bigted

He was performing the song during the BET Awards a couple weeks ago and just as you mention that I just turn to BET and see that they just played the video now...

Yeah Janet's last album didn't flop, I think it sold around as much as Will's "L&F" did, like AJ said it's hard to be popular for such a long time, she's been an artist that stands the test of time, not many singers from 20 years ago are out now with hits, btw I saw the premiere of the video for this song on 106 & Park last night...

Lupe had no choice to push his album back 'cause his album was leaked 2 months before release date which is rare, it's normal for it to leak like a week or two before but not 2 months so basically with thousands downloading the album 2 months before scheduled release means they gotta start from scratch, when the album comes out it's gonna be a whole new version, btw he's on Atlantic Records not Interscope NowRobin Thicke's getting pushed back 'cause he's not getting much buzz, he don't have a single in major rotation right now so they ain't gonna release the album till he does, they've even been pushing Lloyd Banks back 'cause his new single with wack rapper #1 ain't doing anything right now, even wack rapper #2's right hand man Obie Trice's getting pushed back since his singles ain't doing what they expected, so if they're gonna push somebody back from supposedlythe most popular groupsin the rap game they won't have problems pushing back an unproven artist like Robin Thicke, you gotta remember that these people at record companies work on releasing whatever'll give them the most profit, it's not about quality music, if fans requested good music to get played record labels'd release it faster, blame them, the record companies are just doing their job and responding to what people like...

DMX is one of the most consistant rappers of all time no doubt about it, he puts his life into his music, it ain't just about making songs to make songs and that's why people've been able to relate to him, the amazing thing about him having 5 straight #1 albums is that he never sold himself short just to sell more, he's always stayed true to himself, now that's inspiring to see in a watered down music industry... I like the idea of having this reality show on BET to connect more to the fans, "Lord Give Me A Sign" is a relevant single to release now with all the troubles in the world too...

Yeah "L&F" basically outsold all the other rap projects on that label last year except the wack rappers, lol, like I said earlier going gold these days is an accomplishment for any artist, if they drop Will that means they'll be cleaning the labels, lol, I'm sure they didn't expect it to sell 5 million by only releasing 1 single in 6 months, the best thing for Will'd be to use Will Smith on the credits of his movies and on the album covers he should go as Fresh Prince and I don't want somebody like Chingy to executive produce this album either...

Well I think "Willenium" probably originally was supposed to be an official JJFP album considering how much they worked together on that album, Will went to Philly to record most of it with Jeff and TOJ, Columbia probably had different plans though considering how much "Big Willie Style" sold, I think it was probably more Columbia's idea for Will to use his real name than it was Will's 'cause it'd gain some of his movie fans to check out his music for the first time, Will says at the end of some concerts "on behalf of Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince...", I don't think he really has a problem with his mc name, I think it's more of a thing with his films, he could keep using his real name for films, he should try to seperate music and film images, now that'd be the ultimate wack thing if the album's associated with one of Will's films, we want it to be all about the music here, well if you check Interscope's site it still has Will on the roster, there hasn't been any news of Will leaving the label or them dropping him, you figure a year after the album came out they'd say something by now, more than likely he probably has more albums on his deal...

You didn't like "The Great Depression"? That was one of the best albums that I've heard over the last few years, it's basically close to the same level as "It's Dark And Hell Is Hot" too, with great tracks like "Who We Be", "I Miss U"(this track right here came out when around the time that my grandmom died so this holds a special place to me, one of the realest tracks ever), "You Could Be Blind", "Bloodline Anthem", "We're Right Here", "Shorty Was Da Bomb", "A Minute For Your Son", etc... I could understand if you didn't like "Grand Champ" 'cause it had too much filler tracks on it but it was still better commercial release than most albums in 2003, and what I thought brought that album down was there was too many guests on it and they didn't fit DMX's style, which was probably Def Scam's idea just like what they're doing to Uncle L now, this one has much less guest appearances, even though I ain't big on Sytles and Jada I think that they have great chemistry with DMX, I enjoy most of the tracks DMX worked with the Lox, Amerie's cool too, it could be a lot worse considering that this album's released on Columbia, some people heard it being leaked and they're saying that it's one of DMX's best albums in a long time, can't wait to buy it on release date after work...

All major labels suck so that's why the music industry is in a funk right now..

You wouldn't believe that I found a on going thread that's been going on a hip-hop website for the last year over "Mr. Nice Guy", the last comments were made by me, people really are idiots to still be dragging this out, they love beef, they're the reason why the rap game is the way it is right now, they only care about tabloids and don't check for the great albums, btw I don't think anybody really defended Will for wack rapper #2 dissin' him, nobody really commented on it all when the song was made, wack rapper #2 wasn't really taken serious for dissin' Will, it was taken more as a joke in a comedic song, nobody supported wack rapper #2 specifically for the line in that song either, I think it was just the media and the fans that took this out of hand as usual... http://www.hiphopmusic.com/archives/000803.html

Yeah really it's about the music, I just hope that the record label doesn't force them to water down their style by working with a lot of wack commercial rappers and singers just to be relevant on the Billboard charts, that's my main concern...

1. Intro - n/a 2. We In Here 3. I Run S** feat. Big Stan 4. Come Thru (Move) feat. Busta Rhymes 5. It's Personal feat. Styles P. & Jadakiss 6. Baby Motha 7. Dog Love feat. Jance & Amerie 8. Wrong Or Right (I'm Tired) feat. Bzr Royale 9. Give Em What They Want 10. Walk These Days feat. Kashmir 11. Blown Away feat. Jinx & Janyce 12. Goodbye 13. Life Be My Song 14. The Prayer VI 15. Lord Give Me A Sign

JJFP do got love for Kanye, I read an article last year on the Live 8 concert that they were dancin' and cheerin' backstage like fans during Kanye's performance

Hey viber I just noticed that we both have the same quote in our signature :2thumbs:

I just came across this, he talks about working with Kanye on "Jesus Walks", his view on the rap game, politics, his childhood, his favorite rap songs when growing up, and he even drops a dope freestyle in between, I advise everyone here to check it out, it's great stuff: http://music.aol.com/artists/just_stopping_by/rhymefest

Well really if it's called Will Smith featuring Jazzy Jeff or DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince or how much it will or won't sell ain't really that major of a deal in the scheme of things, the most important thing is that a quality album'll from them get released within the next year or so...

I heard this song a few days ago on the radio and I think it's great, it seems that Nelly got more skills as a singer than he does as a rapper too, lol, btw she got contest on her website where the fans could decide what her album cover for the album's gonna be: http://designme.janetjackson.com/

Yeah that's basically what I was saying just now, btw here's an interview I found with Lupe mentioning his thoughts about the leak: http://www.allhiphop.com/features/index.asp?ID=1416 Lupe Fiasco: Leaks & Patches By Archna Sawjani Hip-Hop loves a leak, for better or worse. Whether it’s a crowned veteran or the proclaimed leader of the new school, early access to albums is always in demand. Even if the response is overwhelmingly positive, the labels aren’t as enthused as the fans. For example, Ras Kass’ Van Gogh and Large Professor’s The LP remain some of the most talked about, shelved albums. These events have affected Hip-Hop royalty such as Nas with I Am and Jay-Z’s Vol 3...Life and Times of S. Carter. Incidentally, Jigga Man once referred to Fiasco’s music as a “breath of fresh air,” but the leak of Food & Liquor is akin to an invigorating stream of spring water to many. Reacting, gasping fans have discovered Food & Liquor for themselves in unrecorded masses. In turn, the feedback has been resoundingly positive. Two months ahead of schedule, a disappointed Lupe speaks to those that have the unfinished work and those who patiently wait as planned. AllHipHop.com: How did you first find out about the leak? Lupe Fiasco: I found out about the leak, ironically, on the Internet. Actually, the news popped up on AllHipHop. AllHipHop.com: So what did you first do after hearing the news? Who did you contact? Lupe Fiasco: I first started to try and verify what got leaked, and where it went. And then it was all about what actually was on there: how much of the album was leaked. So that was the first thing I did. Then, it was all about containing the situation. So I think I must of found out around 10 or 11 [o’clock] and by 12, there were already people working on shutting it all down. AllHipHop.com: What was Atlantic Records’ viewpoint? Did you have any de-briefing or crisis management meeting? Lupe Fiasco: No, they were just about shutting it down, and trying to contain it as best as they could. There wasn’t really any specific type of meeting or sit-down. You know, it was already out, so there so wasn’t anything we could really do about the leak. The main concern was just trying to make sure the album didn’t get bootlegged and that it didn’t hit the streets. It’s still too early to tell on that. It’s only May, and the album isn’t due out till mid June, so only time will tell. AllHipHop.com: Did anyone in particular reach out to you and give you any advice? Lupe Fiasco: Yeah, you know, loads of people were calling me with advice and support. T.I., Little Brother, and loads of other people too. But for the most part, you know, there really wasn’t anything people could do or say, you can’t undo what’s already done. But you know, it wasn’t as bad as it first seemed. We still haven’t got an exact number of the amount of downloads, but it’s around the tens of thousand mark. So hopefully it wont hurt the album sales that much. AllHipHop.com: All sorts of speculations surfaced, such as that this was a PR stunt, that you overreacted, that Atlantic leaked the album. What do you have to say to these statements? Lupe Fiasco: People talk, and the more they talk, the more controversy is caused. I can clear that I didn’t do it. And if Atlantic did it, then that would be an illegal situation, would they really risk doing that? As far as people saying I was overreacting on the situation, well if you work on something for five years and its like the bread and butter of you and your company, and something like that happens, then they would be pissed too. But it was definitely not a publicity stunt or anything around that route. If it was anything like that, then I would have leaked it like a month from now, around June the 1st. That would have been fine. Advance copies come with the territory, but this really was something else, this was more than two and a half months before the release date. AllHipHop.com: So how do you feel about all the feedback you’ve received? Lupe Fiasco: Well, you know the reviews are what we always planned for the album. And that’s what it achieved - even in that state of being less than 50% done. So it solidifies that we are heading in the right direction. But at the same time, the Internet is only one place, no one outside of the Internet community knows that it’s leaked. I didn’t get any extra press from it except on the Internet. AllHipHop.com: How do you feel about the internet craze of downloading? Do you think its taking away from the experience of owning a great album? Lupe Fiasco: Yeah, I do think it is definitely taking away from the experience - especially, the experience I had planned for this album. You know my project wasn’t completed, there’s all a lot of other things I had orchestrated and arranged for the album. The leak kind of takes away from the experience I had planned for myself and for the experience I had planned for my fans. But at the same time, that’s just on the Internet though. You see the kids that have downloaded it from the Internet and s**t, that’s them. They’re not going to experience it on June 27th, but my audience is way bigger than [that]. AllHipHop.com: Was there anything you read about this situation over the Internet that got you particularly angry? Lupe Fiasco: You know, I only really pay attention to one site, I think the site I’m talking about is the most authentic, in the sense that the people who leave messages on the forums and message boards are truly giving their opinions and not just hating. They actually know about the music and the history. So their was only one site that I really went to actually read the peoples opinions and what they thought of the album. AllHipHop.com: Will you tell me what site that it? Lupe Fiasco: Aahhh, I can’t answer that. But yeah, as far as actual editorials were concerned though, I got some great reviews. But at the same time, it actually got me quite mad. You know like, why are you reviewing the album? You’re reviewing an illegitimate release. So that kind of threw me off. It’s the same thing, like when people came up to me and said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry about the album, but it’s hot.’ What you doing? It’s like getting stabbed and getting kissed all at the same time. AllHipHop.com: Yeah, but do you not understand why people downloaded it? Lupe Fiasco: Yeah! Of course. But you know, my only concern was the timing. I understand people downloading it, [but] the only thing that got me so pissed was that it happened so early. You know it was a situation where the label could of actually shut me down. And fair enough, people are saying it’s a classic, but if it doesn’t come out, I have to go back to the studio and spend more money and go through everything again after I’ve just spent five years on this particular project. So that’s why I reacted the way I did. I was just like, ‘God damn!’ AllHipHop.com: What’s the planned release looking like now? Lupe Fiasco: The album, God willing, is still coming out June 27th. There’s some special features that will be on there, and it will definitely have some surprises and songs that will be on their that weren’t on the leak. It’s just improved, so even if you’ve heard the leaked version, this is the final improved version so definitely still go out and get it. AllHipHop.com: Anything else you want to say about the Food & Liquor? Lupe Fiasco: It’s weird, as this is actually an Internet interview. So the same kids that probably downloaded the album are the ones who will be reading this. So what do I tell them? They’re ahead of the game, they way ahead, I can’t tell them anything new. And you know, people are saying to me: ‘It’s perfect, don’t change it,’ but I don’t look at it as perfection, and I’m not listening to that anyway. AllHipHop.com: Just out of curiosity, what would you do if you now found out who leaked the album? Lupe Fiasco: I’d sue them, for sure. What else should I do, punch them? You know, if I had met the dude before he was going to leak the album, I wouldn’t even have taken it from him, he could keep it, but I’d just get him to wait a month and a half. I’d even help him. You know, he got the song titles wrong and s**t. I’d give him the correct song titles and tracklist order. I’d give him everything, just as long as he waited. Everyone seems to think, I’ve gained all this extra press from this, but I would have got the press anyway [on schedule]. So even if the person was trying to help me, they didn’t. AllHipHop.com: What if you found it was one of your friends though? Lupe Fiasco: Ah, I don’t know. I usually keep my friends separate from my music, as they don’t really understand the in’s and out’s of the music industry. They wouldn’t really have access to my album. But yeah, if I found it was a friend, I would have to deal with the situation as best as I could. ILL COMMUNITY QUOTABLES - What people are saying about Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor: 3rd Fire: “This is, to me, far and away, the best album of ’06. [The] only album close is [Ghostface Killah’s] Fishscale. Even unmastered, even unfinished, and withoutany brand name producers, Lupe still succeeds in murking every single track on this album.” Banks05: “With only a slightly unfinished version of the album, I can honestly say this is better than 90% of s**t in the last 12 months. It’s great.” PhillyBul: “This album is a classic....funny how a leaked album that may never drop, may not have the same songs is a classic. It’s ridiculous, the stuff he says. And I like how he f**ks with a track. A dumb dude wouldn’t understand the things he says....he says a lot of stuff that goes over your head. Have you [the] "oh s**t!" [feeling]. This cat is the truth....I'm listening to all his mixtape songs, he kills them too.” Ketchums: “I thought the album was virtually perfect, I hope he doesn't change too much before it comes out. Nobody new is even remotely f**kin' with him, this is the first time in a minute that I've been wowed by a completely new artist. "Real Recognize Real" has what just might be usurping Mos' verse on "Thieves In The Night" as my favorite verse of all time.” A Bathing Ape: “Lupe Fiasco sucks. Leave the ‘I’m a nerd who loves to skateboard’ gimmick to Pharrell. His label is gonna try to push him as being on some "other" s**t, instead of the crack dealin’, women, cars that everybody else is doin’.” Illseed: "This one thing I know: Lupe Fiasco needs Food & Liquor in his catalogue."

Uh, I don't think the album came out yet, just a few tracks were leaked on the internet, the album's been pushed back being released for a lil' while so they could rework some tracks...

Here's another article I found that has more details: Tyrese Gives In To Rap Passion, Plans To 'Change The World' With Double LP 'It's a passion of mine,' he says. 'I'm not doing it to be the biggest name in hip-hop.' by Coral Schneider, with additional reporting by Corey Moss There's a Black Ty event this fall and everyone is invited. Like many music stars before him — David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, wack rapper #2 as Slim Shady, Garth Brooks as Chris Gaines, etc. — R&B model-turned-singer-turned-actor Tyrese is introducing an alter ego to go along with his latest turn as a rapper. The project, fittingly titled Alter Ego and due this fall, will feature both Tyrese and Black Ty doing their things on separate discs (see "Tyrese, With Help From Snoop And Game, To Unveil Rapping Alter Ego"). And both personas will release simultaneous singles — tracks yet to be determined — to kick off the double album. "I'm going to have my R&B video have about 20 seconds of the hip-hop song, and the hip-hop video will have 20 seconds of the R&B song," Tyrese said at last month's BET Awards. "I'm going to have two different covers, shoot two different videos and just change the world up." The hip-hop album will feature a number of collaborators, including Snoop Dogg, Game, Chingy, David Banner, Mannie Fresh, Paul Wall, Ice Cube and Kurupt. "Everybody and their mama's on the album," Tyrese said. "I got the whole hip-hop gang behind me. They've all embraced me." Now he just needs his fans to embrace him, and he's hopeful that they will. "It's one of them things where once again, I'm making a transition from one world to the other," he said. "I line myself up with the right folks, and they get behind me. Now it's about the fans hearing it and being exposed to it and feeling good about it. "A new R&B album is exciting, but not as exciting as the buzz that's out about this hip-hop album," he continued. "I ain't trying to force this rap thing on nobody. I love it. It's a passion of mine. I'm not doing it to be the biggest name in hip-hop." Along with his R&B and hip-hop projects, Tyrese continues to make his mark in the film industry. After the release of his summer drama "Waist Deep," he started production on the much anticipated live-action "Transformers" film, based on the popular Hasbro toy. The action movie, directed by Michael Bay ("Pearl Harbor," "Armageddon"), is set for release in July 2007. Also in the works are plans to act opposite his "Waist Deep" co-star Meagan Good, who is developing a collaboration for the two — a project similar to the supermodel biopic "Gia," but about a music-video model. "We gotta do another one," Tyrese said of working with Good. "The chemistry was unreal. There's no need for me to do a movie with another leading lady. This is it right here for me." This report is provided by MTV News

I heard some of Lupe's stuff, it sounds pretty good but I wouldn't go as far as saying that he's the next KRS-ONE yet, he definately got potential though to be one of the rising stars of the rap game and bring a breath of fresh air to drown out some of the sucker mcs out now if he gets the right promotion behind him, hopefully another single besides "Kick Push"'ll get out there before his album comes out, btw I checked out some tracks on Rhymefest's album and I think he got a lot of potential too, sure Kanye might be overhyped a lil' bit but I gotta give him props for trying to bring talented mcs in the game...

I honestly don't get what's the point of keeping this topic pinned since this album ain't selling anymore?!! :damnyou:

My thoughts exactly but really that's probably the only way it could marketed and more than likely the major label will probably try to tie it to one of Will's movies which wouldn't help Will's cred as an mc, Will needs to take a break from movies and focus on the return of JJFP if he really wants rap heads to mention his name among the all time mcs...

Didn't Benzino try to get the Source to give one of his albums 5 mics?, lol, I think the controversey was that they were giving Tony Yayo's album more mics than Little Brother since those albums came out around that time and they got mad 'cause of that, yeah well Interscope thought "Tell Me Why" was too political to come out so it's definately believable that BET wouldn't want to play Little Brother, really the only way to get out there is if you dumb down now, that's why it's so hard for Kel Spencer to get a record deal...

Well Will's popularity increased since the last official Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince album but I don't know about Jazzy Jeff, the average commercial fan doesn't really know who he is, I mean didn't "The Magnificent" sell even less than "Born To Reign" did? Maybe there'll be enough fans who bought "Lost and Found" that'll go out and buy this album for it to go gold, and like I said earlier if it goes gold it'd be enough to show that JJFP is still commercially relevant 'cause even pop artists struggle to gold now, even Michael Jackson's next album might be a struggle to platinum, it's hard to be relevant in the music industry for such a long time 2 decades after releasing your first album, but the only way I'll see them sell millions is if they work with watered down pop artists or add a hot girl to the group who can't sing like Black Eyed Peas did, lol, that's why I don't even care about how much it sells 'cause not many real artists sell millions now, I don't want to see JJFP sell out or dumb down to it either, so I don't think a rap duo that hasn't released an offical album in over a decade is gonna do millions anymore when there's some real artists that release albums every year that can't do it... Really the main point here as well is that fans ain't really that loyal either, you can't live off of the past to expect it to be the same way now, not really that many who bought "Homebase" are gonna be around to buy this album either, they all jumped the ship when "Code Red" came out so truely how many of them over a decade later are gonna come back to buy this album? But the major question to me is would a major label even be willing to release a JJFP album with no major guest appearances? In this day and age every album has to have guests on at least half of the tracks it seems, most likely it'll be the same **** that LL is facing right now where they won't release his albums unless he works with all the pop superstars out now, he might be the most successful rapper from the ol' school era but he surely ain't really the most credible in doing this, the label might force them to work with wack rapper #1, wack rapper #2, overhyped rapper #1 and a bunch of pop chicks that can't sing, I think basically that's the reason why Jazzy Jeff don't want to **** with major labels anymore, Columbia wanted him to dumb down but he didn't so the album never came out, I really don't see it that much different now... The best thing would be for them to form a Overbrook/Touch Of Jazz partnership and distribute the album through an independent like Koch to have creative freedom 'cause we know that basically the only reason why Interscope allowed "Lost and Found" to come out was 'cause of the "something for wack rapper #2" thing and they weren't willing to release "Tell Me Why" 'cause they thought it was too political, these major labels only want to put out watered down ****, I mean "Willenium" never got the recognition it deserved from hip-hop heads 'cause those weak tracks like "Freakin' It" and "Will2K" were the only singles that Columbia was willing to release, by the time Will released "So Fresh" himself the hype from the album died down already so the real hip-hop heads didn't noticed, they never got a chance to check the real tracks on the album like "Pump Me Up" and "Potnas", they figured it was another pop rap album like "Big Willie Style" and they wrote off checking it out... I want to see JJFP do their thing and release real hip-hop tracks to improve credability, not dumb down for a pop audience...

Even it only does "Code Red" numbers I wouldn't mind, these days with downloading not many albums in rap music and pop music in general go gold, even pop singers like Nick Lachey and Pink struggle to sell that much and even wack rapper #1's group members ain't even going gold, but sales ain't the most important thing here, the main thing would be that it comes out and it's a great album to listen to that'll help JJFP have that street credability, I'd rather see JJFP listed among the all time rap groups among rap fanatics rather than seeing them go diamond...