Saturday, March 22, 2008
BEST RAPPER ALIVE...?
With swagger taking the front seat in hip hop, who really is the best RAPPER alive?
I’m pretty sure it all started off on the Black Album. Jay-Z…Dirt Off Your Shoulder. Dope song. At the very end, you’d hear “Best Rapper Alive”. Prior to that, you never really heard anyone proclaiming that phrase as much as you hear it now. Jay-Z started once again another trend and the rest of us hip hoppers decided to follow. But we gotta ask the question…what is the criteria for the “best rapper”? Emcees have so many elements to their game that it’s very hard to narrow it down. Here is my list of qualities that should be taken into consideration and a list of possible candidates.
Qualities:
Lyricism – It all starts off with lyrics. If you can’t bring it as a rapper with your lyrics, why are you even wasting our time proclaiming your elite status? In order to be on contention for this award, you have to bring it lyrically every chance you get. Sometimes for rappers, it’s hard to stay focused because they do this so much, but you have to KNOW that this rapper is lyrically insane.
Flow – Flow sets the tone for how good the rap actually sounds. You could have the sweetest lyrics ever and the flow could be wack as hell. That kills the effect your lyrics could potentially have. Why even mess it up? Rappers who ride the beat perfectly and not only have good flow, but VERSATILE flows should make contention of being best rapper alive.
Wordplay – Metaphors, punchlines, and the whole sha-bang. As an elite rapper, you need these skills to be able to convey complex ideas without flat out saying them. Simply flat out saying them is no fun, we want creativity. Bring those sick lines and wordplay creativity into your lyrics to show us what you really got.
Swagger – no homo. This isn’t about judging peoples swagger, but maybe this isn’t the proper word. More like charisma. Rappers NEED to have charisma and confidence in themselves when they rap to even sound good. If they are unsure about themselves, the audience is not any “surer” about the rapper. Confidence is king, just like in sports. If rap is a competitive sport, swagger is a must.
Storytelling – We as an audience need to be visually appeased with slick wordplay but also storytelling. If the rapper can tell a great and cohesive story, then we can start talking “best rapper alive.”
Here is my list of contenders for Best Rapper Alive (subject to change in the future). I’ll give my arguments also…
Jay-Z – the originator of the phrase, so let’s make it simple. Jay is the man and has been for some time. His lyrics are great, even though he’s been somewhat lacking in recent years, his American Gangster LP really proved Hov is still the best. As long as Jay-Z is alive, it’s hard to find a rapper better than him. He still has the most versatile flows in the game along with that New York swagger that everyone loves to imitate. Jay isn’t as well known for his story telling, but if given the opportunity will tell you a very vivid story (Meet the Parents).
Lil Wayne – Ok I’m gonna catch a lot of hate for this one. Lil Wayne is a great rapper, even if you don’t happen to agree hear me out. He shows glimpses of greatness and at the same time shows glimpses of wackness. I blame it on the fact that he has too much material out, but that’s the price to pay for getting attention constantly. Weezy has the lyricism down to an art, great mutlis and wordplay that rivals Jay-Z. Currently, Weezy is the most boastful on the mic and proclaims “Best Rapper Alive” freely, even moreso than Jay. Lil Wayne was birthed from Jay, but has the student outshined the master?
Common – This dude is pure hip hop. His style, his lyrics, his metaphors that go over your head most of the time just create an amazing artist. Common makes amazing music that rivals Jay-Z in terms of content and even outdoes Jay in creativity. There really isn’t much bad to say about Common. His flow is smooth, and hes confident in what he does. He doesn’t have that dipset style swagger of Lil Wayne, but we know Common has that confidence to outshine others on this list.
Andre 3000 – Another guy who has a great flow, reminds me a lot of Lil Wayne but less gangsta. Andre has great metaphors and wordplay as well, and he always keeps it real on the mic in rhyming or storytelling. His swagger is completely different than most rappers and he stands out on any song he’s on. He doesn’t make this bold claim, but humility doesn’t downgrade him from being a possible best.
Eminem – This is up for debate seeing that Eminem has put out trash for the past few years.
Since he basically took over the rap game around the time he signed 50 Cent and murked Ja Rule, Eminem has been going downhill but we all know he has the potential to destroy practically any MC. With his new album coming out, we have to make that judgment later.
Nas – Nas is a legend, who evolved his style from the great Rakim. Nas has a track record of being an amazing lyricist with great content, metaphors, and creativity. His swagger is high as well, but he sometimes is known to take losses when he gets unfocused on his song material. He can put out questionable stuff, but makes it up in the classics he writes as well. Flow is questionable at times and isn’t as versatile as Wayne or Jigga, but then again most people aren’t. Nas is no doubt in contention for best rapper alive.
Being the best rapper alive is a big deal especially in the very competitive rap game these days. Pride is everything; status is more than just an idea, and power means money. You may agree or disagree with my list but I tried to put out the most valid points. If you got any feedback, let me know what you think.
Friday, March 21, 2008
FAT JOE'S VIDEO RESPONSE TO 50 CENT!!
Uh oh...Joey is bustin out the numbers game!! peep the video...
T.I. IS FREE TEMPORARILY TO ATTEND EASTER SERVICES
T.I. has been allowed as a goodwill gesture to be freed temporarily on March 20 to attend Easter Services. He will be allowed to spend time away from his home for once on Sunday, to attend New Birth Missionary Baptist Church services.
The judge has ordered that T.I. be accompanied by a court approved monitor and his attorney.
He is allowed to leave the house from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. since he got weapons charges filed against him.
T.I. was charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers on Oct. 13. He is a convicted felon making it illegal to possess any of those things.
T.I. is currently under house arrest and must get approval for all of his visitors.
The Atlanta rapper may face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each of the weapons charges filed against him.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
How Long before Lil Wayne fizzles out?
Lil Wayne is at his peak right now and keeps going, but how long before he wears himself out?
We all know his name. Lil Wayne. Weezy F. Baby. The Best Rapper Alive. He goes by many names and has such a versatile style that he always catches your attention. Lil Wayne is one of the few rappers with such a versatile flow and unique voice, his verses are usually the most listened to on any song he jumps on. Speaking of which, he jumps on practically every song that comes out. The king of the remix.
Lil Wayne is doing what every rapper wishes they could achieve, and it’s not really hard to see why. While other rappers go to the clubs, bars, strip clubs, and just hang out hoping to get stuff done, Wayne is in the studio constantly. Lil Wayne lives in the studio, and it’s evident with his volume of material. He jumps on every remix and blesses it with a metaphor filled verse, filled with memorable punchlines and quotables. This has been the key to his success, since Wayne uses the 50 Cent technique at getting attention through remixes.
50 Cent started the whole idea of jumping on another man’s song and making your own song out of it. Obviously, it worked great for 50 because he’s practically running things in New York. Wayne has done this to a great degree of success, and he is clearly visible in pop culture because of his undying work ethic.
However, one must wonder how long Lil Wayne can last as being the rapper on top. He cuts down on his song making time by not writing down his lyrics, a trait he took from Jay-Z during his brief Jay-Z stanning period. He took the mixtape/remix idea from 50 and used it to his advantage. He lives in the studio every day, and is there from night till day. He goes to the studio, goes home to sleep, wakes up and goes to the studio again. He does an incredible amount of shows and is the wildest entertainer in rap music. And he isn’t stopping. He is making more material and makes new songs at a rate of about 3 a day. You would assume that the amount of songs he makes, the sleep schedule he has, the amount of time he spends working in the studio, and the amount of energy he spends touring would take a toll on his body and mind. Some argue it has, because his content in songs isn’t very in depth; many blame it on the fact that he “freestyles” every verse he does and doesn’t delve into topics at greater detail like Jay-Z who uses a similar technique.
Lil Wayne also has a problem of having a big mouth. He likes to run his mouth and give away too much of his secrets at attaining his success that it’s becoming easier for rappers to try to replicate him. Lil Bow Wow is the biggest swagger jacker of Lil Wayne I have ever seen in my life. Bow Wow copies Wayne’s flow, his swagger, and even his damn hand movements. More rappers nowadays are copying Lil Wayne’s flow. You could argue that this is a form of flattery since it is imitation, but it also puts down the value of Wayne’s entire style. Wayne’s sheer volume of music puts down the value of “Lil Wayne Music”.
Lastly, Lil Wayne seems to have a substance abuse issue that he isn’t dealing with very well. He apparently does a lot of drugs and drinks syrup. That’s the stuff that got Pimp C (RIP) killed. When asked in recent interviews if Lil Wayne planned on quitting, he has gone to say he can’t quit because its too hard or that he’s not gonna try because he’s going to be fine. It sounds like he’s too mentally weak to break the addiction, and we don’t want to see a dead Lil Wayne. If Baby is concerned about Lil Wayne as a person, he should pressure Weezy to quit while he’s still young. Even if Baby isn’t concerned about Lil Wayne as a person, he should stop him to protect his own business investment in him as an artist of Cash Money Records.
There are too many things going well for Lil Wayne right now with the lifestyle he has. I am very happy for him as an artist and as a person, because I wish prosperity on everyone. However, Lil Wayne has too many problems to last forever, and it’s inevitable that he will collapse, whether health wise or popularity wise; Hopefully popularity wise for the sake of his family and friends. Rappers who do what he does in terms of mixtapes, punchlines for material, and drug addiction lifestyles typically don’t last very long. So what’s your prediction? How long do you think Lil Wayne will last?
DIDDY HAS DEATH THREATS FROM LA GANGS
According to New York City Hip Hop, Diddy has been receiving death threats from Los Angeles gangs this week. Earlier this week, an article appeared in the LA Times about Diddy having prior knowledge of the Tupac shooting in 1994. Diddy denies any of these allegations.
Currently Diddy wasn't available for comments, but his security has advised him to stay inside since they were unsure about the credibility of these threats.