DMX was such a paramount figure because he was, almost to a fault, so damn believable. His most charming quality was being three screws loose of a complete toolbox and that character flaw was exactly what the genre needed – a guy who could pile drive all conventional wisdom while threatening to rob your family at gunpoint. In fact, the only “soft” characteristic about him was his resistance towards hard drugs which eventually derailed the career of a man who once looked Jay-Z eye-to-eye in terms of popularity. Read the rest of this entry »

Rolling around in my girl’s whip the other day, I heard “Excuse Me Miss” on the radio. Since I’ve never been one to jock Jay-Z, especially not his singles, I was impressed when I heard Hov spit the following line.

“Smiley faces after all of her phrases
Either she the one or I’m caught in “The Matrix”
But fuck it, let the Fish-burne
Red or green pill, you live and you learn, c’mon!”

Not only did the line stir up the thought that it might be the best rap reference to The Matrix ever, but it also reiterated an old post I wrote and never posted about over saturated lines in Hip-Hop. When it comes to themes, concepts and vision in rap music, we all know there’s too much “swagger” and not enough creativity. But, when the punchlines have gotten more played out than Kristie Allie’s Wii Fit pad, we have a problem.

Case in point, below are ten MCs spinning Read the rest of this entry »

Evelyn O.

Microsoft To Start Shipping Windows 7 In September [Gizmodo]

Five MLB Players To Root For In 2009 [YB]

Dom Kennedy – The Hundreds Freestyle [2DB]

Some (Not So) Serious Thoughts On Obama’s Address [Our Kitchen Sink]

Degrading Lyrics Linked to Underage Sex [Asylum]

Two Arizona Teens Accused Of Pimping Other Girls [CNN]

GQ’s Top 20 Favorite Records Stores [GQ]

Back To Hip-Hop, Rick Rubin Working With The Clipse [TDS]

LV Is Down With The Streets [K&G]

Twitter.com/TSS_Crew

I figure it’s time to tell you some things about myself. To reveal some of what makes me click & part of the music that keeps me going. You might presuppose that, as a blogger, I walk around in a haze with earmuff headphones, unlaced Timbs & reading back issues of Scratch magazine. That I stay on messageboards, debating the Gza’s varying rhyme schemes used on Liquid Swords.

Noncipher. Read the rest of this entry »

I consider myself quite ingenious, but there’s no way I can create this type of tomfoolery. Found in the inbox… Read the rest of this entry »

“‘Yall dont even know every day I’m livin with stress
Got up out the streets you think a nigga could rest
Can’t even enjoy myself at a party unless
I’m on the dance floor hot ass vest
You think I’m freakin’ these chicks right?
I’try not to brush against they chest
You get a lawsuit for shit like that, I feel trapped Read the rest of this entry »

Words By David D.

We’ve all got out darker sides.

At one point in your life, you’ve been at that breaking point where you wanted to just ride out and bloody up your significant other, boss or family member. Imagine for one moment you could. You’re in the car on your way to seek revenge. Now…what MC are you listening to? Read the rest of this entry »

“…Was afraid that he’d tell me I deserve less
My life was nervous, you haven’t heard stress
Til you heard the cries of my mama, me givin her drama
Told her I aint promised tomorrow, gotta live for the day
And before she could say ‘Jay!’… Read the rest of this entry »