bigted

"Switch" remix is dancehall, Elephant Man is a dancehall artist

Is Too Short on his 20th album now? lol

DJ Scratch did produce "Men In Black" and "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" remixes? I never knew that, what album are they on? That's probably why they weren't mentioned, they were probably just something that was on a mixtape and not on an album, DJ Scratch is definately one of the producers I would wanna see FP work with if it ain't Jazzy, he's dope, I heard that KRS-ONE was on a remix to "New York S***" with Busta Rhymes, I don't think it's gonna be on Busta's album though, does anybody know what mixtape it's on? I'd definately wanna check into that, nice to hear that Chauncey from Blackstreet is still making music too now that he's signed to Flipmode...

Well there's a lot of rappers that make songs like movies and it don't really potray who they are, not every rapper is a gangbanger in real life but they put up that image to sell records, but Will chooses to be himself in his music so he don't curse and people see that as more real than other rappers 'cause he ain't trying to be a studio gangsta, the music reflects the type of person he really is, he's smart, funny, and family oriented which is what his music is, a lot of artists in general don't make music that reflects their personalities in real life, Will making songs that're personal to him is the reason why his career's still going today, people could relate to real artists, now as far as acting Will's playing a role, basically acting out role in movies is what gets you credability in the film industry, most rappers are in the wrong industry, lol...

That's dope news, west coast hip-hop is dope, I'll be sure to watch..

Music is different than sports, there ain't no age limit for making great music and still selling albums, music is a mental game, not a physical game, you use your mind and soul to make music and as long as you have your wits you could keep going, you can't tear up your knee making a song, lol, I mean look at Stevie Wonder, Rolling Stones, and Isley Brothers they've lasted 'cause they ain't watered down like NSync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, 50 Cent,etc., they make credible music for all ages to enjoy, they don't have to worry about their fans outgrowing them, real music artists last forever even beyond their lives too 'cause people still talk about Elvis and 2Pac as much/more than current artists, JJFP and LL Cool J have a chance to be the rap generation's Stevie and Isley Brothers,and it's like Public Enemy might never go platinum again but they have more respect than any of these platinum rap groups today will ever have, a lot of people might not know they still record but they still like their earlier albums more than anything out now 'cause they make timeless music, now if Def Jam actually cared about real hip-hop they'd resign Public Enemy and I think they still might be able to go gold and maybe even win some Grammies, they have fans but they don't get exposure on the independent route they went after Def Jam contract expired in '98, I'm sure there's a lot of people who like them but don't know they still make music 'cause it ain't marketed that well, Def Jam would give them the opportunity again to shine as they should... Puffy's different than 50 Cent since he has expressed love for the game, now 50 Cent says he looks up to Rakim but he don't have the talent or the respect for the game that Rakim has but Puffy looks up to MC Hammer and Run-Dmc to make fun music for people to dance to, in fact he brought out MC Hammer at the MTV Awards last year, I can't see 50 swallowing his pride like that and bring a legend on stage with him,Puffy does fun music on the most part, he might not be as great they were but he don't go around and diss everybody in his songs, he's an artist, now some of the things that he's done with the record label has been questionable but people can't take away respect for him since he wasproducing Biggie's 1st couple albums and that he's a great stage presence whichis something that is more impactful than what 50 Cent has ever done. Columbia might regret that they got rid of 50 Cent now but 10 years from now when Will's still out there with hit songs on the charts and 50's gone they'll regret that they got rid of Will even more, without Eminem and Dr. Dre I doubt that 50'd sell 20 million on 2 albums, they'll probably regret that they kept Bow Wow which'll get dropped soon probably since he's getting too old for lil' girls, he can't even go platinum which is a flop for somebody that young, they'll be looking for the next 10 year old rapper, lol, every artist should have love for the game and love for the music that they make, there seems to be more love for the money than there is for the game and that's why a lot of pop music is watered down and generic...

Yeah 50 Cent's the highest selling rapper but he really ain't really the one with the most impact on a commercial level, the dirty south rappers get more credit than 50's getting right now, although their music ain't that great either but anything seems better than 50 at this moment, you could see the decline in 50's popularity on the G Unit albums released after "The Massacre", not to mention that his movie didn't do 1/5 of what "8 Mile" did at the boxoffice when he predicted that it'd be bigger than "8 Mile", 50's losing fans, lol, 50 Cent on his 1st 2 albums has sold as much as LL's sold in his career, although going platinum in 1985 is like going diamond now, they've both sold 20 million albums worldwide but I don't think many would consider him on the same level as LL since he don't make great albums like LL, "Get Rich..." was ok, "The Massacre" was wack, plus basically all the rappers 50 Cent disses make better music than him while LL crushes his peers, 50 proves he can't do that, he actually lost credability when dissin' other rappers 'cause "Piggy Bank"'ll never be compared to any of the all time legendary battle songs like "Mama Said Knock You Out" and the way things are looking now odds are that LL's still gonna be platinum and 50 won't be around in 10 years: Nas/Jadakiss/Fat Joe/Ja Rule>>>50 Cent, they all been in the game longer and make better music than him, his only argument on anybody he disses is that he makes more money than them but he's gonna have a short lived career if he keeps thinking that way, G Unit is on a decline right now, and if "Lost and Found" sold as much as "The Massacre" it'd been groundbreaking and something that could've changed the game for the better and Nas wouldn't have to make an album called "Hip-Hop Is Dead" "The Massacre" is one of the major reasons why hip-hop on a commercial level is on life support, with all the spotlight that's been on 50 Cent over the last couple years he could've been bringing a stronger message in his music and have a long career but that's something he's gonna regret later on once he ain't in the spotlight in a few years,like Will said here rings true: "Lost is when you're a slave to the biz/No care or cost of what you're saying to kids/Found is when your lyrics are a test of time/And your mom sees how your soul is blessed divine", I think it's easier for me to try to make great songs than it is to try to go platinum, there's only a handful who could go platinum but there's even less that make great music, those who actually care about great music will check for you if you make great music, the problem a lot of times is that the masses eat up gimmicks, that needs to change in order to get better music on the radio....

I think making music that people will respect for a long time is much more important than selling millions at a certain point and getting no respect in the future, 50Cent might be one of the highest selling music artists but he has no credability and his music won't stand the test of time, if you're gonna sell a lot of albums you have to make sure you make an impact, selling millions off of gimmicks is not smart for credability, I'd rather be putting out an album that gets a lot of high reviews and is inspiring music rather than putting out an album that sells 10 million that gets trashed on as a gimmick, I'd wanna release an album that'd get compared to Nas' "Illmatic" as a timeless classic rather than being compared to 50 Cent's "The Massacre" as a gimmick album that outdates quickly since it has no substance, the only advantage 50 Cent has over everybody else right now is his record sales and once that's gone he'll be laughed out of the industry, I feel this way since I care about the songs I write but if I was chasing the money I'd say I wanna sell 10 million like 50 but I don't feel that way, to me respect is more important than money, if I could have it my way I'd have both, although if I had to choose one over the other I'd choose respect 'cause I don't wanna be called a sellout, making something that people will be proud of and inspired from is something all artists should strive for but I just don't see that and that's why the industry's messed up...

DJ Scratch calls himself your “favorite DJ’s favorite DJ,” which is a hefty claim, but his boast definitely holds weight. Few turntabilists have the versatility to bust a stuttering transformer scratch, produce a head-nodding track for LL Cool J and 50 Cent, and then have the know-how to rock a packed club party. But the former EPMD DJ, known recently for producing Busta Rhymes’ thematic “New York Sh*t,” has a newfound ambition: bringing the crown back to NYC. DJ Scratch spoke to NobodySmiling about how the Big Apple needs to come correct, which up-and-coming MCs are repping the City right, and how “New York Sh*t” was almost a Jay-Z song. NobodySmiling : You’ve always been a behind-the-scenes, low key kind of person – even when you were DJing for EPMD in the 1990s. What made you become more vocal nowadays? DJ Scratch : No reason in particular, it was just that you’ve got to keep reinventing yourself throughout the years, you know what I’m saying? I’ve been in the industry for over 23 years now, and just like LL Cool J, you’ve got to keep reinventing yourself. The DJs are usually the man in behind, and the rappers are out in front. I never really was interested in the shine and all that, because everybody who always reaches for the shine, they always get in trouble in some way. And that’s not my personality really. I might show my face here, but then I keep it moving. I’ve seen what happened throughout the years in this rap game with people. People get caught up because they’re so visible, you know what I’m saying? I’m a private dude; I still want my private life to be private. I could still go to the mall with my family, and nobody recognizes me. There might be one or two diehard hip-hop heads in the street that would know me by face. And it’s cool, I could relax. I could go to the movies and cool out. But I see a lot of people I work with, they can’t just do regular things that I do. I still cherish that. NobodySmiling : Are there any downsides to that? Because I remember reading an interview with DJ Babu of Dilated Peoples, and he said you were one of the reasons he got into scratching. You’ve influenced a lot of DJs, but you haven’t become “famous” as a result, so you might not receive the props and recognition you deserve. DJ Scratch : Yeah, but I was never in it for the props. The real people know, and that’s all who really need to know. My peers know through the years, they make me a legend, you know? Not the general public. So I was never in it for the props. But the only downside of it is like, if you try to get into a club or a concert, security at the door doesn’t recognize you. You know, that’s the only real downside. But other than that? I rather walk with Busta Rhymes, or stand with Jay-Z – and they look at Jay-Z and don’t know who I am, so I could just walk right out of any situation. NobodySmiling : Talk a little bit more about that, because I heard that you actually used to spin for Jay a few years back… DJ Scratch : One day, I went up into Def Jam and I bumped into Jay – and I know Jay from back in the days in Brooklyn. And he asked me for some tracks, he’s like: “What up Scratch, can I get some tracks?” And I was like: “Yo, can I get a twenty-minute solo on stage?” And he was like, “Are you serious? For real? Because I really need that ****.” So I was like, “Dog, I’m with it.” His Hard Knock Life Tour [in 1999] was about to leave within a month, and we flew out to Arizona to rehearse for about a week, and we just got it cracking from there. NobodySmiling : The heads know you primarily for your onstage set, especially for Big Daddy Kane’s “Friday The 13th I’ma Play Jason” line that you scratch up. But it’s been a while since we’ve heard any real scratching on a mainstream record. Once in a while, you might get a DJ Premier track where he cuts up the chorus, but even that’s been a minute. Why do you think that’s happened? DJ Scratch :It’s because, basically, it’s a new generation. In hip-hop – well, let’s say rap music; I wouldn’t even give it that much credit. In rap music, a new generation comes along every three years. So the last few years, who do these new rappers have to look up to that does scratches on songs? Nobody, you know what I’m saying? So it’s gonna take dudes like myself, dudes like Busta Rhymes – cats who witnessed the golden era and want to bring that flavor back. Like this “New York Sh*t” song, I had to bring the flavor back to the game, because nobody’s even thinking about that kinda ****. You can’t expect dudes to put scratches in songs when they never even witnessed none of that. It’s not about doing their homework, because these younger dudes are not looking back on their history, they’re looking forward to getting paper. So it takes us, from the golden era and beyond, to school these cats. NobodySmiling : So how’d the “New York Sh*t” song come about? Did Busta Rhymes initiate it, or did you approach him about it? DJ Scratch : It was all me, basically. The song was done before I even gave it to Busta. I just placed that song on Busta’s album. I felt that he can lead this movement that I started. Like, I was complaining for a while because New York radio is 99% Dirty South, and 1% New York hip-hop. And a lot of rappers are complaining that [the South’s] getting played on the radio heavy, but you can’t get mad about that because they’re doing their thing. You just gotta do your thing, too. Wasn’t nobody really making no hot records repping for New York. Like you know, Dip Set was doing their thing, but it’s only Dip Set out right now. G-Unit hasn’t came yet – they’re making all of their albums right now, along with all these other cliques – but the only ones that are out now is Dip Set. So the only thing getting played from New York is Dip Set, because everybody else’s albums ain’t done yet. So I did this beat, and Swizz Beats came up with the hook. We played it around town and it started a crazy buzz, then it became a bidding war for the song. A lot of cats wanted it, and they were like: “Yo, we wanna do an album.” But I was like, nah, if we do an album this song won’t be out until 2007. This song needs to be out right now; New York needs this **** right now. So I was like, whose album are we gonna place this song on? Jay-Z wanted it, but Jay ain’t coming out no time soon. I hear Jay’s recording his album, but he’s not coming out no time soon. Busta Rhymes heard it first, and he wanted it too. So I was like, okay, let’s give it to Busta. For one, me and Busta have been working for ten years now. His career is ten years strong, and I know he would rep the song right. So we gave him the song, he put his vocals on it, and the rest is history from there. NobodySmiling : Looking forward, who are some up-and-coming New York artists who you think are going to rep the city right in the next few years? DJ Scratch : Well, I hope everybody reps New York, but it’s basically up to us to guide it. Like DJ Kay Slay’s a veteran, so I’m sure he’s gonna guide Papoose. I think Papoose is gonna be the next dude from New York that’s gonna make an impact. I like Maino. And Jae Millz. Jae Millz is real sick with it, too. We just gotta make sure these dudes are making quality music. Because you could spit whatever you want, just make quality records to bring the essence back to NY. If we don’t do it, who else is gonna do it? NobodySmiling : I heard you’re planning on making four remixes to “New York Sh*t” featuring a lot of prominent guest MCs. Is that true? DJ Scratch : Yeah. I can’t even mention the artists on that right now, but it’s about to be crazy. And it’s crazy because there are so many mixtape versions of “New York Sh*t” that have been made. I think this is going to be the most remixed song in history, just on the mixtape level. Everybody’s freestyling over “New York Sh*t” right now. It’s real catchy. But I can’t even mention who’s gonna be on the remixes. I can’t expose that right now. [Laughs]. NobodySmiling : So aside from Busta Rhymes, who are some people you’re currently working with on a production level? DJ Scratch : Right now, Papoose. Maino. P. Diddy, he’s working on his album right now. And I’m doing some R&B ****: Chauncey Black from Blackstreet. He’s signed to Flipmode Records, too. A few other cats, but I’m basically trying to make a mark with Maino and Papoose, just because they’re the new breed in NY right now. I’m not just trying to give them a beat to get a check. I’m gonna give them a real concept record that’s gonna make cats think, and make their heads nod also, instead of just giving them a beat and letting them do what they do with it. And that’s how I’ve always worked anyway. When I do business with somebody, I wanna make some **** that’s gonna mean something. Whether it’s for the streets, for the clubs, or whatever. NobodySmiling : You mentioned Jae Millz. He’s been out for maybe two, three years now – and he’s probably been grinding for longer than that. How do you think a NY artist like him can break through, where he can get some nationwide spins? What would he need to do to break through that local shell? DJ Scratch : Well, there’s a bunch of different things to it. There’s a bunch of rappers that’s hot out here, and their labels don’t support them. That’s one thing, too: the labels are running to Down South artists – not because of their talent, but because they’re selling on their own down there. It’s basically a numbers game with these labels right now; they’re signing movements instead of signing the hottest artists. It’s just dollars and cents with labels. But with us, it’s about talent. Like, Jae Millz is talented. He’s nice as hell, but his label might not support him. They might run Down South and put out their **** before his, you know what I’m saying? Basically, everybody needs to support everybody’s movements up here in NY. And Millz got a hot joint now. “Bring It Back” is hot for the clubs, hot for the radio, but we need to support our own. NobodySmiling : Let’s talk a little bit about the “Scratch-umentary” DVD you’re working on. How’s that been going? DJ Scratch : It’s going good, I’ve been filming for like a year-and-a-half now. It’s basically celebrating over 23 years in the game. There’s a lot of never-before-seen footage. I’ve been in DVDs before about DJs, I’ve been in books, but I can’t tell my story in five minutes. I have a lot to talk about, a lot to share, and a lot to show. It’s basically three parts: (1) DJ Scratch, the battle/concert DJ. (2) DJ Scratch, the producer – interviewing cats I look up to, such as Pete Rock, Marley Marl, and DJ Premier. (3) DJ Scratch, the party DJ. People think because of all the tricks I’ve done on the turntables throughout the years, they think I don’t know how to rock a party. But that was the first thing I was doing. Basically, everything you didn’t know about me will be on the DVD. And I’m paying homage to DJs that never get mentioned: Mixmaster Ice from UTFO. DJ Cash Money. Barry B and Chill Will from Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew. Grandmaster DXT. Howie Tee. These are DJs who were doing these tricks in arenas, and people don’t even mention them. But I don’t blame them for not mentioning them, because they don’t really know. When these young dudes go back, they go straight to Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, and Grand Wizard Theodore. They skip over the whole age from the ‘80s to the mid-‘90s, and there were a lot of DJs during that time that put so much work. They invented stuff that DJs are doing right now. So I’m just doing my part. http://www.nobodysmiling.com/hiphop/interview/86214.php EDIT: Here's a list of all the tracks he's produced in his career in case you didn't know: BUSTA RHYMES/ THE COMING "Do My Thing" "The Finish Line" "Woo Hah Remix" "Abandon Ship Remix" "Do My Thing Remix" "Intro" "Outro" BUSTA RHYMES/ WHEN DISASTER STRIKES "Intro" "The Whole World Lookin At Me" "Survival Hungry" "When Disaster Strikes" "Get High Tonite" "We Could Take It Outside" "Get Off My Block" "Outro" FLIPMODE SQUAD/ THE IMPERIAL "Intro" "Cha Cha Cha" "Everybody On The Line Outside" "To My People" "I Got Your Back" "This Is What Happens" "Where You Think You Goin" "Money Talks" "Do For Self" BUSTA RHYMES/ ELE "Gimmie Some More" "Party Is Goin On Over Here" "Do The Bus A Bus" "The Burial Song"/ Outro" BUSTA RHYMES/ ANARCHY "Salute Da Gods" "We Comin Through" "Cmon All My Niggaz" BUSTA RHYMES/ IT AINT SAFE NO MORE "What Do You Do When Your Branded" BUSTA RHYMES/ THE BIG BANG "New York ****" LL COOL J/ G.O.A.T. "Ill Bomb" "LL Cool J" "Hello" "You & Me" "You Cant **** With Me" "Homicide" LL COOL J/ ANY GIVEN SUNDAY SOUNDTRACK "Shut Em Down" Featuring LL COOL J SNOOP DOGG/ DOGGY STYLE ALLSTARS VOL. 1 "I Just Get Carried Away" Featuring Snoop Dogg DMX/ GRAND CHAMP "Stop The Rain" TALIB KWELI/ QUALITY "Shock Body" THE ROOTS/ PHRENOLOGY "I'll Rock You" 50 CENT/ POWER OF THE DOLLAR "I'm A Hustler" DJ KAY SLAY/ THE STREETSWEEPER VOL 1 "50 Shot Ya" Featuring 50 CENT DJ CLUE/ THE PROFESSIONAL "Whatever You Want" BAMBOOZLED SOUNDTRACK "Blak Iz Blak" RED MAN METHOD MAN/ BLACKOUT "1,2,1,2" FUNK MASTER FLEX/ VOL. 3 "Wutang Cream Team Lineup" PHAROAHE MONCH "Intro" "Right Here" GURU/ JAZZMATAZZ STREETSOUL "Keep Your Worries" Featuring Angie Stone & Guru RAH DIGGA/ DIRTY HARRIET "Handle Your B.I." SET IT OFF SOUNDTRACK "Live To Regret" Featuring Busta Rhymes RAMPAGE/ SCOUTS HONOR BY WAY OF BLOOD "Intro" "Flipmode Iz The Squad" "Talk Of The Town" "Get The Money & Dip" "Flipmode Enemy #1" "Conquer Da World" "Hall Of Fame" "We Getz Down" "Outro" EPMD/ BUSINESS AS USUAL "Rampage" "Funky Piano" "For My People" EPMD/ BUSINESS NEVER PERSONAL "Scratch Bring It Back" ERICK SERMON/ DEF SQUAD PRESENTS ERICK ONASIS "I Do Em" EPMD/ BACK IN BUSINESS "Intro" EPMD/ OUT OF BUSINESS "The Put On" LYRICIST LOUNGE/ VOLUME 1 "Be Ok" Featuring Rah Digga & Bahamadia DJ TONY TOUCH/ THE PIECE MAKER "Likwit Rhyming" DAS EFX/ HOLD IT DOWN "Comin' Thru" "Bad News" ILL ALL SKRATCH/ KEEP IT MOVING "Stick & Movie" PMD/ BUSINESS IS BUSINESS "I'm A B-Boy" "Nuttin Move" PMD/ SHADE' BUSINESS "I Saw It Cummin" "Phuck It Up Scratch" 112 (PART III) "Dance With Me" Credited Role: Scratching SHUT EM' DOWN "Black Bust" "Street Niggus" "Conspiracy" BEANIE SIGEL/ THE REASON Credited Role: Scratching "So What You Saying" BUSTA RHYMES/ TURN IT UP!: THE VERY BEST OF BUSTA RHYMES "Gimmie Some More" "Do My Thing" "Do The Bus A Bus" "Party Is Goin On Over Here" BUSTA RHYMES/ TOTAL DEVASTATION "Gimmie Some More" "Do My Thing" "Do The Bus A Bus" "Party Is Goin On Over Here" LL COOL J/ PHENOMENON "Phenomenon" Credited Role: Scratching STICKY FINGAZ/ BLACK TRASH... "Why" "Baby Brother" "Get It Up" GURU/ JAZZMATAZZ/ VOL 1 "Respect The Architect" Credited Role:Scratching VIOLATOR: THE ALBUM "Do The Buss A Buss" MYSTICAL/ TARANTULA "The Return" Credited Role: Scratching MOD SQUAD SOUNTRACK "Party Is Goin On Over Here" CONCERT FOR NYC Credited Role: Performer THE LIKS/ XO EXPERIENCE "Bully Foot" BUSTA RHYMES/ SINGLE "Comin' Off" LORDZ OF BROOKLYN/ GRAFFITI ROCK "Forget A Bout It" THE SOURCE HIP HOP MUSIC AWARDS 1999 "Party Is Goin On Over Here" DJ MAGIC MIKE/ REPRESNT "Represent" BUSTA RHYMES/ FLIPMODE REMIXES "Woo-Ha!! Got You All in Check [The DJ Scratch Albany Projects Remix]" "Do My Thing [DJ Scratch Remix]" "Abandon Ship [DJ Scratch Remix]" BLUE JAMS VOL 2 "Respect the Architect" RAMPAGE/ SINGLE "We Getz Down" WAKE UP SHOW: IN THE MIX "Funky Piano" ALICIA KEYS/ DIARY OF ALICIA KEYS (DVD) 50 CENT/ GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN' (DVD) "50 Shot Ya"

Happy Birthday :1-smile:

Kanye's albums are school oriented so you could say he's a backpacker, Pharrell and Neptunes are in a group called N.E.R.D., btw great song, this should be a #1 smash, and it wins some points by mentioned JJFP :rockon:

Well since we're way off topic now I might as well lock it up, we all know that LL and Will are here to stay... :stickpoke:

Well there's 12 million people who bought his albums so somebody's liking Nas at one point or another, it's just like when people say JJFP are wack or FP fell off since he don't do albums with Jazzy anymore, there's somebody out there that like FP at one point or another if millions bought his albums, they say the same thing about Snoop and LL about how they ain't as dope as they came out but if they fell off so much there wouldn't be anybody buying their albums anymore, you have to be doing something right to have fans buying albums for years, a lot of rappers come and go but they've remained and people stay interested in them, I don't think there's a rapper out there that has done everything in their careers that everybody likes, if you could just do something that everybody likes and remembers then that's what makes you great, and as for "Illmatic" there's not many if not any rappers in the last 12 years since that came out that've done albums better than that, it ain't like everybody's making groundbreaking albums and he's making wack albums, in fact if you compare 99% of the albums(exception of course to the albums from the few dope mcs left like LL, KRS, and FP) in the last 12 years to "Illmatic" you could say hip-hop is dead, basically FP's saying the same thing on the "Lost and Found" song... btw, Nas explains more about the album title on MTV.com: According to a new MTV report, the emcee's new album will boldly be titled "Hip-Hop Is Dead...The N." "I didn't name it that. Fans named it that; rappers named it that," he said of the album title. He's right. It's certainly not the first time people have declared Hip-Hop to be dead or at least a culture that is ready for a new life. "It's been the talk for years, so here's an album that brings ... not even the rebirth, it's just an album with that thing that everybody is talking about. I got a street look coming real soon, and more soon after. Summertime is definitely going to be Nas time," he promised.

Well I imagine a lot of the kids who like that commercial rap garbage and that teenybop pop out might actually like reggaetone, it basically fits in with all the other wack pop garbage out now if it gets promoted right it could be, it's not like good music sells anymore... :stickpoke: btw, I do like some regaee and dancehall but regaeetone is just wack...

Yeah I don't get what's all the hype about TI,you might as well mention DFL, lol, Scarface is miles ahead of TI, he got much more subject matter and is more lyrically gifted, basically Outkast, Scarface, and Arrested Delevopment are the only dope southern rappers, mostly everybody else is boring and generic, a lot of that dirty south crap is the reason why I don't listen to the radio anymore since that started to become really popular, I agree with Ghostface saying that the south has ruined hip-hop, most of them glorify drug dealing and slapping women, I might as well listen to reggaeton, it's basically the same thing as southern crap...

Look whatever you say ain't gonna make me like Lil' Wayne, he goes under the list of the "Lost" mcs that Will mentions, basically this applies to Lil' Wayne: "Truck with rims(check),Throwback jerseys(check), Champange bottles, Lots Of Models, Damn That's 90% of Your Videos And Songs, Am I Wrong?", LL still got flow and could still outshine Lil' Wayne at a concert too, I was being sincere when I said "Mama Said Knock You Out" is better than Lil' Wayne's career 'cause that's LL most classic, LL at his worst is better than Lil' Wayne...

Lil' Wayne is just another dime a dozen rapper, he raps about the same hustlin' **** that 99% of other rappers do, nothin' special about him at all, boring flow, unoriginal, can't perform, he's just another wack MTV rapper that'll never make it to LL's level, he has no credability, and Jazzy Jeff basically just does a lot of DJ gigs and produces on other artists albums more than he does work on his solo stuff, he's not a rapper so he don't make a lot of albums...

Jazzy ain't in competition with Will, like Da Brakes said you're an idiot... :stickpoke:

Hopefully this is a gimmick like Jay-Z saying he's gonna retire but we see him doing tracks everywhere still, that new Outkast single is fire, I don't see why they'd break up now, hip-hop needs them now more than ever...

Well come on now sure around that time a lot of Nas' early fans were turned off by his escobar/nastradomous style but also a lot of the early JJFP fans were turned off by FP's "Jiggy" style around that time too 'cause he got away from the storytellin' JJFP stuff and did more flashy raps instead, the ironic thing about that is that Nas co-wrote songs on that album and he was going flashy himself then, before of course they were turned off from "Code Red" too 'cause they thought JJFP was going gangsta although it was JJFP's lowest selling album so that plan to keep up with the harder image at the time sell more didn't work, "Code Red" is an album though that gangsta rap fans who normally wouldn't like JJFP's lighter image like 'cause it had a harder edge to it... But a large percentage of those who bought "Big Willie Style" were kids that didn't know about JJFP, including me at that time until I learned later on about it and I found out how the JJFP stuff is leaps and bounds above most of Will's solo stuff, "Big Willie Style" still has that sentimental feel though for me 'cause it's the first time I've heard Will rapping, that's why FP went back to Philly with Jazzy to record "Willenium" 'cause he knew that he had to gain some of his original fans back and in the process those kids were turned off 'cause it wasn't Jiggy enough since it was more vintage hip-hop and some of the ol' school fans loved "So Fresh" even though it didn't catch on in airplay, but I didn't care that it was ol' school album since I appreciate good music so I've remained down, and now FP's turned it around with his "Lost and Found" and got more credability in hip-hop back even if his sales are lower which was due to poor promotion but most of those who heard the album liked it, he got a lot of old fans back and gained some new 'cause the album's a mix of his ol' school and new school styles("Scary Story" and "Loretta" which are vintage storytellin' FP songs, "If You Can't Dance" and "Switch" for the kids who liked "Big Willie Style"), now we just need that JJFP album to come soon to keep the ball rolling, and of course in the late '80s LL Cool J got a lot of heat for his "Walking With A Panther" album, his original fans thought he was selling out but he turned it around later on with "Mama Said Knock You Out" then later on they thought that he was going gangsta on "14 Shots To The Dome" and then he had to turn it around again, MC Hammer lost his original fanbase when he did "Funky Headhunter" to keep up with the harder style of rap at the time like "Code Red" and "14 Shots To The Dome", I think he's coming with a new album soon too this summer, basically it was just dumbing down to get larger audiences but it was still good music they were doing... Anytime you do something different fans diss you and I find that wack like all Nas' original fans want him to do "Illmatic" every album and the original JJFP fans want him to "He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper..." all the time LL's original fans want "Mama Said Knock You Out", MC Hammer's original fans want "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em", etc.. a lot of great mcs have all done it at one point or another like when KRS did a song with Puffy which was considered since KRS always disses pop rap and Puffy is the epitome of pop rap, good music is good music though, Nas has made good music throughout his career, some better than others but he is one of those select few that keep hip-hop alive on a mainstream level but you know it's dead when Eminem's greatest hits album outsells Will's "Lost and Found" and Nas' "Street's Disciple" combined when they're both better albums than Eminem could ever do, "Hip Hop Is Dead" sounds like Nas is something I'm sure most of Nas' original fans would say, nobody ain't making anything on an "Illmatic" level anymore so hopefully it has deep meaning to it and is his best album since "Illmatic" or at least another solid Nas album, hip hop is Nas...

Nas was killing hip-hop in the late '90s? Nas has always been one of the realest cats in hip-hop, sure what he did then wasn't on the same level as most of his stuff but every great mc has their down moments but that don't mean they're killing hip-hop, even the beloved FP says: "Found Is Esco"

http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/9018 Maybe he's inspired from De La Soul, they did an album called 'De La Soul Is Dead', btw I'm looking forward to that Roots album this summer too...

I guess Nas is trying to spark some controversey with this album, he was consider calling it the n word now he's calling it 'Hip-Hop Is Dead', that's definately not a good title, we all know hip-hop ain't as strong as it used to/could be but it'll never die...

Nas Declares 'Hip Hop Is Dead' Nas May 19, 2006, 11:00 AM ET His First Def Jam Disc Due In September Clover Hope, N.Y. Recent Def Jam signee Nas will deliver his first album for the label in late September. The rapper made the announcement last night (May 18) while performing on the first leg of labelmates the Roots’ two-night stand at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The album is titled "Hip-Hop Is Dead,” according to a Def Jam representative, who also confirmed the September release to Billboard.com. Nas capped off his roughly 15-minute set by pronouncing, “I'm working hard for y’all. I got an album coming out in September.” Def Jam president Jay-Z added Nas to the label’s roster in January, two months after the pair mutually dissolved their longtime feud. As previously reported, the new disc will be one of two albums to be jointly marketed by Def Jam and Columbia, Nas’ previous label. During a live chat on the Roc-A-Fella Web site in February, Jay-Z said that plans were underway to begin working on the project. Black Eyed Peas leader will.i.am also told Billboard.com that he was scheduled to record with Nas. "Hip-Hop Is Dead” will be the follow-up to 2004’s “Streets Disciple,” which peaked at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 694,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In his 11 years with Columbia, Nas' catalog has sold 12 million units. The Roots concert also featured Common, Talib Kweli, Big Daddy Kane and saw a brief cameo from comedian Dave Chappelle, who billed many of the same artists for his 2004 Block Party in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tonight's second round of performances will feature Erykah Badu, Mos Def, J. Davey and Angelique Kidjo.

Releasing an album the same week as his movie worked well for TI's popularity, maybe Will should do the same and really make it "Big Willie Weekend" by having a #1 album and #1 movie at the same time, btw I do like Ghostface's album "Fishscale" too, this summer's gonna have some albums I'm looking forward to with Busta Rhymes coming out, DMX coming out, Ice Cube coming out, Game coming out, and Nas in September which is titled 'Hip-Hop Is Dead' which would be my feelings if all those albums didn't come out but if all those albums drop it'll show that hip-hop is still alive and well, it's just been a slow start so far this year...