Wednesday, November 12, 2003
(Probably more) midweek hip hop updates (than) you need
Man Arrested In Connection With Murder Of P. Diddy's Former Bodyguard (Source: AllHipHop.com) Related reading: The Perils of Hanging With Puffy in "The 'Bad Boy Curse'" and Anthony Jones Upholds the Legend of Puff Daddy's Bodyguard in "Big Bad Wolf" (Sources: Village Voice)
It's best if you don't think too hard about how many people actually answered "yes" to the Hot 97.com poll question: "Do you think Tupac is really alive, and in hiding?" See the answer here. (Source: Hot97.com) Tupac: Resurrection opens this Friday.
Everyone claims to own or ride in the new high end luxury Mercedes, the Maybach, but no-one seems to be able to pronounce its name right. It's "My-bock" not "May-back." Main offenders: Jay Z "Change Clothes and Go" from the upcoming Black Album, Fabolous "Let's Ride" from More Street Dreams 2: the mixtape, Young Buck in "Poppin them Thangs" and 50 Cent from "How to Stunt" (aka "Stunt 101") both from the G-Unit's Beg For Mercy album. If you stunt like you got one, at least act like you know and pronounce it correctly. Related reading: "Red-carpet treatment for shoppers of $360,000 car" (Source: Miami Herald/AP) (BTW Fab, isn't saying More Street Dreams 2 redundant? Shouldn't it be More Street Dreams or Street Dreams 2 or was there actually a More Street Dreams 1 album that I don't know about?)
Speaking of the G-Unit album though, if you can't be bothered (or are too ethical) to download it, you can check it out in its entirety on MTV2.com's "The Leak" here. (The Black album is also available on "The Leak" here.) Listening to it, I think Ja Rule and Irv Gotti had a point that dissing Ja for his sellout "hip-pop" seems disingenuous when 50 was basically doing the same on his Get Rich... album ("PIMP", "21 Questions" etc.) and now also on Beg for Mercy ("Wanna Get 2 Know U," "Smile" and "Groupie Love").
So, how does the album sound? Judge for yourself but if you've heard the most recent albums by Eminem, 50 Cent and Obie Trice, you pretty much know what to expect: corporate thugged out hip hop at it's most finely-crafted with the best beats money can buy courtesy of Dre, Em & co. Possibly the least challenging album of the year, I haven't even bought it yet and I'm already bored by it. By the way, anyone else think Young Buck sounds like Eightball (of pioneering Southern hip hop label Suave House fame)?
Speaking of corporate hip hop, last night BET aired the Source Awards. Mixed feelings on this one. Like many award shows, it was fairly predictable and rarely exciting (although with the Source Awards' history, you never know what might jump off). Least surprising event of the night: 50 (in a long-running feud with the magazine alongside Eminem) wasn't there to collect his award. Luckily the show seems to have gone OK. My girlfriend gave up watching after about 30 seconds dismissing it as a minstrel show. Unfortunately she tuned in during the Diplomats performance using a stage set based on a Harlem street corner complete with a simulated crack dealer, doh! I think that might have been keeping it a little too real.
It's too bad she didn't stick around because some of the more positive highlights included air time for The Source Youth Foundation award and an eloquent speech by Jam Master Jay's widow Teri Mizell (Jay RIP) thanking the audience for their support of Run DMC and her husband and announcing the launch of the Jam Master Jay Music Foundation. Also props due for the (multiple) nominations of underground acts like Slum Village, Jurassic 5 and Common even if they were just token nods.
Notable performances included D-Block in a jailyard set (faux pas no. 2 after the Diplomats performance?) and, unbelievably, Bad Boy's Da Band. That kid Fred might make a believer out of me yet with his on-stage energy. Fabolous and Tamia both looked catatonic during their performance of "Into You" which would have been a wash-out were it not for the fact that she looked fabulous (pun intended) and the letter-shirted back-up dancers who kept it interesting on-stage. They were all knocked out the box though by the Dirty South All-stars featuring, group of the night and multiple-award winners, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz doing a medley of all the crunk bangers that have been running the clubs this year.
Style-wise, throwbacks and authentics were still in effect but I'm starting to see a return to jail and Dickies-style workwear suits. Finally, "urban street" fashion I can actually afford. Dickies or jerseys, I wish Bonecrusher and his boy from their former group the LG'z had kept something (anything) on their backs when they hit the stage.
The cross-promotions were heavy during the show including announcing the winners via T-Mobile's Sidekick (clever) but the highlight ad during the show had to be the one for the True Crime--Streets of LA videogame. Looks like Activision took a page right out of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto playbook and ran with it. I'm no videogame expert but that ish looks hot.
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It's best if you don't think too hard about how many people actually answered "yes" to the Hot 97.com poll question: "Do you think Tupac is really alive, and in hiding?" See the answer here. (Source: Hot97.com) Tupac: Resurrection opens this Friday.
Everyone claims to own or ride in the new high end luxury Mercedes, the Maybach, but no-one seems to be able to pronounce its name right. It's "My-bock" not "May-back." Main offenders: Jay Z "Change Clothes and Go" from the upcoming Black Album, Fabolous "Let's Ride" from More Street Dreams 2: the mixtape, Young Buck in "Poppin them Thangs" and 50 Cent from "How to Stunt" (aka "Stunt 101") both from the G-Unit's Beg For Mercy album. If you stunt like you got one, at least act like you know and pronounce it correctly. Related reading: "Red-carpet treatment for shoppers of $360,000 car" (Source: Miami Herald/AP) (BTW Fab, isn't saying More Street Dreams 2 redundant? Shouldn't it be More Street Dreams or Street Dreams 2 or was there actually a More Street Dreams 1 album that I don't know about?)
Speaking of the G-Unit album though, if you can't be bothered (or are too ethical) to download it, you can check it out in its entirety on MTV2.com's "The Leak" here. (The Black album is also available on "The Leak" here.) Listening to it, I think Ja Rule and Irv Gotti had a point that dissing Ja for his sellout "hip-pop" seems disingenuous when 50 was basically doing the same on his Get Rich... album ("PIMP", "21 Questions" etc.) and now also on Beg for Mercy ("Wanna Get 2 Know U," "Smile" and "Groupie Love").
So, how does the album sound? Judge for yourself but if you've heard the most recent albums by Eminem, 50 Cent and Obie Trice, you pretty much know what to expect: corporate thugged out hip hop at it's most finely-crafted with the best beats money can buy courtesy of Dre, Em & co. Possibly the least challenging album of the year, I haven't even bought it yet and I'm already bored by it. By the way, anyone else think Young Buck sounds like Eightball (of pioneering Southern hip hop label Suave House fame)?
Speaking of corporate hip hop, last night BET aired the Source Awards. Mixed feelings on this one. Like many award shows, it was fairly predictable and rarely exciting (although with the Source Awards' history, you never know what might jump off). Least surprising event of the night: 50 (in a long-running feud with the magazine alongside Eminem) wasn't there to collect his award. Luckily the show seems to have gone OK. My girlfriend gave up watching after about 30 seconds dismissing it as a minstrel show. Unfortunately she tuned in during the Diplomats performance using a stage set based on a Harlem street corner complete with a simulated crack dealer, doh! I think that might have been keeping it a little too real.
It's too bad she didn't stick around because some of the more positive highlights included air time for The Source Youth Foundation award and an eloquent speech by Jam Master Jay's widow Teri Mizell (Jay RIP) thanking the audience for their support of Run DMC and her husband and announcing the launch of the Jam Master Jay Music Foundation. Also props due for the (multiple) nominations of underground acts like Slum Village, Jurassic 5 and Common even if they were just token nods.
Notable performances included D-Block in a jailyard set (faux pas no. 2 after the Diplomats performance?) and, unbelievably, Bad Boy's Da Band. That kid Fred might make a believer out of me yet with his on-stage energy. Fabolous and Tamia both looked catatonic during their performance of "Into You" which would have been a wash-out were it not for the fact that she looked fabulous (pun intended) and the letter-shirted back-up dancers who kept it interesting on-stage. They were all knocked out the box though by the Dirty South All-stars featuring, group of the night and multiple-award winners, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz doing a medley of all the crunk bangers that have been running the clubs this year.
Style-wise, throwbacks and authentics were still in effect but I'm starting to see a return to jail and Dickies-style workwear suits. Finally, "urban street" fashion I can actually afford. Dickies or jerseys, I wish Bonecrusher and his boy from their former group the LG'z had kept something (anything) on their backs when they hit the stage.
The cross-promotions were heavy during the show including announcing the winners via T-Mobile's Sidekick (clever) but the highlight ad during the show had to be the one for the True Crime--Streets of LA videogame. Looks like Activision took a page right out of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto playbook and ran with it. I'm no videogame expert but that ish looks hot.
