Tip do you eat'em (uh uhhh) not at allll" - A Tribe Called Quest
I went to see Forks over Knives when it came out at the theater. I really enjoyed it and recently re-watched it on DVD. Nice little documentary, you should check it out. It inspired me to post a healthy food centric joints.
Blue Chips by Action Bronson is wonderfully written, straight spittin kind of track with an equally as impressive intro. I'm on record saying Bronson's flow in general favors Raekwon more than Ghost, however his wordplay on this joint is definitely Starks-esque. It is a fun listen.
I could not find the lyrics to this anywhere. I am willing to
sit, edit and revise lyrics for hours, however I do not have the
patience to transcribe them. Here are a few snippets.
This is a deep, insightful narrative about his formative years. It does not flow in the way other story raps do, missing transitions and context. but his herky-jerky flow makes that lack of cohesion seem intentional.
Speaking of flow, that is precisely what drew me to this song. Blu has a myriad of flows which he employs liberally depending on the track. Here he decides to go with a hesitation, stutter step style which perfectly compliments the track as well as the aforementioned story structure.
Now, I don't take rape references lightly however during the the aftermath of the Kobe Bryant rape case, you could see how that line really stood out from the this West Coast spitter.
Since his darts on the Madvillainy album, and other random tracks here and there, I have been impressed with the dude. His voice and delivery are two things that standout to me.
That being said I went to the record store and bought, yes, bought at the record store, his most recent album.
I have heard a one or two songs that I liked, but this purchase was not really about that. Just kind of felt like I owed him (as well as Madlib) a few dollars. He puts in an honest effort, and I have enjoyed some of his work over the years so I figured I'd throw him a couple of dollars. Even if it is just symbolic. Been trying to make more of an effort to do that kind of stuff ever since Ghost guilted the hell out of me a few years ago with his diatribe against downloading.
"These are just a illustration, of a few scenes that helped raise a generation"
Interesting food for thought that Wassalu has forwarded here. More importantly, he does so without placing a bias in any one direction (negative or positive).
I know for me, the power of some of these films, in some way, led me to pursue some righteous stuff with my life. Maybe, they had the opposite impact for others. Perhaps our paths were already written, and the films meant nothing at all.
I may quit teaching and begin a doctoral dissertation on the basis of this shit...word up....
One of the few cases where only "reading while listening" would interfere with the overall experience...
One more thing, beyond the obvious, what about the overlap in characters/actors in each of these films...and the way the author Lupe seamlessly interchanges their real names and character names/roles. By doing so illuminates just how different and similar they all are.
Looks like someone has stayed in the game long enough to free himself of genre killing, label marketing/promoting conspiracies and to find his own niche.
Freeing himself from his Solo Cup beginnings This is like the fourth or fifth joint in a row I've heard him do well on lately. Roth appears to be closing in on his own identity as an artist.
Let me find out artists are still allowed to grow in this game...who knew?
All that being said there is NO WAY this kind of stuff sells like his earlier stuff. Sometimes as an artist you have to make that decision, become another cog in the machine, or sacrifice for your art, in the hopes that critical acclaim and riches will eventual follow. Not an easy decision, and one that many other talented artists have decided to go the other way with.
If Drake were smart he'd point to this track whenever anyone started clowning him about being terry cloth soft.
Its is no secret that I am a card carrying member of the sensitive male club. My first music experiences included some of the most sappy, powerful love joints of the 70's. Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Blue Magic, and the Stylistics raised me. So while I understand the overall Drake criticisms, I do think it can be a bit much at times, especially considering his genealogy.
Instead of rapping/singing about girls, or his feelings, I suppose they'd rather him rap about real shit...like his homies.
Here are a few other love-ish songs I like below, after the jump. But everyday is the 14th for me. I don't need a random holiday for me to post love raps, shit matta fact, I got three already in the chamber ready to go!
"It's hip hop music, its good enough to speak for itself, and you gotta do right by it..."
Listen, beef is not what Jay said to Nas, beef is when the working folks can`t
find jobs
steady tryna find niggaz to rob, tryna find bigger guns so
they can finish the job
Beef is when the crack babies cant find moms cuz
they in a pine box, or locked behind bars
Beef aint the Summer Jam for
Hot 97, beef is the cocaine and aids epidemic
Beef don`t come with a radio
edit, beef is when a judge is calling you defendant
Beef, it comes with a
long jail sentence, handed down to you in a few short minutes.
Beef is
when your girl comes through for a visit, to tell you that she`s
pregnant, by some other nikka
Beef is high blood pressure and bad credit
need a loan for your home but you too broke to get it
And all you little
kids is doing is getting bigger, your trying not to raise `em around
these wild nikkas
Beef is when a gold digger got your seed in her, a
manicured hand out like `pay me nikka...or I'm tellin' your wife or startin' up some foul rumor that'll ruin your life Beef is when a gangster ain't doin it right, another gangster then decided what to do with his life
BEEF is not what these famous
nikkas do on the mic...beef is what George Bush would do in a fight
Yeah,
beef is what Jah said to 50 but Ro and Irv not being here with me
When a
soldier ends his life with his own gun, Beef is trying to figure out
what to tell his son
Beef is oil prices, and geo-politics, beef is Iraq,
the West Bank and Gaza Strip
Some beef is big, some beef is small
but what ya`ll call beef is not beef at all
Beef is real life happening
every day, and it`s realler than those songs that you gave to Kay
Slay
This has been a real nikka, P.S.A., from Mos Def pretty Flaco, Black Donte and the Black Star Embassy B to the K! - Mighty Mos Def
Hahaha, Sean Price makes old heads like me smile and feel relevant. I wanted to do a P post but could not decide on which verse/song to use. Lots of B.C.C. era joints from Tall Sean that I could have opted for as well.
So, I am just mailing it in with this joint. Basically because he starts the rhyme by saying "Botswana"
I remember hearing Erykah's version of The Healer first and absolutely loved it. Simple. Powerful. Beautiful. Then I heard Monch's version and it became a different song. Through his deft lyricism and energy he managed to transform the track into a revolution song.
