By now, the whole world should have heard Jay-Z’s newest creation, the No I.D./Kanye West production, “D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)”. Of course, Diddy is having a sh*tfit right now since his overly promoted album Last Train To Paris (due out in September) is all auto-tuned. In fact, this dumas asked T-Pain’s “permission” to Auto-Tune his whole album, brought in the owner of the Big A** Chain, and gave him a point on his album for his assistance.
the duchess movie download Oh and why is Diddy having a sh*tfit? Well, because as the makers of Cristal now know, once Jay-Z says something, the people follow. After all, Jay does this for his culture. And as a culture, we look to Jay for guidance.
Right?
Hmm.
As a song, “D.O.A.” is good but, it’s not great. The “hook” would have been better if he’d just allowed the horns to blow instead of the kind of cliché “goodbye, goodbye…etc”. Also, I almost find it interesting that Jay really isn’t saying too much of anything on the song about Auto-Tune until he gets to the end, which I suppose is the point. By doing a whole song with no Auto-Tune on it, it’s not fit for the charts, radio, or iTunes since in current rap, T-Painin’ runs rampant. He tells us that rappers need to stop singing, which is true.
Anyway, Jay declaring Auto-Tune dead got me to thinking about how much of a trendsetter Jay-Z really is. I’m starting to think that Jay gets too much credit for some things and not enough credit in other areas, so I guess it all evens out. For instance, in my opinion, Auto-Tune has kind of been on the way out. Or at least it’s not as prominent as it was a few months ago. For one, I rarey hear T-Pain on the radio right now. Lil Wayne uses it pretty consistently, but even then it seems more artistic than crutch-y. and he’s still rapping. Of course, Diddy was on his, “I’m gonna Auto-Tune a whole album” but really, does ANYBODY care about a new Puffy album?
Cassie doesn’t even care and she’s his oatmeal bowl.
Even Kanye is like, “i’m rapping on my next album.” Auto-Tune might not be on the way “out” per se, but it’s not as prevalent as it was when it was harder to find somebody not using it than somebody using it. So if Auto-Tune is indeed on the way out, it seems more like the natural progression of basically playing itself out. Same with throwback jersey’s. Now, I’m not going to diminsh what Jay did with one line. He essentially killed Mitchell & Ness’s* livelihood. But like Aut0-Tune, by then, throwbacks had become too cliché. Folks were wearing throwback jersey dresses and throwback basketball jerseys of baseball teams and basically wearing stuff that made no sense whatsoever. I feel like in those instances, Jay more or less put the final stamp on an already diminshing trend.
I mean I guess in that regard, Jay is responsible in ending a trend sooner than it might have ended on its own, but I feel like he isn’t totally “responsible”.
By the way, he TRIED to convince people that 30 was the new 20 but it really didn’t work.
Now, let’s take a look at trends Jay is “responsible” for:
In with button-ups – The jury’s still out on his killing throwbacks, but I’ll give Jay full credit here with bringing the button-ups in though. His one line, “I don’t wear jersey’s, I’m 30-plus, give me a fresh pair of jeans, ninja button ups” pretty much ushered in every male coming to the club in the “grown-n-sexy” special – striped button up shirts with some overly expensive jeans. This was a very bad trend because as became the course du jour, every Black male rocked some variant of the vertical stripes, which sucked immensely. Clubs were filled with 500 clones of the Jay special. Hell, I had 3. Shoot.Me.
Death to Cristal - Jay pretty much kilt the Cristal market in nightclubs across America with “Show Me What You Got”. Of course, that was the Cristal people’s fault for talkin’ greasy about the audience that’s taken to drinking their libations.
Hustler turned highlifer - Rick Ross might be the biggest bawse that we’ve seen thus far, but Jay started the whole dope-dealer-turned-hustler-living-the-good-life trend back in 1996 with Reasonable Doubt, and was really on that stuff in the early 90s before everybody caught on. And, nobody did it better than Jay. Nobody. Many have tried, everyone has failed, though Rick Ross’ “Magnificent” is that crack. T.I also owes his livelihood to Jay-Z.
Soul Samples in Hip-Hop Post Puffy - Jay is directly responsible for Kanye and Just Blaze’s ascent into production superstardom. With the first Blueprint, he decided to run with a soul motif and then Ye and Blaze became the hottest producers of the past 8 years. That’s just Jay everyday.
You know, now that I think about it, I actually think Kanye is a more influential rapper/artist, at this point, than Jay is.
Kanye has grown men wearing tight jeans and listening to Daft Punk. But he’s also shifted the sound of production a few times over and influencs the musical landscape every time he releases an album.
Anyway, what do you think? Is Jay-Z the trendsetter that he gets credit for being or not? What trends is Jay directly responsible for? And hell, is Kanye more influential than Jay at this point?
Say you will.
-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka TANGLE JIG P aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL, HE A 3
*Mitchell & Ness is the large throwback jersey emporium whose sales increased like 12-fold in the late 90s and early 00s.
I’ont know cus I’m not a super Jay fan like that. Though my iPod tells me otherwise. There are some trends I would like for him to start, however.
1. Reading books
2. Being fiscally responsible
3. Legal activity
4. Respect for human life
5. Getting rid of Rush and all of Fox News
@Hostess,
Rush should be ashamed of himself with those effin debit cards. What an a*hole. And don’t get me started on the blog his new piece wrote about all the angry black women hating on her!
@Me fail english?,
Rush should be ashamed of himself with those effin debit cards.
i think she was referring to rush limbaugh. i could be wrong though. it would be the first time, but im open to new experiences
@The Champ,
HAHAHA! That makes more sense. Pardon me, I had some bad vitamins.
@Me fail english?, what were you eating, 12 year old flintstones or something??
@The Champ,
I was thinking Rush Limbaugh too…
@Me fail english?,
Ok but still, those debit cards need to be abolished.
@Nikiloveli,
Right?! Limbaugh or not, I’m still stuck on those Rush cards. I wouldnt be mad if he just released card with uncannily unfavorable terms. But he had the nerve to trumpet it like some new savings instrument that would help young people learn financial literacy and responsibility. That isht is worse than the check cashing spot!!!
@Me fail english?,
Sounds like you had already signed up for one n sh*t.
@Officer Ricky,
Hell no. I have an actual bank account
@Me fail english?,
Re: Rush Card
I’m super mad at the Baby Phat one for chicks.
@Me fail english?, Uh yeah I was talking about Rush L. But you have a good point about those debit cards.
@Me fail english?,
“And don’t get me started on the blog his new piece wrote about all the angry black women hating on her!”
Wait, what? The angry hot fire of a thousand suns I feel about Rush cards distracted me and I overlooked this. Need to find and read this.
@Cheekie,
Yes girl! She wrote some inane garbage about “I’ve been to the ghetto and can see why you guys are so angry, but get over it betches! Find your own men!”
Stinkin ho! Since when have black women EVER wanted ol’ trout-mouthed Russie????
@Me fail english?,
LOL! I know. Ol’ phlegm-filled mouth self.
@Hostess, um, Jay specifically addresses each of those at some point throughout his career.
1.reading books – i’m sure somewhere on kingdom come when he was on his “grown man” non-sense and referencing his paintings he mentioned some book somewhere, probably the art of war…all rappers have read the art of war
2. being fiscally responsible – “i can’t help the poor if i’m one of them…”
3. legal activity – “not guilty, y’all got to feel me…” or the entire 2nd verse on 99 problems
4. respect for human life – minority report on Kingdom Come
5. getting rid of Rush and Fox News – eh i got nothing but i’m sure he mentioned boht somewhere…lol
@Panama Jackson, I don’t believe you. And I know he hasn’t touched on our community’s piss oor eating habits.
@Hostess, ppl are reading books look at all the ghetto lit books the sisters are reading, on the subway out here in BK if a black chick got a book its most likely ghetto lit book
Glad you decided to post on this. I’m inclined to pretty much agree with you on all above points. I think he deserves all the credit he gets for the trends he sets. I think the best trend he set is showing a lot of men that it’s time to step your game up and move past the “dope” game into the “get your money right legally” game.
The jury is still out on the necessity of this song. The beat is hot but you are right, auto-tune was on it’s way out and didn’t need an usher to the door.
As far as Kanye goes…he’s def more influential than Jigga right now, but for all the wrong reasons. He’s influential in a negative way. He’s cocky, conceited and corny. His music is still fire, but it’s like he’s lost sight of that hungry, beat-producin, demo tape-passin fire he had before he was signed. The more mainstream Kanye got, the less I liked him. Simply, he’s an arse now. And the message he’s sending is, “Once you get rich and famous like me, become a d*ck.”
@Ashley Neicole,
And I STILL think all Kanye’s little tantrums and sh*t will make sense when he comes out and says “I like dudes… in a sexual way”.
I’ve been a fan since way back, even after I saw him run away on MTV’s Punk’d and thought: “Yup, Ye likey the boys.” It’d only make him more bearable if he were outlandishly flamboyant… as a gay man. I dunno… I’d just be more accepting, in that Elton John sort of way.
@DanteA,
And I STILL think all Kanye’s little tantrums and sh*t will make sense when he comes out and says “I like dudes… in a sexual way”.
you know, i was having this convo with a friend a few weeks ago. kanye actually makes more sense if you look at him in a rock star context instead of a hip-hop one.
it seems like he’s creating his own template, but what he’s really doing is following the templates of sting, gene simmons, axl rose, etc, etc.
because there hasn’t been anyone in hip-hop quite like him, i think we’re too quick to label his behavior as gay.
@The Champ, i don’t think he’s gay at all, or even that his antics are “gay”. i think he’s just uber flashy and flambo and overly concerned with his own greatness. he acts out at all times possible yet thinks he’s the most concerned and caring individual out there.
i think you’re right on the rock star thing.
@Panama Jackson,
i think you’re right on the rock star thing.
My name is Officer Ricky and I approve this message.
@The Champ,
I don’t think he’s gay either. Just on that rock star sh*t.
Me likey! I’m a rockstar in my head so he gets the nod from me.
@V Renee,
“Me likey! I’m a rockstar in my head so he gets the nod from me.”
Yup! If I was Kanye I’d be obnoxious…even moreso than currently.
*gets up and kicks over computer chair*
@The Champ,
you know, i was having this convo with a friend a few weeks ago. kanye actually makes more sense if you look at him in a rock star context instead of a hip-hop one.
And that’s what I keep telling people. Kanye is not a hip-hop star, he is a rock star… in the same veins as the Princes and the Lenny Kravitz of the world.
Maybe because my background is more rock than hip-hop, it’s easier for me to grasp the concept.
Do rappers have to dress and act like Young Jeezy (read stupidly) to be considered straight? *smh*
@Sula, you aint a ROCK STAR if you DONT make ROCK music..Pink Floyd, Bio Hazard, Bad Brains, GNR yea when Kanye and Weezy make music like those bands they are then ROCK stars, singing (when you cant) off key with guitar riffs does not make a rock album, thank you
@DanteA,
He does like “fish sticks” (c) South Park… but I don’t think he’s really a pillowbiter. I think he just recognizes what he’s doing and wants to make sure every one else does too.
He’s the Kobe Bryant of hip-hop. Sure he’s a douche but his talent can’t be denied. Although the douche part makes it real easy to look the other way.
@Chocolate Girl Wonder,
I still don’t buy it.
Billy Idol was, for all intents and purposes, the closest thing I could think of to the way you’re categorizing Ye, and in that way, I agree. He’s more of a rock star. Cool.
In fact, that’s what he is. He’s the Billy Idol of the New Millenium. I can rock with that.
But I still watched him run (and you saw it, too), and that wasn’t kosher. I’m just saying…
@Dante_Alexander,
Ha. I was thinking David Bowie or Freddie Mercury, but Billy Idol is MUCH better for obvious reasons.
@Ashley Neicole, “the best trend he set is showing a lot of men that it’s time to step your game up and move past the “dope” game into the “get your money right legally” game”
I concur!
@everyone above on Kanye:
I look at it like this: The blueprint of the Yeezy steezy is DWB. Not “driving while black,” but “douchebag waxing b*tch*ssness.” To call him gay is an insult to gay guys (no homo).
All that said, I give him props for stepping up and going where these other mortal rappers fear to tread (see “George Bush doesn’t care about Black ppl.”)
Since a trend is only a trend until it’s dead, it NEEDS that final stomp to kill it.
I wouldn’t give the title of “Trendsetter Supreme” to his catalog, but he has done some things to throw ripples in the mix, if not change the game…
You mentioned Kanye and Just Blaze, but I’d also like to warn against things of that nature, because it will take you into places you dread treading… You guessed it, the land of the Diplomats. The land where sense was lost.
See, the same time Jay was ringing Ye and Blaze to the mix, The Pink People Eaters were introducing the world to the Heatmakerz. I think those two sections defined what was in our IPods for the next 5-7 years, really. I dont think there was a song that came out that wasn’t done by those three, was there? Oh yeah… Eminem and Dre tracks. But Dre has always been around, and Eminem tracks always remind me of a dark dungeon. I don’t know why.
I’m getting off track.
Jay is a trendsetter, but I think he’s more of a lynchpin for a trend already on the rise, or maybe a driving force behind the true abolishment of something already on the decline. So, I guess I wrote all that to say I agree.
Technically 30 is the new 20 because lazy sods won’t get out of their parent’s homes anymore for fear of moving into the real world that requires, in many markets, and advanced degree to even compete. Yet another Jay-ism that he may or may not get props for, but certainly something that has been built up over time, and it was just he who said it loud enough so everyone could hear…
@DanteA,
Jay is a trendsetter, but I think he’s more of a lynchpin for a trend already on the rise, or maybe a driving force behind the true abolishment of something already on the decline
i agree 100 percent. i dont think he sets trends as much as he publicizes and popularizes sh*t thats already happening. he doesnt do new…he just exposes the new to everyone else
@The Champ,
In that case, who in your book qualifies as a trendsetter?Trendsetters just make it the cool thing to do. They’re not necessarily innovators/creators. Ask my man Puff.
Madonna didn’t create voguing. But you wouldn’t see it on mainstream tv or in hetero clubs til she made a song about it.
I didn’t see alot of men (at least not the hip hop set) with Louis backpacks and scarves til Kanye.
Same with Jay, I didn’t know any young black males wearing throwbacks til Jay rocked one in his video. Same thing with button-ups.
@DanteA, you’re definitely right on the Heatmakerz b/c once they hit, they hit hard and were all over the place. Though I will point out that one of Cam’s biggest hits, “oh boy” was a just blaze concoction and “down and out” was kanyeezy.
but in general, cam and ‘nemz best music was all heatmakerz. all day. cam needs to reunite with them cuz his last album was straight Cassie.
@Panama Jackson,
“cam needs to reunite with them cuz his last album was straight Cassie”
BWAHAHAHA!!!
…but what exactly does that mean?
@college bunni,
Cassie=Asz
…and as the official Panamanian to English translator I’d like to ask…when do I get paid???
@Me fail english?, when an Amerie album goes gold.
ouch!
but you are good at translating me and my sometimes insane combinations. brilliant minds, since ya know, my mind is brilliant.
@Panama Jackson,
Amerie’s new joint is HOT!!!! so maybe you’ll be gettin paid sooner than you think….
actually..probably not.
oh well…i’ll still buy the album.
I see the VSB censors are in full force tonight.
I’m not a really a Jay Z fan at all. Or hip hop made after 1998. But, to copy Hostess’ steel-o, I do wish he and other rappers would spend 10 percent of their time talking about some important ish:
The rising HIV/AIDS infection rates in the black community, especially among our women.
The ridiculously high incarceration rates of our men.
The alarming rates at which our children die gun related deaths.
Respect for self and others.
Stuff like that.
I get that bling is in but talking about your former street life all the time is not necessarily a deterrent; in fact it glorifies it (too many people miss the point!).
And I know rappers/other entertainers are just that, but I would think that once you realize you have enough ‘power’ to negatively influence Cristal sales b/c they pi$$ed you off with a racist but oh-so-true comment, that you’d want to use a teeny bit of that air time – like I said, 10 percent; he!! 5 percent would work – to try to positively affect the community.
How
@iloVEGrits,
“I do wish he and other rappers would spend 10 percent of their time talking about some important ish:
The rising HIV/AIDS infection rates in the black community, especially among our women.
The ridiculously high incarceration rates of our men.
The alarming rates at which our children die gun related deaths.
Respect for self and others.
Stuff like that.”
It always amazes me when people make statements like this, especially when referring to an artist such as Jay-Z. It really prompts me to ask the question, “do you listen to music or just skim through it.” Jay as well as MANY other hip hop artists address these issues ALL the time. When it comes to speaking about social ills and things that directly affect out community, rappers stay doing this in their music. Why no one ever hold other artists from other genres to the same accountability. No one says instead of Maxwell singing some mumbo jumbo about “pretty wings” and shyt, why don’t he talk about education. No one says why don’t Luther stop making baby-making music and make a song about safe sex and the AIDS epidemic. You never hear that, yet with rappers, we want them to teach our kids how to read.
Fugg outta here.
@Monk,
I agree.
@Monk,
*head nod*
Yep.
@Monk,
I think the double standard is in effect w/ R&B vs Hip Hop because Hip Hop has done a lot to tear the black social community down. It’s like having the Unibomber go out with Habitat for Humanity to build some houses. I think Hostess and Grits mean it’s about replacing some of that which has been destroyed. Hip Hop has taught kids that drugs, sex and violence are OK! Now, some R&B unfortunately, has done that as well, but these are issues that Hip Hop currently revolves around and I think that some of these artists do owe it to society to try to replace some of what they stole with the lyrics they put out. 50 Cent showed young kids all over the world that it’s ok to talk ish about any and everyone and not give a damn…translate: disrespect. Nelly taught kids all over the place that the face isn’t important as long as the azz is fat. But Luther didn’t teach kids that sellin dope and buyin rims is the American Dream. I think that’s why people are so rough on Hip Hop.
@Ashley Neicole,
Hip Hop has taught kids that drugs, sex and violence are OK! .
I agree that Hip hop promotes these things, but Hip Hop did not start these things. If anything, Hip Hop originally rapped about what they witnessed. It was storytelling. This stuff was already going on.
I have to agree with Monk. Many of these artists (except Gucci) are out here doing community service and rapping about other things. These kids don’t pay attention to that sh*t though. They hear what they want to hear. Anything else is just background music.
Nelly taught kids all over the place that the face isn’t important as long as the azz is fat. .
Artists can’t take the place of parenting.
@V Renee,
“Artists can’t take the place of parenting.”
Please say that 10 more times…lol
@V Renee,
And you’re right. But that doesn’t decrease the social responsibility a lot of these rappers should have for perpetuating or promoting the lifestyle. They glamorized the “get rich or die tryin” ideal. So I think they have some responsibility in showing these kids that 30 years in prison for drug trafficking and assault isn’t really worth it.
And yes, parenting is key. But when you have so many single parents out here working 3 jobs to pay the rent, buy the groceries and keep the lights on, mainstream media starts to fill those gaps that would otherwise be filled by another parent or role model in the picture.
@Ashley Neicole,
“But when you have so many single parents out here working 3 jobs to pay the rent, buy the groceries and keep the lights on…”
Name three.
@Ashley Neicole,
I agree, but is that Jay-z’s fault? By being successful as an artist(hustler) has he inadvertantly signed up to assist in the child rearing, since the parent has to work n shyt?
@treble,
I agree, but is that Jay-z’s fault? By being successful as an artist(hustler) has he inadvertantly signed up to assist in the child rearing, since the parent has to work n shyt
That was funny n shyt.
@Ashley Neicole,
“They glamorized the “get rich or die tryin” ideal.”
That whole ideology is the American way and is promoted and perpetuated in almost every aspect of our society. MOST people don’t HONESTLY seek higher learning degrees for the sake of learning, they’re doing it to land the most high-paying job possible so that they can “get rich”. And some “die trying”. So basically the school system and corporate America supports this same theory. It’s bigger than Hip Hop.
@Nikiloveli
Three of my good friends are single parents working 3 jobs each to survive, all pursuing degrees. One of them is a man.
@Ashley Neicole,
Especialy when you considered that this genre has historically billed itself as the “black CNN”. Don’t BS with us the “90% of what I rap about I done did it or know someone who did” and then refuse to talk about the less glamorous parts of what goes on in the ghetto!
You wanna be held to the same standards as Maxwell? Oer even Arnold Schwarzenegger? Fine. Start with stepping out of character and presenting yourself as a professional character and not a real live kingpin turned rapper. Ya know? Just to avoid the confusion. Thanks,
@Ashley Neicole, i guess i should have posted about this yesterday since i’m kind of torn on this one…
“Hip Hop has done a lot to tear the black social community down.”
i think this is a pretty reckless statement and overstates the problem. that’s like saying everything was fine until hip-hop hit. now granted, hip-hop (or at least some of it, the most commercially viable and most visible) does tend to exploit some of the worst of human nature…but then the question becomes, why do people gravitate towards it in the first place? me no know.
i’m careful of blaming rap for bringing down society when there are so many more prevalent and directly responsible -isms that exist bringing the Black community “down.”
While I will say that rapping about tip-drills and then doing philanthropic tours and drives to promote health awareness sends a mixed message, in some regards (and the economist in me) thinks its better than nothing.
Though, Nelly, at one point, represented the worst of every possible facet of hip-hop. Like really, dude ACTUALLY created a P.I.M.P. Scholarship. My guitar gently weeps for common sense.
But at the same time, these cats all on this, I rap about what I see…yes and no. You chose to rap about a certain facet of what you see b/c it sells, thing is they do see it and it does exist so which responsibility do they have to the people to portray, if any?
Interestingly enough, I find it interesting how much credit the Common’s/Talib’s/Mos’s, etc get for being so positive when a lot of time…they say as much ignant stuff as anybody else. They just tend to have more balance in their music…
especially Common. people seem to forget that before he was mr. sensitive, sleeveless turtlenecks and knitted kufis, he was the pimp from stoney island.
@Panama Jackson,
I’m not saying that Hip Hop is to blame completely. But what it has evolved into during the course of it’s history has done a lot of damage to black society as a whole. Hip Hop has damaged not only how the world sees us, but how we see us as well.
@Panama Jackson,
Ah yes. Common and his middle class ennui/angst.
I wonder why no one ever questioned his sincerity as the soulful, new age dude. I don’t doubt his being genuine but it seems that other artists who make less dramatic shifts fall under a microscope…
@Ashley Neicole,
This might get lost in the sauce, but hold on a second.
Yes, rap promoting the D-boy/thug life has poisoned the well something fierce….but one needs to keep in mind that if it wasn’t for Hip-Hop:
-so many sisters wouldn’t have been inspired to ditch their perms and go natural.
-not many people would have discovered the love of being Black.
-folks wouldn’t have been inspired to explore philosophies outside of Christianity
-there’s a lot of non-whites that wouldn’t even have jobs in the mainstream if not for Hip-Hop’s influence.
Yes, the bullsh*t is disproportionately out in front, and I hate it too, but we all know this wasn’t Hip-Hop’s mission, it’s raison d’etre…it got hijacked. And let’s face it, eliminate negative/ignorant rap’s existence from the time-space continuum yesterday, and Black ppl would still be a mess. There’s other weeds in the garden.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
“so many sisters wouldn’t have been inspired to ditch their perms and go natural”
Please expound.
I’m curious about that one myself.
@WordSmith,
It’s an indirect by-product of the late 80s/early 90s pro-Black and consciousness movement…PE, BDP, X-Clan, Brand Nubian, King Sun, countless others, even Cube went hard with ideas that changed up a lot of ppl’s thought processes and had a lasting effect. Even though rap overall went savage not long after that, it still directly influenced a lot of the steez of so-called neo-soul, spoken word, and Common, Mos, and Kweli constantly being spoken in the same breath.
It’s not that far of a stretch to me.
@Monk,
Why no one ever hold other artists from other genres to the same accountability
it does happen. cats like marilyn manson have been blamed for everything from columbine to swine flu.
still, getting back to your main point, hip-hop artists do catch alot of flack because many (not all. but enough) of them have become rich by promoting personas that represent some of the worst ills in the black community. because of this and their panoramic influence, they do hold more responsibility than a luther or a maxwell to try and rectify those ills.
is it jay-z’s fault that “is that yo b*tch” is more well-known than “soon you’ll understand”? no. society is sick. but, if you’ve purposely and successfully profited from that sickness, as a human being you have a great debt to pay.
@The Champ,
Good points. I’d also go so far as to say tho “Is that yo …” is much catchier than “Soon You’ll Understand” and I could see why he’d choose to promote one over the other, he has no excuse for releasing Change Clothes.
I had a point when I first started typing, but that was a real long time ago…
@Me fail english?, “change clothes” was some straight bupkus in my book.
that joint was a total Pharrell joint featuring jay. not the other way around.
@The Champ, I have to emerge from my lurking status to co-sign hard on your comments. Amen, and alla that! Carry on.
If Jay, Yeezy, and ‘nem are the geniuses they claim to be then why can’t they make a “positive” or thought provoking song that is catchy? and then Jay can give it to Memphis Bleek so he can have his one hit away from his whole career?
@Naturally Alise, cuz you can pay for school but you can’t buy class.
i mean, it’s memphis bleek. plus, why waste the real heat on somebody who might not get it to its full potential. he had his chance. hell, “is that your b*tch” was on Bleek’s album, not Jay’s.
Bleek’s just not interesting.
@Panama Jackson,
Yeah Bleek had potential to be hot. Hell I own that album with “Is that Your B*tch”. It has some of the hottest beats on it, but even with Jay’s help…dude was just boring.
AMIL was more exciting on that album..and that ain’t saying squat.
Plus he was all over Life and Times vol 3/Hard Knock Life vol 2/Roc La Familia and still couldn’t make it happen.
Dah well.
@miss t-lee,
Word! Forget “Coming of Age” and “It’s Alright” I really thought after the intro to Vol. 2 Bleek was gonna blow by Ja Rule easily and just kill the whole east coast scene!
As you can see, I’m never wrong
@Naturally Alise,
You still think Bleek’s one hit away?
Clearly you haven’t seen his work with Garnier. Hmph!
@Me fail english?,
you fail sarcasm detection? yes… lol (and yes lawd I have seen the Garnier commercial…sad)
I got the sarcasm. My post wasn’t serious either.
@Me fail english?,
oops, me failed. lol….
@The Champ,
“cats like marilyn manson have been blamed for everything from columbine to swine flu.”
This is true that his music has been blamed for things that happen, but society doesn’t say to him, “you need to talk about more positive, uplifting things. you should make music about being a productive citizen.” Nope, they don’t do that. People tend to want to TELL hip hop artists what their subject matter SHOULD be. What part of the game is that if you’re an artist. No one tells country singers you need to make a song about literacy and preventing teenage pregnancy, yet people still wanna suggest what they want rappers to rap about. That’s a huge double standard.
@Monk, I agree. I had a convo with a man who gets on my last nerve, Mike Eric Dyson. He brought up the great point that we expect rappers to be held accountable for a community that was never held accountable to and for them. I think when you really think about that comment, you understand how important proper child rearing is
@Peysonic Temple #69, i do pretty much hate michael eric dyson too, but even a broke clock is right twice a day.
@Peysonic Temple #69,
“we expect rappers to be held accountable for a community that was never held accountable to and for them.”
Chuuuch!!
@Monk,
I concur.
It’s not even an artist job to talk about society’s ills. It is an artist’s job to perform their art. If said art involves making the community aware of its ills, so be it.
There are other entities whose job is to deal with that stuff… i.e parents, families, schools, government agencies…. the list goes on.
@Sula,
There are other entities whose job is to deal with that stuff… i.e parents, families, schools, government agencies…. the list goes on.
no. its EVERYBODY’S job in the community to deal with that stuff. no one is exempt.
@The Champ,
Very true. We all touch each other and set the course of cultural exchange. Unless you exile yourself to a remote island, you play a part in influencing others.
@The Champ,
We’ve already have that convo. We’ll again agree to disagree. In my opinion, it’s no one’s job to raise your children but you. Nobody is to be held responsible but you.
@The Champ, I agree that it’s everyone’s job to deal with that stuff, but what about the rappers who are victoms of that stuff themselves…how can they be expected to provide solutions to the problems when they are victims of these very problems and therefore have no idea how to solve them…. Now the one’s who have already made it out and have seen a different life on the other hand should be held to a different standard…
@The Champ,
“its EVERYBODY’S job in the community to deal with that stuff. no one is exempt.”
This is basically my point. We can’t just blame hip hop as we look at the condition of our people. It takes a village as they say and that village consists of a lot more than just rappers. People in entertainment makes up a very small percentage of folks out here so there’s no reason why they should be blamed for the bulk of issues that plague our communities…especially since it’s existed before hip hop’s conception.
Everyone needs to step their game up.
@iloVEGrits,
“I get that bling is in but talking about your former street life all the time is not necessarily a deterrent; in fact it glorifies it (too many people miss the point!).”
I agree! I can’t think of too many dope dealers that decided to truly go square following Jay’s lead. I’ve known a lot of kids that wound up thinking that was a fine way to start their careers tho. Maybe not cuz of JayZ but I’m sure he didn’t help matters
@Me fail english?, *De Lurk*
Just about everyone here has valid points and i applaude the discussion taking place.
HOWEVER, the core of the issue is that these people are ENTERTAINERS. All they have to do is make songs. You dont have to like, listen, or buy them. Thats the end of the issues. Same for Athletes, they get paid to play ball and THATS ALL.
Now one can argue the merits of community service and reaching back. HOWEVER they dont have to do any of that “No body owes any body else sh*t” because in the end they are an individual out for their individual success. Jay adresses the issue with “i cant help the poor if im one of them” the goes on to say that he gives back and thats the “win win” but if a person so chooes not to give back financially, spiritually, or in terms of community service thats on them. As said above its on us to uplift our own communities. Its not the jobs of the few to uplift the many. IF we are going to go that route then we bring into play the “Tallented Tenth” scanario.
Is that really where we want to go?
@ESQuared,
Thanks for delurking. I wholeheartedly agree.
@ESQuared,
Just want to add a disclaimer that I agree with the parents being the core of the issue and not the media. And also co-sign Dyson’s statement up above that Panama quoted about taking account for THEM and why they do the things they do. We have to start at the beginning, we can’t just jump in the middle.
This, ESQuared is interesting:
“HOWEVER, the core of the issue is that these people are ENTERTAINERS. All they have to do is make songs. You dont have to like, listen, or buy them. Thats the end of the issues. ”
Because at the heart of it, I agree. But there are those entertainers that are actively trying to give the folks that look up them a message. And it’s not just entertainment. Edu-tainment, if you will. So, saying they are only there to entertain sort of alienate those that are actively trying to make an impact with their music.
It’s something I think about. If kids can get positive messages from hip hop (which are usually intentional and directly expressed without shame), then they can get negative ones as well (which may not be intentional or directly addressed).
@Monk,
Maybe you missed a key part of my comment:
“I know rappers/other entertainers are just that, but I would think that once you realize you have enough ‘power’ to negatively influence Cristal sales b/c they pi$$ed you off with a racist but oh-so-true comment, that you’d want to use a teeny bit of that air time – like I said, 10 percent; he!! 5 percent would work – to try to positively affect the community.”
I understand it’s his job to entertain. But damn…what kind of person, when they realize they have such an influence don’t want to do something positive with it.
You are correct: I skim the music. But it would be hard for me to believe Jay Z ‘stays’ doing something positive.
Like Champ said “We all are responsible for our community” and if you can’t take a noticeable public stand for something positive every blue moon, then I have no use for ya.
I will NOT get the fugg outta here;lol. Some body has to work in our communities, talk to the kids and raise awareness and change things. Too bad my platform isn’t as big as Jay Zs.
Jay was also partially responsible for the two-way pagers.
And I agree, if Jay was to talk about some more positive images, etc. He could really change circumstances for our young black folks. However, it would have needed to happen about 3-5 years ago b/c the youngins aren’t following Jay like that.
Unfortunately, these kids are following the likes Weezy, Jim Jones and such.
@aceklub,
Jay was also partially responsible for the two-way pagers.
lol, admittedly, the “excuse me miss” video was directly responsible for me buying a sidekick in jan of 2003.
@aceklub, though i don’t think Jay would really impact the Black community in such a way to create large scale “positivity” (whatever that means) I do think that in the early 00s, Jay could have singlehandedly kept hip-hop away from the ringtones and more gutta if he had done two things:
1) made that Primo album
2) if instead of MFDoom, Jay had gotten ahold to those Madlib instrumentals so that we never got Madvillainy (which is beautifully chaotic) but more like, MadHov or something…
instead, Jay went pop to sell records…can’t blame him, but its just sad that Jay is rapping NOW over more hardcore gutter beats like “D.O.A.” or even “Successful” instead of Jay at his prime.
@Panama Jackson,
One thing I think Jay realized as he got older, which I think gets overlooked a LOT, is the fact that he started to take Hip Hop out of the Studio and in front of live band.
Like, my Pops is a staunch hater of everything that is our generations music. he hates drum machines (even though he uses one), and he hates sampling (even though he does it). But he has always been a fan of using said media when it is easily translatable to a live band.
See, he’s from a school where the show as important (if not more) as the music it was presenting.
I remember he didn’t like DMX circa Flesh of My Flesh. Then he saw him perform in front of a live band on Saturday night live. Guess what? he loved X until the crack.
Same thing with OutKast… he started to turn with Spottieottiedopalicious (he literally nodded his head with the “ugly face” and said “THAT’S Fonky!”), and now that they’ve done so many different things now, he’s enamored. Loves those cats. And Atlanta. That’s a whole nother story…
Anyway, Jay has helped make it cool to do such things. His mash up with Linkin Park was another of those things that, while he didn’t start it, he brought it to a mass audience that would have readily ignored it before.
“We ain’t invent the wheel, but we made the Good Rich Tire”
@Dante_Alexander,
Same thing with OutKast… he started to turn with Spottieottiedopalicious (he literally nodded his head with the “ugly face” and said “THAT’S Fonky!”), and now that they’ve done so many different things now, he’s enamored. Loves those cats
Your pops knows good stuff!
@Dante_Alexander, Common…is that you???
(wondering how many people will get this reference)
@Panama Jackson,
Ok, I won’t lie. I totally missed that til you said smthg. Good ish.
@Panama Jackson,
As long as they don’t think of me like I wear sleeveless turtlenecks.
I have been bamboozled by a hood rat with intellectual prowess, though. I cannot tell a lie. Badu’s evil(er) twin… (from the waist down).
@Dante_Alexander,
“As long as they don’t think of me like I wear sleeveless turtlenecks.”
Oooh, I’m doing a throwback but “sleeveless turtlenecks” woulda been a LOVELY addition to the past grind my gears lists. I HATE those so much. Like you gon’ have a winter summer shirt?
Ok, breathe.
I think he doesn’t get enough credit for looking like he does and still managing to bag Beyonce!
@YGB,
very valid point
@YGB, it’d be a good point if he was broke. but we all know rich ugly men aren’t as ugly as broke ugly men.
plus, you can actually find women out there who think Jay is fine. Puffy too.
@YGB,
I think he doesn’t get enough credit for looking like he does and still managing to bag Beyonce!
lol, theres no trend here. super rich men have always been able to bag and marry basically whoever they want. this is one of the reasons why they became “super rich men”
@The Champ,
Pretty much.
@YGB,
I always said if Pac awas around he woulda scooped up Bey. Bey jus look like she got the cheerleader complex (will bang you if you quarterbackin hard)
@YGB, I ain’t saying Bey is a gold digga….but Jay ain’t no….
think jay is hollywood now, stretching back to the streets to keep himself relevant. not a bad thing, he made his dosh, married beyoncé, but something about money always desensitises you from your muse.
ye is just real, and black middle-class so he appeals across the board. he’s also got that “i got a big ego, because i”m just that good”… he just brings something new everytime, making the haters go back to the drawing board. genius, yes. trendsetter, no.
in fact, i can’t think of any consistent trendsetter currently. which maybe is the problem… too many trends going on at the moment. like people can’t decide what they want to do. not a bad thing… just a bit suspended in space with ADD.
@kmplx, plus, anyone who Gwyneth Paltrow claims as a personal friend is immediately and incredibly suspect to me… insipid little brat…. stole Cate Blanchett’s Oscar…
@kmplx, I think jay admits that he is hollywood. In D.O.A he raps “Get back to rap you T-Pain’n too much
Ah, I’m a multi-millionaire
So how is it I’m still the hardest n—a here?
I don’t be in the project hallway
Talkin’ bout how I be in the project all day
That sounds stupid to me,”
He clearly doesnt want to be the hardest dude out here, he wants to rap about money, but the lack of other rappers rapping about being hard forces him to do so
@kmplx, “in fact, i can’t think of any consistent trendsetter currently. which maybe is the problem… too many trends going on at the moment. ”
i was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day about how there’s a little bit TOO much fashion out there right now. everybody is a walking new fashion trend.
you know something’s wrong when wearing a “white tee” was an actual fashion trend.
@Panama Jackson,
lolol @ white t-shirt. too too true.
ok, hang on…
did you just describe cassie as diddy’s OATMEAL BOWL?????
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you’re bloody HILARIOUS, champ!
@superwoman,
“you’re bloody HILARIOUS, champ!”
vsb.com: where south africans dont pay attention to bylines.
@The Champ, LOL.
happens a lot. “you owe me nothing, pay me no mind…”
@Panama Jackson, hee! sorry, credit transferred to PJ, the gemini genius!!
@The Champ,
lol
I’m a huge Jay-Z fan, but I haven’t checked out this song yet… He has a song that I downloaded about a month ago that I wasn’t feeling, so I think I’m scared to hear this Autotune song- I don’t want my imagine tainted of him.
I think Jay Z’s a trendsetter because of the same reasons you stated (ESPECIALLY that button up trend)…. plus, he’s pretty well respected across the board.
And although, I like Kanye, a lot of people do not. People complain about his “cockiness,” which I think is just a big running joke for him, but for that reason, I can’t say he’s as big as an influence.
@Nicki Sunshine,
“I think I’m scared to hear this Autotune song- I don’t want my imagine tainted of him.”
I feel the last three years Jay’s been hit or miss lyrically. I just like to think somebody ghostwrote stuff like “Jockin Jay-Z” or that Rick Ross remix.
I like DOA tho.
@Me fail english?, I just listened to the DOA. And I must say, I like it, but the music was kinda annoying, I think it’s the horns, which remind me of the annoying background of Brooklyn we go hard.
I haven’t heard Jockin Jay Z though (dang, I call myself a fan.) lol
I never owned a the traditional “button up” uniform.
Come to think of it, I didn’t own a throwback either.
*shrug*
I agree with you though. Jay > Kanye as far as influence goes. But Jay isnt regarded as relevant to the younger age brackets anyway so…eh
@Mr. Mister, …I meant <
@Mr. Mister, yeah, Jay’s influence is definitely on the wane…he’s Jordan playing for the Wiz…everybody looking at Kobe and now Lebron.
Good to see you went the post after the Jay-Z discussion we had yesterday…lol I’m still saying he phoned in that hook…lol
30 is the new 20…huh…I’m still trying to convince myself of that!!!
No– Jay 30 is just 30. He should know, he’s kickin’ the door down on 40…lol
Trust me I was glad when he called out them jersey wearing kats. That ish was running rampant down here for at least 2 years. Next thing you know errybody was rockin’ button downs, dark jeans and baseball caps. Dayum you Hov!!!
I guess Puff better get back in the lab, I mean was anyone really checking for it anyway?
I hope that Jay’s new bummy look doesn’t catch on. Bee dee bee’s and wrinkled azz clothes…no sir, I don’t like it.
@miss t-lee,
Bee dee bee’s and wrinkled azz clothes…no sir, I don’t like it. .
Me either. He may have been hanging around Gwen and Chris too long. You know rich white people started the trend of looking bummy while sitting on stacks.
@V Renee,
You’ve got that right…lol
“You know rich white people started the trend of looking bummy while sitting on stacks.”
Which I ain’t mad at. Having money doesn’t mean you have to live high-maintenance 24/7/365.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
This is true.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
I agree.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
supreme co-sign on this.
Bond. BlkBond.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
I’m not mad at it at all. I just know Black people in general do the opposite. They get a few nickels and all of a sudden they popping tags (wkcite Jay Z) every day.
@miss t-lee, Jay traditionally doesnt cut his hair when he’s recording an album. What makes me about him looking like a bum is that his bummy clothes prolly cost more than my nice clothes
@Peysonic Temple #69,
“his bummy clothes prolly cost more than my nice clothes”
LOL!!! You’re probably right…designer bummy threads and all.
@Peysonic Temple #69,
exactly lol.
@Peysonic Temple #69, and that’s a problem for me…why do rich people spend so much money to look like broke people?
that’s gonna be my new clothing line: Poverty by Design.
@Panama Jackson, “Poverty by Design”
LMAO. As ig’nant as it sounds, u may be on to something with this one, Mr. Jackson
@Panama Jackson,
I’d rock this. And lay sprawled over a bus stop bench dramatically in the first print ads.
@Me fail english?, i’m gonna hold you to that.
@Peysonic Temple #69,
“his bummy clothes prolly cost more than my nice clothes”
LOL. Great point. The bummy look is all couture and ish.
@miss t-lee,
i still rock jerseys Raiders!!!!!
@BLUNTBLAZER,
Bay Area ppl go HARD for their Raiders. My friend’s man just got a tat of the shield. Can’t front either. It’s pretty dope
@Me fail english?,
helllll yeahhhh thas my squad
RaiderNation in this beee-i-ish
I don’t know who the biggest trendsetter is, but I do know that my youtube search of Rosa Acosta yesterday was definitely worth my time.
@An Island,
I just had to google her. I may be a fan my d@mn self.
@V Renee,
The first thing I’m gonna ask the lord when I die is why I LOVE all the wrong things. I mean, why do the Rosa Acosta’s of the world draw all my attention? Just once I’d like to think, “She has 5 cats, reads novels on the weekends, and loves to knit when she’s not volunteering? Damn, I gotta hit that.”
@An Island, we’d also like that chick to look like Rosa Acosta, but she never does.
@Panama Jackson,
I honestly think a chick like that is out there (minus the cats, hopefully). My only problem is that she probably only has female friends, and I hook up with her friend before I can be introduced.
Plus she’s probably PAINFULLY boring and, uh, inexperienced.
@An Island,
Of course there’s a woman out there like that. I know some of em! If you’d drop that knitting requirement you could be in business.
@Me fail
Done. Bring all your smokin hot nerd friends to the NYC or DC vsb happy hour. Me and Panama will be the ones holding the laminated bookmarks.
@An Island,
LOL. Why would you want to knock off a chick with 5 cats???
Indian dude from “To Catch a Predator”… is that you?!?!?!?!
@ Me fail english
Exactly. But thinking I can get with a lesbian bartender is a better idea (which I, of course, tried to gameplan for recently)?
To Catch a Predator confirms to me that humans are really just wild animals. Some who you think you can bring into your house, others that need to be kept in cages at some facility.
@V Renee,
You have to be. She’s just that good.
@An Island,
oh hell yea but I usually dont do this but google
“Simona Halep” she is a tennis player that has more body than 10 average tennis players I think im in love
@BLUNTBLAZER
Good lord, they’re bigger than her head. She must distract herself when she plays. Not quite my speed, I prefer thick legs to a girl who looks like she’s going to topple over, but still impressive.
@An Island,
I feel ya but some reason I am attracted to her. Rosie Perez is still my #1 tho. Always and foever.
I’m not sure about Kanye’s title as a trendsetter when it comes to certain things. He don’t set any trends by having a big *ss ego, rappers have always had large egos, they just didn’t cry about not getting their props and shyt like he does. I thought Pharrell and them really ushered in the skinny jeans thing and the dressing wacky thing belonged to Common, Dre 3K, and many others before him. The ressurgence of the soul samples may be one thing I give him credit for, although RZA has been doing that forever also. I think Mr. West is a musical genius and I love the instrumentation and musicianship that he brings to the board, but I don’t see him as a trendsetter per se.
I would give Jay credit for the aforementioned trends in the post and others.
*Jay made it acceptable and popular for NY artists to jump on down south bounce beats (Juvenile’s “Ha”(remix), “Can I Get A”) as well as work with respectable down south artists (UGK, Juvenile) to bridge the gap between the regions. The Dirty South was already on the rise, but I guess Jay just had the foresight when it came to “gettin’ money down south”. Many other east coasters followed suit.
*I would say Jay set the trend for rappers snaging an R&B chick. Seems like after that, then came Lil’ Wayne and Nivea, Slim Thug and LaToya Luckett, and Nas and Kelis.
@Monk,
“*Jay made it acceptable and popular for NY artists to jump on down south bounce beats (Juvenile’s “Ha”(remix), “Can I Get A”) as well as work with respectable down south artists (UGK, Juvenile) to bridge the gap between the regions.”
I can dig it.
@miss t-lee,
That’s one trend Jay did really help take to the top. Blatant opportunism. I think auto-tune is like the first successful rap trend he didn’t try to ride with.
@Me fail english?,
I think this is the reason Jay Z had to “kill” auto-tune. Although it is fading, it is still somewhat prevalent (lil wayne) and Jay Z, being Jay Z, couldn’t reallly jump on the band wagon. So, he decided its time for something else, or atleast time for that ish to disappear.
@Monk,
He saw the G in UGK and had to ride with it.
Poor Wayne, it took him YEARS to hop on a track with him. And he was his biggest fan. Bless his heart.
@Monk, your first paragraph is pretty much right on point. Kanye kind of brought all those different things together in one.
he’s the fashion Drake, took the best(?) of all worlds and put it together to make one behemoth.
and though RZA had been doing it for years before Kanye, Kanye made them more accessible. some of RZA’s beats were a bit too abstract and dirty to hit the mainstream. hell, the songs that did chart almost seemed too clean for the standard RZA sound…like he knew this one is a hit, let me actually mix this one down a little bit.
so you’re probably right, trendsetter, maybe not…he’s just the embodiment of all of the trends of the late 90s and 2000s.
Sidenote: I will always believe that Common wanted to be André 3000 for a solid 5 years, but couldn’t catch up.
@Panama Jackson,
i concur!
@Panama Jackson, idk if common wanted to be Dre 3000 but at the same time, they both were heavily influence by one Kamal the Abstract (or by whatever name you decide to adress the Q to theTip)
@ESQuared, i’m gonna need you to go on ahead and expound and explain to me how Andre 3000 was influenced by Q-Tip? Jimi Hendrix? clearly…Q-tip? i can’t see that one at all.
Dre was on his weirdo and eccentric stuff as early as 1996 when Tribe was still doing regular rap stuff and was still a group.
Q-Tip didn’t get eccentric until the later 90s.
@Panama Jackson, The thing is this everyone has to set the stage for something. Tip being like hendrix i can roll with that. i love hendrix.
and thats not really true tip went left before the first outkast album. If you read the interview he did for okayplayer he explains how they shelfed an album he did when he was doing what we would call “andre 3000′s music and style”. now im not talking about the fashion clearly 3000 had and has something of his own going on and he does it for him. but musically speaking the influence by Tip is pretty clear to me.
@ESQuared,
I think he was saying Hendrix is more like 3000 than Tip is like 3000. That offbeat, entropic, psychedelic boho thing that Hendrix and 3000 have goin on with their sound isn’t really present in Tip’s jazzy, melodic, nostalgic stuff.
Hendrix and 3000 feel like Air. Tip feels like Water.
I do ‘shrooms.
@Me Fail English?,
Hendrix and 3000 feel like Air. Tip feels like Water.
I do ’shrooms.
Love the breakdown… all the way down to the ‘shrooms. Lol!
@ESQuared, the album that got shelved was the Kamaal The Abstract joint in like 2001. that’s WELL after Andre 3000 had been well established, as well, Andre 3000.
thing is, i’m a huge ATCQ fan, and especially of Tip’s production prowess (though i really didn’t like most of Beats, Rhymes, & Life or The Love Movement – y’all love Dilla, he ruined the ATCQ sound…yeah I said it). but i dont really hear any influence at all. and even your quote states that Tip’s album full of “andre 3000 style music” was shelved…that means Tip was paying attention to Dre, not the other way around.
hell, by the time ATLiens hit, they were on a whole different sound and plane…and that’s their second album. where’s the influence?? Dre stopped smoking and had met Erykah Badu.
THAT’s who influenced his arse.
@ Panama
“(though i really didn’t like most of Beats, Rhymes, & Life or The Love Movement – y’all love Dilla, he ruined the ATCQ sound…yeah I said it)”
realest words ever written…
@ESQuared,
dre 3000 sounds nothin like Q-tip
TCQ is tha shiiiiiiiiiiii tho my fav song is “stressed out”
@BLUNTBLAZER,
dre 3000 sounds nothin like Q-tip
TCQ is tha shiiiiiiiiiiii tho my fav song is “stressed out”
I don’t want to assume so I’ll ask. Does that mean Andre 3000 is not “tha shiiiiiiiiiiii”?
@Sula,
andre3000 is tha nig I admire his style
actually
dre3000>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Q-tip. IMO
@Monk,
I like the analysis.
@Sula,
Thanks and shyt.
@Monk, man you know your hip hop …liten to Cubal Links and Ironman Ye got his “blueprint” fromt hose LP’s “Fish” knuckleheadz were songs AHEAD of their time esp Knuckleheads..RZA started that whole bouncy Southern style beat-listen to that track you wanna start bouncin and walking out and shit
-that LP was made in 1995
@temps, lemme add on Cuban Links the Wu ushered in “kingpin” rap, they were the first to call gold with diamonds ice-in fact they called iced out medallions “Chips Ahoy” and they had everybody changing their name to some Iltalian surname (or spanish, usually a drug dealer)
Cuban Links was the template album for all bummy and corny rapers (back then and right now)-cant spit talk about crack, funny if you track that word in Cuban Links I dont think it comes up that much and I know most of the songs on it word-for word, shit I had TWO purple TAPES!!!!
The difference with this P and those others is well this album was The Wire everything else is Soul Plane..remember these were the NY drug dealers in ur city back in the 90′s
Great post. I haven’t paid Jay any attention ever since he and Stacey Dash’s cousin started pimpin’ on rented boats and popularizing the Newly Freed Slave suit look.
I wish that we could all stop looking for these dudes and chick rappers for wisdom, fashion advice, political leanings…etc…etc…etc…and treat them like the entertainers that they are and not the Vanguards Of The Black Community.
Oh, can we also stop 90% of them from acting, please? Marky Mark and The Fresh Prince should have been it and Queen Latifah coonin’ it up in BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE should have burned every bridge from the rap casting room to the movie set, IMO.
And Jay was 30 when he showed up in the Hawaiian Sophie video.
@T. Troy Stewart,
“And Jay was 30 when he showed up in the Hawaiian Sophie video”
With the gold fronts…lol
@miss t-lee, yo, I can’t call it…LOL
@miss t-lee, hahahaha, that would make him like almost 50 now
@Peysonic Temple #69, he’s not 50…but he will be 40 this year.
@T. Troy Stewart,
welcome and sh*t
@The Champ, thanks…great writing and shhhhavin’ cream
@T. Troy Stewart, well what is your solutions/alternatives then? Or is venting one of em
Also i assume you are actively doing something positve in the community not just pointin out shit stinks
I think I’m one of the few people here that likes Ye’s confidence. He’s almost as good as he tells people too. And I guess I just find his lack of a filter to be so genuinely refreshing that I don’t care that he rocks sparkly gloves and throws tantrums. At least he doesn’t beat people up (eg. Lil Boosie, Jim Jones, Trick Trick)
As far as Jay goes, I’ve been hating on him ever since the first time I heard him say rap has done more for race relations than the civil rights movement. I think people forget that in some respects Jay is still very much an ignorant hood dude. Hell, even I forgot…but that statement reminded me. smh.
Also, you wouldn’t give Ice T credit for hustler turned high-lifer? Not even Big Daddy Kane? Not even Kool G Rap? I don’t remember Jay’s fake Fu Schnicken azz being no kingpin in the early 90s, then again I wasn’t a fan til ’95.
@Me fail english?,
“At least he doesn’t beat people up (eg. Lil Boosie, Jim Jones, Trick Trick)”
You don’t count that paparazzo that he went after in LA?
@miss t-lee,
touche.
@Me fail english?,
I love Ye’s confidence too. I love his craziness too. I feel like it has to be freeing to be able to say what you want and not worry about what people say.
If I was Kanye, I would be talking sh*t all day and night and doing whatever the phuck I felt like doing.
@Me fail english?, when “beef” became a marketing tool and pimp cups became status symbols, it was time for Rap Music to take a knee and re-evaluate.
@Me fail english?,
You are semi-correct in your memory. Actually Biggie, and Wu-Tang were on the hi-life hustler tip before Jay-Z as far as mainstream records. But if you saw his video he did in 94 he was on the same thing. It just underground at that time.
@Humble_One,
Ice and Kane predate Wu and BIG. Also, I wouldn’t call ’94 the “early 90s”. more like mid- 90s
@Me fail english?,
As far as Jay goes, I’ve been hating on him ever since the first time I heard him say rap has done more for race relations than the civil rights movement
i dont know about rap, but i do think that sports have.
@Me fail english?,
“I think I’m one of the few people here that likes Ye’s confidence. ”
I used to be taken aback by his outwardly displays of ego, but then after seeing how he does it, I started to believe it’s all (or at least mostly) for show. The insane award speeches (even when he doesn’t even win…how you gone hijack someone else’s award speech? lol), the ALL CAPS blog posts, the random bursts of emotional statements during telethons, etc.
I rarely take him seriously enough to get angry at him for doing the things he does anymore. It’s more hilarious than anything.
@Cheekie,
“the random bursts of emotional statements during telethons”
bwhaahah! Champ or P should do a post on unintentionally funny moments. Ye’ wit his old awkward, inarticulate self. And didnt he just say that one sentence and nothing else? It was like watching live action South Park. Classic.
@Me fail english?,
Yeah and he looked very tense. Like he was about to puke or cry. Or both. He had absolutely not stage presence, he looked like he never spoke in public before. It was so awkward. And Mike Myers made that scene art. Mofo shoulda got an Emmy for that mess.
@Me fail english?,
No—the funniest ish…was Mike Myers face after Kanye blurted it out…
Now that killed me. CTFU!!!!
@Me fail english?, “Also, you wouldn’t give Ice T credit for hustler turned high-lifer? Not even Big Daddy Kane? Not even Kool G Rap? I don’t remember Jay’s fake Fu Schnicken azz being no kingpin in the early 90s, then again I wasn’t a fan til ‘95.”
no, i wouldn’t. at all. for one, i can’t honestly say that Ice T influenced anybody for real. i’m ready for that argument by the way since i know its coming.
kool g rap? hellus nous. maybe the gangsta rap stuff but hustler turned millionaire rap…no. don’t nobody alive think kool g rap is paid. same with kane. when i think kane, i think loverman and rhyme murderer…not money.
i do happen to like Ye’s confidence though since he backs it up. i’m a fan.
must be the Gemini in him. his birthday is June 8.
in fact…artist Gemini’s
Andre 3000
Biggie
Tupac
Kanye
Lauren Hill
Ice Cube
we the best.
@Panama Jackson,
I’m not sure who Ice influenced in particular, though, popular as he once was, I think it’s a mistake to say he didn’t influence anybody at all.
And it’s easy to say G Rap is not paid now since we all Superhead exposed him for the bumass he was, but by early 90s standards he was doing significantly better than the average Far Rock native son. To boot, he was a flashy dude once upon a time.
Again, not by today’s standards but Kane stayed fresh in the 80s. In fact, he was an actual dealer, with good money, who came up years before Jay did. He lived Jay’s story (minus the skill/success level) before Jay did. And Jay’s been undeniably influenced by Kane. So to not take him into account for setting the example is just bad history.
Finally, half that Gemini list is dead, crazy or fading in relevance. You lose!
@Me fail english?, Jay was influenced by Kane lyrically. that is very true. but i find it hard to say that kane’s lifestyle influenced him. i suppose its possible, i just dont see it.
and i’d be careful about calling Ice T popular. he was one of the first rappers out of LA on that “money money money” stuff, but it aint like folks were really checking for him.
as far as the list goes…you have some of the biggest selling artists in hiphop history on that list and arguably 4 of like the top 10 rappers ever. may be nuts, be we leave a mark.
we stay winning.
@Panama Jackson,
True. I might have fell victim to Ice’s revisionist historian moments.
And just you wait til I get my list of Leo rappers..like..uh…
…a lil help from my fellow Lions?
@Me fail english?,
I dunno no leos but being from the WEST Ice T was a boss “cop killer” ice berg whaaaa yall sleepin
@BLUNTBLAZER,
Im thinking that back then these guys that we thought were mega stars may have been more regional than we thought. For instance, I remember “6 in tha Mornin’” and “Original Gangster” but I don’t remember him having a huge east coast following. He was pretty prolific, plus Charlton Heston hating on “Cop Killer” probably made me think he was more nationally embraced than he was… It’s kinda like how I assume everyone was enthralled with Kane when in reality, no one outside of NY metro really gave an eff about him past a few singles. lol
Older heads prob have more perspective on this tho…
@Panama Jackson,
“kool g rap? hellus nous. maybe the gangsta rap stuff but hustler turned millionaire rap…no.”
I agree to a point…..Don’t forget, if it wasn’t for Kool G Rap…there wouldn’t be Karraine “Swineh**d” I mean “Superh**d” Stepphens.. he taught her to go down till her nose bled or passed out;
that’s pimpin.
@Toussaintthefree,
Pimpin’ aint dead, these hoes just scared
@Panama Jackson,
Andre 3000
BiggieTupac
Kanye
Lauren Hill
Ice CubeI guess I am a geminiartist fan… This list has some of my fave artists.
@Me fail english?,
I think I’m one of the few people here that likes Ye’s confidence.
Nope you’re not darling. Plus, he’s super humble in his lyrics… Admitting to his shortcomings and everything.
I like him, and his musical genius. I like him as an artist. And his confidence is just gravy.
@Sula,
Plus, he’s super humble in his lyrics… Admitting to his shortcomings and everything. .
This is a good point. That’s one of the reasons I like him, because he’s not out here talking about killing and all that. You can tell he’s working thru some thangs thru music.
@V Renee,
“You can tell he’s working thru some thangs thru music.”
Hells yeah. 808s is some sad stuff. Aw, Kanye.
@Me fail english?,
dam Kool G Rap, Ice t yeah skool these squares 4real I got yo back
@Me fail english?, jigga did with rap albums…big difference hear while the no 1 rapper he then turned into a mogul and kept rapping NO kid today has ever heard one lyric from ice T so it really doesnt fit-jigga made the move soley on being a rapper, plus Ice was never as huge as jigga
..and Reasonable Doubts came out in 96 so I dont know you didnt become a fan til 95 just put your foot in ya mouth with that one…you do know Doubt was jiggas 1st LP?
Thanks alot for writing a blog about Jay before I got the chance to myself. Oh well, you win some you lose some.
I agree that Jay-Z didn’t single handedly usher in the deaths of Autotune and Throwback Jerseys, however you have to look at alot of what else changed along with the end of the throwback. Jay pretty much put an end to the whole burberry print, Air Force ones, Pink, Extra large fitted hat, Baggy Jean Era. I would actually venture to say Jay brought IN the Jersey era. He wore a jersey at every show of the Hard Knock Life tour, years before the Diplomats and everyone else caught.
As far as musically Jay is largely responsible for the sucess of producers such as the Neptunes, 9th wonder, Just Blaze and Kanye West. Once Jay had a Neptunes beat, everyone had a neptunes beat.
@Tha King,
welcome and sh*t
@Tha King, welcome hombre…gonna have to disagree with you on a few points.
NORE ushered in the Neptunes beats. after “what what”, everybody started checking for them. granted, Jay might have blown up Pharrell’s profile…but the Neptunes started getting work after NORE.
arguably, Outkast started the throwback trend…they were the first cats rocking throwbacks in videos, goodie mob “black ice”, etc. now Jay’s reach is further, at that point anwyay, but i cant really give jay credit for bringing it in.
@Panama Jackson,
Actually the Neptunes built their own brand. ever since Teddy Riley was stealing their beats and callin them his.
@Me fail english?, as much as i’d love to agree with you, i can’t say they built they own brand. now, when opportunity called, outside of Teddy Riley, they were ready and THEN catapulted themselves into the stratosphere.
but it aint like folks were really checking for them before NORE. hell does ANYBODY (outside of you probaby) even realize they wrote and produced SWV’s “use your heart”?? nope. cuz nobody cared back then.
@Panama Jackson,
“when opportunity called, outside of Teddy Riley, they were ready and THEN catapulted themselves into the stratosphere.”
Yeah, that’s what I mean. They were working at it long enough that the right opportunity (to make their names household) was bound to come along. Esp. since they had a trackmasterz-ish pop-type sound without all the negative (corny) connotations. Whatever happened to those two anyway??
I think Jay Z pushed fruity men back in the closet with his “Girls Girls Girls” song (and the remix). Jay came out and said I like girls girls girls girls and named all of these ethnicities. The fruity guys looked up, sighed and said “I guess I like girls too” and went back in the closet.
I haven’t researched to confirm this, but I have a sneaky suspicion that around the time that song came out, there was a rise in DL-ism. Don’t quote me, but quote me.
@V Renee,
I haven’t researched to confirm this, but I have a sneaky suspicion that around the time that song came out, there was a rise in DL-ism.
lol, i think there’s always been dl-ism in the black community, but, in the late 90′s, cats like e.lynn harris and jerome dickey (as well as j.l. king’s book) kind of brought it to the dinner table and sh*t
@The Champ,
Yeah the black community probably gets too much flack on the DL thing. Ppl of all races stay in the closet. V’s post is funny tho.
“Cassie doesn’t even care and she’s his oatmeal bowl.”
What does this mean???!!! *totally confused*
@Blue Skyez,
I’m also major curious as to what this means. I’ve tried almost every single possibility in my head and none of it makes sense. Would love to get in on this potential hilarity.
@Blue Skyez,
I’m guessing oatmeal=semen. And as a bowl she is the receptacle.
@Me fail english?, good job.
see what happens when you try to euphemistically say something? people force you to use the nasty words anyway…lol.
@Panama Jackson,
its called slang we all make up our own shiiiiiii I luv it
@Me fail english?,
Hmm, yeah.
*vomits Cream of Wheat*
@Me fail english?,
***Pushes away brunch selection, desperately trying not to imagine what that would make the raisins***
@Nikiloveli,
Ewwww…dingleberries!
And that’s wut yo ass get eating oatmeal for breakfast!!
@Nikiloveli,
EW. lol
Ya’ll need to stop. Yesterday.
Really though.
I wanted to innocently think he was just saying she wakes him up like breakfast.
But nah, ninjas had to go invent a new sexual innuendo…and one an innocent term becomes innuendo, it’s innuendo FOREVER!! (see everything Beavis and Butthead ever said)
@Stuff Ghetto People Like, hey man, i got to get around our VSB censors too!!!
and don’t front, you’re gonna call some chick an “oatmeal bowl” tomorrow, ain’t you?
Haha.
“Giiirl. You know you my oatmeal bowl.” while grinning actually sounds kinda sweet. Like a pet name or smthg
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
it’s innuendo FOREVER!! (see everything Beavis and Butthead ever said)
I agree. 15 years later my brother and I STILL quote this mofo’s…lol
@Me fail english?,
Appreciate it! I apologize I thought it had some kind of higher meaning that flew over my head!
@Blue Skyez,
probably never look at quaker oats the same again. Thanks Panama!
The funny thing about him killing the throwback is that dude was 30 plus wearing throwbacks. Before he made that statement you could catch him in jerseys quite often. What sucks about this trend is going out and seeing dudes in cheap bad fitting shirts, tight sweaters, and horrible shoes in the name of grown and sexy.
@Humble_One,
What sucks about this trend is going out and seeing dudes in cheap bad fitting shirts, tight sweaters, and horrible shoes in the name of grown and sexy. .
So true………
@Humble_One,
Beats a fake throwback…
@Me fail english?,
You’re right. I’ve seen some TERRIBLE fake throwbacks.
@Humble_One,
I love how this is mentioned the day after I saw my cousin wearing this fake blue throwback yesterday with Kobe’s name on it. W…T…F.
@Cheekie, For the record, Mitchell and Ness have produced blue Kobe Bryant Laker jerseys
@Peysonic Temple #69,
Good to know. But, knowing my cousin…it’s still suss. lol
@Humble_One,
Yeah, like how is an orange 80s Elway gonna have blue numbers instead of white? (as seen on an old head this past Sunday)
@Stuff Ghetto People Like, LOL
Trends I wish Jay would have started:
-Bangin ass intros to albums
-Concept albums (even though he rarely follows thru…)
-Rarely agreeing to do interviews. I can’t remember a time when Jay’s face was on every magazine cover. . .and I appreciate that.
Trends I wish Jay wouldn’t have started:
-nicknames like B dot this, H dot that
-Maybachs (I can’t even aspire to having this isht, so eff you very much Mr. Carter)
-throwing up the diamond (that shet always looked dumb to me)
@Me fail english?,
-throwing up the diamond (that shet always looked dumb to me) .
I agree. Most hand signs look dumb to me, except the star trek V. LMAO
@V Renee,
And why the hell is Juelz throwing up the Alpha sign? What does it all mean?
@Me fail english?, as a nickname empresario myself, i appreciate Jay’s use of a gazillion nicknames. i have about 40…
Reading your post i felt inclined to start listening to Jay this morning. I am no hip hop philosopher so i may not be able to dissect Jays lyrics. As a business man however the man is a genius. His empire is sick!
@JamaicanGirl,
I wanna agree since Forbes keeps saying he has stupid money (even more than Beyonce…a lot more) but I’m not even sure what he owns.
I’m guessing he owns his masters since he started independent and then got a dist, deal. And I know he owns the spotted pig (that no one I know eats at…). A small piece of the Cavs, some of the 40/40 clubs (are these hot in other cities?)…Where does the other money come from? Live Nation? Epic? Atlantic? Def Jam? Water for Africa?
I need
a jobto know !@Me fail english?,
I think he also gets a piece of RocaWear profits and NJ Nets soon to be Brooklyn Nets profits as well.
@Ashley Neicole,
Ok, was I confusing the nets with the Cavs or does he have a piece of both? I think Usher is invested in the Cavs.
@Me fail english?, LiveNation paid him $150million, he’s sold over 30 million records. 40/40 is poppin in Vegas and AC. And he has his hand in a lot of different things else where
@Me fail english?, he currently owns his masters. that was part of the deal with him taking over as president of Def Jam. the only master’s he doesnt own is for Reasonable Doubt, currently held by Dame and Biggs. Rocawear was sold so i’m not sure if he’s still getting money from there…he also gets ad money (heinekin, HP), tour money, 40/40 money, etc.
plus…
“…they forgot to account for what i did with the raw…”
Jay is the only old guy (35+) still accepted in Hip Hop, thus giving fogies like us (I’m 30+) something to listen to and not feel like we’re retarding our adulthood.
@Teech,
this is true. out of all genres, hip-hop is the least kind to people over 35. maybe it has to do with the relative youth of hip-hop in general.
@The Champ, or that old folks ain’t just gonna run out and buy your CD/hit up Itunes/cop one from the bag man at the barbershop just because you got Mr. Big @ss Chain mumbleautotunin’ the hook and because one of the three good tracks on there is a head nodder…marketing trumps talent nowadays…even Jay know this, all he has to do is get some flunkies to throw some samples together and he run down and say something about the corner, getting paid, blah, blah, blah…then it’s home to listen to Beyonce’s blah, blah, blah…
@T. Troy Stewart, “marketing trumps talent ”
true words, hence copying Nas’ steez by naming a song “Death of Autotune” the song is just okay but everybody’s talking about it b/c of the title.
same with HipHop Is Dead. wacksauce ass album (feel free to disagree, but you will be wrong) but had everybody talking about it…
@The Champ
I could buy that if the pioneers when looking at 50. I think its a combo of two things: There aren’t enough 35+ rappers doing it (and doing it well, no LL), or subject matter is no longer relevant to the Hip Hop listener post young-man-tomfoolery-stage.
@Teech,
I just went to an EPMD show in Sept and their set was LIVE!
As far as new material goes, I don’t know how old Red & Meth are but I’m checkin for them too. I’m only 24 but I feel like Imma bump the Wu til my body’s cold. They might play it at my wake
@Teech,
um too-short, e-40, ice cube, scarface, oatkast ? 30+ club
I disagree with Jay starting the Hustler to highlifer..others did that before Jay….. Jay I think took it to another level.. of course…. but didn’t start it..think Biggie even Raekwon
everything else I pretty much agree with………
@OrangeStar616,
Jay I think took it to another level.. of course…. but didn’t start it..think Biggie even Raekwon
good point
@The Champ,
master p ex dope boy turn rapper and he sucked he was jus washin the dirty money
@BLUNTBLAZER,
Forgot all about the Ice Cream Man! He was doin it fa real! No offense to any Richmonders but I really can’t see how else he got enough money out there to start No Limit other than slangin…
@Me fail english?,
He also got money from when his grandfather passed and started this business.
@miss t-lee,
also many dont know but a guy named Mr. Marcello owned 50% of no limit when they started. I kno cause i almost got signed and had to meet um both.
@ BLUNTBLAZER
Oh word? I totally didn’t know that either.
@OrangeStar616, while i agree in theory, i don’t know that its so accurate. like, Rae (and Ghost) made OB4CL a tale of mafioso style rhymes and all that but for the most part, i didn’t really believe them. great wordsmiths, but nobody believes any of them is a millionaire…even now.
Biggie…possibly, though the only song that really mentioned that was Juicy on Ready To Die…Life After Death and all the money talk came out in 1997. Reasonable Doubt dropped in 96.
and once again, with Jay, when this cat said he was still spending money from 88, it’s completely believable. he seemed like a made man for real.
@Panama Jackson,
True. Big didn’t get jiggy til like 95 or smthg.
But I really didn’t believe Jay was spending money from when he was 19 years old. And the monopoly with real money thing always seemed lame. To be honest I dont believe any of these dudes cuz if you’re a dealer going legit, wouldn’t you do smthg more low key than rap??? So I think credibility really shouldn’t be a factor
@Me fail english?, you know, i did think that was lame in the video and a bit of overkill, however, just from listening to the album, i believed it. it was a very believable hustler story. plus, with the exception of Jaz-O, and initially DeHaven who really was just pissed that Jay wouldn’t help him out considering hos much money he did have and t heir dope dealing history together but then backed off his comments, nobody’s come out and really refuted his story. and it aint like folks haven’t had the opportunity since he seemed to collect disgruntled former friends and associates as his career ascended.
plus it just sounds so raw to say:
“i came into this m*therf*cker 100 grand strong, 9 to be exact, from grinding g-packs…”
nobody said he’s lying.
we know NWA were some liars. lol.
folks have said that Big wasn’t as big a dealer as he claimed to be. same for other cats. nobody’s really said, you know, Jay didnt really move any weight.
@Panama Jackson,
This is also true. My mama is from Marcy and everybody in Marcy seems to know each other. This is especially true of the people that been there awhile. (no we don’t know Jay-Z). But honestly, no one seems to refute his story.
@Panama Jackson,
I don’t think he was a big drug dealer. I just don’t see a dude honing his craft and hustling. Hustling is a full time job. You can’t have one foot in and one foot out.
@Humble_One, well if you believe him when he says he never wrote anything down and is on his Rainman/Idiot Savant type stuff, then its easy to believe. While slanging, he was writing in his head and he didn’t need a pen and pad.
Plus, hustlers dont sleep, they rest one eye up so he had plenty of time since he’s an insomniac. can’t sell drugs 24/7. lol.
but once again, i come back to this…nobody refutes his story. every drug dealin’ rapper has had to come to terms with his past being put out there for the world to see. hell, Malice of The Clipse has started doing vLogs telling folks he dont really do what he claims…lol since his former manager is fixin’ to do a yard on some drug charges.
@OrangeStar616,
Just thought of smthg else. Rae and the Wu-Gambinos wasn’t really a pre-cursor to what Jay did since they were playing characters. Jay claimed to be laying out his bio.
On a personal note i hated the Frank White/Nas Escobar/Wu-Gambino trend. And there were countless mafia inspired names…blech.
Young, broke black men pretending to be old, non-black (often racist) dudes…no bueno. I think that ish is pretty much dead and we’re all better off for it.
“Lil Wayne uses it pretty consistently, but even then it seems more artistic than crutch-y.”
I actualy hate his auto-tune more than anyone else because he sounds so constipated. Take some Ex-Lax, Weez! And he over embellishes the sound like it’s sexay or something. It’s not.
“Of course, Diddy was on his, “I’m gonna Auto-Tune a whole album” but really, does ANYBODY care about a new Puffy album?”
Nope. I remember I was crackin up on Making the Band when he was in the studio recording that Auto-tune orgy he sung with Dawn. He was in there spazzin’ out like the was the most glorious song in the history of song. He thought that mess was SO raw. He coulda kept that. In fact, God coulda kept him.
“And hell, is Kanye more influential than Jay at this point?”
I actually think so. I takes power in general to influence anyone to do anything, but there’s a difference between influencing ninjas to stop rockin’ throwbacks and influencing ninjas to rock murses and painted-on jeans.
On a serious tip, I really hope Jay-z isn’t as influential as he has been because please believe I’ll hurl myself off a bridge if foine ninjas lower their value by participating in some sort of a crusty chic trend. Actually, that goes for Kanye as of late, too.
@Cheekie, Kanye style is a bit GAYfish… not a look I like on a grown straight man…… altho Ye is Gemini so I understand where he is coming from artistically, def from a creative standpoint much respect there….. but Ye can be aLOT extra and overly, be doing too much at times LOL that hinges on bamarificness…..
@Cheekie,
“He was in there spazzin’ out like the was the most glorious song in the history of song.”
not in the history of song LOL
@T. Troy Stewart,
that made me ctfu too.
@Me fail english?, it brought tears to my eyes because it’s true, it’s so true
@Cheekie,
And it KILLS me that ppl are out here talking about Diddly’s new album like it’s a new wave of music! I read an interview that Dawn did with a celeb gossip website, and she made it seem like this new sound was the next best thing in hip hop and r&b….*newsflash* it’s not a new sound just because you made a whole album out of it!!!
@Ashley Neicole,
I KNOW. They are hypin’ that Last Train to Paris like it will make everyone freeze in their tracks and bow before Diddy. Shut up, Diddles. And I hope your train derails.
*confesses*
Forgive me, Father.
***other smaller, less important trends that jay-z has either created or spearheaded***
“young” as a prefix for anyone’s name.
the popularity of iceberg and evisu jeans.
***seriously, that one “these aint diesel, n*gga this is evisu” line probably increased evisu’s stock by 75 percent***
the (circa 1999) switch from gold jewelry being the most sought after in the hood to white gold or platinum, and the subsequent switch back to gold (circa 2005) if you wanted to really stand out
as i mentioned upthread, the popularity of the t-mobile sidekick (stemming from the “excuse me miss” video)
@The Champ, not to mention that he singlehandedly KILLED range rover 4.0s with his line in “imaginary player”. lol.
yo Jay, what’s the difference between a 4.0 and a 4.6?
about 30-40 grand c*cks*cker, beat it.
@Panama Jackson, too bad Jay wasn’t down with the Pontiac Aztek…he could have saved GM from bankruptcy
@T. Troy Stewart,
You mean the frogmobile?
@miss t-lee, yeah, that thing…I doubt that even Jay Z in his”hard knock life” prime could have carried that whip
@T. Troy Stewart,
I used to date a dude for a month who drove one of them things…I never rode in it.
@miss t-lee, would you rather roll in a Aztek or a Kia Sophia?
@T. Troy Stewart,
Schwinn.
All day.
@T. Troy Stewart, no grown ass man should ever drive a car named a Sophia.
@T. Troy Stewart,
Not to be a stickler–but it was Sephia…
Carry on…lol
@miss t-lee, duly noted. Sephia, you know a sista thought up that name, right? A “Seoul” sista.
I am sorry in advance for that…
@T. Troy Stewart,
Hahah!!! A seoul sista indeed.
I just checked ya blog and I’m loving that Disney post.
*thumbs up*
@miss t-lee,
thanks, I mean that…
@miss t-lee,
It looks more like a lunch box
@I was wondering….,
good call.
It was hideous, we can agree on that right?
@T. Troy Stewart, LMAO.
@T. Troy Stewart,
Bwahahaha!
@Sula, how bad is a car company if they offer BOGO on their brand new cars (buy Sephia and I throw in her Mexican baby papa, Borrego for free)
and folks get all siddity on you…
“um…no, that’s okay…do you have any used Azteks on the lot?”
@T. Troy Stewart,
LMAO@ this whole scenario.
Is there really a Borrego? Please say no.
@Me fail english?, I’m sorry, there is a Borrego and it has the nerve to be a SUV…
@T. Troy Stewart,
Ok, it’s official. Please disperse my ashes over the Pacific Ocean.
You’se a funny bloke.
@Sula,
Thank you…I had to have jokes because I was raised in the Southern Baptist church…we outed ONE Teletubby and was serious about it.
The easy way out would have been to just call’em all fey, drop the mic and walk off the stage…but we called out Tinky Winky because he had a man bag. Dipsy, La La, Po? Y’all can go but your gay friend has to stay…
@The Champ, WRONG ….the use of YOUNG is a DC term and has been for years, forever…… matter fact Jay has used DC slang since Reasonable Doubt…….Young , lunchin etc etc etc …
@OrangeStar616, DC takin’ credit for “lunchin”? What does that mean? And a definition for “lunchin’” would be cool, too.
@T. Troy Stewart,
“Lunchin” in D.C. means “buggin out”
@T. Troy Stewart, young that is OUR word, just like young just like bama, been around these parts since before most of ya’ll were born=80′s
lunchin :
Expressing lack of presence of mind.
Buggin, acting or thinking or speaking in crazy/bizarre manner, off
Jay used to spend alot of time in the District during his hustling days
@OrangeStar616, okay, thanks…all I thought I ever needed to know about DC was Petey Greene and Chuck Brown…
@OrangeStar616,
lunchin thats a new term hmmm
since this is Beat Up Jay Like He’s A Pinata Day…I have a question; Why Jay act like Beyo’s bref is hot like dragon stool? Dude is, most of the time, keepin’ her at distance, it seems. Please don’t tell me he worried about “street cred” or something ridiculous like that.
Man, get out of here with that…you got Beyonce’ hangin’ on your arm…Maybe it’s her fam? I’m pretty sure that Mom and Pop Knowles can work some nerves but I think I could put up with that….just as long as I didn’t have to have a convo with Solange. I bet Etch-A-Sketch is like magic to her. I can see her being tickled to death everytime she moved one of the knobs.
@T. Troy Stewart, LMAO. this comment is wrong on so many levels.
good damn job.
@Panama Jackson, I just finished reading your 13 club rules and I have to bow down…you Da Champ…um…King!
@T. Troy Stewart,
“I bet Etch-A-Sketch is like magic to her. I can see her being tickled to death everytime she moved one of the knobs.”
Okay…I’m dead.
_______________________
@miss t-lee, hey, you know I’m right. I bet it took them three time as long to shoot the T.O.N.Y. video because she kept asking why he spell his name like that…
@T. Troy Stewart,
I’m done with you today…lol
@T. Troy Stewart,
“I bet Etch-A-Sketch is like magic to her. I can see her being tickled to death everytime she moved one of the knobs.” .
Okay this is hilarious!
I just remembered one.
Christian Louboutins
I also remember when he used to mispronounce the name . LOL!!! But trust, I’m sure there weren’t many chicks who knew the label or aspired to have them until Jay shouted them out.
Kinda like what SATC did for Manolos.
@miss t-lee,
Yes Jay did the red bottoms a huge favor. And he did more for the fake Manolo “timbs” market than any rapper in the history of women’s fashion. These were often seen with “burberry” or “throwback” dresses. haha
@Me fail english?,
I hated those things with a pasion….and those jersey dresses.
A hot funky mess.
@miss t-lee,
Co-sign on the blasphemy that is jersey dresses. What’s worse is the folks rockin’ those to prom! The PROM. Um, tacky called, she wants you to be her maid of honor.
My people, my people…
@Cheekie, wait a minute…under the right circumstances, the jersey dress wasn’t a bad thing…like in the bedroom, for example.
@T. Troy Stewart,
That would just kinda be a bootleg version of what I thought was the much sexier “woman wearing male jersey in the bedroom” thang. I thought it was sexy when the woman wears the male shirt/jersey in the bedroom.
@Cheekie
That’s hot.
@T. Troy Stewart,
hell yea i think the sexiest look is a lady butt knockalocka in a jersey cookin breakfast bare footed
@BLUNTBLAZER,
*In Critical Condition @ the term “knockalocka”*. Just rolls off the tongue, that one…
I think knockalocka put me under too!
And why does it make me think she got ashy knees???
@Me fail english?,
STOP, please! lmao
@miss t-lee,
as well as giuseppe, 7 jeans and la perla, can’t be messing with cheap chicks.
@treble,
Yep…free promotion for more than a few companies…good and bad.
@yall,
yall like knockalocka i gotta give props to where its due. Yuckmouth (from the luniz) made tha word up I like it tho lol
last night was listening to joe budden’s “who killed hip-hop”, a 15 minute critique on how hip hop got to where it is.
in the song he has a line saying,
“was it t-pain with that funny voice ish? / was it lil wayne with that funny voice ish? / the whole GAME dyck rode that funny voice ish!”
I’m not sure exactly when that song came out, but it was way before Summer Jam 09. I bring this up to illustrate Hov’s ability to create movements:
– dope rapper (joe budden) addresses an issue musically and hip-hop heads nod in agreement but collectively do nothing
– dope rapper (jay-z) addresses an issue musically and the whole world goes nuts and it has a polarizing effect on ALL music listeners
so with that, yes, we are “jockin jay-z”
@Carver The Great!,
I thought Puffy killed hip-hop. And I thought Teddy Riley killed R&B. Am I wrong?
@Voiceofreason, rappers doing hooks killed R&B…and Teddy Riley….yep yep.
@T. Troy Stewart,
naw CEO’s killed hip hop once rap left the underground and tha man saw that there was money to be made they started gettin rappers like Cube said rap is street music never was intended for the mainstream.
@BLUNTBLAZER, well, yeah but you can’t tell the kids that Superman Dat garden tool is a glorified novelity record and would have barely been more than a regional hit had it not been for the CEO push…
O’Shea Jackson has been “just like the n*gga in the first verse” for years now…
@T. Troy Stewart,
College park actually signed him back then off his you tube stats. Cant see a real ghetto ceo beggin him to sign.
@Voiceofreason,
That MTV Carmen Hip-opera killed hip-hop.
@Cheekie,
Lawdjeezus…I can’t believe I sat through that.
@Cheekie,
Blasphemer! Rappin Bey has been the best thing for black music since the California Raisins
@Me fail english?, LMFAO.
@Me fail english?,
@Me fail english?,
I love when internet-speak becomes reality because I LITERALLY laughed out loud. It was one of those laughs that escapes beyond your control.
You are a murderer, girl. First degree.
@Cheekie,
I humbly have to disagree with that. Being that I wrote all the songs for Carmen, I feel that it’s highly unlikely that it had anything to do with killing Hip-Hop. Maybe some of the acting was a dagger to the chest of some of the audience but it didn’t kill anything. MTV was able to add gallons of water to something that was potent in its conception and sell it as something that it wasn’t but Carmen is no murderer. It has an alibi, me.
@Sekani,
Yeah, so about that facetiousness…
@Cheekie,
Uh oh.
@miss t-lee,
“Uh oh.”
That’s exactly what I said. lol
Jay got a better marketing team…?
@T. Troy Stewart,
naw just a better market NY is huge
@BLUNTBLAZER,
true. plus since we can barely afford to live in our own damn city, we move all over the globe bringing our habits and trends with us. Something’s gotta catch on!
here are some introspective hov joints the average jay fan may have missed…
- when the money goes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMCfXkLlq_Q
- hot 97 freestyle before kingdom come album dropped in 06: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joHCfll2AGI
@Carver The Great!,
I loved the hidden track on Unplugged, People Talking. I thought he went low key hard on that.
@Carver The Great!,
I thank you for improving my life by turning me on to that freestyle.
I think his influence is cause of who he is in real life. Dude is that bougie cat who try to do all the newest sh*t n mean mug any and everybody else who aint. Like Snoop had errbody talkin izzlie. Got everybody on auto tune.
Jay-Z should get credit for being what and who he is. The biggest hater ever. He even hates on himself ‘TELL EM WHY YOU MAD SON’
btw P-maw-nimblie, showe is good to see you round here kickin it w/ us n sh*t. How you like that I-phone?
@WuDaMan, i love the iPhone. i missed being part of the daily fracas. just didn’t feel right not being able to respond ot stuff…
plus, I’m Panama M*therf*ckin’. Ask about me.
@WuDaMan,
true dat. Sean Carter has a serious stick up his arse. It’s like he and Spencer Pratt were switched at birth.
…cuz we all know Spence is a thug from the streets. I put that on the future of rap.
So, when is the Joe Camel endorsement coming in for Jay? Because, that? Would be platinum.
@Cheekie,
I wish he would do some green initiatives or something n sh*t.
@WuDaMan, that’s what I’m sayin’….Jay is using his superpowers for selfish crap like puttin’ Cristal out of business and making Burberry a Section 8 staple…dude, help society out now. Get them gas prices down to about a 1.50 and get them Slumdog Millionaire kids out the Bombay ghetto and into some affordable housing!
@T. Troy Stewart,
Why do you intend on killing me today?
@T. Troy Stewart,
“Get them gas prices down to about a 1.50 and get them Slumdog Millionaire kids out the Bombay ghetto and into some affordable housing!”
Yeah, and I’m waitin’ for Jay-Z and Kanye to sample Jai Ho.
@WuDaMan,
now that would be amazing.
Interestingly, no brothers I know jock Jay or Kanye all that hard. I think it’s basically people my age and younger that do that. Although gay men love them some Kanye, since his entire aesthetic is ripped off from ball kids
Jay’s a trendsetter, that’s true…maybe that’s why he treats Beyo like she’s in the way sometimes…because she’s an trendy accessory for him…and now he’s bored.
Jay made it cool to compare yourself to MJ, Lebron and inspired such songs as Lil Wayne’s “Kobe Bryant” song that he just made.
Jay made it cool to date an R&B chick and use each other to make money. Then it was Chris & RiRi, the Dream and C. Millian, Nas & Kelis, etc… Yeah Biggie did first, but Biggie didn’t do the lime-light thing w/ Faith or his side piece Kim.
Jay started the whole G4/G5 thing and for the next year all we heard about was how everybody that had money had their own G-whatever.
Jay started the whole Maybach/Phantom talk in his songs. Nobody knew what a Maybach was until Jay put em on the map.
Jay not only ended the era of Crystal, but he started it also.
I could probably go on but I think you caught it w/ the title of the article. Everybody’s jock’n Jay Z. Just take a look at how many freestyles there of using the D.O.A beat already. He’s that dude.
@R U Serious, you weren’t cool if you dated a R&B chick? I’d take Aretha Franklin to the prom right now…you know she payin’ and she ain’t eatin’ salad.
@T. Troy Stewart, Very good point but you never saw Biggie and Faith, or even dude Treach (sp?) w/ ol girl from salt&pepper. You just never really saw the ol’ school romances on tv (internet wasn’t common back then) but still. Not until you started to see Jay and Bey in each other’s vids and on tv/net did you start seeing chris and riri, etc. I agree w/ you on the Aretha Franklin line though. She ain’t eating no salads, lol!!
@R U Serious, yeah but Jay was always blowing Bey up in their videos…a therapist would have a field day with that…shoot, my momma would rip him up over that: “son, why you always got that girl on fire? are you gay or something?”
as to not seeing black on black love up on the TV screen or in Black Hollywood on the regular…don’t get me started. Even Star Fleet Commander Madea movies have to beat you upside the head with how EVVVVVIL some black folks are in relationships before they get to the real deal…btw, I’m sorry, it ain’t love to me until you’ve had a convo with her while she’s on the toilet and you don’t even think about it.
@R U Serious, do you know how long it took me to figure out what the flying f*ck a G4/5 was?
i felt like the odd man out always wishing i knew what they were talking about.
@Panama Jackson, haha; They acted like it was so cool to have one that I had to go buy one too. Wait, that’s a lie! Although hip-hop did act like jumping in the G5 was the only way to travel for a little while. Of course, there’s a lot of things that “hip-hop” has portrayed as “cool” even though only 1% of hip-hop probably actually owned a G4 or 5 and about .001% of hip-hop listeners. The same could be said for Maybach’s, Phantom’s, etc. so how much can we really relate?
As for your other comment, Kanye is nowhere near as influential as Jay. Kanye’s too metro (borderline g*y) to be “that” influential to hip-hop.
@R U Serious,
I just about died when I saw Ray J hopping out of a private jet. Like how can he even afford to rent that ish?!
@Me fail english?, lmao!! He probably had to treat it like a cab ride. He had his sister and others still on board chipping in on the tab, lol.
@R U Serious,
Everybody’s jock’n Jay Z. Just take a look at how many freestyles there of using the D.O.A beat already. He’s that dude.
If he was that dude, we’d all be commenting via our Black Phones while wearing S. Carter sneakers and listening to Memph Bleek’s latest platinum album. Dude’s had some misses too, lest we forget.
I neva could understand the hype with Jay-Z. If BIG was alive Jay woulda never made it like he did. I admire his hustle he got himself a deal by doin the independent hustle (ala BAY AREA).
But lyrically he is nice but not that nice tha only Jay-Z songs I think are hot are “song cry”, “loved me”, “the streets are watching”.
I dunno he just doesnt do it for me he is hella mainstream now.I still think Kool G Rap is the best to ever come out of the east and the east coaster forget about him.
PS: I neva bought a jay-z cd in my life but i copped tha movie the “streets are watching”. Last east coast cd I bought BIG “ready to die” for the 3 time
@BLUNTBLAZER, Wesssiiiiide! I bet you even got TQ cd just because….
@T. Troy Stewart,
who? Bay Area dogg not LA
@BLUNTBLAZER, I stand corrected…don’t gimme no bammer weed…
@T. Troy Stewart,
yea wha you kno about that RBl Posse. RIP Mista CEE. strait grapes out hea mayne all day
@BLUNTBLAZER,
The Kool Genius of Rap! Hell yeah he’s underrated with his old crusty, yuckmouthed self.
And considering how much Jay’s progressed since ’97, it’s scary to think where BIG would be. RIP Frank
@Me fail english?,
i think puff and suge off’d big and pac
@BLUNTBLAZER,
“…you know dead rappers get better promotion”
@Me fail english?,
yup and ceo’s get bigger cuts when they own a dead rappers material.
Will everyone please stop with this? If Big and for that matter Pac were still alive, they could have both easily fallen off by ’98. We don’t know whose shine would have been taken away from if they were still here. We the fans canonized them to ultimate priority because they’re DEAD.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like, that’s not true, why look at Daz Dillinger, The Beatnuts and Scarface….um, on second thought, you are correct.
@T. Troy Stewart,
lol. Damn. Well in defense of Les and Juju, The Beatnuts never really made it to fall off in the first place. So take THAT! Heh, heh. I’m so clever.
@Me fail english?,
You two should tag team and have a stand up show I promise, it will rawk!
@T. Troy Stewart,
Pac and Big was bigger than Daz, beatnutts and scarface put together.
Macavelli sold more records that any rap cd ever. Name a rapper that sold more than pac.
Pac was so major other people (jay-z, mobb deep etc) would push their music back whenever pacs new cd dropped cause pac controlled the market. Jus like BIG he controlled the market. The industry hates monopolies.
Pac was gonna start his own label and sign up dude in the game he respected thas why he got shot he would have owned rap.
@BLUNTBLAZER, I was being sarcastic…it is my gift and my curse…
Jay-z influences that have not been noted:
1. Everyone referring to themselves as ‘hustlers’. I mean, if you work 3 jobs, you’re a hard worker. But if you can mouthpiece your way into Harvard Law without taking the LSAT and become a Black Billionaire (a la Reginald Lewis) you are a HU$TLER.
2.Paying attention to royalties and contracts. Entertainers were content with chain and whip deals, but now they have become more conscious of what is to gain.
3. You all have already noted the Range Rover influence, but he also destroyed the BMW X-5. “We don’t drive X-5′s/ we give’em to baby mommas..” Scratch that off this list of masculine luxury automobiles.
4. Platinum. Everything.
5. Rappers with shoes. Never did I foresee the day when cats would REALLY cop signature shoes of their entertainers. Picture people at the men’s shop clamoring for those Sammy Davis Jr. Wingtips…crazy.
Sure there is more. I haven’t heard the DOA track, my brother said it was trash.
Bond. BlkBond.
PS-New post is up
@BlkBond,
“mouthpiece” dam bay area slang is everywhere
Jay influences life. I mean really, there is not one situation I can think of where I can’t respond to someone with a Jay quote.
Here are a few scenarios:
*Someone is acting like they’re always in the mix*
Response: I’m everywhere, you ain’t never there.
*Someone is hating on you*
Response: Oh you not feeling me? Fine, cost you nothing…pay me no mind.
*Someone is sad about past actions*
Response: In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets.
*Someone is discussing the effects of weed*
Response: Take one more toke, then I leave that weed alone man, it got me goin…sh*t.
*Someone has a weak crew*
Response: if every ninja in your clique is rich, your clique is rugged, nobody would fall cause everyone would be each other’s crutches.
Seriously, i could go on all day…
ya wildin’ with the Jay started the dope dealer- willy high life liver trend. WILDIN’!! Jay did little but run with Biggie’s archetype. and if you we goin’ there, the persona was best crafted and popularized by GhostFace and Raekwon even before Brooklyn’s favorite fat kid.
hey just for the record these are the ages of the todays “up and coming rappers” OJ the Juiceman -27, Shawty Lo 33, Gucci Mane 29, a vet Eminem is 37 and the man right now is Lil Wayne is 26 I posted this because since hip hops birth most of the popular MCs are always way past 18 or even 21-the LL ‘s and Nas’ of the world coming into the game under 21 and remaining relevant is VERY VERY rare BTW Jig is 40, now Solja boy is young born in 80 he’s only 19 and that my friends is the issue just why should I at 33 buy or listen to anything he makes-I dont have any of his music and when it comes on the radio it gets muted or I flip the station
I feel like Jay-Z is more of a reference point to what rap is supposed to be and how hip-hop used to be. Kanye seems to take from that and does things that end up being trendy or a fad that are not necessarily long lasting. Kanye’s music, lyrics, and the way he changes the musical landscape as an artist and producer are long lasting but the whole skinny jean wearing thing is something that will not be as long lasting. Even though at times he has demonstrated that he has a super huge ego he has made fun of himself and recognizes that his arrogance is at times ridiculous. Jay-Z can comment on things going on in hip-hop and he might make a trend or condemn one but again I think people listen and imitate him is because Jay-Z is viewed as a true rapper. His background matches what he has said he is. He has done the things that he raps about and he recognizes that the best rap is not who said it fastest or who made it rhyme the most, but who incorporated all of those elements so that their music actually says something.
Kanye reminds me of Prince. Dudes might be running around in skinny jeans and bright colors now but in a few years they’ll be wearing something else. I mean I don’t still see dudes wandering around in ruffle shirts with curl activator in hand.