2010 Beef????

Cruising YouTube is like going to the supermarket. Your intent is to go to the store for 5 minutes to pick up one or two things and you end up leaving an hour later with a cart of crap you would never use in life. So I took a YouTube trip one night late looking for who knows what and ended up finding my intended video and everything else in between. This was interesting though, I ran across a chick from Baltimore named Keys who decided to lyrically take a swipe at Nicki Minaj and taped it. If you haven't seen it, let's look at the video tape shall we?

I saw this and I was like ok, you got skills and yeah you can rhyme but the comments were interesting to me. I would say from just glancing at what folks had to say, it was about 50/50 Keys/Minaj. In essence you had folks saying that Keys has skills and Nicki is garbage and vice versa. One of the other prevailing comments was Why is this chick going after her? She won't get discovered doing videos and dissing someone who is already famous. Some even went as far to use the H-word. Yep, our favorite black person word, hater. Once again, I don't in any way, shape or form see this as Keys hating on Nicki. What I do see is a gritty MC who is challenging the current state of the genre and showing that she doesn't like what is going on and that there is diversity of styles in the rap game. I see Hip-Hop becoming more and more divided among lines of those who can spit and the more commercialized type hip-hop of Nicki Minaj.

I will say it again for the record, I REALLY tried to like Nicki. I listened to one of her mixtapes and she had maybe one halfway decent track but for the most part, it was the most disjointed album I have ever heard by ANY artist. However, she has appeal to alot of folks for reasons I can't understand but that is why she is a star. But why when someone comes hard like Keys or keeps it real like Talib Kweli, it is classified as "alternative" or "underground" hip-hop. Hip-hop represents a wide variety of musical and lyrical styles. You can classify a particular hip-hop style by say the origin of the group or artist but to me it appears that we are denigrating some artists because they choose to remain true to the origins of hip-hop.

Not too long after this came out, Nicki responded. Initially I tried to watch this at work but damn this video is PAINFUL to watch. I finally watched it a couple of nights ago at 3am...I knew I had no place to go and at worse I would just fall asleep watching her form a sentence. If you have to go to the bathroom, choose any part of this video. Her sentences are so choppy, you can probably see 30 seconds and get the idea of what she is saying (or not saying).

A mind is a terrible thing to develop without help. I say it over and over and over again!!! Watching this video you can't help but think that. There are really no words, I have nothing to say about this train wreck. And so the back and forth continues as Keys pops up in response:

I shared this with my partner and crime Uniqpoet and we had a very interesting discussion about all of this. He did make a good point, what do folks want to hear these days: Another rapper from the streets talking about stacking chips and doing dirt or a rapper who delivers lighhearted, party-themed lyrics? Why, he adds does every "hungry" emcee have to be gutter and hood? I think this shows the wide divide in hip-hop as emcees from both sides battle for the soul of hip-hop.

At this point I am thinking, is this the next rap beef? Fat chance on that but it sure makes things very, very interesting! I wonder if Keys is going to get in the black trucks and ride on Nicki? Ha, ha...Stay Tuned!

Where in the World is Shabba Ranks?

Note: This is a repost with an update (Some old and new here). Read, laugh, whatever. Be easy.

Yeah, I know the picture probably scared the shit out of you but as I was flipping through my iTunes I was thinking where the hell is Shabba Ranks? (aka Mr. Ugly Man) I must admit, he had a few of the hot jams back in the day (Mr. Loverman, Ting a Ling, Housecall with Maxi Priest) but then there area few songs which make me think he definetly had to work to get it (Bedroom Bully, Pay Down Pon it, Muscle Grip and Telephone Love). Has there been any Shabba sightings? Are there still people with eyes after that sighting?

Update: I was in Maryland this past summer and Shabba was in DC making a club appearance. His radio inteview was very interesting simply because I still couldn't understand a damn word he was saying. Shabba is still making the rounds it appears, glistnin' with baby oil, singin and scaring the s*it out of folks. Thanks for all you do Shabba!

Where in the world is Gerardo?

A new feature from the Prof digging up and getting all in the business of all those whose 5 minutes of fame expired about 20 years ago or more. While watching VH1 and reminiscing over classic R&B videos, I jokingly asked my fiance what the hell happened to Gerardo? I got up and did his dance and had a great laugh! The only difference between my dance and his is that I wasn't wearing ultra tight jeans and pointy toe cowboy boots. I guess there was a reason he danced like he did, he couldn't move in his jeans and his feet hurt! You remember the song and the dance! If not, get you ass up and move with Gerardo, you know you want to! LOL!!

Where is he now? According to WikiPedia he is still in the business as an A&R man for Interscope. Some of his more notable signings include Enrique Inglesias and Bubba Sparxx. Wow, still contributing to the industry after all these years? I wonder where the tight jeans are? Probably in a trophy case in his den! Today I salute Gerardo, the man once known as the Latin Frank Sinatra. Good to see you are doing well after leaving us such timeless music during your short run in the spotlight!

Old School Break...Shake Ya ass if you got it!

The Case of the PTA. Get the HELL out yo seat!!! You know you want to!

Hot or Not? Nicki Minaj (Exhibit A)

Ok...I'm not sure how to feel about this. Can it get better or am I making too much of this?

I know her album isn't supposed to drop for a minute but can I get some original material? I'll keep hunting and get back to you and when I do...We'll do it LIVE!!!!! On the East Coast...enjoy your snow day!!!

P.S., Nicki you got me lustin...could this be love?

This is the second time I have followed up a blog with a entry about someone in the previous blog. I have been hearing alot about Ms. Minaj and yes I am a bit curious if she has skills. I will find out later today as I have found a few sites with some of her tracks. I did happen to see her on 106 and Park performing with Robin Thicke. That was eye opening to say the least, cause she got hips and ASS for days! I love how Aries Spears breaks it down about hips v. ass (Sounds like a Supreme Court case? Justice Sotomayor...what is your decision?)

I guess in my mind I so want to see a hip-hop artist succeed in stead of falling into the crap hole and maybe her more so because she looks the way she does. Yeah, that is shallow as hell but I said it! Besides that, if she has the skills shouldn't we want her to succeed? Never mind the reports that her ass may be "fake" but the way it moves, hell I have a few doubts myself! Can she move into the pantheon of Women I Love? Stay tuned, she has to pass the Professor's test for non-wackness! When you step to me...be ready! I think my former students can attest to that! Be easy, I'll holla! We made it, it's Friday!!!!!

The Professor

Have You Had Your Pain Today? (Exhibit B)

Amy Winehouse, example of a tortured soul? I think anyone who follows current popular culture, the news or just a music lover knows her story halfway well. I have to keep asking myself, what the hell happened to her voice? Let me explain. I think she is a good singer but her chops aren't as good since she started riding the pipe train. I love her Frank B Sides album. This album is a mostly remix, live and alternate versions of some of her cuts from the Frank album. The song that strikes me most is her version of "There is no greater love." She kills it! The rest of the album is very good, just good music to listen to in the car or just lounging around the house. What is lacking in my opinion is the voice in her current music but what is common from that album until now is the passion, the longing and the hurt. She deals with love, breakups, infidelity, relationship roles and even takes a swipe at ho's all on one remix album. That is a broad range of issues as well as emotions. When she deals with the more intimate issues, you can hear it in her voice that she is singing from experience, from deep within her soul. This album for me shows the origin of pain and how it has been spread throughout many years and ultimately leading to the downfall of a truly unique voice in music. I just hope she gets it together and gets back fully in the game. Until next time...hopefully not 4 months from now! LOL!!!

P.S., I Love You Mary J. Blige...

Speaking of Mary J, I must take this opportunity to express my love for you not only as a singer but as a super fine sista. One of the most memorable performances I remember from Mary is an early one on In Living Color. Yeah, I know what you are thinking…In Living Color…REALLY??!! Yeah, but it wasn’t the performance so much, she was doing “You Remind Me”, it was what she was wearing; A nice skintight body suit with some Doc Marten looking boots. Damn, I so wanted to be that catsuit…it was like she was wearing nothing at all!

Outside of the sexiness, she can honestly sing and is one of the few R&B artists who accomplish looking good and have talent (Ashanti take note and just give it up!!!). As I mentioned previously, Mary and Jill Scott are the only two artists that I possess all of their albums (except for one from Mary, but I am working on that). Mary, could you pull the catsuit out one more time and maybe a nicer boot to go with it…PLEASE!!!!!

Have You Had Your Pain Today?

I am a big Mary J. Blige fan; I have all but one of her albums. She has evolved greatly over her career as a singer and as a person. The major theme of her music has been the pain that she had to deal with growing into womanhood as well as those pressures after the fact. Add onto that the pressure of success after her career took off and that makes for a lot of stuff to write and sing about on her albums. But then that great day occurred, she found happiness through religion, a good relationship and I suspect some rehab. Then the music changed, it got lighter and happier. I am not someone who wants to see anyone suffer for any reason but my gf pointed out to me that since she has been happier, her music hasn’t been as good.

Does this mean that pain makes for better music?

Let’s think about that question for a minute. Take yourself back, if you don’t have a proper frame of reference, think about all of the movies you have seen about music groups (i.e.: The Five Heartbeats, The Temptations movie etc.) and reflect on the question. What are the common themes that these groups share? Love of music, talent, some members had tough upbringings but became successful, gave back and helped their families. Think about just that for a minute, the pain of just rising to being a success is good for at least three albums (in between writing some sweet booty getting ballads),

What happens after the success? As Biggie so eloquently put it “Mo money, mo problems”. These singers have reached heights that they could only dream about and now they have new elements of life (good and bad) that they now indulge in. Some singers continue to give back and live a positive lifestyle. Others want to life the wildest, craziest life possible with fast cars, faster women and the best drugs and alcohol money can buy. In the recording studio, there are more scenarios to write about and record as the artist(s) attempt to snort drugs off any flat surface they can find. On the flip side, some do this because it is an escape from being famous and it ultimately leads to an untimely demise. Or their demise comes from the drugs, alcohol as fuel to the fire (bad drug deal, getting robbed, getting shot because the drugs and/or alcohol told them they could be Big Billy Bad Ass etc) the permutations of scenarios just go on and on.

It seems to me not much has changed in regards to pain being a catalyst to writing music, I just think some of the more obvious aspects of this have, like smoking a joint live in concert or performing blitzed out of your mind. There is another aspect of this that hasn’t been discussed and that is how current music is affected, more specifically Hip-Hop. Pain has been a part of this genre for a while but it seems to be a part of it more so now. Maybe that is why Hip-Hop is in trouble, the trends that we see reflect a larger problem of the African-American community in pain. When the music goes from banging out beats on a park bench and rapping about partying and what neighborhood you rep to how many kilos you pushed and your gang affiliation is problematic and reflects the breakdown of fundamental institutions which bind us a people. At the heart of all of this is pain in many forms from childhood, upbringing and adulthood for many African-Americans.

Should we continue to buy into this pain by supporting these artists?

That is a difficult question. On one hand since Lil Wayne is what is hot right now the question that I just posed will not enter anyone’s mind. Most who listen to Lil Wayne are REALLY not thinking that deeply about the problems of our people (correct me if I am wrong but if this were false, maybe Hip-Hop wouldn’t be such a cluster f*ck).

On the other hand, isn’t it time for us to take this into our own hands and say ENOUGH of bulls*it hip-hop? I don’t know about you, but I am sick of all of these so called “experts” getting together for discussions which lead us to the same conclusions that we already know that the music and the trends it produces are toxic to our community, especially our youth.

One thing is certain, as long as there is pain and baggage, there will be songs to write and stories to be told. Will this be the ultimate form of dealing with your problems? Sure, we as consumers will be listening to an ongoing counseling session that WE are paying for, not the artist.

Hope you had a great thanksgiving, next stop Christmas!!!

Class dismissed…

Wildin out Wednesday: Blog rewind...yeah...yeah the Diddy Remix!

Working on that new blog but thought I would remix one for you. This is from Sept 25, 2006, I featured one of my poems in this one. I have always enjoyed writing, even as a young man in school. I had a teacher who strongly encouraged my creativity and I had lots of it. I dont think much has changed in that regard but I have less time to sit in front of a computer and write my novels that I have started. I even have a couple of screenplay ideas that me and my ex were working on together but they sit in my laptop stagnant. I just hope no one pisses on these ideas before I can finish them. I never considered myself a writer of poetry, I would try but nothing ever sounded right. What I have come to realize is one needs inspiration...a muse if you will. So mine came from women (those I had met), life experience and well....SEX! Just keeping it real! If you are good, maybe I will dip into the raunchy collection sometime. Instead, here is my ode to my favorite thing...Music. In my last relationship, I was the music expert and my ex was the movie guru. In addition to her obsessive love of football, it was perfect! Funny how some stuff just doesnt quite work out. Here is the rewind:

Yesterday I downloaded some new music for my iPod and when I went to bed I was listening to the music intently and it reminded me of times gone by. The good, the bad, the parties and even the alone times (like now). Lately as I ride the bus back and forth across grounds at school, the bus has been my time to listen to music, reflect, be entertained and as of late I have figured out some things about myself. As I sang Domino by Van Morrison, I thought about one of a few poems I wrote and thought I would share. I really never wrote alot of poetry because I never thought I was any good at it. But one thing I have learned, emotion is your best liquor for writing poetry. When you are in love, everything is so much more vibrant, brighter and sweeter. When love leaves, you can feed off of that pain, hurt and despair. Well because of both of those scenarios, I now have a bit of a small poetry collection. And I have managed to write a poem or two I guess you could say on the fly with just the raw emotion of the moment guiding my brain, heart and pen. I have recieved some good feedback and this wasn't one of my best, I think you may get what I am saying. Enjoy:

Music
Music swirls around in my head
Many descriptions
Many sights
Many sounds
Years and decades gone by
Folks have stepped onto Terra Firma
Many have exited
Others have crossed my path
What were you doing when?
OMD told us what they would become
“If you leave”
When did you fall in love with hip-hop?
In the park
Probably one of the top 10 hottest
Summers I can remember
And that stupid DJ
At my family reunion in Pennsylvania
Sure, his music was the bomb
But his sound effects
And his mic skills were wack
If only I could download
What is in my mind
Onto a CD
These would be some of the best
Memories of all time
Maybe that’s why
I love music so much

WKG 7/22/03©

For more log onto:
www.thesepoemssuck.com