0 New Mixtape: "Too Fat for Skinny Jeans" to be released on December 2 Posted by Unknown | at 11/09/2010 12:01:00 AM

I would like to announce that my next mixtape will be titled: "Too Fat for Skinny Jeans" and is going to be released on my birthday, December 2 of this yr. My past 3 mixtapes have all had unique titles and has carried a significant meaning with each one. This "Too Fat" mixtape will aim to highlight my commitment to makin undergound in a true B-SimmS fashion. Not jus skinny jeans but hip hop has put out characteristics that try to develop into the mold for what artists should be and not who they are. But this title is my statement of saying lyrically I have too much weight to fit in the threads of conformity and if I do fit in them then I am goin to stretch those muthafuckas out. Production on the mixtape will include my homey B. Star and Sev Da Producer. It's jus about halfway done, so on December 2, dont put bday wishes on my wall, jus download my mixtape frm datpiff.com. lol. Thanks in advance guys!!! Holla Black!!! Peep some of the tracks at the bottom to hold you until the mixtape drop.

0 Where's The Beef?: The Importance of Lyrical Battles Posted by Unknown | at 8/17/2010 06:46:00 PM

Unfortunately this title may seem a little misleading, because you may think this article will tell you that lyrical battles are everything in hip hop. Well that statement will get a “yes” and a “no”. Honestly, if you look at the current state of hip hop right now that importance seems to have been dissed.

Rap battles are how rappers earn their respect from all rap fans, whether casual or hardcore. Rap is suppose to be the music genre from the streets and with it comes basic principles that you learned while growing up. It’s an eye for an eye mentality and that mentality has put many rappers into the ring and tested how much of an MC they really are. For example, LL Cool J has always been seen as one of the original rappers “for the ladies” but he has had a number of notable battles with Kool Moe Dee, Ice-T, and the famous Canibus beef. Each battle was never a one-sided bout as everyone saw some memorable punchlines from him. It is kind of what gave him respect as a rapper overall and not just some pop sensation.

Battles don’t only test rappers but they have always attempted to cement legacies. A rapper may have a great catalog but everybody is gonna remember that time he stepped up and beat competition directly. So the most obvious example I will give is Jay-Z vs. Nas. Both of these rappers are legends in their own right, but long after it ended, critics and fans alike still can not avoid talking about their careers without mentioning which artist won that battle and eventually overall won in their career.

You know what’s the best about rap battles? They don’t discriminate on anyone. One of my favorite diss songs I ever heard was from a rapper who is perceived as non confrontational, and that person is none other than Common. When I heard his song, “The Bitch in You”, which disses the Westside Connection, it was as hard as “No Vaseline” and almost the 1990’s version of “Ether”. When you think about Common today as an artist, a diss track is not his style. Remember when Jay-Z and Jim Jones were battling? Do not feel bad if you don’t because it wasn’t worth anybody’s memory cells. But that is the beauty of rap battles when you have a superstar like Jay-Z getting caught up in a lyrical riff with some up and coming unknown at the time like Jim Jones. What happens is it shows the hunger of an amateur artist and checks the gas tank of a veteran to see if they still have what it takes to remain on top.

I think of rap battles like when football teams use the running game in their strategy. If you know anything about football, running the football is more of an old school tactic. But teams that use it often are regarded as some of the toughest teams if not one of the top teams. Unfortunately battling is an old school technique that has disappeared today. Artists have opted to a more business-savvy approach of either using sneak disses or avoiding them altogether. Artists that are heavy battlers have not found the same weight career wise as regular artists. But rap will always belong to the streets and produce a competitiveness within music. Artists must decide that when it’s time to lyrically handle rap beef, are you going to be the cook or get eaten like the entrée.

1 Do Lyrics Matter? Posted by Unknown | at 3/07/2010 09:18:00 PM

Its crazy how Waka Flaka Flame thinks lyrics dont matter.Like im really trippin out on how he thinks that is a viable statement because it doesnt matter who you are, lyrics will always matter. Sry non rappin ass niggas, but rappin ass niggas may be here for a while. But ppl will get lyricism confused as jus being one thing. The general perception for lyricism is that niggas are rappin at complex levels , whether its 100 meanings on one line or 100 rymes on one line. Well i aint a general nigga therefore my perception is way dif and this is how it goes: LYRICISM ONLY BOILS DOWN TO CREATIVTY AND RELATIVITY( REALITY). Seems like a pretty accurate hypothesis after a two day thought process but it jus seems true.Creativity makes your mind work more into whut u say and makes you think of better ways to say your message. Its not an easy task, because Ive had to rewrite this intro at least 5 times already. Take a look at Lil Wayne. There are a lot of ppl that say weezy is the shit as well as a lot that say he sucks. What makes Lil Wayne good is his creativity. Im not the bigest Lil Wayne fan, but I admire his creativity on his punchlines and songs. If you listen to rap music "Mrs. Officer" is a very creative radio song and thats rare considering the shit you usually hear on the radio. It wasnt corny, it was cool and it stuck to the whole subject of the song, which was fucking a female cop. Speaking of whut you usually hear, lets speak on relativity or reality. I thnk this is where artists are make it or break it at being named lyricists. Basically over the last 10 years the percentage of rap songs have been about money, car, ho, or all in one. Believe it or not rappers used to to be known for rapping about how people actually feel and not everybody shared the experience of bangin or spending a million dollas without worries. When N.W.A. came out, their rymes were far frm complexity but they were very real. If you listen to any of Eazy E's raps he is no way at the speed of Talib Kweli, but the things he rapped about were so real that later on rap historians put him up there as a lyrical mc. The same goes for 50 Cent . As an underground rapper his lyrics were not even close to the braggadocio (SAT big word lookin ass nigga!!) that everyone is starting to associate him with. Songs like "Ghetto Quran" and "Get out the Club" from his Power of the Dollar album were usually about regular shit that an average person fom the hood would talk about instead of what an average person from Beverly Hills would talk about. To close this blog turned thesis out, think about when you went to an artist's show. Waka Flaka Flame (ol wocka wocka wocka lookin ass nigga!!) says lyrics dont matter as long as he's gettin four shows out the week. Well, if youre gettin 4 shows out the week anywhere then its because of lyrics. Take a look at J. Cole, now he doesnt really have a huge song on the radio et he was able to do a Texas Tour a couple months back. Why? Its obvious because he had soemthin to listen to other than the damn hook. Whut was that something? It was lyrics. That one was pretty easy. But to wrap it all up, lyrics will always matter in some form or another. Its hard to be successful without having some lyrical strength. Fans are always gonna look for that rapper that goes hard, its jus somethin thats apart of the rap game.