PropsOverHere Investigates: Did 50 Cent Bang Ashanti?

Every relevent rap beef dating back to Biggie and 2pac has involved one of the parties having sex with their opponents' significant other. I'm sure it would have happened with KRS and Marley Marl, way back in the 80's, had either of them had girlfriends. If you recall, 2pac fucked Biggie's baby momma Faith Evans, inspiring Pac to write the infamous lyric, "That's why I fucked yo bitch you fat mothafucker". In the second greatest beef in rap history, Jay-Z vs. Nas, Jay-Z banged Nas' ex-wife Carmen, or something, who also slept with Allen Iverson. Most recently there were those videos of 50 Cent taking Rick Ross' baby momma on a shopping spree and I think some sort of sex tape involving the two, which I never watched for obvious reasons.

This brings me to my main point about the 50 Cent vs. Ja Rule beef. That was easily more of a beef than Fiddy and Rawse, and was at a period in time when Fiddy was much more popular and hence probably fucked a lot more women. This begs the question, did 50 Cent fuck Ashanti? The time of the beef was roughly the same period of time Ja Rule was putting out those duets with Ashanti, which 50 even used as evidence that Ja Rule had become sort of a fag. Ignoring the issue of whether or not Ja Rule and Ashanti were in a real life relationship, is it out of the question that Fiddy hit that? Like Game once said "Anything's possible, if 50 fucked Vivica". Or something like that.

Basketball Movie All-Star Team

If you look back in the archives in this site, you'll see that once upon a time I threw in a post every once in a while about basketball, (naturally) my other passion aside from hip-hop. In fact, my first post, the classic Fab 5 and Fab 5 comparison was likely the most perfect blend of hip hop and basketball culture in the history of blogging. Getting to the point, I not only have a passion for real basketball but also for some good, wholesome fictional basketball. I have basically seen every relevant basketball movie evar plus VHS classics like "Jordan's Playground" and those blooper tapes with Marv Albert and that other jackass. So, from my in-depth knowledge of the greatest players in the history of cinematic basketball, I give you the ultimate starting lineup.

PG- Sidney Deane, White Men Can't Jump

He only plays 2-on-2 in the movie so it's hard to assess Sydney as a point guard but with his playground-tested skills I'm sure he would do just fine if surrounded with enough talent. After all, this guy made Woody Harrelson look good.

SG- Jesus Shuttlesworth, He Got Game

Jesus may only be like 19 but his game is mature beyond his years. Every college coach in America is vying for Jesus' commitment and with good reason. He is athletic, has good size for a two guard, and his outside shot is Ray Allen status.

SF- Tom "Shep" Shepherd, Above The Rim

Shep may be old but holy fuck that guy is good. He hadn't played basketball (not with a ball at least) in years then he comes out and lights it the fuck up, in khakis no less. This is not to mention how he completely sons Kyle, a Georgetown commit, in one on one. He's tall, smooth (no homo), and has a disgusting mid-range game.

PF- Saleh, Air Up There

Raw, African 7-footers don't normally pan out but Saleh is actually pretty good. You wouldn't see Hasheem Thabeet, for example, pulling that fake right/through the legs move or whatever it was he did to win the game.

C- Neon Bordeaux, Blue Chips

Neon may have the highest potential of any movie player ever. He barely had any basketball experience and immediately dominated the best Division 1 competition. He not only owned the paint with his monster dunks and alley-oops, but showed the ability to lead the break every once in a while.

PropsOverHere Presents: The Best of the Millennium

In this installment of my Best of the Millennium series, I'll be counting down the top 25 albums of the 2000's. I've already done songs and artists too and it's only September, so I'm gonna have to get kind of creative with these. Anyway, there haven't been many truly great albums this millennium, and most of them came in the earlier part of the decade, before the '90s influence wore off completely. Without further ado, here are the 25 best albums of the 2000's.

25. Cunninlynguists- Southernunderground

There were a number of albums I was debating for this 25th spot, but I ultimately chose the Cunninlynguists album because it was particularly fresh and creative. "Will Rap For Food" was also pretty entertaining, but I'm partial to this album because of that Masta Ace song and some other shit.

24. De La Soul- The Grind Date

This album was sort of spotty, but the five or so good songs on this are better than most albums. This is especially true when we're dealing with post-2000 albums. Features from Common, MF Doom, and the classic Ghostface collab "He Comes" are enough to put this in the top 25.

23. Supastition- The Deadline EP

As I mentioned in my description of Supa in the artists ranking, this is one of the under-appreciated albums of the new millennium. The solid production from the likes of M-Phazes and Illmind compliment Supastition's rapping ability and subject matter for what I would consider a perfectly executed underground album.

22. Masta Killa- No Said Date

I'm not sure why it took so long for Masta Killa to put an album out. He obviously wasn't on RZA's short list of priorities in the mid '90's, but even U-God had a few albums out before 2004. Regardless, this turned out to be one of the best Wu solo albums of this decade. I guess that an album eleven years coming should have a certain amount of focus and quality that other albums don't.

21. Scarface- The Fix

This album proved that Scarface, old as he was, could still make shit that people wanted to hear. "My Block" was the hit off this album, but the terrific Jay-Z ("Guess Who's Back") and Nas ("In Between Us") collabs stood out to me.

20. Ludacris- Word of Mouf

This was, in my opinion, the height of Ludacris' genius. I had to put "Roll Out" on repeat when it came out, way the fuck back when mp3 players only held like 12 and a half songs. I also remember the album cover being the background on my desktop for a while.

19. Cormega- The True Meaning

Just an incredibly solid album. Every song is good, and some of them like "The Come Up" and "The Legacy" are fucking great. Even "Love In Love Out", a diss track of sorts, was well produced and whatnot.

18. Hi-Tek- Hi-Teknology

There have been a shit load of producer albums since 2000, when this came out, but this still stands as one of the best. The Reflection Eternal tracks are great, there are sleepers like "Breakin' Bread", and Common's "The Sun God" stands as one of the classic, defining songs of the Rawkus Records era.

17. Murs- Murs 3:16

This brief, incredibly enjoyable album has some of 9th Wonder's best work, which matches perfectly with Murs' rapping. Murs' charisma and storytelling keeps your interest while 9th Wonder provides the soulful background.

16. Little Brother- The Minstrel Show

This album's lack of commercial success got Little Brother dropped from Atlantic and basically fucked up their career, but this shit is like crack to me. The songs individually are good, mostly because of 9th Wonder's work on the boards, but this is an album best listened to all the way through. The concept and hilarious skits string the album together and make it one of the best of the millennium.

15. Sean Price- Monkey Barz

Ruck was overshadowed in his own duo, Heltah Skeltah, but when he dropped this album under his own name, Sean P emerged as the new face of the Boot Camp Clik. I've mentioned how a lot of these albums had a comedic element to them, perhaps none more than this one. Sean Price's signature, ignorant raps actually made me laugh out loud a few times and his "brokest rapper you know" persona make for some additional entertainment value.

14. Cormega- The Realness

A lot of rappers stress being "real", but no one does it better and with more authenticity than Cormega. On his aptly titled debut, Mega brings some of the hardest, East Coast street shit this side of 2000.

13. Non Phixion- The Future Is Now

I'm not usually a proponent for white people rapping, but this is a pretty great album. Ill Bill, Goretex, and Sabac Red do their part on the mic, but the obvious highlight of this this album is the production, which is some of the millennium's best. Pete Rock's "If You Got Love" and Premier's "Rock Stars" are bangers and Large Professor contributes a few gems including the unbelievable "We Are The Future".

12. Clipse- Lord Willin'

The internets will probably put this somewhere in the top 5, but it only makes #12 on my list. This album did have some of the best singles in recent memory with "Grindin'", "Cot Damn", and "When The Last Time", but the rest of the album doesn't blow you away.

11. Ghostface Killah- The Pretty Toney Album

The graphic skits; the songs where he raps over soul tracks, vocals and all; the wallabee references. This was a Def Jam album but is still fucking classic classic Ghostface.

10. Jay-Z- The Black Album

Sure Jay-Z's retirement hoax had a hand in bolstering the popularity of this album, but most of the attention was deserved. This album had questionable moments and requisite club singles, but also boasted classics such as "99 Problems", "Allure", and "P.S.A.". It's starting to look clear that this is the last great Jay-Z album.

9. Kanye West- College Dropout

Like I mentioned in my last piece, this album was huge. What I didn't mention was, outside of the five (!) hit singles, there were only more good songs. "Spaceship", "Never Let Me Down", and "School Spirit", just to name a few, were better songs than most of the singles.

8. Nas- The Lost Tapes

I don't even know if this should be considered an album, since it was probably put together by some A&R or something. Whatever it is, it's better than most anything dropped in the 2000's. The Kanye ghost-produced "Poppa Was a Playa", "Purple", and "Fetus" stand out from a collection of what are not only some of Nas' best songs this millennium, but since Illmatic.

7. Masta Ace- Disposable Arts

In my opinion, this is the best of Masta Ace's story albums. The way the songs fit the storyline, not to mention how great they are, make this a masterpeice. Or mastapeice. See what I did there?

6. Reflection Eternal- Train of Thought

It's not often that there are albums that are are excellent both lyrically and musically but this is definitely one of them. Hi-Tek's smooth, boom bap production perfectly matches Talib Kweli's gritty, east coast delivery for what is the millennium's best producer/rapper duo.

5. The Game- The Documentary

This is like (cringe) this millennium's Illmatic; with some of the games best producers backing an up and coming rapper. Except instead of Nas' impeccable street poetry, this album is a collage of dead rapper, chuck taylors, and Chevy Impala references. Still, given the unheard of quality of production and Game's talents (riding the beat, maybe a good line or two), this album shits on most post-2000 releases.

4. 50 Cent- Get Rich or Die Tryin'

If The Documentary was this generation's Illmatic then this is this generation's Doggystyle, with Dr. Dre unleashing his new artist on the hip hop world and changing the game. Unlike the Game/Nas analogy, this album may have actually matched Doggystyle in terms of influence. It went diamond for fuck's sake. 50 Cent will never be confused for a great rapper, but his charisma and ability to write songs that people like made this album the most popular and one of the best of the new millennium.

3. Nas- Stillmatic

This album may be more notable for its impact than for the music itself. The feud with Jay-Z, the classic diss track "Ether", and then the release of this album made Nas relevant again and brought life to New York hip hop. This album has plenty of weak spots but also has some classics. "You're The Man" and "2nd Childhood" are two of the best Nas songs evar, and the "Intro" has to be one of the best album intros of all-time.

2. Ghostface Killah- Supreme Clientele

This is the pinnacle of Ghostface's career and his genius as a rapper. His lyricism on this album is just mind blowing shit and is a prime example of what makes him one of the best ever. Aside from Ghost, all of the beats knock, and of course there is the classic Wu-Tang posse appearence "Wu Banga 101" to cap off the album.

1. Jay-Z- The Blueprint

Before Jay-Z made albums for hipsters and Kanye West made a douche of himself at award shows, they created the modern day hip hop masterpiece. In '01 Jay-Z was on top of his game and Kanye, along with another up and comer, Just Blaze, backed him with incredible, groundbreaking production. The result was "The Blueprint"; an album with ubiquitous radio hits (Izzo (H.O.V.A.), "Girls, Girls, Girls"), street anthems ("The Takeover", "Heart of the City"), heartfelt tracks ("Song Cry", "Never Change"), and lyrical genius ("Renegade", "Breathe Easy"). In many ways, this album was truly a hip hop blueprint, one that's easily followed but is damn near impossible to match.

PropsOverHere Presents: The Best of the Millennium

With the decade winding down, a lot of sites/blogs are compiling lists of the best hip hop of the 2000s. As you may recall, I already did this, further cementing my status as an internet pioneer. For this list, I will be counting down the top 25 new artists of this millennium. The qualifications for this list were that a) The artist released his/her debut album in the 2000s and b) Wasn't prominent in the '90s (for example, Percee P doesn't qualify).

25. Rick Ross

RAWSE! In 2006 this guy came out of nowhere with the LCD rap anthem "Hustlin'" and has stayed relevant ever since. With the help of J.U.S.T.I.C.E. league, Rick Ross has made some of the most listenable mainstream (not to mention southern) rap in the last decade, highlighted by the awesome "Maybach Music" series.

24. Blu

I held out on checking the Blu and Exile album because the album cover was so fruity, but that was a great album. Blu has since made a bunch of other collaborations, none of which I liked as much, but which showed his versatility as far as styles and subject matter. He is without a major label release, but has potential to make noise in the near future.

23. Kidz In The Hall

This group got lucky when Just Blaze used their beat for Jay-Z's big comeback flop "Show Me What You Got", giving them some much needed publicity. That was literally the only reason I downloaded the "School Was a Hustle" album, which actually turned out to be good. Next thing you know, they're signed with Duckdown, "Drivin' Down The Block" is on MTV, and "The Blackout" is on Madden 09. Naledge and Double-O's next album drops in 2010.

22. Jay Electronica

Perhaps no rapper has had as much hype and publicity with such little material to his name. Having a baby by Erykah Badu certainly has something to do with it, as does the cosign from one Justin Blaze. Jay Electronica is a talented rapper, and this sort of half rapper and half myth status makes him all the more intriguing. 

21. Drake

I know, this guy just came out, but he is one of the most hyped newcomers this millennium (he got a bigger deal than 50 Cent), and has actually kind of lived up to it. His verse on "Forever" is great, his new song "Fear" is really good, and even "Best I Ever Had" started to grow on me a little. He's a good rapper, a good singer, and is big time even without an album. He could be the biggest artist of the '10s.

20. Black Milk

The Detroit producer/rapper is not the next J Dilla, but he is a definite talent who seems to improve with every song he puts out. He is becoming a go-to producer for underground artists and showed on his last album that he is more than a competent rapper.

19. One Be Lo

The better half of Binary Star, One Be Lo put out one of the lyrical masterpeices of this millennium with the "S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M." album. He has the raw rapping skills of legends, but is inhibited by beats from guys like Decompoze. 

18. Supastition

Sort of the same deal here as with One Be Lo. Supastition is a hell of a rapper who has trouble getting decent beats because of whatever low budget label he's on. "The Deadline EP", which had beats by M-Phazes and Illmind, might be the most underrated peice of hip hop music in the 2000s.

17. Beanie Sigel

The Broad Street Bully was the best out of the Roc-A-Fella fam and proved it with the hood classic "The B. Coming". He even managed to put out a decent album just recently without Jay-Z's backing and dropped a great guest verse on "Cuban Linx 2".

16. Saigon

Saigon still hasn't managed to put out that fucking Just Blaze album, but he's done enough to earn a spot on the list. Think not? Listen to "The Belly of the Beast" mixtape and "The Moral of the Story" street album then talk shit.

15. Murs

Murs lacks the lyrical talent of most of the rappers listed behind him, but what he does have are those two great albums with 9th Wonder. "Murs 3:16", in his own words, "was genius", and the follow-up "Murray's Revenge", was criminally underrated.

14. Bishop Lamont

Like Saigon, Bishop can't manage to get a real album out there. He's on Aftermath, after all. Still, this guy shows enough talent and charisma to make it this high on the list. His "Ni**** Noize" and "Pope Mobile" mixtapes were gold and his newest Dre track "Hallelujah" is fucking amazing.

13. Little Brother

Little Brother made a name for themselves with "The Listening", but it's "The Minstrel Show", their devastating, commercial failure of an album, that stands out to me as their best work. It's rare that a song from that album comes on and I skip over it. The lyrics are sound, the beats are great, and the skits are funny and amusing and actually add to the album. 

12. Elzhi

Speaking of "The Minstrel Show", #12 is the guy that murdered Little Brother on their own shit. Elzhi dropped the best verse on that album and on everything else he's ever been on. He even bested Royce 5'9" on "Glow", the best song of 2008. What he doesn't have is a defining solo album or even song, despite a Black Milk collab last year that fell short of expectations.

11. Joell Ortiz

Try getting on a track with Royce 5'9", Joe Budden, and Crooked I and out-doing all of them. Now do that for an entire album, and you have what Joell Ortiz did this year on Slaughterhouse. Joell has yet to make a big splash because he isn't marketable (at least that's what he'd like you to believe), but he is one of, if not the, best MCs in the game

10. Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco is one of the few rappers in the 2000s that brought a new, unique style and was able to gain mainstream popularity. The way he raps is distinct, and at times downright strange. In an era when many rappers were re-making children's songs, Lupe was flipping double-time flows, wordplay, and trippy imagery and still managed to keep listeners' interest. Not only did he offer a new style of rap, but he also had a hand in ushering in the hipster rap era. 

9. Fabolous

Unlike Lupe Fiasco, Fabolous brought almost nothing new to the table. He is your cookie cutter, New York mixtape rapper who uses Ne-Yo hooks to earn some radio play. While not creative, Fab has been effective. "Breathe" is one of the landmark moments in hip hop this millennium, and he's had his share of radio hits to go along with some hood classics. 

8. Cormega

Though Nas wrote to an incarcerated Mega on Illmatic's "One Love", he didn't make his own debut on the mic until 2000. His first two albums "The Realness" and "The True Meaning" are borderline classics, and being kicked out of The Firm may have been a good career move after all.

7. T.I.

This is the part of the list when the artists' popularity tends to eclipse his talent. T.I. isn't a great rapper, but what he is is immensely popular. Though he isn't an Elzhi or Ortiz in the lyrical arena, he isn't garbage on the mic either, as evidenced by having the best flow on posse cuts "We Takin' Over" and "Swagga Like Us". A (sort of) real MC with legions of fans just has to be this high on the list.

6. Royce Da 5'9"

The only rapper to challenge Ortiz on "Slaughterhouse", Royce has been the most prolific lyricist this millennium. He still lacks a classic album, but Premo collaborations "Hip Hop" and "Boom" are easily two of the best songs of the 2000s. Throw in the "Bar Exam" mixtapes and the Slaughterhouse project and it's easy to see why underground heads hail him as the best doing it. 

5. Clipse

"Grindin'" was one of the most groundbreaking tracks of the 2000s (how the fuck did I miss that?). The crazy Neptunes production and VA cocaine raps prevalent in that song made their debut album "Lord Willin'" a defining album of the 2000s. Their second album didn't live up to the debut, but Clipse seemed primed for a comeback with "Til The Casket Drops".

4. The Game

This may be a controversial pick, but if you've read this site before you know I'm a bit of a Game stan. Still, looking at it objectively, there are arguments to be made for Game being one of the top new artists. First of all, he makes good hip hop music. He isn't the most inventive rapper but he's pretty good and he knows a good beat from a bad one. This has allowed him to make three very solid albums, including "The Documentary", which may well be the best album of the 2000s. Secondly, he is both popular and talented, which isn't as common as it should be. 

3. 50 Cent

50 Cent makes it this high on the list simply for being enormous. "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" is considered by many the best rap album of the 2000s, and it was undeniably the most ubiquitous. Every other song on the radio was by 50 Cent or G-Unit. I doubt any rap song will eclipse "In Da Club" in popularity, or any rapper will put "the game in a chokehold" like 50 Cent did between 2003-2005 or so. 

2. Ludacris

Ludacris made a name for himself in the beginning of the millennium of the with the vulgar "What's Your Fantasy", and he utilized that charisma and sense of humor to make quality mainstream hip hop. "Roll Out" and "Southern Hospitality" are two of the best singles of the 2000s. "Area Codes" and "Saturday" are two of the most hilarious and entertaining. He is not only talented but also prolific, dropping seven albums in the last decade, including last years stellar "Theater of the Mind". 

1. Kanye West

This was a tough selection but I think it's got to be Kanye. It seems like all of the rappers on this list had a fatal flaw. Some haven't made a real impact on hip hop (Royce) or even made any noise (Joell, Saigon, etc.). Others aren't all that talented as rappers (T.I., 50). Kanye far from strikes a balance, but he may come the closest, and that's good enough to top the list. As far as impact, it's irrefutable. Although this isn't a producers list, it should be noted that Kanye's work on The Blueprint changed the game. Also, if you look at my Best Songs of the Millennium list, like half of it was produced by Ye. His emergence as a rapper, though, came when he dropped "Through The Wire". Those who didn't know of him as a producer were introduced to his soul beats and chipmunk vocal samples, and those who were were introduced to a talented and refreshingly clever rapper. From the immensely popular debut College Dropout to his third album Graduation and it's commercial pwnage of 50 Cent's Curtis, Kanye West has proven to be biggest and most widely accepted artist in hip hop. The high musical quality and entertaining lyricism of radio hits like "Jesus Walks", "Gold Digger", and "Touch the Sky", made them downright impossible to dislike. His last album, the controversial crossover 808's and Heartbreak may have alienated his more traditional fans, but he has shown on Clipse's "Kinda Like a Big Deal" and Jay's "Run This Town", that he can still rap when he wants to. Kanye is big, he's good, and he's #1. 

Album Review: Raekwon- "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2"

It's finally here and the years of fruitless rumors and speculation are officially over. Was "Cuban Linx 2" worth the wait, or another half-assed Wu solo album?

1. Return of the North Star (Feat. Papa Wu)

The album appropriately picks up where the last one ended. They even got the same dude from the original "North Star". You kind of have to wonder what he's been up to these last 15 years.

2. House of Flying Daggers (Feat. Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, & Method Man)

I'm not a huge J Dilla fan like everyone else on the internets, but this is a heat rock. This probably has more of the classic, Wu-Tang sound then anything RZA, who invented that sound, has made in the last several years. Everyone goes in on this, too.

3. Sonny's Missing

I bet Pete Rock sold Rae this beat in like 2005 and just said fuck it and went and used it for that Royal Flush song. That or he just pulled a real jack move, but Pete seems like a stand-up guy so I sort of doubt that. For what it's worth, I think it fits this brief, story-telling track real well.

4. Pyrex Vision

This one uses the beat from O.C.'s "Jewelz". I approve. I mean that beat was fucking great and it's not like many people still listen to the Jewelz album anymore. Plus, it's just 55 seconds of Raekwon's most lazy cocaine raps, so its more of an interlude than a real song.

5. Cold Outside (Feat. Ghostface Killah & Suga Bang)

The majority of this song is this guy Suga Bang singing and sort of half singing half rapping and god damn is that shit annoying. It's not like the actual Rae and Ghost part is anything special anyway.

6. Black Mozart

This is grimy on some '94 Wu-Tang shit. I'm not sure what's up with the chorus, though. Or that part with RZA yelling about soldiers. I also have no idea who the second guy rapping is but he kinda killed it.

7. Gihad (Feat. Ghostface Killah)

This came out over a year ago, which is when I started becoming optimistic that this was a real album and not something Raekwon made up to piss off people on the internets. Even though it's old news, this song is pretty fuckin good. Ghostface's verse is just classic.

8. The New Wu (Feat. Ghostface Killah & Method Man)

The lead single. This is the closest thing we'll get to classic Wu-Tang in 2009. I don't know why they changed the "suuuu" from the original version, this one kind of sounds funny.

9. Penitentiary (Feat. Ghostface Killah)

This one has that sort of "Road to the Riches" piano vibe going. Ghostface breaks Raekwon out of jail in this their latest adventure.

10. Baggin' Crack

Another short one, this time with the most generic Erick Sermon beat evar. This is alright if not really nondescript. 

11. Surgical Gloves

The beat from Alchemist is killer. I don't really know what the fuck Rae is rapping about, but it sounds cool. I swear that guy speaks another language.

12. Broken Safety (Feat. Jadakiss & Styles P.)

This sounds like a Raekwon feature on a D-Block song. Except for the Kung-Fu shit at the end there. Styles P.'s verse stood out if only for its shitty-ness.

13. Canal Street

Jacking beats from one of those new AZ albums, as opposed to "Jewelz", maybe not such a great idea. Not that this beat is bad, but Raekwon just doesn't sound right over dramatic, theatrical shit like this.

14. Ason Jones

The tribute to ODB, over another Dilla beat. This is nice for what it is, but that "I understood love when I kissed the n****" part was a little strange.

15. Have Mercy (Feat. Beanie Sigel)

This is real low-key but I like it. The Beans feature is perfect for this track, too.

16. 10 Bricks (Feat. Cappadonna & Ghostface Killah)

Damn, this album might just change my perception of J Dilla altogether. This is one of those choppy, Donuts-style beats that I don't usually like but it hits hard and has the Asian thing going too. If anyone could listen to this album and not conclude that Ghostface is the best in the Wu then I don't know what to say. He murders every track he's on.

17. Fat Lady Sings

Another in this series of brief, story tracks. I kind of like these, if only because they are short.

18. Catalina (Feat. Lyfe Jennings)

The way the Dre beat kicks in after the guy in the intro (same source as the "Rainy Dayz" intro) says "Don't disturb the doctor" is the sickest shit evar. Raekwon's raps on this are good to, but I wonder what "lenses on Chips Ahoy" means.

19. We Will Rob You (Feat. Slick Rick, GZA, & Masta Killa)

This one's kinda crazy. Raekwon and GZA rap about getting arrested (I think) for robbing a buncha people and Slick Rick does the chorus and "Heeeere we go" thing. The only thing I don't understand is Masta Killa's verse, which seems awkwardly tacked on there.

20. About Me

This Dre track is a little more boring than the last one. Busta Rhymes makes a guest appearance and even does that Lil Wayne thing where he mispronounces something and corrects it in rap form. 

21. Mean Streets (Feat. Inspectah Deck & Ghostface Killah)

This beat was on the Tragedy Still Reportin' album. Underrated album. That's a lot of jacked beats at this point but it doesn't bother me so much. This has to be one of the weaker moments on this album. Inspectah Deck, once a master of the guest verse, is especially awful on this.

22. Kiss The Ring (Feat. Inspectah Deck & Masta Killa)

This is sort of low budget sounding compared to the rest of the album. It's not a terrible song, though. 

23. Walk Wit Me

Scram Jones has some heat, but this beat isn't much. Raekwon raps about his girl who happens to be incredibly rich. I almost lol'd when he said "this broad had a horse". I'm not sure what the point of the song was though, as I've already admitted my inability to follow Raekwon after a while.

24. Badland (Feat. Ghostface Killah) (Bonus Track)

This is classic Ghost and Rae but the beat gets kind of repetitive and annoying after a little.

Best Songs: "House of Flying Daggers", "The New Wu", "Catalina"

Comments:

Just a really solid album. I think the fact that there are 24 songs on this distracts you from the fact that there are like 9-10 really good songs on here, which is way more than most albums have. Raekwon (and Ghost and RZA) will never make anything the calibre of "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx". I doubt any rapper will. However, this is about as good of an album as he could've made in 2009, and for that fact this is a worthy sequel.

 

Album Review: Jay-Z- "The Blueprint 3"

I wasn't gonna do this album review, at least not until the album dropped, when I saw that I could just stream it from Rhapsody. That commercial for Rhapsody where Jay recreates all of his album covers is fucking phenomenal. How would the album stack up?

1. What We Talkin' About

The much talked about intro that he kicked a cappella at a few shows. It's funny how I (and probably everyone else) assumed from those videos that this was some spoken word, Def-Poetry style intro, but thats actually how he raps nowadays. 

2. Thank You

This beat would have been perfect for a Jay-Z song, say, around the time of the first Blueprint. Instead, he ruins it with this rambling sort of delivery he's adapted. I guess it could be worse.

3. D.O.A.

No need in reviewing this at this point. I've already heard this like a thousand times between my own free will and MTV forcing the music video down my throat like 20 times a day. I still kinda like it, though.

4. Run This Town (Feat. Kanye West & Rihanna)

Same goes for this one. Except for liking it of course.

5. Empire State of Mind (Feat. Alicia Keys)

Nas was supposed to be on this, no? I bet he was and but Jay didn't want everyone fast forwarding over his verses on his own shit. Alicia Keys kind of sabotages this anyway.

6. Real As It Gets (Feat. Young Jeezy)

Sadly enough, I think this is my favorite, non-D.O.A. song yet. Jay-Z's rapping is the best I've heard so far. Or maybe it just sounds that way next to Young Jeezy verses. Regardless I'd fuck with this before any of this other nonsense.

7. On To The Next One 

This is like "Swagga Like Us" fused with "Elevators" in the worst way possible (its Swizz Beatz, after all). 

8. Off That (Feat. Drake)

This would be better suited for some R&B bitch. Not a legit R&B bitch either, like some low budget singer on Timbo's label or some shit. Drake might as well not even be on this either since he doesn't rap or sing. Jay-Z knows better than to get on a track with Drake anyway. Yeah, I said it.

9. A Star Is Born (Feat. J. Cole)

This beat sounds like something I could make with garage band and a keyboard. I probably wouldn't bother saving it either. Jay-Z raps about all the rappers that were popular these past 15 years or so, himself included. J. Cole, whom I know of because I have to sift through his shit on Nah Right to find something I'm interested in, kicks a guest verse. He sounds like a budget Lupe Fiasco to me, meaning that being Jay-Z's artist likely won't save him from obscurity.

10. Venus Vs. Mars

This could be the least inspired female track Jay-Z has ever done. That includes "I Know What Girls Like" or whatever. From Volume 1. He even drops a Bernie Madoff metaphor in there.

11. Already Home (Feat. Kid Cudi)

This beat isn't half-bad compared to the rest of the album. He actually addresses being called a camel on this. Lolz. If that wasn't enough, on the last verse he ends every line with "already", as if he were Juvenile or something. In all seriousness, this is aight.

12. Hate (Feat. Kanye West)

Auto-Tune, which Jay-Z famously killed 9 tracks ago makes a triumphant return here. I don't even know what the fuck this is. This would make sense on a Kanye album, but its way out of Jay-Z's element. As Game once pointed out, Jay-Z is mad old.

13. Reminder

This, on the other hand, is more in Jay-Z's element. Unfortunately, it sounds like one of the more regrettable moments from Blueprint 2 or maybe Volume 3. Jay-Z's rapping takes a step backward too. At one point he just lists a bunch of years, as though it proves some sort of point. I don't think we need a reminder of Jay-Z at this point as much as he thinks we do. Remember, this is the guy that shows up at random alt rock shows because he feels like it.

14. So Ambitious (Feat. Pharrell)

I guess this isn't the worst thing The Neptunes have done, but Pharrell's "singing" may be at its all-time, um, least bearable here. If you didn't know from listening to the rest of this album or just being aware of pop culture, Jay-Z is pretty affluent and successful. He's got an office!

15. Young Forever (Feat. Mr. Hudson)

The fuck? This is even extremely gay in an era where its commonplace for rappers to wear tight jeans and horn-rimmed glasses. This is on a fucking Blueprint album? I give up.

Best Songs: "D.O.A.", "Thank You", "Already Home"

Comments:

That was just awful. I forecasted this in my last post, but I'm not sure if I could have imagined how tragic it could be. Maybe the worst part of it, as I alluded to in my last song review, was that this album falls under the "Blueprint" title, one once synonymous with classic Jay-Z. Even though Blueprint 2 kinda sucked, it still had the "You Don't Know" remix. And fuckin' "Watcher 2".  Jay-Z should have saved himself some criticism and called this what it was, "Kingdom Come 2". 

I'm Back

That's right, bitches. After an eight month or so hiatus from crying about rap, I'm giving this blog thing another shot because its August and I don't have shit else to do. There are also some pretty big moments in hip hop to look forward to. 

-The Slaughterhouse album drops next week and I'm hoping, for their sake and for hip hop's, that it's at least worth the $9.99 on iTunes. I mean, they've already put out enough good shit that an album flop wouldn't render this project a complete failure, as if this were The Firm, but it would be nice to see these guys enjoy even moderate commercial success. Let's be real, the only reason this group came to be is because none of these guys could get a real record deal and their solo careers were going nowhere fast. Royce, Ortiz, Crooked I, and Budden probably met up to record the song "Slaughterhouse," saw all the daps they got in the comments section at Nah Right and realized that they had nothing better to do than to stay and record a buncha shit.  As much as I'd like to see this do numbers like a major release, even one that sucks, like the new Loso, it just won't. Well, it was worth a shot.

-Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 is finally coming out. They even released that Dilla track I've been hearing about for years and it's actually pretty good. I think that this album is going to be crack but people are still going to hate it on it like crazy. It should be expected for everyone to shit on this after all the hype and the delay and it being the sequel to the best album evar. Still, I'm not sure how this could be bad. Raekwon is not the MC he was 15 years ago to be sure, but you know all those Wu-Tang dudes still have lyrics. Plus, from looking at the rumored tracklisting (I know), the production should be nails. I say, worst case scenario, this album is Fishscale status, but if it is it will get feedback as if it were Lex Diamondz Story or whatever the fuck that was called. I guess this one's on Rae.

-Speaking of long awaited, highly anticipated albums, Rakim is finally putting out The 7th Seal. The single "Holy Are You" just hit the internet a few weeks ago and shit is fire. Even at 41, I'm convinced that Rakim can still go toe to toe with anyone lyrically. I have my doubts that the beats on this, given the albums presumably low budget, will match his rhyming ability, which could be this album's downfall. Maybe Premo could do him a favor and hit him off with a discount. Who else are these beats going to, the NYGz?

-Jay-Z just released the cover art for Blueprint 3. I'm sure you've all seen it, it's really gay, only surpassed in gayness perhaps by the lead single with Ye and Rihanna. I really liked American Gangster but this album has disaster written all over it. The fact is that Jay-Z just can't rap anymore. Either that or he's not trying, which can't be it because he still seems pretty confident that he's crafting the next lyrical masterpiece. I think he's just getting a bit delusional in his old age, like Prodigy or something. All these hip hop blogs have been making a big fuss about how Kanye bested Jay on his own shit, Eminem-style, but what they are missing is the sad truth that Kanye is just a better rapper than Jay-Z at this point, even though he basically stopped rapping like 3 years ago. As I mentioned in my review a while back, his rapping basically sucked on American Gangster, the difference is that album was just about selling drugs whereas now he's telling us about Beyonce and his outfits and whatnot. 

-Lupe Fiasco's Lasers is coming out later this year. At least I thought so, I really haven't been keeping tabs on this. Upon further review, the first two Lupe albums were pretty good, and I had to put "Shining Down" on repeat about a month back. Is this going to be his last album or was his whole retirement thing some old bullshit?

-Lastly, Fif's new album Before I Self Destruct hits stores in September. 50 has yet to hit the jackpot with a radio hit since The Massacre ("I Get Money" was underrated), and can't seem to break the dry spell. Dr. Dre, who used to come up with ingenious ideas for a living, hasn't done anything noteworthy in forever, so at this point 50 is just treading water as far as staying relevant with his beefs and other shenanigans. I'm surprised he even cares about maintaining his popularity, what with his financial situation. It shows commitment on his part that he's still putting out albums at all. That, or he just fucking loves attention.