bigted

I found a recent blog of Hammer posting a timeline of his career, he also mentions that he'll be releasing his new album "Look 3X" on July 4th http://mchammer.blogspot.com/archives/2006...er_archive.html May 12: Chapter 11 Chapter 1: 1986 I began my career as a recording artist, known as The Holy Ghost Boy's, my partner and I introduced the world to gospel rap. He sang, I rapped. The first Gospel rapper. Chapter 2: My partner decided to go it solo as a singer and left me to go it solo as a rapper. I reemerged as,"MC Hammer the Holy Ghost Boy" and later as, "MC Hammer and The Posse" and finally as, "MC Hammer". Chapter 3: 1987- I release the album titled, "Feel My Power" and sale it coast to coast out the trunk of my car. I move enough units to attract Capitol Records and sign a ground breaking artist and label deal. 1988- I release the album, "Lets Get It Started" and introduce Hip Hop to showmanship and performance on the highest level. I go from opening, to a closing headliner on my first tour. Arenas, stadiums, and amphitheaters. The album would end up triple platnium. With hits like, "Turn This Mutha Out", "Pump It Up", "Ring'Em", "Lets Get It Started" and ," They put Me In The Mix". Chapert 4: 1990- I release the album, "Please Hammer Don't Hurt'Em" and introduce mainstream America to Hip Hop on a new level continuing with the enrgy and style that was laid on the first album. The dancing, catchy hooks and melodic music, combined with the art of sampling, remixing and re- eventing familiar old school grooves would go on to produce the hits, "Pray", "Have You Seen Her", " Here Comes The Hammer", and ,"You Can't Touch This". The album went on to sale over ten million albums (10x platnium) in America and 17 million worldwide. Chapter 5: The tour would span the globe and Hip Hop would move from second class citizen in the touring world, to Royalty. I established a blue print in inking deals with Pepsi, Mattel, ABC, British Knights, Taco Bell, KFC, and many more. I demanded that Hip Hop Artist be valued on the level of all other stars including sports stars. Chapter 6: I introduce the concept of not forgeting where you came from and began to employee my childhood friends, family and young men amd women from throughout the inner city's of America who had dreams of getting out the hood and seeing the world. Chapter 7: The number would grow to over two hundred employees with a payroll of one million dollars a month at times, and more. Chapter 8: My label would release albums on Oaktown's 357, B Angie B, Special Generation, Ace Juice, David Black and others. Laying the ground work and precedence for the Hip Hop labels that would come later, Death Row, Bad Boy, etc.... Chapter 9: BET (Black Entertainment television) BET would be left out of videos by Super Star Artist that would be given exclusively to MTV. Bob Johnson (owner of BET) and I got together at his home and I agreed to use my influence and videos to help end this un- fair practice by refusing to give MTV Exclusives on my videos. Later for a BET anniversary special Bob would call me and ask me to bring my tour off the road and cancel some dates because it was cruciall to the success of the only channel that African Americans had and he needed me and the groups who were on my tour. I explained to Bob that this would cost me up to 500 thousand dollars and he said he understood but this would be monumental for our people. I took the hit and supported BET, Bob and our people and canceled the show and headed to New Orleans for the BET 10th Anniverasry Special. Bob is still a friend til this day and I'm happy for his personal success. Chapter 10: 1992- "2 Legit 2 Quit" is released and would produce the hits, "Adams Groove", "Do Not Pass Me By", and the title cut, "2 Legit 2 Quit". The album would also feature the remake of the 1970's classic, "Why Can't We Live Together?". I felt there was racial tension in America that was not being addressed that was reaching a boiling point. Then came tha LA Riots again. Here is that video that was never released that captured the moment. The album went on to sale 4 million copies (4x platnium). 1994- would see the release of ,"The Funky Head Hunter" with the classic hits, "Pumps And A Bump" and ,"Its All Good". The Album would go platinum. 1995- would see the release of, "Inside Out" with the critical acclaimed hit as spoken by Tupac himself, "Keep On", it would also produce the critically acclaimed and now classic cover,"Goin Up Yonder" and a heart felt tribute to Eazy E, a song for Eazy (Nothing but Love). Chapter 11 1996 after ten years straight of recording, world wide touring and blazing trails for an entire genre as well as placing the medium (Hip Hop) in a positive light and helping to fulfill the dreams of many, I was left with no choice at the time and had to file a chapter 11 bankruptcy because the over all business model was no longer sustainable. The payroll was coming directly out of my pocket and a million dollars a month is a heavy burden. The debts from business and lawsuits overwhelmed my income. It was time for rest and a do over. May 12 2006 ten years later. We complete the terms of the chapter 11 and sale the remaining assets for over two and a half millions dollars. I am elated on the business side but sentimental about the assets. 1986- a start. 1996 an ending. 2006 a new beginning. Look at all 3 decades, as a matter of fact Look 3 times. Look3X Tracklisting for his "Look 3X" album: The Songs Look3x Club (Chapter 1) I Got It From The Town Hyphy, Dumb, Buck, Krump YAY!!! HammerTime We Doin' The Thizz Look, Look, Look Mash West Coast Cha Checking Memories Look University (Chapter 2) I Can't Stand It What Happened To Our Hood? Hard Times I Won't Give Up Look3x Lounge (Chapter 3) What I Got Get2NOU Who Luvs Me? I Got To Get Away Look Ministry (Chapter 4) Thankful

Yeah it seems like it hasn't been released yet, I looked everywhere for it and couldn't find it...

Good luck Joe, I'm in the process of trying to get something going for myself too with saving up money from my new job I'll probably be recording soon too

Hey Tim why don't you just ask Jazzy Jeff what he thinks about what Kanye says? I know you probably want him to be put a response record on "Return Of The Magnificent" :rofl: You need to let it go man, this ain't Eminem or 50 Cent we're talking about here, this is Kanye West, he never disses anybody in his songs so I don't think he'd start by dissin' Jazzy Jeff, I thought Kel set the record straight already, we need to let this topic go, it's obvious that me and AJ won't like Kanye as much as some of y'all might, let's just agree to disagree on that one too, we all have different tastes...

I'll be getting it tomorrow when I get off of work, I'll try to post a review here when I get a chance this week

Yeah it don't matter much to me personally 'cause there's a lot of artists that I enjoy where some sell a lot and some don't, you're right how hip-hop won't die by the fans that really like it, the bandwagon fans might get tired of it but not us

Well as far as popularity and the Billboard charts go hip-hop ain't as popular as it used to be, look at the charts this year you see that TI's platinum, LL's gold, and other rappers are barely selling, the public's not falling for the gimmicks anymore, if better artists don't get promoted I think hip-hop'll continue to lose popularity, maybe if wack rappers continue flopping then maybe we'll see labels sign better artists from the underground that don't get exposure but make quality music, the truth is though that if a lot of these fans who criticise the game actually search for good rappers to listen to then there won't be a problem, ignorant fans also deserve some blame, millions of people have the internet in this day and age so even if they don't like what the TV or the radio is playing they could do a search online and find something they'd like, I think there'll always be real artists out there in hip-hop, it's up to the fans to find them though, not just complain, the millions of fans who think hip-hop's wack need to check out albums from real mcs like Kel Spencer, Hieroglyphics, and KRS-ONE and that'll change their minds, gimmicks die but real hip-hop won't...

The problem is that major labels spend time promoting wackness than promoting quality, Will's "Lost and Found" didn't get 1/10 of the promotion that the other rappers on Interscope got

Yeah The Roots are on Def Jam now, there's still some great artists in hip-hop in between still, hip-hop ain't dying, don't believe the hype, hip-hop will never die...

I'm really looking forward to this album from Ice Cube tomorrow, real artists have their own special quality about them that's different from each other but they all have one common goal to put out quality music that fans'll enjoy, Ice Cube is a real artist, btw I just found out that KRS-ONE got a new album comes out next week and so does Busta Rhymes, June is a big month for hip-hop albums`

Well there are still great artists in hip-hop but major labels don't sign them or give them the support they deserve, if you look beyond the wackness on the radio hip-hop is still alive

what up kel, your album is fire, keep up the good work :2thumbs:

http://jivemagazine.com/article.php?pid=4326 DMC: "It isn’t about me anymore..." Written By: Jason Kordich Posted: 05/31/2006 From teaching the world how to walk and talk to what style of shoe to rock, Run-DMC defined, revolutionized, and modernized Hip-Hop. Beyond their endless list of firsts ( first to go gold, platinum, triple platinum, video on MTV, sign an endorsement deal, and get the cover of Rolling Stones just to name a few), Run-DMC’s fused Rock/Rap approach was so novel, innovative, and fun that it set a standard for music that has inspired artists for over two decades. With the senseless murder of Jam Master Jay in 2002, the group known as Run-DMC would cease to exist. While the face of Hip-Hop has changed drastically since Run-DMC first entered the game, they realize that their love, approach and belief in the art form known as Hip-Hop may be just as vital as their legacy. Following Rev Run’s solo effort in 05(Distortion), Darryl “DMC” McDaniels dropped his first solo effort, Checks Thugs and Rock N Roll in March of 06. If you think this is his “Come Back” effort, think again. This creation delves on everything from alcoholism and suicide to adoption, the war in Iraq, and treating women with respect. The six year journey of CTARR welcomes fans of D into a whole new chapter of his work. Beyond the raw biographical and honest nature of the project, DMC is looking to take Hip-Hop back to when the music was unique, had a message, and was creative. Recently, JIVE Magazine got down with the "King of Rock" to dig deep into his past, discuss the current direction of the genre, the journey of his first solo project, and the song that saved his life. JIVE Magazine: When was the first time you identified yourself as an MC? DMC: Probably when I wrote my first rhyme (1979) because before I started to write rhymes I used to be a DJ (Grandmaster Get High). I never really DJ’d outside of my basement but I still was a DJ. I wrote my first rhyme in 9th grade. Easy D was my first MC name that’s why I have that rhyme on “Here We Go”: “They used to call me Easy D; I used to rap on the mic so easily.” Then I changed my name from Easy D to the initials of my name, DMC. JIVE Magazine: Tell me about the time an English teacher of yours read some of your lyrics and you told her that you were an MC. Do you remember what you wrote or what your teachers’ reaction was? DMC: Yeah, he thought I was crazy and pulled me in the hallway. At the time I was into Hip-Hop, rapping, DJing, graffiti and all of that, but I was also a big horror movie fan, so a lot of my rhymes were violent. I usually would rhyme stuff like “I am DMC rapper on the mic,”but then some days it would be about killing, shooting, and dismembering. As my notebook began to fill up, it got to the point where the teacher wanted to make sure I was ok. I was just buggin’ and being creative. JIVE Magazine: The first single Run-DMC dropped was “It’s like that.” What was it like hearing that play on the radio for the first time? DMC: It was weird. I remember when we made the record; we were told it was going to be played at 6 p.m. I knew it was me, but when I heard it, I didn’t think it was me. JIVE Magazine: How does the experience of working on the first Run DMC album compare to working on your first solo album? DMC: I guess working on the first album was more nervous because you have people expecting something from you. Run-Dmc always had a role, a position to play. With the solo album, it’s just for the sole purpose of art, so for me there is no destination with it. I was like a kid because everything was new. The musical direction was new, but for Run-DMC there was more pressure because I had to play the role of the devastating Mic controller, The King of Rock. With this solo record I was just going to make songs that people could relate to. I didn’t have to create a persona. JIVE Magazine: Who are some of the currents artists in Hip-Hop and Rock that you are into? My new Hip-Hop is classic rock. Right now Hip-Hop is good, and I like it, but there is nothing for me to love about it. I know your hustling, and her booty’s big, and you got 50 cars. This is the only time in Hip-Hop where it is doing great in sales and everyone is getting paid but really, everyone hates it. There was never a time in Hip-Hop where people said Hip-Hop is dead. It is happening now. The reason why that is happening is because the guy hustling on the corner is Hip-Hop but the guy working at McDonalds because he doesn’t want to hustle is Hip-Hop. I listen to the Beatles and Crosby, Steals and Nash talking about love, politics, society, our relationships, so my new Hip-Hop is classic rock& roll. You don’t need crews, a posse, bling, a producer, a bitch, a hoe, a gun-those are things you could possibly have, but you also need a book, an education, direction, fun, “Mary Mary”, and My Adidas; you need everything. Right now there is no voice for the Hip-Hop bboy or bgirl. Every generation likes their artists. I like his flow, I like his lyrics, but you loved DMC, De la Soul, N.W.A., Big Daddy Kane, Beastie Boys, fat Boys, and the list goes on and on, and now you just like stuff. I don’t want Hip-Hop to be like it was back in the day, I want it to be better than it was back in the day because it can be. JIVE MAGAZINE: I remember you saying in the past the Chuck D is the greatest MC of all time. I was wondering what you thought of his most recent effort. DMC: Yeah he is the greatest of all time. Listen to his voice, his flow, his lyrics, he has the total package. I listened to it a couple of nights ago, and I think it is incredible because he took the art form and did something with it. JIVE Magazine: It is so good to hear you and Run on “Come 2gether”. What was it like working together again? DMC: It was something really different. It was a Run and D record and not a Run-DMC record because there will be no Run-DMC records without Jay. In the studio, it was Rev Run and Rocker DMC working together. JIVE Magazine: Is there any chance that there could be a Rev Run and a DMC album? DMC: No. I don’t think so. JIVE Magazine: Beef is huge in Hip-Hop today. Comparing the beef of 50 and the Game have back to the Graffiti Rock Battle you guys had with The Treacherous Three, what would you say are the differences between battles today and back then? DMC: Battles today are done for promotional stunts. Battles today are not even really about the art form. They are about some stupid preconceived notions of superiority. Battles today have nothing to do with what Hip-Hop is about. It is some street bullsh*t. Back in the day it was about shutting somebody down. If battles today were real, you wouldn’t have all of these rappers sounding or rapping alike. You wouldn’t have them working with the same producers and everybody making guest appearances on each others records. Put it to you this way, if what was going on today back when we were rapping, you would be a biter. You had De La Soul, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, and LL Cool J who were all from the same hood, but they were all different. I wouldn’t use your beat, your concept, or dress like you. You would never have crews rhyming on the same type of beat. JIVE Magazine: You guys were the trailblazers for endorsements. Now it is considered a key to being a “Successful” artists. How has the genre changed and do you feel the necessity to mass market has overshadowed the music? DMC: Oh for sure it has overshadowed everything because now people don’t care about the music as an art form. They are so concerned about being a celebrity. It is a wonderful thing to be compensated for your talent and hard work, but it kills your motivation to be creative and to have something you can consider your own. You can get involved in all of the endorsements you like, but if you make music you’ll live forever. There is a difference between a great celebrity/promotion guy like a P. Diddy and a Talib Kweli. There is no comparison because Kweli is the real deal. He writes what he lives and breathes for. What is happening with Hip-Hop right now is what is happening with every other genre: There is the celebrity and those who are artists. The artist entertainer always wins out. People say Run-Dmc was the first rap group to mean something. A lot of people who came after us, sold a lot and made a lot of money, but people don’t give a f*ck about them. There are two worlds now. You just gotta choose which one you want to be in. JIVE Magazine: On December 4th, 2002, Run-DMC was honored with a life time achievement award at vh1’s BIG 2002 Awards. What was it like to receive that award and see Chuck D, Kid Rock, and Grandmaster Flash Perform Some of your classics? DMC: I still can’t comprehend all of it. I am just a bboy and I will be a bboy till I die. The good part about it is I love when we walk into a room people say that’s Hip-Hop, and that’s what I want to be till the day that I die. When we get these awards and stuff, I don’t take them because we were the first to go gold and platinum. I take them because the thing that we believe in is believable still. I didn’t make my solo album as a comeback or to impress anyone. I made the album because I can. The same way I said I going to rap when I was 12 is the same way I am going to rap when I am 40. Did Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen stop playing music once they got older? No. In fact, if you look at the charts, the people that gross the most money last year performing were all those old rockers because what they do is timeless and real. It humbles me because I have been through it all, I’ve seen Biggie and Tupac come and go; I’ve seen Jay come and go, Gangsta rap come and go, and I am looking at this bullsh*t that’s happening right now and that’s going to come and go, and to still be here through all that, I feel thankful, but I am not here for the awards. I am here for the purpose, the cause, and the vibe. Me and Chuck D were talking the other night and we were saying how there is really no way to describe the way you feel for Hip-Hop. JIVE Magazine: You started working on Checks, Thugs And Rock & Roll six years ago. When you first completed “Just Like Me” in 2001, you had 50 completed songs. How many of those songs made it to the final version that came out and is there a chance that those other tracks will come out in the future? DMC: Yeah it was a journey. “Cadillac Cars”, “Just Like Me”, and “Lovey Dovey” were the songs that made it. What happened was, I asked myself, if I am going to keep rapping, where am I going to go? I was never super lyrical like a Jay-Z, and I never had a sexy image like LL or 50. I would just describe what I did. So I did all of these 50 records, but the oomph wasn’t there. It was all good, but there was no evolution. I was doing raps in 2001, but they sounded like I was still rhyming in f*cking 1986. When I found out I was adopted, I made “Just Like Me” And it worked. So I am going to write about adoption, alcoholism, suicide, and the war in Iraq. Once I caught up with myself, the record started coming together. I realized I had to evolve as a person before I could evolve as an artist. I didn’t rap just to rap. I rapped because I had something to say. It was coming from somewhere. The three songs that made the album made it because they all grew and they were about something greater than me, but I am going to take all of the lyrics from those other songs and then rework them. JIVE Magazine: How does it feel now that this album is finally out? DMC: It feels really good that I did it and that it is out. I am already starting on the second one. It should be out at the begging of next year. The rap game used to be about everyone else in the game is corny and we are the kings. A lot of these motherf*ckers today can’t rap. They all sound like, “come to the club and have fun, come to the club and get a gun, come to the club and get the girl.” So I have this thing where I rhyme to the pattern of Old McDonald. “Some Mcs cannot perform, D I D I know, if it wasn’t for the video how would you get that doe, with a wack rap here, wack rap there, here wack rap, there wack rap, every where a wack rap”. I am taking it back to where you would see the Treacherous Three battle the Cold Crush, and when Melly Mel, Bizzy Bee used to battle. I am getting ready to come at everyone out there, but it is going to be indiscreet, so MCs will be looking in the mirror asking if I am taking about them. You got a record and a video, but your show is bull sh*t. If you don’t have a DJ and you rap over a dat, that’s not Hip-Hop. If you ever pay like a 100 to go see one of these guys concerts that has all these CDs and they don’t have a DJ ask for your money back because that isn’t Hip-Hop. So on this album I am going to be telling the people not to buy the bullsh*t. There are a lot of cats making records right now. If we took them in the park, put the turntables on, pulled out a break beat, gave them the mic and said don’t do any of your records, what do you think would come out of their mouth? Nothing will come out. There are people writing rhymes for these people. When the hell did that become part of Hip-Hop? JIVE MAGAZINE: “Lovey Dovey” featuring Doug E. Fresh is a dope positive track appreciating women. With so much discussion about the misogyny of Hip-Hop, do you feel that the genre is getting a black eye? DMC: It’s a record for women and about them.. The thing about it is it is so f*cking ghetto to always talk about the stripper and the bitches and hoes that people think that is how you have to be to be from the hood. It is ridiculous. The guys may think it is a soft record but the ladies love it [laughs]. They say it is the best thing to happen to them since sliced bread. JIVE Magazine: Watch Tower” and “Machine Gun” are just two of the examples from this album that address world concerns. You are an artist who puts his words into action. One of the groups you are involved with is Artists Against Hunger & Poverty. Tell me a little bit about the organization and your involvement in it? DMC: When I did the Cats in the Cradle record I had go meet Harry Chapin. As a musician and artist he believed he had a responsibility to represent the people. He had this thing called World Hunger Year. He didn’t merely give food to poor people; he taught them how to be self-sufficient. He taught them how to provide for themselves. There are a lot of stars or celebrities that only do things for publicity purposes. A lot of people only give out turkeys during thanksgiving for a photo op, but I like to give them out all year. Run-Dmc always made socially conscious records. They were never too political or preachy but provided positive messages. You can want to be an MC to get things, but you really need to do this because you want to do something, you want to change something, and most importantly say something. I wanted to get involved in something that would affect the world like my music does. JIVE Magazine: In 2001, you wrote a tribute to Jam Master Jay entitled “I’m Missing My Friend”. How similar is it to the incredible tribute you released featuring Kid Rock? DMC: A tribute to my friend wasn’t to Jay the artist; it was to Jay the person. People know Jam Master Jay as the greatest DJ alive, but they don’t know about his other side: playing crossword puzzles, playing video games, teaching me how to swim. We did everything together for twenty years. When you look at Hip-Hop today, it is always about the celebrity of them. I wanted to strip away all of that, and emphasize that he was a person just like everyone else. The Kid Rock track is more earthy. This is life, you lose your love ones, so that’s the difference between those ones. JIVE Magazine: Sarah Mclachlan’s “Angel” had an incredible impact on your life and writing. Tell me a little bit about her impact and did that make you want to work with her on “Just Like Me”? DMC: It saved my life. Yes it was what made me want to work with her on “Just Like Me”, but it got deeper than that. What happened was in 96 we were touring over in Europe and this was when Jay was alive. It is 96 and I am lying in my room and everything is going really good. It is good to be DMC, but for some reason, I was depressed out of my ass. So I am there going, “Am I supposed to be DMC? Why am I DMC? Why did I become DMC?” I kept being DMC regardless. I turn the radio on and they say Hip-Hop is a young people’s music. I am 35 years old. I read the newspaper or the Source, and I see some of my peers saying that they are too old and that they don’t know what they are doing in Hip-Hop, so I’ve got all of these going through my mind. I guess it’s a midlife crisis. I looked at it as I had accomplished all of my duties in life, so I felt I needed to commit suicide, so I could move on to my next plane of existence. I kept thinking I shouldn’t live anymore, I’ve accomplished everything I was supposed to because I am just here to be DMC. So I say to myself, I am going to wait till I get off of the tour because if I kill myself during the tour Joe and Jay will be mad at me.[laughing] Those were my reasons. I get home, and there is something very uncomfortable bubbling in me. I turn the radio on and Sarah Mclachlan’s “Angel” comes on. I had the four fs (fortune, fame, family, friends) but that record makes me go, “My God, it's good to be alive. Life is beautiful." Throughout 1997, all I listened to was “Angel”over and over. I started to listen to more of her [sarah's] music, but every day when I would wake up, and before I would go to sleep, I would listen to "Angel". At the end of 97, I go to this big Grammy party. I didn’t care about the red carpet, the paparazzi, and the fake celebrities and I am just hating everything. I look across the room and who do I see? “Oh my god that’s 'that Lady'”. Sarah Mclachlan was “that lady” because I didn’t know her at that time. I decided to go over there and tell her what the record did for me. She did what everyone does when they see me: “DMC from Run-DMC? Walk this way is my favorite record.” I thought, "Wow Sarah Mclachlan likes me," and then I thought, "Well that is a good reason to stay alive..." I thanked and told her that her record “Angel” saved my life when I was depressed. "You sound like an angel but you aren’t an angel; you are God and you saved my life." I am telling her this and she is looking at me like “Ok...”. Then she said to me, "Thank you for telling me that, Darryl, because that is what that song is supposed to do." She shakes my hand and walks away. Three years after that experience and I am trying to work on this album. I am trying to make inspirational music by talking about the war, being an alcoholic and talking about suicide. If I talk about it, someone might listen to my record and say, "Wow I feel like that sometimes." Two more years go by and I feel like there is something in me that I don’t know. Then three years go by and that’s when I find out I was adopted. The day that I found out I was adopted, the void was filled instantly. It was then that I said I am going to use Harry Chapin record “Cats In The Cradle” about a father who never had time for his son, and I am going to put my adoption situation in there. Then I got a great idea to call Sarah, “that Lady” whose song saved my life and gave me hope to give hope to others. I ask her if she will do the record with me and when she says yes, I go crazy. I offered to fly her out and put her up in a hotel, but she said, “No, you can come to my house to make the record.” She lives in Vancouver Canada. Two days after we make the record she says, "Before you go I have to tell you something. I was adopted too.” I found out we had something in common from the beginning, which is why we were brought together to do the record in the first place. It's why her record saved my life. That is powerful. That made me say it isn’t about me anymore. It is about what I can do with the power now that I have it.

Party Starter Tell Me Why Loretta Switch(the major reason why it was such a big hit) Pump Ya Brakes

Well I guess that clears everything up then, if Kanye really wanted to be on "Lost and Found" then he wouldn't diss JJFP, unless he's pissed that he didn't make it, lol, and btw Kel is there a way we could hear that track pop up on a mixtape or something like that? I think Will should release his own "Lost Tapes", I'd be even more interested if there was more tracks with Jazzy that never made the album 'cause he did say he worked with him a lot before the album came out but Jazzy only scratched on a couple and produced one that made it on the album, btw I can't wait till a major label signs you so we could see you outsell Kanye, lol...

Yeah it's basically a reference, personally the way I see it he's saying that he's popular and in your face being fresh like Will and that they're in the background like Jazzy Jeff, it's the truth, Jazzy probably won't mind if Kanye said that, he ain't worried about being popular so I don't think he'd be offended if somebody says he's behind the scenes, he's probably happy that somebody mentioned him in a song....

Yeah I'm not surprised either, with Will focusing on all these movies, he don't have time for music anymore, it might take another 5 years to release a song let alone an album

Congrats to LL, his new album "Todd Smith"'s also been certified gold recently btw

well it's basically a pile of **** out there right now literally on the radio, if you're good these days you're considered golden, the stakes need to be raised higher, everybody needs to improve, if there's not many talented rappers out there Kanye won't be hungry to improve his game either, he could sorta coast along and be better than most of them, that doesn't really benefit him as an artist though, back in the golden era everybody had to step their performance/lyrics/beats, but now there's not much motivation for that since it's such a low bar that's been set, btw this is the 3rd time that Will's been mentioned in a song this year, DMX mentioned him on his last single "We In Here", Lil Wayne mentioned him on his new single with Fat Joe and Paul Wall "Holla At Me" which btw sounds like the same beat that was used on LL's "Control Myself", probably 'cause they both sampled Afrika Bambaataa, and now Kanye mentions him in this "Number One" song here...

Ice Cube Returns to Rap With New Album By SANDY COHEN AP Entertainment Writer SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Before he was an actor, before he made TV shows and movies with his own production company, before he had a record label, Ice Cube was a rapper. Cube was just a kid in 1988 when he and NWA helped launch the gangsta rap genre with "Straight Outta Compton," a raw collection of catchy rhymes about inner-city injustices that appealed to audiences of all kinds. Now he's returning to his rap roots with his first solo album in six years, "Laugh Now, Cry Later," out June 6. In it, Cube unleashes a 20-track blend of bass-thumping beats and social commentary, with a dash of silliness thrown in for good measure. "I didn't want to make a record that was like a history book," the 36-year-old says, sitting inside his Cube Vision office, the walls dotted with posters that include Muhammad Ali and the movie "Scarface." "I wanted to make a record that does what all good hip-hop do. It makes you feel good, it kinda pumps you up but it also shows you a part of life that you might not have been paying attention to or might not even know exists." On "Laugh Now, Cry Later," the targets of Cube's lyrical fire include George W. Bush, money-drenched gangsta rappers, racial stereotypes and his own evolution as an artist. Rap sends a message, he says. "That's really the essence of the music," he says. "Yeah, it's got ego and macho and all that stuff, but at the end of the day, it's music that you can learn from." The godfather of gangsta rap ought to know. Before it was a genre with its own streetwise name, Cube and his crew called their rhymes "reality rap." They said what they wanted and people responded. Their work paved the way for other artists to express themselves, Cube says. "If NWA didn't exist, would you have `South Park' or `The Osbournes'? Would you have `The Sopranos,' things like that?" he says. "We kind of made it all right to be yourself, say what you want to say. Artists don't have limits no more. I think that's the legacy of NWA and I'm proud of that." Of course, music is still a business - one that Cube describes as "gangsta" and "shady" - where money calls the shots, altering what some artists can say. That's one reason he released his new record on his own Lench Mob label. Working without corporate constraints made recording fun again, Cube says. "There was no pressure, no time limits, no schedules, no A & R, nobody telling me what kind of record to do," he says. "It was just me going in there and doing the record that I like, that I think my fans would like. I took my time with it." Cube has been busy with a string of films, including 2002's "Barbershop," "All About the Benjamins" and "Friday After Next." Other credits include 1999's "Three Kings" and the 1997 sea-monster thriller, "Anaconda." He took a yearlong break from movies to focus on the new album, collaborating with some of the hottest names in hip-hop, including Snoop Dogg, Scott Storch and Lil Jon. Hearing Lil Jon's beats inspired Cube to start rhyming and eventually head back into the studio, he says. "I started writing to (the beats) and ended up, like, not stopping," says Cube, who also contributed two tracks to Lil Jon's latest album. "We laid all the groundwork on my record, so it was family by the time he was working on his (stuff)," Jon says. "He's always been just a dope lyricist. That's his mark." Music is his "inspiration," Cube says, but he's enjoyed success in TV and film too. The reality series he produced, "Black. White.," recently wrapped its six-episode run on FX Networks. (The show's title song, "Race Card," appears on Cube's new album.) He is also working to bring "Welcome Back, Kotter" to the big screen, where he'll reportedly play the tolerant teacher, though he's reluctant to say too much about the project. "It's too soon," he says. "In Hollywood, man, the sun and moon has to align for something to get done." But Hollywood hasn't lost its charm for Cube, who has appeared in nearly two dozen films - 10 of which he produced and five he wrote. He hopes to play more dramatic roles, he says, though his comedies have been so successful that "you've got to kind of go the path of least resistance." "I want to play a gangsta on screen that's bigger than `Scarface,'" he says. "That's a dream role." He might even write it himself. When Cube wants to create, he heads to his "dungeon," a room in his home stuffed with inspirational items of all kinds - from posters and action figures to a life-size cutout of Michael Jordan. "There's just everything in there, everything that's visually stimulating," he says. "It's a room that I can always go into and kind of create and get going." It's easier to write songs than movies, he says, because the former is so personal and the latter so collaborative. He may consider writing a book someday, but right now "it's too soon," he says. "I haven't lived enough, to me, to write a book," he says. But the father of four has come a long way since his older brother nicknamed him Ice Cube when he was 12 years old. "He thought I was too cool for myself. He was making fun," Cube says. "But I kept it, and now I'm making money with it, so now who's funnin'?"

Yeah the average listener just focuses on what it sounds like but I'm damn sure that some percentage of them would run out to buy somebody's album if "hot producer of the moment" is rumored to produce it, like Jazzy Jeff was to produce an album for a rapper it wouldn't sell as much as the rapper would sell if Dr. Dre was to produce it 'cause Dr. Dre is more famous than Jazzy Jeff is, association definately plays a part, I think the problem lies where a lot of hot producers give their beats to wack lyricists, one positive thing I could say about Kanye West is that most of the lyricists he produces are the most talented lyricists, he don't waste beats on garbage rappers that's selling the most like a lot of these hot producers do, but he cares about the art, he could've chose to produce a wack rapper's album instead of Common's, I give him props for that, people like Dr. Dre dissapoint me, although he's turning it around by doing Busta's album...

Yeah it's a producer driven industry, it's a buisiness, it's like if you don't have a certain producer on your album you don't sell, basically 50 Cent's career stays afloat because of Dr. Dre's production team, without them he'd never be this popular, I'm actually happier to hear if kids listen to Kanye rather than those like 50 Cent but that don't mean that I think that highly of Kanye personally, I like who I like and there are some good rappers in the game now, I don't just like ol' school, I like good music, you just gotta search for them 'cause they might not be on TV everyday, real hip-hop heads don't need emptv to measure the quality of a lyricist, airplay don't equal talent, I like buying mixtapes more than albums these days so that way I get to hear a lil' bit from a lot of different rappers...

Well I think that's the problem now with the commercial rap game, there's a lot of hot beats but their ain't enough hot lyrics to match those beats, I might as well buy a ****ing blend tape and make better lyrics over it myself, truth be told the thing is that kids who buy albums don't even listen to lyrics anymore, they listen more for beats than they do lyrics and that's why the rap game is as wack as it is, it's like you got rappers mumbling garbage over the tracks and the kids eat that **** up, Kanye puts a lil' more effort than that with his lyrics having a few hot lyrics in between where most pop rappers just bull**** 99% of the time, maybe Kanye might about 40% of the time, I want to get an album that has 0% bull**** though, I just want it to be like the golden era again where there was hot lyrics and beats, any album from De La Soul, Digital Underground, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, etc. is better than Kanye's career but it's like if he works on his lyrical game a bit more he could be on that level one day, not like a lot of other pop rappers that look like lil' leaguers compared to legends, Kanye's good at beat making but he's not that great as a lyricist and his flow is about just as boring sometimes, I mean if you can't ride the beat that well then that's just as boring as having a wack beat, without guest appearances his albums would be boring

Sounded so nice, you had to say it twice :smart:

There's too many to name, most of his songs I'd say, he says a few dope lines in between and then he says something in between that completely makes no sense to what the song's about, he's inconsistant, listen to albums from the golden era and you'll see that the lyricists were more on point with their songs, and it ain't just about the golden era, it's about quality music with me, I think there's some dope mcs in between now but not many, Kanye ain't of them, he's a quality producer but he ain't no Jazzy Jeff or DJ Premiere either, if you know hip-hop history you wouldn't be so high on what Kanye's doing, he ain't doing much that hasn't been done better before...