JumpinJack AJ

I unexpectedly got a real nice DVD burner for Christmas. I haven't read the instruction book yet so i'm not sure what it's capable of other than that i can put put VHS on DVD. My 1st project will be 2 make a JJ+FP DVD compiled of the JJ+FP 2005 set along with the Live 8 performances and the Will Smith Video Collection. From there i'm gonna put the JJ+FP home videos for Summertime (And Other Hits) and Greatest Hits. After that, i'm gonna see how much of my early 90's stuff taped off TV hasn't decayed and try 2 put that on DVD. I also have 2 or 3 JJ+FP and WS live bootleg concerts. I'm sure in a few months i'll have an update.

MAT KEARNEY - Undeniable Nothing To Lose (2006)

On Christmas i sleep in...as i do anyday i don't have 2 get up early...ha ha. But this year i've worked so many extra hours for months on end...so i'll finally get 2 sleep in with my cellphone off and no distractions. I'll spend a few minutes in prayer 2 start the day (especially this day) off. I'll get with my immediate family in the morning and exchange gifts. From there i usually chill with my extended family, exchange gifts, and eat way 2 much. This year both sides are coming over, one in mid-day, one at night. Usually i'd have a girlfriend and we'd compromise on where 2 be and when...but this is my 2nd year without that problem. I might swing by the house of a close friend or 2, and then typically me and a group of friends will go out and see a movie or something. Since i have 2 be at work super early the next morning AND i don't think any of us will be able 2 agree on a movie (my 1 friends wants 2 see Rocky, a few of them wanna see A Night At The Museum, and i wanna see Dreamgirls. I'll probably unwind by myself at night and reflect and force myself in2 bed early since i have 2 be opening the studio at 8:00.

Random ?uestion...u can only do so much as a supporter of an artist. But as hardcore supporters on the internet, did we drop the ball somewhere where we could have helped generate more attention 2 the album (without being annoying and spamming elsewhere)? I don't think so, but i'm interested in other people's opinions. Besides, it'll breathe some life in2 this topic.

I've never been a big fan of him working with other people. Mostly becuz i see him working with C-level artist before working with fellow pioneers. But at this point, if FP wants some commerical success, i think he should do a few collabos with the more respectable people who have gained success. Nas finally came correct on his current album...and i could easily see FP popping up on some of the trax he turned out this time (Yo Nas, get him on a remix!). I would never wanna see him poppin' up on someone's album just cuz they are a hit on the pop charts cuz we all know there's alot of talent missin' there. But there are a few people i think he would have good chemistry with and by slightly saturating other people's albums and singles, i think it would set up his next album for the success it deserves.

Pak, read a post relevant subject matter and u'll see what i have 2 say. Just cuz i say that your favorite lightweight dime-a-dozen rappers suck dosen't mean i only have negative things 2 say. U come at me cuz i insult u...what about all the other people in this topic that agree that this dirty south trash is garbage.

I'll pray 4 u man. My best advice is 2 be nice 2 you ex...but u should probably make yourself less available 2 her. If u break up and just keep hanging out, there will be alot of problems that u won't be able 2 fix. Time and space are the only thing that might make things better. I've been cool with all of my ex's and wanted 2 remain friends with all of them, but other than the one i had 8 years ago, the girl never wanted 2 stay close after awhile. With the new girl, just chill. It doesn't make much sense 2 jump from one girl 2 the next. U are still emotionally mixed up from the past so u wanna go in2 the right mindstate so that u don't mess up the next thing. On top of that, u need 2 have that girl get her head right. If she isn't gonna break up with her current guy, it's definitly way 2 soon 2 plan starting 2 go after her. Things will fall in place. Just live right and stay patient...cuz the good things never happen when u want them 2...but when the time is right.

Stevie Wonder - Silver Bells Plugged Into Christmas (2006) I'm not sure when this waz recorded...but i love when legends do Christmas songs.

It seems like the average Hip-Hop fan simply doesn't ride for their original favorite artists. Sure, some of the legends have slipped when it comes 2 an album or 2 by experimenting 2 much, or taken a long time off between albums, but that's no excuse 2 bail out on them. The current generation is even worse. Millions or thousands of people will flock 2 the people on the radio now...but how many of them will still be listening and supporting those same people 5 years from now? Hardly any. Fans of the current rap scene have no loyatly and are only interested in the flava of the month. I think it's pathetic. I'll dig 2 find rare albums and singles from my favs simply cuz i'm dying for something new. For many people, if they don't have a song on the radio, they don't care about the artist they called their "favorite" just 2 years ago. This legends not only had 2 have talent, but they had 2 do alot of their own promotion, concert ideas, etc. They were the total package. They did their job and they made good music with heart. These new top 40 fools just throw 2gether stuff just 2 get money. Most of them are told what 2 do, what 2 say, and what 2 wear. And usually the person who's telling them that is looking at what the person with the most air-play is doing. So with a fool like Young Dro gets paid all this money 2 put 2gether a quick cRAP record, there's a legend who paved the way and set a much higher standard struggling. And there's a good chance that that current pop/rap artist has a lyric or a bar that bit that pioneer's biggest single back in the day. It's an injustice if u ask me.

When it comes 2 Hip-Hop from the south, The Geto Boys are probably the personification of that. The Geto Boys are originators. When i'm talking about the dirty south invation, i'm not talking about them. They are Hip-Hop and they got skillz. I'm talking about the light weight pop music that has empty elementry production, NO lyrics, and igorant people talking they they never went 2 school. There's no hating involved. This Joc/Dro/Jon/Scrappy trash is an embarssment 2 the human race. Don't get all bent outta shape cuz u love unoriginal, degrading, talent-lacking, explict pop music.

For Rap Pioneers, Paydays Are Pocket Change By DAVID BROWNE The New York Times (Dec. 17) - In some ways, these are good days to be a rap veteran. Flavor Flav, Ice-T and Rev Run, of Run-D.M.C. , are each starring in reality shows. This fall, VH1 saluted some of the pioneers of the genre on its annual “VH1 Honors” telecast. But praise and other rewards aren’t always available. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the longtime rap D.J. AJ Scratch held his third annual dinner and party for old-school rappers and D.J.’s, at a sports bar in the Bronx. For Scratch, a former associate of Kurtis Blow who co-wrote Mr. Blow’s hit “If I Ruled the World” in 1985, the aim was twofold: to salute those who started the music (guests at this year’s event included the turntable legends Kool Herc, DJ Red Alert and Grandmaster Theodore) and to help Scratch make a living. The $20 admission went to his AJ Productions. Scratch, 48, said his royalty checks (even from the song on which Nas sampled him) amounted to only “a couple of hundred dollars” every six months. “My publishing income isn’t that big,” he said. “So I find ways to stay afloat. If I pack the house, I get a reward.” On one hand, hip-hop remains a dominant cultural and business force. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, major rap acts like Jay-Z , the Game, Nas , Akon and Young Jeezy have released or will release new albums. The major labels increasingly count on such CDs, which can sell hundreds of thousands of copies each in their first week on the market, to bolster end-of-year profits. Yet as Scratch and others have seen, plaudits for hip-hop legends have not translated into profits. Sales of vintage rap discs are sluggish or nonexistent. For the week ending Nov. 12, according to Nielsen SoundScan, Public Enemy’s landmark 1988 album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” sold 400 copies. LL Cool J’s 1987 album “Bigger and Deffer” (home of one of his biggest hits, “I Need Love”) sold half that amount. Run-D.M.C.’s “Raising Hell,” which includes the group’s groundbreaking collaboration with Aerosmith on a remake of “Walk This Way,” moved only 100 units. Among the exceptions are the Beastie Boys’ “Licensed to Ill,” another period touchstone that continues to sell several hundred thousand copies a year. And Bill Gagnon, a vice president of catalog sales for EMI, says the label expects to sell as many as 200,000 copies of a forthcoming anthology of the gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A. Yet in general, the founders of rock, like Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan , fare better in stores than the founders of rap. Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” still moves nearly 10,000 copies a week. Jim Parham, senior director of marketing at Sony BMG, said reissues of some hip-hop albums sell better than jazz, classical and “old-time” country acts like Bob Wills. Yet he admitted that the audience for the label’s recent compilation of Whodini is largely “white, suburban college-age kids” rediscovering an era when hip-hop, R&B and dance music first merged. The situation has left some in the rap business bewildered or miffed. “With rock fans who are over 45, their kids are going into their record collections and pulling out Dylan and Procol Harum ,” said Darryl McDaniels, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C. “We’re not at that point yet.” Bill Stephney, a former Def Jam executive and producer, said he believed there was “clearly a market” for vintage hip-hop, but added: “There’s a terrible disconnect on the executive level in terms of exploiting this music in the market. They just don’t think about it.” Mr. Stephney said that last year he attempted to produce a 20th-anniversary Def Jam reunion concert that would feature both vintage and current rap acts, but abandoned the idea for a lack of industry support. “Hip-hop doesn’t promote its history,” Mr. McDaniels said. “Mick Jagger and Keith Richards will talk about Little Richard or Howlin’ Wolf. A lot of rappers now will cite Rakim, but they don’t promote him. People in the industry don’t want people to be focused on anything other than what is going on right now.” The wobbly sales of classic rap records of the ’80s also do not bode well for the artists’ future income. On the topic of royalties, Mr. McDaniels said: “I do fairly well. I get a check every now and then. But I can’t live off it.” The use of samples, which requires rappers to split royalties with the composers of the sampled song, further cuts into profits. Mr. McDaniels called the situation “a nightmare.” Mr. Stephney said record and publishing contracts signed by rappers of the ’80s — before the rise of impresarios like Sean Combs — were “never at the level of exploitation” of R&B stars of the ’50s and ’60s. But, he added: “I don’t think artists from the early days of hip-hop were as business-savvy as the post-Puffy generation. And some of them were not as savvy because that would require a level of responsibility that some of these guys refuse to engage in.” Although Mr. McDaniels remains frustrated with the low sales profile of classic hip-hop, he said he felt that would eventually change. “Give it five more years,” he said. “Everything else comes and goes. But they’ll talk about us forever.” Copyright © 2006 The New York Times Company 2006-12-17 11:01:54

Okay...maybe this one does :4-only1ha:

Since everyone is givin' input and this topic is pinned...i altered the title of this post. When i get a second, i'll post more trax i considered for the tracklisting 4 my mixtape 3 years ago...and some stuff that's come out since.

Mobb Deep waz okay on their 1st album...since then, i've found them irrelevant. Since the late 90's i think they've been garbage.

Man...2 many pop music fans in here.

No comment on post number 13. :shakehead:

I didn't really expect any new music soon. Look at the game...it's at an all time low and FP simply doesn't fit in. He loves Hip-Hop and he loves music. Of course he'll be back. But right now just isn't the right time. L+F isn't even that old. Let him do the movie thing so his love for Hip-Hop gets him on the mic again.

EMINEM - No Apologies The Re-Up (2006) Yeah, i like this one.

Over the years, Hip-Hop music and commerical rap have introduced it's long time fans 2 new and depressing lows. As a longtime Hip-Hop head, i give everything and everybody and honest listen. I respect that everyone in this world is different and has different talent and skillz. Everyone has different tastes. While one artists speaks 2 me, they may not be respected by other people. And while i think one rapper is wack, someone else is feeling them. Under all of that, there is a bottom line of something just being bad. Over the past few years, that dirty south style of rap has blown up 2 unbelieveable levels. Overall, the commercial Dirty South genre is straight trash. Now when i say that, i'm not saying that just becuz an artist comes from the south or is part of that genre, they can't be talented...but i am saying that overall, it's just embarassingly bad. When i think of southern emcees/groups, i think of Arrested Development. I think of OutKast. I am proud of what they are doing for Hip-Hop. They got lyrics, they got talent, they got flow, they put on a good show. Of course not everyone is gonna love them, but they easily have what it takes 2 represent Hip-Hop. But that crap that is getting on the radio is just unexcusable. Young Joc, J-Kwon, Lil' Wayne, D4L, Lil' Jon + The Eastside Boyz, Young Dro, T.I., Lil' Scrappy, Trillville, etc. These suckers SUCK!! Most of their beats are so cheaply produced, they sound like 2-bit video game soundtracks. They typically have clinky bells and whistles percussion sound with a 4 of 5 not melody that any 3 year old could bang out on electornic toy keyboard. The choruses are typically the same line chanted over and over again...example "make your shoulder lean, shoulder lean, shoulder lean"...or the obnoxious "now walk it out, now walk it out, now walk it out, now walk it out, now walk it out, now walk it out"...or "I know u see it, i know u see it, i know u see it." Young Joc steps it up by changing one word in it "Meet me in the trill, it's going down, meet me at the mall, it's going down, meet me in the club, it's going down, anywhere we meet, it's guarenteed to go down." Are u freakin' kiddin' me? Whe thinks these can be called lyrics. Then, their crappy lyrics are delievered in the most uneducated voices i've ever heard. It's beyond dialect, it's beyond and accent. These fools sound like they dropped outta 1st grade...for real. As if their voices weren't annoying enough, they can't even talk like members of society. Is anyone else on the same page as me. It should be illegal 2 give idiots like them record deals. I'm not hatin' on the south, but those who are given them the fame 2 represent the south are just as stupid. 2 not require talent and support stuff like that doesn't say much for the listeners intellegence.

AOL's 'Black Voices" have a mini-feature on FP's movie career. They briefly mention a handful of his movies while displaying a still from it beside the comment. Below is the captions next 2 the pix. Nothing really special here...just thought i'd share. ------------------------------- Ali (2001) Smith's Oscar-nominated turn as arguably the most recognizable man on the planet, was notable, not for the pro forma braggadocio, but for the quiet, introspective moments. Smith communicated all too well the doubts, if not the fears, that even "The Greatest" was subject to. Bad Boys (1995) A '90s buddy movie with a twist: both cops are black. Smith and Martin Lawrence play childhood friends now partners on the Miami police force, who battle international drug smugglers. While his character, Det. Mike Lowery, is supposedly a ladies' man, Smith never gets to an actual lip lock with the female lead, played by Tea Leoni. The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) As a mysterious and mystical caddy Smith's Bagger Vance helps Matt Damon's character get his game and his grove back. Maybe this was an attempt to cash in on the then burgeoning Tiger Woods phenomenon. But we still don't get it. Enemy of the State (1998) In this metaphor about state control and the dangers of technology re surveillance, Smith teams with Gene Hackman to combat a rogue government agency run amuck. Hitch (2005) This was Smith's first real shot at a romantic comedy. Only thing was, his romance took a backseat to that of Kevin James' ('The King of Queens'). Nevertheless, Smith's natural charm, likability and gift for physical comedy, made the film worth watching. Independence Day (1996) The Fresh Prince saves the universe! Well maybe not that television scoundrel, but Smith as Captain Steven Hiller does. First in a series of summer blockbusters that would cement Smith's rep as box-office platinum. Men In Black (1997) Big Willie again saves the universe! This time he has Tommy Lee Jones to mentor him. Funny and irreverent, MIB was the perfect follow-up vehicle to showcase even more of Smith's talents. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Smith in a dramatic piece, tinged with humor, finds him playing an aspirational character based on the real life experiences of Chris Gardner. The core of the film is Smith/Gardiner's relationship with his son (played here by Smith's own son, Jaden), who has a front row seat to his fathers attempts to make a better life for the duo. Shark Tale (2004) Voicing animated characters is all the rage, and this was Smith foray. He lends his voice to Oscar, a big-talking fish, who becomes friendly with a vegetarian Shark (Lenny, voiced by Jack Black) and takes credit for killing said shark in an elaborate scheme. Six Degrees of Separation (1993) The film, based on a play of the same name by John Guare, finds Smith playing a young con man pretending to be the Harvard-schooled son of Sidney Poitier. A mild success, the film is best remember for the same sex kiss that Smith wanted no part of. Wild Wild West (1999) Big-budget, big-screen, high star-wattage film based on the television series of the same name. Sad to say, Smith didn't let anyone forget about Robert Conrad, who originated the role on TV, as Captain James West.

NAS + KELIS- Not Going Back Hip-Hop Is Dead (2006) Yo, Nas finally came correct!! I could get used 2 stuff like this. Looks like he's growing up.

Man, i thought i replied 2 this post a few days ago...but i don't see it...so let me drop some newz. "The Building" is the 1st single. Kel feels really good about it and as of right now, that's what he's going with. The track is popping up on a handful of mixtapes 2. Kel has found a promising label deal here in Maryland and he's actually moving down here 2 test the waters. He's talked about doing a show here and there...so since he's in my backyard, i'm totally gonna be there. I can't wait 2 see how all this is gonna come 2gether. It's been a long tyme comin.'

LIONEL RICHIE - Reason To Believe Coming Home (2006) Holy Crap!!...this is one of the best albums of all time!! If u are 20 years old or older and claim 2 a fan of R-N-B...get this album or go kill yourself!! U'll thank me later.

NAS - Still Dreaming Hip-Hop Is Dead (2006) Joe asked me if i peeped Nas' album yet. I said no since i usually i think his stuff is average. I waz gonna peep after the holidays, but heard this song and it made me check the whole album.

I've said stuff like this on this board for years...some people roll their eyes when i do. Maybe it'll sink in since it's not me saying it.