminem. I want it to be Kendrick Lamar," Dre said. "Take our full stage over there and show Europe the same amount of love that they been showing me throughout my entire career. So, that's my dream. Hopefully we can make that happen." Snoop Dogg suggested an alternate tour name: Hoodstock, since the lineup "sounds like Woodstock on steroids."  (Via Pitchfork)

Obviously my first choice would have been something to do with the "smoke" theme of the tour given Dre and Snoop's history (maybe something like "The 2 High Tour", etc.), but given Eminem's sobriety and Kendrick's known "laced blunt" escapades (as detailed on Good Kid Maad City), maybe a "Detox" theme wouldn't be so far fetched (or wouldn't take 16 years to come together). Either way it'd be a dream concert experience, just imagine that concert intro!


(The intro to Dre & Snoop's set on the "Up In Smoke" tour, which if you haven't seen, is very much NSFW)

Not to mention all of the new music to catch up on (and they'd have to include the West's new king, if you don't know him he goes by the name of Kendrick Lamar Duckworth). It's been 16 long years since this legendary tour took place, and in that span Eminem has released 5 solo studio LPs, Snoop Dogg has released 9, Ice Cube 3, Xzibit 4, Dre finally put out another album in Compton: A Soundtrack, and Nate Dogg unfortunately passed, but not before putting out another 3 solo albums himself (how dope would it be to see a Nate Dogg tribute, possibly a hologram?) What better time than now to do this?!?!

This tour could be the summing up of everything. Dr. Dre's illustrious career of music and producing fused together with the massive careers of Eminem, Snoop, Kendrick Lamar, Nate Dogg and more. How does an NWA reunion sound? It could be done. Dedications to Tupac, Nate Dogg, and Eazy-E?  Why the hell not?  The possibilities lie not only in the careers of the headliners, but in the careers of who the headliners have brought with them along the way. Kendrick bringing out TDE, Eminem bringing out Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil, or D12 could be an actual thing. The idea of this tour is so great, it'd be impossible to disappoint (unless Dr. Dre says the tour would only come to Europe, then of course all of these dreams get shattered like pre-burned Detox CDs). At least we can still occasionally enjoy a leaked Dre track every now and then. Well, if you have Apple Music and listen to The Pharmacy Beats 1 Radio, that is.

Enjoy the reminiscing of old clips on Dre's "I Need A Doctor" extended music video below, and if you have a creative name of your own for Dre's alleged tour, comment it below, or on any of my social media pages (my Twitter, my Facebook, or my Google+ page!).


     (*I do not own these videos, songs, or the rights to them*)
             

       




    









 



              

Jay Electronica's Album Delay (Also A Brief Case For Why You Should Pay Attention, My Theory)

If there is one thing that compares to Dr. Dre's mythical Detox album (update: not considered "Detox" anymore) in the rap game today (or maybe even the entire music game, probably not but you know) it is probably Jay Electronica's debut album, Act II: The Pledge. This album has been talked about on and off since about 2010, and many Jay fans (some not even Jay fans, rap fans in general) have given up hope on the long-awaited debut. In any other case, I'd say it's hard to argue with the fans that have given up hope. But in this case, to me it's a little different, and let me explain why.

Jay Electronica might be the biggest tease on earth at this point, but it'd be smart to bear with him and see what he has to offer. I'm not saying be a Jay "Stan" and wait for every single release to drop (nobody has that kind of time anyways), but to pay attention to what he does, because when he does do something, it is more than likely a game changer and records like "Exhibit C" and "Better In Tune With Infinite" prove it. The problem is it's hard to tell when we can expect a new record from him, but I'd almost explain him as the Dos Equis man of hip hop (He has a following of fans, without releasing any music [Dos Equis guy voice]. Right? Anybody?).

And that is what I believe the twist with Jay Electronica is, it's an ear/desire to make good music mixed with a fear of releasing bad music (that and the mix of Jay's drug use holding him back, as he said recently in an interview attending the BET Hip-Hop Awards). Jay is such a "game changer" that he wants people to see the difference in him and your every day average rapper. You'd be blind or deaf to say there isn't a difference, but based on today's standards of music (especially rap today, and the mix tape era) and it's listeners, people just don't have the patience to wait. With the availability of music today, whether it be free or not, Jay is asking a lot in what he wants from his fan base. Or is he?

What makes Jay different from the rest of the rap pack?  No I didn't say ratt pack (sorry Logic fans), but if people really cared and maybe you were forced to ask me of my opinion, I'd say it's that Jay is trying to do something different, yet bring rap music back to a simpler, more enjoyable period in time. Jay is pretty old (just turned 38 a few days ago actually) to be considered the every day average XXL freshman, so for him to appreciate the old rap and mix that with his brand of music making, that probably wouldn't give him the every day average "young rapper trying to make it" persona (especially the young part). So the generational gap in not only beliefs, but style comes into play. Not to mention his rumored affiliation with Nas (rumors of his ghostwriting for Nas are insane to me, but a co sign from Nas would NEVER be a bad thing, in fact quite the opposite). And being signed by Jay Z and having your music produced by the legendary Just Blaze isn't a bad case either (has anyone ever noticed the weird "Jay connection" with Roc Nation?  I mean Jay Z, J. Cole, Jay Electronica, seriously what's the deal?).

So should you be interested in what Jay Electronica's next move is?  I say yes. My explanation would probably be a mix between "his music is great and differentiates from the pack" to "I can't describe the fascination with the aura around him." So needless to say I'll be waiting for the next release from him, but the problem is being able to tell when that release is going to be. The man has played his cards pretty close to the chest at this point, so he only draws more interest with that aura already placed around him. An example of this is how often he puts out music. All of his music seems to get a fantastic response from fans, but is that because he so seldom releases music, or because it is really that good?  The fan boy in me can't tell the difference between the 2 (a reason being I've been fascinated with the idea of Detox and it not being released since I first heard about it, I'll go as far as putting Guns N Roses' Chinese Democracy into the equation). All I can hope for for Jay fans everywhere is that you (we) get some sort of answer soon, but the fact that he is performing at the B.E.T Awards in October is certainly a good start.      


  

        
 
      



 

Kendrick Lamar And Dr. Dre's "Detox": An Insane, Not So Insane Theory

Kendrick Lamar is undoubtedly in the top five hottest emcees out right now, and really has been a giant on the scene since he became known roughly around 2010-2011. It's amazing what he can do on the microphone, and as a guest verse on ANYONE's song seemingly (see rap song catalog 2011-now). Dr. Dre is, well... he's Dr. Dre. A rap producer (a pretty damn good one at that, at least he was), and mentor to a strong list of established artists, along with being a headphone aficionado of a line that just sold for $3 billion. The two of these men together have the ability to make timeless hip hop, a sound, almost a certain type of hip hop branded by one coast:  the west. A bond of being from a troubled "hood" and knowing the struggles of the "streets" can take you a long way, or so they've shown to this point. But a certain idea was brought to my attention not too long ago that is just crazy enough to believe.

And now I propose to you...a question if you will:  Is Kendrick Lamar Dr. Dre's long awaited Detox?  Now hear me out here, this might not make sense to you like, at ALL, but then I really got to thinking about hip hop's best kept secret, and the ones keeping it. I know that Detox at this point is nearly a myth, the best album that no one has ever heard, incredible production, insane feature verses only from the best of the best in the game, production value rivaled by NO ONE, maybe even a few unheard Tupac verses?  The ideas for Detox are endless at this point, but I don't think Detox is what people think it is.

Now when it comes to Dre being the mentor that he is so well known to be, the list of names is a pretty good one. It's not far off to say that Dre is responsible for the come up of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, Game, NWA, the list goes on (besides Slim The Mobster, whatever happened to that dude?). But the latest protégé taken under Dre's wing has been none other than fellow Compton emcee Kendrick Lamar. It wouldn't be wrong to think that Kendrick is just another successful artist, but it seems to me there is more to this...and now let me tell you why.

It is known that Kendrick Lamar is a clean, sober rapper that stays away from even the every-so-often beer. Yes Kendrick is 100% sober and has even rapped about overdosing on a laced blunt in Compton in the song "Maad City." The line is as follows: "Cocaine laced in marijuana and they wonder why I rarely smoke now, imagine if your first blunt had you foaming at the mouth." So its obviously safe to say that Kendrick is far out of the norm for a rapper/producer like Dr. Dre:  for God's sake Dre's first two albums are named The Chronic and The Chronic 2001, but the idea of Detox is to push Dre toward a new path. Whether he's sober or not nobody but Dre knows, but he has come out to say that Detox would be his final album.

Not only does Kendrick fit the "detox" theme that Dre is aimed for, but believe it or not, there is even more to this!  Obviously with both Dre and Kendrick being from Compton, there is (what you'd think) a certain chemistry between the two, you know, with seeing what they saw in Compton and all that. A bond had to be made with not only growing up with the hard ships of living in Compton, but with the music as well. It's like Dre is the king and Kendrick is the prince, he's still learning it all and has a way to go, but its like its set in stone:  Kendrick will carry on the tradition of west coast hip hop when Dre decides to call it a career. The torch will be passed, and in good measure, it's almost like Kendrick's come up was meant to be, seeing as its a known fact that Kendrick was ON SET of Dre and Tupac's California Love music video. That's right, the video was shot near his house in California. And on top of everything else, Dre and Kendrick even attended the same high school (Centennial High) in Compton!  Now it's starting to make a lot more sense that Kendrick has a song called "Look Out For Detox".

So when you think about things that are meant to be, this entire scenario is nothing less. It was pretty insane when I got to thinking about it I'll admit, but conspiracy theories be damned I had to address this. As reclusive as Dre is with everything nowadays (don't get me started on new music, or even something as simple as that incredibly dope Beats commercial with Dre and Kendrick in it. Can we at least get some official audio?), it didn't seem far off to assume that there was a bigger idea behind it all. Although the idea's insane, can you blame me for dreaming?  In case you didn't see the incredibly dope Beats commercial featuring the two, check out the director's cut below.

 

     *I do not own this video or the rights to it. I do not own Beats or the rights to them*



      




 

Producing Greatness: Rappers Who Produce for Themselves & Others

Rappers over the years have been seen as ignorant, braggadocios, and even in some cases untalented. While some of these claims may be true, I disagree with untalented, at least for most rappers. Rap has changed since the days of long gold chains and wearing all ADIDAS brand clothes and shoes. Although style is not the point here, I'm talking about the transcending of talent with every rapper you hear today. Each of them is different from the next, some may have a born singing voice, some may be fantastic writers, and so on. But if a rapper needs one thing to rap, its beats. The talent in the producing pool of rappers these days is more phenomenal than its ever been. Shall we discuss? 

Now obviously the first rapper/producer that comes to mind is the one that started it all:  Dr. Dre. Since his start with World Class Wreckin Cru, Dre has only moved his way up the hip hop corporate ladder. Not only producing for himself and NWA back in the day, he's produced not only music for, but started the careers of hip hop legends like Tupac and Eminem, as well as other mega stars 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and too many more to name. Not only being a producer for some of hip hop's biggest hits of all time, Dre has recently become known for selling his famous Beats headphone line for over a billion dollars, historically becoming hip hop's first billionaire (the importance of this event is monumental, but that discussion shall be saved for another day, by the way Dre, can we get Detox now?).

Nowadays its not rare to find another rapper that produces for not only themselves, but other rappers as well. Huge names in hip hop today such as Eminem, Mac Miller, J. Cole, Kanye West, Big K.R.I.T, Kid Cudi, B.o.B, and many more have dabbled in producing beats. Clearly to me Eminem has been taking production tips from Dr. Dre over the years, producing select songs from the first Marshall Mathers LP all the way down to his latest release Marshall Mathers LP 2. Em has even gone on to produce for Slaughterhouse on their major label debut album "Welcome To: Our House."

Mac Miller to me has absolutely been one of the most hard working men in the music business to date, not only rapping but producing as well. If you keep up with Mac you know he's constantly in the studio, having a huge year in 2013 not only releasing a mix tape of all his very own self produced instrumentals titled Run On Sentences Vol. 1 under the moniker Larry Fisherman, another self produced mix tape titled Delusional Thomas, his first live album Live From Space in December of 2013, but also his second studio album Watching Movies With The Sound Off. If you don't consider Mac to be one of the most consistent in the game, you might want to re-evaluate your list, or maybe even your life.

When people talk about Big K.R.I.T, they usually talk very heavily on his southern brand of bumping music heavily considered to be influenced by the likes of Bun B, UGK and all types of slow Houston type hip hop. But if you know anything about K.R.I.T, you know that he produces all of his music too, and he is very, VERY good at what he does. Not only did he produce his entire debut album Live From The Underground, meaning EVERY single song off of it, but he also produced almost every song off of his very successful 2013 mix tape King Remembered In Time. If you haven't listened to K.R.I.T yet, you're truly missing out, and that's coming from a fan that has only listened to him since the beginning of 2013, and is incredibly eager to hear what he has in store with his upcoming sophomore album Cadillactica, supposed to be hitting store shelves before the end of 2014.

Now J. Cole is a lesser known producer and more known for his rap, though it is hard to overlook his fantastic lyrical miracle efforts along with his blend of real, emotional, venting type of music. But Cole is a fantastic producer who doesn't really get the credit you'd think he deserves on his production. Not only has he produced such great songs for Kendrick Lamar such as "HiiPoWeR" and "The Jig Is Up," but he's also produced his entire Born Sinner album minus a couple songs, along with songs off of his debut album like "Work Out", "Can't Get Enough", "Nobody's Perfect" and many more from other rappers as well.

So you get the point, or you should by now. Rappers are more talented than you think!  Producing is getting to be more and more of a hands on thing now for rappers, whether they be making their own beats or beats for other rappers. When you think about it, doesn't it make it much more simple to rap over a beat you know all the ins and outs to?  In this sense, these guys probably deserve a lot more credit than they're all getting. All that work is being done so us the fans can love and appreciate true rap greatness the right way!  Get back to me with your thoughts on Twitter (@SuperNovaRover) or Google+, y'all know the drill.     







 

      



      

Who is Daz Dillinger? The Analysis

Daz Dillinger is not a name many hip hop fans would know right off the top of their heads, or maybe not even a name you'd associate with music, depending what you know. See this was my opinion at first, not knowing who he was, all I saw him as was some random dude who hung out with Snoop Dogg. If you saw Snoop's movie "Reincarnated," which documents Snoop's rebirth and his trip to Jamaica to find himself, your first assumption might be that Daz is just a guy Snoop has been friends with all his life who just tags along with Snoop and smokes weed all day. But to those of us new to Daz, he is definitely much more than that.

Daz Dillinger, real name Delmar Drew Arnaud, is known mostly for his role in the hip hop group "Tha Dogg Pound," originally formed with fellow known west coast rapper Kurupt. Hanging out with Snoop so much of course wouldn't not open up doors for you, although he surely didn't need things handed to him. His real start in the industry began as a producer for legendary west coast rap label Death Row Records, where he produced multi platinum albums and singles for rap goliaths like Snoop and Tupac, along with contributions to Dr. Dre's highly acclaimed debut album "The Chronic."

I knew none of this, and of course didn't bother to do the research until now. The idea of Death Row Records and its rise to the pinnacle of hip hop always fascinated me, so I kept digging. When you think of Death Row you obviously think of Snoop, Dr. Dre, Tupac, Suge Knight and Kurupt. So where really does Daz fit into such a star studded line up of hip hop giants?  Daz got his real chance to show and prove himself once Dr. Dre, head producer of Death Row at the time, left the label in early 1996 due to issues with label boss Suge Knight to form his own label Aftermath. The rest of that story is very well documented history. *Cough Cough* where's Detox?

So this lead to nothing but great things for Daz, not only producing such hit songs as Tupac's "Ambitionz Az A Ridah," "I Ain't Mad At Cha," and Snoop and Pac's "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted," all multi platinum selling singles, but also being given the task of producing for Snoop's entire sophomore album "Tha Doggfather." But wait, in case you didn't think that was enough to believe Daz has the ultimate resume, there's much more. Would you believe me if I said the man raps as well?  Well you better because guess what; he does!

Shortly after fellow Death Row rappers Snoop, Kurupt, and Nate Dogg had left the label, Daz released his first solo album "Retaliation, Revenge, and Get Back" in 1998. Leaving Death Row seemed to open up many doors for the man, as he put out solo albums in every single year from 2002-2012, including two albums in 2005. Not only the rapping, but the production for other artists continued as well as he produced for rappers Kurupt, Soopafly, and B-Legit. It is known that Dillinger and Kurupt had a brief falling out in 2002 after Kurupt re-signed to Death Row, but they squash the beef in 2005 at a west coast unity event hosted by Snoop. Rumors say that Daz is planning to offer the new owners of Death Row Records unreleased material to re package along with re-mastered old Death Row material.

So that's that, at least for this portion. I hope you learned a lot, I know I definitely did just in this little research project of Daz. It just goes to show you a little research on someone you know little to nothing about can change your perspective about them. Now do I think Daz is just some dude who hangs out with Snoop Dogg and smokes weed all day?  Half of that is right, but I know not to think he isn't productive at least, no pun intended. Daz is just another portion of a huge segment of rap that practically defined a genre inside a genre with west coast g funk hip hop. If only we could relive those days in a way, get all the old heads together and put them on an album that will define the west coast for years to come. I'll bet it could happen, but we'd need a couple producers to work together and a few rappers to get on songs and rap about the right stuff. I wonder who we'd turn to for this project?  Hmmm....