What Makes An Emcee Versus A Rapper?

In light of MTV's Hottest MCs List; I decided to post about what makes the best Emcee. Is it lyrics, style, production, the best albums, features, or content?

I'm going to have to go with content. Its all about what you talk about, and to be considered an emcee it can't be about how much money you have, how many hoes/niggas you have, how many cars you floss. I'm not saying that a person can never make swag songs, but do we have to do that all the time?? It has to be real and not superficial. What you yall think makes an emcee an emcee versus a rapper?

Here Sway explains the list

I love

this song and the vid probably even more, perhaps because it has zoe kravitz in it. SHE's HELLA COOLIO!



jay-z i know

A-typical Lil' Wayne Rant

So I wrote a note earlier today basically cussing out all the Lil’ Wayne fans(besides those who he is their favorite rapper) and saying that Lil’ Wayne never raps about anything of substance. Well I had to eat my words...because of a comment left by Calvin. Calvin said that Lil’ Wayne actually rapped about Hurricane Katrina AND joje Bush. Well hell! I guess if Lil’ wayne knows what is going on in the world; he cannot be all-bad. But his album is still exactly what I expected.(I haven't listened to the songs Calvin was talking about, and people keep telling me to listen to more music from his mix tapes)but love him or hate him. Lil’ wayne is becoming one of the biggest rappers EVER. He is definitely changing the game with his new, inventive, metaphorical rap. Now he definitely has his shortcomings...as does any rapper. Especially of his age...at this stage in hip-hop...who used to rep cash money oh so hard. But what reason is there really to hate him so?...as so many people do?...Lil’ wayne will never be my favorite rapper...I just can't get with his flow...but I do like most of his songs...don't get me wrong though. I still holdfast to my bandwagon theory. That everyone is hopping on the Wayne wagon...just because he is popular...WELL FUCK YOU MINDLESS IDIOTS! Is it possible that Lil’ wayne has hip-hop on his back? Is it possible that he is the best rapper rite now...or ever? Well in my opinion he is a definite candidate for the title...he had the most anticipated album. I even rushed to get that shit...do not ask me why...and about 10 of his songs is killing the radio rite now...and to top it off...Lil’ wayne appears ahead of his favorite rapper/idol/mentor on most peoples Best Rapper List. (As does Kanye)...seems like jay is doing a little too much mentoring. His his album was cool. So I cannot hate.

But in a final note...just hold out for a LITTLE while longer you wayne haters...he's getting too huge too fast AND crossing over to the white people too...soon he'll be overrated. Then then again, that did not hurt Kanye too much.

Hip-Hop is Tatted On My Heart

Ok,so I know this is hella late but when I am broke I don't buy albums, and even when I do buy them it actually takes me a while to listen to them. So I finally bought Nas' most recent album during Winter break and even though I immediately liked it, I am just now writing a review of it. I just take a long time to right posts because I like to get my thoughts together. PS. I will be posting some bomb stuff in the upcoming days or weeks, lol. But now on to the review. Wait, I mean, let me say something first. I love being black, one main reason of that would be our music. Even though the rest of the world may think that is all that we are good for, it is one thing that we are excellent at. We make music that even though the whole world can't understand, the entire world listens to. Sometimes, its even hard for me to understand what artists mean by the lyrics they right or even decipher the words they say. I make up my own words and my own meanings when that happens. I am a huge music fan, I am a huge hip-hop fan. Hip-Hop is the music our people, even though all of us don't listen to it. I think when you listen to music besides neo-soul, r&b, and hip-hop, you can appreciate music more and you can appreciate hip-hop more. Now hip-hop was definitely better in the 90s, but I won't say that hip-hop is dead now, or even wack. Artists are taking shit to another level, lyrics, beats are more intricate more intelligent, which is probably why I can't understand shit, that coupled with the fact that I lived in the hood for all of my life, but I was also very sheltered from it, so don't ask me shit about gangs and all that hoopla. Hip-hop in the nineties was all about being raw. Beats, rhymes were about the hood, played in the hood, and the artists wore hood clothes. Now artists, are making bullshit clothing lines like Pastelle, lol. We got hip-hop artists that wouldn't last a day in a real hood. Hip-Hop has been commercialized, not saying that its a bad thing. The white kids listening don't know anything about our struggle, but they making the artists rich. With hip-hop and rap we got more black millionaires than ever before. This brings me to the difference between and hip-hop artists and rappers, hip-hop and rap. Every hip-hop artists is a rapper every now and then, when they want something that is just fun, dumb, that they can play on the radio, that can be played in the clubs, that people can dance to, that will make them sell, and that every one can understand. It's just that usually rappers are always rappers, letting the beat override their voices, keeping their voice tone the same throughout every song(change it up sometimes muthafuckas), not riding the beat, moving with the flow of the beat, not going in and out of the beat, but being lazy as they talk their way through the song. Rappers have no finesse, have no respect for the art, the struggle, the ones that came before them, they just want their piece of the pie. Hip-Hop songs are songs that you can listen to when you feel no one understands you, when you want to hear some real shit, when you want to know that these artists respect you enough to give you something to zone out to because you giving them your hard earned cash.

I'm not going to lie, even though I am a big music and hip-hop fan, I just jumped on this train. I got my first CD when other kids already had a cool ass collection. My first CD was Brandy's Never Say Never. My mom wouldn't let me get any CD's with the parental advisory symbol on it, so that killed it. Therefore I wasn't exposed to hip-hop until I got to college. Earlier, I wasn't really a hip-hop girl, thinking it was boy's music. Then I bought Common's Finding Forever, and discovered LimeWire(thanks Erica!) simultaneously! It changed my life, my favorite rapper is Common, and I have a bomb ipod playlist. I am always searching for new music constantly and I spend hella money on ITunes.

Finally the review, Nas' most recent album, opens with an almost a Capella joint, right to start this profound album. It's definitely a different style for Nas, but its good. It solidifies his place in my heart as a hip-hop artists. This album is a pleading from Nas for his black people to do better. He accomplishes this while making the album informative and entertaining. I always new Nas was one to be reckoned with but this album makes his smarts and his sexiness known to me. Kelis got a good man, and he got a good girl, lol. Ths next track, samples the same song Mos Def did on Undeniable, "no matter how hard you try to can't stop us now". All three songs are inspiring. You may not agree with a lot of Nas' sentiments in this album, but you have to agree that this album is one of the best to come from anyone in years. I like to think of it as the brother album to Erykah Badu's most recent, which was also excellent and elevating in every way. Of course, Nas puts some Rap/Hip-Hip songs on the album, which can be found in Hero and Make the World Go 'Round. Buy it! You'll thank yourself, its definitely an enlightening experience.

Best Albums

Ok, so I know we're well into 2009, damn near half the way too. But I just have to do this, no matter, how overdue. This year, was a good year for music, believe it or not. Artsits are starting to rebel against the bad music bandwagon. So, I am not going to put these into any type of order, just listing them. 

1. The Renaissance by Q-Tip

Life is Better featuring Norah Jones
2. N by Nas
3. Solange & The Hadley Street Dreams by Solange Knowles
4. Fearless by Jazmine Sullivan
5. New Amerykah by Erykah Badu
6. The Real Thing: Words And Sounds, Vol. 3 by Jill Scott

Hate on Me

Good Music Finally Prevails?

So if you are reading this blog you may be familiar with the 50 Cent. 50's career has been, since its very start, has been based on controversy. I like 50 Cent, just as much as the next person, and he really came through with classics, such as, Many Men and Piggy Bank. However, speaking of Piggy Bank, which was a huge diss record, 50 Cent is also known for his provactive disses of other rappers. You can say that he acquired this trait from this mentor Eminem. I will admit that 50 has ruined some careers with his disses, Ja Rule anyone(?), and in turn, beefed up his own. 50 Cent used to be a record selling powerhouse, now, not so much. You can say he's losing his luster. After losing his battle with Kanye West, seems like all his beef is losing its fat. He is garnering some new attention with his new mixtape, War Angel, which I have yet to listen to, is it any good yall? But anyways, you may also be familiar with 50's short lived beef with Ricky Ross the Bawse(Boss). 50 said that he was setting out to ruin Mister Ross' career. Well he didn't. He used all his usual ammo, old facts about how Ross isn't really all that hood, as he may make himself seem, calling out Ross' baby mama, etc. Ross is still thriving as an artist. Which must mean that Mister Cent is not as good at his old craft as he used to be right??? So does that mean that Ross' music/ good music over controversy ??

But what is the underlining issue here? That a rappers lie about where they come from. Today is seems as if you have to have killed a couple of people in order to have a viable career in hip hop. If you don't have that type of background, you lie about it, just like a lot of other rappers. In hip-hop, you can't rap about the ghetto if you've never actually lived there.  But shouldn't you be able to?? Any educated person knows how the perils of the hood are effecting America's black youth. I'd rather hear Talib rap about the hood than 50, I'd rather hear an intellectual perspective than glamorization. And can we please get rid of this notion that everything a rapper says is autobiographical? Its not. Rappers perpetuate this all the time! When I write a poem, that doesn't necessarily mean that its about me, I may be writing from the perspective of someone else. Rappers know they lie, listeners know they lie. Who cares???

4 Best Love Songs By a Male Hip Hop Artist

You can put them in order.

1. The Light by Common

2. You Got Me by The Roots featuring Erykah Badu

3. Forever by Ghostface Killah

4. You're All I Need by Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige

New Music

So my friend from high school, the artist formerly known as Jessica aka Puff Puff is a rapper now. She even has a song and video out right now. Check it:

Hip Hop: You've Got So Far To Go

So as a labor of love, I have decided to start a blog about hip hop. The thought came to my mind last night during another one of my late night stalking new and old hip hop music alike. See, when I am at home I spend literally hours on end going to various music sites, the main ones I visit and like are listed on the link list. Hip Hop has become a obsession for me. As I write this I am listening to music by one of my favorite emcees, Nas, music from his demo. But of course, as a feminist it is a constant internal battle. Hip hop continously abuses my very being, and yet I still love it. I will never abandon or villify hip hop, instead with this blog and other movements in my life I hope that we can change hip hop for the better. What qualifies me to write a blog like this? Simply the fact that I love hip hop music and have knowledge of a feminist/womanist perspective. I am still learning about hip hop, though, I am no expert. This blog will focus on everything hip hop, please spread the word, I will try my best to get new music, but know that it will be hard as an upcoming hip hop blogger. Also, I want to let the readers know that even though content I might post will be offensive to womyn, it is still hip hop and it just shows how much work needs to be done. 

PS: The title of this blog comes from poem by Def Poet Jessica Care Moore about the misogny in hop hop and her love of this lifestyle despite it. Check it below: