Tag Archives: hiphop

Pete Rock vs. Lupe Fiasco: Out With The Old, Out With The New

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If you follow Twitter and hip-hop sites over the past few days, you no doubt came across a new song by Lupe Fiasco entitled, “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)”. If you’re like me you intended to ignore it completely because you’re not a fan of Lupe at all. But apparently most lots of people like Lupe for whatever reason. I was going to ignore it but then I read the description and I noticed that Lupe rocked over a sort of refurbished version of “T.R.O.Y.” by Pete Rock and CL Smooth.

Scrrrrrrrrrrr?

Okay, let’s lay it all out. I listened to a recent (like few hours old) radio interview with Lupe Fiasco at WGCI in Chicago, where he explained that he spoke to Pete about remaking the seminally classic record beforehand. That’s nice. I don’t really feel that was necessary but its nice that Lupe felt a need to reach out and respect the elders so-to-speak to get his blessing. So let’s assume that Pete Rock gave his (unnecessary but understandable) blessing to remake the track. Lupe then enlists some producers to remake the record and then he rocks out to it.

Cool beans. He then releases the record and the Internets, who often clamor for Lupe records, go nuts. That’s where we were Monday when the joint dropped.

Then Pete Rock chimes in. I’ll just provide his entire Twitter rant for your pleasure:

No disrespect to lupe fiasco and i like him alot but TROY should be left alone. Feel so violated,the beat is next to my heart and was made. Outta anguish and pain. When it’s like that it should not be touched by no one! It’s so hard for folks to make original music, I possess that, but these dudes are scared of that and this is supposed to be HIP HOP? Man I’m a lupe fan and everything but TROY was my homie man. I think about him and Hev every fucking day!!!! Smh

Who ever Re-created that didn’t do a good job @ all. #nohate.This business can be so lame, sometimes I make beats blindfolded with one hand tied behind my back and still these cats can’t be original to. So untalented and unoriginal. Makes me feel like I’m truly the best that ever did it. Yo hev and t-Roy I love and miss da shit outta y’all. U guys have been violated with no Vaseline. So fucked up this business smmfh!!! And I don’t care who got something to say about it, kiss my.. I’m not flattered @ all. Dat shit is wack, and the producer should be ashamed of his fuckin self. Smh That record is dear to me yo fuck deez niggas!!!! I’m still Dat nigga out here believe it or don’t. Ur ignorance not mine, lame duck bullshit. I think lupe is a great artist, I’m that angry with him but it’s a major label idea. I can feel it. And y’all need to stop the childish games, I’m a fan of lupe and he is a great artist and a great person.

Alright, so that’s where we’ll start.

Full disclosure, I’m a huge Pete Rock fan. He’s probably my favorite producer of all time. And anybody who knows me knows that “T.R.O.Y.” is hands down my favorite hip-hop record of all time. I even spent $30 bucks to have the Tom Scott album that the sample came from, Honeysuckle Breeze, shipped to me from Japan. Hell, the monthly party I throw is called “Reminisce”. Point is, I’m emotionally invested in that song.

[By the way, I only feel comfortable with putting out that sample source, long considered snitching in the hip-hop world, because everybody and their grandmother has posted the original sample on sites. Even though I've seen it online in a few places one, you'll never hear me disclose the sample for Gangstarr's "Mass Appeal".]

Which is why I understand where Pete Rock is coming from. His issue isn’t that the song was made. No. His issue is that the song was remade and it…

…sucks.

The beat is little bit faster and whole lot suckier than the original. They Drake/40′d it up a bit with the filtering, which does exist on the original “T.R.O.Y.” but something about it is just off.  If you’re going to remake a track, but do it only slightly differently, and it doesn’t sound as good, you should probably just not release it. Or try again. Which I think is Pete’s point. You said you wanted to remake the joint, but you did nothing different and somehow made it worse. Either you flip it or leave it alone. Not mess it up. It’s a classic dammit. When they reminisce over you (my God) you’d be pissed too.

Of course the hiphop Internets went ham with some folks claiming Pete needed to shut the f*ck up and others claiming that Pete was right and that some joints just shouldn’t be touched because they’re too classic. And here’s my issue: both sides are right.

See, I understand where Pete is coming from but at the same time, folks remake stuff all the time and rarely does it sound as good as the original. In fact, I can only think of a few times where somebody attempted to remake something that came out as good if not better (K-Ci’s remake of LTD/Jeffery Osborne’s ”Love Ballad” comes to mind…WHAT!!! SAY SOMETHING!!!). At least they asked for your blessing. Since you gave it, at that point, you just have to accept whatever comes out. Nobody owns a loop. Nobody.

Further, I do find it somewhat (again somewhat) ironic that a person who made his entire living off of sampling would take issue with somebody doing the same, just not doing it as well as he’d like. I’m aware that Pete is one of the best to ever do it, but I’m fairly certain that there are artists that he’s sampled who weren’t happy with the final product. Especially with his later productions (which definitely fell off), if the artists even got a notice about their music being used at all. I remember reading an interview with Bob James talking about people sampling “Nautilus” and he said the only version he realy liked was RZA’s flip of it for Ghostface on “Daytona 500″. So Pete’s beef isn’t a new one, it’s just…ironic that he’s beefing about a remake of a beat that isn’t even wholly original in the first place. Hell, Tom Scott’s song “Today” is a remake of the Jefferson Airplane song of the same name from their Surrealistic Pillow album (a dope album by the way, white people drug music is way better than gangsta rap/drug music). Point is, no idea’s original. Some stuff is just good. Some stuff is just bad. But it’s all just stuff.

So while Pete has a point, its really that he just doesn’t like what they did because they just tried to recreate his beat and didn’t do a good job at it. That’s a fair point. It’s lazy and unoriginal. Which is what he said. But I have to wonder if he’s listened to much of Lupe’s catalog anyway? Lupe the rapper is phenomenal, even if I think he’s a pretentious douche. But Lupe the beat miner is pretty much on Nas levels of craptasticness. His beat selections often suck at the highest caliber of sucktitude. If there’s any reason to beef, that’s the reason. He should be mad at himself for letting somebody who sucks with the beats attempt to remake  his classic song.

Touching classic records is going to happen so all old school producers and rappers need to just let that go. In every other genre there are standards (hell they’re called standards for cripes sake) that get reinterpreted frequently. Hell, there are at LEAST three different versions of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”. Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You” has numerous versions even if we associate that song with him. It’s part of music. Reinterpretation happens. But it shouldn’t be noticeably worse than the original if its going to sound similar. Either make it different or just don’t f*ck it up. And Lupe f*cked it up. His lyrics? Eh, passable. I don’t care. But the beat immediately sounded off. No passion. No something. Whatever it took to make “T.R.O.Y.” special is totally missing from Lupe’s record. And that’s why I get the issue with it. But ultimately, it’s one he just needs to let go.

They reminisce Pete. They just don’t know how to do it like you did.

That’s what makes you Pete Rock. Embrace it and move on.

Community, thoughts? Reactions? How many f*cks do you give?

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka MR. 4532 BEST PRODUCER OF ALL TIME aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

***Speaking of REMINISCE, you can now RSVP for free entry before 11pm ($10 after) for the June 2nd edition, which just so happens to be the Panama birthday jammy jam!!! If you’re in DC, make sure you come out to party with P…for free!!! And drink for free…reminiscedc.eventbrite.com. Peep the Facebook event notice here!!***

Is This What Growed Up Feels Like?

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The only NWA I can get with nowadays! Take that Dr. Dre!

Personal growth is a motherlover. Especially when you don’t see it coming. And in some ways it can make you ashamed of who you were just hours before. Or make you call into question decisions you made that led to you making it to the point where you could realize growth that you now have hours later that you didn’t have hours before you experienced said growth.

TCBY.

What am I talking about? Glad you asked.

The other day I was rollin’ in my ’64. Actually it’s an ’07 but who’s counting. Well except for me. Moving on. So I was rolling down the street smoking indo, sippin’ on gin and juice (none of that is true either). As of late my favorite thing to do is pick a Pandora station and kill the battery on my iPhone. Usually its set to either the Patrice Rushen station or the David Axelrod station. Well this fine day, I decided to roll down my windows and blast some of that good ole ignant music I love so much. So I punched in three letters that are world famous:

N.

W.

A.

One of my favorite albums of all time is EFIL4ZAGGIN. Dr. Dre was at his producerial essence on this album and despite its themes (put a pin in that, we’ll get back to this shortly) its a hip-hop masterpiece of beats, rhymes, and life and is sonic perfection. So anyway, I punch in NWA and Eazy E’s “Boyz N Tha Hood” comes on. Okay. Dopeboy anthems have always been one of my favorites and especially since I’m a West Coast music head, there wasn’t much better.

Then it happened.

“Just Don’t Bite It (She Swallowed It)” came on.

Oh. My. God.

Dude, this has to be at LEAST one of the 5 MOST ignorant songs in hip-hop history. Ever. Hell, so is “Automobile” off the same album. Actually so is “Find ‘em, F*ck ‘em, and Flee” on that same album. You know what, f*ck it, EFIL4ZAGGIN is one of the most ignorant pieces of art ever created and sold in commercial outlets. Like seriously…gotd*amn. As I listened to this song (and I know the words by heart) I almost felt ashamed of myself.

Actually, I did feel ashamed of myself. In that one song is rape, statutory rape, complete and utter disregard for women, rampant and blatant misogyny, etc etc etc. Honestly, I kind of wondered how ANYBODY could make a song like that and then say to themselves, “wow, this sh*t is dope.” Dumbfounded. I’m the blast my music loud type of mofo. I turned my stereo ALL the way down as I listened and thought about what I was listening to. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a father to a daughter now or what, but man…

…WHO DOES THAT???

Randomly: I’m not from the West Coast, but it seems like a common theme in nearly ALL early 90s West Coast hiphop involved running trains on women. Um, what the hell is wrong with ninjas in Cali??? Even Ice Cube, arguably the more sensible one of NWA, and the only one to give any of their music any type of substantive element was full of statutory rape and just outright violent disregard for women. I’m not gonna say that it was a West Coast thing, it has been a hip-hop thing, but the abject clarity spoken on those songs is almost disturbing at times.

And I realize that in the hood, things happen. A lot of women involved are willing participants. But who the hell commits sh*t like that to immortality via master recordings? I suppose the same goes with the violent, murder murder murder stuff too.

Obviously, this was is all very conflicting for me because I’m a hip-hop head to the heart. But some of that sh*t just crossed/crosses the line and I’m really curious as to how ANYBODY could make that music. Like, if I could interview MC Ren right now, I’d say, “Ren take me through your thought process when you wrote the lyrics for “Just Don’t Bite It 2 (She Swallowed It)”. Does any of it strike you as not right?”

I’m trying not to chastise my beloved hip-hop and it’s not like I’m going to stop listening to it, but listening to that song shamed the motherf*ck out of me because I couldn’t believe that I used to love it H.E.R. and also that somebody actually made that…somebody with a mama. Maybe this is what growing up starts to feel like. Maybe I already did seeing as how I haven’t listened to anything N.W.A. related in years at this point, partially for this reason and because I have a daughter that I have to raise to love herself.

But egads man…what a lesson. So I wonder, good folks out there, have you had any similar type of “aha” growth moment? If it involved NWA, you and me? We >< here.

Talk to me.

-VSB P aka PETEY WHEATSTRAW aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

The Poet & The Teacher: Hip Hop Classes I’d Like To See

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I'll be Pres-o-dent.

So Dr. Michael Eric “I Use 100 Words When 1 Will Do” Dyson is teaching a class at Georgetown University on Jay-Z this semester. The class entitled “Sociology of Hip-Hop: Jay-Z” focuses on the literary works and genius of our dear Mr. Carter. You know school is fun when Fade To Black is required viewing. (Not for nothing I think State Property could have an entire class in film school devoted to it.) Dyson is no stranger to the wonderful world of hip-hop having written popular yet terrible works on Tupac and Nas and even taught a class at UPenn onTupac. Seriously, Holler If You Hear Me might have been the biggest waste of words on Tupac ever.

Obviously, I’m no fan of Dyson and frankly think his books suck more a** than Jessica Grabbit. I’m also generally against the intellectualization of hip hop. Not because it doesn’t deserve it, but I tend to think that most of the books written about hip-hop by academics tend to be books written by fairly dissociated ninjas trying to sell hip-hop to a bunch of older white fogeys who would never give hip hop a real shot in hell anyway. No matter how much you focus on the poetry and inherent struggle present in SOME of the music, there’s no way to make “Laffy Taffy” an exercise in academia anyway.

But I would take any class on hip hop. Word.Booty. And I do think that people like Tupac and Jay are deserving of some sort of analysis given their accomplishments as people and the medium they chose to use. So despite the teacher, I’m glad these classes exist. And you know what? There are lots of other classes that I think would serve any student population well. Like what? Glad you asked.

Criminal Justice 104: Gucci Mane, DMX, and TI – Rapper Recidvism and the Prison Industrial Complex

This class would study the mentality of rappers who’ve made more money than they know what to do with but somehow cannot stay out of jail for sh*t. Specific blocks of the class would be based on probablity of Gucci Mane returning to jail every year (trick question: 100%) and why DMX seems to LIKE jail. Also, the stupidity of people with the world at their fingertips. See Harris, Clifford “Tip” Required Viewing: Tiny and Toya.

History 376 – The South Rose Again…But Not Like You Thought

This class would look at the South’s meteoric ascent to the top of the mainstream rap landscape with a specific focus on the loss of regionality in hip-hop with every song sounding like a Southern Anthem. New York’s yielding of power to the South would be examined to include an analysis of ASAP Rocky, a rapper from Harlem who seems like a Compton gangbanger who raps likes from Houston. Further discussion into the Southern backlash by northern rappers while making southern rap songs and going to Southern producers for their biggest hits. Required Viewing: MTV Jamz

Psychology 341 – Cam’Ron and DipSet: The Birth of A Nation

This class would look at the influence of The Diplomats on the psyche of America. Cam’ron’s ability to influence an entire nation of masculine dudes to wear pink and purple on purpose. It would also discuss influence of Harlem on hip-hop’s landscape and the DipSet influence in America specificaly from 2001-2006.Required Viewing: All DipSet videos and home video footage of American urban youth during those years

Business 402 – Independent Rap Labels and Trunk Muzik

Focus on No Limit, Rap-A-Lot, Suave House, and the rise of the indy rap labels that spawned a new business model for record companies. Required Viewing: Baller Blockin’, I’m Bout It, Foolish, Choices, Hot Boys

Sociology 119 – The Wire and You

An analysis of the reality versus the fantasy of The Wire and how the representation was a perfect mechanism for illustrating needs for certain social reforms in America’s urban centers. Required Viewing: The Wire…duh

Fashion and Design 224 – From Jansport To The Louis Vuitton Duffel Bag

The rise of the backpack as a fashion accessory of hip-hop artists. The travel bags omnipresent role in hip-hop. The origins of backpack rap and the profession to the to the Kanye West Louis Vuitton backpack accessories and dope boy LV duffel. Required Viewing: MTV Jamz/Sex And The City

Philosophy 843 – WTF is A Wacka Flocka Flame? The Genius and The Prophet

WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACKAAAAA! ABCDEFGHIJK!!! FLOCKA FLOCKA!!!! WAAAAAAAACKA!!! The life and depth of the worst rapper ever to have 3 straight number one songs? Wacka Flocka – idiot or are we the dumb ones? Is Wacka really a genius? All these questions and more answered. Required Viewing: WorldStarHipHop

Those are some of my suggestions. Good people of VSB, show me what you got. What classes based on hip-hop do you think would be dope in academia??

Talk to me.

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka TANGLE JIG P aka YUNG P DA FLY THIEF aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

Hands In The Concrete: 6 Surefire Ways To Impress A Man

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g435dj-jewel-postersHere at VSB we’ve spent an inordinate amount of time trying to offer women a glimpse into the minds of men.  Truly, we’re not that complicated.  Find us, f*ck us, and flee (ya know).  It’s really that simple most of the time.

Now despite all of this free and sage pre-paid legal advice and consultation, we still get questions from women about how they might snag the attention of a particular male suitor.  And being the generous, love-loving gentleman (no Ne-yo) that I am, I figure what the hell, why not give the ladies an inside track on piquing the interest of 90 percent of men out there…without their boobs. Continue reading →

The Apology: 10 Things For Which Hip-Hop Should Apologize

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ludacris_mccain_apology

(Ya know, aside from all the social ills that so many people erroneously attribute to hip-hop.)

1. The Diplomats

They’ve singlehandedly crafted or perpetuated more horrendous trends than anybody: grown men wearing effeminate colors, looking dirty on purpose, “no homo”, non-sensical wordplay, etc.

And above all else, they are responsible for the ascent of Jim Jones who is responsible for everything wrong in the Black community. In fact, everything else on this list is Jim Jones fault.

2. Vibe Magazine

I may never get a mention by Danyel Smith after this, but for whatever reason, some people actually look to Vibe for hip-hop news and their WACK-AS-THE-F*CK Best Rapper Alive Tourney Bracket was the biggest miscarriage of justice since Dwight Howard’s technical for being happy to poo all over Verajao. Vibe owes hip-hop an apology for putting Bow Wow on the list and making Wale have to mother*cking play-in.

3. Diddy’s twittering

I think I hate Diddy right now and his million follower goal made me want to slap him with the Life After Death double album. By the way, I follow Diddy on Twitter. After all, Diddy is…hip-hop.

4. Oversensitivity, which is supposed to be the anti-thesis of hip-hop

If the kids look up to rappers, and rappers are acting like p*ssies, then our male offspring will presumably begin to act like p*ssies – which could clearly explain the uber-sensitivity that has been going around in the black community. The number one killer of black man is not diabetes, stroke, or heart disease.

It is lack of respect. The assumption of lack of respect comes from the overabundance of sensitivity and instigators wanting to witness the sensitivity. Sensitive thugs, you all need hugs.

B*tches.

5. Bad Nicknames

Gucci Mane, OJ Da Juiceman, Trick Daddy, Rick Ross (when the real drug kingpin Rick Ross is getting out of jail), Freeway (see Rick Ross), Papoose (what the f*ck is a Papoose anyway?), etc.

Because of hip-hop, a grown man can be referred to as Tangle Jig P Boo-Boo and nobody thinks twice about it.

6. Spencer Pratt’s burgeoning rap career

You know what, he doesn’t sound terrible. You know why? It’s because he’s mimicking every other craptastic rapper out nowadays. He sounds like the status quo. Somehow, his rap career became an actual possibility.

7. Pure ignorance

To wit:

XXL: One of the things that was eye-catching about the book was the graphical treatment, how some words are emphasized and bold and right in your face. It kinda reminds me of a book I’m sure you’re familiar with, Saul Williams’ “Said The Shotgun To The Head.” What was the reasoning…

Kanye (West) : You know what, I’m not familiar with no books. I don’t know no books, dead ass. That’s what we wrote in the beginning. I didn’t read 48 Laws [of Power], I never read “The Secret.” And Saul Williams is a good friend of mine, but I’m sorry…you know what? There are people who are genius designers that don’t know any other designers’ names.

Then again, he is the college dropout. So who am I to be surprised he “don’t know no books“?

8. Horrible and unintelligible slang

The best slang is obvious, not some over the top intentionally stupid stuff like some of the stuff that comes out of the (Father forgive me), Bay area. ESPECIALLY the Bay area. It’s gotten to the point where even black people don’t know what anybody is talking about anymore.

It used to be that when folks were making up shit, you didn’t have to spend weeks trying to learn it. It all made sense in the context of sentences or verses. To understand some rappers, you need to take a damn class. I already have 2 degrees so f*ck that very much.

Apologies are warranted.

9. Pink

The color, not the singer. Yes, The Dips hip-hop should apologize for introducing pink into hood culture making it possible for me to be held up by a guy wearing a ski mask and a pink polo shirt on it. This is a problem for me. I just don’t feel comfortable being robbed by a man in pink. I just don’t. This is Harlem’s fault. Lots of bad things come out of Harlem, if you think about it.

*shots fired*

10. Lupe Fiasco’s acclaim

Able lyricist with remarkably strange concepts at times (perhaps I’m not deep enough for him – I’m lying, you are full of sh*t if you thinks song about being a hamburger was deep), yet somehow, rap is so bad that people think Lupe is the next coming of Inspectah Deck’s first verse on “Triumph” which is by far one of the best, and most well known, verses in hip-hop (right after Rob Bases’s first verse on “It Takes Two”). Lupe is a beneficiary of wack times.

*****

So, for what else does hip-hop owe an apology??

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka TANGLE JIG P aka YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD 3