Song of the day: Kayne West - Family Business

I love this song. It's sooooooo much more than just the song of the day. Really listen to it. . . if this shit don't remind you of your family... well, it reminds me of mine. Enjoy!

Rappers have New Years resolutions too. . . sorta.

If you're anything like me, you are at the point where you are thinking about the New Years resolutions you made a little over a week ago and thinking, 'Eh... maybe next year'. Let's face it, resolutions are made for quitting/giving up on/not making happen/etc. Alternately, I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I am interested in the more personal aspects of hip hop, MC's and beat makers, their lives, what inspires them, etc. On that note, I have decided to put together a 'would be' list of New Years resolutions for some of the biggest rappers out right now: Ye, Drake, Weezy, and Gucci. . . because, well... rappers are notoriously late motherfuckers. It really makes sense that their list of New Years resolutions would come out after all of ours... Let's see how this shit goes.

Aubrey 'Drake' Graham: In potentially the smartest move of the century, Drakes has decided on a New Years resolution that might actually lead to his acceptance by people who actually matter, Hip Hop heads. He has decided to stop singing his own hooks, and instead, just focus on... rapping. That's right. You have heard the last Drake hook. Sometimes in life you have to come to the realization that... you can't do everything. Two things most people REALLY shouldn't do is rap AND sing their own hooks... unless you're Lauryn Hill (PLEASE COME BACK L BOOGIE). I've heard rumors that Drizzy is also considering dropping YM as his label, and signing with... anyone else. . . that, you know, people can take seriously. Let us pray.

Kanye 'Look at me, look at me!' West: This year Kanye has vowed to give up fuckery. . . I know what you're thinking... 'Yeah... right.' After that all too embarassing moment at the VMAs this past year... that led to him being called a Jackass by THE PRESIDENT, Ye has realized that his skill (past tense) is no longer enough to give him a free pass on his inappropriate behavior. 'Henny make girls look like halle berry to me' obviously wasn't just a random statement, as made clear by his taste in women as of late. That being said, since moments of sobriety in the past year were few and far between, Ye has also hinted at a stint in rehab, and perhaps giving up liquor all together. One of the ways Ye plans to give up this fuckery is by not appearing on anyone elses bullshit tracks this year, and instead, focusing on putting out some of his own, auto tune free, amazing music. Hopefully it's part of Ye's resolution to return to the Kanye of yesterday... of criminally witty verses over creative beats. Needless to say, this is one resolution I can fully get behind. A return to the Kanye we all fell in love with would make 2010 the best year ever... SALUTE!

Gucci Mane: Big Cat LaFlare realized that there were about 5700 different ways he could have gone with this whole New Years resolution thing, but he finally settled on one. He thought it best that, this year, he choose a resolution that not only benefited him, but benefitted others as well. This year, Gucci's resolution is just to stop rapping. Now, before you take too big a sigh of relief, know that, he has instead decided to start singing R&B joints, and is on a quest become the dark skinned version of Trey Songz. His first single as an R&B singer is entitled "The Burrth of Romance"... actually the very first joint will be yet another remake of "I Invented Sex" but... whatever. Point being, Gucci has decided to do us all a fuckin' solid, and quit! "Break out the champagne glasses and mothafuckin' condoms, and have one on us..." -2pac ...a REAL rapper.

Lil' Goblin Wayne Carter III: I bet you thought Weezy thought he was above having a New Years resolution didn't you? I bet you are sitting there thinking, 'Weezy, thinking he can improve himself..? Impossible'... But that would make you as incorrect as a perm on a grown as man. . . Weezy decided that this year, he would make a resolution. What is that resolution you ask? Well I'll tell you... Weezy has... resolved too... sign twice as many people to Young Money as last year. Now, this might not sound like much of a resolution (what, you thought Tha Wayne would make a resolution that actually involved changing something about himself? Ha), but, this little move actually does all of us a favor. It's like tagging. Think about it... if you are anything like me, a lot of new music comes your way... ALSO, if you are like me, you think pretty much all new music is sus because it's probably garbage. . . Signing more people to Young Money is like tagging them as not worth listening to. This cuts down my time wasting with each new member, because I know none of my time will be murdered by spending time exploring their music... I'll already know they're garbage... they're on Young Money for Christs sake. I just want to personally thank Weezy for his kindness and consideration when creating this years New Years reso. That's a good look homie! Now go get another face tattoo or something.

Now... even though I picked on these four particluar rappers, please believe every single one of them has a song that I like... even that bastard Gucci Mane. To be honest, if Wayne weren't so lazy, knowing full well that he can put out crap, and the public will accept it and support his music, he could/would be a beast. If on the random occasion that he decides to come to work and really spit, the boy goes hard. He just... for some lame reason... chooses not to. Money will do that. As for Drake, as I said before... if he would just stop singing his own hooks! There are a few Drake songs that I don't despise, in fact. . . I rather enjoy them, but the chorus singing is... just don't. Gucci... um. . . okay, next. And Ye... College Dropout is one of my top favorite albums of all time... ALL TIME. He was brilliant... is brilliant. . . but, he has been doing crazy shit (and I don't just mean musically) for a minute now... I honestly just hope he comes back around.

In addition to the individual rappers resolutions that you just read... there was a collective resolution for 10' that those people that are part of the brethren of Hip Hop came together to create. It is as follows:

We, the conglomeration of Hip Hop, including but not limited to: rappers, MC's, beat makers, hype men, crew/click members, etc... will stop being full of shit. We will stop putting out crap just to sell records. We will stop putting out crap period. We will no longer stand by as ass hats like Waka Flocka Flame get radio and video play while arists like Blu do not. We promise to RIDE on lame niggas who don't deserve to eat dinner, much less drop an LP. We promise to honor the legacy of those who came before us, and rocked the mic or blessed the beats, such as: James Dewitt Yancey (J Dilla), Tupac Amaru Shakur (2pac), Eric Lynn Wright (Eazy-E), Christopher George Latore Wallace (Biggie), Lamont Colemen (Big L), DeShaun Dupree Holton (Proof),Russell Tyrone Jones (ODB), Titus Glover (Baatin), and everyone else that has influenced hip hop so intensely, even after death. We promise to do this shit the way it is supposed to be done. We promise to bring the game back. Period.

Of course, this is all parody, and none of these resolutions were actually made (that I know of). . . but wouldn't it be nice if the were?

And on that note, I hope you have enjoyed these rapper resolutions for 10'. Stay tuned, maybe if I haven't been beaten up by a shitty rapper for speaking the truth, there will be another round of these next year. Or not... whatever.

Song of the day: Kanye West - Get'em High (feat. Talib Kweli & Common)

There was no particular reason behind picking this song today. . . I just like it, so fuck off. But... enjoy!

"My teacher said I was a loser, I told her 'why don't you kill me? I give a fuck if you feel me! I'm gonna follow my heart. . . and if you follow the charts, or the plaques, or the stacks, you ain't gotta guess who's back..." -Yeezy

Archetypal vs. Evolutionary (sorry to use two words you are probably unfamiliar with - my bad.) (your bad for being retarded though - I'm just sayin'.)

We have all heard the retarded phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", and yeah. . . sometimes that applies. . . I guess. . . But let's be real. . . We live in a society that values upgrades, whether they are necessary or not. Perhaps you don't need a new car, but if you are pushin' a scraper, and you can afford a Benz, why the fuck not? Sure, maybe it ain't broke, but. . . anyway, you get where I am going with this.

My question is, does this same theory apply to music?

As a listener, I am torn between the beauty of the evolution of music, and the need for that classic shit that I love SO much already. . . There are several albums coming out in the next few months that will undoubtedly draw attention to this issue. . . Do we want artists makin' new versions of the same shit, cause we love it, or do we want something entirely new, different, etc, knowing we run the risk of not liking the new direction the artist has gone in?

I constantly find myself saying I miss the Kanye of 'College Dropout'. . . the witty, cocky yet not impossibly egotistical, humorous, sane Kanye. . . The Yeezy we all fell for, and defended up until it became unbearable to do so. When I was given a link to Kanye's latest (yet NOT greatest), I found myself saying it again. . . "I want the old Kanye back". . . If THAT'S growth, then lets stunt that mothafucka' because that is NOT good hip hop (in my opinion).

See for yourself: http://usershare.net/1xwgs1us52s6

I'm gonna resist the urge to make jokes about the irony of the name of that track. . . Moving on.
In a strikingly similar (yet unexpected) situation, when I was presented with a track off of Slum Village's latest a few days ago, I also found myself saying 'is this my SV?!'. . . What I heard was NOT what I was used to from that group, and I am not going to lie, a part of me was vastly displeased by that. . . When I think of Slum Village, a thousand amazing tracks pop into my mind, and granted, they aren't all EXACTLY the same, but they definitely have that Motor City foreplay feel that I have come to know and love. . . but this. . . this new track. . . I didn't feel it. . . it didn't FEEL like Slum Village. . .

Check it: http://usershare.net/kv5hqkpmafnn

After being hit with this inescapable reality of the situation, that MY Slum Village had gone and switched things up on me, I was forced to reevaluate what I had heard, and listen to the new track in a different way. . . Let me explain: When you have attached yourself to a group. . . or an individual for that matter. . . that you LOVE. . . sometimes, when they do things differently than what you are used to, your first reaction is "this shit is just WRONG. . ." That was me. . . I wanted Slum Village, and I felt like I had gotten. . . something. . . else. . .

After having a little 'get your fucking shit together' talk with myself, I re-listened to the track. . . I heard it for what it was, not for what I expected it to be, or what I wanted it to be, etc. Upon second, third, fourth, and fifth listen, I realized this was not 'devil music' like I had previously dubbed it out of anger at it's being different. . .

It was a solid track, with a great beat. . . it was something that, had it not been Slum Village, I would have had no issue with from jump. . . In all actuality, I rather like the darkness of the track, with the beat giving off a dramatic feel and the flow aggressive, slightly morbid, critical, and. . . well. . . very real. . .
My only complaint about the track was the Lindsay Lohan comment in the chorus. . . cultural references are so hit or miss with me. . . and that one missed. . . by a mile. . .

Anywhos. . . (c) DOOM. I definitely had to check myself when dealing with the situation as described above, because I feel like, if I had let my closed mindedness about what Slum Village 'should' sound like dictate my actions/thoughts/feelings, I would be missing out on a solid track in "Dope Man". . . on the other hand. . . I still want to tell Kanye, 'please take it back to 'College Dropout'. . . you have only gone downhill from there. . .'

Which brings me to. . .

Evolution: any process of formation or growth; development.

To me, the evolution of a group, artist, etc, can be a good thing, because evolution has a positive connotation to it. . . growth and development are hard things to hate on, but at the same time, what about the not so positive changes? Do we point to some MC's and say 'hey you, evolve, you can do it..!' and then to others 'just do the same shit you did on your last album, cause you really ain't capable of too much more than that. . .'? Unfortunately, we can't do that. . . but even if we could. . . would that really be the best move? Sometimes people have to fuck up tryin' new shit before they fuck around and do some new and great shit. . . I will continue to listen to every Ye album that comes out in the hopes that he either goes back to his old, much better, ways, or that he does something new that's amazing. . . truthfully, I would be happy either way. . .
I heard this issue brought up a lot over Hov's latest. . . and Hov made a very good point on the album (I know, me. . . giving Hov credit for something. . . what was that? Did you hear that? Oh yeah, I think it was hell freezing over. . .). "Niggas want my old shit. . . buy my old album. . ." Now. . . granted. . . I don't want is old OR his new shit. . . but the point is still valid. . . we can't NOT love artists for progression. . . whether it's what we wanted from them, or not. . .

Also, we have those old albums, tracks, etc, to fall back on. . . I listen to 'College Dropout' weekly. . . it's a great album, whether Kanye sucks right now or not. . . if he came out with something new and amazing, it wouldn't change the fact that I love 'College Dropout' and it's an album that will always be in heavy rotation with me. . . As for Slum Village, if you know me at all, you know I listen to pretty much every Slum record. . . ever. . . every day. . . I am hoping that, with the upcoming release of Villa Manifesto (set to drop December 20th), that won't change. . . THEY might be changing, which in some ways is sad, because I loved them just the way they were, but in other ways, it's great, because the change is a positive change. . . at least on "Dope Man".

Bottom line: If you really love hip hop, you have to be open to it's growth, changes, etc. If you love an artist, and then they come out with some BAD shit, that's one thing. But if you love an artist, and they come out with some DIFFERENT shit. . . you gotta be open to it. You don't HAVE to like it, but if you hate on it simply because it's not the same old shit they have been giving you for 10 years, then you're doing yourself, and that artist, a disservice. . . The likelihood that there will ever be another Fantastic Vol. 2, Enter The Wu-Tang, Illmatic, Low End Theory, etc again is probably fairly slim. . . those albums were epic, and really, can't be touched. . . but that doesn't mean that a group/artists new shit can't be amazing, and worth every minute spent listening to it. . .

Alternately: Love the classic, but be open to the fresh. . . I'm just sayin'.