bigted

i was thinking about bumping this thread since there's a lot of great music here, i saw busta rhymes performing with justin bieber at the christmas tree lighting on nbc

i love "maybe" too, it really touches you if you're in love with somebody

well with will getting involved with music again then maybe we'll see a collaboration

i'm actually one of the few people that actually likes "nod ya head" better than the original "men in black" theme, will rapped with a lot of energy on that track, the album itself isn't as bad as some make it out to be, i actually got some good memories to that album playing it my senior year of high school and thinking about the girl i met that year

i'm hoping the best for you kev in 2012 with your job and the girl you're going with, for the past couple weeks i've been reconnecting with a girl that i went to high school with after not talking to each other for for almost 5 years, it's been good to catch up on our friendship and i feel that there's something there between us that's going to lead to being more than just friends but i'm willing to take it slow for now and see what happens

i was actually listening to his "salon stories" mixtape when i was checking my email

i'm gonna check this book out, sorry to hear about your mom and your crohns, but the positive thing is how you used it to fuel your poetry, i wish you a lot of success on your project here

i was checking my email and found this pleasant surprise, finally an album to look forward to!!

Guy "Spend Time" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXbYe6hEDP4 "All I want to do is make love to your mind"

It feels great to know the season starts on Christmas with my Bulls taking on the Lakers, it's gonna be wonderful....

well i was thinking we could always turn this thread into a christmas chat/catchup with the board members coming together and posting stuff during the holiday season... as i was saying during the chat i've been enjoying this holiday with family, food, football, and the nba lockout ending on saturday, life is good, i've been feeling more inspired to continue writing raps after the sudden death of heavy d since i'm trying to enjoy every moment a lil' bit more than before, i have a concept i'm coming up with now that i'm entering a "new chapter" in my life now that i'm almost 27 years old on march 4th, i'm anticipating better days ahead after there's been dark times for awhile... i'll admit though there's been times where i've felt discouraged since things i've wanted to accomplish in my life haven't quite happened as fast as i was planning them to happen but as i'm getting a lil' bit older i just feel more thankful for things i have that others would dream of having like living with loving parents, having my health, and having good people in my life just like the jjfp.com peeps 'cause y'all been like family to me ever since i first started posting here in 2004 in sharing my love for music and life in general, it's been real....on another note when we were listening to the music the other day during the chat and luther's "never too much" was playing i was thinking back to how jjfp sampled that for "can't wait to be with you" and i've been playing "code red" more lately, that album just never gets old..."ain't no place like home" definately hits the spot especially during these times, just makes me think of all the great times i spend with my peeps and i thank god for them, on that note let's make this holiday the best y'all...

well done!

NBA Lockout is Over, Why Owners Are the Clear Winners: Fan’s View By Joe Dorish, Yahoo! Contributor Network 9 hours, 14 minutes ago At 3 a.m. on November 26, 2011, the NBA owners and players reached a deal on a new labor agreement, ending the 149 day lockout. The deal calls for a 66 game season in 2011-12, that will begin on Christmas Day, December 25, 2011. Kevin Garnett massive dunk Wikimedia Commons As an NBA fan, I'm relieved the lockout is over. As a New Jersey Nets fan I'm really relieved the deal is done because the Nets are moving to Brooklyn in 2012-13. If the NBA canceled the whole season, the Nets would have never played another game in New Jersey, where I live. Reading through the details of the new labor agreement, I think it's pretty clear that one side got major concessions from the other. Here's the winners from the new NBA labor agreement. NBA Lockout is Over, Why Owners are the Clear Winners Owners Clear Winners in the Deal The owners got major concessions from the players in the new deal. The biggest concession is that the players have agreed to a 50-50 revenue split of basketball related income (BRI). Under the the old deal, the players received 57% of the BRI. In dollar terms, the players are essentially giving back to the owners some $300 million a year under this deal. That is roughly the exact amount of money the owners claimed to be collectively losing per season. The players are also giving back minor concessions like shorter guaranteed contracts and a harder salary cap to prevent richer teams from overspending. Fans Also Win with the New NBA Labor Agreement The new labor agreement will stretch for 10 years. This will be the longest labor agreement in NBA history. So NBA fans won't have to sit through another labor impasse for many years, possibly up to 10. The deal will last for at least six seasons, then either side can opt out. So NBA fans will have labor peace, and no threat of another lockout for at least six years, and possibly lasting the full 10 years. As an NBA fan, I cannot stand these labor problems and lockouts. If the NBA had played the entire season in 2011-12, they would have $4 billion dollars to split among the roughly 500 players and owners. Sometimes owners and players need to step back and look at the big picture. Your getting an incredible amount of revenue from the game to split among a very select few, and you can't figure out how to split up $4 billion? Give me a break. Cannot Call the NBA Players Losers The NBA players went into the lockout as the highest paid athletes among the major sports in the United States. NBA players were paid, on average, $5.15 million per season. That is significantly more that MLB players make ($3.31 million), NHL players ($2.4 million) and NFL players make ($1.9 million). Even though the NBA players gave back some $300 million a year, they will still be the highest paid athletes in the United States by a huge margin. You also know that the richer NBA teams, like the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers will find ways around the salary cap, no matter how hard the owners say it is. That will also likely push the players salaries even higher than they are already projected to go. Let's Play Some Basketball! In just one month from today, the NBA will start playing regular season games again. As a big time NBA fan that makes me pretty happy for a number of reasons. The main reason is that I want to see how some of the rookies this season are going to be. As a New Jersey Nets fan I want to see if Marshon Brooks(notes) can step in as a rookie and score like he did in college at Providence. Brooks dropped 52 on Notre Dame last year. Can he do that in the NBA? As a NBA fan, I also want to see if Jimmer Fredette(notes) can score in the league like he did in college last year for BYU. I want to see if Derrick Williams(notes) is going to be as big a star as I think he will be. I'm also curious to see if Kyrie Irving(notes) can live up to being the first overall pick in the draft. Can Kemba Walker(notes) play in the NBA like he did last season in leading the UConn Huskies to the NCAA Championship? And, of course, I want to see, like most fans do, whether LeBron James(notes) can go out and win his first NBA Championship this year. LeBron plays a ton of minutes each season, and having a shorter season might work to his advantage. The season will be compressed though, so playing a ton of minutes might still work against him. So can he do it in 2012? Now that the NBA lockout is finally over, I'm going to be able to watch and get some answers to those questions. I'm also going to be able to see some of the greatest athletes in the world getting back to what they do best. Let's play some basketball!

i had to leave a lil' early since my uncle was calling me and i tried logging back in for the last 5 minutes but i keep getting disconnected but it's been fun catching up and enjoying some great music

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

i decided to write this poem for thanksgiving 2011 with all the circumstances we're all going through, so from my family to the jjfp.com I wish y'all a a blessed thanksgiving, one love: even as the drama continues to pile i'm like kirk franklin when i continue to "smile" the happiness travels many miles since it feels good to be alive for another thanksgiving with loved ones at my side yes god i'm thankful for living during this time have to share the way i feel instead of letting it hide displaying this humble attitude during these days of gratitude rather than focusing on having much money in my pocket i'm devoted on making sure the love will never be stopping that's why i'm dedicated on being the top notch hip hop poet i'm working on savoring these moments that way when i'm older i won't live in regret i say "there's no place like home" like jazzy jeff and the fresh prince on their classic album "code red" i'm grateful to make it through the predicaments without feeling any bitterness since there's others that haven't either they're on the deep end or they're dearly departed so there's a reflection to remember the lost family members and friends as i bring this verse to an end peace and one love to all the peeps who go out to represent whether we talk everyday or rarely i appreciate y'all, hold it down for big ted since every time i rhyme i'm putting it down for them

sorry to hear that about your dog man, i agree that with a lot of the hard times that we've been having lately that a jjfp album would really do the world some good, the heavy d loss was a big loss for hip hop and i've been feeling more motivated than ever in writing some inspiring lyrics myself

i missed those chats, will try to make it!

I was reading about that on sohh.com, even President Obama made a statement through Rev. Al Sharpton: http://www.sohh.com/2011/11/diddy_jay-z_president_obama_will_smith_m.html

there's a lot of real mcs on this board like Da Brakes, Big Willie, and FUQ that're all doing thier part to keep real hip hop alive so brothers like Heavy will never be forgotten, I feel more inspired myself to make bigger moves, it's gonna take all of us real heads to work together to bring the game back where it should be

Word AJ, Heavy D is one of the realest mcs ever, his contributions to hip hop were plenty and many, all the real heads will always respect him though

Following the unexpected passing of hip-hop veteran Heavy D last week, Junior M.A.F.I.A. rapper Lil Cease now claims there were plans for the "Overweight Lover" to link with late rap icon Notorious B.I.G. for a collaborative project. According to Cease, B.I.G.'s fast rise to stardom sidelined the project. "There was an immediate bond," Lil Cease tells XXL. "Hev was instrumental in getting Puff his first job so they had that connection through Diddy. But Hev always saluted [big] like, 'Yo, you that next one. That next big man.' "Him and Big was doing the records, they was trying to do a whole project together," Cease continued. "Eventually, they was trying to work on a project together...After Big took off, it was hard for them to set up the schedules -- but, Big always had the idea in his head like, 'Yo, you know what? Me and Hev doing something together.' The relationship was there being around the whole Uptown situation." (XXL Mag) Following his Heavy's death, Bad Boy Records' Diddy publicly expressed his sorrow. "My Heart is Broken. Pls pray for my man Heavy D and his Family. Heavy D is the person who gave me my 1st chance in the music industry. He got me my internship at Uptown. He Believed when no one else did." (Diddy's Twitter) Heavy's passing made headlines last Tuesday (November 8). Rap legend Heavy D -- one of the most influential rappers of the '90s -- died earlier today ... TMZ has learned. Heavy D -- real name Dwight Arrington Myers -- was rushed to an L.A. hospital around noon today ... and was pronounced dead at the hospital at 1 PM. He was 44 years old. We've learned a 911 call was placed from Heavy's Beverly Hills home around 11:25 AM to report an unconscious male on the walkway . When help arrived, we're told Heavy D was conscious and speaking -- and was transported to a nearby hospital. He died a short time later. Cops are investigating the death -- and so far, there are no obvious signs of foul play. (TMZ) The late rapper's funeral will be held this week in New York. While the family waits for the autopsy results to confirm the cause of the 44-year-old's death, the viewing will take place this Thursday, Nov. 17 from noon to 6 p.m. The private funeral, which will be open to close family and friends only is set for Friday, Nov. 18. Both services will take place in the rapper's hometown in Mount Vernon, NY. Instead of flowers, the family is said to be asking for donations to the Heavy D and Xea Myers Fund. (BET)

this song reminds me of nelly's "just a dream" which is one of the best singles i heard in recent years as well

i wonder if more people are going to go out and buy heavy d's cds after he died since that seems to happen to a lot of rappers that die....

mac miller is one of the better new school mcs so this is a good thing, speaking of album sales i wonder how much keith sweat's new album sold, after listening to the new ll cool j single i'm thinking it'd be even better if he did another song with keith in the likes of "why me baby"