Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Hip Hop Against the World.

TwitThis

Art by Juxtaposition Art Students

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There is nothing like waking up and arguing over who is the better emcee.


Trite as the debate sounds, passion is hot, ock.


I spent the weekend in Minnesota and got put on, by my folks JT.
His theory is that Jay only went hard and started braggin after Biggie/Pac died.

In the meantime Nas was still that dude that was holding it down.


So when J went at Nas, he got ethered, and that was all she wrote.

His theory is that, you can't call ya'self the best, if you ain't the best in your own region.

And that it appears suspect that the Hova talk began post Pac/Big. Consequently, Jay could never be "hov" b/c he didn't go for the crown when there was super comp. And when he went for it, he got ethered.

Interesting 9am talk, right ?!?!??!?!


F*cking Minnessota has a 3 story Target.

It was all clean and uncrowded, unlike that lil sh*t they have @ the Atlantic Mall. Which I like but, it was just a whole new browsing experience.

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I saw Pursuit of Happyness. And unlike myfriend Drew Ricketts, the film resonated with me on two levels. The first level pertained to what a parent goes through in order to ensure a stable future for their children.

The second level is Wills ability to demonstrate his hunger for the stockbroker job, while simulltaneously being humiliated. Thats deep. Because being humilated tends to make people feel like victims, give up and get angry at the world for their situation.

Whereas w/ Will it fueled his determination and that was hot.


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Obama has taken a substantial step towards running. I am interested in seeing who aligns themselves w/ him vs. Hillary and what the consequences will be for their choices.

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Young women in Oakland are using Craiglist as a tool for prostitution.


Along San Pablo Avenue, International and MacArthur boulevards, underage women hang out talking on cell phones.

The calls they take are in response to Craigslist sex ads they've posted, said Jim Saleda of the Oakland Police Department's Child Exploitation Unit.

Over the years, police and local agencies have seen the phenomenon of child sex trafficking increase tenfold, officials said Thursday.

To combat the complex problem, county and city officials and service agencies have launched a public awareness campaign that includes two one-minute public service video announcements created by the Youth Uprising staff.

"What we found as prosecutors is that a great number who are abused as children ... end up being very vulnerable to predators we know as 'pimps,'" said San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, who helped write a recently enacted state Senate Bill (SB 3042) that allows pimps and Johns to be prosecuted more harshly.


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Jerry Browns Legacy for Oakland: Some really beautiful Condos and 148 murders. Thats hot.

Oakland isn't a city — it's a nightclub. It's the seedy dive that languishes near the waterfront for years, then somehow, for fifteen minutes, becomes the Place to Be Seen. The proprietor may be in hock, the sewage lines may be about to burst, and next week, someone here will probably get shot. But for one glorious Friday night, bottle-blond pop stars show up in black Escalades and look fabulous for the paparazzi while the bartenders trade their authenticity for a few fat tips and the breathless exhilaration of finally being noticed.

At least, that's how Mayor Jerry Brown treated Oakland for the last eight years. Watching Hizzoner exploit this desperate city to reinvent his public image and glide back into national prominence has been an exercise in endurance, to say the least.
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I was reading the newspaper in the airport yesterday, and remember gasping outloud that "Alice Coltrane is dead?".

I love Alice.

I love Alice because John loved Alice.

I like the fact that he chose to be with a brown skinned lady, at a time when entertainers practiced the white(or almost white) is white theory when it came to selecting women to be with.

For Alice.

I miss John as a fan
I can only imagine
how your life has been

without your friend
and
partner

after your loss
your embraced your inner mystic
by
performing, meditating, playing gigs
with your son
know
that
you were adored
and
that you will be mssed.


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This was such a good weekend for football dude. Saturday night I sat infront a tv screen damn near as big as my bathroom, read Vanity Fair, and watched Reggie Bush and 'nem do tha damn thing.

Can I become unflappable like Tom Brady?

Them Cold Blue Eyes don't communicate a damn thing!


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15 comments:

neo said...

The J didn't take over until post big/pac argument has one glaring flaw.

Jay was still on the come up at that time whilst all of the other 3 - pac, big and Nas were already well-established career-wise and record-sales wise. J was still running around trying to get established with his new label. The others were signed to folks and didn't even have their own hustles.

Recall that RD never went plat until prolly after BP came out when folks had to revisit it. He didn't even go plat until 'In my lifetime' by then Big had already passed.

neo said...

So even though when he first came on the scene with RD he really couldn't be a contender, since he didn't have anything to show for it until after the fact. I think it'd have been ludicrous for J to go after the throne upon releasing one album.

See that's the way the game was played in those days. Nowadays cats ain't even got an album much less mixtapes just dvd freestyle battle appearances claiming they're kings of where we don't know.

Anonymous said...

Neo Has a Point

M.Dot. said...

@ Neo and J,

True.

J's career evolution and timing can be taking into consideration.

However, the fact still remains that he WAITED UNTIL AFTER the death of these cats to GO HARD AT KONY sh*t.

AND the fact still remains that he a*n't try that sh*t when his main comp was still alive.

Regardless of him trying to be established or how nonsensical it may or may not have been for him to go @ Big.

The bottom line is that he did is post humous of his main perceived comp.

neo said...

Yep...but I think his reasoning for that was that he 'felt' the need to step in and fill in Big's shoes..actually according to cats other than himself, like Clark Kent and 'em who produced RD said ppl wanted Jay to be the next in line, not necessarily Nas..I guess Nas to them had already gotten 'his' so to speak...

neo said...

Yep...but I think his reasoning for that was that he 'felt' the need to step in and fill in Big's shoes..actually according to cats other than himself, like Clark Kent and 'em who produced RD said ppl wanted Jay to be the next in line, not necessarily Nas..I guess Nas to them had already gotten 'his' so to speak...

and Big wasn't really J's comp to begin with..J was simply doing his own thing. I dunno why folks pit J against Big when ppl close to both camps said Big was even 'afraid' of J, cos J been nice..

neo said...

Yep...but I think his reasoning for that was that he 'felt' the need to step in and fill in Big's shoes..actually according to cats other than himself, like Clark Kent and 'em who produced RD said ppl wanted Jay to be the next in line, not necessarily Nas..I guess Nas to them had already gotten 'his' so to speak...

and Big wasn't really J's comp to begin with..J was simply doing his own thing. I dunno why folks pit J against Big when ppl close to both camps said Big was even 'afraid' of J, cos J been nice..

M.Dot. said...

ep...but I think his reasoning for that was that he 'felt' the need to step in and fill in Big's shoes..actually according to cats other than himself
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JT's arguement is that you cannot call yourself the God Emcee if you DID NOT GO AT DUDES WHO WERE THE BEST WHEN THEY WERE ALIVE.

Regardless of your motivation.

The idea is that he should play is position or go hard and be ridiculed.


I guess Nas to them had already gotten 'his' so to speak..
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Producers don't anoint n*ggas.

Skills do.

neo said...

Producers did though in Nas's case. Do you realize then that Primo (who was HEAVY in the game as far as work and output), Q-tip and Large Pro cosigned this dude? Yeah skills, yeah...but Nas had one of theee biggest cosigns for a new jack. Nas wasn't the only talented NY emcee. Ppl knew Jay was nice...in fact even dudes from the Wu knew he was nice but for some reason they slept on him. And this happens to some of the greatest...we all know this.

the 'god' emcee thing is relative depending on one's pov. If you alone stand at the top of the rap pile, you got skills and everything else to go with and no one is coming close as far as mainstream or underground output, I can see where the 'god' complex comes in. This is all pre-takeover vs. ether.

Man, I'd love to have this convo with your boy f'real..it'd make for an interesting discussion..

neo said...

I can see why ppl may respect Nas more than Jay being that Nas is the premier artist's artist whilst J is the hustler's hustler..meaning one will sit back and just paint a masterpiece, folks take notice and praise, the other will paint a masterpiece and coerce folks to see it, folks praise. It's not like one is morally better than the other imo. but folk tend to give Nas the moral edge in these kinds of debates..at least in my opinion and nothing wrong with that. I like being the artist's artist but there is great art that gets unfairly slept on.

Jay's kingship as far as NY is concerned was unquestionable from 1998-2001. In every aspect, skills, bills, thrills. Nas was nowhere to be found on the scene, so he can't be considered. Forget all this going at big/pac stuff...it wasn't his (J's) time..dude was barely into his first album..Nas didn't even start going at BIG and Pac until his second album by then he was already solidified.. even Nas on 'Last real N**** alive' said Jay came after them..not with them. He saw Jay as an up and comer. I quote, "Jigga started to flow like us, but hit with 'Ain't No N****z'
Had much Versace swagger
B.I.G. admired the Brooklyn knight and it took him in as Iceberg the rapper"

More than likely that was why Nas never really paid Jay any mind (at the time). Jay may have been older in age and introduced to recording music before Nas but Nas got the chance to get an album out before he did. Don't forget record labels refused to sign Jay for a long minute. Jay didn't come into the game with a cosign like Nas did. Folks however did know Jay was nice and recognised that (from Kane to Jaz etc)...During Jay's 'reign' cats came at Jay and lost from that same region as well as other regions (Jayo Felony anyone?). Post-ether, he took a hit but came back to form in 2003.

Jay was the last of their generation. The bridge if you will b/w the old pre-badboy era and the new post-badboy era. I think this was one of the things that made his transition to 'kingship' that much easier.

So in essence, Jay couldn't have gone at Big really. To Jay, Big wasn't really a 'mentor, mentor' but Big formed a partnernship with him. You don't diss the man you partner with. I'm sure if Big hadn't died, Jay may not have gone for NY kingship 'cos there wouldn't have been a need to. In fact during RD you can tell Jay wasn't really going for kingship but he wanted to be recognised as a dope emcee and given the just due. He prolly might have played his position and played second fiddle to Big sort of like the way AZ was to Nas. On 'in my lifetime' Jay took those reigns because again, folk wanted him there..I think ppl saw 'big' in him..and as such felt he should be next...somehow not Nas.

In fact one could theorise that Big wanted Jay to be his 'AZ' they both formed the 'Commission' together. Big knew Jay was an 'equal' but as far as the throne, it was strictly Big vs. Nas at the time. Jay actually at least in my mind did play his position. You could argue he saw an opportunity or the time was right for him to take the throne. It can go either way really. But the thing is Nas wasn't even crowned KONY at any pt in time, just the second coming of Rakim, KONY was always BIG's. Ppl and BIG himself crowned himself the KONY. I dunno why folk crowning Nas honestly. It's just Nas fans imo that crowned Nas...and that was during the takeover/ether debacle.

Anonymous said...

Damn neo is serious with this argument. This is what this blogging stuff is all about bird. good conversation.

oh and aye, i saw pursuit of happyness and i really couldnt believe after i left the theater,that will put on such a great performance. at the end, i saw grown men tearing up, real talk. great movie

the prisoner's wife said...

hola...

just stopping in quickly. i only hop on during weekends now. i feel bad. i spent 3 whole weeks in the city & didn't look you up (bad mama *slaps hand*).

how you be?

M.Dot. said...

T P EFFFFFFIN W.

IM TELLING MOMMA THAT YOU DID NOT HOLLER AND THAT I DID NOT SEE MY BABY BOO.

SHAME SHAME DOUBLE SHAM.

However I do understand what you are holding down in life.

Love to you and yours.

HB

M.Dot. said...

Neo Imma get you a puppy to play w/ cuz you going way to hawwwd man.

I had to read all that to get to the central thesis,

"It can go either way really. But the thing is Nas wasn't even crowned KONY at any pt in time, just the second coming of Rakim, KONY was always BIG's.".

NAS was KONY.

J waited for Big to die.

End of my ghetto storeeeee.

M.Dot. said...

Why you on the site promoting your jawn.

Be easy.

Be honest.

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