LEMME CLEAR THE AIR ABOUT 2PAC....

Finally, something I can write about. Aight, so last night when I arrived at home, I went and checked my Facebook. A fellow Milwaukee rapper replied to something I said about the "new west underground" as I like to call them; artists such as Blu (a LYR-I-CIST), Kendrick Lamar (a current favorite), and Pac Division (group with a lot of buzz), which was the name that caught his attention the most. He later responds with "Pac Div can't be as good as PAC pac" [pretty much hinting that he started listening to rap 5 minutes ago :)].

So I reply with clearing up for him with who Pac Div was, and then perhaps I went a little too far, and put the exclamation point on my statement, by saying that 2Pac was "NOT THAT HOT"....that set off a blitzkrieg with dude. Some of the remarks was playful, however I was dead serious when I said what I said about 2Pac's music....just saying it in my asshole manner.

Then I later tweeted, that if people really take offense that I said what I said, then they obviously don't know shit anyways...So I been in debate with friend/homie/collaborator Brown Man, about the issue....now I'm gonna explain why I said what I said....


Now...call me crazy...or call me an elitist...but everytime that I am asked, who is in your top ten MCs of all-time...and not that I do that shit anyways, 'cause I can't...but Pac is never in there, neither was Biggie at the time, until I picked up Ready To Die, being that I heard Life After Death first.

But as far as top ten ALBUMS...Ready To Die has gotta be around #2 or #3, Illmatic has the top spot forever....Me Against the World, is somewhere around.....maybe #9, #10, if not under #10.....but that's it....

2Pac has always been someone who I considered a legend. No denying that....He made great...CLASSIC songs...had classic collaborations w/everyone (Dre, Snoop, E-40, DJ Quik, MC Breed, Digital Underground, Jodeci)...who's passion in his words and emotions in his vocals, and his statements through his actions, have always been justified. However...I was never able to accept the total package. Which is why almost the ENTIRE Me Against the World album will be in my iTunes/Music player...everything from all his other albums (2Pacalypse, All Eyez On Me, Don Killuminati, Strictly For My...)...you will see maaaybe about 2, 3 songs from each and that's it....and not only that, if I was to make up a list of my favorite West Coast albums...there will be many that I rank before any Pac album that I consider a classic

The Chronic, Straight Outta Compton, Doggystyle, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Death Certificate, I Wish My Brother George Was Here, '93 Til Infinity, Bizarre Ryde II The Pharcyde....

See....eight albums right there...that I may put before I even mention Pac...you can't call it hating when I can back up the reasoning. Not only that, but you can never really count posthumous releases, because honestly....who knows how long those verses have been released to the public, and then shifted, copied, cut, and pasted, as a fresh new production.

So, at the end of the day, this has nothing to do with elitism, this has to do with how I was raised growing up and how those experiences influenced what I listen to now, and consider great. Me being around my sister back in the days, around the time of the Death Row/Bad Boy beef, and once I finally took this seriously, and being into more conscious/alternative rap from the West (Del, Souls of Mischief, Pharcyde)while at first neglecting then coming into more of the G-Funk music coming from there (Dre, Snoop, Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, Warren G)...Pac was always in the middle of that to me...It does not mean...that I don't enjoy his music, no more, no less...

.....AND EVEN MORE REASON WHY I DON'T PUT RAPPERS ON GOD COMPLEXES....

So, whether or not my words gets misconstrued again, let it be known that I have every right and feel that I have learned the game long enough, to make statements like this, and always be ready, willing, and able to defend myself, if there was ever a need to...I don't think there is a legit reason to do that here...but of course...people's feelings get hurt....and if you are...I think a lot of people are confusing what I said....to THIS...



Very different....so all of you that take it differently, it's about time you start to crawl your way out of that box you're so comfortable in, and expand your minds outside of what you already know about rap music and its artists...then you can read this a lot differently then what you probably will now......ya'll know who you are.


.....But to end this rant on a good note....I can definitely say that this was a definite favorite of mines...and pretty much shatters all negativity shown towards my somewhat east-coast favoritism.

YEP, ANOTHER KENDRICK LAMAR POST!!!

So, a lot (the two posts) of what I have been posting as of late, has all been due to reinvigoration. So with that, I have been posting links to songs, videos, films, etc. that have been due to the inspirational process of what has become "MY LIFE" in these last few months.

This is another Kendrick Lamar post of mine. Couple months back, I posted the audio to "Heart, Pt. 2" where he spazzed for over five minutes with continuous rhyming until he couldn't rhyme no more. Now that I hear he has been working with Dr. Dre as of late, for that album that I stopped caring to look for years ago, and has had a top ranked mixtape from a lot of the premier hip hop blogs and magazines, I see big things happening for this cat, and it has been a WHILE since I have said that about ANYONE, except for maybe a few people.

This video is for a new song called "Look Out For Detox". Check it.

COMMON LIVE!!!!

When it comes to stage presence, technique, and a way of rocking the crowd, Common is indeed in my top five rappers to do it. A lot of my on-stage antics come from watching him live numerous times throughout the years and I decided to provide this as a way of showing my own reinvigoration. Enjoy.

RESPECT THE FOUNDATION

I coulda sworn it was a month since I had posted in here again. Well, anyways, with being held inside of a box aka my workplace 30-40 hours a week, most of the day being spent out of the house, heading from one place to another, mostly work, only getting a couple of hours of sleep a day, it begins to take a serious toll on your body and your ways of thinking. Which led me to believe that I need a soundtrack to this abysmal way of living.

The one thing that I get tired of the most being an avid listener of hip-hop and rap, is when others wine, complain, bitch, cry, and moan about the way that something it is, because of the business suits that control 99% of what we hear anyways. It sometimes, now more than ever, makes me sickened that I am apart of this scene, because a lot of the people are stuck in this damp, dark cardboard box, and pretty much have no intention of stepping out, until somebody (ANYBODY) decides to bring them sunshine.

I been told...TO MY FACE...that they don't like "old school" hip-hop, because the lyrics or the flows were too "basic"...I seriously thought to myself "lemme get the fuck out this car and jump off of the highway"..."it would be a beautiful death'(c) Kanye West, but I kept my composure and explained to dude, it is all about respecting the foundation. If it's you, I'm talking about....sorry.



So as of late, I have decided to go back to those times, where everything was so simple. My iTunes/iPod is filled with mostly 80s-90s hip hop, containing many emcees/groups that I wrote off in the beginning of this life journey of mines, because it was "too underground" or "too commercial". As you can see youth played a role in this, and it is ironic that I am on the receiving end of those comments today.



The usual suspects from the east are there (Wu-Tang, Nas, Jay-Z, Gang Starr, Boot Camp Clik, Biggie, Big Pun) the west (Dre, 2Pac, Snoop, Cube) the south (Outkast, Scarface, UGK, Goodie Mob) the midwest (Bone Thugs, Twista, Common) the conscious (Fugees, Tribe, Brand Nubian, Roots, De La) the underground faves (anything from Rawkus, DOOM)....



Of course I added a few post-millennium faves (Kanye, Wayne, T.I.). The bottom line is this, that comparing now to then, like around 2003-04, my entire musical palette has changed entirely. Instead of styles, I got styles inside of styles. And I honestly like it that way. Plus, the numerous influences that make up my music listening nowadays, have changed the way that I write, the things that I write about, and how it is reflected through my vocal musings.



I believe that as a hip-hop artist and as a hip-hop head...it's a responsibility if you will, to not settle. It's a responsiblity to dig deeper into your craft. Something that I have done in the last six years of my life. I could not SETTLE for everything that I had. I wanted to know more and I felt I had to. Although, the music that I came up on, that I grew up with, will forever hold more weight, but...now that I know more and have listened to more, I have become more open-minded towards everything, and maybe in life as well.

Now I know, some people have their own lanes, some people have their own style, and the music they make and/or listen to will be a reflection of that. That is understandable, I can respect that. But don't come around on the internet, or go up to people's faces saying "we need to change the face of hip-hop music" or preach about "real hip-hop music" when there is no clear definition of what REAL hip-hop music, let alone there being nothing wrong with it from the beginning. That was a price I paid in the beginning and I looked stupid because of it.

So, if you normally see me, being a little bit of a snob, don't take it personal. It is mostly because a lot of what I've seen from people, fans and artists alike have been a tad bit hypocritical, but hey, we all ain't perfect. So the moral of this rant, for everyone and myself included...is to simply...PRACTICE WHAT THE FUCK YOU PREACH!!!!

HYPE PERFORMANCE

B-Boying is still alive ladies and gentlemen!!! This was recorded by yours truly at UW-Milwaukee for the Hype dance show. It is amazing that we can have a blizzard outside and people can still pack a room and make for a exciting evening. More videos coming from this night.

DEFTONES- "YOU'VE SEEN THE BUTCHER"

This is what happens when you gather a bunch of chicks together during their time of the month....lol....but in all seriousness, I was so-so about the track at first, 'cause I pretty much played "Diamond Eyes" on my iPod to the edge of death. But...I saw the video last week....on MTV2 (when they play videos).....and man.....is this not one of the sexiest videos ever....if you don't have the Diamond Eyes album (legal or illegal)....cop it!

DIGGY SIMMONS- SHOOK ONES (FREESTYLE)

Diggy Simmons- {Shook Ones Freestyle} from philthegod. on Vimeo.

This seems to be everyone's favorite beat to rhyme on...give it a rest!!!! But I give respect where respect is due...and this kid is the TRUTH....keep your eyes on the Preemo cameos.