got this off of Nah Right. Props, eskay.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
EFIL4ZAGGIN!
Goddamn, Nas.I'm not too crazy about the beat (and homie Enemyze doesn't like the hook) but on the lyrical tip, as always Nasty ain't playin. First song off N*GGER just got leaked, and Son shouts out not only to the regular type n*ggers, but k*ke n*ggers, sp*c n*ggers, g*tty n*ggers, and ch*nk n*ggers too.
Don't you wanna be a n*gger too? Sheesh
Nas - Be A N*gger Too
Sunday, April 20, 2008
the great (soul) train robbery
save us DC. save us from ourselves.And what's this I hear about a major record label (I mean big time TI-ridden #4080 major) getting shut down all across Asia next month? A sign of chickens finally coming home to roost, or a major setback for local and regional artists, hip hop or not?
Interesting times, brethren. Interesting times.
#4080!!!Saturday, April 19, 2008
the flip: disposable arts
"Now I don't usually do this, but ..." - R Kelly. Irony is good for your bones, son.
It's been a minute. So anyway: I was going through my own little shortlist of hip hop blogs, and came across a lengthy, well-thought out treatise on how the modern aspiring rapper can up hisself on the game by Achmed Rauff. First off, it's not a game. My bad for coming out swinging, but I need to. Well-thought out as it was, I would have to say that the article was at the very least naive and at worst, disingenuous. I'm not trying to front on dude, but I need to say what I need to say. Okay no more apologies until the very end of this post.
Being savvy on issues pertaining to product placement as a prerequisite to being a successful rapper? That would depend on your definition of success (word to Dubya). It's all good to be aware and update yourself on things that will capture the attention of potential sponsors and investors, but to say that a rapper anywhere, including here in Malaysia, needs that to be where he needs to be is a little over the top. You say in the same article that the popular perception of hip hop culture has been hijacked by MTV and then subscribe to that same symptom by also saying the main motivation of any hip hop artist is to end up sitting on fat stacks of green (I mean cash, not the yesca, holmes). It's not a dream that motivates many in our local hip hop culture. If it was, you wouldn't see a lot of the heads you know these days on their grind. They'd have given that shit up a long time ago.
I would love to get into a lengthy discussion on how to make full use of the local hip hop market to maximize profits and get those aforementioned fat stacks (of notes, not weed) but there are other far more urgent matters to deal with first. For instance, what market? I don't say this as a member of a hip hop crew and collective whose heads are so far up their underground asses that no one knows who they are, but as a genuine lover of rap music and hip hop culture who has seen the local community hide behind the excuse that it's "still in its infancy". I've been hearing that since 1998. I started listening to rap music in 1988. Hip hop's been here for a very long time, and we're still saying that we're new as an excuse for our lack of market penetration. If you want to talk business, how about this: it's not market penetration we should be worried about, it's market creation, maintenance and expansion.
I may differ philosophically from the people I'm about to mention, but Poetic Ammo, Too Phat, the Teh Tarik Crew, Phlowtron, etc have all made contributions to broadening awareness on hip hop culture in Malaysia. But it's a fragile thing to not build on their efforts, and to not let creativity and diversity dictate a scene's growth instead of what it'll take to snag that Hotlink deal. Kids - aspiring rappers or no - need to be involved in an organic community, not subscribe to brand names rappers on the radio name-drop. Kids are not stupid; they never have been and they never will be. They'd rather listen to Hujan or Onani and give those bands their support because first and foremost, these guys are in it for the music, and make it a point to appear that way. If you put yourself up on too high a pedestal, your target audience will lose their bond with you.
To artists, new and old: make music. Make some noise. Do a lot of good, entertaining shows. Be in as many places as you can be online and in person. It's great that you see Joe Flizzow and Pop Shuvit doing well and want to be like them one day, but pay your dues first. As an aspiring emcee (and that's the first time I'm using that word here) write from what you know, and also try to write about things other people know as well. Reading up on trends is cool, but not having an opinion about them would make that information useless. Don't just be informed, be knowledgeable. Be a businessman if that's what strikes your fancy, but never lose sight of your responsibilities to the art you're presenting to the world. People can spot a fake ass knucklehead from a mile away, and they'll drop you over a cliff in a heartbeat. And going out like that is no way to aspire to anything.
Oh. And just as an afterthought: XXL Magazine and The Source were headed by Eliot Wilson and Dave Mays respectively. They both thought the same way: hip hop is all about the cash. In the last 12 months, both of them were thrown the fuck out by fans, readers, listeners and hip hop artists who were fed up of their egotistical materialistic posturing. Even in the States, people are calling for this pimped-out lifestyle overkill to stop. How long will it take for us to catch up to the true school renaissance?
My bad if you're upset. Get at me. I love to talk shop.
listen: Masta Ace - No Regrets
It's been a minute. So anyway: I was going through my own little shortlist of hip hop blogs, and came across a lengthy, well-thought out treatise on how the modern aspiring rapper can up hisself on the game by Achmed Rauff. First off, it's not a game. My bad for coming out swinging, but I need to. Well-thought out as it was, I would have to say that the article was at the very least naive and at worst, disingenuous. I'm not trying to front on dude, but I need to say what I need to say. Okay no more apologies until the very end of this post.
Being savvy on issues pertaining to product placement as a prerequisite to being a successful rapper? That would depend on your definition of success (word to Dubya). It's all good to be aware and update yourself on things that will capture the attention of potential sponsors and investors, but to say that a rapper anywhere, including here in Malaysia, needs that to be where he needs to be is a little over the top. You say in the same article that the popular perception of hip hop culture has been hijacked by MTV and then subscribe to that same symptom by also saying the main motivation of any hip hop artist is to end up sitting on fat stacks of green (I mean cash, not the yesca, holmes). It's not a dream that motivates many in our local hip hop culture. If it was, you wouldn't see a lot of the heads you know these days on their grind. They'd have given that shit up a long time ago.
I would love to get into a lengthy discussion on how to make full use of the local hip hop market to maximize profits and get those aforementioned fat stacks (of notes, not weed) but there are other far more urgent matters to deal with first. For instance, what market? I don't say this as a member of a hip hop crew and collective whose heads are so far up their underground asses that no one knows who they are, but as a genuine lover of rap music and hip hop culture who has seen the local community hide behind the excuse that it's "still in its infancy". I've been hearing that since 1998. I started listening to rap music in 1988. Hip hop's been here for a very long time, and we're still saying that we're new as an excuse for our lack of market penetration. If you want to talk business, how about this: it's not market penetration we should be worried about, it's market creation, maintenance and expansion.
I may differ philosophically from the people I'm about to mention, but Poetic Ammo, Too Phat, the Teh Tarik Crew, Phlowtron, etc have all made contributions to broadening awareness on hip hop culture in Malaysia. But it's a fragile thing to not build on their efforts, and to not let creativity and diversity dictate a scene's growth instead of what it'll take to snag that Hotlink deal. Kids - aspiring rappers or no - need to be involved in an organic community, not subscribe to brand names rappers on the radio name-drop. Kids are not stupid; they never have been and they never will be. They'd rather listen to Hujan or Onani and give those bands their support because first and foremost, these guys are in it for the music, and make it a point to appear that way. If you put yourself up on too high a pedestal, your target audience will lose their bond with you.
To artists, new and old: make music. Make some noise. Do a lot of good, entertaining shows. Be in as many places as you can be online and in person. It's great that you see Joe Flizzow and Pop Shuvit doing well and want to be like them one day, but pay your dues first. As an aspiring emcee (and that's the first time I'm using that word here) write from what you know, and also try to write about things other people know as well. Reading up on trends is cool, but not having an opinion about them would make that information useless. Don't just be informed, be knowledgeable. Be a businessman if that's what strikes your fancy, but never lose sight of your responsibilities to the art you're presenting to the world. People can spot a fake ass knucklehead from a mile away, and they'll drop you over a cliff in a heartbeat. And going out like that is no way to aspire to anything.
Oh. And just as an afterthought: XXL Magazine and The Source were headed by Eliot Wilson and Dave Mays respectively. They both thought the same way: hip hop is all about the cash. In the last 12 months, both of them were thrown the fuck out by fans, readers, listeners and hip hop artists who were fed up of their egotistical materialistic posturing. Even in the States, people are calling for this pimped-out lifestyle overkill to stop. How long will it take for us to catch up to the true school renaissance?
My bad if you're upset. Get at me. I love to talk shop.
listen: Masta Ace - No Regrets
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Moar -_- Mixtapz Updatz: Reviewz
We've gotten a few reviewz already now. Two to be specific.
One from Achmed Rauff. And another from Vicjamm who runs the Malaysian Hip Hop blog.
Thanks for listening guys, and taking the time to review it too. We appreciate it very much. And we appreciate anyone who wants to review this shit, don't matter if it's positive or negative or posinegative, we'll accept it all with open hearts (open ak-47s and c4s if you diss me tho lolwootup). Give us a buzz if you've reviewed it or anything. Aight.
One from Achmed Rauff. And another from Vicjamm who runs the Malaysian Hip Hop blog.
Thanks for listening guys, and taking the time to review it too. We appreciate it very much. And we appreciate anyone who wants to review this shit, don't matter if it's positive or negative or posinegative, we'll accept it all with open hearts (open ak-47s and c4s if you diss me tho lolwootup). Give us a buzz if you've reviewed it or anything. Aight.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Young Buck out of G-Unit?
Apparently he is out of the crew, but not the recording company. Read here.What does this have to do with me, a Dipset fanboy?
I just think Young Buck is a dope rapper. Now that both him and The Game (years earlier) are out, G-Unit is almost a total non-issue to me, or hip hop, even.
Anyway here is a Young Buck song that's been getting some hype - hip hop can't save my life. I think he did it on the Lupe instrumental. It's pretty dope, as I've said, I dig his rapping. His swag, voice and accent (I hate the dirty south accents but some rappers sound good with it) is mad dope. Can I has Young Buck join Dipset? Huhu.
Monday, April 07, 2008
-_- Mixtapz Updatz
We managed to pass around 20 or so mixtapz during KL Undercover 2 (read mah short review of the gig here). If I'm not mistaken the next gig we're looking forward to would be DJ Fuzz's Mixology 2 Launch (24th April). So see you there if you haven't got this good shiet yet aight. Inform us if there's any other hip hop gig though.
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