abouthiphop

I was skeptical when the show was only being advertised.  I used to be involved pretty strongly with gangs myself coming up, and was thinking to myself that nothing anyone was able to tell me back then, would have made me want to change my life for the better. So what different could T.I. possibly do to make a difference in the lives of these troubled youngins? Then again, I think about how much of an icon T.I. is to these young men and if say, Tupac, just showed up at my house to try talking me out of gang life, he may have made a great deal of impact in my life as well!  I like seeing guys who could lead a street army, do positive things!  It’s very motivating!

VH1 is coming out with a show called Storytellers where artists perform some of their works then comment on their song afterward. Of course we know that Kanye West had some outlandish shit to say when it came time for commenting….

He commented on Micheal Phelps, Chris Brown, O.J. Simpson, a bunch of people that hip hopsters have been real unusually quiet about. Unfortunately, Kanye went off on a tangent as we usually expect him to, and many of his commenting and they edited out most of the juicy stuff. Storytellers debuts on Saturday. Kanye is an awesome performer! Everyone check it out!

In this sexist world we live in, it isn’t easy to find due credit to the females in Hip-Hop. From the respectable to the nasty, there are plenty of women in Hip-Hop that have made a huge mark in the rap world and beyond.

Because of the nature of a woman, it’s easier for a female rapper to blend in with the acting world or to do professional commercials than it is for male rappers who tend to be covered with tattoos.

Off the top of my head, the first female rappers that I think of are: Roxanne Shante, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Salt N Pepa, Yo-Yo, Da Brat, Lauryn Hill, Lil Kim, Missy Elliot, Shawna, Foxy Brown, Trina, Eve….

 Notice the caliber of beauty before your eyes as well people!

New positions, same artists as usual!  Kanye took a hit this week falling from the 9th position to the 16th position, still not the worst. The best was T.I. moving up one spot. Lil Wayne fell 7 positions and these are the only rap artists in the top 50 on Billboard this week. There has been some strong debuts this week, as well as some other strong albums that have been released more recent than the rap albums in the Billboard 200. Taylor Swift proves to be the strongest of all, reclaiming the top spot!! Always good to recognize number one! All top 5 artists and their position on the chart are below…

# 16 Kanye West - 808’s and Heartbreak

# 18 T.I. - Paper Trail

# 29 Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

# 53 Plies - Da REAList

# 59 Ludacris - Theater of the Mind

As bad as the last week has been, Chris Brown may not have even seen the half of it.

At the request of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, the R&B star is being

Even though we still have the same 5 rappers on the list, some things have finally changed up a bit with the albums listed. Kanye West’s 808’s and Heartbreak is ceritfied platinum. His position fell from last week only being overtaken by Jamie Foxx’s Intuition. 3 new top 10 debuts explain Kanye’s fall from last week. T.I. fell a few spots while Lil Wayne climbed a few. Plies has showed the most improvement from last week, while Ludacris showed the least. However, Ludacris’ Theater of the Mind has been certified Gold, so regardless of his position on the billboard, that is something that he has got to be feeling good about. Of these 5 albums, Ludacris may just be the last man standing…

# 9 Kanye West - 808’s and Heartbreak

# 19 T.I. - Paper Trail

# 22 Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

# 34 Plies - Da REAList

# 49 Ludacris - Theater of the Mind

I came across this video on youtube of WWE superstar John Cena rapping against a random fan. Of course we know that this really wasn’t random, we also know that it was set up for Cena to crush the smaller guy…
It’s got me wondering, if John Cena can really rap. Not that I would care much for what he had to say but I would like to see him battle up against some real MC’s.
He did alright up against this kid (if you would call a staged battle a real battle), but he would probably get pummeled if this weren’t a set up…

Some people may say that this battle was a tie, but it was actually very lopsided.  50 Cent kept pulling the rug from under The Game’s feet, and Game always stood right up and shot back.  Lyrically, Game is on a whole ‘nother planet than 50 Cent…but then again, Game is really on another planet lyrically compared to most rappers in the industry anyway.  If you were to compare diss records, nothing 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, or Young Buck came out with dissing Game was good.  Like, I never gave any of their diss tracks a second listen.  Game on the other hand, was very solid in this battle.

After the Grammy Awards, T.I. interviewed with Carson Daly, and spoke on various different issues. He spoke on the recent unfortunate situation involving Chris Brown and Rihanna. Everyone is mad at Chris Brown, except those of us who realize that celebrities are human beings and make mistakes like everyone else. Tip’s opinion of the situation does carry some weight for the fact that this guy knows trouble as if it was some type of medical condition that he was born with. He also speaks on other things, such as his Road To Redemption show. He helps guide some young troubled youths to the light of life. That is an awesome gift for those youngsters…

T.I. is one of the best rap artists in Hip-Hop today. Many may think that Tip talks and dresses the way he does all because of his upcoming jail time, but even if you go back way before 2007, Tip speaks very proper English! I like watching his interviews because of it. An American Gangster that knows how to properly use the English language, with that Georgia accent…
The following video is pretty old actually, he speaks on the sudden death of the late King of Comedy, Bernie Mac. I was kind of tickled at Tip’s attire in this interview and didn’t believe it was him until he actually started speaking. Now what G in hip-hop do you know, besides Andre 3000, that can pull off a look like this?

 This weeks top 5 Hip-Hop albums on the Billboard 200 chart still consist of the same artists, and they are all ranked in the same order as they have been.  It’s clear that Kanye West, T.I., and Lil Wayne are the 3 rap juggernauts right now. Whomever released their album last, is the one closest to the top, but all 3 of their albums have had a nice top 10 run.  Lil Wayne’s album has sold the most records of all 3 of them…but then again, his album came out months before.  Ludacris’ album keeps dropping, and Plies has been holding his ground. I guess we won’t be seeing any new Hip-Hop artists in the top 5 until someone drops an album.  Bruce Springsteen debut at #1 this week, which bumped the top 5 records down one spot. I suspect that next week, the top 5 records will gain their spots back….

# 5 Kanye West - 808’s and Heartbreak

# 16 T.I. - Paper Trail

# 25 Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

# 40 Ludacris - Theater of the Mind

# 42 Plies - Da REAList

I was listening to this track the other day, and eventhough it is more of an R&B joint than it is a Hip-Hop joint, this is one of those songs that a hip-hop heads will bump secretly.  They’ll be in the car, the shower, the bus, school, the park, etc. singing the lyrics like it’s really them.  It’s one of those songs that we run back 3-4 times before moving onto the next song.  Just one of those classic hits that become soundtracks to many of our lives.  For anyone who hasn’t heard it yet, you really are missing out.  Jamie Foxx’s latest album is one of the Best New Releases out!  Go Cop That!!!  Hee Hee! 

Dr. Dre is unquestionably one of the top 3 producers to ever spin the knobs behind a hip-hop beat…

He was basically the heart of the Death Row Records’ sound and is the big man behind the best selling hip-hop albums ever.  The one thing about Dr. Dre that makes us all want more from him is the fact that he doesn’t put albums out ever year….The Chronic came out in 1993 and Chronic 2001 came out in 2000…..

Only Dre knows when will release Detox, or maybe he doesn’t know.  However, even without 10+ albums like most people who we consider legendary in Hip-Hop, he will always be seen as a pioneer, both as an artist, and as a producer….

There are so many rappers in the game today that this list could actually take up all the posts I’ve ever put on this blog…

Really though there are some rap artists who don’t get the credit they more than deserve for their accomplishments as artists, CEO’s, and so on….How do we forget these trend setters so easily?  It’s hard to tell….

I mean, other than the fact that hip-hop fans are not loyal, things are just funny among the masses…..Anyhow, a little attention to this useful article that I thought brought up some good names and points about those persons…..

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1382924/rap_artists_who_lack_their_due_respect.html

I wonder what other artist’s think when Jay-Z does a remix or a verse to one of their songs. Jay-Z is like Hip-Hop’s president, so what he does musically does matter to artists in the industry.  I wonder if it flatters other rap artists or if they take offense to it?  I think if it was me, I would be flattered if Jay-Z remixed one of my tracks or did a verse to one of my songs….

But that is from a fan’s perspective.  At any rate, Jay-Z did his own version of Young Jeezy’s My President.  They should do a full remix and it should include - Young Jeezy, NaS, Jay-Z, T.I., Bun B, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, and Emenim….

That would be a CRAZY remix right there! …….here is Jay-Z’s version…….

 This weeks top 5 Hip-Hop albums on the Billboard 200 chart are the same as they have been the past few weeks. Positions have fluctuated a little bit, with Kanye West being the only one to have moved up any. 808’s & Heartbreak has gained A LOT of strength since last week, which shows that no matter how hard people hate, you can’t deny someone who puts their heart into what they do.  T.I.’s platinum album is still in 2nd place, only falling one position since last week. Lil Wayne’s triple platinum album fell a couple of spots as well as Ludacris’s album, which has dropped the furthest since last week.  Plies is still suprisingly in the top 50, only falling one spot since last week.  The number 1 & 2 positions are still being occupied by Taylor Swift and Beyonce, which is the strongest Billboard showing I’ve seen for the top 2 spots, since I’ve been monitoring the Billboard….  

# 42 Plies - Da REAList

# 34 Ludacris - Theater of the Mind

# 26 Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

# 18 T.I. - Paper Trail

# 4 Kanye West - 808’s and Heartbreak

WTF!  Fake ass Rick Ross…this dude say’s he’s got beef with 50 Cent cuz of a look that 50 gave him at the BET awards?????

Fake ass boss…that shows how much of a boss he’s not, cuz no real boss get’s emotional over the way someone looks at them.  Mad doggin’ is somethin’ that little g’z get upset over, not big bosses. 
This is just weird, cuz I rarely favor one rapper over another when they are beefin’, but c’mon Officer Ross! Who you know, that went from a cop to an O.G. and didn’t get mashed for it? He must be wearing wires and helping out his old buddies a lot!!

At any rate, here are the 2 rappers speaking on one another.
Can’t wait to see how this one pans out…

Everyone knows Jennifer Hudson….originally from American Idol.  She was cheated out of the American Idol title, but she is even more famous than whoever won American Idol that season. 

Unfortunately, this amazing woman lost her loved ones, in a very tragic way.  In a fashion that would make a person want to crawl into a corner and never come out again…….What does this have to do with Hip-Hop you ask……

Rappers always talk about how they’re going to kill a person, this way, and that way….and I just want to say that, most of these guys wouldn’t bust a grape in a fruit fight. I mean,  look at Lil Wayne…..On Tha Carter III he says, “Where I’m from you’re nobody til you kill somebody…”  And on another track, he says, “They say what up killa, man stop bringin’ up my past!”

But on Like Father, Like Son, he says, “And I ain’t never killed no one jack/ But I’m honest, bitch I promise, I’ll kill ya and that’s a fact.”  Fake! Fake! Fake! Fake! 

We need to stop pushing and promoting this kind of bullshit!  People lives get ruined by it.  We should only fear the One who can kill both body and spirit….and that’s GOD!  Glad to see that, this kind of tragic incident hasn’t stopped Jennifer from blessing us with her beautiful voice……Here is her Super Bowl 43 performance…..

Pretty much, in the case of “Bird Walk” and most other songs we’ve heard from artists like Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, the beat is banging!  That is pretty much the only thing that can keep an above average Hip-Hop head, such as myself, interested in the song. I’m not going to knock Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em for making this song, because this is the type of music he makes.  They aren’t saying anything special in the song, as usual. So the beat, and the way he delivers the hook is really what makes songs like these a hit.

“Wa’ Me Hit My Bird Walk! Yoooou!”  LMFAO!  Besides pumping it’s listeners up for a hot second, these kinds of songs are strictly made for dance crews. As far as real quality Hip-Hop music…….garbage!