Some of the posts I already have up have to be edited because my perspective has changed on some of my posts and some of the artists I’ve written about. Stay tuned! Should be done today.
Archive for September, 2011
You know I like to integrate my two subject matters on this site. So this post isn’t about hip hop. It’s about respect. So many people these days (I’m not going to point fingers, yet) are looking for respect, but not giving it. In my experience, that sh** doesn’t fly. You cannot approach me seeking respect if you’re not going to give it back. For example, I live by the Golden Rule. If you treat me well, I’ll hold you down basically til the end or until you show me I shouldn’t hold you down anymore. If you treat me like crap, my body automatically tells me not to mess with your type. I can read people really well and can smell BS from a mile away. If you’re not really down for me, you can’t step foot into my circle.
I’m not trying to make this post about me, but just giving you an insight as to how my mind thinks. Some people can go their whole lives only caring about themselves. And those are the ones who expect respect even when they don’t give respect in return. Both men and women are this way. You all probably see this on a daily basis. I see this mostly in the men who are interested in me. I’m sure men see women this way, too, but this is my perspective. Some men these days are really trying to BS these women out here. Some of the women fall for it which just ends in unhappiness. They just find out when it’s too late. The women who are aware of this make better decisions, but can still fall for a man who doesn’t have her best interest at heart. It all goes back to respect. If a man respects you, you’ll be able to tell. If you respect him, it just makes for a better relationship. Trust has to be there, though, and that’s a whole different subject.
I try to be aware of how I’m treating people if I’m getting treated the wrong way. I always evaluate both parties. I don’t always assume the other person is the one in the wrong. I have to consider that I may be too. It’s important to always put yourself in someone else’s position. I’m just trying to tell all of you to be aware of what the other person wants from you—male or female so that you know what to give back. That way you can either give them the respect they deserve or kick them to the curb. You better be seeking to gain respect, too…
Drake came into the game doing his own thing. He didn’t have a record deal and was still making better music than artists who were already signed. Before he was ever signed, he received Grammy nominations. That tells you all you need to know. Supposedly some people think he was already signed to Young Money/Universal. His mixtape “So Far Gone” was one of the best mixtapes from him and one of the best mixtapes I’ve ever heard.
His delivery comes across drastically different than other hip hop artists. He is able to capture all the young people’s attention by songs like “I’m On One,” or “Best I Ever Had” because of the way he can tell a story. People are able to relate to him because he knows how to write to include all of us– What we go through in love and life. That’s ultimately what hip hop is supposed to do for us. It’s not supposed to just be noise. It’s part of our culture– it’s something we really follow. It’s not just music. He captures a young person’s story so easily and has us hanging on to every word because we relate to what he’s saying. He’s versatile in his voice which is why he’s able to sing R&B and why he’s able to rap, and is another reason we are able to vibe to him so well.
His metaphors and uses of language in his rhymes are unlike those around him. I don’t even think Wayne’s delivery is as good as Drake’s right now, but that’s because Wayne has lost sight of a few things. I’m hoping that doesn’t happen to Drake. He and T.I. both have this incredible way of storytelling which is ultimately what hip hop is. He doesn’t pretend to be anything he’s not. A lot of people think it’s Wayne who’s writing his lyrics, but Aubrey Graham can hold his own. It almost seems as though Wayne is copying him a little bit by trying to sing and try other genres of music. But the fact of the matter is, only Drake can pull off Drake.
The reason most people are vibing to “She Will” on Tha Carter IV is because of Drake’s catchy hook. That song gets everyone’s attention—girls and guys. The repeated chorus is what makes the song. He knows how to make people sing along. He wants people to memorize it easily. The beat is tight. You can’t help but groove to it, and it’s a sexy song. Sex sales. That makes for even more record sales which is why he and Wayne do so well. Drake is also in “It’s Good” on Tha Carter IV. He kills his verse, no doubt about that. Rumor has it the two of them are supposed to make an album together. I’m not trying to be a hater, but Drake will make the CD. They work well together but Drake’s delivery is more appealing to me. Who’s do you prefer??
Watch The Throne
Watch The Throne may have a lot of religious references and political references, it may be boastful, but it’s definitely worth the listen and the praise because the collaboration is something you can’t just overlook. These guys didn’t even like each other that long ago, but they squashed the beef and brought two very unique sounds together. My favorite songs are “No Church in the Wild,” “Lift Off,” “****** in Paris,” “Otis,” “New Day,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Who Gon Stop Me,” “Made in America,” and “Why I love You.”
The beats are so easy to vibe as well. I know Kanye was involved in making some beats, but one of the best beats, “N****s in Paris,” was done by Hit-Boy who is signed to Yeezy’s G.O.O.D music label. To his credibility, he produced Wayne and Eminem’s “Drop the World.” Hit-Boy says, “N—-as in Paris’ came about from me having a beat idea already. When I went to New York, I just further went into it,” Hit-Boy told Mixtape Daily. “It was just a batch of beats. Kanye asked me for some beats, and that was one of the beats I gave him.”
Whether you love or hate Jay-Z and/or Kanye, you can’t deny that the album is a good one. Granted Wayne sold more Carter IV’s, but that’s because no one really wants to hear sophisticated rap. It takes too much energy for them to listen and look for the meaning. I think the album is done fair enough that it doesn’t sound like just a Kanye album or just a Jay-Z album. Although I do think Kanye kills it on some songs better than Jay does like “N****s in Paris”, “Gotta Have It”, and “New Day.”In “New Day” and “Why I Love You”, Jay and Kanye get personal. I like the side of Kanye that comes out in “New Day” because he addresses that he doesn’t want his future son to end up like him, facing the fact that no one likes him because he’s been disrespectful. He’s becoming more aware that people don’t like or respect him because of how he’s presented himself. He says, “See I just want ‘em to have an easy life/Not like Yeezy life,” he raps over the melancholy number. “Just want ‘em to be someone people like/Don’t want ‘em to be hated all the time, judged/Don’t be like your daddy that would never budge.”
Sophisticated Rap
Yeezy calls it “sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive.” Kanye says it best right here — not only about himself, but of Jay-Z as well. I can see why Jay-Z is sort of handing the throne to Kanye, or at least when Jay-Z officially retires. Even though he gets himself into trouble with his smart mouth, he is a great lyricist and producer. Until retirement, Jay-Z will be one of the best in hip hop. He’s out of 2Pac’s era so it’s only right that he gets credibility for being true to himself. Back in the day, he was actually on the streets more, lived more of the street life. In his rap, you can tell the transition from his life then and his life now.
I’ve heard people complain that Jay-Z is falling off, but like I just said he stays true to who he is. By changing from the gangsta rap to the sophisticated rap that he’s doing now, you see progress. All artists change, sometimes not always for the better, but Jay-Z is now a rapper, writer, producer, entrepreneur– co-owner of the New Jersey Nets, founder of Roc Nation, has a fashion line (Rocawear), he is the former CEO of Def Jam Records, and one of the three co-founders for Roc-A-Fella Records. He said in one of his songs “I’m not a business man, I’m a business man.” That mentality has overtaken Jay-Z and you can’t blame him for that. Someone I was talking to last night said Jay isn’t the same as he used to be. But progressing in life never means you stay the same. Of course his music has changed, along with Wayne’s and Kanye’s.
In Order to Be Successful…
What I’ve learned from this little life so far is that in order to be truly successful, you have to be willing to do something you haven’t done before. That’s the same with making yourself happy — you have to be willing to go the extra mile, because happiness doesn’t come so easy for some of us. You have to befriend people you otherwise wouldn’t. You never know who you can really relate to unless you think outside of the box. People who are exactly like you or are your same age can get you into trouble sometimes. You need friends who are positive, willing to put forth a friendship that isn’t based on negativity, and who keep you uplifted rather than bring you down. Befriend an honest person instead of a cheat. Sometimes cheats aren’t so noticeable when you’re looking them in the face, but eventually their bad side(s) come(s) out. Get away from them and their type as soon as you can. That only leads to destruction.
Work, Work, Work
Aside from the people in your life, the next biggest step to feeling and being successful is of course, having a job. Generally not just any job will do either. Some of us go to school to get a better job. Others of us would rather have actual experience instead of just a college degree or even high school diploma. If you’d rather work in a factory and work yourself up to owning your own, then that is being successful, too. But my way of working up in life is through school. I’ve graduated with a Bachelor’s degree and I don’t even feel like I’m getting close to starting my career. Although I’ve done internships and am holding a part time position at Steak and Shake, I haven’t found my first full time job yet. That is also just me being impatient, but I am definitely trying to stay positive because I know my time is coming! I know that I’m doing what it takes to get to the next step by applying, applying and applying to full time positions. I’m not going to get discouraged. I know my life is panning out how it should, and I’m working hard to get to a better place in life.
Hustle
Regardless of your background or education, you have to be willing to do what it takes to pay the bills. Just imagine what it’s like working a full time job and getting that first pay check. 40 hours a week is way better than 30 or less. The full time paycheck is drastically different than your part time paycheck. Being able to envision this will have you making better steps to get to the actual thing. You will expect more of yourself if your envisioning this and eventually you will be acting out your own vision.
Put You First
You have to be willing to put yourself first in order to be successful as well. God also needs to be first. Keep those two on the same level and things will start changing for you. Sometimes it’s hard to put yourself first because you are used to putting our family first, like I used to or maybe even your friends come first. But the fact of the matter is, you are the only one in control of your life. Granted, God is a big force behind your heartbeat, but he also put you in control of your life secondly. You have to own up to your life, own up to finding out what you were put on this earth for, and you have to own up to reaching that goal. You also have to be willing to put the past to rest. If there’s one thing that haunts you from your past or if there’s more than one, you have to kiss that life goodbye to make room for your new one. It’s not as though you’re dismissing it like it didn’t happen, but putting it behind you so that your new life has room to breathe and grow.
Doesn’t Fit with Other Carters
It’s been way too long since I’ve written last, I know. My internet was out for a second, but now I’m back!! So the next album on the agenda is definitely Wayne’s Carter IV. When I first heard it, I called it trash. But the more I listen to it, the more I like it. But I canNOT say that I like every song by any means nor can I say that I like every part of the songs. A verse will be good, but a chorus can be crap. There are only a few songs that actually belong on a Carter album. The closest Wayne got to his other Carters is “President Carter.” You guys remember “Dr. Carter” on Tha Carter II. The content of the song goes really well with the theme of that song.
The Good of the Carter IV
The other songs that belong on Tha Carters are probably: “Blunt Blowin’,” “She Will,” “John,” and “So Special.” What saved the CD was the people he decided to put on the album like Drake, Rick Ross, John Legend, Jadakiss, Bun B., and Nas. “It’s Good” is one of the best tracks on there because of Jadakiss and Drake. Tech N9ne even shows up on the CD, but only in an interlude. That was cool of Wayne to put Tech on there, but he should’ve been in an actual song since Wayne was in “F*** Food” on Tech’s All 6’s and 7’s album. Another thing that saved the album were the bonus tracks, “I Like the View” and “Two Shots.” Those beats are real live. Most of the beats are, but Wayne doesn’t always match the beat.
Tunechi
This persona of Tunechi has drastically changed his music. Before he went to jail, he announced his name would be Lil’ Tunechi. He becomes the personas he raps about and it shows in his music. Weezy F. Baby was wayyy better than Tunechi. Shoot, all of his other identities were better than Tunechi. All this identity is worried about is b****es, ho**, and the p word. It’s not REAL hip hop to just be on a sexist mess. It’s not that I don’t know that it’s part of the genre — I do. I understand Tunechi is changing, just like the rest of us, but I wish it wasn’t so noticeable in his lyrics.
I Want the Old Wayne Back…
But that’s not the Wayne I’ve always known. He’s about his money, that’s for damn sure. I get that. Since he became the leader of Young Money, he has certainly changed his mentality. Being the leader of a group like that would be expected to change, but I keep wishing for the old Wayne to come back. He was trying to prove himself instead of just knowing he was the s***. Now he knows he is and it’s changing his lyrics and mentality.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to probably keep listening to the album, but I’ll certainly pass through some of the songs. He’s still a musical genius because he’s got so much talent, not only in the rap side of things, but also in the business side. He has been in the game a pretty long time and he’s still young. If this was any other Carter though, I’d listen to it all the way through. Big ups to Wayne for doing his thang, but I’m still going to listen to him critically, waiting for the Wayne I first fell in love with. His music, that is, not him.
Hip Hop 'Til You Drop 