bigted

Well Jay-Z does have songs on his albums that have more subject matter than his singles do but they don't get airplay, I do find him to be one of the most overrated rappers but I call a spade a spade, he did have a song called "Renegade" with Eminem who also gets quite criticism for his lyrics of course and basically in that song it was dedicated to their critics and Jay-Z said a line in there: "Do you fools listen to music or do you skim through it?" It's like if you watch one scene of a movie and make a judgement off of it if you just criticise artists for their singles and like Ice Cube said in "Why We Thugs" which really wasn't that big of a hit since it was a rap song with a message he said "They give us guns and drugs/Then they wonder why the f we're thugs?", as long as the government don't clean the streets gangsta rap will remain a reality, a lot of these rappers come from that reality where being in gangs and violence is a way of life, like Snoop said in a recent interviews: "I know some people are gonna judge me for aligning myself with a gang but hey if they step in my shoes they'll feel the same way, they only talk that way through a typewriter but I've been through it, I'm trying to show them a better way, they could relate to me helping them more than you 'cause I've been there", art immitates life, and if everyone in life gets their act together then maybe there'll be better music

Yeah and I think I remember AJ saying something in the thread about how it wasn't fair that Snoop wasn't allowed to perform, I think I remember saying that if this was 50 Cent or another rapper he didn't like that he wouldn't say that and this thread proves my point, lol... Now really like I said before a lot of these artists today were inspired off NWA, that was 1987, not 1993, after that is when rappers started to exercise their freedom of speech more to use more profane language following NWA's lead, they're the reason why many albums today have parental advisory on them from their influence, before them there really wasn't any albums with parental advisory in rap, now the government here tried to censor some rappers here in America like them, Too Live Crew, and 2Pac, but they weren't able to do so since we have freedom of speech, now if this country was like China that'd be a different story, it's their rule, I heard that they don't even have their own music channel over there, the government over there is a lot more controlling than here.... And of course now when rap was more clean before NWA there was still a lot of kids getting into drugs and violence, etc., there was gangs, drugs, and violence for a long time, it didn't just start when NWA rapped about it or there was mafia movies depicting it, even though sometimes the government here tries to make it seem that way since they don't want to take the blame on what they don't do, lol, you couldn't blame rap for that then, that was more the Regan administration then respectfully speaking that made more of an influence to the economy getting bad and didn't control the drugs that hit the inner cities, really entertainment plays a small influence, the government makes a bigger one, now the upcoming census says that there's 300 million people in America, only like 10 million listen to rap now most likely, probably a lil' more that watch movies at the movie theaters, how could entertainment be destroying America? Everyone is influenced by what the goverment does, they play a bigger role, I don't think 50 Cent sent the troops to war right?

You're laughing 'cause you don't like Jay-Z' music but if it was another rapper that you like more that curses a lot like DMX or Ice Cube that got their concerts cancelled you wouldn't be laughing, you'd be saying that's not fair, China probably don't have much freedom of speech like here in America

Thank God he regained consciousness

Well we each build our own teams of NBA players through draft, trade, signing/waiving, and those statistics that the players put up determine what teams win when our teams match up every week

dope stuff!!! :bowdown:

The 2006-2007 NBA Season's Only A Few Weeks Away Now So If Anybody Wants To Join Another JJFP Fantasy League Go To Yahoo And Put In: ID# is 105019 Password# 19862006

:ohdear: I think I'll move to another country if this happens :shakehead:

Sounds like quite a bit of interesting collabs on this album, btw I had no idea that Chris Webber's a producer too, that's dope

Yeah a bird flew by at the exact point the photographer took the photo! Ain't that right Julie! what's happen with Julie ? i am sorry man but the cover says to me : Dont watch me in the face look my breast ''... :yeahthat: You might have to go back to the drawing board on this one

MTV News Exclusive: Nas Previews Hip-Hop Is Dead ... The N 10.10.2006 6:01 AM EDT MC works with Dre, Kanye, Will.I.Am; says he's about to be the 'craziest [artist] on Def Jam.' Nas Photo: Mat Szwajkos/Getty Images Nas said he's less than two weeks from finishing his next LP, Hip-Hop Is Dead ... The N (due on December 19), and he already has a prediction. "All respect to all rappers on Def Jam, I love the label," Nas said. "Without disrespect, "DJs play a big responsibility of what hip-hop is doing. ... At the end of the day, it's up to us to control and to own hip-hop." — Nas Photos, audio and video from this story Nas "Bridging the Gap" Street's Disciple (Sony Urban Music/Columbia) Nas Celebrates His 33rd Birthday I'm about to be the craziest sh-- on Def Jam. But that should go without saying." Nas has a lot to boast about this time around. After his last project, the 2004 double LP Street's Disciple, had a lukewarm reception, the New York legend feels confident he has another classic on his hands. MTV News had a chance to preview some tracks last week — and to dispel some rumors, Nas is not leaving his roots. His LP is very much street, and there aren't really any commercial tracks. Lyrically he still commands the vocal booth. A bulk of his criticism the last few years has been his choice of beat selection. On Hip-Hop Is Dead, he worked with the best, including Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Kanye West and others. You can hear the excitement in the producers' music — they've given him top-grade material. "It's cool," Nas said Monday about working with Dre on "QB True G," which features a guest appearance from the Game. "I worked on Dre's [1996] Aftermath album when he left Death Row. The second Aftermath album was [intended to be] the Firm album. I think him and [industry mogul] Steve Stoute got into a lot of beef, so the record got hurt when it came out. But that album is still a platinum monster. I know Dre was saying that n---as was bothering him, saying the Firm flopped or he turned pop, but that Firm album was not a flop. That record was a monster. Back then, [interscope Records co-chairman] Jimmy Iovine was ready to send me a jet, trying to get me off of Sony because he was seeing my potential and what I needed to do. "Since then, I hadn't seen [Dre], but I bumped into him in a studio and he said he was ready to do my whole album right there on the spot," Nas continued. "I just knocked out the joint I did with him." The beat has the feel of the dark party track Dre gave 50 Cent for the "Outta Control" remix, but it has a bit more bite. Nas raps on the beat that he and the Game came to "sprinkle a little bit of heaven for your ears." The Game starts his verse by rapping that over a decade ago, he was a kid in a record store and had to decide whether to buy Nas' Illmatic or Dre's The Chronic because he only had money for one purchase. He decided to steal both albums. "Game is a megastar, man," said Nas, who appears on the Game's upcoming The Doctor's Advocate. "That n---a shut down a whole crew by himself. That's big." Kanye West raps on and produced "Still Dreamin'." Nas starts one verse scolding hangers-on who are looking for handouts, and on his second verse, he tells a story of a female newscaster who gets caught up in a drug dealer's lifestyle. " 'Ye is that n---a," Nas told. "His music is right. I wish I could've got more time in with him, actually. He comes through. N---as just be kicking it. Next thing you know, he plays me his sh-- he's working on, I play my sh--, then it comes from there. He'll play me some sh--, and I'll say, 'Let me get that.' " The song "Blunt Ashes," where Nas talks about the missteps and betrayals of R&B legends like Prince, Alexander O'Neal and Bobby Womack, came about from the wordsmith just kicking it in the lab with another one of his friends, Philadelphia 76ers forward Chris Webber. Webber produced the track. "We was in the studio in Kelis' session," Nas said about working with his wife. "We had a room next door, because I didn't want to mess her session up, but I wanted to listen to something. I went in the other room, we was chillin'. One of my mans told Chris to put on one of his [beat] CDs. We was in there freestylin'. I started freestylin' to one joint about sh-- we just be talking about, and I was like, 'This is my sh-- right here. This is my joint.' But Chris is my homie though. One of my closest homies." Another person you wouldn't necessarily picture on a Nas record is Will.I.Am. The multitalented Black Eyed Peas frontman concocted the LP's title track. Where some may expect a real pop sound like on Busta Rhymes' "I Love My Chick," Will went left and very dirty. He actually brought back the same bassline from Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," which was also used for Street Disciple's "Thief's Theme." "It felt like the 'Thief's Theme' to me," Nas said. "It was one of the low-key Nas joints that you know about it, but you don't want to look over there. You don't want to deal with that. This [song] reiterated the vibe of 'Thief's Theme' at another level. The title track is Will.I.Am taking pieces of sh-- I did before, pieces of old-school hip-hop, slappin' it all together and letting me do me. That's what it is." Nas throws out a few punch lines on the album, including "If hip-hop is dead, we die together" and "Like my girl Foxy, a n---a went Def." His lyrics are also very tough on radio and DJs. Nas says on the disc that if the impossible happened, if hip-hop did die, DJs would be the first people he'd punish. "Let's be real," he said of the song on which he insists his wedding to Kelis was his second marriage — he married hip-hop first. "DJs play a big responsibility of what hip-hop is doing. ... At the end of the day, it's up to us to control and to own hip-hop. DJs need to challenge us rappers. They got so much power, they need to challenge us. We don't challenge DJs by making enough crazy sh--." Nas also said that the phrase "hip-hop is dead" has a much more important meaning than just music. "When I say 'hip-hop is dead,' basically America is dead," he clarified. "There is no political voice. Music is dead. B2K is not New Edition. Chris Brown is great, I love Chris Brown, we need that, but Bobby Brown sticks in my heart. Our way of thinking is dead, our commerce is dead. Everything in this society has been done. It's like a slingshot, where you throw the mutha----a back and it starts losing speed and is about to fall down. That's where we are as a country. "I don't wanna lose nobody with this, but what I mean by 'hip-hop is dead' is we're at a vulnerable state," he continued. "If we don't change, we gonna disappear like Rome. Let's break it down to a smaller situation. Hip-hop is Rome for the 'hood. I think hip-hop could help rebuild America, once hip-hoppers own hip-hop. ... We are our own politicians, our own government, we have something to say. We're warriors. Soldiers." Snoop Dogg appears on the Scott Storch-produced "Play on Playa." "Unforgettable," which uses a sample of the Nat King Cole song of the same name, has Nas looking back on his life ("Mom's cooking used to wake me up/ Deep/ 'Cause now my wife's cookin' puts me to sleep"). "War" finds the legend going political, lashing out against what he calls unfair media views and "the white man's paper." Damien "Jr. Gong" Marley co-stars on that reggae-flavored track. Nas hasn't yet chosen a first single for Hip-Hop Is Dead, but said he's leaning toward going with a real street record first, like the Game did with "It's Okay (One Blood)." "Every n---a under the age of 28 that raps — except for maybe five of you — needs to shut the f--- up for eight months," he said about what some of his peers should do in preparation for this album. "Get your mind right and learn what the f--- to say. That's gonna be a wakeup call. With all respect due, because they're my comrades." — Shaheem Reid

It's hard to name one, I'll name five, chronicalogical from his 20 years in the rap game: 1986-1989: "Brand New Funk" 1990-1993: "Somethin' Like Dis" 1994-1997: "Don't Say Nothin'" 1998-2001: "I'm Comin'" 2002-2005: "I Wish I Made That/Swagga"

Update: Cassidy Remains Hospitalized, In Grave Condition But Expected To Survive Tuesday - October 10, 2006 by Jolene "foxxylady" Petipas Full Surface/J Records rapper Cassidy still remains in critical condition at Jersey City Medical Center, six days after being involved in a car accident in which he suffered severe head injuries. As SOHH previously reported, Cassidy (born Barry Reese) was in New Jersey en route to a Yonkers, NY studio session on Wednesday (October 5), when a U-Haul truck swerved into oncoming traffic, striking the side of the SUV Cassidy was riding in. The Philly bred rapper, who was sitting in the rear passenger side seat, suffered severe injuries, including a fractured skull and broken bones on the left side of his face. According to Theola Borden, a publicist for J Records, who spoke to The Star Ledger yesterday (October 9), Cassidy is in grave condition but is expected to survive. "We don't know whether he is in an induced coma or heavily sedated," Borden told The Star Ledger. "The results of a CAT scan were okay." Both Borden and Jersey CityMedicalCenter officials wouldn't provide any more information about his condition or release any information about him. Jersey City police said they have no record of an accident in the North District involving the rapper, despite the account from his publicist and others. Borden revealed that friends and relatives were at the rapper's bedside. "Other rappers, such as Remy Ma, have called and asked to visit, but I think they're just allowing close family members and friends to visit," Borden said. "He's on the same label as Swizz Beatz, who I'm sure has been over to visit." Cassidy had been preparing his return to the rap game with a third album via Full Surface. He was released from prison in April for an involuntary manslaughter

Report: Cory Lidle Was on Crashed Plane By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press Writer NEW YORK - A small plane with New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle aboard crashed into a 50-story condominium tower Wednesday on Manhattan's Upper East Side, killing two people and raining flaming debris on sidewalks, authorities said. There was no immediate confirmation Lidle was among the dead. A law enforcement official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Lidle was on the plane. And Federal Aviation Administration records showed the single-engine plane was registered to the athlete, who was a new pilot and had repeatedly assured reporters in recent days that flying was safe. The crash came just days after the Yankees' humiliating elimination from the playoffs. The official said he did not know whether Lidle was at the controls; two people were aboard, and Lidle's passport was found at the crash scene, the official said. The plane had issued a distress call before the crash, according to the official. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a news conference, stopped short of confirming that Lidle was on board, saying that until next of kin are notified, no names would be released.

Ice Cube Re-Releases "Laugh Now, Cry Later" With Bonus DVD Tuesday - October 10, 2006 by Dick Johnson After reaching gold with Laugh Now, Cry Later, Ice Cube is slated to release a limited edition version of the album later this month. The limited edition CD will be accompanied by a DVD featuring exclusive live video footage, music videos for "Why We Thugs," "Go To Church" and "Chrome and Paint" and commentary from Cube. The live video includes backstage footage of Cube's Laugh Now, Cry Later tour, which featured Dub C, The Clipse and Dogg Pound. In related news, Cube was among several hip-hop legends honored at the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors this past weekend. The show will air on October 17th on VH1 at 9 pm ET and 8 pm Central time. Ice Cube's Laugh Now, Cry Later CD/DVD hits stores October 31st.

Hey I was reading this interview on allhiphop.com today too, Snoop seems pretty focused about this album, that's cool how his kids are motivating him to step his lyrical game up, and those are really strong points about how he wants to bring unity in gangs and keepin' peace with other rappers instead of starting beef, that's keepin' it real

I was reading the rumors on allhiphop.com a couple weeks ago and it said that the Bobby/Whitney divorce might be a promotional gimmick since they're both working on new albums and that they really might not divorce after all

Well being that long since they've done an album, it seems that they might've lost their chemistry, but at least we got Wyclef's album to look forward to

He seemed to dumbed down a lil' bit so maybe some of these ignorant rap heads would be able to understand the point he's trying to get across, probably even a lot of the dumbass rappers probably wouldn't understand since in their interviews they can't even put a sentence together, lol, the only way things are gonna change is if maybe he could get many so called hip-hop heads to boycott watching BET until they play better artists, the problem is that corporations are screwing it up and a lot of fans keep on buying into it, something needs to be done, a lot of these so called hip-hop fans are idiots 'cause all they do is complain about hip-hop is dying, well maybe if they actually searched for quality artists and supported them then maybe hip-hop would still be strong as it ever was, just 'cause the radio don't play quality music don't mean that there's no quality music out there, you could still pick the album off the shelf and play it as much as the radio plays the garbage, it really starts with us fans 'cause it's obvious that BET ain't gonna do it for us, the more we complain, the higher their ratings go, instead of wasting time watching something that we'll end up complaining about, we need to put focus on what we enjoy...

Rappers making money off of disrespecting other rappers is simple concept to grasp onto, think about how much records the rappers over the last few years like 50, Em, Game, etc. that diss each other sell, if you start beef with another rapper you're guaranteed to go platinum it seems, and think about how much rappers like FP, Common, and Lupe sell that don't disrespect anybody on records sell, fans are falling for the rappers who go around boasting how much gangsta they are than the other rapper and they call rappers who do things beyond that beef stuff corny, instead of rappers rebelling against each other, they should be using that power to rap about important things in life and bring hip-hop back to how it was in the '80s/90s where rappers would make songs that reflected the problems of society that brought awareness, and how rock and roll was in the '60s and how reggae music was, music is a powerful voice, these rappers are rich already, they need to use that power to make other brothers rich with knowledge of self, like KRS said before: "Everybody's bad and everybody's tough/But how many are intelligent enough?",this is what it should come down to... Hip-hop was created by Afrika Bambaataa to get brothers out of gangs, he was making it cool to not be in a gang, but now a lot of rappers on TV promote gang violence, a lot of these suckas make it seem like you gotta be in a gang to be down and that's not keepin' it real to origins of hip-hop, but a lot of them lost their way and it ain't their fault since they were victims of the crack era, that **** seemed to have distorted their brains, the mainstream saw how a lot of these intelligent brothers were bringing a voice for the streets in the '80s so they made sure the niggers got cracked up so the future rap generation could be messed up, a lot of the kids growing up in the '80s like 50 Cent who were influenced about how being pushing weight is a way of life are now on top of the rap game so their plan worked out, ultimately the violence needs to stop, there are plenty of rappers out there not doing that but they ain't being heard since people don't want to hear them, people don't open their eyes to the music with a message... btw, More proof of how mainstream wants to shut down hip-hop, remember last month Mos Def got arrested for doing a rap outside the MTV building about Hurricane Katrina, that's some bull**** if I could ever say so, all these rappers who rap about how cool it is to shoot others and get high all day should be locked up instead...

He's saying that hip-hop's image is being destroyed, think deeply about what he's saying and you'll see that, record labels only promote artists that promote negativity, they make it seem that to be a rapper you have to have to drink 40's, smoke blunts, have gats, and smack women all day, but in reality to be a rapper or just be down with hip-hop it's about being yourself, you don't have to fit in with what others are doing, you have to be yourself... A lot of the kids grow up have no idea that hip-hop is meant to be peaceful, they don't let the rappers with a message get a lot of airplay 'cause they're scared that the public will gain that knowledge and that they'll end up getting challenged for what they're doing, there are racist people out there still in this 2006 that don't want to see black people in the hip-hop community have a strong voice in society, they want us to look weak, hip-hop was known have a really strong message when it started and it challenged the mainstream of a lot of the stuff that was going on but it ain't that way anymore, the tables turned, now the mainstream's out to destroy hip-hop and shut down that voice so that way we could stay down so they could stay rich and dictating, hip-hop is meant to be peaceful not hateful, it don't promote white supremecy, it's open to everybody, he's also saying that a lot of rap artists will sell their soul to make hip-hop look bad and I agree with that, I mean look at what BET does, they get rid of BET News to inform the youth and replace it with a series on "Beef", it's teaching them that to be famous you have to go around and fight with each other instead of thinking things through, like Ice Cube says in "Child Support": "All y'all rappers should kiss and make up/take your bull**** jewlry back to Jacob/get your mind right nigga and start to wake up/cause the whole rap industry needs to shake up/you got million dollar niggaz killin' million dollar niggaz/bustin' outta Bentleys wearin' chinchillasssthere you go again rollin' in your limo/ comin' from the Grammy's shootin' out the window//I know the scripture/but there's something wrong with this picture/what you mad about/diamonds all in your mouth/no car, no niggaz house paid off/I never heard of a rapper gettin' laid off", artists don't realise how blessed they are to be in the position that they're in, they could use their position and talents to bring a bigger influence rather than goin' around dissin' all the time...

Afrika Bambataa's saying what needs to be said, many of these so called hip-hop heads really don't open their minds up to check for the quality that's out there, they just complain complain and complain some more, that's not really that much different than what a lot of rappers do when they go around and diss each other, a lot of artists that try to push the envelope to not sound like what's popular end up getting dissed and that's wack, you shouldn't only think about what's weak, you should focus on what's strong, focusing on only weaknesses will only keep it weak, focusing on strength will bring more strength, much respect to Afrika Bambataa

Former Negro Leaguer O'Neil dies Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Buck O'Neil, a batting champion in the Negro Leagues before becoming the first black to serve as a major league coach, has died. He was 94. The beloved national figure as the unofficial goodwill spokesman for the Negro Leagues died Friday night in a Kansas City hospital, eight months after he fell one vote short of the Hall of Fame. O'Neil was admitted on Sept. 17 with what was described as extreme fatigue. Bob Kendrick, marketing director for the Negro Leagues Hall of Fame, said O'Neil passed away about 10 p.m. ET with close family members nearby. No cause of death was given. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig asked for a moment of silence to be observed before Saturday's playoff games. "Buck was a pioneer, a legend and will be missed for as long as the game is played," Selig said. "I had the good fortune of spending some time with him in Cooperstown a couple of months ago and I will miss his wisdom and counsel." A star in the Negro Leagues who barnstormed with Satchel Paige, O'Neil later signed Hall-of-Famers Lou Brock and Ernie Banks as a scout. In July, just before he was briefly hospitalized for fatigue, he batted in a minor league All-Star contest and became the oldest man ever to appear in a professional game. "What a fabulous human being," Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson said. "He was a blessing for all of us. I believe that people like Buck and Rachel Robinson and Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa are angels that walk on earth to give us all a greater understanding of what it means to be human. I'm not sad for him. He had a long, full life and I hope I'm as lucky, but I'm sad for us." O'Neil was readmitted to the hospital on Sept. 17 after he had lost his voice as well as his strength. A huge celebration of his 95th birthday has been planned for Nov. 11, with a guest list of about 750 that included many baseball greats as well as other celebrities and political leaders. Kendrick told The Associated Press the party would still be held, only now as a tribute. Douglas Jones/Icon SMI O'Neil was the first black coach in the majors and also the oldest man ever to play in a pro baseball game. Always projecting warmth, wit and a sunny optimism that sometimes seemed surprising for a man who lived so much of his life in a climate of racial injustice, O'Neil remained remarkably vigorous into his 90s. He became as big a star as the Negro League greats whose stories he traveled the country to tell. He would be in New York taping the "Late Show With David Letterman" one day, then back home on the golf course the next day shooting his age, a feat he first accomplished at 75. "But it's not a good score any more," he quipped on his 90th birthday. Long popular in Kansas City, O'Neil he rocketed into national stardom in 1994 when filmmaker Ken Burns featured him in his groundbreaking documentary "Baseball." The rest of the country then came to appreciate the charming Negro Leagues historian as only baseball insiders had done before. He may have been, as he joked, "an overnight sensation at 82," but his popularity continued to grow for the rest of his life. "He brought the attention of a lot of people in this country to the Negro Leagues," former Washington Nationals manager Frank Robinson said. "He told us all how good they were and that they deserved to be recognized for what they did and their contributions and the injustice that a lot of them had to endure because of the color of their skin." Few men in any sport have witnessed the grand panoramic sweep of history that O'Neil saw and felt and was a part of. A good-hitting, slick-fielding first baseman, he barnstormed with Paige in his youth, twice won a Negro Leagues batting title, then became a pennant-winning manager of the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1962, a tumultuous time of change in America when civil rights workers were risking their lives on the back roads of the Deep South, O'Neil broke a meaningful racial barrier when the Chicago Cubs made him the first black coach in the major leagues. "I can't remember a time when I did not want to make my living in baseball or a time when that wasn't what I did get to do." -- Buck O'Neil Jackie Robinson was the first black with an opportunity to make plays in the big leagues. But as bench coach, O'Neil was the first to make decisions. He saw Babe Ruth hit home runs and watched Roger Clemens throw strikes. He talked hitting with Lou Gehrig and Ichiro Suzuki. "I can't remember a time when I did not want to make my living in baseball, or a time when that wasn't what I did get to do," he said in an interview with The Associated Press in 2003. "God was very good to old Buck." Born in 1911 in Florida, John "Buck" O'Neil began a lifetime in baseball hanging around the spring training complex of the great New York Yankee teams of the '20s. Some of the players befriended the youngster and allowed him inside. In February 2006, it was widely thought that a special 12-person committee commissioned to render final judgments on Negro Leagues and pre-Negro league figures would make him a shoo-in for the Baseball Hall of Fame. It would be, his many fans all thought, a fitting tribute to the entire body of his life's work. But 16 men and one woman were voted in and O'Neil was left out, one vote short of the required three-fourths. Several hundred of his friends and admirers had gathered at the Negro Leagues Museum for what they thought would be a celebration. Instead, they stood in awkward, restless silence as the old man once again -- (for how many times in his long, eventful life?) -- brushed bitterness aside. "Shed no tears for Buck," he told them. "I couldn't attend Sarasota High School. That hurt. I couldn't attend the University of Florida. That hurt. "But not going into the Hall of Fame, that ain't going to hurt me that much, no. Before, I wouldn't even have a chance. But this time I had that chance. "Just keep loving old Buck." But among his close friends, few believed that his heart wasn't really broken. "It is clear the Baseball Hall of Fame has made a terrible error in not inducting Buck on this ballot," Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver said. "It is rare that an entire community rallies around a single person, but our city loves Buck, what he stands for and his indomitable spirit. "Buck O'Neil is a man who has done more than anyone to popularize and keep alive the history of the Negro Leagues," Cleaver said. In the months that followed, O'Neil embarked on an exhausting schedule that had him flying to California, Ohio, Arizona and New York among other stops. He spoke at the induction ceremonies in Cooperstown. In July, he batted in the top and bottom of the first inning of the Northern League All-Star Game, making him the oldest man ever to play in a professional baseball game. "He was one of the pioneers of Negro League baseball, and he was one of the guys who never let it die," Oakland third-base coach Ron Washington said. "He was one of the guys that made sure that people knew of all the talent that was in that league. I was quite disappointed when he wasn't inducted into the Hall of Fame, but he made it possible for the ones who were inducted into the Hall of Fame." O'Neil was especially loved by the very young. In appearances at children's clubs and elementary schools throughout the country, kids of all color would gather around to hear the merry-eyed, grandfatherly figure spin his tales. Among older African-Americans, however, he would sometimes run into resentment. Why relive the Jim Crow past? Why dredge up bitter memories of segregated lunch counters and public facilities with insulting "whites only" signs? But O'Neil would fire right back. "It's very important that we know our history. We have to do that," he said. "I would remind them of a time when baseball was a source of joy for them. Then as we talked about it, they would remember who they were with, even what they wore to the games. "I would tell them this is not a sad story. It's a celebration!" he said. In the foreword to O'Neil's autobiography in 1996, Burns wrote of his amazing ability to see the goodness in his fellow man. "His life reflects the past and contains many of the bitter experiences that our country reserved for men of his color, but there is no bitterness in him," he said. "It's not so much that he put that suffering behind him as that he has brought gold and light out of bitterness and despair, loneliness and suffering. He knows he can go farther with generosity and kindness than with anger and hate," Burns wrote. O'Neil had no children; his closest living relative is a brother, Warren O'Neil.

Afrika Bambaataa Issues A Statement To Rap Artists Of All Regions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The legendary Afrika Bambaataa and his organization The Zulu Nation recently sent this statement to our brother and good friend Jazzy D for all of the rappers from every coast or region to read: I, Afrika Bambaataa, have heard it all, read it all, in many magazines throughout the world, and seen almost all in this continuing bull**** about which rappers are better, east coast v west coast, Miami bass hip-hop is bull****, British Rappers sound funny rapping, electro funk, techno rappers are soft, I like hardcore rap and beats, this one group is like that, old school vs new school, Rap wouldn't be rap if it wasn't for the battles, I'm the quickest, baddest rapper, deejay around, Go Go music in Washington D. C. is dead. It's all about hip-house or house music all night long. I dis you, you dis me, my crew will take you out or kick your ass, **** this or that, Nigger, Bitch, Nigguz, Nigguh, Hoe, Hooker, Bitches with Problems, Hoes with Attitudes. Just look at yourselves, sounding like a bunch of fools, who really don't have any true knowledge of self and knowledge of hip-hop culture and what it's all about. First of all, let me tell you that the music (beats) that makes up hip-hop, comes from different nationalities and races, especially from black people, and if you think I am a brother who don't know what he is talking about, just check out many of the music, beats, grooves and sounds that many of your rappers use to make their records or rap over. Hip-hop music in general is colorless and not racist. It comes from many categories in music, for example: Hip-hop music is made up from other forms of music like funk, soul, rhythm & blues, jazz, rock heavy l, salsa, soca (calypso), TV shows, kiddie shows, horror movies, techno, pop, disco, african, arabic, reggae -etc. . . . and if you use any records from these categories, you will see that the music is made by people from different races or nationalities from all over the planet, but it's roots start with black people. I have read many interviews by different rap groups throughout the world, just to see where their heads are at, whether they are really knowledgeable about hip-hop music/culture or whether they are just plain assholes. Many of the rappers will down(dis) another rapper because he or she wanted to experiment with hip-hop by singing or adding a different sound in hip-hop to create something new. When are all of you in the hip-hop world going to 'wake up'? You love to keep dissing each other for nothing and if you were wise in your disrespect of each other, you would know how to make money with respecting your disrespect of each other, if you truly understand what I am saying. Many who are into hip-hop or part of hip-hop culture throughout the world need a check up from the neck up. In fact, and in truth, the whole human family needs one. Everyone needs to check up on their own roots and culture and seek the real truths on life on this so-called planet Earth. Knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, facts and truths about black, brown, red, yellow and white people and not that brainwash white supremacy **** that white people in power have taught all over the world and to their own people of the so called planet Earth. Yes there are many wrongs in the worldwide hip-hop community, but there are also many aspects of positivity within the hip-hop community that the media or trade magazines rarely focus upon. Many of you in hip-hop culture don't even listen to the rappers who are trying hard to wake your asses up to what is going on in the bigger scale than of what you see in your neighborhoods, their message goes in one ear and out the other. The media does play a big role in destroying the hip-hop culture movement, but many of you in the hip-hop community are the biggest enemies of hip-hop and you will be the ones who will help the enemies of hip-hop to destroy it, or to bring it back underground, because of your ignorance of knowledge of hip-hop. This has started the difference between 'old school' and 'new school'. To myself (Afrika Bambaataa) there is only one school and that's the learning, evolving, going through the different phases or cycles school of hip-hop. That is the real hip-hop school. A lot of you in the world of hip-hop better start looking at the problems in your own backyard as well as the world, because while you are enjoying yourselves etc. there are many plots being sprung to destroy hip-hop in the world. Because many people in government look at hip-hop music and its culture as a radical music that gets straight to the point and music that will wake up the youth and young adults throughout the world. They can also use hip-hop to backfire and destroy itself. You can believe what I'm saying. But time will tell and I see what you see not. Peace be unto you, Your brother In music and faith, Afrika Bambaataa. Peace from Jazzy D... http://www.westcoastrydaz.com/news/10051/

Wyclef Jean to Release 'Carnival 2,' But Where Are the Fugees? http://www.andpop.com/article/7148 Published: 9/28/06 at 3:49 AM ET Written By: Adam Gonshor (andPOP) - The next Wyclef Jean album will be called "Carnival 2" and it's nearly complete, the rapper revealed exclusively to andPOP while in Toronto this month. "Carnival," released in 1997, was Wyclef's debut solo album, which earned him a Best Rap Album Grammy nomination. Ever since then, he has mentioned that he was working on a follow-up, but it appears its release may finally be upon us. "'Carnival 2' is going to be crazy," Wyclef told andPOP. "It's going to be the wildest piece of material that you've heard from Wyclef since the 'Carnival' as a whole piece of music." Jean said a big focus has been on writing and musical arrangement. "I'm like the hip-hop Amadeus," he said. "Like Dershawin, I'm going to write a lot of crazy arrangements." Jerry Wonder, Clef's longtime producer, couldn't hold back his excitement for "Carnival 2." "Wait 'till you get the 2," he said. "It's sort of the same concept as 'Carnival' but it's like the 2020 version." Wonder revealed that some of the guests from the first album will be back, perhaps even Lauryn Hill. Speaking of Hill, what is going on with the Fugees reunion? When Wyclef, Lauryn and Pras hit the studio, they released one single, and another track was leaked, but nothing else has been released since. Speaking briefly about the Fugees, Jean's tone didn't sound too optimistic. "Tell them hurry up. I'm moving. They gotta get with it," he said. "We tryin,'" added Wonder. "It's probably going to happen but everybody's busy."