bigted

This has been all over the news today, I can't put into words how phenomenal this is, God is with us! http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/lt_chile_mine_collapse

Well said! The majority of today's entertainment is a reflection of how broken our society is, we need more artists to take a stand and be more responsible with their art since a lot of these kids look up to them as role models.

Does the Internet Cause Depression? August 9, 2010 | From theTrumpet.com Pathological attachment to the Internet and depression are linked, according to a study published August 2 by the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The study, conducted by Lawrence T. Lam, Ph.D. and Zi-Wen Peng, M.Sc., examined 1,041 teens ages 13 to 18 in Guangzhou, China. They were given a survey to determine if they were addicted to the Internet—using it in an extreme or abnormal manner. Questions on the survey included: “How often do you feel depressed, moody or nervous when you are off-line, which goes away once you are back online?” The survey identified 62 students as using the Internet in a moderately pathological manner, and two students as being severely at risk. None were depressed. “Some [teens] spend more than 10 hours a day, they are really problematic users and they show signs and symptoms of addictive behavior … browsing the Internet, playing games,” Lam said. “They can’t get their minds off the Internet, they feel agitated if they don’t get back online after a short period of being away. ” After nine months, the study group was re-assessed for depression, and 84 were categorized as depressed. The rate of depression was 2.5 times higher for those who used the Internet pathologically. “This result suggests that young people who are initially free of mental health problems but use the Internet pathologically could develop depression as a consequence,” the authors wrote. This indicates that Internet addiction and depression are linked, though it does not prove that Internet addiction causes depression. It could be that people who are likely to become depressed are also likely to become addicted to the Internet. This is not the first study to link Internet addiction and depression. In February, researchers at the University of Leeds published the results of a study of 1,319 people ages 16 to 51. They too found that excessive Internet use was associated with depression. In the Leeds study, those who were classified as addicted to the Internet, through a test, spent a greater proportion of their time online on pornography and gambling sites and in online communities. The study also found that young people were the most at risk of becoming addicted to the Internet. In 1998, a similar study concluded that “Addicts in this study used the Internet an average of 38 hours per week for nonacademic or non-employment purposes, which caused detrimental effects such as poor grade performance among students, discord among couples, and reduced work performance among employees” (Kimberly S. Young and Robert C. Rodgers, “The Relationship Between Depression and Internet Addiction”). The Internet can be a powerful and useful tool. But it can also be a huge time waster, and far worse: a gateway to character-destroying content. Parents should be sure to monitor their children’s Internet use. But even for teens, the Internet can have a major effect on their ability to concentrate and, as these studies point out, their wellbeing. For more information, see our article “The Cyberspace Game of Life.” •

I remember AJ posted an interesting article back in the day on profanity in entertainment, I happened to find it so I decided to post it here, now I also found another one too that could put things in perspective: http://www.comportone.com/connie/articles/freespch.htm Profanity is not Freedom of Speech! If you're surfing the web, looking for articles against profanity, you'll discover something unsettling. It appears that many Americans think using profanity is a right built into the Constitution of America as part of the Bill of Rights. Hmmm... Let me check. Nope... It's not there. Freedom of speech was not added to our Bill of Rights to excuse profanity, bad manners, libel, or outright lying. Let's look again at Freedom of Speech. It is included as part of the First Amendment to the Constitution, also known as one of the Bill of Rights. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Our forefathers never meant "freedom of speech" to cover something as base as profanity. Their intention was to assure the future of a government "run by the people." A government "run by the people" requires the ability to discuss and vocalize opinions about the government. A government "run by the people" requires a press willing to uncover and report truths so that corruption in the government would be discovered and would not be allowed to continue [a good idea when it works]. A government "by the people" allows people to peaceably assemble and come before the government with grievances with expectations of receiving a fair hearing and outcome. These rights are important. They are critical in maintaining a free country. But nowhere in the Bill of Rights or the Constitution does it mention that we, as a people, have the right to be offensive and vulgar to others. If that were the case where would the offended's rights come into play? Whose rights supercede the other's? And what about little children, don't they have any rights not to have filth said in their presence? The Internet is a fascinating place, full of interesting facts and opinions. Many people enjoy visiting bulletins or message boards in hopes of finding new information they are seeking. Sometimes they run across another user expressing himself in the only way they seem to know how - with profanity. For some it doesn't matter at all, for others it is merely an annoyance, but for a growing number - it is offensive. And they are getting tired of having their eyes and ears assaulted. Most of these offended people are not prudes. They are not naive or innocents. They may or may not be Christian. They do accept that some people swear in the heat of anger, but they will never condone the usage of profanity in everyday language. These are people who choose not to use swear words in their own conversations and would prefer not to see or hear them either. Is that not a fair request? There are some efforts to correct excessive profanity. If you drive through some states with an offensive bumper sticker, you could be arrested and fined. In the workplace, you could be sued for sexual harassment and at the very least will lose your job. In some states using hand gestures and swear words while driving can now get you a fine for exhibiting symptoms of " Road Rage." It will get you removed from many business establishments, such as restaurants, stores, movie theatres, etc. Profanity spoken by a student in a school [K-12] will result in a detention, suspension or possibly even expulsion. Our world, in numerous ways, is telling us profanity is not acceptable. So where is the problem? The problem is we are a country of mixed messages. On one hand, we set up laws to fight profanity [as stated previously.] On the other hand, we seem to exploit profanity to attract our [somewhat rebellious] youth. How is profanity exploited? The worst offenders are the motion picture and the music industries. How many movies have you seen recently that have not included profanity [and I'm not just talking about a word or two]? The movie industry is well aware that big bucks come out of the younger crowd. They believe that an "R" rating will increase the appeal of their movie. [And unfortunately, statistics seem to agree.] In order to achieve an "R" rating, they must include a required number of swear words or a certain degree of violence or sex; or any combination of the variables. The criteria occasionally changes. Case in point: remember back to some movie [10 or 15 years ago] that previously had an "R" rating and chances are very good that it would now carry a "PG" rating. Truthfully, times have changed - but not for the better. For instance, when many of us were growing up there was an ultimate swear word. You know which one. The one that was saved for an extreme situation. The one word that many of us never used [and still don't] - it was that bad. In the past, it was an indicator of an uneducated or uncouth individual, someone you wouldn't bring home to meet your parents. Now, unfortunately, it has become the norm in many people's conversations. Have you walked the halls of your neighborhood school recently? Or sat in the bleachers at a high school game? Or shopped in an area shopping mall? Or even gone to the public beach? Profanity is there. Pity the youth of today. They have no ultimate word to use inextreme situations. After all, if they use this word to describe what a good day it is, how can they use they same word when they discover someone has stolen the stereo system from their car? It is a problem that adults let happen. We should have demanded more responsibility from the movie, television and music industries. We should have demanded good movies without the sex, violence, and swearing. We should have demanded more choices besides children's animations or "R" ratings. It can be done. Just watch a movie that was previously rated "R" when it is shown on TV without the language, sex and violence that gave it the "R" rating. One I can think of recently shown was "Broken Arrow" with John Tavolta and Christian Slater. My kids told me not to see it on video - that the swearing would ruin it for me. So I never rented it ...but when I watched it on TV, it was quite interesting. Which leads me to a few questions? Do all criminals and prisoners swear? It would appear so in the movies. Do all policemen and law enforcement personnel swear? They do in the movies. Do all college kids use foul language and get drunk? Well, they do on screen. Are all high schoolers lazy, sex-crazed, dope-addicted, alcohol- consuming, foul-mouthed, psychotic, irrespsonsible brats? According to the movie industry. Typecasting? ...you bet. Irresponsible? ...Absolutely! What about our music industry? Don't they hold any personal responsibility for the lyrics they promote? Apparently not in their eyes. Such garbage as "Kill your mother ...Kill your father" is not promoting sanity in an unstable world where kids are using guns to show the world their frustrations. Commonplace in America? No - not yet, but becoming increasingly a possibility. The music industry sells our children on sex, drugs, and violence. They glorify it. And because of the misinterpretation of "Freedom of Speech" - society will have to pick up the pieces. Irresponsible? ...Absolutely! Now isn't television is a tad more subtle? Well, it was when many of us grew up. There is nothing subtle about telelvision anymore. If television is a reflection of a realistic society - we are in big trouble. Often when a show is in its first year, it is interesting and humorous. But as time goes on, the show gets increasingly daring and outrageous. Compared to the movie industry, television is expected to tone down the violence, profanity and sex. But on television, sex is dealt with in a different way. Television promotes sex through humor. Sorry, but there is nothing funny about a promiscuous friend or relative. There is nothing funny about not remembering the name of someone you slept with. There is nothing funny about a bet on who can score the most or abstain the longest. Morality is not funny. Irresponsible? ...Absolutely! As parents and as a society, we have got to get serious about protecting the rights of the offended instead of the offenders. What are we teaching and promoting? Profanity or common decency. You decide and stand strong for your convictions. Don't let your standards be ruled by the movie, television or music industry, where money is their motivator. America will not be destroyed by an enemy from the outside. If we were ever attacked, our citizens would unite and defend our great country. However, if an enemy should sneak up on us and attack us from within, in subtle ways, at our very ideals, our country will not stand. And saddest of all - it will be our fault. Connie Eccles, ComPortOne Editor & CEO http://www.lifeisaprayer.com/articles/religion/music-morality Well, now that I'm on break, I have a little time to devote to writing another entry (sorry it's been so long). I thought I would do well to write about music, as it is one of the most influential and intriguing media forms today; not only is radio (FM, AM, Satellite, Internet, etc.) extremely prevalent in our modern society, the instant availablility of music from places such as the iTunes Store or any local music store makes music a potent medium with which many different people spread their ideas and influence. Not only can someone quickly find almost any popular music on the planet, but he is also able to carry it all with him on his iPod, on a CD player, or using some other portable method. What goes into a person's head is very important, for the Bible states, "I do not allow into my presence anyone who speaks perversely" (Psalm 101:3). How important it is, then, for us to protect ourselves from not only people who speak perversely, but also to protect ourselves from their words, i.e. music. On Profanity One of my biggest gripes with modern music is popular artists' tendencies to think everyone loves hearing curse word after curse word. Or having to rhyme everything by using profane words instead of using God-given creative powers to make relevant and interesting rhymes. In case you don't know, it is not a good thing to listen to all this swearing and cussing; not only does it sour the mind, but it also makes a person more likely to use those words in his own speech (familiarity breeds fondness, not contempt), and lessens the value of words. Why do we have to put up with this music's inability to produce meaningful verse? We don't. In case you do not know, there are many groups in the music world who do not use swearing or profanity in their music. Sure, they are not played on all the 'popular' radio stations, nor are they always easy to find in the music stores. The best way to protest the bad words in music is to not buy, support, or even listen to the music. That's right; by simply listening to this music, you are showing it some sort of support (even if it's not monetary). By allowing your ears to hear, you are telling God and others, "I deem this sound worthy to be heard by my ears." We must take heed not to let bad sound enter our ears, just as we should not let bad images enter our eyes. We experience the world through our senses—if we allow profanity to enter our ears, we are giving up one of our senses to wrongdoing; our experience will be the worse for it! On Addiction Another problem that is sometimes caused by people's musical tastes is an addiction to music. Some people simply cannot get enough music. They walk around with headphones in their ears, they turn on the stereos in their rooms, they listen to the radio in their cars, and they go to concerts when available, rarely taking the time to give their ears a rest! Not only can this cause physical problems (i.e. deafness or impaired hearing abilities), it can also cause other non-physical problems. Once we 'Lose ourselves' to the music, we have given up a part of what makes us humans. We are admitting that we are dependent on music, as we could be dependent on a drug. If a person is listening to music so much that he 'loses himself' to it, he has put himself in a weary situation indeed! There is a certain amount of music that can be healthy for a person, and this amount differs for every person. But a common problem amongst the people of our modern American society is their inability to cope with silence. Some people even have silonophobia ("fear of silence"), and become tense when there is no ambient sound. Jesus himself knew the importance of silence: "he would withdraw to deserted placed to pray" (Luke 5:16). Without this respect and acceptance of silence, we cannot truly have some time to ourselves—to actually think things over and pray. On Piracy One of the greatest issues that my generation must deal with, but which I don't normally see much argument about, is piracy. Many of my peers seem to think that either (a) it's morally acceptable to obtain copyrighted music through filesharing networks or other digital means (i.e. 'sharing music'), or (b) it's not morally acceptable, but it's not so bad that I won't do it. This is a huge problem! Just because you might not get caught does not mean it's okay! Some try to justify this stealing by saying, 'oh, the record companies overcharge, and I'm just a rebel trying to make a change, etc. etc.'—but this is not the way to do it. Boycotting is an acceptable way of dealing with these kinds of problems, but stealing is not. Stealing is stealing, no matter how 'innocent' one feels. The only way to stop this terrible disease of piracy is to stop cold-turkey. People must realize that piracy is wrong, and should not be done at all. It is not acceptable, and carries with it the same moral consequences as stealing. Stealing a song is, morally, the same as stealing a candy bar from the store. Sure, you might not get caught. But it is wrong. W-R-O-N-G: wrong. Conclusion Now, you may say, am I not being a little harsh? Maybe so. But I always like to err on the side of caution. We must be vigilant in our use and likings of music. We must be careful to not let smutty, ugly or improper words enter our ears. We must take care to not take what is not rightly ours (even if everyone else is doing it). I listen to music often, but I try to (a) make sure I leave myself ample quiet-time, (b) select only appropriate, well-written music and © never steal music, by any method. Although I sometimes fail, I strive to do better; I wish to amend my ways and turn back to God; the One who gave me the ability to listen to His wonderful gift of music. Let us all strive to be perfect, as Jesus our Lord was!

What a concept!

LL's the best mc ever to me, I don't argue if people say that he's better than Will but that don't take away from Will's greatness, they both legends: Diddy Feat. Nas and Cee-Lo "Everything I Love", Diddy ain't one of the greatest mcs but he sures knows how to do collaborations you gotta give him credit for that

I usually watch the reruns of "The Simpsons" during weeknights, on Sunday nights they have football on so I miss the new episodes

Well Game's album been delayed so many times so if they did something for the album it's on the backburner and with Will focused on films right now it's not looking that good... Now back to this topic I think there's a feeling of underrating talented artists in the general public since they just focus on the beefs and the controversey, as I stated he's put out 3 strong albums and some good mixtapes too so it's not like he's not putting out any music, he has strong diss tracks btw too that display his skills, so Game is underrated in that sense, real fans give him credit but some people do underrate him to a point...

Yeah there hasn't been that much music out these days with all the album delays, even Ice Cube's album came out a few months later than it was supposed to

Thats just it, whether he found god or not, he always seems to be a hypocrit. I've got nothing against an artist who doesn't swear but Eminem has always argued for it. It comes down to the Will Smith diss that really bothers me. I agree he's a hyprocrite, that's why I can't respect him that much or consider him one of the greatest emcees 'cause he's been inconsistant in his music and I can't condone his character, he's not a good role model

I don't think Game's underrated at all either, I like him, he's been one of the better mcs in the last 5 years, he's put in some work, with each album he's improved and he drops hot mixtapes like "The Red Room", btw what ever happened to that song that he did with Will? It seems like a year has passed since we seen that photo of them in the studio together...

Well if you think about it, the best emcees use little to no profanity in their rhymes, I agree with AJ about how there's a difference between Em used it on "Relapse" and "Recovery", there's an improvement in quality, I think he's taking a step in the right direction

Eminem: Profanity? Not In My House! In A Rare Interview, He Also Shows CNN's Anderson Cooper His Artistic Process Of Rhyming * Font size * Print * E-mail * Share * 66 Comments Like this Story? Share it: Share On Facebook * Play CBS Video Video Eminem: No Profanity In My House Rapper Eminem, known for his R-rated lyrics, tells CNN's Anderson Cooper there's no profanity in his house. Cooper profiles Eminem Sunday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. ET/PT. * Video Rhyming Advice From Eminem Eminem has said he bends words and can make most things rhyme - like the word "orange." He gave CNN's Anderson Cooper a lesson. Cooper profiles the rapper this Sunday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. ET/PT. * Eminem Eminem (CBS) (CBS) Eminem, the rapper whose R-rated lyrics could make a drill sergeant blush, tells CNN's Anderson Cooper the harsh language is for his art, not for his home. He also demonstrates that art, taking Cooper through the process he uses to rhyme just about any word in the language. Eminem will be profiled on "60 Minutes" this Sunday, Oct. 10, at7 p.m. ET/PT. "Profanity around my house? No," says Eminem, when Cooper asks if he acts like he does on stage or on his records in his real life. "I'm not saying there's not glimpses of me in the music, [that] there's not truth in…things that I say," he tells Cooper. "But this is music, this is my art..." At home it's a different art, that of parenting. "I'm a parent. I have daughters. I mean, how would I really sound, as a person…walking around my house [saying] 'Bitch, pick this up,' you know what I mean?...I don't cuss." Asked if he feels a sense of responsibility when his young fans use the language they hear him use in his songs, the rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, responds, "I feel like it's your job to parent them. If you're the parent, be a parent," he tells Cooper. The rap artist also takes Cooper through the creative process he uses to rhyme words - any words, even "orange." "People say that the word orange doesn't rhyme with anything and that kind of pisses me off because I can think of a lot of things that rhyme with orange," says Eminem, who then starts rapping rhymes for orange for Cooper and the cameras. In the interview, Mathers talks about his early years as the new kid in school who was always picked on, his rise to star rapper despite his being a white man in a predominantly black medium, and the drug addiction that nearly cost him his career. "60 Minutes" cameras also capture Eminem in concert and go back with him to his old Detroit neighborhood that he says can still inspire his art.

Here's my list of favorites from the solo albums to the JJFP albums, clearly this a discography that shows how Fresh Prince is a hip hop legend, quite versatile tracks: Solo Albums: Big Willie Style("Yes, Yes Y'all", "Just Crusin'", "Just The Two Of Us", "Don't Say Nothin'") Lost & Found("Tell Me Why", "Could You Love Me", "Lost & Found", "Party Starter") Willenium("Potnas", "Uuuhh", "The Rain", "So Fresh") Born To Reign ("Born To Reign", "Block Party, "Give Me Tonite, "As The Beat Goes") JJFP Albums: Code Red ("I'm Lookin' For The One"(To Be With Me), "I Wanna Rock", "Just Kickin' It", "Twinkle Twinkle"(I"m Not A Star) He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper ("He's The DJ...", "Brand New Funk", "As We Go", "Here We Go Again") Homebase ("Summertime", "Caught In The Middle"(Love & Life), "Ring My Bell"(both versions), "I'm All That") Rock The House ("Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble", "Just Rockin'", "The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff", "Just One Of Those Days") And In This Corner...("I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson", "The Reverand", "Numero Uno", "Who Stole My Car")

Yeah that's what I like about Nas, he tells it like it is, true hip hop fans feel the same way that he does!

Revis made a mistake by holding out so long, he obviously wasn't in game shape when he came back this year

Rap veteran Nas has reportedly penned an open letter to Def Jam Records demanding the support and release of his upcoming Lost Tapes 2 album. Click here to find out more! Within the letter, Nas speaks on his issues with the label and its treatment towards the artists. I won't even tap dance around in an email, I will get right into it. People connect to the Artist @ the end of the day, they don't connect with the executives. Honestly, nobody even cares what label puts out a great record, they care about who recorded it. Yet time and time again its the executives who always stand in the way of a creative artist's dream and aspirations. You don't help draw the truth from my deepest and most inner soul, you don't even do a great job @ selling it. The #1 problem with DEF JAM is pretty simple and obvious, the executives think they are the stars. You aren't.... not even close. As a matter of fact, you wish you were, but it didn't work out so you took a desk job. To the consumer, I COME FIRST. Stop trying to deprive them! I have a fan base that dies for my music and a RAP label that doesn't understand RAP. Pretty f*cked up situation." (Karen Civil) Nas also stressed the importance of putting out a quality project like Lost Tapes. "Lost Tapes is a movement and a very important set up piece for my career as it stands. I started this over 5 years ago @ Columbia and nobody knew what it was or what it did but the label put it out as an LP and the fans went crazy for it and I single handlely built a new brand of rap albums. It's smart and after 5 years it's still a head of the game. This feels great and you not feeling what I'm feeling is disturbing. Don't get in the way of my creativity. We are aligned with the stars here, this is a movement. There is a thing called KARMA that comes to haunt you when you tamper with the aligning stars. WE ARE GIVING THE PEOPLE EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT. Stop throwing dog sh*t on a MAGICAL moment. You don't get another Nas recording that doesn't count against my deal....PERIOD! Keep your bullsh*t $200,000.00 fund. Open the REAL budget. This is a New York pioneers ALBUM, there ain't many of us. I am ready to drop in the 4th quarter. You don't even have sh*t coming out! Stop being your own worst enemy. Let's get money!" (Karen Civil) Last week, rap pioneer Pete Rock announced his involvement on the Lost Tapes sequel. "LOOK OUT FOR NEW NAS AND PETE ROCK COMING ON LOST TAPES 2!!," he tweeted this week. "'FINALLY' AFTER 18 SUM ODD YEARS ITS NAS AND PETE ROCK AGAIN!! LETS GO!!" (Pete Rock's Twitter) In September, Nas said his new compilation would drop December 14th. "I'm unloading records I want the streets to hear," the Queens rapper said in an e-mail. "Cleaning out my hard drives. Gonna do this [Lost Tapes 2], then start fresh. I'm dropping my solo LP before the summer of 2011. I love the energy the world has been giving me over the last two years. But now it's time to focus on owning the streets again." (MTV)

...Or maybe if a new JJFP album comes out soon

The Vikings road to the Super Bowl is much easier now

Happy B-Day Alan!

I agree with what Turntable said there to an extent, there are rappers who have good talent and are lyricists but they choose to make weak songs which ain't being real, the difference between being real and good is that thin line, the reason why people don't give Hammer credit is 'cause he ain't the greatest lyricist but he chooses to make positive songs, people need to realise that there's more to real hip hop than being a lyricist, it's about standing for something with the music, 2Pac ain't the most lyrical rapper either but he stood for something unlike a lot of rappers these days....I digged up this allhiphop.com interview from earlier this year and I like the way Hammer broke down the state of hip hop industry today about how rappers need to step up their creativity levels and he also broke down about how he chose to be positive even though he grew up with a rough background: AllHipHop.com: You were primarily a positive Hip Hop artist. What are thoughts on Hip Hop now? You gave up a little bit of everything, but for the most part positive with songs like "Pray." MC Hammer: I did songs like "Pray" because that's who I am. Cats Whoodni, LL [Cool J], they'll tell you that they knew me as the holy ghost boy before I was MC Hammer. In the midst of my life in Oakland, in the middle of all that hell, I always wanted a piece of heaven so I believe in God, Jesus and the power of prayer. I don't believe that no man, no style of music, no movie can ever get me to bow down and say I don't. If I want to make a record and say "We have to pray," I say from my perspective. "What are you going to do about it? I'm going to do a record called 'Pray' and I'm going to put on a robe and have people from the choir. If you have a problem with it, see me after the song and I'll see you outside. I'll get down with you then pray for you." That's how it went. I just didn't say this is what I do. This s what I've actually done. So those records came as I reflection of the spirit man of my heart. I think that there has been other artist who have done some similar things. Tupac would make a song that might be abrasive while making a point, and turn around and say "Dear Mama" or "I shed so many tears." So To have these contrasting emotions from a public stand point, they're real because nobody is in one mood all day long. There are some people who are atheist and don't believe in God and that's alright as long as that's your belief. If you wanted to express that in a record, that's your right. Nobody really has the right to say that you can't express it. It's a great opportunity right now, for a rapper, an artist, a movement to come along that will address the pain of the nation. Cats that are going to address with those clever rhymes, great hooks and melodies that are going to express what the world is going through- in particular with losses of jobs, foreclosures, a perspective on life, romance, fathers, death, incarceration. Done in a way that's clever. The game is in a severe decline. They can pull the cord on the game right now. Music ain't gon' never stop- of course we gonna keep making music and it's gonna be out there. But if the business model doesn't exist, what is it? What do we have? Because this is just business. These cats aren't going to support what we do as a art form if they can't make any money off of this. Let's increase the creativity.

Turntable, I don't think AJ said that Kanye and Jay-Z aren't hip hop, he basically made a point that just 'cause rappers like Kanye and Jay-Z are rich and sell a lot of albums doesn't mean that they're the realest, that's what he's referring too, he's referring to the point I made about how some fans and critics these days are dillusional like they're the only real ones out there... Rappers like LL, FP, and Hammer have kept it real too even though they ain't dominating on the charts right now or are the richest, peeps got it twisted in claiming what "real" hip hop but not knowing the history and that's why hip hop is at a dying state right now when they don't give credit where credit's due...

yeah back in the days when a rapper had mass appeal they'd be called sellouts but now these days you see people giving credit to the rappers with the best sales, most money, biggest crib, coolest commercials, etc... I'm with AJ here, I could care less if an artist sells 10 thousand or 10 million I care more about the quality of the music and whether the artist stands for something original and if that artist gets the most success then I'll be cheering him/her on but if not then I'll still support that artist anyway and keep it moving....

Rakim "The 18th Letter"

Russell Simmons Co-Signs LL Cool J, Beastie Boys Hall of Fame Nods by Slava Kuperstein posted October 04, 2010 01:10:00 AM CDT | 7 comments * * Russell Simmons Co-Signs LL Cool J, Beastie Boys Hall of Fame Nods The former head of Def Jam gives his opinion on two of his earliest acts. As co-founder of Def Jam, it's natural that Russell Simmons has plenty to say about the fact that two of the storied label's earliest artists have been nominated to the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame. In a blog post on GlobalGrind.com, Simmons expressed his joy at Hall of Fame nods for LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys, and posted some of his favorite images of the acts. "Nothing makes me happier than seeing the greatest of all time, LL Cool J, getting nominated to become a member of the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame," wrote the Hip Hop mogul, who noted that perhaps only Jay-Z exceeded the Kangol-sporting rapper's resume of hits. "But more importantly than being a hit maker, [LL] has always said yes when asked to give back to his community," added Simmons. "I have asked him to do many, many things and he has NEVER said no. He is a true friend and someone who truly deserves to immortalized in the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame." "And while on this subject, I also want to give praise to the Beastie Boys who have also been nominated. When I first met the Beasties, they were a bunch of white kids from New York City who were doing this new thing in music, fusing rock and rap and making it accessible to every white kid in America." Simmons further explained, "...they took this incredible sound and made EVERY kid in America want to rock one of the greatest albums ever, license To Ill. They are amazing people and I feel honored to have the chance to have worked with them during the early years of Def Jam. I look forward to seeing them on the stage being inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame."