bigted

I'd like to send my thoughts and prayers out to my friend John Lyons that I graduated high school with in 2003 who I found out was killed in Afghanistan a couple days ago, Rest In Peace brother http://www.app.com/article/20111028/NJNEWS/310280060/Seaside-Park-soldier-Sgt-John-Lyons-killed-Afghanistan

yeah nas is basically the last rapper from the golden era to consistantly put out music and it's unfortunate that the music industry's all about what have you done for me lately and most of those I mentioned haven't put out music since the '90s or only an album every 4-5 years with more frequent acting like Will, LL, and Latifah, while Nas puts out something every year since the early '90s

the problem that has held him back is his ego in thinking that he's greater than he really is and his worry over trying to have pop hits, if he could just get the mixtape hunger that he had when he got his record deal then he could definately put out a classic, he does seem to be going in that direction, that diss track against Game and Wayne was his hardest song in years

yeah the state of the game in 2011 is much worse than it was in 1999, we need some real hip hop back on the scene asap, we've been waiting for too long, give us something will...

The mixtape's dropping on Halloween for anyone that cares: -Fat Joe is prepping to drop his new mixtape, the sequel to 2010’s critically acclaimed album, The Darkside, Vol. One, for free this Halloween, (October 31). On the eve of its release, the Bronx-bred rap vet spoke to XXLMag.com about who he worked with on The Darkside, Vol. 2, the death of gangsta rap and why he decided to put it out as a tape as opposed to a proper studio album. As far as Joe is concerned, he’s trying to go a radio friendly route with his next album, but when it comes to his new mixtape, he wanted to make it strictly for the streets. “Darkside One was an album and it got great reviews and it’s what I like to do in hip-hop music; the hardcore ****,” Joey Crack explained. “But, you know in a mainstream world talkin’ about killin’ niggas and hustlin’ and all that, niggas, they scared to play that on the radio. So I said, you know what, we gon’ keep the Darkside brand, we gon’ keep feeding the fans, because niggas who love Fat Joe they want that hard ****.” The Terror Squad leader feels that his brand of aggressive music is missing in the current rap climate. “I been noticing since I been thinking about this Darkside mixtape, I’m like, Yo I feel like gansgta rap is extinct right now,” he said. “It used to be the backpack rappers were always like, ‘Yo we don’t get our just due.’ Now its like them niggas get all the just due. And the gangsta rap niggas they ain’t even getting heard like that. I felt a need to just touch the streets with that Darkside.” D Two features Joe’s fellow East Coast gangsta rap peers, Raekwon, Jadakiss and French Montana, who appears on the project’s intro, “Welcome to the Darkside.” While FJ has some recognizable features, on the production side, he decided to try out a crop of newcomers, like Mark Henry, who produced 80 percent of the tape. Meanwhile, 99 percent of the tape is all new material, except for the track, “Pushing Keys,” which he dropped earlier this year. “All new records,” he said. “One record that I feel like I had put out a while ago. To me it’s like an incredible record. It’s called Pushing Keys and not many people heard it. And I’m leaving that on the mixtape ’cause its just like, it’s too dope.” “Other than that it’s all new material,” he added. “I ain’t gonna lie to you, I believe in quality over quantity so I went into Darkside Two like it’s an album. To me it ain’t just a mixtape. Maybe I’m crazy but I feel like I reached the status of where I can’t put out bull****. I gotta try my best all the time.” —Jesse Gissen

It's a complete joke that Lil' Wayne's the modern day Slick Rick and Drake's the modern day Big Daddy Kane, the old school rapper that I'd compare them to would be Vanilla Ice 'cause they make weak pop rap but he's probably better than them as well...

i was just thinking that will needs to do an interview with xxl or allhiphop/start a twitter account and give us more details, tells us what's up fresh prince!!!

Sure those legends are influential and probably all ranked in my top 10 but most of the modern mcs can't hold the torch and that's why the legends are still the best in the game, just like when Fresh Prince drops his next album it should be up for album of the year, the pioneers still set the standard, anyway this is refreshing to see the real mcs get credit where credits due, would've been nice if they threw in the Fresh Prince since there's definately a lot out there that try to do the rapper/actor thing: http://allhiphop.com/2011/10/26/can-modern-hip-hop-be-traced-to-6-mcs/ Can Modern Hip-Hop Be Traced To 6 MCs? by AHH Staff October 26th, 2011 @ 11:00pm Mecca’s, a Hip-Hop aficionado that rhymes and works in the game, has concocted a “Hip Hop Lineage Tree” that says that all rap styles in the current era can be traced back to six influential MC’s. These artists are the legend L.L.Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, K.R.S One, Slick Rick and Kool G Rap. Here is the discussion from various bloggers and insiders. Watch and weigh in!

MC Hammer "Ed Lee Is....Too Legit To Quit", this is a campaign ad for Ed Lee the first Asian mayor in SF:

"Illmatic" is overrated 'cause I think "It Was Written" is the best Nas album:

We all want people to be open minded and not blindly hate on Fresh Prince's music but it bothers me that some of us here just seem to just blindly hate on certain rappers, I try not to do that since I rather be open minded.... It's the record labels fault more than anything that they don't promote the most talented artists but the reality is that every rapper had to do something worthy to get a record deal 'cause like I said before it's like being the 12th man on the Knicks that has more skills than all the arm chair quarterbacks that wish they could be in the NBA, I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt to not blindly hate...

He ain't really as wack as he used to be 'cause I thought that his last album "Before I Self Destruct" was a step in the right direction for him just like "Recovery" was a step in the right direction for Eminem and I'd say that his "Get Rich Or Die Tryin" is closer to being a classic than anything Lil' Wayne or Rick Ross ever put out and I could argue that it's possibly one of the last great albums in hip hop in the last 10 years, it's just the stuff he put out after that was so weak that most people forget that... And sure it's true that he'll probably never be one of the great mcs but that's 'cause he's too inconsistant in trying too hard to have a hit record... If he could return to "Get Rich Or Die Tryin" form then I'll definately be buying it...

There's no feedback here? This is one of the most intelligent and refreshing interviews that I've read in a long time and his new single for the album "Make You Say Ooh" sounds like he turned back the clock back about 20 years to the beggin' Keith Sweat, this is something SERIOUS that deserves to be in major rotation above all that garbage autotune singing garbage:

we all know that i'm one of nas' biggest fans but i get somewhat bothered that a lot other golden era albums from the mid-90s from my other favorite mcs get overlooked(for example JJFP's "Code Red", LL's "14 Shots To The Dome", KRS-ONE's "Return Of The Boombap", Queen Latifah's "Black Reign", Heavy D's "Nuttin' But Love", MC Hammer's "Funky Headhunter", Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise") while "Illmatic" is ranked on every all time hip hop album list like it's the holy quaran, and personally i'm getting tired of everybody listing nas, jay-z, pac, and biggie on every top 5 list like they're the only legends of the game

G-Unit leader 50 Cent is still making fans wonder what his forthcoming new LP will have to offer by hinting at a balance of good and evil on the follow-up to 2009's Before I Self Destruct. Calling the LP a predestined classic, 50 shared his thoughts on its production. "My new album is epic it defines the struggle between good and evil. There's a bright side and a dark side on it. #SK," he tweeted October 23rd. "I had to write it that way so I don't lose people. When you see someone say they miss the old 50 know that person hasn't grown with me. #SK" (50 Cent's Twitter) Last month, 50 said the album was a go and ready to enter the mixing/editing stage. "I feel like I'm done with the album, I'm going through the mixing process," 50 revealed in an interview. "Music, for me, it marks time. I believe a classic is timing. I haven't made a song that I felt like wasn't up to standard, where you listen to it and say, 'This is garbage.' You just got to be in the mood for it, maybe. The timing might have been bad during the release for some of the actual songs but it's not necessarily a record that you say, 'OK, I can't listen to this. What is this? Turn it off,' because I make all of my music up to standard. If that's the case, the stuff I did for promotional purposes, for free, wouldn't be talked about like it's so good." (Shade 45) In August, he opened up about his record label, Interscope, and struggles to put the project out through them. "It's actually my final requirement. My fifth album and the final requirement for Interscope. I had some difficulties with the actual system," 50 explained in an interview. "There are people there that are afraid to lose their job -- they've seen other people get fired. I think they're afraid to make some decisions that need to be made right away, they just sit and look...We've had some conversations communicated to develop plans for different things and it's not actually executed in the time plan that we've created. And I get frustrated and I start doing things, like I put the record out." (MTV UK) A few weeks prior, the G-Unit General publicly aired out his Interscope frustrations. "Man I'm not releasing a album i can't believe interscope is this f*cked up right now. I apologize to all my fans.," he tweeted July 27th. "I will work with other artist on there projects but I will not put out another album. They dropped the ball with me one time to many." (50 Cent's Twitter)

that's true, there's an art behind giving good interviews and that's sorta the thing that holds Nas back somewhat, he's not really that much of a media person compared to other rappers

well maybe nas ain't as intelligent as some people make him out to be 'cause of his music and if you go by interviews you'd think that 50 Cent is a genius even though his music is usually not to that level, i remember mc hammer said that in an interview that just 'cause of his music people write him off for not being as intelligent as rappers like krs-one and chuck d when in reality he actually comes out dropping more knowledge than them when they have discussions with each other

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWjCGbiFHk0

Rap veteran Nas opens up about his past plan to hang up the microphone for good in light of having a daughter in the new issue of XXL Magazine. Within his cover feature, Nas tells Odd Future's Tyler, the Creator how his 17-year-old daughter was the initial reason he contemplated quitting rap. "It's crazy, because when she was young, she was a baby, I thought, Aw, man, I'm gonna quit this rap sh*t before she becomes old enough to even know what I'm doing, what I did for a living. I never thought that I'd be still doing it while she's a teen, growing up. And I'm still in the game. It kind of f*cks me up," Nas explained. "It's weird as f*ck sometimes. But then, other times, it's, like, perfect. It's, like, I'm glad it worked out this way. 'Cause then I would have to be telling her, "No, I really was a somebody in rap. Like, you got to believe me!" (XXL Magazine) Nas also opened about feeling lonely and focusing on his family in the feature. "Are you, like--this question might catch you off guard, but I ask myself this--like, when you wake up, like, are you happy," Tyler asked. "Like, are you satisfied how everything turned out?" "Dawg, I was naming my album Life Is Good because of how happy I am about how happy things have turned out," Nas answered. "Sometimes I may wake up and wish my kids were living with me. That's the only thing, you know what I mean? Our loved ones that are not around no more, like my mom. That's the only thing. But other than that, everything is great, even when I'm alone. Even when there's no one around." (XXL Magazine) Last year, Nas opened up about his son, birthed from his marriage to singer Kelis. "He's like nine months. He's crawling, pulling himself to stand up," Nas said in a May 2010 interview. "He said the word 'stick' about a month ago. He's been talking for about two months, saying little words here and there...He was picking up on things very young, like two to three months, if not sooner. It just throws you that we're born knowing what's up...My son was born with ice grills, so when his mom feels in the mood she sends pictures. If not, its h*ll. It's h*ll trying to figure that out, trying to get him--I'll just leave it at that. It's h*ll. A man shouldn't go through that sh*t, but it's another story I'ma tell at a different time. Overall he's super good, and when I do get him there's nothing better in the whole world. When I get both my kids together its beautiful." (VIBE) In summer 2010, the rap veteran broke his silence on separating from the R&B singer. "Nope, nope, nope," Nas told Tim Westwood when asked if he wanted to comment on his personal life. "I never, you know, I never was that kind of dude, you know what I mean? It took me by surprise that today's game, though, no matter who you are, you can wind up out there. Your business be out there. That's just the way it is. I don't know what to do about that. You can't control it, it is what it is. I wish everybody the best, I wish the best for everybody. I ain't tripping, life is life. I love life. You live and learn. You just keep growing. Yeah. It's tough bruh, but yo, I dive in. I goes in. I still think marriage is a beautiful thing, it's a beautiful thing, you just gotta be strong to weather the ups and downs. I think it's a good thing to marry -- I had great hopes. I thought we were going to go through it big, but two people are not, we gotta become one mind in a way. Two people think about life different, they see things different and then you just grow in different directions but I had a great time. Shout-out to my son Knight, he'll be one tomorrow." ("Tim Westwood TV")

-http://www.ebonyjet.com/Templates/DetailsView.aspx?id=19578&terms=keith%20sweat Keith Sweat Keeps It Coming With New Album and Relationship Book By Margena A. Christian, EBONY Senior Writer The music industry is missing two things, says singer Keith Sweat: him and foreplay. After selling more than 15 million albums, the soul balladeer knows a thing or two when it comes to getting people in the mood. So get ready, because on November 8, he’s planning to take you there. He’s going to make you sweat with the CD Til’ the Morning. A single dad, the father of four has managed to balance his career along with single parenting. On weekends, he tours the country performing his classics such as “Make It Last Forever,” “I Want Her,” “Don’t Stop Your Love,” “I’ll Give All My Love to You” and “Keep It Coming.” And since 2007, Sweat has won a loyal following with his syndicated radio show, “The Sweat Hotel.” Heard in 47 markets, its quiet storm format not only offers listeners grown and sexy music, but it also affords them an opportunity to extend apologies or reveal confessions and/or secrets to their mates. Drawing from the listener experiences as well as his own, Sweat has written a book, Make It Last Forever: The Dos and the Don’ts, a conversational guide, if you will, to help couples. Though his own marriage to Lisa Wu Hartwell, a former Real Housewives of Atlanta TV personality, didn’t work, that doesn’t mean he can’t facilitate dialogue for others. After all, nobody begs or pleads a case better. Here’s what the crooner told EBONY.com. EBONY: Tell me about the book. What kind of dos and don’ts are you going to discuss? Sweat: If two people are in a relationship and a woman is not being satisfied by her mate, there’s nothing wrong with her telling her man how to be satisfied even though she feels like she might hurt his ego. Those are the types of things I deal with. There’s nothing wrong with telling your spouse what you like in bed or telling someone, “Look but don’t touch.” If you pay to play before you get into a relationship, you’ve got to keep paying. EBONY: What qualifies you to tell people what they should or shouldn’t do? Sweat: Hey, I’ve been through it. Experience is the best teacher, so when people say, “How does he know this?” it’s because I’m experienced about what you should and what you shouldn’t do. EBONY: Did you ever have to pay to play? Sweat: Oh, most definitely. Most men have felt it. If you’re a real brother, you pay to play in some situations. I didn’t pay to play in every situation, but being real about it, women pay to play sometimes. But you’ve got to understand that the way you’re getting into something is the way you will want it to be or feel when you’re into it, no matter what it is. However you start something, that’s how you’ve got to continue. And that's why most relationships do not work. Because when a man wines and dines a woman to get her, she feels like, ‘Oh, this is great. This is how it’s going to be. We’ll go on vacations, go to different places, go shopping. Oh, this is great. I love this.” Then you get into the relationship and it’s, “Hold up. We’ve got to stop this.‘ Then, all of a sudden it’s, “This is not what you told me or what I thought it was going to be because this is how you won me over.” EBONY: Men are hunters. They go after what they want. Should women do the same? Sweat: Men go after what they want, but women go after what they want, too. I think it goes both ways. I’ve seen women approach men in certain situations, and I’ve seen men approach women in certain situations. It’s always been this way. I don’t really think anything has changed. I think people have different ways of going about it, but I think that the game is still the same. The approach is still the same. I don’t think there’s a difference. EBONY: What’s the book’s tone? Sweat: I want it to be a conversation piece. I want someone, when he or she is reading the book, to really read it. A lot of women and men want to inquire about certain things, but they don’t want to feel like they don’t know. In other words, some women feel like they have to go to their girlfriends to ask them questions. Sometimes it’s better to go to a man and ask him, “Why do you all act like this or why is it like that?” A man knows a man better, just like a woman knows a woman better. EBONY: But men don’t want to hurt women’s feelings. If a woman asks, “Why didn’t you call me?” It might not be cool for him to say, “I didn’t want to call you.” Sweat: I try to keep it real. I think that’s the best way. Don’t sell me no dreams because my attitude is, keep it real with me. Tell me what it really is because then I know what I’m dealing with. I think the problem comes when people start to play games, not being real with a person and leading him or her on. I think once a person tells someone, “This is what I’m looking for, no more, no less,” people can accept that. If you ever dealt with or saw relationship that ended badly, most of the time one of the two will say, “You should have just told me that’s not what you were looking for or what you were looking for in this. You shouldn’t have led me on to believe it was one way and it wasn’t that way.” I think most people just want honesty. EBONY: This is great territory to venture into. Sweat: I’ve been in that territory for years, writing songs such as “Nobody,” “Twisted,” “Make It Last Forever” and “Something Just Ain’t Right.” All my songs, from back in the day to now, have gone into that territory. And because my radio show speaks about apologies, confessions and the maintenance man, I get all kinds of calls. They talk about cheating on their man or how their man is cheating on them. Some talk about how they had a baby with another guy but just didn’t know how to tell their man. I say, “Don’t tell him. He’s going to kill you.” My show deals with all kinds of stuff. Sometimes I’m sitting there thinking, “You really want to tell me this?’ The listeners just feel like they can expose everything or open up to me on the show about everything. EBONY: Are you prepared to be challenged when someone says, “What makes him think he’s a relationship expert?” Sweat: Like I said, I’m basing it on my experiences and the experiences of people calling my radio show. It’s other experiences, such dealing with people getting too comfortable, because most times in any relationship two people get comfortable and they feel like they don’t have to do the things they used to do to satisfy each other or to make each other happy. If I didn’t meet you looking certain way and then I come in the home and you look terrible, it’s like, “Hold on. Wait a minute now. You look totally different. You’re not the same.” People have to understand that you can’t just go extreme on a person. You have to keep things the same as when you met. People don’t realize that it’s very important. When people first meet, nine times out of 10, it’s more physical in the beginning because that’s what attracts you. So you’ve got to keep a little bit of that. EBONY: So if you met a woman who was a size 5, she should stay that way? Sweat: Yeah, don’t get to a size 14, because now you aren’t the same person, and vice versa for men. If a lady met a man and in the beginning he was always in the gym and then all of a sudden he just let himself go, you’re like, “Hold on, baby. What’s up?” EBONY: What’s the key to longevity in this industry? Sweat: In this game and for anything you do, you’ve got to keep reinventing yourself. That’s the key. You can outlast a lot of situations with reinvention.

new edition if it isn't love

check out this shaq interview, hopefully they get the season going since that commentary with charles barkley on tnt will be must see tv! October 22, 2011, 10:25 am 30 Seconds With Shaquille O’Neal: Off the Court, but Still Going at Full Speed By JOE BRESCIA Shaquille O’Neal was in Manhattan the other day, dunking, grabbing rebounds and even making his free throws. After announcing his retirement in June, was he preparing for a comeback after the lockout? No, that was the virtual Shaq; the real O’Neal was controlling his moves on the new digital download of EA Sports NBA JAM: On Fire Edition. O’Neal, an analyst on TNT, was hopeful there would soon be real N.B.A. games. Q. Were you surprised that Derek Fisher, your former Lakers teammate, became the union president? A. He was always a bright guy. Very, very smart. Very intelligent. Hopefully, he can help both sides get a deal done. Q. What do you think about agents’ planning strategy for players? A. It’s a touchy situation. Agents have always wanted to be in control. When the checks don’t come in, the players’ agents don’t get paid. So you have to look at what they’re doing it for. Are they doing it for their own pockets or are they doing it for the betterment of the players? Q. What do you think about the reported 50-50 revenue split offered by the owners and rejected by the players? A. It’s difficult to really know what the numbers are. Q. The pressing question fans want answered about the season is, Will Charles Barkley give you any time on TNT broadcasts? A. I’m going to get all the airtime. I’m going to handle him like I’ve always handled him. I’m going to knock him out if I have to. Q. Kobe Bryant reportedly criticized you about working out when he was in Italy recently. Any response? A. No. I don’t need to work out. My numbers speak for itself. My three finals M.V.P.’s speaks for itself. Q. What teams do you think can win the title? A. Miami is going to come back strong. Boston’s going to come back strong. Orlando’s going to be up there. The Lakers are going to be there. Q. Players you enjoy watching? A. LeBron, D-Wade, Kevin Durant. The guy I really like to watch is Blake Griffin. Q. Do you still want to own a team? A. Yes. And I’m looking forward to bringing a team to Newark. I haven’t spoken to Mayor Booker about it yet, but I’m working on it. I know Newark can support an N.B.A. team. And I’m going to be one of the guys that’s going to bring a team there. Q. How is your law enforcement career going? A. I’m going to be running for undersheriff in Lake County, Fla. Q. Is that the career you would have chosen if you did not play basketball? A. I’d probably be an F.B.I. agent. Q. Your favorite career memory? A. Just doing it my way and having a good time. Q. Worst career memory? A. Losing against the Detroit Pistons. (The Lakers lost to the Pistons, 4-1, in the 2004 N.B.A. finals.) Q. Any regrets? A. None. But maybe the only regret I have was missing over 200 games due to injuries. Q. What is on your iPod? A. Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and Kanye West.

thanks for this, i was watching this on good day ny a few days ago, she's still so hot!

unless will could pull his weight and stop the nba strike this deal won't do no good for awhile...