bigted

...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."

Well you got the point there about how we're all gonna like certain artists more than others, it's healthy to have debates, that's what this discussion forum is for... Now we could agree to disagree to how we feel about G-Unit, you clearly like them more than me, I try not to be a hater like some fans on the artists that I don't like much when I look at things at a realistic point of view, like I was saying earlier I like to give credit to all artists to a point 'cause I look at it from the way I'm artist trying to make it myself that it's hard work to get in the game and just the fact that they made it means something, only a select few have hits and have people recognize them so credit's due there... Now to answer your question clearly the thin line between legends and the "Hot" rappers is that the legends made a positive and original impact on the way their music has been present while the "Hot" rappers just copy what was previously done and do what the record company tells them to do to sell records, basically it's like the "Lost & Found" song that Will made, he has too much class to disrespect anybody but you could basically insert most of today's radio rappers under the lost bin while the found artists are the legends like Rakim, Lauryn Hill, Nas Esco, and Dead Prez, clearly most of today's rappers are lost and that's why the state of hip hop is at a dire level, I made a comparison from hip hop to the NBA earlier but at least the NBA's still watchable even though there aren't that many legends playing anymore like Jordan-Pippen-Barkley-Ewing were playing when I was growing up but really though time tells all maybe there will be more legends to emerge in hip hop, the final book hasn't been written but maybe if artists like G-Unit do something more original then they will be legends one day... Now clearly record sales don't make legends, people don't buy much music these days in general across the board, the only reason I brought them up is 'cause G-Unit was making it look like they were untouchable and that they were bigger there bigger than hip hop when they bring up record sales as the main criteria to judge artists.... Btw, the criteria to judge the value of an hip hop artist should be viewed the way Kool Moe Dee evaluated it when he made the top 50 MC list for his "There's A God On The Mic" book, there's many elements to a great mc, it's all about the artistry, I just felt like copy and pasting from the topic about his book so you could understand this a little better, peace: Elements Of An MC: Originality: How original is the MC? Did the MC create anything or bring anything new to the game that wasn't there before? Concepts: Rewards MCs for their ability to paint pictures and concepts that are multi-dimensional, and who conceptualize on an album, or during their career. Versatility: Rewards artists that have a range of work that varies and who experiment with their rhymes. Vocabulary: An artist must be able to utilize vocabulary, and that doesn't mean that you have to constantly inundate the audience with big words, but as Big Daddy Kane once said, "It's alright to send someone to the dictionary every now and then." Substance: Rewards MCs whose albums have some kind of social relevance or meaning. Flow: Flow has a lot to do with syncopation, how an artist's cadence flows in and out of multiple records, beats, or tempos. Those artists who are most versatile with their flow, or that have a flow that absolutely sucks people in get higher scores. Flavor: This is about an artist's ability to break out, have fun, and have some kind of signature energy to their rhyme style. Freestyle: This rates an MCs ability to be able to come off the top of their head with thymes, spontaneously, on any given subject. Vocal Presence: This category looks at how recognizable an artists voice is the moment someone hears it on a record. Live Performance: Lots of MCs make great records, lots of MCs travel around and do rhymes, but when it comes down to doing a performance live, lots of MCs fall short. Poetic Value: A lot of MCs rhyme, but don't add poetic value where the metaphor itself is a story within the metaphor is actually profound. Body Of Work: Based on the sum total of the artists work and the level of excellence in that work. Industry Impact: Industry impact has to do with Grammys, music awards, radio airplay, and all the things that the 'streets' frowned on at one point, but was very, very necessary for the hip-hop game to become the integral part of the music business that it is now. Social Impact: Recognizes and rewards artists who try to better the community, better the environment, and better the country. Longevity: Recognizes thoses who can last long in the chaos and confusion known as the music business. Lyrics: Lyrics, otherwise known as an MCs paradise, are the reason all MCs started rhyming, it's the essence of the MC. Battle skills: Battle skills are about the combination of wit and attack. Attack and set yourself up as the pinnacle, and create threats. It has to do with not only lyrical skills, but also the ability to be witty, funny, and to insult.

Well I found the answer for why Canibus dissed KRS, it's pretty stupid to diss somebody 6 years later from an interview: http://hhvibe.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/canibus-disses-krs-one-for-ll-cool-j-remarks/ Long before Joe Budden became one of hip hop’s biggest targets, Canibus was that man. He had begun rapping in the mid-1990s, as a native of New York, but living in Atlanta at the time. In 1995, he moved back up to New Jersey, where he linked with Redman. Canibus’ chance meeting with Redman led to them rapping together on underground tracks. By 1996, LL Cool J was working on his album, Phenomenon. LL had a habit for uniting some of the most popular rappers in the game, along with newcomers for one big track. His posse cuts were known for creating drama, as his 1995, “I Shot Ya (remix),” was perceived as a diss to Tupac Shakur. Looking to move past the beef, especially after the death of The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J was just trying to make music. For years, he had a strong relationship with Redman and the Def Squad. He also had a close relationship with Method Man, who was close to Redman. They are known as two of the best rappers in hip hop. It was a no-brainer for LL to feature them on his next posse cut. Redman suggested that he also feature Canibus on the track. In the end, the new song was called “4,3,2,1.” The original version of the song featured Method Man, Redman, Canibus, and DMX. Each rapper recorded their verses, alone, and they were sent to LL Cool J. At the time, LL had not recorded his verse yet. Before LL Cool J went to record his verse, he played the other verses back as they were being prepared to be on the final version of the song. For the most part, everything was great until he heard Canibus’ verse. The verse mentioned Canibus borrowing the microphone tattooed on LL’s right arm. While Canibus insists that he meant it as a compliment, LL Cool J took it as a diss and he recorded a verse that was dedicated to ripping Canibus apart. The song was put together and LL Cool J released the song first to the radio stations in New York City. This is when Canibus heard the track and he reached out to LL Cool J. There is a phone conversation between the two rappers that can be found on YouTube where a resolution is reached. Canibus wanted LL to change his verse, but LL told Canibus to change his, to which he agreed. He said that once the song hits radio, no one will know who he is talking about. From there, LL pulled the song from radio and Canibus re-recorded his verse. Still, the original version leaked and the feud was on. In 2004, their now-legendary feud was featured on the DVD, Beef II. Canibus spoke on the feud, along with Kool Moe Dee, a former rival of LL’s, along with KRS-One. He offered a unique opinion that Canibus should have simply rapped about something aside from LL. KRS stated that there should have been no mention of any type of mic, he should have been thankful to be on the track. Six years have passed since those comments were made. It has been three years since his last album. Canibus has returned from the shadows with a new single, “Only Slaves D.R.E.A.M.,” that is said to be aimed at KRS-One. If this in indeed the case, Canibus should have responded in 2004, it is a new decade and the feud was from now two decades ago. LL Cool J now stars in a primetime drama on CBS, KRS-One is a legend, and Canibus has yet to have a hit single.

twista, kanye west, and jamie foxx "slow jamz", speaking of real hip hop being popular this was really one of the last great songs that got airplay

You can't forget that Hammer also was in the miltary so he could put a boot camp on that ass, lol

Common "Electric Circus" Album, speaking of slept on albums

Kool Moe Dee says "Big Willie Style" is his favorite for Will, that album got something for everyone on it, you can't go wrong with over 10 million sold, and btw 'Yes Yes Y'all' is my favorite off of there too just like Da Brakes, those lines I got in my signature are hip hop quotables

Hey welcome to the board Josh! You could see in my signature it says my favorite album is "He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper", that's old school hip hop at it's finest, the title track is just sick with Jazzy cuttin' it up and Fresh Prince killin' it on the mic, "Brand New Funk" is the ultimate party jam, "Code Red", "Big Willie Style", and "Lost & Found" are also big favorites of mine and "Willenium" is really the last unofficial JJFP since it was executive produced by JJFP and that was the freshman year of high school for me which brings back memories

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Qno4csf9w

Naughty By Nature Present Garden State Greats Mixtape, you're right AJ about how the unknown rappers didn't really add anything on here, some underground rappers are underground for a reason for sure, I'm sure Naughty's saving the best for the album: http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/12407/naughty_by_nature_featuring_garden_state_greats.html

Nas "Come Get Me"(easily the best song on "Nastradamus", last track that Preemo produced for him, hopefully he's on "Lost Tapes 2" since Nas is gonna work with Pete Rock again)

KRS-ONE/Marley Marl Feat. Blaq Poet "The Victory"(Scratches By DJ Premiere)

"Giving Praise" CD, I bought this CD recently, it has some great uplifting music on it for times like these, you could check audio samples and purchase from this homepage: http://www.ashro.com/Featured-Products/Ashro-Records-Music/Giving-Praise-CD.pro?fpi=53092&catCd=PI

Fat Joe Feat. KRS-ONE "My Conscience"

yahoo would work well with me too!

Fabolous Feat. Ashanti "So Into You"(Original Album Version)

NBA Training Camps started so it's about that time...Hey I'd be down for another season for the fantasy NBA League if anybody wants to do it, it felt weird that we couldn't get to do one last season

(AllHipHop News) Pioneering Hip-Hop artist Just-Ice has reunited with Boogie Down Productions' founder KRS-One and the pair are working on a new EP, AllHipHop.com has confirmed. According to reps for Just-Ice, the new EP, titled The Just-Ice & KRS-ONE EP, which will contain five brand new tracks from Fort Greene, Brooklyn-raised rapper. Just-Ice, who recorded a pair of Hip-Hop classics in 1986 ("Latoya" b/w "That Girl is A Slut"), also released his debut Cold Gettin' Dumb the same year with Kurtis Mantronik, for Sleeping Bag Records. Just-Ice release albums consistently throughout the 80's and 90's with albums like Kool & Deadly (Justicizms) (1987), The Desolate One (1989), Masterpiece (1990), Gun Talk (1993), Kill the Rhythm (Like a Homicide) (1995), and his final album VII (1998). Just-Ice and KRS-One recently recorded a video for the first single from the album titled "Blah, Blah, Blah). A release date for The Just-Ice & KRS-ONE EP was not available as of press time.