bigted

Well really like Chuck D says I don't "believe the hype", record labels and radio/TV companies need to be more selective with the type of programming out there for the commercial side of hip-hop to improve, there's a lot of unique individuals out there that should be heard, hip-hop might have to go back to being more of an underground artform, it has to be more of a love of the game like kids playing in the park, the commercialism aspect was something that watered it down and took the love out of it and filled it with greed, I believe that hip-hop still has a lot of life in it but the commercialism is like a virus at this point, personally listening to the radio makes me heartbroken so I just listen to CDs I like and personalised comp playlists

They got a lotta cool stuff on NBA.com from the all star weekend, definately one of the more exciting ones in a while: http://www.nba.com/allstar2007/index.html

My thoughts exactly

Well I was feeling sick and was in the hospital this Valentine's day with an infection in my back but really a lot of my peeps called me up and cheered up my spirits while I was there, really love just doesn't have to with just boyfriend-girlfriend relationships, I find love in family and friends right now too

Hey I just wanted to let my JJFP.com fam know that I've been away for a lil' while 'cause I was in the hospital for the last week with an infection in my back, I'm basically back to full strength again, I'd say the experience I had there has made more humble and patient with the way I approach things in life, I'm very thankful for the lil' things in life that I sometimes I take for granted that I'm able to do at home everyday that I couldn't do, it's like that JJFP song "There Ain't No Place Like Home" my peeps kept me strong though, love really is powerful, hope everything's going well with y'all, I always got the JJFP.com fam in thoughts, one love

Thanks for that post AJ, definately something to touch the soul

Hell yeah baby, Bow Wow is a crumb compared to FP, it's about quality over quanity

This is the year that Peyton gets over the hump and finally wins it all, Colts 27 Bears 24

This is awesome stuff here, Nas should do a music video for this

I don't think you're wrong AJ, that was my first thought in my head when I heard about this on the news, if Brandy wasn't a celebrity there wouldn't be no 50 million dollar lawsuit here

Outkast "Wanna Get Into You"

I started a thread over on Jeff's site: http://www.djjazzyjeff.com/messageboard/De...=1&tid=2227

Congrats, hope things work out well for y'all chasin' forever

Ludacris "Freedom Of Preach"

Well really like I've been saying really people are hungry for more quality music, this is the main reason why record sales been down, I look at this as a good thing, this is a wakeup call to the industry and the artists to step up, it's more of an even playing field now since independent artists are getting more focus too, really I believe if artists put more effort in making better albums then I believe the sales will increase, now record labels have to do better job in promoting quality music if they want to stay in buisiness 'cause the public's not settling for anything anymore, they don't want to spend $15 for 2 good songs out of 15, so they'll just download the 2 songs on Itunes instead and put their money on albums that're worth buying

Congrats to Will, it's gonna be a longshot for him to win though like many have stated, really this category is a tossup, basically everyone nominated was deserving

Anyway regardless of where you place KRS and Nas, they're both legendary mcs, this is like Bill Russell giving props to Shaq

Nas gives KRS-ONE props quite frequently if you follow his career closely, many times he shouted out KRS so it's just KRS returning the favor, it's all love

Well there's a lot of great songs that never get released, that's the way the music industry is, and really Def Jam ain't no different than Interscope, Columbia, or any other label out there at this point, Ghostface dropped a hot album recently and he didn't even get a video released

http://www.hiphopgame.com/index2.php3?page=tracks1

Well AJ basically hit it on the nail, it's a combination of many things, mostly industry politics though

There's still a lot of progress that needs to be made, really a lot of history seems to be repeating itself over and over again, this article really made a lot of strong points

Will Smith Meets Japan's Prime Minister TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his countrymen could use a piece of advice from Will Smith's new movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness," the story of a homeless man and his young son who make good. "I think we should treasure the idea of not giving up dreams," Abe said. Smith and Abe met at the prime minister's official residence Thursday. The 38-year-old actor is visiting Japan to promote the film, released by Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures. "The Pursuit of Happyness" is based on the rags-to-riches story of Chris Gardner, played by Smith, and his 5-year-old son, who find themselves homeless. "We are aiming to create a society that is full of chances and allows people to take up a challenge again," Abe said. "The movie presents us an example of such society." Abe said he wants to see the film, which opens in Japan on Jan. 27. Smith's screen credits also include "Ali," "Independence Day" and the "Men in Black" films. His 7-year-old son, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, plays the part of Gardner's son.

I really think this is a strong idea by Kurtis Blow, I really think that in order for it to truely to take off though the most popular rappers should get involved with this, then that way a lot of kids will be influenced

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/o...,0,920063.story His words against the war resonate 40 years later By Cynthia Tucker Originally published January 15, 2007 ATLANTA // In an odd coincidence of timing, President Bush launched his plan to escalate U.S. military involvement in Iraq on the cusp of the national celebration of the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., whose courageous denunciation of the American strategy in Vietnam is better appreciated now than it was then. When Dr. King came out against the war in 1967, he was harshly criticized. Little has changed in 40 years. As recently as last February, the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a veteran of the civil rights movement, drew harsh criticism when he used the occasion of Coretta Scott King's funeral to blast Mr. Bush's policies on the war and on poverty. Supporters of the war responded with outrage, claiming Mr. Lowery had cheapened Dr. King's legacy and disrespected his widow's memory. Last October, religion writer Lorraine V. Murray acknowledged that she had avoided calling for the withdrawal of American troops in Iraq "for fear of the avalanche of angry e-mails it might engender. I think it is high time we admitted, once and for all, that the whole Iraq endeavor was a major blunder. Keep in mind, please, that I am writing this from a Christian perspective." No wonder so few well-known American preachers took a high-profile stand against the invasion of Iraq nearly four years ago, even if they doubted the war's morality or the administration's veracity. Any minister who expressed those doubts would have been trashed as a traitor, an appeaser, a "surrender monkey," and few had the stomach for that. Of course, a few highly regarded religious leaders spoke out early on. Perhaps the best-known was Pope John Paul II, whose legacy includes a determined effort to prevent a war of choice. But Mr. Bush had not only the broad support of American voters but also a cheering section on the religious right, where many ministers gave him their blessing. In an October 2004 debate on CNN, the Rev. Jerry Falwell declared: "You've got to kill the terrorists before the killing stops. And I'm for the president to chase them all over the world. If it takes 10 years, blow them all away in the name of the Lord." Earlier, Mr. Falwell had called Mohammed, founder of Islam, a "terrorist," though he later apologized. There were a few evangelicals who publicly disagreed with Mr. Falwell and his ilk, including the Rev. Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine. But most either supported Mr. Falwell or, if they disagreed, kept their mouths shut. Mr. Bush had cleverly co-opted many preachers with his so-called faith-based initiative, which pledged government funds for church-run ministries. With so many preachers behaving like politicians - stoking prejudices, watching the polls and fearing a backlash from the pews - Dr. King's decision to speak out against the war in Vietnam appears all the more admirable. According to Taylor Branch , the premier chronicler of the civil rights years, Dr. King agonized over his decision to oppose the war. He not only understood the dangers of communism, but he also knew his opposition to the war could cost the civil rights movement its most powerful ally, President Lyndon B. Johnson. Some respected civil rights leaders urged him to keep his mouth shut. But his conscience wouldn't let him. In a pivotal speech at New York's Riverside Church in April 1967, Dr. King said, "I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart. ... I knew I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today - my own government." That's not among the quotes we tend to trot out in our annual commemorations of Dr. King, when we're more comfortable with a sepia-toned man of softer edges. But the man who insisted that America live up to its ideals believed in a nation that promoted peace and justice around the world and around the clock. That's the man who ought to be remembered and celebrated. Cynthia Tucker is editorial page editor for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Her column appears Mondays in The Sun. Her e-mail is cynthia@ajc.com.