bigted

I'd like to hear some of the tracks that Will said he produced himself for "Lost and Found"

Jay-Z should've just simply said there that they're two different artists, you can't compare our styles, instead of saying that he's edgier and more reality based, that's not true, Will has an aggressive flow and raps about reality just like Jay-Z does, and could be laid back just like Jay-Z is too, some songs from Jay-Z don't have an edge either just like some songs, he makes chill tracks too, especially songs on "Blueprint" but they're good. They both rhyme about different things that're real to them though which makes them individual artists, there's no question though that Will has influenced Jay, let's get that clear, he should only say nice things about Will. "Volume 2" and "Big Willie Style" are the type of albums that cemented Will's place back in the rap game after he dropped the mic for a while and introduced Jay to the public as a household name respectively, they ain't their best albums but they're albums that impacted the industry and are their most famous albums. I wonder where Jay'd rank Will when it comes to best rappers of the '80s and '90s where he put a top 5 there, he put LL in at the 4th best in the 80s, is Scarface really the top 5 of the '90s? I like him but I didn't know he was that great. For the record I'm gonna say that I enjoy DMX's "The Great Depression" much more than Jay-Z' "Blueprint" album, I think that was the bigger classic album in 2001, that still goes in my CD player on rotation, that's probably his 2nd best album after "It's Dark And Hell Is Hot", "Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood" is also classic in my book, I don't why Kool Moe Dee couldn't put him in his top 50, he definately is I'd say...

People underestimate DMX's place in the rap game, he should be in the same sentence as Nas and Jay-Z, he's had a solid body of work over the last decade with his 5 albums that all went at least platinum too...

Jay-Z' gonna drop DMX from Def Jam? I find that kinda surprising 'cause I thought that him and DMX were tight...

That's funny how Jay-Z thought then that the ones who buy the most albums are the smartest people when later on he admits that he dumbed down to get a larger audience, you're right though if he was dissin' Will in that song like that the media would've blown it up since they're both big name artists...

This article came from April '99 from Vibe, this was around the time "Volume 2" and "Big Willie Style" were out on the chart, it's not as bad as what Bow Wow said but I don't like that he said that his music is more reality based and harder than Will's, especially since he was rapping over a lot of commercial samples at that time too, "Volume 2" was a good album though, I liked that album, lol, it's safe to say that "Just The Two Of Us" is reality for Will just like "Hard Knock Life" is reality for Jay-Z... Dr. Dre and Eminem were mad at Will for criticising rappers who talk about killing on their songs at that time and Jay-Z was working with them around that time so he probably was just backing them up then, he gave "Lost and Found" props I think so there's no beef anymore...: VIBE: Your album's at 3 million. Will Smith's is at 4 million. What dose that tell you about the state of hip-hop? JAY-Z: Will did a great thing for hip-hop. He brought light onto it, exposed people to it who normally wouldn't be listenin.' Some people are gonna love and stick with Will. SOme people are gonna say, "I wanna little more edge to my music." The more educated people are, the more they're gonna look for the cream of the crop. VIBE: Do you mean your own work? JAY-Z: Yeah. VIBE: You would say Will is the cream of the crop? JAY-Z: Me and Will make different music. He's a very creative person. I think mine has more edge and is more reality-based than his.

The rap game is rediculous now with all this ghostwriting s*** but then again Marvin Gaye didn't write many of his lyrics but he had a great voice and was a great performer, hehad a lot of talent to say the least, I think it's ok though if Snoop has help in between since he got a nice flow on the mic but when you have people who have limited artistic abilty for music like Puffy who's an A&R of his label/producer who could dance but he got limited vocal ability, Dr. Dre's an A&R of his label/producer(for what it's worth these days), Kanye's a producer who has a label too, Nick Cannon's a comedian/actor, John Cena is a wrestler, Shaq's a basketball player, Bow Wow's just a kid, hell you even have porno chicks and other type of model chicks making rap albums now, these people have no freestyling abilty or do they have good enough flow to be on the microphone, you could see them as rap sharades, they should stick to however else they make money. LL and Will act but they've been ripping mcs and been stage presences on the microphone for so long so they've been the exception obviously but it's sad to see what the game has come to... Now as far as Sugar Hill Gang, they do have talent, they were discovered freestyling at a pizza place, KRS makes fun of that but hey hip-hop could be anywhere right?

Maybe he was referring to Volume 3 outselling Willenium, but maybe he was sayin' he's "keepin' it real" while Will's selling out, that could be a diss too, he was saying something about how he was more real than Will in that '98 interview that AJ posted... I'm gonna be honest Volume 3 was the album I started not liking Jay-Z that much anymore, that album was weak and straight garbage compared to Willenium but he picked it up with "Blueprint" and "Black Album" even though they're a lil' overrated too in my opinion but they're solid, I can't front... Anyway here's the lyrics to "How To Rob", it's obvious that Nas had input in this, look at all the big words 50 uses compared to now :mygod: : Madd Rapper The art of getting robbed This is how we do Brooklyn style boy you know what I'm sayin? 50 Cent R.I.P B.I.G, R.I.P P-A-C, R.I.P niggas that wanna OD Aiyyo the bottom line is I'ma crook with a deal If my record don't sell I'ma rob and steal You better recognize nigga I'm straight from the street These industry niggaz startin to look like somethin to eat I'll snatch Kim and tell Puff, "You wanna see her again?" Get your ass down to the nearest ATM I have dreams of ****in an R&B bitch And I'll wake up early and bounce with all your **** When I apply pressure,son it aint even funny I'm about to stick Bobby for some of that Whitney money Brian McKnight, I can get that nigga anytime Have Keith sweatin starin down the barrel from my nine Since these Harlem World niggaz seem to all be fam I put the gun to Cardan tell him, "Tell your man Mason Betha, haha, come up of that watch now I mean right now" The only excuse for being broke is bein in jail An entertainer can't make bail if he broke as hell I'd rob ODB but that'd be a waste of time Probably have to clap him run and toss the nine I'd follow Fox in the drop for four blocks Plottin to juice her for that rock Kurupt copped What Jigga just sold like 4 mil? He got somethin to live for Don't want no nigga puttin four thru that Bentley Coupe door I'll man handle Mariah like "Bitch get on the ground" You ain't with Tommy no more who gonna protect you now? I been skeamin on Tone and Poke since they found me Steve know not to wear that platinum **** around me I'm a klepto nah for real son I'm sick I'm bout to stick Slick Rick for all that old school **** Right now I'm bent and when I get like this I don't think About to make Stevie J take off that tight ass mink I'll rob Pun without a gun snatch his piece then run This nigga weigh 400 pounds, how he gon catch me son? Madd Rapper Chorus: repeat 2X This aint serious Being broke can make you delirious So we rob and steal so our ones can be bigger 50 Cent how it feel to rob and industry nigga? 50 Cents Ill catch P and Silk The Shocker right after the Grammies And Will Smith and Jada ass down in Miami Run up on Timberland and Missy w/the pound Like you gimme the cash and u put the hot dog down I figured it out Been robbin Joe before that's why his ass don't wanna be a playa no more Mad at you I'm robbin J.D., **** YOU!! PAY ME!! Had Da Brat with em, shoulda had his gat with him DMX wanna get down well you tell homey I'm on that Treach ****, I do my +Dirt All By My Lonely+ I should rob Clue man his **** did well I wanna stick TQ but his **** ain't sell I hit the studios take **** and leave Catch Rae Ghost and RZA for them funny ass rings Tell Sticky gimme the cash before I empty three Ill beat your ass like that white boy on MTV Cannibus wanna battle while I'm stickin them up Nigga get capped coroners pickin em up Heavy tried to hide his ****, nigga try to stall ya He said "Why you robbin me I got _Nuttin But Love_ for ya!" Caught Juvenile for his Cash Money piece Told him I want it all he said, "Even my gold teeth?" I caught Blackstreet on a back street in a black jeep One at a time get out and take off your shine Did you ever think that you would be this rich? Did you ever think that you would have these hits? Did you ever think that I'd flash the nine? And walk off with your **** like it's mine? I'ma keep stickin niggas until I'm livid I'll rob Boys II Men like I'm Michael Bivins Catch Tyson for half that cash like Robyn Givens I'm hungry for real im bout to stick Mister C That nigga still eatin off Big's first LP I had Busta and the whole Flipmode on the floor He asked me if I had enuff I told him "Gimme Some More" Is you feelin this? Then wait for the sequel I gotta get Kirk Franklin for robbin Gods People Madd Rapper Chorus For real yo you know what I'm sayin? Niggas got to get stuck up that's just how it goes down It don't matter if you an industry nigga or a regular nigga It don't matter, if you got it and I need it I want it 50 Cents ain't ****in around Track Masters ain't ****in around Crazy Cat ain't ****in around The Madd Rapper aint ****in around So watch your backs, watch your pocket book, watch your pockets Watch everybody on the train, watch everybody on the bus Cause we gonna get you whether you like it or not

That's a good read, good to see Jay humbling down now, that's funny how he talks about he was nervous when he 1st met LL, sorta how Eminem felt when he first met Will, lol. I don't he'll get involved with the 50 Cent beef now though since he's saying "F*** Beef", 50's career gonna start slowing down and I'm sure he's aware of that already, LL's probably giving him some advice... I remember Wyclef also said something about 50 Cent on "Low Income": "Low income I stay so hungry/So if 50 Cent came to rob me he'd be a part of my charity", basically responding to what 50 Cent said on "How To Rob", he disses basically every famous rapper in the game in the late 90s, it's a funny song though, sorta like Eminem's "My Name Is", he was rolling with Nas and the Bravehearts at that time too who actually helped ghostwrite some of the tracks that were supposed to be on 50's "Power Of A Dollar" that was supposed to drop on Columbia before 50 got shot(that's why Jada said:"Bravehearts made you" when he dissed 50), so maybe that's how the Jay-Z/Nas beef came along, Jay-Z might've heard that Nas wrote the diss song for 50 that dissed Jay in it: btw, why did Jay-Z say: "Volume 3 still spittin' the real s***/Sold more records than Will Smith", was that a diss towards Will?

"Jesus Walks" wasn't even Kanye's song, the hip-hop community protested that he got nominated to win a Grammy for that 'cause he didn't write or produce the track, Rhymefest did, and he's supposed to be the greatest huh? :hmm: :willvspaparazzi:

Wyclef and Busta were on J Records a couple years ago, they didn't get promoted that well...

Melle Mel is real tight with the Sugar Hill Gang so maybe that's why he dissed KRS-ONE recently in that interview 'cause he probably heard the audio of that speech, that'd be fun to see them battle each other, lol, maybe Melle Mel might like Nelly too since he said in an interview that Melle Mel's one of his favorites, his original name used to be Nelly Nel, he shortened it to Nelly. Imagine if Will ghostwrote a gangsta rap song for Snoop, it's possible since they're friends and Snoop uses ghostwriters too, he had R. Kelly write a couple songs on "Paid Da Cost To Be Da Boss", anything's possible, lol.

Well even it was a real CD Talib wouldn't move that much units on Koch 'cause he didn't even move that much on Geffen and that's a bigger label, Talib don't have that type of money to promote himself on Koch if Boyz II Men don't have the money and they sold over 100 million albums, Will going on Def Jam would be a better idea, it's too much of a risk for him to go to Koch, especially this late in his career...

I'd love to see Will mc'ing over Swizz Beatz production, I like the production he's done for Ruff Ryders

Well AJ you're a big MC Hammer fan and they say the same thing about him that they say about Diddy when they call his music 'party pop' and for using jacked beats on his hits like "U Can't Touch This", but Hammer actually writes his lyrics unlike Diddy who just writes checks not rhymes, lol, I think Hammer has a lil' more subject matter on his songs too, they weren't all party songs. Diddy actually says that Hammer was one of his inspirations though and he's one of the few rappers who always defend Hammer when people call him wack, Diddy did production on LL's "Phenomenon" album so LL must respect his production not to mention that he was on "After School" with him, LL got love for Diddy. Kanye said that Diddy inspired his production, you could see some similarities in the production, I guess that's why he sounds so commercial, lol. You could say what you want about Biggie's content, but FP always passionately talks about all the great things Biggie would say on his first album("I feel like N.W.A's first album and Biggie's first album should be used in psychology classes-they're such accurate, powerful depictions of the lifestyle. Such brilliant well thought out, well-defined, well-rounded albums. For my taste, I need records like those. They just have some intellectual base to it...") if you met him personally he'd tell you the same thing, that's your opinion if you don't like them but a lot of your favorite artists in the industry respect them for a fact.

Well I heard that Nas is gonna be doing some ghostwriting on Diddy's new album, so you're gonna feel the same way I do :kekeke: The reason why I said that KRS must be getting paid from Dre is 'cause he usually criticises rappers for not writing their rhymes and we all know that Dre don't write his rhymes so why wouldn't he get dissed then?

No it wasn't it was only a couple lines, just 'cause they were from New Jersey instead of the Bronx doesn't mean they ain't hip-hop! I think KRS might get paid to ghostwrite for Dr. Dre that's probably why he gives him props :kekeke:

I think Del's the cousin of Ice Cube...

I read on another hip-hop message board that Melle Mel was on "Rap City" on BET today, too bad I missed it! :hmm: Yeah people might say Slick Rick and Will Smith were the original storyteller but Melle Mel used to incorporate a lot of it into his rhymes, so did the SugarHill Gang, they should be on this list too, just 'cause they said a line from what Grandmaster Caz said in "Rapper's Delight" doesn't mean that they ain't hip-hop, I don't understand why KRS had to diss them so hard for that when he was making his speech in the UK, especially since he gives props to Dr. Dre now who uses ghostwriters. A lot of so called mcs today don't write their rhymes anyway, they were probably just biggin' him up since they were representin' for hip-hop the way that Jay-Z uses one or 2 lines from Biggie in between, it's all love... It's a surprise that JJFP fans wouldn't know Melle Mel or Grandmaster Caz if they remember "Live At Union Square": "I have to pay respect to Grandmaster Caz, Melle Mel, and DJ Red Alert..."

Kanye uses catchy "Big Willie Style" type beats, that's why he's so popular, it's kinda ironic though that critics praise Kanye for it but call it "lightweight" when Will used those type of beats...

If Will decides to go to Def Jam he could back to being officially called Fresh Prince again on the album cover, it'd be only fitting, keep in mind that Russell Simmons was JJFP's manager when they 1st came in the rap game, they were under RushTown Management, too bad it was RushTown/Jive instead of RushTown/Def Jam, lol

I'd love it if that Jazzy Jeff remix to the I Wish I made That came out on a disc...

Remember that Dre's good friends with Snoop, Ice Cube, Jay-Z, and even KRS-ONE, not to even mention that he got Busta and Eve on Aftermath so 50 and his wack army of rappers'll be finished :willvspaparazzi:

Hollywood Has Dismal Year at Box Office By DAVID GERMAIN AP Movie Writer LOS ANGELES - A box-office jolt from the magic kingdoms of Kong, Narnia and Hogwarts will close Hollywood's year with some holiday cheer, though not enough to offset the biggest decline in movie attendance in 20 years. Domestic revenues at movie theaters may fall below $9 billion for the first time since 2001 after averaging $9.3 billion over the last three years. Factoring in higher admission prices, the number of tickets sold is expected to finish at about 1.4 billion, the lowest since 1997. Before Thanksgiving, attendance had been running 8 percent behind 2004's. Huge crowds for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the fourth installment of the boy conjurer's adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, helped to whittle that deficit down to 7.3 percent by early December, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. Even with the last-minute surge from two other fantasy epics, "King Kong" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," movie attendance likely will be down 6 percent or more for the year. That marks the largest drop since admissions fell 12 percent in 1985. Some studio executives and Hollywood analysts say 2005 just brought a generally weaker lineup of films. Others insist movie-goers are abandoning ship in favor of home theaters with big screens and booming sound, where fans can watch films on DVD only a few months after their theatrical release. Driving to a multiplex, finding a parking spot, fighting for a seat and putting up with high concessions prices and other cinema hassles makes the comfort of home sound ever more appealing. "One thing we sometimes overlook, especially people in the business, is the quality of the moviegoing experience," said Richard Roeper, a Chicago Sun-Times critic and Roger Ebert's co-host on TV's "Ebert & Roeper and the Movies." "If someone's waiting through 20 minutes of commercials, you've got people behind you kicking your seat and talking on cell phones, do you think a lot of people might say, `You know what? I've got a great sound system, I've got a 50-inch plasma screen. I'm just going to wait three months until the DVD comes out'?" In an Associated Press-AOL News poll last summer, 73 percent of adults said they preferred watching movies at home on DVD, videotape or pay-per-view than going to theaters. And if the 2005 lineup of films truly looked less appealing, it's no wonder so many people stayed home. "I think it's all of the above, really. There's certainly a lot of competition for those entertainment dollars," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony, which scored an early 2005 hit with "Hitch" but delivered such flops as "XXX: State of the Union," "Stealth," "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" and "Rent." "I hate to sound Pollyanna about it, but I do believe that this is an anomaly," Bruer said. "Business will bounce back and over a period of time it'll fight its way back." While studio honchos say it's premature to predict audiences will keep dwindling, 2005 marks the third-straight year attendance has fallen and the fifth year out of the last seven that theater crowds have shrunk. But those declines came amid a broader upswing in movie attendance since the mid 1980s, with the number of tickets sold rising from just over 1 billion in 1986 to a modern high of 1.6 billion in 2002. "When you look back over a long period of time, you find dips that are due to content," said Jeff Goldstein, general sales manager for Warner Bros., which released the "Harry Potter" and "Batman Begins" blockbusters but also the 2005 duds "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous" and "House of Wax." "To have the type of growth we've had, it's not realistic for that to continue. You're going to have some good years and some bad." This past year started well with early hits that produced a box-office upswing before a prolonged slump began in February. Most weekends since, revenues have been down compared to the corresponding period in 2004, with the downturn stretching to a modern record of 19 weekends in a row during one stretch. Some Hollywood apologists note that 2004 had an expected $370 million infusion from "The Passion of the Christ," which lured millions of conservative Christians who ordinarily do not go to movies. Discount 2004's grosses by that amount and 2005 is right on par, they say. On the other hand, the "Passion" bonus that padded 2004 revenues may have disguised the fact that the box-office slump actually started then and has now lingered almost two years. That would be a clearer signal that audiences could be growing tired of movie theaters - for good. "I think it's too early to make that call. We'll have to wait and see the quality of the product for next year," said Wayne Lewellen, head of distribution for Paramount, which scored with "War of the Worlds" and "The Longest Yard" but struck out with "The Honeymooners" and "The Bad News Bears." "At least on paper, it looks like a strong kickoff next summer." To be sure, early summer 2006 seems to have a lot more muscle than the weak lineup that preceded "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith," the season's first major hit. Early May 2005 presented such uncharacteristically mute fare as "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Kicking & Screaming," a far cry from the popcorn flicks like "The Mummy" movies that typically open in that time frame to kick off summer. Next May starts with Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible III" and "Poseidon," a remake of the disaster flick "The Poseidon Adventure," with Tom Hanks' "The Da Vinci Code," the superhero sequel "X-Men 3" and the animated tales "Cars" and "Over the Hedge" quickly following. And with "King Kong" and "Chronicles of Narnia" likely to carry strong business over into January, the industry could be on a much better footing through the first half of 2006. Some critics have said "King Kong" could be the next "Titanic," the modern box-office champ with $600 million domestically and $1.8 billion worldwide. "The attention devoted to box office this year has been negative, so I think it'll be a psychological boost for Hollywood to end the year on a positive note with `Kong' and `Narnia,'" said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations. "Also, the audience tends to follow the money, so if these movies really do well, they tend to get excited and want to go back to the theater."

Well when you're in the game for awhile you have ups and downs, not all LL's stuff is perfect either and he's the best, it's like Biggie would've had some weak moments too if he were still living, so I think Fat Joe's one of the best too, him and Big Pun were a great duo. Anyway Kool Moe Dee's last hit was when he was featured on "Wild Wild West" with Will ironically, which also got nominated for a Grammy like Kool Moe Dee's original :kekeke: