Everyone loves a rookie’s story. Some pan out to become superstars. Others find themselves as permanent punchlines. In Hip-Hop, it’s the same pressure on a different platform. Music relies directly on the consumer’s feedback to determine how much success, if any, the artist will see. If the fans aren’t appreciative, neither are record labels. The music industry’s gift and curse, some would say. In today’s climate, J. Cole, Freddie Gibbs, Pill, Wiz Khalifa, Drake and others are all making strides in the positive direction at the current moment. Read the rest of this entry »

Since he had a short discography, I question Big’s rank in the game every now & then. But, when I go back to Ready To Die & listen to how eloquently he floated lines like like “there’s gonna be alotta slow singin-nnn and flowering bringin-nnn, if my burglar alarm starts ringin’…” all my previous skepticism is removed. Read the rest of this entry »

“…I’ll be d*mned if this ain’t some sh*t
Come to spread the butter lyrics over hominy grit
It’s the low killer death trap, yes I’m a jet black ninja
Comin where you rest at, surrender
Step inside the ring, yous the number one contender
Lookin cold booty like your p*ssy in December
Aggin stop b*tchin, button up ya lip and
From Method all you gettin is a can of *ss-whippin
Hey, I’ll be kickin, you son, you doin all the yappin
Actin as if it can’t happen
You front and got me mad enough to touch somethin
Yo I’m from Shaolin, Island, and ain’t afraid to bust somethin
So what cha want aggin, ya punk aggin”
I got a six-shooter and a horse named Trigger
It’s real, ninety-four, rugged raw
Kickin down your god damn door.

– Method Man on Notorious B.I.G.’s “The What”

The hallowed drums, the back-peddling guitar, the milky silk smoothed-out cool of fluid verses from a Meth-and-BIG pour spout…there’s just something about this song. It backs into an easy three-point parallel park between “Best” and “Hip-Hop” and Read the rest of this entry »

As far as I’m concerned, there’s NO SUCH thing as too much Notorious B.I.G. coverage. As long as the Internet permits, his memory will be fresh in the minds of the TSS community. Thanks to TheMeaningOfDope, who have been having a Biggie week in honor of the Notorious release, there’s a slew of old/new Biggie goodness unleashed upon us as if Bad Boy had their own holiday. Like I said before, B.I.G. was pre-digital age, so just actually seeing him in action is a gem in itself. The Black Frank White is here to excite…once again. Read the rest of this entry »

In spite of myself, I think I’m anticipating Notorious. By expecting greatness a decent movie, I know there’s potential for failure. But with the trailers & shit I’ve seen, it looks like the movie will be at least respectable to the memory of who Christopher George Latore Wallace was to music. And the movie has made me start to think back to when Big first hit the scene. Read the rest of this entry »

You never need a special occasion to honor Christopher Wallace.

Annual reminders of the anniversary of his assassination, commemorative magazine articles coinciding with the release of Life After Death, Biggie lunchboxes — all that’s find and dandy. But see, as the years continue to roll by, it becomes fairly convenient to undermine why Frank White, over a decade after his passing still remains one of the most transcendent figures Hip-Hop has ever witnessed.

It’s all in the music baby. Read the rest of this entry »

Clipped from the release notes… Read the rest of this entry »