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Rick Ross is the shit

Vid of the Week: Chiddy Bang, Pass Out

This is a new thing I'm gonna start doing, every Friday I'll put up a music video I like because I think music videos... good ones at least... go largely unappreciated in music. Here's one from the dynamic duo Chiddy Bang. Its a really cool concept, I'm not sure if it turned out as well as they'd hope, but I think its pretty dope.

Cudi Spazzin

Read this, Idk what he was thinkin dissin Wale but this is some real shit... Mr. Rager!!

Speaking of Wale, when you hit that fan at your show last December, he came out with a line about it ["Throwin' 'round wallets like the dude that Kid Cudi hit," from "Thank You Freestyle"].

Kid Cudi: It wasn’t a shot, it’s just a simple-ass rhyme by a simple-ass rapper. You can’t let that shit faze you. That’s one of those raps that just shows the world that you wack. Why would you even use that as a metaphor? Everybody think they Hov. Niggas ain’t got the magic like they think they do; there’s only a couple of wizards in this game. I’m a wizard and I know it.

How do you feel about the “emo” label?

Kid Cudi: DMX is emo and he’s one of the realest niggas in the game. Emotion is what hip-hop thrives on. Don’t you want your music to have emotion in it? People like to always throw some negative cloud over it. Doesn’t even make sense. Jeezy is emo. When that nigga be rapping, you feel it. You know that nigga’s talking some real shit.

How heavy did the drug use get?

Kid Cudi: I started doing cocaine to get through interviews, ’cause people wanted to know a lot about my personal life and I wasn’t prepared for a 60 Minutes interview every time. Doing bumps I was able to get through the day, but then I would smoke weed to calm me down—it was the only way I could get through the day without people noticing I was doing it.

Kid Cudi: There’s another thing people don’t know. I have a daughter, born March 26th of this year. Her name is Vada, and she’s fucking awesome. That was eating me up, and it was stressing me out that nobody knew about her. I was trying to escape from that, too. Just trying to figure it out and make everyone happy, it’s a lot for somebody my age to handle. I was manning up and dealing with it in what I thought was the right way, but it was the wrong way. I want to be around for her. I can honestly say she was the wake-up call. The reality that it’s bigger than just you now—you have a responsibility and there’s no more time for mistakes. It’s time to stop fucking around.

So is that it for cocaine?

Kid Cudi: Yup. No more blow. People do drugs to camouflage emotions and run away from their problems. Now I’m going to deal with certain things as they come, prioritize shit—man up, so to speak. Just for the record, it bugged me out that people said it was liquid cocaine. No, I’m just fucking rich, and my blow comes in a jar. There was no liquid in it—that shit makes no sense.

At the Converse show in July where you acknowledged using cocaine, you said you’re going to be around until you’re “old as fuck,” and also said, “I’m sorry if I let you down, I love you.” Did you feel like you let your fans down?

Kid Cudi: Every time I snap. I’m sitting there making songs like “Heart of a Lion” and talking about getting through anything, and rising up, and I’m up here snapping and letting people break my shell. I have to practice what I preach. I get strength, and the kids use it.

Diggin' in the Crates: Vol. 2

Jin Au-Yeung, quite possibly the most notable Chinese rapper in all of hip-hop, was widely known in the early 2000s for his freestyling prowess. This was most obviously seen on BET's 106 and Park, where Jin reigned supreme on the Freestyle Friday segment, eventually getting inducted into the hall of fame. Despite becoming somewhat famous, he never gained mainstream success in America (although he arguably did become the pride of China) and returned home to Hong Kong. There he dabbled as a Christian emcee, while still maintaining his skill on the microphone. Check out some Jin. This one is called "Get Your Hands Off Me." Produced by Swizz Beats, it was overlooked by many in the business. But a Jin fan like me has to let you guys hear it.

P.S. You might recognize the beat. Shawty Lo sampled it for his song "Dey Know."

The 2010 VMA's: Kanye vs. Taylor Round II

Here we go again. Last night MTV took its annual break from its habitual airing of guidos fucking and punching each other to prove that the "M" in MTV actually means something. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the VMA's as much as the next guy, I just disagree with them on nearly every award they give out. But its commercially pop music and pop culture, so I can understand why they don't give out awards based on actual cultural relevance and artistic merit.

Anyways, the show started like they all do; Lady Gaga arrived clad in a fantastic outfit that looked like something out of Final Fantasy, every other ho in the place tried to be Lady Gaga, and MTV's journalists walked around interviewing the celebs who they wished they were (except for Sway it think it is... he's cool). Justin Bieber (who I actually kind of like... I know) did his thing with a cute little performance that was perfectly crafted to fit his teenage heart throb image. Eminem won several awards for that stupid video where he starts flying around like Hancock. Lady Gaga cleaned up as she should have for her video "Bad Romance," proving that good music and art can still win popularity contests. But the real story of the night, the reason most everyone tuned into the VMA's last night, was the largely unresolved Kanye-Taylor saga. What would Kanye do this time? How could he regain popular approval? What did Taylor have to say about the whole thing? With Taylor and Kanye both slated to perform the night was bound to play out very interestingly, and it did.

A year ago, Kanye pulled a horribly arrogant, alcohol and ego driven move that shocked the world of pop culture and just about everybody who saw it (me? hardly). He spent the majority of the following year in a self-imposed exile supposedly doing a lot of introspective thinking and musical creation. Although Kanye did apologize immediately after the incident, he did not deliver a thoughtful and deep felt apology till very recently via his twitter. Last night, however, he didn't simply apologize for the incidence, he explained it. He put it into a much broader context and showed us with a performance what he could not have said in words. He took the stage in classic Kanye fashion wearing a bold red suit with multiple chains as he played a live MPC (drum pad/machine). He rapped, and he sang with and without auto-tune, starting his performance dramatically and ending triumphantly backed by some complimentary pyrotechnics. He turned an apology into an anthem for all the misunderstood "assholes" out there just like him as he sang self-critically "Let's give a toast to all the douche bags," and apologetically "I'm so gifted at finding what I don't like the most." I could go on and on about his performance, but the bottom line is as he took his bow the crowd began chanting his name and continued to long after he exited.

Taylor Swift's performance was less notable due mainly to the specificity of its nature. She forgives Kanye saying "you're still an innocent" (grammar?). As a whole it is good that she has come to peace with the ordeal, but the song has an annoyingly self-righteous air that we've never heard from the little country-pop singer. She forgives him, yes, but it ends up sounding like a lecture from a mother. While Kanye's performance managed to touch on the broader over-arching issues that related to the event, making it seem insignificant (which it was... I mean its the VMA's come on people), Taylor treated it like it was some sort of huge personal catastrophe. In light of her SNL appearance following the incident, in which she joked casually about the interruption, the performance seemed ill timed and melodramatic. It was the sort of song I was expecting to hear from her, but the two artists seem to agree that its time to put the guns down and forget the "Imma let you finish" era of their relationship.

So can we please stop hating Kanye now? He apologized, he called himself a douche, he said he was in the wrong, and he pushed the envelope for hip hop performances at the same time. I mean, really what more do you want from the guy? Last night finally gave us some much needed closure on the Swift and West saga, and its dead now. Looking forward, I think next year we can all finally expect a regular VMA's with no fights, no interesting story, maybe a post-pubescent Bieber, and if we are lucky even more bitchy pop stars riding the success of Lady Gaga. Yay.

NOTE: To see the performances, click the link in the title.

The Evolution of the Rap Group

In 1979, Wonder Mike, Big Bank Hank, and Master Gee, better known as the hip-hop group The Sugarhill Gang, released their hit song "Rapper's Delight." This was the first hip-hop song to become a Top 40 hit on the radio. "Rapper's Delight" brought the gem that was hip-hop to mainstream American audiences. It is heralded by most as the inauguration, the genesis, the very origin of the recorded history of rap in America. Followed closely by the introduction of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, hip-hop started off with the first few noticeable acts being groups. But I suppose that solo success overshadowed the importance of sticking to origins, and the rap group became a subgenre in the overall category of hip-hop. Over the course of the years, the rap group has intended to stay relevant and present. Groups like A Tribe Called Quest graced the game with their immediate classics, and recorded albums now referenced incessantly by any rapper trying to prove he knows the game's history. With Low End Theory and Midnight Maruaders consistently being put near the top of many "Best Album Lists," their impact is obvious. De La Soul gave themselves a foothold on the rap mountain with their lyrical prowess. Public Enemy gave a soundtrack to the youth as they called for a revolution. NWA lent their voice to the new gangsta rap and unknowingly gave many 21st Century preppy kids the soundtrack for which they would claim knowledge of rap for the rest of their lives. And need I say anything about Wu-Tang?

But alas, all good things must come to an end, as all of the aforementioned groups disbanded one way or another. And rap became a solo act. Granted, one very dependent on collaboration, but in the end, the credit was usually meant for one man only. As time went by, there were attempts to revive the group act. Diddy attempted to resurrect the idea with his Making The Band show, but Da Band folded after only one CD, with hardly any good music as a result. The L.O.X. yearned for Money, Power, and Respect, but Styles P., Jadakiss, and Sheek Louch never reached the mainstream success they wanted. Three 6 Mafia found success, but only after being featured in Hustle and Flow. If you doubt me, name 5 Three 6 songs other than Stay Fly or Slob on my Knob right now in your head. Groups like Naughty By Nature, 2 Live Crew, Geto Boys, all revered in some cult-like form now, but in their own heyday, none achieved the success that the mega-groups before them had.
Now today, perhaps there is a revival in the making. Supergroups once again are emerging. Helmed by Lil Wayne, the Young Money alliance has attempted to create a monopoly of sorts on the radio. Perhaps the Cali Swag District will avoid one hit wondership and have success unseen by fellow dance rappers Crank Squad and Dem Heizman Boyz. But these two will never have both commercial success and legitimate ranking in the eyes of the classic hip-hop heads. The hope, I suppose, rests on the shoulders of Kanye West and his G.O.O.D. Music label. Featuring a collection of both critically acclaimed and under appreciated performers such as Kanye himself, Big Sean, Kid Cudi, GLC, Charlie Wilson, Mr Hudson, and a selection of others. Perhaps Kanye can do what Weezy couldn't. Who knows though? Perhaps the Cool Kids will bring the group theory back. Perhaps the New Boys will show us a unseen level of talent. Once again, only time will tell.

Get out the wwwaaaayyyy young money its all about gooooooood

Speaks for itself. Incredible. Download Link in the title.