What Drake's Views From The 6 Will Determine

(This billboard certainly interests me, almost insinuating that Views From The 6 could be dropping today, 4/2)

What's there to say about Drake that hasn't already been said?  He sings too much, he doesn't write his own rhymes, he's too sensitive, blah blah blah. When it comes down to it, the man puts out some of the best music in hip hop, and some of the most vibe worthy and widely listened to in all of music. Women love him, the gangsters love him, teenagers love him, even middle aged men and women love him, Drake makes music for ALL people. He's been a staple in hip hop for over 7 years (give or take), and he's not even making hip hop music all of the time. But Drizzy's latest leaks haven't been sitting well with the people. Now most of the time this means nothing, the Drake formula has always been to drop a questionable track that people will have to get used to, then drop something that everybody is going to love immediately, but this time seems a bit different. Is Drake getting bored?  I'm here to find out.

Drake - Faithful (ft. Pimp C)

The above song is Drake's latest leak (came out today) featuring a Pimp C verse that was also featured on Jay Z's "Tom Ford" remix. Drake's other recent leaks include "Controlla" featuring Popcaan (which you can listen to here) and "These Days" featuring Barf Troop's Babeo Baggins, a cover of singer Nico's 1967 song, written by Jackson Browne, which Drake and Babeo (quite a name) renamed to "Things I Forgot To Do" (you can listen to that here).

So I don't know if it's just me, but to me these newest Drake leaks seem very... un-Drake-ish. On "Controlla", Drizzy seems to be taking the experimental Snoop Lion route, (it's like the next thing you know we'll be seeing him rocking some kick ass Rasta dreads) on the "These Days" cover Drake seems to be getting suicidal about past loves (which is very Drake-ish, but even "suicidal" seems a bit too far for Drake). The only leak that seems up to Drake's typical speed is the Pimp C feature "Faithful". It features all the wavy sounds and recorded-conversations-that-will-get-your-girl-mad later type of vibes that Drake is so well known for. The real question here seems to be; is Drake really getting bored?

The only assumption that could be made is that Drake is in fact getting bored, I mean you can only emotionlessly shout "JUMP MAN" so many times before you go completely numb (What A Time To Be Alive it is, indeed). Drake has mastered the pop #1 smash hit with "Hotline Bling", He's mastered the #1 album and going platinum (all 3 of his solo efforts have done so), and he's practically mastered being able to sing a hook for your girl on one track, while being able to body your favorite rapper's career on the next track (obviously a stretch, but you've seen, or better HEARD what the guy can do on his "am" tracks). So what is left for Drake to do but walk away in the sun set while we retire his #6 jersey in the rafters like Jordan?  (Or I suppose that's a statement better reserved for Jay-Z; "when I come back like Jordan"... never mind.)

No, Drake certainly doesn't want to walk away from it all yet (or so we hope). But the only place to go from up on top of everything... is down!  Is Drake on his way out?  I think it's a bit far fetched to say that, although I do think it's safe to say that Views From The 6 could have a much bigger impact on Drake's career than any of us are able to tell right now. Views From The 6 can once and for all prove whether or not Drake is actually as much of a "wave rider" as fans and critics think. Based on the turn of events in Drake's career (including WATTBA, "Hotline Bling", etc.), Drake has to prove that he can still make great music. Obviously he can still make music, he can make music that people absolutely enjoy, and music that people can jam to for years to come, but the real question is; does Drake still own his own lane?  I'll cap this off with one of my favorite Drake tracks ever below, you could almost think of it as a simulation of what I'd hope that Views From The 6 brings.


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


                            

Oddisee's "AlWasta" EP Review

Oddisee is another rapper who had just recently been put onto my radar by the beautiful random reposts of SoundCloud, and when I saw the above picture I couldn't help but have my curiosity piqued. Oddisee (if you haven't heard of him) is a Washington D.C. based rapper who (on my first listen) definitely made me curious with his AlWasta EP. In case you didn't know (like me), "AlWasta" is an Arabic colloquial term used that means "the plug". The term "wasta" comes from the Arabic word "wasat" meaning “middle” or “middleman”, and describes a member of the community who acts as a connector using their wealth of social currency. Oh yes, Amir Elkhalifa aka Oddisee is a deep brother who makes even deeper music that sends a message that should be followed by everyone.

Oddisee is certainly one for live instrumentation and intimate vibes, and he gives those vibes all throughout AlWasta. He starts his EP off with "Asked About You", a heartfelt note that will still have your head bobbing. You get hints of Odd's deep lyrics and watery flow with lines like "I see the demons that hang around us on evenings and party with us on weekends". This deep opener jumps right into the real kick starter of the project, the wavy and almost spiritual "No Reservations", another smooth jam that gives off 70's jazz vibes where Oddisee entertainingly rambles about "time", and "political correctness". With these two opening tracks, Oddisee almost gives you the urge to sit in your own mind's purgatory and contemplate the problems of the world and how to make them better (he's almost got me wanting to take a spiritual trip to India to find myself).



"Strength & Weakness" is a song that you just want to raise your lighter up to and wave back and forth to like a drunken hippy at Woodstock. Oddisee's great use of live instrumentation (especially those hi hats) makes these songs pop in headphones, and would probably sound ten times better live, which is something that can't be said for most other hip hop acts using instrumentals. "Wouldn't Be Surprised" takes you on a rock n roll trip as soon as you hear that beginning guitar. You can tell as soon as the song starts that your head will be bobbing throughout the track, a feeling that can't be matched for hip hop heads, or better than that, music heads.

"Catching Vibes" is the opus of AlWasta, Oddisee creates a vibe that builds up perfectly to the hook, and when it hits it's something that you get sad hearing when it ends, waiting for the next time it comes around like the ice cream man (except you don't have to try to run and catch up). "Catching Vibes" has the same vibes that Kendrick gives off on "Alright" minus the socially conscience message, though Oddisee shows 50 plus shades of socially conscience all throughout AlWasta. I could only dream about "Catching Vibes" getting the shine that "Alright" did, but I can dream, right?


              (*I do not own these songs, or the rights to any of them*)
          
All in all, Oddisee makes it "odd to see" hip hop in such a different place, but certainly something refreshing to hear with some definite "feel good" vibes (see what I did there?). AlWasta is certainly for the experimental, but if you're open to actually using instruments in your hip hop (which yes, you should be) then Oddisee will certainly be a pleasurable listen for you. This project definitely has replay value, and may even be for the average music fan, as opposed to ONLY the average hip hop fan. So give AlWasta a chance and catch some vibes, you won't regret it.        


   

           

Jhene Aiko & Big Sean Announce "Twenty88" EP

The biggest news of the last 24 hours seems to be the announcement that R&B Goddess Jhene Aiko and Detroit rapper Big Sean are dropping an EP this Friday, April 1st titled Twenty88, which is a spin on both artist's birth years (1988) and ages (28). Now there is some speculation on the release date being April Fools, but if you know Jhene, she definitely has a heart enough to not pull a fast one on her fans. Because then she knows I'd cry and... never mind. Check out the 2 promo videos below. You can also check out their Twitter for any updates @twenty88.

Promo 1
https://twitter.com/twenty88/status/714270814925787136

Promo 2
https://twitter.com/twenty88/status/714273461862969344















  

Denzel Curry's "Imperial" Album Review (Also, An Important Ending Message)

Denzel Curry had never hit my radar screen until Imperial came out about 3 weeks ago. I had no idea what to expect from him or his latest project, because admittedly yes, Imperial was my first listen of anything from the Carol City, Florida rapper. Is Carol City heavy gang territory?  Somebody can answer me this question right?  Because based on this guy's music and persona, he's seemed to have lived quite a hard and strenuous lifestyle.

Now remember what I said about not doing full on album reviews anymore?  This will be no different, just a few highlights of the tracks I like. Anyways, Denzel hits it off on the right track (if you will) on the opening number, "ULT", which Denzel later defines as meaning "ultimately til infinity". The wavy introduction instruments sound like something you'd only hear watching a power ranger morph, or watching the Joker become the Joker, or... you know, etc. "ULT" makes a hell of a statement as an opening track and makes you want more of what Denzel has to offer, and Denzel gives it to you.



Some tracks that Denzel takes you through on Imperial sound like some tracks that belong on a horror movie soundtrack, the perfect example of this being the signature gang banging sound on "Sick & Tired", where the hook describes the haunting realities of living in the hood and fearing for your life every day. Another one that gives this "300 hundred deep" feeling is "Narcotics", a track where Denzel tries to dispel the rumors that all blacks "serve narcotics." This track bumps and is something you could play at a party, but I'm not the biggest fan of the message, and the "all these crackers thinkin' that a nigga serve narcotics" line is not exactly something that is going to progress the thinking and ideas of the U.S., or anywhere for that matter.

Denzel definitely knows how to tell a story, which is harder to find with the bigger artists nowadays, and he gives some interesting stories in "Story:  No Title", and even vents a little bit in some more genuine songs like "Pure Enough" and "This Life" (where he makes even an open book song sound like a banger). The Joey Bada$$ feature on "Zenith" is definitely a highlight of the tape, and that ear slapping snare makes for the perfect ambiance of a Joey Bada$$ verse. The hook is catchier than catching either artist on a zenith, and both rappers do their respective "things" on the track.


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

Overall, Curry's project does have some bangers and some tracks that partiers would love. The project is solid overall, but not much more than just "solid". He impressed me on a few songs lyrically, the beats were good (although not great), but I've never been the biggest fan of dudes glorifying and promoting the street and gang lifestyle. This new generation of "Chi-raq" types of dudes seem to force their hardened lifestyles onto the masses, and ultimately make it cool to be a part of these gang activities, or make gang and street lingo the thing to be a part of. I really don't like to be the old (22 year old) man preaching about how rap was, but it seems the difference between the "okay" artists and the "great" artists is that the "great" artists always give the impression that there is a way out of that lifestyle, while the "okay" artists claim that it's all they know, and don't attempt to show growth and maturity, even over time. So when it comes down to the musical aspect of things, Curry's project was absolutely rock solid, the music was good, but would I use this project as an example for artists coming up who want to be "great"?  Probably not.         
            









     

4 Things I Want From Royce Da 5'9's Layers

For such a long time Detroit emcee Royce Da 5'9 was living in the shadow of Eminem, but in just the last 2 years or so (still with no new Slaughterhouse album in sight, we're getting impatient guys) Royce has stepped into the limelight by himself with some incredible guest features, and not to mention the critically acclaimed joint album with DJ Premier, PRhyme. With Royce's new Layers album on the horizon (which is set for an April 15th release date), Royce's first solo album in 5 years, it's going to be interesting to see how Royce has evolved from Success Is Certain to now, because the title Layers can only mean one thing; we haven't quite gotten to know the real Ryan Daniel Montgomery yet. Here's 4 things I want from Royce's newest Layers album.

Competitive Rapping
https://soundcloud.com/royceda59/01-dead-president-heads-prod-by-streetrunner-add-keys-by-tarik-azzouz

"Niggas dissed Marshall after they copy his whole reference, like we won't send an actual firing squad to they studio, that'll Basquiat they whole session"

Now seeing as it's Royce, obviously he's going to bring the bars, and if you know Royce you know DAMN WELL he's going to keep the riff raff in check (not the rapper, obviously, although I'm sure he'd have no problem saying something if it came down to it). Royce is already creating a buzz around his newly released song "Dead President Heads", with rumors that he's dissed J. Cole for mentioning Eminem's name in Cole's song "Fire Squad", but if you've ever heard Royce speak of the newer young guns that he respects in the game today, Cole would be one of the first names to come out of his mouth, probably right next to Kendrick. Royce wasn't dissing Cole, it seems all Royce was doing was keeping the competitive riff raff alive in hip hop that he and his Bad Meets Evil brethren Eminem love to do so much.

Great Story Telling


By the looks of the track listing for Layers, we might be getting a story telling type of album from Royce. It's probably too early to tell, but when the album starts off with the very descriptive and narrative-like first single "Tabernacle", we might actually get to really know Royce a bit more than we've gotten to know him in his last albums. And seeing as "Tabernacle" is just a taste of his story telling abilities (see also "On The Boulevard" and "Security" off of Royce's last solo album Success Is Certain), Layers could be quite an informative listen for fans.

Better Production


Now the real hip hop heads would tear me to shreds once they read what I'm about to say, but I'm really hoping for some better production on Layers. Obviously Royce is always one to do his thing no matter what the beats sound like, and working with DJ Premier is a win for a lot of fans, but I wasn't entirely impressed with the beats on PRhyme. With the newest Royce leaks ("Tabernacle" and "Dead President Heads") I'm already sensing that this album's production will top Royce's last 2 (PRhyme and Success Is Certain), so Royce is stepping in the right direction. Go ahead and call me crazy for not being impressed with PRhyme's beats, but we all know that Royce and Premo are hip hop to the core. Sometimes the DJ scratches and the old vocal samples (not to disparage sampling altogether) can be too much for albums, I say bring in the 808s and do your thing over those Royce! (It's a horrible guilty pleasure, but I do love it, and I'm sure nobody else could argue; 808s get people moving.)

LET'S GET SOME GOD DAMN SLAUGHTERHOUSE MUSIC!

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

Okay so this last point might be a bit of a lashing out by yours truly, but I WANT SOME FUCKIN SLAUGHTERHOUSE MUSIC! HAVEN'T YOU MADE PEOPLE WAIT LONG ENOUGH?  WHAT'S THE POINT?!  The last little bit of news dropped about the mythical Glass House album was around January, and Crooked I was quoted as saying that Slaughterhouse will drop the album "when the game needs it." WHAT KINDA PROPHETIC BULLSHIT IS THAT?!  Even a collaboration every now and then is good to hold people over, but this is starting to get really Shady guys (pun intended). New Royce, Joe, Joell and Crooked solo albums are great, but they just don't compare to the chemistry that all 4 have on a track. This "Voltron" crew looks like it's starting to fall apart, but I really hope I'm wrong. No word on whether the album is coming this year, all that they say is that "it's coming." Don't let this become another Detox situation fellas. Anyways, Layers looks to be another solid project from Royce, and we'll get to see how he's going to shift the game again on April 15th.

                         










      



        

LL Cool J Is Returning To Rap!

Something must be wrong with hip hop today because the Gods are sending in some heavyweights (and in this guy's case, quite literally). LL Cool J took to Twitter yesterday to say he's officially coming out of retirement and he'll be recording a new album! Check out the tweet right here.

What do y'all think?  Does LL still have what it takes to bust some heads?  By the look of those arms, I'd say yes.

I'm Late, But Bas' "Too High To Riot" Is Too Dope

I know, I know exactly how you internet fiends get. "Are you serious you're just NOW listening to that?  I've been on that since the millisecond it came out!"  Okay, so I haven't exactly been up to date on the newest and most dope shit lately, but when I see dopeness, I'm most certainly going to point it out. One of J. Cole's Dreamville protégé's Bas has been on the come up for a minute, but it seems like Too High To Riot is his coming out party. I had heard the Queens, NY rapper on a couple of Cole loosie's from back around 2010-2011 (I believe), and I have to admit that I didn't exactly see what was going to appeal him to people, but of course Bas wasn't putting out music like the songs on Too High To Riot back then. It seems Bas has finally found his sound.

Now I'm not going to call this an album review since I hate doing them so much, I mean obviously I'm not the most up-to-the-minute like these other hip hop blogs (since when is doing an album review the day it came out a good idea?), but from now on when I hear a new album, I think I'm just going to point out the things I like about it. And seeing as Bas' Too High To Riot appeals to just about every sense, there is a lot to like about it.



So yeah, Cole is featured on the album, and most would think that this would be the high point of this album, but the great thing is that it's not (speaking of Cole's feature, Bas and Cole have a really fun back and forth on their collaboration off the album, "Night Job"). Bas has what the kids today would call, a "wavy sound" that could get anybody moving. You can party to these songs, or you can just kick back and do some laundry to it, and there's a huge in between. The bass lines in songs like "Methylone", "Housewives", and "Clouds Never Get Old" are perfect to bump in the whip, while Bas also shows his deeper, more reflective side in jams like "Live For", and then he goes and makes ridiculous interlude types of songs like "Miles And Miles" that could lift you up and float you away (even without the smoke, though I'm sure it's heavily influenced).

So all in all, stay awake on Bas. He has an incredible body of work just in Too High To Riot, an album that makes him one to watch moving forward. Being under J. Cole and his Dreamville label could be bad or good, it's too hard to tell so early seeing as Cole doesn't have much experience being the mentor type, though it seems if Bas is going to continue being as dope as he is, Cole will have no problem with letting Bas do his thing.         








              

4 Observations About Kendrick's "untitled unmastered"

Amazing the power Lebron James holds over music huh?  It's pretty crazy the influence and power he holds over most things, but this is especially significant considering the fact he just convinced Top Dawg's CEO to release the unreleased songs (one of which they said they didn't have the audio file for because it was apparently accidently deleted, yet it somehow ended up on the album) that Kendrick has been performing on late night television. And his wish was granted!  WTF?!?!  Yo Lebron, while you're at it, go ahead and ask Just Blaze for that Slaughterhouse album would you so kindly (I know it's a shot in the dark, but worth a shot)?  Kendrick's untitled unmastered. doesn't even sound like the title suggests, but it's easy to make a few more observations of the EP just based on TPAB, and based on the sound he was experiencing with. Here's 4 observations I made about Kendrick's new EP.

Socially Conscience Agenda


"The smell is disgusting, the heat is unbearable, preachers touchin' on boys, run for cover the paranoid, raper's and murderers hurdle alleys, valleys in high places turn into dust, famous screaming in agony, Atheists for suicide, planes falling out the sky, trains jumping off the tracks, mothers yelling 'he's alive'," etc. Kendrick has never been one to shy away from speaking on the real state of the world, and "Untitled 1" is another prime example of this, as is the entire rest of the EP (especially the beginning of "Untitled 4").

To Pimp A Butterfly themes


The re-occurring "pimp pimp! hooray!" theme that Kendrick shows throughout untitled unmastered. can easily be seen as a theme that was intended for To Pimp A Butterfly. Is there a reason for the chanting?  I have a theory that the chanting could be a satirical way for Kendrick to demonstrate how the "hood" sees pimps (the "hooray" being a celebration of how cool and "righteous" being a pimp in the hood actually is). It's a far fetched theory, but most theories are. Anyways, the funky bass lines (which help lead to the next observation) found throughout untitled unmastered. are reminiscent of "King Kunta", not to mention the ever so familiar instruments found in the beginning of "untitled 6" (sounds eerily similar to "For Sale?" off of To Pimp A Butterfly).

Funky Music + Live Instruments    


Obviously the recordings on untitled unmastered. sound much different than those that Kendrick performed on his live television performances (which is the only disappointing thing about this EP, you can't hear him spazz out HIT THE BANK AND WITHDRAW, HIT THE BANK AND WITHDRAW like he did on Colbert), but one thing that stays true is the great use of live instruments that Kendrick uses throughout the project, as opposed to your average hip hop instrumental. You can hear the live snare come in beautifully and right on cue in "untitled 3", as well as every other track (live drums add an extra special pop to the beats on untitled unmastered., as well as the live hi hat in "untitled 5").

Kendrick Can't Be Touched

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

It's understandable that people get tired of hearing this, I mean for God's sake at some point all you can do is sound like a broken record, but Kendrick might literally be the Chosen One. That was too much to say, let me be real about it. Kendrick is ACTUALLY pushing boundaries and breaking down walls that other artists so confidently (actually, the worst kind of cocky) claim they are (cough cough Kanye West). Kendrick has muted the already silent supposed "greatness" of Jay Electronica with subtle, yet potent jabs like "before you poke out your chest, loosen your bra, before you step out of line and dance with the star, I could never end a career if it never starts." Where's a shock-faced emoji when you need one?  I would love to hear Jay Elec's comment on that one. Regardless of the drama, Kendrick has done it again, and with an untitled and unmastered project, no less.          



    














   




         

Troy Ave Disses Joey Bada$$

Did you think Joey Bada$$ and Troy Ave's beef was over?  Think again.

Now in the past Joey and Troy have sent each other shots on Twitter and mentioned each other in interviews, and they even squashed the beef awhile back, but I suppose they are back at it again. Supposedly, last week Joey Bada$$ put out a track called "Ready" in which he sent a small jab at Troy Ave; "60k first week for the Badass/ 200k to this day I know you niggas mad/ With the 80/20 split my nigga do the math/ My nigga Kirk just outsold Troy Ave."

Now bar for bar I have to take Joey over Troy (I mean come on, is it close?), but what do y'all think? Do you see this turning into anything big, or interesting?  Check out Troy's Joey Bada$$ diss below.



   

The 17 Year Anniversary of The Slim Shady LP

That's right, it's been 17 long years since Eminem began terrorizing the minds of people all around the world with The Slim Shady LP. This album resulted in a lot of controversy, ranging from lawsuits with many, (from people in Eminem's life, including his infamous mother Debbie Mathers and childhood bully DeAngelo Bailey) to backlash over his shocking lyrics and wordplay. If there's one word to sum up Em's spectacular, roller coaster career (though I just gave you 3); the best word for it would be controversial. This is one of the reasons Eminem has always peaked my interest. A lot of material was made during the process of Eminem's long career, and leading up to the much anticipated release of his major label debut, Em promoted the hell out of it. Here's a few cool little known videos that were made leading up to The Slim Shady LP's release.

Eminem promotes The Slim Shady LP's release


Dre says at the 1:06 mark; "this is the result of a lot of acid." It's funny because ironically enough, during the making of The Slim Shady LP, Dre has said that they recorded most of Eminem's debut on Ecstasy. Eminem told Rolling Stone about Dre and his recording process in 1999, and Dre responded with: “He didn’t say that! It’s true, though. We get in there, get bugged out, stay in the studio for fuckin’ two days. Then you’re dead for three days. Then you wake up, pop the tape in, like, ‘Let me see what I’ve done.'”

Eminem Freestyles Words Given to Him, + Interview


Here's another cool interview that Em gave with MTV before the release of The Slim Shady LP, discussing growing up and why he raps, including the competitive aspect of it and doing it for the love. He even discussed coming up being compared to Vanilla Ice, and had some not so kind words for him.

Eminem discusses what he's been through, confusion over his lyrics, etc.

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

Here Eminem discusses some confusion over his lyrics in the song "Guilty Conscience", where a writer (Timothy White) was offended by some things Eminem said (surprise!). Eminem says in the interview; "First of all he doesn't know hip hop so he doesn't belong judging it. He doesn't even know about, so he shouldn't speak on it." Some cold words from Em (which isn't new), but something that has certainly benefitted Em's career has been his way of saying what's on his mind and his "just don't give a fuck" attitude, which seemingly hasn't changed. Anyways, this interview is for sure another interesting look at how it was around the time The Slim Shady LP was pissing off the world.

It seems Eminem will always have something to say that rubs somebody somewhere the wrong way, which ultimately, (if you think about it) is pretty funny. In America, the home of the brave and the land of the free, someone got mad because a rapper jokingly talked about rape for some shock value looks and reactions. Eminem has almost always been a secret comedian it seems; shedding light on the horrors of America (and probably the rest of the world) through comedy. But even after all of it, after all of the things he says, after all of the people he disses, he's still a top notch emcee who should be respected for his craft, and his respect towards hip hop.                   


  

        











 

Is 50 Cent "Getting Exposed"? (Also, A Message)

For such a long time (realistically, since about 2003), 50 Cent has been such an intimidating presence in hip hop. He's made some of the heaviest and hardest hitting hip hop songs to date, songs which detailed the life of growing up in the hood, selling drugs, and getting shot. 50 has made his lifestyle apparent even today, getting into constant feuds with just about everybody under the sun. For what reason this may be remains to be seen; does 50 constantly have a need to prove his masculinity to people?  Or does 50 just hate that many people?  A point could be made that 50 just likes to give his controversial (and somewhat disrespectful, at times) opinion whenever he sees fit, but another point could also be made that 50 tries as hard as he possibly can to stay in the limelight for as long as he can without making music. A few things have happened with 50 recently that have peaked my interest about the South Jamaica, Queens, New York rapper. Is 50 Cent a fraud?  You be the judge, but allow me to supply you with some facts of the recent situations 50 Cent has been getting into.

So in case you haven't heard, back in January 50 got into an Instagram beef (ha-ha to this, seeing as it's mostly the only way rappers express their problems and opinions nowadays) with Murda Inc. founder Irv Gotti over the rehashed feud they had back in the day that also ended up including Aftermath, some Shady Records Artists (including Eminem, Obie Trice, etc.) and the original member of the beef with 50, Murda Inc. rapper Ja Rule. Meek Mill had originally tagged Irv in an Instagram post, asking "Can you clarify that he told on y'all? We need answers!" Of course Gotti happily clarified with the post below.

It's understandably easy to take Irv's words above as "promo" for himself, a way to get some easy publicity, but when you see the first picture above of the "order for protection" put out by Curtis Jackson (50's real name), you start to wonder about 50. Why would he put on like that and claim so confidently to this day that he won the beef against Irv, Ja Rule and Murda Inc.? The real heads that were watching the beef go down and heard about the details on every diss track put out back and forth between Ja Rule and 50 (who also had Eminem, Dr. Dre, Obie Trice, and the rest of G-Unit backing him up) would think that 50 put Ja to sleep and essentially ended the run of Murda Inc.'s success. But, it'd also be easy to misconstrue the assumption that 50 "won" his beef against Irv, Ja and Murda Inc. seeing as the above document gives off the assumption that 50 was actually, truly scared of Irv, Ja and Murda Inc., and feared for his life. Of course 50 then responded with an outrageously disrespectful Instagram post, saying to Irv, who's 82 year old dad was celebrating a birthday, to "Tell yo daddy I said hurry up and die punk. Let's get to it no more IG." Considering how left field 50 had to go to respond to Irv, this definitely gave off the assumption that what Irv was saying was true, and that 50 felt rattled, and beaten.



Recently, reclusive rapper Jay Electronica hosted a live session on Periscope in which he made headlines for dissing 50 Cent and Kendrick Lamar. Jay had much to say about 50 Cent; "50 Cent, at once, he was a good rapper. Right now he got the potential to be a rapper, but he's on some sucker shit... and we will slap 50 Cent's eyeballs loose from his scalp." 50 (as usual, entertaining the bull, though it can be entertaining, somebody grab me some popcorn) responded on Instagram to a fan who asked him about Jay Electronica's comments. 50 Cent wrote in a response, "who is that? I don't even know a song from him LMAO". Because of this, Jay Elec released the song above and tweeted to 50 yesterday, "don't make me expose you as a coward." It will certainly be interesting to see how this 50 and Jay Elec beef will carry on, do you think Jay Elec can hold his own against 50?

Anyways, it's amazing to see that all of this hoopla can keep somebody in the limelight the way that it does 50 Cent (also others who seemingly cant help but offer their 2 cents on any and every situation, such as Kanye West, and the struggling to stay relevant Azalea Banks). It's a lost art to act mature in hip hop these days. It's a sad sight to see, especially when you know 50 Cent at one time was a great rapper who has put out classic albums, and was in the news because of how good his music was, and not because he was popping off on any and everybody who said something about him. It's not always the most entertaining on social media, but it says a lot about one's (rappers specifically) character when they can take all of the allegations, the flack, and the hate, and use it as fuel to inspire and create great music. Kendrick Lamar's message on his "Control" verse is slipping, but it still holds relevance to the ones who still like to actually rap, and competitively at that. Maybe some of these guys should take notes.  

         




           

    

            

Wiz Khalifa's "Khalifa" Album Review

It's crazy to think about 28 year old Wiz Khalifa being a veteran in rap; but with almost 20 different projects put out (hard to distinguish the difference between albums and mix tapes, though most would say he has 4 albums), there's no debating that Wiz Khalifa is a veteran in this here rap thing. He's experimented with his sound since 2006, being once known as the Prince Of The City, "Trap Wiz" on his 2014 mix tape 28 Grams, and asking How Fly is he really with frequent collaborator Curren$y, but this time it seemed Wiz wanted to combine all of his different styles and personas into one while staying true to the backpacking Wiz that became so huge in the late 2000s. So did Wiz give his fans what they wanted with Khalifa?



It's not hard to tell that the big single from this project was the hyped up Travi$ Scott feature "Bake Sale", and the fun and wavy vibe that this jam gives off is easy to find throughout Khalifa. "Cowboy" is an interesting twist on the typical Wiz song given it's decent storytelling vibe, but is also able to keep the party vibe going, while "Celebrate" brings Wiz back to his comfort zone with some clean shit talkin' over a smooth beat and a nice Rico Love feature.

Old Wiz was making a few worthy appearances on Khalifa as well, this is most evident from the almost inspirational banger "Elevated." The hook on "Elevated" creates the signature Wiz vibe with some spiritual background vocals that Wiz mastered back in his mix tape days, and he gives the same classic Wiz vibe with "City View" featuring singer Courtney Noelle. Seeing a Courtney Noelle feature for Wiz fans is certainly a nostalgia trip, reminiscent of "Bank Roll" off of Wiz's Star Power mix tape.


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

The features on Khalifa are none too showy; Wiz stuck to the Taylor Gang and that is no surprise. Every feature fits where it belongs, and each person plays their part perfectly. Courtney Noelle's singing made "City View", while Rico Love, J.R. Donato, Chevy Woods and Juicy J all added a vibe that only they could to each of their features. You can feel Wiz and Chevy Woods' chemistry for making bangers on "No Permission", Wiz's son Sebastian adds an almost tear jerking ending to "Zoney", and Juicy J stays doing Juicy J things on "iSay" (a weird beat to hear Juicy over, but an awesome song, nonetheless).        

Wiz came out to show and prove with Khalifa, it seems. The title is fitting, because this album is Wiz to the core. The feel good vibes live throughout almost every song on Khalifa, and it seems Wiz brought meaning back to not only what he was saying, but the overall sound in his music. Wiz is never going to be the most lyrical, but when it comes to creating a certain vibe in his songs, whether it be to turn up to, to chill to, or to even hear some real shit, Wiz creates the vibe with his genius way of song making. Khalifa is a veteran's way of staying true, and staying fun at the same time.        

     

      










          

4 Beats Of J. Dilla's Rappers Have Reused

It was 10 years ago yesterday that immortal producer J. Dilla passed away, and though he's been gone for 10 years (already), his spirit and his music will undoubtedly live on forever. Dilla is certainly one of the most influential hip hop producers of all time, so great and raved about that it's almost hard to argue that he was underground anymore (considering he's been shown respect by hip hop legends, including Dr. Dre, Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, and even rappers of today such as Kanye, Common, etc.). So on the anniversary of his death, we shall celebrate his life and influence on todays generation, with 4 beats of his that rappers have reused.

Wiz Khalifa - Name On A Cloud/Wussup


Dilla was the king of the vibe, and his beats always created an atmosphere which made you want to bob your head, rap your ass off, or even smoke a doobie (in the above rapper's case, the latter is probably the most believable). Wiz jumped on Dilla's "Runnin" instrumental originally used by the Pharcyde and put his own little twist on it. Knowing Wiz he wanted to create a vibe for his fans to burn one to, do you feel he did the beat justice?

Nas - The Season


It's dope as hell to hear Nas over a Dilla beat, if ANYBODY. The jazziest rapper over the jazziest beats, it only makes sense for this to have happened (we certainly need more Nas over Dilla). Nas (and known collaborator AZ) went over Dilla's "Gobstopper" instrumental and certainly did it justice with that dope Nas flow we've all grown to love, and lines like "Nas, a Dilla beat, a fly soliloquy." Two of the greatest.

Beedie The Beat Bully - Won't Do


It seems Beedie hasn't done much to make a name of himself in awhile, but back in 2011 he made some waves by going over Dilla's "Won't Do" beat. Beedie was part of a wave of rappers that were coming out of Pittsburgh in the late 2000s/early 2010s, but hasn't quite made the name that he'd like to for himself, unlike his other successful Pittsburgh alumni Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller.

Joey Bada$$ - Two Lips

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

Joey Bada$$ went over a classic Dilla instrumental, and for a good cause. The "Two Lips" instrumental was given to Joey Bada$$ by the J. Dilla Foundation to make a song over it, and sell along with some limited edition tee shirts. All proceeds went to purchasing music lessons and instruments for underprivileged kids.

Long Live JayDee, Dilla Dawg, James Yancey... long live J. Dilla!     




     



     








         






   

The Smoothest Voice In Hip Hop; Anderson .Paak

The newest and most refreshing voice that's taking over hip hop, even when not truly being defined by hip hop, is none other than Oxnard, California's own Anderson .Paak. He made noise by being an unknown feature on Dr. Dre's long awaited Compton album, and only got bigger after that with being a feature on Game's Documentary 2 album. But these features were just the warm ups that lead up to .Paak's 2nd studio album Malibu, which has seemingly cemented his very own funky sound and style into mainstream music.

It's hard to say that .Paak is one specific genre; when you hear him featured on Dr. Dre's "Animals", "For The Love Of Money", and "All In A Day's Work" off of Compton; The Soundtrack, you'd probably think that he adds the perfect soulful sound on some banging hip hop tracks with just his voice alone, but when you hear him on his own tracks like "Am I Wrong", "The Bird", or "Lite Weight", you wouldn't know whether to make love to your partner, or to get on the dance floor and show out!


(One of the best examples of the funky sound that .Paak demonstrates all throughout Malibu)

Dr. Dre brought .Paak into the music world perfectly with some heavyweight features on one of the most highly anticipated albums of the last century, and though .Paak just added his signature voice and sound to Dre's songs on Compton, he was finally given his chance to do his own thing with Malibu, and he did it perfectly, not to mention that he's able to feature with some of today's biggest rappers and create his own shine on a track without stealing that person's song. Anderson .Paak's music is a breath of fresh air throwback; this statement may not make sense, but how else can someone make such a classic genre of music sound so new and refreshing?  .Paak brings back the funk so hard, it's like he time traveled back to the 70's with today's instruments and musical equipment, recorded the songs, then came back and released them to the public. Yes .Paak is bringing his own signature sound, a sound that is good for dance, jazz, funk, and hip hop fans alike.

       
(I've been jamming this song so damn hard since it came out in the 2nd half of last year. *I do not own these songs, nor the rights to them*)























      

        

#TBT Whatever Happened To Kevin Rudolph?!

"Let it rock, let it rock, LET IT ROCK!!!" This was one of the JAMS of 2008 (yes 2008, it's been that long), and I just bugged out remembering that this song actually existed. Bugging out being a good and bad thing; good thing because Kevin Rudolf was admittedly a guilty pleasure artist back in the day who bended the genre with his heavy guitar influenced music which included some huge rap features, but bad because PEOPLE ACTUALLY LISTENED TO THIS BACK THEN!

Kevin Rudolph didn't have the longest tenure in music (and to be honest I'm unsure if he still makes music), but the time he spent on top was time that people enjoyed. I was just leaving middle school going into high school when "Let It Rock" dropped, and you couldn't pass a hang out spot without an iPod blaring some "Let It Rock", or having Mr. Rudolph "welcome you to the world"! Rudolph gave a crisp new rock feel to an already rising popular hip hop genre, and boasting this new blended genre were big names like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and even Nas jumped on a song on Rudolph's 2008 (pretty sure it's his debut) album In The City.

But is it bad that people listened to this back then?  Obviously hindsight is 20/20, so if you listened to Rudolph back then, would you use the excuse that "everybody was listening to it"?  Does a "hip hop head" lose their credibility if they bump some Kevin Rudolph?  HELL no.  "Guilty pleasure music" shouldn't be a thing that exists, because if you liked listening to this music back then, then you don't have to explain shit.  So shut up, quit thinking so much about it, and sit back and bump you some (for my era) classic Kevin Rudolph, included are 2 of his biggest hits below.




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