August 2006 Archives

To most in New York City, Queensbridge is known as a subdivision in the borough of Queens, although it is technically a section inside the subdivision of Long Island City, sitting at the edge of the island where it maintains its stagnant reputation as the worst section of Queens that ever was. According to a source, QB is the largest public housing development in the United States, sheltering some 7,000 people. Out of the dirt and grime of this enormous community came the Infamous duo Mobb Deep.

The days of "Shook Ones," "Quiet Storm" and "Start of Your Ending," to name a few, were the defining bangers of the once prolific rap duo's existence. And while they're still in the flesh, they appeared to have lost their way, their clout, position, record sales, and in some ways, their street cred and respect.

"Revolution I told you before is not always a positive thing, it is sometimes a blood war, a cycle with no purpose but to enrich people and distract the masses from a larger power struggle ." -- Immortal Technique

"Sick of these dudes tearing Brooklyn apart/ If they ain't got Brooklyn in they hearts" -- Papoose

When I said the best rappers of recent hip-hop history come from out of Brooklyn, what I should've said is that the best (more appropriately the most popular) come straight out of the streets of Bed-Stuy, which is the shortstop for Bedford-Stuyvesant, and also known to many as the "Do or Die."

There was a time when Bed-Stuy really was "do or die" material, but the changing faces of the city are beginning to alter its danger-prone reputation. I remember hopping off the G-train to go see my fam on Willoughby Avenue, and that Hov and Biggie "Brooklyn's Finest" mural put some patriotic swagger in the otherwise sullen streets of Myrtle and Marcy Aves, which were plagued with crack fiends on bikes, cracked pavement and ruthless stick-up kids looking for a purse to snatch.

"This ["Pain in My Life"] IS my official first street Single off of my new LP, Greatest Story Never Told... Its a song that I felt I wanted to put out first... I don't give a fuck about radio spins, Give a fuck about the clubs, all I care about is the betterment of my people and the people like myself..... This song reflects everyday life that REAL people deal with everyday..hate it or Love it, Im doing what the fuck I wanna do in this fickle, bullshit ass, capatalist driven music business...And to those who are supposed to be on my team that are slacking... Dont Worry, Ill carry everybodies fucking load..Thats just what I do....Enjoy the fucking music...." -- Saigon

It's about time.

To keep it true, there isn't ten. And that's the problem. Out of the handful of femme fatales blessed with the ability to really spit fire on the mic, two of them recite rhymes inked by a ghostwriter, and one of them is the only chick out of The Bronx to ever be taken seriously by popular DJs, what with her constant appearances on every other relevant mixtape in the rap scene. The rest are basically unaccounted for, such as Jean Grae.

Sha Rock

The Real Roxanne

Roxanne Shante

There was a time when chicks like MC Lyte and Queen Latifah were respected without the now popularized sleazy outfits, killer makeup miracles and extensive Michael-style plastic surgery (he's still a legend though) that now swarm the women of the rap industry. And if you want to take it further back than Lyte and Latifah, Sha Rock, The Real Roxanne, and Roxanne Shante were a far cry from the raunchy, slide-off, sprite-can-swallowing image, and Lil' Kim seems to have forgotten about that. Not to mention her rival Foxy Brown, who gave me nightmares with that ghoulish black lipstick and more 3rd rail tracks in her head to stop the 6 train. When gone natural, her face is even more of a shocker than Miss Jones with no foundation. Not a good look. Forget Afrika Bambaataa and other hip-hop activists trying to get her kicked off of Hot 97 for her racial ruthlessness, she should be fired just for not wearing makeup.

There comes a time when every genre of music has its time, has its height, its climax, and has its downfall, which ultimately leads to death. We've seen it with blues. We've seen it with doo-wop. We've seen it with jazz. We've even seen it more recently with the fading of Britney Spears', N'Sync's and The Backstreet Boys' style of ultra pop.

Rock n' roll was created by blacks in the South; this just happens to be the genre that hasn't yet seen its ending. I suppose every life and death of every genre varies just as every soul on earth lives and dies differently, at different times and different ways. And for this I say that hip-hop will die. Most will turn the page back a few chapters and point to Nas standing over a casket filled with hip-hop vinyl of the '70s, '80s and '90s, but I'm not necessarily speaking on the "hip-hop is dead" kind of thing. Confusing, I know, but allow me to elaborate.

Harlem. 140th and Lenox. Dipset. 40 Cal. This rapper, who hit the streets hard with the mixtape heavyhitter, Trigger Happy, has followed up with Broken Safety and is on the re-up with a few more projects serving as a street savvy recipe for his continuation with the Dipset “movement.”

With the recent buzz circulating after his run-in with fellow Harlemite Loon, SOHH NYC caught up with Cal. to get his side of what went down in the Harlem barbershop, the situation with “Fight Klub” competitor Sam Scarfo, Young Jeezy snatching “Survivor,” Mase being “washed up,” and the “changing faces” of Harlem.

And contrary to most peoples' belief, his alias doesn't stem from the .40 pistol.

Material Boy

Diddy's "Come to Me" has a hold on me…everything from the beat, the hook, the rapping and the dancing that goes with the video. All of these elements are very different in their ways yet they're all very much the same: They SUCK.

This song is one of the most terrible I've heard take over airplay so far this year, and it ranks right next to "Laffy Taffy" and "Betcha Can't do it Like Me." How did this wack song take over the airwaves? It's too garbage for program directors to automatically want to add it to the top rotation radio list, yet it made its way right into heavy airplay. Not to mention that the joint practically bought out BET's daytime slot and stepped into "106 and Park's" countdown (watch it hit No. 2 in a few -- kids ain't really voting for that garbage, b). This is simply cash flow at its best.

This song makes me sick.

...That's what they call it. And it's happening in cities everywhere. However, with a population of about eight million, New York City is feeling it the most.

"You are a fucking idiot...do you reaad the news? the ny times just published an article based on the census figures showing that white folks are moving out of EVERY SINGLE borough except manhattan. racial displacement is occurring...whites are moving out...blacks and hispanics are moving in. why don't you read things 1st b4 blogging?"

Posted by: bhiksu at August 4, 2006 08:59 PM

Many a rapper has seen the ups and downs of the rap game, but it takes a pair of specs to visualize and understand the ups and downs of Armageddon. Arguably the dopest lyricist on Terror Squad’s team, Geddy has seen it allâ€"a making of an “underground classic” that came almost accidentally, the rise and fall of his friend Big Pun, and the hardships and cruelty of the industry.

SOHH NYC caught up with Geddy to speak with him about his days with Pun, his forthcoming mixtape and full-length LP, what happened with “Lean Back,” working on teaming with Bronx legends KRS-One and Slick Rick, and his latest effort, the Melly Mel-featured “Red Hot.”

SOHH: So introduce yourself to those who might not be familiar.

Geddy: Yeah, yeah. Whaddup this is Armageddon, Terror Squad, aka Geddymusic.com.

SOHH: So tell me about your earlier Terror Squad days like with Big Pun and the first album...

Geddy: First album was crazy. Um... everybody actually had some kind of input on the first album it wasn't like one person was controlling that shit and... just told us what to do. Everyone had their own input on it. The funny thing about that album it was slackin' so I actually picked beats. Niggas wasn't pickin' beats niggas was just hanging out in the studio smokin and drinkin n' shit. And I picked some beats and dropped some verses and everyone wanted to start workin. So I got everybody started. Um I think it was a dope primer. That was the first time we ever made an album. We aint really know what the hell we was doin,' so that's what made it like, one of those classic underground joints, know what I'm sayin'?

First of all let it be known that the idiot Matthew Russell Lee from the UN got Jay's Rocawear clothing line mixed up with Diddy's Sean Jean, who they claimed was running sweatshops in South America. How did the dummy link the wrong story to the article he wrote? So eager to attack that you totally overlook something so obvious. Do yourself a favor and don't publish anymore articles having anything to do with rappers.

Anyways, Hov is what a lot of people would call "that nigga," but some of his decisions appear to be proving otherwise. However, Atlantic's Craig Kallman made sure everyone was aware of his "phone call" from Jay with words of encouragement for the boy Fiasco, and it was reported on SOHH a while back that Jay said:

"I believe the game moves in cycles and I believe there will be another wave of superstars to move the game forward. If I had to name one person, I would have to say Lupe. He is making the most creative, different new music. It's fresh."

Arguably one of the fiercest representatives of Harlem, 139th and Lenox's Big L still lives on as one of The Danger Zone's most talked about. He had a series of underground hits that were his underlying vehicle to the tip of mainstream stardom; some of which include "Da Graveyard" and "Ebonics."

Before he could move further than his role in DITC (Diggin' in the Crates), L was shot right around the corner from his house on the evening of February 15, 1999.

Who says New York City doesn't represent?

"Either stand ‘em where the r**** will reach him/ Or some bitch give him a blow job so we can impeach him" -- Immortal Technique ("Impeach the President" Green Lantern's Alive On Arrival)

I know Mos Def is too beyond a rap battle. But if the kid Papoose and Mos were going pound-for-pound to grab that Brooklyn’s Top Lyricist title, I think Mos would definitely take down Pap with easeâ€"despite Pap’s relentless lyrical ability. Mos is one of those lyricists that makes you rewind those bars that catch your ear, some of which possess a kind of allegory that makes you think. Riddles sometimes pop up that require you to learn the entire song in one sitting... How many other rappers do you know that can do this? Not many. Not even Pap.

And now it seems as if this possible restrained struggle for the BK spotlight might be a possibility.

The faucet-dripped “Where Ya’ll At” has taken over New York City radio airplayâ€"and it wasn’t even meant to be a big hit. It was just a leak that DJs can’t understand doesn’t even have any vinyl made for it yetâ€"if ever.

When I first heard the joint, I said the lyrics were on point and that I liked the mix and cut of the hook taken from “Made You Look,” but I also said the music itself didn’t grab me and didn’t embody enough power to carry itself as a lead single. But with the love New York has been showing it, I guess it could be proven otherwise

Would you like bread or crackers with that bowl of soup?

That would be Young B, and that would also be Cipha boostin' it...

No one would ever guess what Pharrell and Lupe Fiasco did to the 'hood.

Come around my way in Spanish Harlem where the George Washington or Metro North Houses flood the area, and you'll find the typical setting present in any barrio: Hazeheads loitering on the corners doing nothing, little lost children looking for something to get into, and stick-up kids waiting for nightfall. An everyday sight it is, but what's funny is that some people from all three of these groups--some practicing right in their project walkway-- have deaded their broke-down bikes and replaced them with skateboards.

This hate can’t last forever.

You had SheeK Louch in the recent issue of Streetz Magazine talking about how 50 Cent would threaten them to stop “talking about” him or he would have their projects pushed back. Well that’s typical. This is the only way 50 can get at them. After all, his lyrics don’t stand a chance against Styles or Kiss.

Maybe this seems a little far-fetchedâ€"well it isâ€"but there have been a number of arguments saying that if they brought out a divider and a couple mics, a good ol’ round of top-of-the-head can put the beef to rest.

Who does it better than NYC? We may not be selling the most, but we’ve got the best. Even while the South is dominating the airwaves, we’ve still got the most prolificâ€"and the most popularâ€"MCs that ever were. Most of these people that run off at the mouth refuse to speak on the fact that New York has the most prominent icons of this moment in timeâ€"recognized and tagged with the Big Apple stamp through eyes all over the world. I have ten, and some may beg to differ, but the truth of the matter is: who's doing it better than the ones on this list? Cliché or not, it is what it is:

The Roots Say it Best

I'm not just speaking in terms of music, but where is the New York City gangsta that once swarmed the streets of the city? I'm not talking shoot-up-the-block ignorance. I'm not talking blow-the-cops'-head off type of violence, although I don't cringe off the idea.

I was listening hard to Uncle Murda’s “I Shot the Sheriff” to get a better understanding of his hate for the NYPD, and I heard many a reason, some that came before and after these few bars:

Remember Pun?

As you can see from the above mural (there’s a couple in the area but I think this is the one on Westchester and 163 by White Castle as indicated by the 2/5 train above), the South Bronx is still holding on to the legacy that was birthed from the uprising of Christopher “Big Punisher” Rios. His rise to stardom not only highlighted the hip-hop roots of the BX borough, but reminded Latinos everywhere that they too played part in the jumpstart of hip-hop’s existence.

The Original Terror Squad

Ahhh, the Bronx… one of the two places I call home. It’s no secret that the Bronx started hip-hop, but if someone was to erase the passed few years out of the hip-hop history book, the Bronx would be nearly forgotten. In fact, to a blinded idiot, Brooklyn could do a damn good job of extorting the title. Why is it that the bestâ€"and most successfulâ€"rappers out of NYC are from BK?

This is no longer '98, this is no longer the era that was ruled by 4-wheelers and pop-a-wheelies, Swizz Beatz tracks and Ruff Ryder unity. This is a time where the East can't sell a record to save a life. A time to where cats pick at least 2 bars for every song and devote it to dissing another rapper:

"Louis Vuitton? Come on/What up with what's really going on?"

Taken from DMX's "We in Here," his shot at who is most likely "The Louis Vuitton Don" barely came as a surprise. I don't know what it's gonna take, but there needs to be a hip-hop re-up in New York City.

The two biggest shootings of rap's history have had their decade of collected dust, its particles sitting in silence and darkness as 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G rest in peace -- but are they really resting in peace?

Some say that a murdered soul can never rest unless the criminal is put to death, whether that is physically, mentally or under seize of incarceration. Everyone has a different take on this; however most views reflect similar traits.