College and Assorted Thoughts

-It was sweet, poetic justice to watch Brett Favre fail miserably last Sunday. That may sound harsh, but the reality of it was that that play was exactly what we expected from him. An interception to end the season, often on a poorly thrown ball of some kind. Some people say – “We wouldn’t have gotten that far without Brett”. You made it to an NFCCG. With Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson, you made it to the second weekend. That means overall, Brett Favre represented 3 more wins on a season. Really? For all that? Three wins? Marginal improvement, really. Tracy Porter sure as hell redeemed the crap out of himself for the PI call on Berrian…and then topped it off with a badass Jared Allen taunt. Do I think they will pressure Manning this time? Doubt it. Make no mistake, Favre was gutsy to even be out there…but I have to say I enjoyed watching karma catch up to him.

Just My Thoughts [Again]

-Everybody went back to college. So here I am, with nothing to do, waiting anxiously for the next two weeks to pass. Real glad I got to go see everybody I wanted to see, though. It’s good to know some people never change.

Just My Thoughts

-That New Lupe Fiasco mixtape (Enemy of the State) has something weird going on with his flow, but it’s definitely interesting. Very solid piece of work overall. His lyricism is actually on FIRE. Unlike Jay-Z [who, is fittingly mentioned later this post], you literally have to pore over the text – not listening, but visually. Yeah, it’s like a bloody novel, just to catch how clever some of the things he says are. Kid is killin’ it with the lyrics.

-I added a new tag for the site – “My Writing”, which differs from my standard blogging voice. There’s a big difference. As always, more thoughts below.

Beats I Must Rap Over:

Jay-Z – Brooklyn Go Hard
Lupe Fiasco – Shining Down [in progress]
Twista – Kill Em All
Roscoe Dash – Turnt All The Way Up [in progress]
Rick Ross – Maybach Music Pt. II [in progress]
Fabolous – Into You [in progress]

Jay-Z – Dear Summer
Jay-Z – Roc Boys
Kanye West – Flashing Lights
Lawrence He – custom instrumental
Lil Wayne – A Millie
Jay-Z – Thank You [yeah, I really think Jay's ear for production is great]
Wale – Chillin

Album Review: Wale – Attention Deficit

Out of the “Freshman Class”, I never thought of Wale as anything more than a slightly above average MC. A C+ student, if you will, while Crooked I and Blu stood at the top of the curve. It’s not like I didn’t pay attention to Mr. Folarin’s work. Back to the Feature was decent, but the appeal of the mixtape was having a diverse array of collaborations. Could he actually craft an entire album? I had my doubts. But after listening to Attention Deficit? Let’s just say I might have to re-evaluate my position.

Album Review: CYNE – Water For Mars

Previous Editions:
1. Slaughterhouse – Slaughterhouse
2. Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
3. Royce Da 5’9″ – Street Hop

Imagine Blu’s 2007 debut Below The Heavens as a starting point. Blend it with Blue Sky Black Death tinged production. Mix well. Add a dash of chemistry, along the lines of Binary Star/Blackstar (That’s alot of B’s, I know). Add copious, copious amounts of flow. What do you get?

Water for Mars.

More Thoughts

You know what’s fucking adorable? When girls wear their boyfriend’s jerseys and clothes. Ladies, take note.

[More thoughts attached below]

Album Review: Royce Da 5’9″ – Street Hop.

Detroit hip-hop. Those three words immediately call to mind one of the most controversial rappers of all time.. But the 313 is home to many other quality hip-hop figures. Proof, J Dilla, and Royce Da 5’9″ immediately spring to mind. Yet, the Detroit scene outside of Eminem remains largely unknown to mainstream hip-hop heads. Too bad. Royce and Proof are two talented rappers in their own right, and J Dilla’s beats are well loved by rappers on both coasts. Quietly, Royce has put together a solid stream of mixtapes and albums throughout his career, most notably within the last year and a half – The Bar Exams 1 and 2, collaborative album with Slaughterhouse are all solid efforts.

His latest effort, Street Hop, is a bit of a mixed bag.

Album Review: Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3

There is hardly a person who doesn’t know who Jay-Z is. His influence and popularity in music has lasted for well over a decade now, and he remains one of the first names discussed in the G.O.A.T. argument. Within that decade plus of music, Jay has remained a force in the game through a constant artistic reinvention. That reinvention occurs again with The Blueprint 3.

The Greatest Day Of My Life – Rock the Bells 2009

Ever since I found out about the existence of this concert at age 15, I’ve wanted to go. That hasn’t always been possible. When I was 15, tickets had already been sold out. When I was 16, none of my friends were into hip-hop. But now? At age 17? The story ended differently.