bigted

Mariah Wins Big At Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards September 09, 2006, 12:00 AM ET Gail Mitchell, Atlanta Mariah Carey was the big winner at the 2006 Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, held last night (Sept. 8) in Atlanta. Carey won top R&B/hip-hop artist in both the overall and female categories, as well as hot R&B/hip-hop songs artist, top R&B/hip-hop albums artist and top R&B/hip-hop album for her multi-platinum set "The Emancipation of Mimi." overhyped rapper #1 took home top rap album for "Late Registration" and also won hot rap track for "Gold Digger" featuring Jamie Foxx. Foxx himself took home top R&B/hip-hop artist -- male, while Young Jeezy won top R&B/hip-hop artist -- New. In addition to winning top R&B/hip-hop songwriter and top R&B/hip-hop producer, Jermaine Dupri was named the first recipient of the Otis Redding Excellence Award for his achievements both in and outside the studio. The award was launched this year to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Redding’s death. Public Enemy received the 2006 Hip-Hop Founders Award in recognition of their long-standing influence throughout hip-hop. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album: Mariah Carey, "The Emancipation Of Mimi" (Island/IDJMG) Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song: Mary J. Blige, "Be Without You" (Geffen/Interscope) Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist: Mariah Carey (Island/IDJMG) Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist - Male: Jamie Foxx (J/RMG) Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist - Female: Mariah Carey (Island/IDJMG) Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist - Duo Or Group: Destiny's Child (Columbia/Sony Music) Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist - New: Young Jeezy (Corporate Thugz/Def Jam/IDJMG) Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Artist: Mariah Carey (Island/IDJMG) Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artist: Mariah Carey (Island/IDJMG) Top RAP Album: overhyped rapper #1, "Late Registration" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/IDJMG) Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Sales: Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes "Don't Cha" (A&M/Interscope) Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Airplay: Mary J. Blige, "Be Without You" (Geffen/Interscope) Hot RAP Track: overhyped rapper #1 feat. Jamie Foxx "Gold Digger" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/IDJMG) Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter: Jermaine Dupri Top R&B/Hip-Hop Producer: Jermaine Dupri Top R&B/Hip-Hop Major Label: Island Def Jam Music Group Top R&B/Hip-Hop Independent Label: TVT

Ted, you've crossed the line.

I don't really like that many songs that Biggie did but he definately had strong freestyle and flow abilities that a lot of mcs today lack

Biggie didn't have half the talent and impact that Pac had really to me, Pac was much more creative, Biggie was more just another rapper who made most of his songs about drugs and guns, and since most rappers do that today I think that's why he's ranked so high right now, Big Pun was a great lyricist but not really that deep as Pac, Big L never really got a chance to blow up yet but he was dominating the underground scene for a while, the one dead rapper that never seems to get much love is Left Eye but female mcs are always underrated... And like that article said it's kind of ironic that the music critics slammed "Makaveli" but then after he dies all of a sudden they call it one of the best rap albums ever which makes me believe that if he was alive he probably wouldn't get the credit that he got since he passed on, especially these days since the best artists get slept on in the media with all these wack rappers selling, it seems that with a lot of great artists they ain't appreciated till they're gone...

Well since the Diddy dissing stunt fails I guess he's going back to the drawing board, doing all of these publicity stunts 'cause he knows he can't sell off of skills alone...

There's also many mcs that're living that came out before and after Pac that're also very talented but never get the full recognition they deserve like I said before, not knocking Pac at all 'cause I like a lot of his music but he ain't the only legend of hip-hop like some people hype him up to be, we shouldn't wait till they're dead to celebrate them is all I'm saying... I thought "R U Still Down"(Remember Me) was a proper release after his death, it's a lot of those albums after that where things went wrong in terms of the way the projects were handled where only bandwagon fans and fans of today's pop rap would feel, not his original fans...

Barkley, Wilkins, Dumars to Enter Hall By PAT EATON-ROBB Associated Press Writer SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Charles Barkley loves watching films of himself playing basketball. He says it's not narcissistic. It's about seeing basketball played hard, with players giving 100 percent and the game coming before the individual. "I always tried as hard as I possibly could," Barkley said Friday before his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. "I like seeing that on tape. Today, they want to be stars. They don't want to be great players. We wanted to be great players." Two other greats from Barkley's era, Dominique Wilkins and Joe Dumars, were to be inducted Friday night, as part of a Hall of Fame class that also includes former Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt, Connecticut women's coach Geno Auriemma and Italian coach Sandro Gamba. Barkley, Auriemma and Gavitt were first-ballot selections. Barkley, who averaged 22 points and almost 12 rebounds in 16 NBA seasons, is hardly known for his humility. But he called it a humbling experience to be placed in the company of other Hall of Famers from his era - players such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. "It was the best," Barkley said. "When you compare these little rinky-dink teams you all got now to Bird's Celtics, Magic's Lakers and Michael's Bulls - they'd kill these guys you all got winning today." The Pistons were also pretty good, winning championships in 1989 and 1990 with Joe Dumars at guard. Barkley called Dumars the best player on those teams, which also included more flamboyant stars, such as Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman. "I wasn't concerned about the marquee board," said Dumars, who played his entire 14-year career in Detroit. "That's never mattered to me and I gladly let others step forward and do that. If there was a championship that year, then my whole focus was just that." Like Barkley, Wilkins never won a championship. But he was a nine-time NBA All-Star and a two-time NBA Slam Dunk champion known as "the Human Highlight Reel" for his above-the-rim acrobatics. It's a nickname he doesn't much care for. "Dunking was just a small part of my game," he said. "Dunking was just an intimidating tool I used. I had a much more rounded game than just dunking. To get 26,000 points, you don't get them all on dunks." Gamba coached European basketball for more than three decades, including four consecutive Italian Olympic teams from 1980-92. His team won a silver medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the gold at the 1983 European Championships. Auriemma already has five national championship trophies at Connecticut and is closing in on winning his 600th career game next season. He joins UConn men's coach Jim Calhoun in the Hall of Fame. On Friday, Auriemma said all Big East coaches owe their careers to Gavitt, who helped form the league in 1979 and served as its first commissioner. Gavitt also was president of USA Basketball and is credited with putting together the original 1992 Dream Team that won the gold medal in Barcelona, a team that featured Johnson, Jordan and Bird. "Barkley was the best player on that team," Gavitt said.

This was a great read and brought up key points about 2Pac, it's ridiculous to see when rappers have been beefing over the past decade that they bring up points about how Pac would roll with them if he were alive, wtf does that have to do with their battle, they should let the man rest in peace and fight their own battles, it's not right but they figure maybe they'll attract some of Pac's fanbase since he had millions of fans, the way some of these rappers have pimped Pac's legacy for their careers, they should be writing checks to Pac's family, lol.... Pac was a great artist but it's been sorta unfair that he gets all this recognition when there's other great artists that're alive that deserve recognition, we shouldn't forget Pac but I don't think we should forget the great artists that're alive either, and the choosing artists that he never worked with/actually beefed with to be on his unreleased material is something that should have never happened, only those who produced with/worked with/or was friends with but never collabed with 'cause he passed on already should be on some of his unreleased material, that way it'd really have the feel of an authentic Pac album...

so it wasnt his choice ?!? Well it was part Rakim's choice, he really saw that he didn't fit in there, and of course Aftermath went a different direction and got rid of him, but the main point I was saying is that it's been taking years since then and he don't have a deal quite yet lol that's crazy ... i got some feeling he is gonna make some track with KRS 1 :wiggle: .... is there any other news from Rakim The only other news I heard about him recently is that he's gonna be honored on VH1 Hip-Hop Honors this fall

2Pac Cross That Line Celebration or exploitation? YN pulls no punches as he tackles the key questions surrounding Tupac’s legacy and its place in the rap game. Posted In: XXL Magazine, Features, Main Words: Elliott Wilson Images: Reisig & Taylor I know the question y’all asking yourselves: Why did XXL put Tupac on the cover again? Well, it’s the 10th year of the anniversary of his death, stupid. And our ’Pac covers have always done their numbers. I even sold one with his mom, Afeni, on the front a few years back. My bosses said it couldn’t be done, but y’all proved me right. You got to give the people what they want. Truth be told, there’s just not enough true rap stars around these days—artists who have touched the world the way ’Pac has. I was shocked when my staff was so overwhelmingly supportive of doing this issue. They seemed to feel it would be almost disrespectful not to acknowledge the man who remains the most influential person in hip-hop culture a full decade after he left us. Plus, the past 10 years of his career achievements needed to be documented. Now that you’ve enjoyed our tantalizing time line, it’s time for da boss man to face the music. So I’ll address 10 topics that have come up in discussions around the XXL offices while we’ve been slaving away trying to finish this thing. Thank God for granting me this moment of clarity. How long will YN mourn him? Until y’all tell me to stop. 1. HOW EXACTLY DID ’PAC BECOME THE HIP-HOP NATION’S CHOICE FOR G.O.A.T.? Well, it starts with Makaveli. Though it was body-slammed by critics when it dropped two months after ’Pac’s death, the album is a classic that captures hip-hop’s most controversial star at his most volatile and engaging. From the fiery venom of “Bomb First (My Second Reply)” and “Against All Odds” to the playful bravado of “Toss It Up” and “Just Like Daddy” to the riveting religious overtones of “Hail Mary” and “Blasphemy,” ’Pac’s most potent platter is the album your favorite MC can’t live without. It’s the record that rapper is playing in the background while he’s chillin’ at the crib. The one he cops over and over and over again. This album is even beloved by two artists who get dissed on it: Nas and Jay-Z. In fairness to the New York giants, it must be noted that ’Pac’s death (and that of his arch rival, the Notorious B.I.G., six months later) was a determining factor in allowing them to embrace the memory of their former antagonist—all is forgiven in death, and it should be. Ironically, five years later, it would be Nas and Jay-Z engaging in rap’s biggest battle since ’Pac and Big and all the East-West nonsense—complete with claims of swagger-jacking and sleeping with the enemy’s woman. And how twisted was it in 2002 when Jay-Z remade a song from an album that targeted him to announce his then-budding relationship with his real-life squeeze, Beyoncé Knowles? ’Pac’s original “Me and My Girlfriend” was just a metaphor for a gun—a concept that Nas himself mastered earlier in 1996’s “I Gave You Power.” Speaking of power, it’s the rappers that emerged in the late ’90s and the new millennium that put ’Pac in the top position. His peers anointed him king, and the fans cosigned. Example: Go see Jay-Z live and watch the dope boys and girls go crazy when Jigga Man lets his DJ drop the needle on a ’Pac classic. That gets more cheers than the main attraction. 2. WITH ’PAC DEAD AND GONE, ARE WE ALLOWED TO QUESTION THE MOTIVES AND MOVES OF HIS DEAR MAMA? It’s a fact proven in rap: Mothers become celebrities when their sons pass away. After a legal tussle with Suge Knight, Afeni is the official boss lady. Simply put, she’s in charge of the legacy. What projects will come out and which won’t? Who gets permission to use which vocals on what song? She’s got the answers, the one and only master of the masters. Kinda ironic, since ’Pac and ma dukes didn’t always have the best relationship. She wasn’t always there for him as a mother, but now she reaps the benefits of her son’s recording career—something that, before he died, she seemingly had little to do with. Where was she when her baby boy was signing his life away to Death Row Records? An ass-whuppin’ by the one who gave him that life in the first place might have been needed back then. To give credit where it’s due, Afeni has put together a couple of quality projects and created a respectable foundation and arts center, all in her son’s name. Like all parents’, her intentions seem to be in the right place. Still, the decision to have wack rapper #2 produce an entire album of her son’s material? That’s a never-forgive action. 3. ISN’T THERE JUST WAY TOO MUCH POSTHUMOUS ’PAC MATERIAL? Yup. And bet your bottom dollar, most of it ain’t worth your hard-earned cash. Only the most bored of rap fans or the most fanatical of ’Pac fanatics would really take the time to listen to double-disc debacles like 1997’s R U Still Down? (Remember Me) or ’01’s Until the End of Time in their entirety. And honestly, couldn’t someone have talked some sense into Afeni before she decided to drop a spoken-word album based on ’Pac’s poetry? Oy vay! 4. ARE THERE ANY POSTHUMOUS ’PAC SONGS WORTH LISTENING TO? You gotta have a hole in your soul if the “The Realist Killaz” doesn’t get you amped. Producer Red Spyda’s sinister pairing of ’Pac and a then-emerging wack rapper #1 was a vicious volley in 50’s beef with Ja Rule—and packed an extra punch since so many rap fans felt that Ja had been biting ’Pac’s style for years. You know the late star would have been laughing watching Shady rumble with Murder Inc. throughout 2003, arguing over who would get to break bread with ’Pac if he were here on God’s green earth. (The real answer? The Boot Camp Clik. They actually knew the nigga.) Then there’s Trick Daddy. While they never met (to the best of my knowledge), ’Pac’s “Still Ballin” (from 2002’s Better Dayz) featuring the Miami mack has enough sonic chemistry to make it feel like it could have been a real collaboration. Trick loves the kids. ’Pac loved the thugs. So it’s not hard to imagine these two raising hell down in the Sunshine State. The after party at Club Rolexx would have been off the chain. Still, ’Pac’s most poignant cry from the grave might just be “Changes” (from 1998’s Greatest Hits). Despite the cheesy Bruce Hornsby sample, this previously unreleased gem proves that no amount of overproduced studio magic can match the quality of material that ’Pac actually saw to completion. That’s just the way it is. 5. IS IT WRONG FOR ’PAC’S FORMER ENEMIES TO RECORD SONGS WITH HIS VOCALS? Yeah. But actually, Nas is the only culprit here. Don’t get me wrong, “Thugz Mansion” is a good song. But it’s hard to justify making amends (by way of making music that will surely make money) when the other person isn’t around. I know Nas insists that things between the two were copacetic in ’Pac’s last days, and I’m sure Afeni asked him really nicely to get down. But come on, Esco, just say no.

Yeah this is a good move on Nick's part to do this, not really a fan of his but this is good to see him make this move with the right intentions

Yeah I'm with Schnazz here, I'm not really a big supporter of the death penalty but in this situation this was a heartless and horrid crime and they deserve it, they're a waste of life

Why? 'Cause it's a waste of life to go around and want to kill innocent people all the time

Well record sales are down and record companies are trying to do anything to get people to go out and buy the albums, it's really unfair for the fans though but I guess if I really like the artist I might buy another album for bonus materials to support, get a good buy on ebay or something for it, but if I'm not really a fan of the artist then one copy's good enough whether it has bonus materials or not

Yeah it seems like I'm the only one responding to the other topics to try to get people here away from talking about this topic, this'll be my last reply in this topic, there's nothing more to say really, I'm glad that they're done with this gimmick so that nobody'll talk about it anymore :davidblaine:

If anybody deserves to get the death penalty, I'd say those bastards do

so it wasnt his choice ?!? Well it was part Rakim's choice, he really saw that he didn't fit in there, and of course Aftermath went a different direction and got rid of him, but the main point I was saying is that it's been taking years since then and he don't have a deal quite yet

When a legendary mc like Rakim has to wait years to get another record contract after getting dropped from Aftermath that tells you the direction of the music industry

Well I think they probably realised that a lot of people were looking at that beef as a gimmick and that they wouldn't profit off of it like they thought they would so they quickly cancelled it, if 50 don't realise that people ain't gonna buy into him beefing with other rappers before every album he releases his career'll be over soon, and Diddy already knows that everybody in the world knows that he don't write his own raps so he knows that nobody gonna buy into him becoming a hardcore rapper dissing other rappers in songs...

Well getting back to topic the beef's squashed already according to allhiphop.com: 50 and Sean "Diddy" Combs ended their feud Wednesday after mutual acquaintances of the two moguls persuaded them to end their beef, official sources said. Sources close to the negotiations told AllHipHop.com that the two spoke in person last night (Sept. 6) about their verbal jabs at each other on upcoming albums and mixtapes. "We are definitely doing a 'cease fire,'" Chris Lighty, CEO of Violator Management, told AllHipHop.com. http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/

Well that's a tough situation there, somebody that's been in the music industry for all those years shouldn't have problems paying taxes unless the record label ain't paying the artist the money that he deserves, and considering all the artists that sample the Isley Brothers I don't see the problem unless the royalty checks ain't coming in...

Yeah if somebody puts out a hot album I'm gonna look into it, I'm just a fan of good music, even if I'm a lil' upset by how Jay-Z is running Def Jam if he puts out a good album I'm gonna listen to it, and those who are my favorites I stick by them no matter what others say as long as they put out good music most of the time, I try more these days to not pay attention to the music that I'm not into and give more attention to what I do like, and yeah we could call these wack rappers sellouts all we want but they ain't really I mean look at this article and see what they're doing this month to help out the youth, I don't think it's fair that there's all this attention about the negative things they do and don't give any credit for the positive things they do: T.I. & Young Jeezy Perform For NYC Youth Volunteers Thursday - September 7, 2006 by Anthony Roberts RockCorps and Boost Mobile have partnered to put on a concert for youth volunteers featuring T.I., Young Jeezy, Fabolous, Don Omar, and others at NYC's Radio City Music Hall. The exclusive event will be hosted by Nick Cannon and is set to take place on September 23rd. The concert will reward and recognize over 5,000 local youth who have volunteered their time through such programs as environmental initiatives, playground renovations and food distributions associated with the RockCorps organization. Founded in 2003, the organization uses music as an incentive for young people to become active in their communities and offers entry to various concerts in exchange for at least four hours of community service. Other acts such as Panic! At the Disco and Taking Back Sunday are also scheduled to perform. Previous to the NYC concert, the Boost Mobile RockCorps program also made stops in cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis/St. Paul in an effort to further rally volunteers. Other hip-hop acts such as Ghostface Killah and Rick Ross have performed in past RockCorps performances. This summer alone, the volunteers would have completed approximately 40,000 hours of community service and transformed close to 125 project sites in eight cities across the country. For more information log onto boostmobilerockcorps.com. The RockCorps/Boost Mobile concert featuring T.I., Young Jeezy, Fabolous and others is on September 23rd at NYC's RadioCity Music Hall.

Yeah there's a lot of stuff out right now that I'm looking into but I'm definately gonna look into this, sounds dope

Yeah I was putting in the bid for that tape for the last week or so but I didn't say anything here 'cause I figured somebody else here would want it :kekeke:

Man that's the realest stuff you ever typed, it's like what LL said in his book about when rappers/entertainers are coming into the game after having nothing for most of their lives that it's a tough adjustment to realise exactly how much impact on the public they have: "I can't condemn those rappers and entertainers who aren't always positive. You can't expect someone to become a positive role for all of mainstream America overnight. It takes time to realize the power your music has over people. It took me more than 10 years. For a lot of artists, they never get that time. By the time they figure it out, they're finished. Somebody who is on their first of second album-they don't know how powerful they are. They don't know how influential they are when it comes to children, so they say what they feel. But four, five, nine years down the road, after they've had a few albums and can see what statements they've made and how they've affected people-then it's time for them to live up to their responsibility and be a role model to a wider audience. You can't expect a kid who is fresh out of the projects and going triple platinum to understand the complete spectrum of his influence as an artist. When did he get that opportunity to grow and learn about what that means?" And on the real I think a lot of times fans are fickle, some fans wanna hear this, some fans wanna hear that, it's hard for an artist to exactly tell what the fans wanna hear, it's like a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation, everybody receives some sort of hate whenever they do something, it's really about the artist being true to themself more than anything 'cause fans come and go no matter what, there's only a few loyal fans that stick by an artist, I really think a lot of the times fans sell out on the artist more than the opposite....