Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Wednesday Salute To Hip Hop's Underrated

So sorry i missed last week I was in DC as some of you may know. I've been swamped with everything under the sun as of late and am slacking on my blogging responsibilities. So with that being said I bring to you the triumphant return of the Wednesday Salute To Hip Hop's Underrated. I last talked about Bay Area rapper The Jacka and I'm going to keep it West Coast with Carson, CA lyricist Ras Kass. Ras Kass released his debut album Soul On Ice in 1996 and the album saw little commecial success. It is considered a classic amongst the underground though. Ras Kass then released Rasassination and although he had the backing of Hip Hop heavyweights such as Xzibit, RZA from the Wu Tang Clan and Dr. Dre the album still did connect commercially. His ability to weave through subject matter ranging from racism to gangster tales of the streets may have been too much for listeners to comprehend. In 2001 Ras then went into bitter dispute with his label over how he was being pushed. He started a "Free Ras" campaign to be let go from Priority Records much like what The Lox did to be released from Bad Boy. In 2003 Ras Kass was incarcerated for drunk driving and released a mixtape while in jail. He then filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Priority Records but was not granted release frm the label. He is also a member of the rap supergroup The HRSMNN which includes Canibus, Kurupt and Killah Priest yet no material has been released from them yet.


Here is Ras Kass' most succesful single to date "Ghetto Fabulous"

Monday, January 26, 2009

OMAYGA Update

sorry for the late post but i been mad busy....Takeover Volume 2 Available for download Jan 27!
omayga's word to the people

Friday, January 23, 2009

White People Love The Chronic 2001

So I was riding home after my show last night with my rock band and when the driver popped in Dr. Dre's Chronic 2001 CD it hit me, this is white people's favorite rap album. I then started replaying in my head all of the times when I've been on a road trip with a white person or been chilling with white people or having a musical debate with people; this album always came up. The hilarious part is that white people commonly flock to more underground or "conscious" rappers but the material on Chronic 2001 is so raunchy and gangster. I feel like that album really gives them a chance to escape their pale exterior and really feel black for a little while. Maybe I'm reading too deep into this or maybe it's just a collection of really dope beats with dope flows on it but I've seen white people who hate rap listening to this album. Which makes no sense because the reasons they give for hating rap are exclimated throughout the album. All I know is next time I'm in a car with a white driver and he says "Dude gimme that Dr. Dre CD" I'll laugh a little on the inside.

Here's Forgot About Dre...don't act like Eminem didn't murder this shit either

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Fuck Bill O'Reilly

For years Bill O'Reilly has represented a conservative right wing view of the Hip Hop community. This man is a very influential force in media and in the households of conservative white America. His most recent attack on rap came on the day after Obama was inaugurated. Young Jeezy and Jay-Z performed a remix of Young Jeezy's controversial single "My President Is Black". He and Dennis Miller dismissed the performance as hate mongering nonsense. Unfortunately they only chose to show a clip of the most derogatory moments of the performance. I dismiss their analysis as jealous ignorance. These men will never understand what Hip Hop figures represent and the hope they instill in underprivelaged youth. Sure our language is coarse and not network television ready, but who's is? Bill O'Reiily has attacked Snoop Dogg, caused Ludacris to lose a Pepsi advertisement deal, attempted to make Cam'Ron look like an idiot on his show and is now going after Jay-Z and Young Jeezy. He and Dennis Miler say no one cares what they have to say but the reality is that whether we want to be or not rappers and sports figures are role models for black youth. They represent the fact that success can happen for people from their environment and no matter how much O'Reilly hates it and tries to kill Hip Hop it will remain that way.

Here's this bitch ass old man in another attempt to kill the culture


Here's the full Jay-Z/Young Jeezy performance

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

I Was There

Tuesday January 20, 2009 at 12 PM history was made and I was there to witness it. Barack Obama became the first African-American President of the United States of America. i am overwhelmed with joy and feel like I am a part of American history. I haven't been able to keep up with the blog as of late because of the amount of travel and limited internet access I've had but I had to find time to write about this. I'm in a hotel in Washington, D.C. listening to Barack Obama deliver a speech at an inaugural lunch and am at a loss for words to describe the feeling of happiness and accomplishment I have. I have a restored faith in the American government and believe that if each of us do ouer part in the grand scheme of thing we can make some changes happen. Obama is not the savior but he is a leader and catalyst in reformation of our nation. Congratulations President Obama.

A Great Moment For Our Nation And The World

Thursday, January 15, 2009

I Was Proud Of Us Then....

I finally made it out to the protests in Oakland over the killing of Oscar Grant. I rejoiced when the news was released that Johannes Mehserle was in jail facing murder charges. The war isn't over but a small battle has been won. I got a chance to meet the mayor of Oakland and one of my favorite MC's Too $hort, both of whom spoke at the rally. The safe atmosphere made me proud of my people showing that we know how to peacefully gather for a cause. Then nightfall hit. For no apparent reason the rally turned violent and demonstrators shatterd windows and attacked businesses that had nothing to do with the issue they were rallying about. By the time the violence broke out I was on my way to San Francisco for a show I had laer in the night so I didn't witness any of it first hand, although I am still ashamed at my peers for their behavior. I am behind demonstrating for a cuase and I am also behind attacking police when need be but the businesses on the streets around the protest had absolutely nothing to do with the Oscar Grant killing and their employees more than likely feel the same way about the issue as the protestors. Damn, it started off so good too.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Wednesday Salute To Hip Hop's Underrated

This is becming my favorite day of the week. This is when I get to talk about an MC who's been putting in the type of work to deserve mainstream attentin but never really broke through. Last week I talked about Queens native Cormega. Today I'm bringing it back home to the Bay and letting you guys know about The Jacka. His brand of music is a cross between griity lyricism and harmonizing about growing up in Richmond, Oakland and Pittsburg. He started out with the Pittsburg, CA based group The Mob Figaz. They saw immediate success in the bay area with their first two albums. In 2000 his first album the self-titled The Jacka sold over 25,000 units, all with no major label backing or radio support. Although his second and third albums didn't sell as well he still remained to be on of the most popular rappers in the streets of the Bay Area. He's collaborated with every hard hitting rapper out of the Bay and even New Yorker Cormega. The Jacka has a string of hood anthems which include "Barney (More Crime)" and "Iller Clip". He's also seen modest radio play with his singles "Hey Girl" and the more recent "All Over Me". After ten years of grinding and building a solid fan base that stretches from the Bay Area to Kansas City, MO he is finally poised to release his next album Tear Gas to a national fan base.

This is one of my favorite Jacka joints "Barney (More Crime)"...

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

It's Hunting Season

It's officially black man hunting season and the cops are trying to put heads on their mantles for real. It's crazy that the first murders in 2009 were comitted by the police to unarmed black men. This is happening all over the country so your region is not exempt. On the east coast we had the killing of Sean Bell, down south we lost Adolph Grimes, III, and on the west there were the killings of Michael Byoune and most recently Oscar Grant. What the hell is wrong with the police? There have been many debates about the most recent police slaughtering of Oscar Grant. People are saying that the protests prove nothing more than that the citizens of Oakland can destroy their property. I strongly disagree. I am from the Bay Area and it is the land of the Black Panthers and protesting is what we do. Demonstrating against the police shows a community bonded against the unjust actions that take place. Although there may be some damage to property that is alot less savage than killing an unarmed an in cold blood. I've heard cops say that the officers who commit these murders come from regions that had no black people in them and their only interaction with blacks was what they saw on TV. These men then become cops in some of the most dangerous areas in America and don't know how to adequately handle the resistence they face on a daily basis. I believe no matter how much stress and ridicule you face on your job killing an unarmed man in an unexcusable savage act. I don't expect justice to be served in any of these situatiion because I've lost faith in America's judicial system. All I can do is hope that the protests open some eyes to the fact that the police don't hold all the power. We are a people that have been bullied and short changed since we were brought to this country. I believe we've finally had enough, we might be closer to the revolution than we think.

Here's my boy Uncle Murda f. Avery spittin about this crazy world...

Monday, January 12, 2009

Kanye West At It Again...Everyone Shield Your Eyes!!!

So I was on the internet and came across an article that Kanye West has plans of posing nude. He wants to break every "rule" in Hip Hop. As disturbing as the image of Mr. West nude may be, it would not be the first time a Hip Hop artist has posed nude. In 1991 Big Daddy Kane went against the grain and did a spread in playgirl. Another "rule" Kanye was claiming to break was singing for an album when Andre 3000 already did that, and did it better in my opinion. I'm a fan of Kanye's music but his outside antics and rants are becoming more and more unacceptable. I also don't like anyone attempting to take credit for starting a trend that was in place before him. As of yet Kanye hasn't started on trend in Hip Hop, be it soul samples, rocking high end clothing, or as disgusting as it may be, posing nude. Kanye West needs to just focus on making music and leave the exterior bullshit out of the equation. P360 Takeover Volume 2 drops January 20!!!!

Ye needs to leave the nudity up to the pros like Rita G who is bomb as hell in this video...if decides to bare all I might have to do what she did...minus the clothing removal and sexiness

Friday, January 9, 2009

Facebook and MySpace

I, like mostly anyone with a social life, have a myspace and facebook page. Myspace was first and started out as a simple social network. There has been alot of myspace hook ups and break ups. Then came the myspace music feature which made any average joe a superstar musician (at least in their mind). As myspace gained popularity facebook came along as a college student alternative with some different features. Now facebook is the more dominant site since the college exclusive aura has been dropped but i ask the question what social network site will come along and steal our attention? We are a generation who loves the new hot shit and believe me something else is coming it's all a matter of when.


I still love myspace and as a salute to my myspace jumpoffs....

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Wednesday Salute To Hip Hop's Underrated

Alright I'm starting something new. Every Wednesday I will talk about a Hip Hop figure who despite their extreme amount of talent never got the mainstream succes that he/she deserves.the first artist I'm going to speak about is Queens native Cormega. I recently got to catch him live in concert and it was a very memorable experience If you don't know about Cormega he was shoted ut by Nas while in prison on the song "One Love". Upon his release he joined The Firm with Nas, AZ, and Foxy Brown. He was replaced by Nas' cousin Nature due to contract issues. After a fallout with Nas he released cult classic albums such as The Realness, The True Meaning, Legal Hustle and The Testament. His gritty lyrics paint a very true and descriptive picture of the streets he grew up in. Cormega is indeed a high caliber artist deserving of mainsteram success.

Here's one of my favorite Cormega joints "Are You My Nigga?"

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Another Cop Commits Another Unjust Murder

I'm really at a loss for words on this one. New Year's Day Oscar Grant was killed by an Oakland police officer at the Fruitvale BART Station in Oakland, CA. This just adds to the names such as Sean Bell and so many others who have been murdered by cops unjustly. I am not against any man or woman willing to help keep the streets safe from crime; but who is going to keep the streets safe when the people we look to to do so are as corrupt as the criminals? I'll just let you guys see the news report and meditate on this one yourselves. I'm disgusted

Monday, January 5, 2009

Music and Movie Bootlegging

In the past 5 years or so music and movie piracy has skyrocketted. Since Napster hit the scene musicians have been firmly against free music file sharing. Now that Limewire and an abundance of free download sites have sprouted the average person with no computer savvy has full access to his/her favorite artists. Music's counterpart movies, altough they have been faced with pirating, have not suffered as much financially. With the exception of Lil Wayne selling 1 miilion in one week music cd sales are just not what they used to be. This leads me to ask the quesion what is it that keeps movie goers heading back to the theater and keeps music heads copping from the bootleg man in Target parking lot. My guess is that the real movie still has more to offer than its bootleg option. The experience of going to the movies can't be replaced. However the only thing missing from a bootleg cd is the liner note booklet and I think I'm the only person that still reads that. People don't even really listen to cd's anyway. I mean when was the last time you saw somebody jogging with a discman? There has to be change in the way regularly consume music and the product we buy needs to be upgraded as well. We, the consumer need more than just music to listen to. We need something extra that makes that product unique. Until things change I'll be on my way to the movies listening to my botleg E-40 cd.


The current state of music has rapperes pissed, listen to Scarface

Friday, January 2, 2009

Fake It 'Til You Make It

I am not a rich nigga. I hustle and get money just like the next man. I love to get fresh and rock fly clothes just like the next man. But I refuse to wear these big fake ass chains like most of the rappers we see on TV everyday. We are in a recession and record sales are low, niggas are not seeing cake like they used to. With that being said a lot of these artists who only have one album or something but have gawdy jewelry with optimus prime's face on it are either faking it or going broke doing dumb shit with their money. There are still dudes getting it nonetheless. I ask the true cake getters this question though, "What else are you doing with this money besides balling out?" Some will say it's not their job to help out or give back. I can respect that mentality to an extent but I look at it as very selfish. I mean the people put artists in the financial position they're in. A free concert or regularly putting money back in the community they rep so hard wouldn't hurt it would just mean one less chain or car (boo hoo). The images rappers portray are so inconsistent. If a nigga is giving you a cd-r with his name written on sharpie and you listen to the cd and he's talking about all the money he gets and bitches he fucks something is wrong. I understand that this is entertainment but rap has such a large affect on imprtessionable minds that the youngsters listening to their favorite MC will sometimes do anything to imitate the lifestyle they hear about in song. They will sell drugs to get the real jewelry and real Gucci kicks. Besides the dudes with the money in the hood are the hustlers anyway and most hustlers can't rap so they depend on a narrator to tell their story. i just want to know what happened to keeping it real? If you've never made it rain, don't rap about it. If you can't afford a big ass platinum chain, don't go broke on it. If you can't afford a Bentley, don't rent one for the video. This industry is full of somke and mirrors, publicity stunts and actors. We need to get back to some reality before we kill the culture.

There is alot wrong with the culture outside of niggas being fake...listen to Busta

Thursday, January 1, 2009

New Year Same Shit

Hooray we made it to see a new year. I wish I could be more excited but it's still the first of the month which means bills are due. I had to party last night with a big bottle of Belvedere in order to forget about my worries for one night. I ended up kicking it with some friends at one of their friend's house. I kept it safe and low key because you know niggas love to start shit to bring in the new year. Anyway it's 2009 but we still got 2008 problems. The economy is still horrible. There is still a senseless war going on in the middle east. And Yung Berg is still rapping. Let's try to step it up for the new year. Men quit spending your rent money on drinks in the club. Women quit looking for a nigga in the club to pay yout rent. Let's have a sense of self worth this year. We got a black president; we're making progress now let's keep it up.

I was watching Andy Griffith this morning scratching my balls and had to stop quick...Here's why