June 2006 Archives

You can’t be serious. This is the same dude who was poppin’ madd shit about Cam’ron running off at the Rucker? Then turned around and made a DVD about it? This Lil’ Hypocritical Cease kid is a funny dude. And he’s also, quote, “…a little fat nigga, but he fast.”

I’ve been holding this off for awhile. Cocaine City is that ish, and Volume 5 has that fiyah. Now, I don’t know how credible this is, considering the little bandana bitch has his face covered, but this kid (most likely Brooklyn underground MC Maino’s peoples) supposedly has Lil’ Cease’s jewels. And not only that, they claimed to have obtained Cease’s jewelry when they fell off his neck while as he was running. Isn’t that ironic?

Damn. When I read this I almost thought hip-hop historian/activist Davey D was talking directly to me. Yeah, I spit a lot of venom, but half of these NY rappers are corny, so they deserve to get talked about.

Anyways, Method Man's interview with Davey D surfaced on ThugLifeArmy, and it wasn’t pretty:

Meth…expressed a lot of the anger he was feeling toward the hip-hop press, in particular magazines. He spoke candidly how a lot of writers have gone out of their way to try and make a name for themselves by trashing not only his albums, but other people’s projects. He noted that for a period of time he started to believe what was written and soon discovered that what was written was in sharp contrast to what he was hearing and seeing on the streets.

He went on to talk about writers abusing their power to influence the masses and that far too many projects which have the potential to grow and add to hip-hop’s collective offerings have been stymied or outright killed by writers who have not expanded their own horizons.

Method Man concluded by noting that a lot of artists need to take on some responsibility because they have given too much power and control to the press…He laughed at the writing styles many journalists employ where they write two or three paragraphs analyzing the artists before they offer up to the public the vision and perspective of the artist. He said a disclaimer needs to be issued so the public knows what’s really going on because a lot of journalists are "NOT THE TRUTH."

This whole Juelz Santana thing aggravated me.

First of all, Juelz getting dropped from Def Jam over Cam’ron? Yeah, right. Cam’s cosmetic ass is NOT that intimidating. Second, this thing about him getting dropped should be in question period. He DID go gold (though just barely) so he is an asset to the company, unless he did something absolutely out of this world. So why would they just up and drop him from the roster? Because he got his ass whupped? Nah. But then, why didn’t the publicist give a straight answer? We’ll see.

If anyone is getting dropped, it’s the employees at Def Jam Records. Sources say that supposedly Jay-Z said the numbers from Def’s previously dropped albums weren’t looking right and the artists were not the ones to blame; it was the people behind the scenes held responsible. He “axed a few people” (quoting) as a result of this. If the numbers for the artists don’t turn out as expected, someone’s gotta go. That's word from a source. Interesting if 100% accurate.

Has anybody noticed this?

You last saw him on Youtube running off at the mouth about Mase being “confused.” Now,former Bad Boy rep Loon is back with his new album No Friends, which is pressed through his own label, Boss Up Entertainment. Good look, son. Like Wendy Williams once said after her bitter brawl with Diddy, “There is life after Puff.”

Aight so check it. It’s no secret that Mase embodies the epitome of dishonor, shame, disgrace, and all of those other synonyms. Now Babs is in trouble with the law. Whatever happened with her and Diddy anyways?

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait... They almost had me 100% convinced at first, but taking a good look at Tru Life's chain, I think it's time for these pink and purple clowns to be sent to jail for fraud.

Let's clear something up -- fast. This is what I HEARD, and this is what "they" SENT.

So how did Purple City’s Sheist Bub get a hold of "Tru Life’s" chain? We all know Jenny "Jim" Jones is too much of a front to pull off something so bold. The most he could’ve done was coerce one of his pink panthers into doing it, and he did. The story (emphasis) went like this: Tru wasn’t watching his back as he was exiting the studio sometime last week, and one of the Dipset affiliates was waiting for him.

Now would be when the focus turns away from the lyrical aspect of beef, and more towards the I’m-gonna-do-you-in-for-this side of it. Yeah, Jimmy had already challenged him to a knuckle-up (which further emphasized his lack of skill in rhyming), but who really took him serious? Nobody. So since his little silly ass offer was ignored, he got his feelings hurt. ‘Dito.

It went down last night on Kay Slay's "Drama Hour" show on Hot 97. During the show, Jeff Dixon, the co-CEO over at Disturbing Tha Peace, e-mailed Ludacris' dis track, "War With God,” over to Kay Slay. Damn. Luda SMASHES, DEMOLISHES, shames, disrespects, destroys, and absolutely kills T.I. (so I assume) on the track. And you know how Kay Slay does when he gets a hold of a dis track. He took the joint and blew it up like three times in a row.

Man. “King of the South” or not, if someone sets himself up to get lyrically overthrown, put into exile and ripped of his "royalty" like that, then he deserves to have the crown snatched from the top of his big head:

“How many times is you gon’ rap about bustin’ yo gun?/ How many times is you gon’ trap without bustin’ yo gun?/ Only shots you ever took was subliminal to the general/ Disrespecting those doing real time with real criminals/ And I ain’t never did a day in my life/ But it should be illegal to walk a day in my life/ I paid the price and the cost to be the boss so you can rest your mouth/ I’m universal Luda never limits hisself to the South/ I give a damn about your hootin’ and hollerin’ it ain’t botherin’ me/…You know where I live but you ain’t made it to me, you aint made nigga/ I’m having a house party kid, come get played nigga/ You got played my record label never jerked me/ So shoot me stab me but words will never hurt me/ I feed off your energy my power’s with God/ So it’s better if you make your dis record real haaaaaaaaaaaaaard."

Last time I checked Mixunit.com, I didn’t see Pap's latest effort, The Best of Papooseâ€"The Mixtape. But when I ran into it this time around, I was confused to see Flipmode Records named as the “recent” label dealâ€"a $1.5 million dollar deal that I thought Pap refused to elaborate on. Maybe they were just addressing the "known" segment of the "secret" deal.

Well, it doesn’t matter. My beef is this... Who threw this classic cut compilation together, ‘cause it’s missing a few joints. Where’s “Dead Poets”? “Monopoly”? The Hot 97 heavy-hitter spit over Mario's “You Should Let Me Love You” isn’t on the track listing. What about “Flashback”? This “thick jewel case” disc isn't gonna be worth the $14.00 without those bangers.

You already know.

Now, I don’t have much to say about The Big Bang being one of the best-selling hip-hop albums to bust down the first-week charts so far this year, but I do have a lot to say about The Big Bang being one of the best-selling rap albums to bust down the first week sales so far this year. But since the numbers (209,469 and counting) speak for itself, I’ll save it.

The way a lot of bloggers were on here spitting out Busta’s “numbers” like they were employees at the offices of Nielsen SoundScan, you had the kid thinking Busta pulled another Mobb Deep. So I guess the movement is in high gear after all.

…Or maybe it’s time for another SMACK DVD appearance, ‘cause this Pink Punk has been pimp smacked out of the ball court once again. After I heard Tru Life’s recent freestyle and heard of no response, I could only come to one conclusion: Cam and his Dipset cohorts need to stop portraying a thug image in their songs:

We gonna tighten up your loose lips/he sold less records than Shaq and The Fu-Shnicks/Now he's snitching on records, damn he's a bitch/ Said 'they threw the diamond up' before he got shot/…One shot for Dipset taking over The Roc/Excuse me, taking over at KOCH/…My Dominicans would put one in his face in broad day/Your boy Jim Jones, yeah he's another snitch/Excuse me, Jenny Jones, another bitch."

View Youtube's better version here, provided by The L.I.F.E DVD Magazine

Let me get to it first…I see you, Eng.

Being that Busta Rhymes has officially launched the NEW New York movement with his album The Big Bang, I figured I'd give these irreverent anti-NYC loudmouths something to chew on while we wait for the OFFICIAL Nielsen Soundscan numbers to drop the bomb.

Say word? You think that watching TV and listening to NY rappers fill you in on what NYC is all about? Maybe it gives you a little bit of idea of how the Empire State gets down, but what about the definition of New York?

Sorry guys, this is more urgent and far more interesting. New York City, being the Empire State that we are, is stepping up to the plate and discarding the hate for the Southern-dominated rap scene. The “#1 DJ on Hot 97” Kay Slay "the Drama King," who vowed to “slap the shit out of anyone who he caught indulging in snap music” (or something like that), is putting a stop to the brewing East Vs. South beef with The Championsâ€"North Meets South via KOCH Records.

And stop saying that it’s the “journalists” who are responsible for instigating the whole thing, ‘cause it’s not all our fault. It's the East Coast rappers mad 'cause they're not selling records, in addition to these irreverent, cocky, non-rapping southern folks who don't know how to pay homage to the region who started this rap shit FOR them.

Two summers ago the Bronx streets were talking about the infamous second-round Fight Klub battle between Remy Ma and Jersey's Lady Luck. This battle was bootlegged onto more than enough mixtapes, and shortly thereafter became a well-known vessel for underground lyrical warfare.

Now, two years later, if you turn on MTV2 during any "Sucka Free Sunday" you'll find International P. on the screen; "Monday Night Fight Klub" is now mainstream and no longer an exclusive to New York City.

In the current issue of Scratch Magazine, the former East Coast rep DJ Drama said that "the power of a DJ is to break artists. That's why we get a lot of respect."

But the head spinning repetition of the same ol' crunk and snap songs regulating New York's hip-hop stations have only proven otherwise. I can only deal with Hot 97 during the late-night mixshow hours, 'cause any other time, Lil' Jon's "Snap Yo Fingers" is on after every commercial break. In addition to that, the only anti-mainstream artists to have been blessed with radio airplay are Tru Life and Papoose, and Harlem's mixtape hustler Jae Millz has gotten a little love from Power 105 with some spins of "Bring it Back" (even in the daytime hours, surprisingly).

"The real Noreaga" was right here in NYC. Sources tell me was at The Roxy on Sunday night (June 11) after the Puerto Rican Day parade performing with none other than Tru Life. But the question is, was he co-signing? And Tru, damn this kid is keeping the streets hot lately. I don't even have to tell you this, but Tru got on stage and was poppin' madd ish aboutâ€"who?â€"none other than Dipset. Bored? I'm starting to bore myself. But you have to give it to him though; the kid is persistent, and obviously means what he says.

Memphis Bleek got on stage to perform, and D-Block's J-Hood was spotted with a bodyguard like twice his height (bodyguard? For what?). Word is that Jay-Z was also in the building, kicking back in the cut.

And the saga continues. Just days after I posted the "Original Wankstas of New York" blog, L.E.S rapper Tru Life's statements towards Dipset have surfaced via Complex Magazine. While a lot of the readers of the previous Tru Life blog assumed his statements about the fake Bloods and Crips in NY were aimed at Jim ("Jenny") Jones and whoever else, their suspicions can probably now be confirmed (as told to Complex):

"Fuck Cam'ron. He's a bitch. They're the pink banging bunnies, and I'm the motherfucking bandana smacker."

Marc Ecko's second annual Save the Rhinos Concert started off with a political -- and diss-plagued -- bang last night (Thursday) in Central Park. Hot 97's Mister Cee was in the building, along with Kid Capri spinnin' the 1's and 2's. Rhymefest put some spice in his set, and Lupe Fiasco followed suit. Old school great Rakim kicked it with Styles P, followed by a performance by Common.

It seems these days that the pull of a trigger has become as consistent as the measured bars in a freestyle -- frequent, timely, and on-point. With bullets being on the loose like crazed fugitives, Styles P. and Jadakiss' mixtape hit "Shots Fired" couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. In the recent cases of Beanie Sigel and underground Brooklyn MC Maino, God, as it appears, was the only thing standing in between the bullets and themselves. But other pioneers in the rap game, however, weren't so lucky...

Deep down in the streets of Money Makin' Manhattan lies an enormous section of projects, drugs, and street life; known to most in NYC as the Lower East Side. In L.E.S there dwells many a lyricist, but none more determined and rebellious towards his fellow New Yorkers than the up-and-comer rapper Tru Life. His movement is based on the resurrection of New York hip-hop, and one of the things emphasized in his message is that NY cats replicating the West Coast lifestyle is corny; no matter how gangsta the Capital of America has always been, New Yorkers were never Bloods and Crips -- never.

In a recent interview in the ALL ACCESS DVD Magazine, Tru Life lashed out at not the west coast (he actually credits Snoop Dogg for helping to launch his career), but at the cornballs right here in NYC for idolizing and imitating the gang-affiliated activity birthed from both the colors blue and red.

Mos Def warned them, and Brooklyn wasn't renamed "Crooklyn" for nothing. For the passed few days, both the streets and internet outlets everywhere have been buzzing about hip-hop's latest gun-brandishing dispute. This one involves "do or die" Bed-Stuy's underground MC Maino (known to some as the one who put the smack game down on Lil' Cease). Although the story was told to me in a million different ways, the basis of the story is that Maino nearly got "got" in a sneaker store somewhere in Brooklyn. The assailant reportedly pulled out a gun and ended up shooting himself twice after he scuffled with Maino on the floor. Thankfully, Maino walked away unharmed, but duke was only injured.

Damn, another day in corrupt-ass Brooklyn. Try as they might, but the government's imminent domain operation just can't take the gutter out of good ol' BK.

Hot 97's Summer Jam 2006 was going full force last night (June 4) at New Jersey's Giant Stadium. Three 6 Mafia set it off with a so-so performance of "Stay Fly" and "Poppin' My Collar," Remy Ma followed, Ne-Yo performed "When You're Mad" and "So Sick," Young Jeezy did it for the hood, Sean Paul performed all of his hits, and Mobb Deep... the safest route to take would be to say "no comment."

Jamie Foxx did well during his segment, and Dem Franchize Boys tore the house down alongside appearances by Janet Jackson, Da Brat, and an explosive appearance by Mariah Carey. Mary J. Blige did an outstanding performance with old-school cuts "Real Love," "Be Happy," and her new hits "Enough Cryin'" and "Be Without You." Chris Brown did his footwork, T.I took over the show with "ASAP," "Bring Em Out," and "Why You Wanna." Busta Rhymes and Spliff Star rocked the stage with "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," "Break Your Neck," and "Touch It" before bringing out Wu-Tang, Rakim, Slick Rick, and Big Daddy Kane. You know Busta-Bus couldn't leave the crowd without performing the New York Movement anthem "On My New York Shit."

Speaking of the movement, the Dipset Movement moved the audience right out of the stadium -- literally. Jim Jones hit the stage with 100 people too many, and there was no Jay-Z diss present. The crowd called it a night.

It was going down last night at the historical Apollo Theater on Harlem's infamous 125th Street. Yung Joc opened up for T.I., later ending his 25-minute show with his "number one hit in the nation," "It's Going Down." Soon after, T.I. bombarded the scene with his Pimp Squad Clique (PSC) entourage, setting off his performance with "Rubber Band Man" and "Motivation." Between performances of "U Don't Know Me," "Why You Wanna," "Bring Em Out," and "What You Know," T.I. silenced the crowd on two separate occasions to verbally reclaim his crown, throne... and the street credibility of New York City:

"What makes me king... 'cause I mothafuckin' said so. Before T.I., there was no mothafucking 'King of the South'...if a nigga say he the king remind him... I got real niggas Uptown, Brooklyn, the Bronx, East New York. I ain't scared of nobody but God...I'm the mothafuckin' king for a reason."

[Editor's note- In no way, shape, form or fashion is T.I claiming to be the king of New York. What he's claiming is simply the support of his people FROM New York]

Yawn. Looks like Cam'ron came out from behind Hell Rell and fired at Jay-Z with a remix to southern bubble gum rapper Young Joc's "It's Going Down," despite his refusal to "keep taking stabs at the old man" (or something like that). So here he is with his wack, poor excuse for a diss record on a wack, poor excuse for a rapper's beat. Although the song is horrible, Cam gets at his "Jigga-roo" with a few lines here and there: "Sign a rapper from the borough, get off Jeezy's dick and Rick Ross' shit/...Call 'em sandals, slippers, can't justify it/...nigga Hova's a mess/...You got no style..." and "Player hater I don't play them games/you got beef with Killa, nigga... say my name."

Last time someone said his name, he was running for his life at the Rucker.