Nas. The man. The myth. The enigma. I’ve never really known how to describe Nas properly throughout my years of listening to Hip-Hop. For as much as his music will forever speak for him (how it should be), it’s what he says (or doesn’t say, rather) off the mic which has left people scratching their heads. Read the rest of this entry »

“Nihilists! Fuck me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos.” – Walter, The Big Lebowski

A friend of a friend swayed side to side in a football tailgate haze a couple weeks back. Beer and cigarette smoke fumed from his pores. He took a sip of Miller Lite and pawed at his freshly grown porn-stache and scruff.

“I don’t trust a man who can’t grow one,” he said. “Matter fact, I don’t trust anyone who’s born after the Berlin wall fell. Until they know true evil, they’re just living a life of nihilism.”

Fast-forward to that Tuesday and I’m standing across from a young, sandy haired, Best Buy salesclerk — born after the Berlin wall came tumbling down, undoubtedly — growing the beginnings of his own porn-stache and scruff. I handed him a clean, sealed copy of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, proud to be buying good Hip-Hop for once in what seemed like forever.

The clerk leaned in and said in an aside of confidence, “If it’s in Cuban, why is everybody buying this?”

Nihilist. Fuck me. Read the rest of this entry »

The internet is a powerful tool when used correctly.

Affion Crockett seems to have grasped the medium pretty well with timely, humorous videos that pick on events in pop culture. The latest installment to hit his Youtube page is a spoof of the biggest head-scratching moment on BP3. Read the rest of this entry »

Like I repeatedly told the rest of the Crew, the album sounds just like the cover looks. Read the rest of this entry »

Jay Leno gave Kanye a chance to apologize once again after coming down from his liquid courage outburst last night.  Regardless of whether it was staged or not, Leno scored a coup with this happening before the debut of his new show.  My only advice for Kanye is he better put some new music to make people to forget about all this.

Nothing monumental with this performance, but I believe Rihanna’s vocals prove what I was saying… huh CJ?

[via]

Enough about Kanye, it was staged anyways. Let’s focus on the show’s closer: Jay & Alicia doing the aforementioned “Empire State Of Mind.” Thanks Yardie.

#lilmamais is now a trending Twitter topic. Read the rest of this entry »

For all of BP3‘s supposed shortcomings, “Empire State Of Mind” ranks close to Nas’ “N.Y. State Of Mind” trilogy, which happens to include an Alicia collabo as well. The song gives a tourist an encapsulated view of the city while riding atop one of those “hop-on, hop-off” double-deckers chauffeured by Jiggaman. With a Yankees cap low tugged down to his eyebrows, Jay takes you on a ride that reminds everyone that the city of bright lights & lowly gutters have Read the rest of this entry »

In case you missed it & don’t want to wait for Sunday’s replay on Fuse, Yardie’s got the rip split into two videos instead of the 4-8 different compiled clips I’ve seen elsewhere. The overwhelming response has been positive & most parties agree that minus a few songs that could’ve been left out (I’m looking @ you Swizz), it’s worth the time spent watching it. Respect it or check it.

The second half is below.

And if you want to skip around, check the set list :)

Previously Posted — Thanks Jay & Fuse | “On To The Next One” – Review Of Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3

For over a decade Jay-Z has been at the epicenter of Hip-Hop’s ever changing landscape. Through a combination of auspicious events and astute maneuvers, he set the pace for the genre on a mainstream level with air of affluence. Which in turn allowed him to set and break trends at will with even the slightest mention. At his peak, he released 2001′s The Blueprint; an album that made Hip-Hip take a 180° turn sonically. Unfortunately, no matter how far ahead of the curve you are, the field eventually catches up, forcing you to push further ahead or fall in line. With the release of his 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z looks to stay ahead of the pack. Read the rest of this entry »

By now, I’m sure everyone’s heard about Jay-Z accomplishing the unbelievable (as in yeah right) by selling out Madison Square Garden in a minute. And to honor the occasion, the Rosenthals have 60 seconds of snark for your favorite Hip-Hop artist. Read the rest of this entry »

With so many albums being pushed back, it’s rare for an album release to be pushed up.  But it does happen & it’s happening to Jay-Z, as BP3′s release date has officially been moved to 9.8.09. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been pretty good at keeping my mouth shut when it comes to Curtis, mainly because my mom said that if I don’t have anything nice to say then I shouldn’t say a word.

But this right here is a straight up b*tch move (at the 1:08 mark): Read the rest of this entry »

Jay is going to do numbers. Blueprint 3 is a major music event that is backed by major companies and a lot of dough. This is for all intents and purposes a mainstream album that features pop stars like Alicia Keys, Rihanna and Kanye West.

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II will most likely not do big numbers. It’s underground and as gritty as an album can get in this day and age. There aren’t any big moves to the radio. But nine out of 10 Hip-Hop heads are giving the grit face to their iPods listening to it.

These albums are on two opposite ends of the spectrum. Only one artist was asked to be on both: Nasir Jones. Read the rest of this entry »

Unfettered by the idea that his hand-to-hand plan did not succeed, Shawn Corey cordially accepts the defeat handed to him by you robbers & pillagers.

Personally, I still have listened yet, even though it’s available both as a stream & (leaked) download. Yesterday, I was too busy & when I did have time, I had other material to listen to. Last night, as I was prepping my morning listening material, I thought I loaded it onto my iPod…only to get in the vehicle this morning, trying to cue it up and realizing by a strange twist of fate that the album wasn’t on there.

*sigh*

So, that said, what are your initial thoughts on BP3 after one sustaining listening session? What should I expect from the most anticipated* Hip-Hop album release this year?

* — By you. I’m waiting on the opus that will be Superbad.

Previously Posted — Video: Rhapsody & Jay-Z Recreate His Album Artwork | “I’m Young Memphis, Used To Play The Apprentice…” | Hip-Hop’s Growing Trend: Camp Leaks

*Throws hands in the air mimicking the scene from Do The Right Thing*

I told someone last week, I don’t even think it’s about Jay anymore. Read the rest of this entry »