Sunday is my favorite day of the year.No, it's not my birthday.The Grammys come on tv.I can't wait.Call me a music nerd, but when it's Grammy time, I do absolutely nothing that day.If it has nothing to do with music or the Grammys, don't ask me to do it.The answer is no.My mom doesn't even bother me on that day.Nobody does.They know the deal.Well, this post is my predictions for the 2010 Grammy awards.You'll see the nominees, who I think will win, and who I think should win.I'm only doing the ones I care about.If you want complete coverage, follow me on twitter on Sunday, I'll be live tweeting them.
Album of the Year
* I Am... Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé
* The E.N.D., The Black Eyed Peas
* The Fame, Lady Gaga
* Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux Kings, Dave Matthews Band
* Fearless, Taylor Swift
-The Grammy voters are comprised of mostly, middle-aged white people, so just the fact that most of these artists are pop artists is a triumph in itself.With that being said, I think Dave Matthews will win this one.They will probably win just because they are the closest thing to the type of artist Grammy voters usually give this award to.Lady Gaga deserves this award the most because four number 1 singles off of a debut album hasn't happened in decades.I'm a believer in giving credit where its due.If the Grammys do the same, expect to see some wild ass outfit on stage when the winner is announced.
Record of the Year
* "Halo," Beyoncé
* "I Gotta Feeling," The Black Eyed Peas
* "Use Somebody," Kings of Leon
* "Poker Face," Lady Gaga
* "You Belong With Me," Taylor Swift
-This one primarily goes to the record that got on the public's nerves for most of the year.Looking at the nominees, that's going to be a hard one.The Grammy voters will, most likely, give this award to The BEPs simply because they are old white people love this song.This should go to my boys, Kings Of Leon.Even if you don't know who they are,you know their song.That's essentially what this award is for.
Song of the Year
* "Poker Face," Lady Gaga
* "Pretty Wings," Maxwell
* "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)," Beyoncé
* "Use Somebody," Kings of Leon
* "You Belong With Me," Taylor Swift
-The best wriiten song in this catagory is Maxwell's, but I think will go to ones of the ladies in this catagory.Doesn't matter wich one because they all had an amazing year.
Best New Artist
* Zac Brown Band
* Keri Hilson
* MGMT
* Silversun Pickups
* The Ting Tings
-Being that this catagory is usually career homicide, I don't want anyone to win.For every Mariah Carey that won this, there's a Paula Cole.Who?Exactly!Keri isn't going to win.It will probably be a country act or something of that nature.
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
* Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
* Melanie Fiona, "It Kills Me"
* Lalah Hathaway, "That Was Then"
* Ledisi, "Goin' Thru Changes"
* Jazmine Sullivan, "Lions, Tigers & Bears"
-Beyonce is going to win.She's going to win because of politics and not merit.Beyonce is nominated for all major awards and because she won't win any of those, she'll get all the R&B catagories.Melanie Fiona is my favorite, of course.
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
* Anthony Hamilton, "The Point of it All"
* Maxwell, "Pretty Wings"
* Musiq Soulchild, "Sobeautiful"
* Pleasure P, "Under"
* Charlie Wilson, "There Goes My Baby"
-The same goes for Maxwell as it did for Beyonce.He's nominated in major catagories.He's not going to win those, so to appease him, he'll get this.But all of these songs were my jams this year.
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
* Jamie Foxx and T-Pain, "Blame It"
* India.Arie and Musiq Soulchild, "Chocolate High"
* Musiq Soulchild and Mary J. Blige, "Ifuleave"
* Robert Randolph and the Clark Sisters, "Higher Ground"
* Calvin Richardson and Ann Nesby, "Love Has Finally Come at Last"
-Jamie Foxx is going to win.The Grammy voters love songs like these.Lyrics are easy to remember and Musiq is the most deserving for this award, but his two nominations cancel each other out.
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
* Beyoncé, "At Last"
* Anthony Hamilton, "Soul Music"
* Boney James & Quinn, "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight"
* Ann Nesby, "Sow Love"
* Calvin Richardson, "Woman Gotta Have It"
-All these songs are just ok.So really who cares who wins?
Best Urban/Alternative Performance
* "Daykeeper," The Foreign Exchange
* "All Matter," Robert Glasper and Bilal
* "Pearls," India.Arie and Dobet Gnahore
* "A Tale Of Two," Eric Roberson, Ben O'Neill and Michelle Thompson
* "Blend," Tonex
-Robert Glasper and Bilal have the best song out of the group, but the Grammys are still trying to make it up to India Arie for nominating her seven times and not giving her one award in 2002.Expect to see her win.
Best R&B Song
* "Blame It," Jamie Foxx and T-Pain
* "Lions, Tigers & Bears," Jazmine Sullivan
* "Pretty Wings," Maxwell
* "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", Beyoncé
* "Under," Pleasure P
-Jazmine Sullivan hands down should win.That song is the best written song.PERIOD.Beyonce is probably going to win though.
Best R&B Album
* The Point of It All, Anthony Hamilton
* Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics, India.Arie
* Turn Me Loose, Ledisi
* Blacksummers' Night, Maxwell
* Uncle Charlie, Charlie Wilson
-Maxwell is getting this because his album is the most cohesive musically.India Arie comes in a close second.
Best Contemporary R&B Album
* I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé
* Intuition, Jamie Foxx
* The Introduction of Marcus Cooper, Pleasure P
* Ready, Trey Songz
* Thr33 Ringz, T-Pain
_Trey Songz should win because nobody was really expecting him to make an album that damn good.Beyonce had the biggest year out of these nominees, so you already know.
Best Rap Solo Performance
* Drake, "Best I Ever Had"
* Eminem, "Beautiful"
* Jay-Z, "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"
* Kid Cudi, "Day and Night"
* Mos Def, "Casa Bey"
-While Drake deserves it, he hasn't put out an album and that does make a difference here.Expect this to go to either Eminem or Jay.
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
* "Too Many Rappers," Beastie Boys and Nas
* "Crack a Bottle," Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent
* "Money Goes, Honey Stay," Fabolous and Jay-Z
* "Make Her Say," Kid Cudi, Kanye West and Common
* "Amazing," Kanye West and Young Jeezy
-Either Em or Beastie Boys are going to walk away with this one and those two are the most deserving.Although, I'm rooting for Kanye and Jeezy.
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
* "Ego," Beyoncé and Kanye West
* "Knock You Down," Keri Hilson, Kanye West and Ne-Yo
* "Run This Town," Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West
* "I'm On a Boat," The Lonely Island and T-Pain
* "Dead and Gone," T.I. and Justin Timberlake
-Jay isn't going to win.The Lonely Island was only in here because there was no other place to put them.T.I. is the most deserving, but I have a strong feeling Keri is getting this.
Best Rap Song
* "Best I Ever Had," Drake
* "Day 'N' Nite," Kid Cudi
* "Dead and Gone," T.I. and Justin Timberlake
* "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," Jay-Z
* "Run This Town," Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West
-Drake should get this because he has the best wriiten song,but he won't because he doesn't have an album yet.That's really killing him. Cudi or T.I. will wind up making a speech for this.
Best Rap Album
* Universal Mind Control, Common
* Relapse, Eminem
* R.O.O.T.S., Flo Rida
* The Ecstatic, Mos Def
* The Renaissance, Q-Tip
-Flo Rida being nominated in this catagory exemplfies my point about Grammy voters being older white people.because he isn't really a rapper.Q-Tip should get this because he had the most creative album out of this group.Eminem is going to win because this was his comeback album.
Those are the predictions for the catagories I really care about.I will be live tweeting on Sunday So if you haven't, follow me on there.(twitter.com/kingsiizepoppa).Then Monday's blog will be my review of The Grammys.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Something I Never Do
Ladies and Gentleman, I am about to do something I never do.I have to apologize to Rihanna.I refused to buy her album because I thought the singles weren't that good.I'm listening to the album now and it's fire.
This is her most personal and aggressive album.We all know why, so there's no need to rehash the same old stuff.Every song on sounds like a letter being written to her ex about his bullshit, her bullshit, and the bullshit they faced in their turbulent relationship.Rih Rih is bringing back influences from her first album-namely the island flavor-and mixing them with elements from the Good Girl Gone Bad album (aka the rock guitars).The lyrics are something serious.She is cussing and giving every hater the business, if you know what I mean. I've never bought an album by her, but I might have to go purchase this one. I'm listening to my friend's, in case you were wondering.Standout tracks Are Hard, Stupid In Love, G4L, and many more.Just check it out if you haven't already.Can somebody give me a late pass for this one?
So Rihanna, I apologize.I was a hater and you proved me wrong.It's too bad your best album was certified triple plastic.
This is her most personal and aggressive album.We all know why, so there's no need to rehash the same old stuff.Every song on sounds like a letter being written to her ex about his bullshit, her bullshit, and the bullshit they faced in their turbulent relationship.Rih Rih is bringing back influences from her first album-namely the island flavor-and mixing them with elements from the Good Girl Gone Bad album (aka the rock guitars).The lyrics are something serious.She is cussing and giving every hater the business, if you know what I mean. I've never bought an album by her, but I might have to go purchase this one. I'm listening to my friend's, in case you were wondering.Standout tracks Are Hard, Stupid In Love, G4L, and many more.Just check it out if you haven't already.Can somebody give me a late pass for this one?
So Rihanna, I apologize.I was a hater and you proved me wrong.It's too bad your best album was certified triple plastic.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
What's Mine Should Stay Mine
Today is like any normal day.I have my music blasting.The -Dream "I Love Your Girl" comes on.that's my jam, so I'm singing along and something causes me to stop dead in my tracks.How come every male R&B singer wants my damn girl?
Before, R&B was about falling in love, making love, and anything else having to do with love. Let's trace it back. Jodeci had hits like "Forever My Lady", "Stay", "Freek'n You'.All songs about the different aspects of love-with their woman.Not mine, not yours, but theirs.How come all the damn sudden, these guys are no longer satisfied with their woman, they have to come after mine?Hell, I don't even have a girlfriend and I'm pissed about this.
Ok now, back to The-Dream.Is he trying to take my chick because Weezy took his?Is he still bitter that he now has to share baby daddy status with him?I mean Christina Milian looks better than Nivea anyway.So what's the problem?To the-Dream, I say this, homie you now have Grammys, Christina Milian, tons of hits, and millions of dollars.Stay away from the average females I'm trying to holler at.Please and thank you.
There are other singers that do this too, such as John Legend.Even though, "She Don't Have To Know" is about him cheating on his girl, he says something to the effect of her being wrong for cheating on her man with him.To him, I say, back the hell up.You already messing up your home.Leave mine out of it.Nobody asked you to come over here singing the panties off of my chick just because you can...Wait, on second thought, he doesn't date black women.So he's off the hook.For now, at least.
Finally, the biggest offender of the Hands Off rule is Chris Breezy.He has songs talking all kinds of crazy."Your Man Aint Me" is him blatantly trying to pull a dude's shawty.Period.Well, I guess this is to be expected when he came into the game talking about,"Is your man on the floor?If he aint, let me know.."To Chris, I say, it's a bitch move for you to see if I'm around before you try pushing up on shawty.See what happens if you tried to do some shit like that in my face.My name isn't Rih Rih, playa.Watch your step.
Let's leave it like this, What's your is yours.What's mine is mine.Let's keep it that way.You know, am i reacting this way because I can't pull a Rihanna or a Christy Teigen?Yeah, maybe.Sounds like I need to man up..hahahaha
Before, R&B was about falling in love, making love, and anything else having to do with love. Let's trace it back. Jodeci had hits like "Forever My Lady", "Stay", "Freek'n You'.All songs about the different aspects of love-with their woman.Not mine, not yours, but theirs.How come all the damn sudden, these guys are no longer satisfied with their woman, they have to come after mine?Hell, I don't even have a girlfriend and I'm pissed about this.
Ok now, back to The-Dream.Is he trying to take my chick because Weezy took his?Is he still bitter that he now has to share baby daddy status with him?I mean Christina Milian looks better than Nivea anyway.So what's the problem?To the-Dream, I say this, homie you now have Grammys, Christina Milian, tons of hits, and millions of dollars.Stay away from the average females I'm trying to holler at.Please and thank you.
There are other singers that do this too, such as John Legend.Even though, "She Don't Have To Know" is about him cheating on his girl, he says something to the effect of her being wrong for cheating on her man with him.To him, I say, back the hell up.You already messing up your home.Leave mine out of it.Nobody asked you to come over here singing the panties off of my chick just because you can...Wait, on second thought, he doesn't date black women.So he's off the hook.For now, at least.
Finally, the biggest offender of the Hands Off rule is Chris Breezy.He has songs talking all kinds of crazy."Your Man Aint Me" is him blatantly trying to pull a dude's shawty.Period.Well, I guess this is to be expected when he came into the game talking about,"Is your man on the floor?If he aint, let me know.."To Chris, I say, it's a bitch move for you to see if I'm around before you try pushing up on shawty.See what happens if you tried to do some shit like that in my face.My name isn't Rih Rih, playa.Watch your step.
Let's leave it like this, What's your is yours.What's mine is mine.Let's keep it that way.You know, am i reacting this way because I can't pull a Rihanna or a Christy Teigen?Yeah, maybe.Sounds like I need to man up..hahahaha
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Proceed With Caution
Last night I watched The Pregnancy Pact on Lifetime.We all remember that story, right? A group of girls made a pact to get pregnant at the same time, in order to raise their babies together.I thought the movie was good.But it had me tripping a tad because who in the world would do some dumb shit like that?!?!Anyone?Bueller?Don't worry, I'll wait for someone to give me a reasonable response.What added to my tripping out is a friend of mine is dating a girl, who is the same age as these girls in the movie, and she just had a baby.When he told me that, my only reply was to PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
I'm not against women becoming mothers.I mean, as much as I shout about me not wanting kids, I secretly do want kids.But that's not the point.I am a twenty two year old guy still trying to find my way through life.So, getting into a long-term relationship now isn't even on my radar.But dealing with a female with kids already, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to pass on that.Why? Because I can barely keep my head above water with the responsibilities I have now.I can barely take care of myself.What do I look like taking care of myself,trying to wine and dine a female, and then go play male figure in some kid's life who I don't really know.Now, let me be fair and say, most women with children just won't let any random man meet their child.But from what I've seen from the people around me, that's changing rapidly.
My mom is a single mother and she would date a man for a long ass time before he ever got a chance to meet me.But my mom's an old-school kind of woman.These girls out here today, are just letting any Tom, Dick, or Harry meet their children.I don't think they do it because they're really into the guy.Sometimes, I think new- age women (that's what I'll call them.) bring a guy around their child early on to see if the guy can handle a serious relationship and a built in family all at once.I almost got caught in some non-sense like that.but I dipped as soon as she started talking that "What if.." crap.
Call me cold hearted, or what have you.I like to think I have standards.I am not going to be messing with a girl with children already because that's not my thing.I'm not ready to play daddy.I'm not ready to help change diapers.Even though I can.I worked in a day care center when I was fifteen.Yes, I know, hard to believe.Being there, taught me that once you have a child so young, love and all it's many splendors, are put on the back burner.I'm an only child and I'm not too good with sharing.Basically, if we're going to see where a relationship can go, we don't need all the extra baggage.Even though,some are going to be upset that I called kids baggage.It is what it is.
Kids are baggage because along with kids comes, baby daddy drama.In most of the cases I've seen.Even after a man and woman have a child and break up, they're still hitting the sheets. Nine times out of ten that's the case.I'm not about to be in a relationship with you and you still fucking your baby's daddy.Hell to the naw.Not here.You can take that shit to another sucka.Fellas, can you imagine, you really into this girl and her baby's father comes around.He's cool, but he's always got some smug ass grin on his face.You wonder why and then realize he's still getting what you thought was yours.who's going to deal with that?Certainly, not I.My boy says, it doesn't bother him that his girl has a child. That's cool.For him.In my eyes, under twenty-five, she better not have kids.Period.I couldn't deal with that.But if you choose to, do so with caution because there will always be baby daddy dram lurking around every corner.
I'm not against women becoming mothers.I mean, as much as I shout about me not wanting kids, I secretly do want kids.But that's not the point.I am a twenty two year old guy still trying to find my way through life.So, getting into a long-term relationship now isn't even on my radar.But dealing with a female with kids already, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to pass on that.Why? Because I can barely keep my head above water with the responsibilities I have now.I can barely take care of myself.What do I look like taking care of myself,trying to wine and dine a female, and then go play male figure in some kid's life who I don't really know.Now, let me be fair and say, most women with children just won't let any random man meet their child.But from what I've seen from the people around me, that's changing rapidly.
My mom is a single mother and she would date a man for a long ass time before he ever got a chance to meet me.But my mom's an old-school kind of woman.These girls out here today, are just letting any Tom, Dick, or Harry meet their children.I don't think they do it because they're really into the guy.Sometimes, I think new- age women (that's what I'll call them.) bring a guy around their child early on to see if the guy can handle a serious relationship and a built in family all at once.I almost got caught in some non-sense like that.but I dipped as soon as she started talking that "What if.." crap.
Call me cold hearted, or what have you.I like to think I have standards.I am not going to be messing with a girl with children already because that's not my thing.I'm not ready to play daddy.I'm not ready to help change diapers.Even though I can.I worked in a day care center when I was fifteen.Yes, I know, hard to believe.Being there, taught me that once you have a child so young, love and all it's many splendors, are put on the back burner.I'm an only child and I'm not too good with sharing.Basically, if we're going to see where a relationship can go, we don't need all the extra baggage.Even though,some are going to be upset that I called kids baggage.It is what it is.
Kids are baggage because along with kids comes, baby daddy drama.In most of the cases I've seen.Even after a man and woman have a child and break up, they're still hitting the sheets. Nine times out of ten that's the case.I'm not about to be in a relationship with you and you still fucking your baby's daddy.Hell to the naw.Not here.You can take that shit to another sucka.Fellas, can you imagine, you really into this girl and her baby's father comes around.He's cool, but he's always got some smug ass grin on his face.You wonder why and then realize he's still getting what you thought was yours.who's going to deal with that?Certainly, not I.My boy says, it doesn't bother him that his girl has a child. That's cool.For him.In my eyes, under twenty-five, she better not have kids.Period.I couldn't deal with that.But if you choose to, do so with caution because there will always be baby daddy dram lurking around every corner.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Rainy Day Activitiy
It is a rainy ass day in Jersey.If you know me, you'd know that these are the days i stat in the house.I don't leave for anybody or anything.Usually, I watch movies and just relax.Thay's what this post is about.My favorite movies.Watch them if you haven't seen them.If you have seen them, watch them again.
movie
why its my favorite
favorite line
COMING TO AMERICA-
This is my favorite because its Coming To America.Is there any other reason.From start to finish, it's non-stop laughs.Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall each play about six characters apiece.Let's just think about it, when you can't say you have a favorite part of something because the whole thing is your favorite part...Just watch that shit for GP(general purposes).
Best line: "Donations!Donations!..You tall black Motherfucker!!" That was said in church.
MY COUSIN VINNY-
You have to watch this just because of the double entandres in the script.That and Marisa Tomei is hilarious in this as the girlfriend.Joe Pesci is the most inept lawyer you can find.But this fish out of water story is too funny.Still holds up today.
Best line: " Imagine you're a deer. You put your tiny, deer lips to the brook to get a drink of water.Then, BAM!! You're fuckin head gets blown off.Now i ask yoa,would you give a shit about the kind of pants the son of a bitch,who shot you, was wearin?"
THE FIVE HEARTBEATS-
This movie is a black person classic.If you haven't seen this at least once, please drop your black card into the comment section.A fictionalized account of the RnB group, The Dells. Leon does his thing.Robert Townsend wrote it with Keenan Ivory Wayans.this movie is just pisses excellence.
Best line: " Crossover?! How come they don't crossover to us? I've never seen five niggers on Elvis Presley's Album cover!"
Actually, I'm going to go watch that now.you should do the same.Until tomorrow.
movie
why its my favorite
favorite line
COMING TO AMERICA-
This is my favorite because its Coming To America.Is there any other reason.From start to finish, it's non-stop laughs.Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall each play about six characters apiece.Let's just think about it, when you can't say you have a favorite part of something because the whole thing is your favorite part...Just watch that shit for GP(general purposes).
Best line: "Donations!Donations!..You tall black Motherfucker!!" That was said in church.
MY COUSIN VINNY-
You have to watch this just because of the double entandres in the script.That and Marisa Tomei is hilarious in this as the girlfriend.Joe Pesci is the most inept lawyer you can find.But this fish out of water story is too funny.Still holds up today.
Best line: " Imagine you're a deer. You put your tiny, deer lips to the brook to get a drink of water.Then, BAM!! You're fuckin head gets blown off.Now i ask yoa,would you give a shit about the kind of pants the son of a bitch,who shot you, was wearin?"
THE FIVE HEARTBEATS-
This movie is a black person classic.If you haven't seen this at least once, please drop your black card into the comment section.A fictionalized account of the RnB group, The Dells. Leon does his thing.Robert Townsend wrote it with Keenan Ivory Wayans.this movie is just pisses excellence.
Best line: " Crossover?! How come they don't crossover to us? I've never seen five niggers on Elvis Presley's Album cover!"
Actually, I'm going to go watch that now.you should do the same.Until tomorrow.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Great Divide
So the intended post has been scrapped for now.You will see it later in time though.I just got home from work and I'm feeling kind of good.I pop in my 'The Best of Nicki Minaj' mixtape, and it once again, leads me to contemplate.How come there's no balance when it comes to femcees?
If you think back to the beginning of hip-hop, females were underestimated when it came to rhyme skills.That is until MC Lyte and Queen Latifah stood up and represented for females everywhere.Now most will cry foul that Roxanne Shante wasn't mentioned in that last sentence, but in my opinion, she was never really that hot.Back then, maybe, but never to me.Anyway, MC Lyte came into the game outrapping most, if not all, men in the game at the time. If you dont agree with me, refer yourself to "10% Diss" or "Paper Thin". Queen Latifah's rhymes were mostly about women getting respect from men. That was the '80s.
Then came the'90s.Lil Kim and Foxy Brown ushered in a rap style of overtly sexual lyrics.It went from "..When you say you love me/ It doesn't matter/ It goes into my head as just chit chatter.." to " I used to be scared of the dick/ Now I throw lips to the shit.." Foxy didn't make it any better.Her moniker is Ill Nana.if you're too dense to understand, she's saying that her no no naughty place is the best.Get it now? Then Eve came in and carved her own lane. Sexy as they came, yet she outrapped a lot of men.Well those days are long gone.Kim did a bid and then hit Dancing With The Stars.Foxy can't keep her hot ass temper in check long enough to produce any new material.Eve thought she was an actress because she had one or two good roles,but we see where her career is at.Which leaves us with Trina and Nicki.Both women are sexy and they use their sex appeal as a weapon.Can we not find a balance? Must the femcees that get respect for lyrics be butch lesbians with a fade and a little chin stubble?Why does a femcee who has overtly sexual rhymes only judged on how fine she is?I'll tell you why, from my perspective.
Men like eye candy. Women like to play up their sexuality and men get distracted.I've said to people when having this discussion, Nicki Minaj can rap, but I'd hit that. But when talking about Queen Latifah, my response leans more towards "'Ladies First' is one of the illest rap songs." The guys I know like lesbians.Lipstick lesbiabns.Queen Latifah is three quarters butch and one quarter lipstick.So automatically, she's out of my head.Nicki Minaj is playing to the so-called male fantasy so much that you tend to ignore what she says.Peep Nicki's flow. "I was on the plane with DeWayne/you could call me Whitley/ I go to Hillman".If you're familiar with the show 'A Different World',you know that was straight fire.You probably never even heard that line, or paid attention to it.Everybody stop sleeping on the harajuku barbie.
Weezy said in a rhyme,and I'm paraphrasing here: "We gotta find middleground/We need balance."Basically, he's asking WHERE'S LAURYN HILL ??????? Me too,Weezy. I want to know where she is too.Female rap needs balance and Lauryn Hill is that,or rather,was that.Let's hope she can get herself together enough to put out another classic and represent for both sides of female rappers.
If you think back to the beginning of hip-hop, females were underestimated when it came to rhyme skills.That is until MC Lyte and Queen Latifah stood up and represented for females everywhere.Now most will cry foul that Roxanne Shante wasn't mentioned in that last sentence, but in my opinion, she was never really that hot.Back then, maybe, but never to me.Anyway, MC Lyte came into the game outrapping most, if not all, men in the game at the time. If you dont agree with me, refer yourself to "10% Diss" or "Paper Thin". Queen Latifah's rhymes were mostly about women getting respect from men. That was the '80s.
Then came the'90s.Lil Kim and Foxy Brown ushered in a rap style of overtly sexual lyrics.It went from "..When you say you love me/ It doesn't matter/ It goes into my head as just chit chatter.." to " I used to be scared of the dick/ Now I throw lips to the shit.." Foxy didn't make it any better.Her moniker is Ill Nana.if you're too dense to understand, she's saying that her no no naughty place is the best.Get it now? Then Eve came in and carved her own lane. Sexy as they came, yet she outrapped a lot of men.Well those days are long gone.Kim did a bid and then hit Dancing With The Stars.Foxy can't keep her hot ass temper in check long enough to produce any new material.Eve thought she was an actress because she had one or two good roles,but we see where her career is at.Which leaves us with Trina and Nicki.Both women are sexy and they use their sex appeal as a weapon.Can we not find a balance? Must the femcees that get respect for lyrics be butch lesbians with a fade and a little chin stubble?Why does a femcee who has overtly sexual rhymes only judged on how fine she is?I'll tell you why, from my perspective.
Men like eye candy. Women like to play up their sexuality and men get distracted.I've said to people when having this discussion, Nicki Minaj can rap, but I'd hit that. But when talking about Queen Latifah, my response leans more towards "'Ladies First' is one of the illest rap songs." The guys I know like lesbians.Lipstick lesbiabns.Queen Latifah is three quarters butch and one quarter lipstick.So automatically, she's out of my head.Nicki Minaj is playing to the so-called male fantasy so much that you tend to ignore what she says.Peep Nicki's flow. "I was on the plane with DeWayne/you could call me Whitley/ I go to Hillman".If you're familiar with the show 'A Different World',you know that was straight fire.You probably never even heard that line, or paid attention to it.Everybody stop sleeping on the harajuku barbie.
Weezy said in a rhyme,and I'm paraphrasing here: "We gotta find middleground/We need balance."Basically, he's asking WHERE'S LAURYN HILL ??????? Me too,Weezy. I want to know where she is too.Female rap needs balance and Lauryn Hill is that,or rather,was that.Let's hope she can get herself together enough to put out another classic and represent for both sides of female rappers.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Hip-Hop Debate
..Hey guys, I'm researching for tommorow's blog post. So please just sit back and enjoy this poem to tide you over until then.The poem is called The Hip-Hop Debate.
you be the break beat snare drum and sped up soul loop
drivin 'round town in the convertible coups
just sold a million today dude buggin
fuck it that nigga souped
rocked ya addias wit no laces when ya ran thru some places
played CNN to those who tried to see past whats in front of they faces
sold crack rock cuz you said fuck the wicked jump shot
but now you make money by recitin big and pac
lyin all in the videos
dancin wit hoes
could say somethin substantial
but the bling really glows
cant rhyme bout nothin important
just tell us come to one of my shows
started dumbin down ya flows
i been here since ya started
playa ive watched you grow
i could say a lot about you
just one thing i gotta know
why you gon sell out to get ya pockets swole?
you got it wrong pimpin im more than just a beat
im that hot sixteen that rose the Garden to its feet
i started out in parks and the corner of the street
and you mighta seen me grow
but for real you really dont know
what i went thru to get here
how hard i'll work just to stay there
im at the top why wouldnt i wanna be here
you talkin slick cuz its women i objectify
ever realize all the things you glamorize
theres a lot of niggas usin me to get out they dreams confined
you created me then fuckin degraded me
now im reflectin back to you your misoygny vivdly
cant handle what you see
so its me you tried to bury
could shut me down one day
but i'll be back in some other way
so sue me for makin some shit thats hot
and talkin bout makin the bottles pop
i did more than speak on drops
so all thats wrong in you
stop blamin it on me hip hop
you be the break beat snare drum and sped up soul loop
drivin 'round town in the convertible coups
just sold a million today dude buggin
fuck it that nigga souped
rocked ya addias wit no laces when ya ran thru some places
played CNN to those who tried to see past whats in front of they faces
sold crack rock cuz you said fuck the wicked jump shot
but now you make money by recitin big and pac
lyin all in the videos
dancin wit hoes
could say somethin substantial
but the bling really glows
cant rhyme bout nothin important
just tell us come to one of my shows
started dumbin down ya flows
i been here since ya started
playa ive watched you grow
i could say a lot about you
just one thing i gotta know
why you gon sell out to get ya pockets swole?
you got it wrong pimpin im more than just a beat
im that hot sixteen that rose the Garden to its feet
i started out in parks and the corner of the street
and you mighta seen me grow
but for real you really dont know
what i went thru to get here
how hard i'll work just to stay there
im at the top why wouldnt i wanna be here
you talkin slick cuz its women i objectify
ever realize all the things you glamorize
theres a lot of niggas usin me to get out they dreams confined
you created me then fuckin degraded me
now im reflectin back to you your misoygny vivdly
cant handle what you see
so its me you tried to bury
could shut me down one day
but i'll be back in some other way
so sue me for makin some shit thats hot
and talkin bout makin the bottles pop
i did more than speak on drops
so all thats wrong in you
stop blamin it on me hip hop
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
What Will We Tell Our Children?
Life happens. As children are born, grandparents pass. But through the ups and downs there is always a soundtrack to your memories. Think about it. Don't you remember being a pre-teen/ teenager blasting dirty rap songs in your room and your mom telling you that music nowadays just isn't the same as it used to be? Can't you hear your mom saying how rap music isn't really an artform, but loud noise with no point? See, my mom grew up on The O'Jays and soul music. She drilled those songs in my head until I could recite the words to 'Backstabbers' fowards and backwards. Which leads me to wonder, what will we say to our children about the music of today.
Most of you will agree when I say, most music out now is trash, or damn near close to trash. We have Lil Wayne, instead of 2pac. Soulja Boy as opposed to Big Daddy Kane. The hip-hop of today is decidedly less about substance and more how thick your money stack is. If hip-hop continues in this direction, it will only be a matter of time before we have songs talking about 'Girl, I got a phat ride and a platinum money clip.Drop down to your knees and suck my dick.' Harsh, maybe. Truth, definitely. So, what will we say to them? Turn that porn you listening to off?
Will we be the kind of parents that allow our children to listen to the crass shit we won't listen to now because that will be the new trend? I can imagine myself telling my son, "Boy, back in my day, we had good music like Gucci Mane and Omarion." If any of you ever hear that come out of my mouth and I'm not being sarcastic, Chris Brown my ass. What music will we play for them like our parents played Anita Baker for us? Or will we still be calling the soul music from the '70s the best music ever. I mean, there is good music of today, but its still not as soulful the music of yester-year. Hopefully, we get to introduce our kids to the hip-hop of today and yesterday without having to justify why we listened to it. Call me a music snob, but I only rock with the best. So that means rappers in the vein of Soulja Boy and Bow Wow won't ever get any kind of co-sign from me in the future. Rappers like Wale and J.Cole will. Singers with Cassie and Ashanti's singing abilities won't be blasting on Saturday mornings, that spot will be reserved for artists like Melanie Fiona, Alice Smith, and Lauryn Hill.
No, I won't be playing today's craptastic songs for my children.They'll probably hear that mess outside of the house. But I will have to give them the "Back In My Day" speech.Its just the way the world works. Its just like getting an ass whooping as a child. I had to sit through it, so mine will have to.Its a right of passage because life happens. Plus, we're always going to need a soundtrack for our memories.
Most of you will agree when I say, most music out now is trash, or damn near close to trash. We have Lil Wayne, instead of 2pac. Soulja Boy as opposed to Big Daddy Kane. The hip-hop of today is decidedly less about substance and more how thick your money stack is. If hip-hop continues in this direction, it will only be a matter of time before we have songs talking about 'Girl, I got a phat ride and a platinum money clip.Drop down to your knees and suck my dick.' Harsh, maybe. Truth, definitely. So, what will we say to them? Turn that porn you listening to off?
Will we be the kind of parents that allow our children to listen to the crass shit we won't listen to now because that will be the new trend? I can imagine myself telling my son, "Boy, back in my day, we had good music like Gucci Mane and Omarion." If any of you ever hear that come out of my mouth and I'm not being sarcastic, Chris Brown my ass. What music will we play for them like our parents played Anita Baker for us? Or will we still be calling the soul music from the '70s the best music ever. I mean, there is good music of today, but its still not as soulful the music of yester-year. Hopefully, we get to introduce our kids to the hip-hop of today and yesterday without having to justify why we listened to it. Call me a music snob, but I only rock with the best. So that means rappers in the vein of Soulja Boy and Bow Wow won't ever get any kind of co-sign from me in the future. Rappers like Wale and J.Cole will. Singers with Cassie and Ashanti's singing abilities won't be blasting on Saturday mornings, that spot will be reserved for artists like Melanie Fiona, Alice Smith, and Lauryn Hill.
No, I won't be playing today's craptastic songs for my children.They'll probably hear that mess outside of the house. But I will have to give them the "Back In My Day" speech.Its just the way the world works. Its just like getting an ass whooping as a child. I had to sit through it, so mine will have to.Its a right of passage because life happens. Plus, we're always going to need a soundtrack for our memories.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Cheating: The Best Wake Up Call Eldrick Woods Could Ask For
Hey guys. Welcome to UnSilent Radio. This is a blog about all things entertainment- including music,movies,fashion, etc. Actually this is about my opinion of all that. But for the first post I want to talk about some old stuff. Tiger Woods, to be exact.
Eldrick 'Tiger' Woods is an amazing athlete. He is a humanitarian. He donates to charity. He is damn near a billionaire, thanks to his endorsements. But none of that matters. As of late 2009, Tiger Woods is an adulterer. Not a very good one, at that.His wife went postal on his truck because she found out he was cheating on her with a bevy of semi-attractive women. And while his marriage is in shambles and endorsements dwindling,this couldn't be a better time for him.
Tiger is in the awkward space where you just realized you fucked up royally and will do anything to fix the situation. So the first thing for him to do was issue a half hearted apology and disappear into rehab. While there, he has the time to do some self discovery. The one thing he will get the chance to understand is: HE IS A BLACK MAN.
If you think back to when Tiger first popped onto America's radar, he was hailed as the first black man to win the Master's Tour. Even though, America- black America- claimed him, he never accepted that title. Tiger always tried to water down his blackness. I remember seeing him on a talk show and he refused to say he was black. Tiger, without hesitation, would call himself "cablasian". For those wondering, caucasian, black-or as he put it-afro american, and asian. That was his way of saying to middle America, 'Hey, dont be alarmed.I'm only half-negro.' For a period of time, this image spinning worked for him. Tiger's black card was replaced by flimsy friendships with the gatekeepers of fame and excess. Things were going really well.Marriage and children followed his success. Then, Tiger was in an "accident".
Tiger's wife, Elin, found out he was cheating on her. I swear, she might be white, but she has some sista-girl tendencies. Busting windows out of his truck while he was in it?! Come on now, we all know that sounds like something a Shaniqua would do. Not an Elin. But I digress. Once all the sordid details hit the 'net, it was a wrap for Mr. I'm - Not - A - Black - Man. White America went ape shit. Questions arose.How could that negro do Elin so dirty? Does he have morals? White people hit up every news media outlet to condemn his scandalous ass. The man who introduced Tiger to Elin, went on Entertainment Tonight to publicly say Tiger was a piece of shit. Mind you, that man served as best man at the wedding.
I said all of that to say, Tiger, you are mixed. Not just one ethnicity. Not only are you White, but you are Black, and Asian. When you are on top, each group is going to claim you. But as you can see now, when you fuck up, you're considered a Black man. White people are going to look at you and think you're just another negro with talent in sports. Asians are probably going to marvel that you're kind of tall, or something miniscule like that. While, us black folk will be the ones to have to pick you up and dust you off. It will be up to us to put you back on top, where you fell extremely hard from. So represent for for brothas and sistas. In conclusion, Tiger, if you're going to cheat, be smart about it. That means don't leave voicemails on the mistress' phone saying, "Hey, it's Tiger.." Everbody thinks you're jackass for that now.
Eldrick 'Tiger' Woods is an amazing athlete. He is a humanitarian. He donates to charity. He is damn near a billionaire, thanks to his endorsements. But none of that matters. As of late 2009, Tiger Woods is an adulterer. Not a very good one, at that.His wife went postal on his truck because she found out he was cheating on her with a bevy of semi-attractive women. And while his marriage is in shambles and endorsements dwindling,this couldn't be a better time for him.
Tiger is in the awkward space where you just realized you fucked up royally and will do anything to fix the situation. So the first thing for him to do was issue a half hearted apology and disappear into rehab. While there, he has the time to do some self discovery. The one thing he will get the chance to understand is: HE IS A BLACK MAN.
If you think back to when Tiger first popped onto America's radar, he was hailed as the first black man to win the Master's Tour. Even though, America- black America- claimed him, he never accepted that title. Tiger always tried to water down his blackness. I remember seeing him on a talk show and he refused to say he was black. Tiger, without hesitation, would call himself "cablasian". For those wondering, caucasian, black-or as he put it-afro american, and asian. That was his way of saying to middle America, 'Hey, dont be alarmed.I'm only half-negro.' For a period of time, this image spinning worked for him. Tiger's black card was replaced by flimsy friendships with the gatekeepers of fame and excess. Things were going really well.Marriage and children followed his success. Then, Tiger was in an "accident".
Tiger's wife, Elin, found out he was cheating on her. I swear, she might be white, but she has some sista-girl tendencies. Busting windows out of his truck while he was in it?! Come on now, we all know that sounds like something a Shaniqua would do. Not an Elin. But I digress. Once all the sordid details hit the 'net, it was a wrap for Mr. I'm - Not - A - Black - Man. White America went ape shit. Questions arose.How could that negro do Elin so dirty? Does he have morals? White people hit up every news media outlet to condemn his scandalous ass. The man who introduced Tiger to Elin, went on Entertainment Tonight to publicly say Tiger was a piece of shit. Mind you, that man served as best man at the wedding.
I said all of that to say, Tiger, you are mixed. Not just one ethnicity. Not only are you White, but you are Black, and Asian. When you are on top, each group is going to claim you. But as you can see now, when you fuck up, you're considered a Black man. White people are going to look at you and think you're just another negro with talent in sports. Asians are probably going to marvel that you're kind of tall, or something miniscule like that. While, us black folk will be the ones to have to pick you up and dust you off. It will be up to us to put you back on top, where you fell extremely hard from. So represent for for brothas and sistas. In conclusion, Tiger, if you're going to cheat, be smart about it. That means don't leave voicemails on the mistress' phone saying, "Hey, it's Tiger.." Everbody thinks you're jackass for that now.
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